Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany 4 (2021)
Illustration
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Throughout 2020 and in the decades before, America has been wandering in the wilderness, not unlike the people of Israel and Moses. Pew Research Center reported early in 2020 before the pandemic that the income gap in the U.S. was higher than any of the other six most prosperous nations. The New York Times reported in July of 2020 that one in three Americans is “fearful” about our nation’s future. French Enlightenment theologian Blaise Pascal well describes why we are losing our way and wandering. Nothing in our capitalist economy ultimately satisfies:
Since our nature makes us unhappy whatever our state, our desire(s) depict for us a happy state, because they link the state in which we are with the pleasures of that which we are not. Even if we did obtain these pleasures, that would not make us happy, because we should have new desires appropriate to this new state. (Pensées, p.238)
We clearly need a new prophet to call us back home. On this matter Martin Luther notes:
In this passage we have those two ministries of the Word which are necessary for the salvation of the human race: the ministry of the Law and the ministry of the Gospel, one for death and the other for life... The ministry of Moses is temporary, finally to be ended by the coming of the ministry of Christ... Thus the Prophet [to follow Moses] can be none other than Christ. (Luther’s Works, Vol.9, p.178)
Luther then proceeded to explain what difference having Christ the prophet makes in our lives, how faith in Him can change us and bring America home:
First and foremost, the prophet of whom Moses speaks here must be heard; that is, our salvation begins, not with any work of ours but with the hearing of the word of life... But when the heart is inwardly justified and at peace through faith in the Spirit, then outward actions soon follow in various ways. (Luther’s Works, Vol.9, p.184)
Mark E.
* * *
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
God proclaims, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command.” In these days of the 21st century, people are often hungry for a prophet, someone to share the word and will of God, to set direction and proclaim truth. Sometimes we look so hard that we accept false prophets, the ones who do not proclaim the love and grace of God, but a message of their own creation.
Which prophets are you hearing, are you following? How do you know who is a true prophet? For me the certainty is the word, the scripture, prayer and discernment through seeking God’s voice and then assuring the voices of “prophets” are reflecting the values, gifts, and power of the Holy Spirit. It is a way to align with God’s true call on our lives.
Bonnie B.
* * *
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
The NRSV translators have inserted quotation marks around selected phrases through the first half of this selection even though there’s no such punctuation in ancient Greek. This choice is made to set apart what seem to be dialogue. Here are the arguments being made by the two opposing parties of a controversy.
Here’s the problem. Simply stated, in some cities in the Roman empire all meat in the marketplace had been sacrificed at a temple, inspected to insure it was healthy, and then sold. Some Christians felt since there were no such gods, it didn’t matter. For others, the meat was an anathema.
Here’s part of the argument: “all of us possess knowledge.” I wonder if that means that knowledge is not enough. Some people think all that matters in an argument is that their side wins. Paul’s response seems to be that love is the filter through which we process knowledge.
One side claimed “no idol in the world really exists” and then paraphrased Deuteronomy 6:4 — "there is no God but one."
It seems Paul agrees with this argument so far as it goes, but he quotes the other side: "Food will not bring us close to God." and concludes that believers “are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.”
Frank R.
* * *
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Put others ahead of yourself. That’s the message Paul has here. Spanish athlete Ivan Fernandez Anaya understood that.
In December 2012, he was competing in a cross-country race in Burlada, Navarre. Anaya was running second, some distance behind race leader Abel Mutai, the bronze medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the London Olympics. As they entered the finishing straight, he saw the Kenyan runner, the certain winner of the race, mistakenly pull up about ten meters before the finish, thinking he had already crossed the line.
Anaya quickly caught up with him, but instead of exploiting Mutai's mistake to speed past and claim an unlikely victory, he stayed behind and, using gestures, guided the Kenyan to the line and let him cross first.
"I didn't deserve to win it," Anaya said after the race. "I did what I had to do. He was the rightful winner. He created a gap that I couldn't have closed if he hadn't made a mistake. As soon as I saw he was stopping, I knew I wasn't going to pass him."
