Sermon Illustrations For Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 (2017)
Illustration
Genesis 45:1-15
Hindsight is 20-20, as they say. Joseph confronts his brothers with his identity and clearly says that God has used their treachery and hate for something good. I’m pretty sure Joseph didn’t feel that way when he was thrown into the pit, sold to others, imprisoned, or tortured. He has some perspective now. He has another way of looking at all those circumstances and the journey he has been on throughout his life. His brothers have a lot to catch up on. No wonder they are confused.
As I look at my own life, I can see the hand of God providing opportunities and openings for me in spite of some horrible and tragic things that have happened in my life. Living through those times was not easy. I could not see a destination that would bring hope and love and peace into my life. And while I don’t believe that I am a marionette and God is a puppeteer, I do believe that opportunities are placed before us to move us toward wholeness and health. God and I co-create my life together -- sometimes God carrying me, sometimes me walking on my own, but God is always, always there. That’s my comfort.
Bonnie B.
Genesis 45:1-15
Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy once called the Joseph saga the most beautiful story ever written. At its heart is forgiveness, but before we come to this scene of weeping and reconciliation there are dreams, sibling rivalry, murderous jealousy, betrayal, and a prisoner who comes to rule Egypt in the name of Pharaoh. The central dysfunction of Genesis, in which a parent favors one child over another, continues into this story. Joseph, having played his brothers in order to test them, makes the decision to re-interpret their past history in the best light possible -- all this happened to preserve the family from the worldwide famine. He insists on seeing God’s hand where clearly his enslavement is the direct result of his brothers’ jealousy and rage. In a long-standing grudge between individuals or communities, someone has to take the step of letting go and beginning anew. And after all the weeping and wailing, a miracle happens -- the brothers are able to speak to each other.
Frank R.
Genesis 45:1-15
Sometimes we like to keep things secret from others. In Joseph’s case, everyone was ordered to leave but his brothers. Sometimes our emotions are expressed so strongly that those outside can hear us. Joseph is the one who is crying. He missed his brothers, even though they had sold him into slavery. When they realized how important his job was, they were terrified because of what they had done to him and concern that he might want to get even! Those are normal feelings. It is also normal that Joseph wants to know first about his father and brother Benjamin.
Not only does Joseph not show revenge, he cares for his brothers enough to keep them from starving. He returns good for evil. That rule should still apply to us today -- especially if we realize that the things that Joseph’s brothers did to him might be God’s ultimate plan. We may not know for a long time what God’s plan is for us when we run into trouble.
Some of the families of my seminary students were horrified when their sons became Christians, and even more so when they studied to be pastors. It was only when the families also came to know the Lord themselves that they were overjoyed! The sons had no resentment for their families rejecting them. In Joseph’s case, he led his father and the rest of the family away from starvation.
Can we help starving Muslims so that they may no longer hate us and fight us, but that they will thank us and maybe even turn and discover this religion that cares for others -- even the ones that are hurting us and even blowing up our churches? We should forgive them rather than trying to kill them for what they have done.
It can often take a long time to win others, when it is much faster to just shoot them and give them to God to finish their punishment!
I had a businessman in one parish I served who was being hurt by his partner, who was trying push him out of their business by telling their employees that he was no good and wanted to fire them as soon as he could. At my advice the member went to all their employees and told them what a great person his partner was and how they should appreciate him. In a few days the partner came to him, puzzled by what he had done, and the wounds were all healed with apologies and an offer to sell the business to my member for a bargain price.
It doesn’t seem to make sense to return good for evil, but then we often doubt God’s words. That is why our church can get us back to his will.
Bob O.
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
President Abraham Lincoln was well-known for having a soft heart when it came to the issue of pardons. Several Union generals were privately frustrated with Lincoln’s mercy to disobedient soldiers. Private William Scott of Groton, Vermont, was one who experienced Lincoln’s mercy. He had been court-martialed and sentenced to death by firing squad on September 9, 1861. His offense: falling asleep at his post while on watch over the Potomac.
Scott had volunteered to take the place of a sick comrade and was serving his second consecutive night of sentry duty. As word of his plight spread, many appeals were made on his behalf. Scott’s death sentence was to have been carried out September 9 -- but a petition found its way into the hands of an army chaplain, who presented it to President Lincoln the day before the execution. Early the next morning, Lincoln visited General McClellan. A pardon was issued.
Sadly, seven months later Scott was mortally wounded while struggling up a riverbank with a wounded companion. Knowing he was dying of his bullet wounds, he called his closest companions to his hospital cot where he relayed messages to his family and friends at home. He also requested that his friends contact President Lincoln, informing the president about the circumstances of his death. Scott asked that his gratitude be expressed for the pardon he received, which made it possible for him to die in battle as a solider and not in disgrace at the hands of a firing squad.
Mercy is offered to those who are disobedient. Whether it be for disobedient Gentiles who receive mercy because of the Jews’ disobedience or Jews who are now disobedient receiving that same mercy, mercy is offered to all. What Private Scott knew a long time ago in the Civil War, we know today. It’s good to be a recipient of mercy.
Bill T.
