Sermon Illustrations for Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 (2014)
Illustration
Object:
Genesis 32:22-31
Jacob is in hot water! Esau is coming quickly from his rear and Jacob is certain that he is pursuing him to massacre him and his entire caravan. At what he later names Peniel, he faces his struggles and seeks answers to his questions.
In his book Spiritual Direction, Henri Nouwen relates an opportunity he had to meet Mother Teresa of Calcutta. He, like Jacob, was struggling with many things in his life at the time. He decided to ask Mother Teresa for advice. When they were alone, he began his litany of complaints and problems explaining how difficult they were as well as complicated. After ten minutes he finally became quiet and she said, "Well when you spend one hour a day adoring your Lord and never do anything which you know is wrong... you will be fine!"
When Mother Teresa said that, it punctured Nouwen's balloon of self-complaints and pointed him to a place of real healing.
He writes, "At first, her answer didn't seem to fit my questions, but then I began to see that her answer came from God's place and not from the place of my complaints... to live the questions and act right, guided by God's Spirit, requires both discipline and courage..."
Sounds like Jacob and the angel!
Derl K.
Genesis 32:22-31
Jacob had two wives, which can be a problem for those who follow scripture literally. Even the maidservants could be used, as when Abraham used one when he thought his wife was too old. Our laws do not permit polygamy, except in Utah, but is it all right to have a mistress on the side? I knew a pastor who had a serious relationship with a woman before his divorce was final. He felt that if gays could live together unmarried, then why can't he? We have to be careful how we treat Old Testament scripture, which even commanded genocide in some cases.
It is not uncommon that, like Jacob, we don't recognize God when he comes to us. He may take on another shape. How many did not recognize God when he came to earth as Jesus? We have to keep aware of what goes on around us and who comes to us. It could be God in disguise.
It is interesting that Jacob wrestled with "God" and didn't seem to recognize him until the fight was over. (Another question that is hard to answer is, Why did God have to ask Jacob what his name was?) It shows that if we are stubborn enough, we can even stop God from working in our lives! But then God gave him something to remember that fight: the damage to his hip. He had that hip problem the rest of his life to remind him that you shouldn't fight God -- or it looks like anyone else who could be God in disguise! You never know! It says he could have died after seeing God face-to-face! God refused to give Jacob his earthly name also, but Jacob figured out who it was.
God gave Jacob a new name that day because of his struggle with God. Now he became Israel, a name that has survived even today! There are so many of God's actions puzzling to us. Some we will never discover until we have gone home to be with him. Until then we must be vigilant and watch for the Lord acting in our life -- especially if we don't want a bad hip to endure.
Bob O.
Genesis 32:22-31
It is said that the story of Jacob wrestling with God on the banks of the Jabbok River was one of Martin Luther's favorites from all of the Bible, Luther noticed as so many have before and since that wrestling can look an awful lot like hugging. Jacob fought God. God embraced Jacob. Those times when we struggle most fiercely against God are the times when God holds us most closely to his heart.
Scott B.
Romans 9:1-5
Though anti-Semitism has been on the wane in recent years in America, a 2011 poll by the anti-Defamation League found that there are still 15% of the public who are confirmed anti-Semites. The bigotry still appears in subtle ways. In the same poll it was found that 3 in 10 Americans think American Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the U.S. This lesson makes clear that God is not about to give up on the Jews. They had the prophets and Jesus is descended from them. So much of Western society (including our legal-system-based-morality related to the Ten Commandments) is rooted in Judaism. Many Christian worship practices like our altars and ministry are rooted in Jewish precedents. For Christians to be anti-Semitic is like spitting on our mother.
In fact, the covenant with Abraham is still in place; Jews are still the chosen people. Of course this specialness is not one of privilege. Zvi Shapiro, a contemporary American Jewish rabbi, has claimed that when you understand the Jewish concept of choseness, "It's not such a good deal." It's a lot of extra work. For from a Jewish perspective, Jews are chosen only in the sense of being an example to humankind (Leo Trepp, Judaism, p. 7). And most of us will agree that on that score most have done a pretty good job. No, God has not abandoned the Jewish community.
This lesson then also speaks of the never-changing character of God, a testimony that he does not welch on his promises. Contemporary Finnish theologian and writer Mari-Anna Stalnacke provides a word of comfort on this matter: "One thing you can be certain of: God will never give up on you. Never. He will always keep his promises. No matter of what you do or have done God has not changed his offer for you. You can choose to leave but God will not go away and leave you."
A God who has not abandoned the Jewish community will never leave us either. When we believe that we can sing with the sixteenth-century Catholic nun Teresa of Avila: "Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All things pass; God never changes... he who has God finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices."
Mark E.
Romans 9:1-5
The term "Protestant" was first used at the Second Diet of Speyer on April 20, 1529. The term referred to those participants in the Reformation. The term was taken from the Latin word Protestatio, which means an emphatic declaration, in reference to the Reformers who challenged the Pope.
Application: Paul's sorrow for unbelieving Jews was an emphatic declaration of his belief that Jesus was the Messiah.
Ron L.