Will we sacrifice what might be our right to benefit someone else? Paul said, “Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall” (vs. 13). Will you set aside your rights for the benefit of someone else?
Bill T.
* * *
Mark 1:21-28
Ever been on the phone with an employee or in a store where the salesman or the cashier say they’d like to help you with your problem, “but they just don’t have the authority” to help? Christ is not that kind of employee or cashier. He has the authority to do it all. Martin Luther made that clear in one of his sermons:
When the Law comes and accuses you of not having kept it, direct it to Christ and say: There is the Man Who has done it... He has fulfilled it for me and has given me His fulfillment. When sin comes and would kill you direct it to Christ and say: As much as you can do to Him, you can do to me too, for I am in Him, and He is in me. When death comes and devour you, say: Dear Death, do you know that Man over there? Go, bite out of His teeth. Once upon a time He made biting sour enough for you... You were not able to do anything to Him and will nicely leave me undisturbed too. (What Luther Says, pp. 202-203)
Christ has authority over all that is evil. And His love even has authority over us, St. Augustine says:
Now “the love of God” is said to be shed abroad in our hearts, not because He loves us, but because He makes us lovers of Himself. (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol.5, p.108)
Mark E.
* * *
Mark 1:21-28
Possession of individuals by unholy spirits is not a belief in our contemporary society. Yet, we can still be possessed: by fear, pain, grief, anger, hate, greed and any number of sins that pull us ways from our relationship with God and our neighbors. Jesus has the power to draw those sins and negativity from our lives – just as he did that day in Capernaum. When we turn toward Jesus and acknowledge who Jesus is, Jesus can restore us, give the gifts of the Spirit, bring us into relationship with him, moving us away from sin and toward grace and blessing. Even in the 21st century, in our contemporary society, we need healing and wholeness. That is the gift Jesus brings. We need only be open to accept it.
Bonnie B.
Throughout 2020 and in the decades before, America has been wandering in the wilderness, not unlike the people of Israel and Moses. Pew Research Center reported early in 2020 before the pandemic that the income gap in the U.S. was higher than any of the other six most prosperous nations. The New York Times reported in July of 2020 that one in three Americans is “fearful” about our nation’s future. French Enlightenment theologian Blaise Pascal well describes why we are losing our way and wandering. Nothing in our capitalist economy ultimately satisfies:
Since our nature makes us unhappy whatever our state, our desire(s) depict for us a happy state, because they link the state in which we are with the pleasures of that which we are not. Even if we did obtain these pleasures, that would not make us happy, because we should have new desires appropriate to this new state. (Pensées, p.238)
We clearly need a new prophet to call us back home. On this matter Martin Luther notes:
In this passage we have those two ministries of the Word which are necessary for the salvation of the human race: the ministry of the Law and the ministry of the Gospel, one for death and the other for life... The ministry of Moses is temporary, finally to be ended by the coming of the ministry of Christ... Thus the Prophet [to follow Moses] can be none other than Christ. (Luther’s Works, Vol.9, p.178)
Luther then proceeded to explain what difference having Christ the prophet makes in our lives, how faith in Him can change us and bring America home:
First and foremost, the prophet of whom Moses speaks here must be heard; that is, our salvation begins, not with any work of ours but with the hearing of the word of life... But when the heart is inwardly justified and at peace through faith in the Spirit, then outward actions soon follow in various ways. (Luther’s Works, Vol.9, p.184)
Mark E.
* * *
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
God proclaims, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command.” In these days of the 21st century, people are often hungry for a prophet, someone to share the word and will of God, to set direction and proclaim truth. Sometimes we look so hard that we accept false prophets, the ones who do not proclaim the love and grace of God, but a message of their own creation.
