Sermon Illustrations for Lent 5 (2024)
Illustration
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Covenant and promise are a part of our legacy from God. God will write the law on our hearts. We won’t have to look at tablets or booklets or even the transcribed scripture to know the presence of God. God has written the presence of God on our hearts. We can no longer be separated from God, from the law and teachings of God. We are the living embodiment of God’s law. Now we fail at that often, but God doesn’t erase the law from our hearts. Rather God calls us back into relationship. God proclaims, “I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” We are forgiven people. We are redeemed people. Oh, there is so much to be thankful for in this promise.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Commenting on this text, John Calvin nicely described the meaning of God claiming to be Israel’s God (or our God) (v.33). He wrote:
For wherever God declares that he will be our God, he offers to us his paternal favour, and declares that our salvation is become the object of his care; he gives us free access to himself, bids us to recumb on his grace, and in short, this promise contains in itself everything needful for our salvation. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.X/2, p.133)
Regarding the law written in our hearts, Martin Luther believed that good works could only be good, when they happen freely and spontaneously. In a sermon he once proclaimed:
God wants all our works to be our own, and not those of the taskmaster, of the law... That is, we are not to do them merely because we fear death or hell, or because we love heaven, but because our spirit goes out freely in love of, and delight in, righteousness. (What Luther Says, p.1499)
Medieval Mystic Bernard of Clairvaux well described the experience of having the law (the word) inscribed in your heart. We become so devoted to the things of God that we lose ourselves:
The mind is drawn along by the ineffable sweetness of the word and, as it were, it is stolen from itself, or better, it is rapt and remains out of itself there to enjoy the word. (Varieties of Mystical Experience, p.106)
Mark E.
* * *
Jeremiah 31:31-34
This promise that the new covenant will be written on our hearts means that attaining the knowledge of God will become effortless is the kind of scripture that deserves to be read and needs no comment or commentary. As tempting as it is to simply read these words, adding, “Get it?”, then moving on, that would never suit. We’re expected to say more.
Rather than expound on this passage, I’m tempted this year to add the next two verses, which are the guarantors of this new covenant, along with the restoration of our relationship with God. I love documentaries that talk about the sun, moon, and stars, as well the deeps contained in the oceans of the world. I appreciate the fact that the more we know — and thanks to the Webb Telescope working on concert with the older Hubble, we know more than never and aware of the limitations of our knowledge — the more we know the less we know.
So, therefore, Jeremiah, having described this glorious new covenant, affirms “Thus says the Lord…: after which he remains us that this Lord is the one “who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar….”” (31:35.) The guarantor of this new covenant is ruler of the cosmos.
The prophet adds, “If this fixed order were ever to cease from my presence…then also the offspring of Israel would cease to be a nation before me forever.” (31:36) Now in point of fact, scientists argue whether the universe will end in an eventual death or whether everything will implode into a possible rebirth, but this is all so far in the future our own existence and presence is a moot point. From our perspective and that of the prophet thousands of years ago, God’s good work will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Especially true is the next clause, that “If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will reject all the offspring of Israel because of all they have done… (31:37) Some might say this means God will reject us, but the greater the accuracy of our cosmic measurements as well as our knowledge of the ocean’s depths, the greater the unfathomable mysteries of the universe unfold, revealing the prophet is right — nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Frank R.
* * *
Hebrews 5:5-10
Sometimes doing what God wants us to do is difficult, maybe even costly. Consider the story of Adoniram Judson. Judson lived from 1788-1850. He was a brilliant student was in the first graduating class of Andover Theological Seminary in 1810. He seemed to have a bright future ahead of him as a pastor. He was called to a large church in Boston, Massachusetts. His family was elated. Judson, however, felt a different call from the Lord. He refused that call and, instead, became a missionary in Burma. Life wasn’t easy for him, and ultimately, he died on the mission field. Thirty years after his death, the Lord used his work to reach over 7,000 converts and 63 churches.
Obedience through suffering; Adoniram Judson knew that. Of course, his example was Jesus himself. Jesus suffered in the flesh. “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (vs.8). However, though God heard his son’s prayer, Jesus was called to die, to become “the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (vs. 9). Doing what God called him to do cost Jesus everything.
Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “I find no better cure for that depression than to trust in the Lord with all my heart and seek to realize afresh the power of the peace-speaking blood of Jesus, and His infinite love in dying upon the cross to put away all my transgressions.”
Bill T.
* * *
Hebrews 5:5-10
When I was a teenager, working summers at the aerospace plant where my father was one of the managers, I learned that boss’s sons (and I suppose daughters) came in two varieties. Those who could expect a paycheck while hanging around and doing nothing, and those whose parents would have none of that and insisted we work twice as hard to earn what everyone else got paid. My father — and therefore I as well — fit into the second category. I worked hard. I even suffered. But that strengthened me in ways that have benefited me all my life, as well as eliminating the expectation that everything in life ought to come easily.
