Sermon Illustrations for Maundy Thursday (2012)
Illustration
Object:
Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14
It's interesting how we have so many different holidays on our calendar, many of which have little resonance with us. Consider Washington's birthday, Lincoln's birthday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, even ones like Memorial Day and Veterans' Day -- and that's just in the United States. Even Canada has ones like Victoria Day and Boxing Day to throw into the mix as well. While there will be protests from some that days like this carry a great deal of significance for them -- and rightly so -- for many of us, they may mean an extra day off school or perhaps a day off work if you work in certain professions. That's about it.
For the children of Israel, Passover was meant to be much more than just a date marked on a calendar. For them, this was the beginning of a new chapter, the end of slavery and the first steps on the march to freedom. "This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast" (v. 14). As scripture later points out, entire generations of Israelites lived and died without celebrating this most important of feasts (2 Kings 23:22). Did it become just a date on a calendar for them too?
Craig K.
Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14
Christopher H. Evans, co-author of the book, The Faith of 50 Million: Baseball, Religion, and American Culture, tells of going to major league baseball's Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York: "For a few precious hours, my visit to Cooperstown transported me into a realm where the stresses of my own life seemed insignificant. For an all-too-brief period, I had entered the kingdom of baseball."
Surrounded by all the symbols and plaques of the great baseball players of the past, he could recall the amazing feats of these players. He was transported into another time and place that meant so much to him.
Likewise, the faithful Hebrew participates in the Passover Meal each year recalling the mighty act of God in redeeming the people of Israel from bondage. In so doing, these memories connect the devout person today with God's redemptive acts centuries before and reminds the person of faith of what God has done and is able to do today too. Sharing a simple meal together such as the Passover can be a transforming experience.
Richard H.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
There is an uncompromising difference between Roman Catholics and Protestants in the interpretation of the communion elements.
Roman Catholics believe in Transubstantiation, which in Latin means trans (across) and substantia (substance). The bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus. Jesus becomes physically present in the elements. This is why when communion is administered, the priest places the wafer on the tongue of the recipient, holding a plate beneath the chin to be sure that Jesus does not fall to the ground. This is why after the service all of the remaining wafers and wine must be consumed by the altar boys.
Protestants believe in Consubstantiation, which in Latin means con (presence) and substantia (substance). The communion elements are a representation of the presence of Christ. This is why the following words are offered before the service that the elements of bread and wine "are an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace."
Whatever position one should choose to adhere, the purpose is still the same as Jesus instructed: we do this "in remembrance of me."
Ron L.
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Douglas Steere taught philosophy at Haverford College near Philadelphia for many years, but Steere was more than just a teacher, he also was a leader in the Society of Friends, a visionary and guide, a peacemaker, an organizer of relief for war-torn Finland, and a consummate teacher of prayer. Of all the commendable traits he had, the one often mentioned by those who knew him best was his humility.
As a young boy he was always looking for ways to earn money. During elementary school years, he peddled manure, obtained from one neighbor with horses, to other neighbors in his little wagon, even printing up his first business card, D.V. STEERE, MANURIST. He secured a paper route that required he get out at 4:00 a.m. He repaired door bells. He sold door-to-door knitted ties and handsome little ribbon rosette pins his mother made. He tried but sold only a few cuspidors for which his uncle Collis Steer had become an agent.
Anyone who could print D.V. STEERE, MANURIST, on his first business card had to have a sense of humility.
Richard H.
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
We don't have professional foot washers in twenty-first-century North America, so it's rather difficult to fully understand the significance of what Jesus was doing here. Perhaps we should think of it this way: What if Jesus were our janitor or the drive-thru cashier at our favorite fast food restaurant? Having worked as a both a janitor and a fast food worker, I can say that there are times when I was not looked upon as being in equal standing with the office worker or the government official who came across my path. I was on the lower rung. And I'll admit, cleaning a toilet covered with excrement didn't exactly make me feel like king of the hill.
Imagine how it was for the disciples to see their Teacher performing a task that was seen as the lowest and most menial, reserved for household slaves, probably ones who looked at their masters the wrong way, at that. No wonder Peter objected! And while it's easy for us to look back and see in hindsight what Jesus was doing, it should make us wonder: What if we saw Jesus cleaning our toilet?