Which prophets are you hearing, are you following? How do you know who is a true prophet? For me the certainty is the word, the scripture, prayer and discernment through seeking God’s voice and then assuring the voices of “prophets” are reflecting the values, gifts, and power of the Holy Spirit. It is a way to align with God’s true call on our lives.
Bonnie B.
* * *
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
The NRSV translators have inserted quotation marks around selected phrases through the first half of this selection even though there’s no such punctuation in ancient Greek. This choice is made to set apart what seem to be dialogue. Here are the arguments being made by the two opposing parties of a controversy.
Here’s the problem. Simply stated, in some cities in the Roman empire all meat in the marketplace had been sacrificed at a temple, inspected to insure it was healthy, and then sold. Some Christians felt since there were no such gods, it didn’t matter. For others, the meat was an anathema.
Here’s part of the argument: “all of us possess knowledge.” I wonder if that means that knowledge is not enough. Some people think all that matters in an argument is that their side wins. Paul’s response seems to be that love is the filter through which we process knowledge.
One side claimed “no idol in the world really exists” and then paraphrased Deuteronomy 6:4 — "there is no God but one."
It seems Paul agrees with this argument so far as it goes, but he quotes the other side: "Food will not bring us close to God." and concludes that believers “are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.”
Frank R.
* * *
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Put others ahead of yourself. That’s the message Paul has here. Spanish athlete Ivan Fernandez Anaya understood that.
In December 2012, he was competing in a cross-country race in Burlada, Navarre. Anaya was running second, some distance behind race leader Abel Mutai, the bronze medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the London Olympics. As they entered the finishing straight, he saw the Kenyan runner, the certain winner of the race, mistakenly pull up about ten meters before the finish, thinking he had already crossed the line.
Anaya quickly caught up with him, but instead of exploiting Mutai's mistake to speed past and claim an unlikely victory, he stayed behind and, using gestures, guided the Kenyan to the line and let him cross first.
"I didn't deserve to win it," Anaya said after the race. "I did what I had to do. He was the rightful winner. He created a gap that I couldn't have closed if he hadn't made a mistake. As soon as I saw he was stopping, I knew I wasn't going to pass him."
Will we sacrifice what might be our right to benefit someone else? Paul said, “Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall” (vs. 13). Will you set aside your rights for the benefit of someone else?
Bill T.
* * *
Mark 1:21-28
Ever been on the phone with an employee or in a store where the salesman or the cashier say they’d like to help you with your problem, “but they just don’t have the authority” to help? Christ is not that kind of employee or cashier. He has the authority to do it all. Martin Luther made that clear in one of his sermons:
When the Law comes and accuses you of not having kept it, direct it to Christ and say: There is the Man Who has done it... He has fulfilled it for me and has given me His fulfillment. When sin comes and would kill you direct it to Christ and say: As much as you can do to Him, you can do to me too, for I am in Him, and He is in me. When death comes and devour you, say: Dear Death, do you know that Man over there? Go, bite out of His teeth. Once upon a time He made biting sour enough for you... You were not able to do anything to Him and will nicely leave me undisturbed too. (What Luther Says, pp. 202-203)
Christ has authority over all that is evil. And His love even has authority over us, St. Augustine says:
Now “the love of God” is said to be shed abroad in our hearts, not because He loves us, but because He makes us lovers of Himself. (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol.5, p.108)
Mark E.
* * *
Mark 1:21-28
Possession of individuals by unholy spirits is not a belief in our contemporary society. Yet, we can still be possessed: by fear, pain, grief, anger, hate, greed and any number of sins that pull us ways from our relationship with God and our neighbors. Jesus has the power to draw those sins and negativity from our lives – just as he did that day in Capernaum. When we turn toward Jesus and acknowledge who Jesus is, Jesus can restore us, give the gifts of the Spirit, bring us into relationship with him, moving us away from sin and toward grace and blessing. Even in the 21st century, in our contemporary society, we need healing and wholeness. That is the gift Jesus brings. We need only be open to accept it.
Bonnie B.