Now in the period in which this author was writing the position of high priest was a political office, one which was obtained by currying political favor and often by offering bribes as well. People went through this rigmarole because high priest could be a very rewarding position politically, economically, and powerfully. Against this backdrop the author quotes Psalm 2:7 (“You are my Son; today I have begotten you….”) and 110:4 (“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek….”) to show that while Jesus inherits this position by virtue of being the Son of God, certainly with the potential for the greatest act of nepotism ever, nevertheless Jesus “…learned obedience through what he suffered…”(10:8) which benefited eternally not only himself, but all of us.
Frank R.
* * *
John 12:20-33
Every gardener knows that planting the seeds, the dried and seemingly dead seeds, is the only way for the seed to bear fruit. Jesus speaks the words, “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Jesus speaks of himself as the seed that will fall to the earth. And Jesus reminds us that the death is not the end. Fruit will follow. Redemption will follow. Life will follow.
The disciples don’t want to hear about the death of Jesus — and yet, they come to know the sacrifice and the redemption of new life that follows. How do we experience death? As a fairly new widow, I know that death is painful, and grieving is challenging and heartbreaking. Yet, I know in my very bones that life follows death. That is my certainty and my prayer. Life wins.
Bonnie B.
* * *
John 12:20-33
Life and God’s purposes for us do not make much sense according to this lesson and according to John Calvin. Analyzing the condition of the world he once claimed that “out of Christ, there is nothing but confusion in this world...” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVIII/1, p.36) Life seems so confusing sometimes, as if God were not answering prayer, just as Jesus himself had to face the chaos of the suffering and death he would endure for us. Facing trails and confusion about life, Billy Graham’s daughter Anne Graham Lotz well captures the confidence we Christians may have (especially in light of the events we commemorate in Lent):
If God can bring blessing from the broken body of Jesus and glory from something that's obscene as the cross, he can bring blessing from my problems and my pain and my unanswered prayer.
How often good things come out of bad. The lasting love affair follows a painful breakup, the good job emerges after losing a job, the child we worried about throughout a difficult adolescence turns out good. God is saying to us what H. Jackson Brown, the author of Life’s Little Instruction Book, once wrote: “Life is slippery. Here is my hand.”
Mark E.
Covenant and promise are a part of our legacy from God. God will write the law on our hearts. We won’t have to look at tablets or booklets or even the transcribed scripture to know the presence of God. God has written the presence of God on our hearts. We can no longer be separated from God, from the law and teachings of God. We are the living embodiment of God’s law. Now we fail at that often, but God doesn’t erase the law from our hearts. Rather God calls us back into relationship. God proclaims, “I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” We are forgiven people. We are redeemed people. Oh, there is so much to be thankful for in this promise.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Commenting on this text, John Calvin nicely described the meaning of God claiming to be Israel’s God (or our God) (v.33). He wrote:
For wherever God declares that he will be our God, he offers to us his paternal favour, and declares that our salvation is become the object of his care; he gives us free access to himself, bids us to recumb on his grace, and in short, this promise contains in itself everything needful for our salvation. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.X/2, p.133)
Regarding the law written in our hearts, Martin Luther believed that good works could only be good, when they happen freely and spontaneously. In a sermon he once proclaimed:
God wants all our works to be our own, and not those of the taskmaster, of the law... That is, we are not to do them merely because we fear death or hell, or because we love heaven, but because our spirit goes out freely in love of, and delight in, righteousness. (What Luther Says, p.1499)
Medieval Mystic Bernard of Clairvaux well described the experience of having the law (the word) inscribed in your heart. We become so devoted to the things of God that we lose ourselves:
The mind is drawn along by the ineffable sweetness of the word and, as it were, it is stolen from itself, or better, it is rapt and remains out of itself there to enjoy the word. (Varieties of Mystical Experience, p.106)
Mark E.
* * *
Jeremiah 31:31-34
This promise that the new covenant will be written on our hearts means that attaining the knowledge of God will become effortless is the kind of scripture that deserves to be read and needs no comment or commentary. As tempting as it is to simply read these words, adding, “Get it?”, then moving on, that would never suit. We’re expected to say more.
Rather than expound on this passage, I’m tempted this year to add the next two verses, which are the guarantors of this new covenant, along with the restoration of our relationship with God. I love documentaries that talk about the sun, moon, and stars, as well the deeps contained in the oceans of the world. I appreciate the fact that the more we know — and thanks to the Webb Telescope working on concert with the older Hubble, we know more than never and aware of the limitations of our knowledge — the more we know the less we know.