Craig K.
It's interesting how we have so many different holidays on our calendar, many of which have little resonance with us. Consider Washington's birthday, Lincoln's birthday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, even ones like Memorial Day and Veterans' Day -- and that's just in the United States. Even Canada has ones like Victoria Day and Boxing Day to throw into the mix as well. While there will be protests from some that days like this carry a great deal of significance for them -- and rightly so -- for many of us, they may mean an extra day off school or perhaps a day off work if you work in certain professions. That's about it.
For the children of Israel, Passover was meant to be much more than just a date marked on a calendar. For them, this was the beginning of a new chapter, the end of slavery and the first steps on the march to freedom. "This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast" (v. 14). As scripture later points out, entire generations of Israelites lived and died without celebrating this most important of feasts (2 Kings 23:22). Did it become just a date on a calendar for them too?
Craig K.
Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14
Christopher H. Evans, co-author of the book, The Faith of 50 Million: Baseball, Religion, and American Culture, tells of going to major league baseball's Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York: "For a few precious hours, my visit to Cooperstown transported me into a realm where the stresses of my own life seemed insignificant. For an all-too-brief period, I had entered the kingdom of baseball."
Surrounded by all the symbols and plaques of the great baseball players of the past, he could recall the amazing feats of these players. He was transported into another time and place that meant so much to him.
Likewise, the faithful Hebrew participates in the Passover Meal each year recalling the mighty act of God in redeeming the people of Israel from bondage. In so doing, these memories connect the devout person today with God's redemptive acts centuries before and reminds the person of faith of what God has done and is able to do today too. Sharing a simple meal together such as the Passover can be a transforming experience.
Richard H.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
There is an uncompromising difference between Roman Catholics and Protestants in the interpretation of the communion elements.
Roman Catholics believe in Transubstantiation, which in Latin means trans (across) and substantia (substance). The bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus. Jesus becomes physically present in the elements. This is why when communion is administered, the priest places the wafer on the tongue of the recipient, holding a plate beneath the chin to be sure that Jesus does not fall to the ground. This is why after the service all of the remaining wafers and wine must be consumed by the altar boys.
Protestants believe in Consubstantiation, which in Latin means con (presence) and substantia (substance). The communion elements are a representation of the presence of Christ. This is why the following words are offered before the service that the elements of bread and wine "are an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace."
Whatever position one should choose to adhere, the purpose is still the same as Jesus instructed: we do this "in remembrance of me."
Ron L.
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Douglas Steere taught philosophy at Haverford College near Philadelphia for many years, but Steere was more than just a teacher, he also was a leader in the Society of Friends, a visionary and guide, a peacemaker, an organizer of relief for war-torn Finland, and a consummate teacher of prayer. Of all the commendable traits he had, the one often mentioned by those who knew him best was his humility.
As a young boy he was always looking for ways to earn money. During elementary school years, he peddled manure, obtained from one neighbor with horses, to other neighbors in his little wagon, even printing up his first business card, D.V. STEERE, MANURIST. He secured a paper route that required he get out at 4:00 a.m. He repaired door bells. He sold door-to-door knitted ties and handsome little ribbon rosette pins his mother made. He tried but sold only a few cuspidors for which his uncle Collis Steer had become an agent.
Anyone who could print D.V. STEERE, MANURIST, on his first business card had to have a sense of humility.
Richard H.
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
We don't have professional foot washers in twenty-first-century North America, so it's rather difficult to fully understand the significance of what Jesus was doing here. Perhaps we should think of it this way: What if Jesus were our janitor or the drive-thru cashier at our favorite fast food restaurant? Having worked as a both a janitor and a fast food worker, I can say that there are times when I was not looked upon as being in equal standing with the office worker or the government official who came across my path. I was on the lower rung. And I'll admit, cleaning a toilet covered with excrement didn't exactly make me feel like king of the hill.
Imagine how it was for the disciples to see their Teacher performing a task that was seen as the lowest and most menial, reserved for household slaves, probably ones who looked at their masters the wrong way, at that. No wonder Peter objected! And while it's easy for us to look back and see in hindsight what Jesus was doing, it should make us wonder: What if we saw Jesus cleaning our toilet?
Craig K.