Matthew 14:13-21
In this scripture Matthew paints the picture of a Christ who needed solitude after hearing of the death of his cousin, John the Baptist. He needed rest for his body and soul, but it would not happen. Boarding a boat, he got away from the crowded areas of Galilee to the other side, but when he arrived, a great crowd waited to meet him... needing him. They had seen Jesus sailing away and deduced where he was going, so met him there. He could have easily resented the grasping, needy, nuisance of people, but instead he had compassion on them. He models for the Christian what we need... to care for others as God cares for them.
William Barclay wrote that the greatest task of a Christian is to relieve someone's pain and distress and that for the Christian's compassion it must be unceasing -- like God's. He suggests that other work may be laid aside, but the work of compassion must never be put aside!
Derl K.
Matthew 14:13-21
What a message of compassion! If we are sick he will heal us. If we are hungry, he will feed us. Somehow the little we may have will be enough if we pray over it.
I met a couple who had taken some food down to a town in Mexico where they heard the people were starving. They planned to set up a table and make sandwiches for those who came. They figured there would be at least 50 to 75. That was about all the money they had for the event. But after they were set up, they found more than 200 in line! They didn't know what to do, so they prayed and blessed the food and left it in God's hands. They were dumfounded and humbled when they fed that vast number and had food left over! God is still working his miracles today -- through prayer!
Jesus acted out of compassion for the multitude. One lesson for us is that if we have compassion and if we pray, leaving it in God's hands, he will answer. He is our example. We should also remember that if we feed the hungry, we are feeding him!
When my wife and I received the call to serve our Lord in Nepal, we had only our retirement income to support us since we were volunteering. The church had no money to send us so it was up to us. As we contemplated going, we knew we had to sell our house. I mentioned it to a friend who said we should let him know first before we put it on the market. He bought it! We were close but never had to worry about finances while we were there. The Lord provided. He also provided for all our Nepal friends who were much closer to having nothing, since most had lost their family support when they turned Christian, but they always shared with others who had need out of what little they had.
This story tells us that even if we have many questions about the future, we must leave everything in God's hands!
Bob O.
Matthew 14:13-21
Most of the time we mess up the math. We don't include everything. We quit counting too soon. We assess and we calculate. We estimate and project. All too often we conclude that we don't have enough, that things will only get worse, that the future will be a dimmer place than the past. We would like to do more, to be more bold, to reach beyond ourselves, but it just doesn't add up. We quit counting too soon. All too often we fail to count on God.
We don't want to presume. We don't want to put God to the test. Maybe what it really boils down to is that we don't think we can count on God. We quit counting too soon.
Scott B.
Jacob is in hot water! Esau is coming quickly from his rear and Jacob is certain that he is pursuing him to massacre him and his entire caravan. At what he later names Peniel, he faces his struggles and seeks answers to his questions.
In his book Spiritual Direction, Henri Nouwen relates an opportunity he had to meet Mother Teresa of Calcutta. He, like Jacob, was struggling with many things in his life at the time. He decided to ask Mother Teresa for advice. When they were alone, he began his litany of complaints and problems explaining how difficult they were as well as complicated. After ten minutes he finally became quiet and she said, "Well when you spend one hour a day adoring your Lord and never do anything which you know is wrong... you will be fine!"
When Mother Teresa said that, it punctured Nouwen's balloon of self-complaints and pointed him to a place of real healing.
He writes, "At first, her answer didn't seem to fit my questions, but then I began to see that her answer came from God's place and not from the place of my complaints... to live the questions and act right, guided by God's Spirit, requires both discipline and courage..."
Sounds like Jacob and the angel!
Derl K.
Genesis 32:22-31
Jacob had two wives, which can be a problem for those who follow scripture literally. Even the maidservants could be used, as when Abraham used one when he thought his wife was too old. Our laws do not permit polygamy, except in Utah, but is it all right to have a mistress on the side? I knew a pastor who had a serious relationship with a woman before his divorce was final. He felt that if gays could live together unmarried, then why can't he? We have to be careful how we treat Old Testament scripture, which even commanded genocide in some cases.
It is not uncommon that, like Jacob, we don't recognize God when he comes to us. He may take on another shape. How many did not recognize God when he came to earth as Jesus? We have to keep aware of what goes on around us and who comes to us. It could be God in disguise.
It is interesting that Jacob wrestled with "God" and didn't seem to recognize him until the fight was over. (Another question that is hard to answer is, Why did God have to ask Jacob what his name was?) It shows that if we are stubborn enough, we can even stop God from working in our lives! But then God gave him something to remember that fight: the damage to his hip. He had that hip problem the rest of his life to remind him that you shouldn't fight God -- or it looks like anyone else who could be God in disguise! You never know! It says he could have died after seeing God face-to-face! God refused to give Jacob his earthly name also, but Jacob figured out who it was.
God gave Jacob a new name that day because of his struggle with God. Now he became Israel, a name that has survived even today! There are so many of God's actions puzzling to us. Some we will never discover until we have gone home to be with him. Until then we must be vigilant and watch for the Lord acting in our life -- especially if we don't want a bad hip to endure.