So, therefore, Jeremiah, having described this glorious new covenant, affirms “Thus says the Lord…: after which he remains us that this Lord is the one “who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar….”” (31:35.) The guarantor of this new covenant is ruler of the cosmos.
The prophet adds, “If this fixed order were ever to cease from my presence…then also the offspring of Israel would cease to be a nation before me forever.” (31:36) Now in point of fact, scientists argue whether the universe will end in an eventual death or whether everything will implode into a possible rebirth, but this is all so far in the future our own existence and presence is a moot point. From our perspective and that of the prophet thousands of years ago, God’s good work will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Especially true is the next clause, that “If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will reject all the offspring of Israel because of all they have done… (31:37) Some might say this means God will reject us, but the greater the accuracy of our cosmic measurements as well as our knowledge of the ocean’s depths, the greater the unfathomable mysteries of the universe unfold, revealing the prophet is right — nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Frank R.
* * *
Hebrews 5:5-10
Sometimes doing what God wants us to do is difficult, maybe even costly. Consider the story of Adoniram Judson. Judson lived from 1788-1850. He was a brilliant student was in the first graduating class of Andover Theological Seminary in 1810. He seemed to have a bright future ahead of him as a pastor. He was called to a large church in Boston, Massachusetts. His family was elated. Judson, however, felt a different call from the Lord. He refused that call and, instead, became a missionary in Burma. Life wasn’t easy for him, and ultimately, he died on the mission field. Thirty years after his death, the Lord used his work to reach over 7,000 converts and 63 churches.
Obedience through suffering; Adoniram Judson knew that. Of course, his example was Jesus himself. Jesus suffered in the flesh. “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (vs.8). However, though God heard his son’s prayer, Jesus was called to die, to become “the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (vs. 9). Doing what God called him to do cost Jesus everything.
Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “I find no better cure for that depression than to trust in the Lord with all my heart and seek to realize afresh the power of the peace-speaking blood of Jesus, and His infinite love in dying upon the cross to put away all my transgressions.”
Bill T.
* * *
Hebrews 5:5-10
When I was a teenager, working summers at the aerospace plant where my father was one of the managers, I learned that boss’s sons (and I suppose daughters) came in two varieties. Those who could expect a paycheck while hanging around and doing nothing, and those whose parents would have none of that and insisted we work twice as hard to earn what everyone else got paid. My father — and therefore I as well — fit into the second category. I worked hard. I even suffered. But that strengthened me in ways that have benefited me all my life, as well as eliminating the expectation that everything in life ought to come easily.
Now in the period in which this author was writing the position of high priest was a political office, one which was obtained by currying political favor and often by offering bribes as well. People went through this rigmarole because high priest could be a very rewarding position politically, economically, and powerfully. Against this backdrop the author quotes Psalm 2:7 (“You are my Son; today I have begotten you….”) and 110:4 (“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek….”) to show that while Jesus inherits this position by virtue of being the Son of God, certainly with the potential for the greatest act of nepotism ever, nevertheless Jesus “…learned obedience through what he suffered…”(10:8) which benefited eternally not only himself, but all of us.
Frank R.
* * *
John 12:20-33
Every gardener knows that planting the seeds, the dried and seemingly dead seeds, is the only way for the seed to bear fruit. Jesus speaks the words, “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Jesus speaks of himself as the seed that will fall to the earth. And Jesus reminds us that the death is not the end. Fruit will follow. Redemption will follow. Life will follow.
The disciples don’t want to hear about the death of Jesus — and yet, they come to know the sacrifice and the redemption of new life that follows. How do we experience death? As a fairly new widow, I know that death is painful, and grieving is challenging and heartbreaking. Yet, I know in my very bones that life follows death. That is my certainty and my prayer. Life wins.
Bonnie B.
* * *
John 12:20-33
Life and God’s purposes for us do not make much sense according to this lesson and according to John Calvin. Analyzing the condition of the world he once claimed that “out of Christ, there is nothing but confusion in this world...” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVIII/1, p.36) Life seems so confusing sometimes, as if God were not answering prayer, just as Jesus himself had to face the chaos of the suffering and death he would endure for us. Facing trails and confusion about life, Billy Graham’s daughter Anne Graham Lotz well captures the confidence we Christians may have (especially in light of the events we commemorate in Lent):
If God can bring blessing from the broken body of Jesus and glory from something that's obscene as the cross, he can bring blessing from my problems and my pain and my unanswered prayer.
How often good things come out of bad. The lasting love affair follows a painful breakup, the good job emerges after losing a job, the child we worried about throughout a difficult adolescence turns out good. God is saying to us what H. Jackson Brown, the author of Life’s Little Instruction Book, once wrote: “Life is slippery. Here is my hand.”
Mark E.