Bob O.
Genesis 32:22-31
It is said that the story of Jacob wrestling with God on the banks of the Jabbok River was one of Martin Luther's favorites from all of the Bible, Luther noticed as so many have before and since that wrestling can look an awful lot like hugging. Jacob fought God. God embraced Jacob. Those times when we struggle most fiercely against God are the times when God holds us most closely to his heart.
Scott B.
Romans 9:1-5
Though anti-Semitism has been on the wane in recent years in America, a 2011 poll by the anti-Defamation League found that there are still 15% of the public who are confirmed anti-Semites. The bigotry still appears in subtle ways. In the same poll it was found that 3 in 10 Americans think American Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the U.S. This lesson makes clear that God is not about to give up on the Jews. They had the prophets and Jesus is descended from them. So much of Western society (including our legal-system-based-morality related to the Ten Commandments) is rooted in Judaism. Many Christian worship practices like our altars and ministry are rooted in Jewish precedents. For Christians to be anti-Semitic is like spitting on our mother.
In fact, the covenant with Abraham is still in place; Jews are still the chosen people. Of course this specialness is not one of privilege. Zvi Shapiro, a contemporary American Jewish rabbi, has claimed that when you understand the Jewish concept of choseness, "It's not such a good deal." It's a lot of extra work. For from a Jewish perspective, Jews are chosen only in the sense of being an example to humankind (Leo Trepp, Judaism, p. 7). And most of us will agree that on that score most have done a pretty good job. No, God has not abandoned the Jewish community.
This lesson then also speaks of the never-changing character of God, a testimony that he does not welch on his promises. Contemporary Finnish theologian and writer Mari-Anna Stalnacke provides a word of comfort on this matter: "One thing you can be certain of: God will never give up on you. Never. He will always keep his promises. No matter of what you do or have done God has not changed his offer for you. You can choose to leave but God will not go away and leave you."
A God who has not abandoned the Jewish community will never leave us either. When we believe that we can sing with the sixteenth-century Catholic nun Teresa of Avila: "Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All things pass; God never changes... he who has God finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices."
Mark E.
Romans 9:1-5
The term "Protestant" was first used at the Second Diet of Speyer on April 20, 1529. The term referred to those participants in the Reformation. The term was taken from the Latin word Protestatio, which means an emphatic declaration, in reference to the Reformers who challenged the Pope.
Application: Paul's sorrow for unbelieving Jews was an emphatic declaration of his belief that Jesus was the Messiah.
Ron L.
Matthew 14:13-21
In this scripture Matthew paints the picture of a Christ who needed solitude after hearing of the death of his cousin, John the Baptist. He needed rest for his body and soul, but it would not happen. Boarding a boat, he got away from the crowded areas of Galilee to the other side, but when he arrived, a great crowd waited to meet him... needing him. They had seen Jesus sailing away and deduced where he was going, so met him there. He could have easily resented the grasping, needy, nuisance of people, but instead he had compassion on them. He models for the Christian what we need... to care for others as God cares for them.
William Barclay wrote that the greatest task of a Christian is to relieve someone's pain and distress and that for the Christian's compassion it must be unceasing -- like God's. He suggests that other work may be laid aside, but the work of compassion must never be put aside!
Derl K.
Matthew 14:13-21
What a message of compassion! If we are sick he will heal us. If we are hungry, he will feed us. Somehow the little we may have will be enough if we pray over it.
I met a couple who had taken some food down to a town in Mexico where they heard the people were starving. They planned to set up a table and make sandwiches for those who came. They figured there would be at least 50 to 75. That was about all the money they had for the event. But after they were set up, they found more than 200 in line! They didn't know what to do, so they prayed and blessed the food and left it in God's hands. They were dumfounded and humbled when they fed that vast number and had food left over! God is still working his miracles today -- through prayer!
Jesus acted out of compassion for the multitude. One lesson for us is that if we have compassion and if we pray, leaving it in God's hands, he will answer. He is our example. We should also remember that if we feed the hungry, we are feeding him!
When my wife and I received the call to serve our Lord in Nepal, we had only our retirement income to support us since we were volunteering. The church had no money to send us so it was up to us. As we contemplated going, we knew we had to sell our house. I mentioned it to a friend who said we should let him know first before we put it on the market. He bought it! We were close but never had to worry about finances while we were there. The Lord provided. He also provided for all our Nepal friends who were much closer to having nothing, since most had lost their family support when they turned Christian, but they always shared with others who had need out of what little they had.
This story tells us that even if we have many questions about the future, we must leave everything in God's hands!
Bob O.
Matthew 14:13-21
Most of the time we mess up the math. We don't include everything. We quit counting too soon. We assess and we calculate. We estimate and project. All too often we conclude that we don't have enough, that things will only get worse, that the future will be a dimmer place than the past. We would like to do more, to be more bold, to reach beyond ourselves, but it just doesn't add up. We quit counting too soon. All too often we fail to count on God.
We don't want to presume. We don't want to put God to the test. Maybe what it really boils down to is that we don't think we can count on God. We quit counting too soon.
Scott B.