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Bob Jones, Creflo Dollar, Franklin Graham, and their ilk have done a disservice to Christianity with their eccentric remarks. A stir was created when Falwell said: “AIDS is not just God’s punishment for homosexuals; it is God’s punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals.” Robertson told viewers that “awful-looking” women can cause marriages to lose their spark. Tabloids had a feeding frenzy when Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty condemned homosexuality.
Phil did say: “My mission today is to go forth and tell people why I follow Christ and what the Bible teaches...” Displaying conviction and sincerity, many Christians journey forth on that mission. Unfortunately, it is a mission of the Pharisees -- legalistic, judgmental, intolerant.
To this portfolio we can add televangelists, including those who espouse the prosperity gospel, which promotes a distorted message. Victoria Osteen, the wife of Joel, said in a sermon: “When we obey God, we’re not doing it for God... we’re doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we’re happy.” Theologians were quick to rebuke Osteen, for Christians are not called to be happy but to serve.
Application: Parochial convictions have always been a part of the church. But this is not what has propelled Christianity forward for two millenniums. We are called to be evangelists with a message that is true, has integrity, and is honest.
Ron L.
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
This text’s reference to the call of God to the Jews being irrevocable (v. 29), since all Israel will be saved (v. 26), raises the issue of whether God’s grace might be for all. Not long after the Reformation had begun, Martin Luther certainly expressed an interesting hope in this connection: “If God were to save anyone without faith he would be acting contrary to his own words.... It would be quite a different question whether God can impart faith to some in the hour of death or after death so that these people could be saved through faith” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 46, pp. 53, 54).
And famed modern theologian Karl Barth made a similar point: “Secondly, there is no good reason why we should forbid ourselves, or be forbidden, openness to the possibility that in the reality of God and man in Jesus Christ there is contained much more than we might expect and therefore the supremely unexpected withdrawal of that final threat, i.e. ...the final deliverance of all men. To be more explicit, there is no good reason why we should not be open to this possibility” (Church Dogmatics, Vol. IV/3, pp. 477-478). To this he adds that while we cannot preach this as though we had a claim on it, we are surely urged to hope and pray for it.
Mark E.
Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28
I love this passage, this story of the woman who argues with Jesus and wins. I have often contemplated this, and I believe that Jesus acted in this way with the woman, claiming he was only sent for the children of Israel, to provide an object lesson for the disciples and for us. Often the disciples claimed Jesus for themselves. This argument continued between Peter and Paul after Jesus died. It continues in lots of churches today. For whom did Christ come into the world?
This confrontation reminds us that Jesus came for all of us, for those of faith and those without faith, for those following doctrine and those not following doctrine, for those with a church and faith history and those without. Jesus is present for us all. We, as the hands and feet and voice and heart of Jesus in the world, need to be present for all our neighbors as well. It’s a big task, but together we can be the people Jesus calls us to be.
Bonnie B.
Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28
The two portions of this scripture are two sides of the same coin. In the first, consistent with his message throughout the gospels (especially when it comes to eating), Jesus directly addresses the true nature of clean and unclean. All cultures have definitions for what is allowed and what is not. Sometimes there’s a rational reason; sometimes there isn’t. In American society people are willing to eat cows, but not horses; chickens and ducks, but not dogs and cats. We eat cheese. Some societies think cheese is disgusting, but they may eat things that our society may find hard to swallow. We clean dishes and wash hands in different ways, but this isn’t about the brand of dish soap we use.
In the first century basic laws of clean and unclean created societal boundaries, but were later over-interpreted to the point where the cleanliness police attached great complications to what makes a person acceptable. Jesus insisted it’s what comes out of the mouth, not what goes in, that makes us unclean. A lot of that other stuff we insist is disgusting is just biology, but evil intent comes from within and is expressed outwardly.
Flip the coin. The story that follows is about the Canaanite woman. Ironically, Jesus becomes example number one of what not to do! Is Jesus falling prey to the prejudices of his society, or is he just showing his disciples how ugly racism really is? The language he uses to refuse this foreign woman’s request for her daughter’s healing (“It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs”) is insulting in his society. Dogs were despised scavengers, not pets. Not only that, the woman is unclean by the standards of the disciples’ culture because she is both a foreigner and a woman. Jesus and the disciples should not have contact of any kind with her for both of those reasons. The woman’s reply, that even dogs are entitled to the crumbs that fall from the table, either brings Jesus to his senses or allows Jesus to use her words to demonstrate to the prejudiced disciples standing nearby just how wise she is.
Jesus is fully human and fully divine. Some people are not comfortable with the fully divine part. Many Christians are not comfortable with what it means for Jesus to be fully human. He seems to say one thing about the true meaning of clean and unclean and do another. But he does correct himself, or rather allow himself to be corrected by the Canaanite woman.
Frank R.
Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28
Don’t we feel like Peter sometimes? The Lord’s words are too deep for us. Someone asked me: If he drank whiskey, was it not a crime according to that passage? I told him that you had to read the whole passage and relate it to other things our Lord said. Jesus did not say it was evil to take a drink of liquor. He used wine for the last supper and converted water to wine for a wedding feast. He only said we should not do anything to excess. But in this passage it shifts to what comes out of us -- and he doesn’t mean going to the toilet!
The important message here is that we should watch what we say so we don’t hurt anyone or curse them, and we shouldn’t we tell them to do things that are not in scripture. We should not tell those who are not good Christians that they are going to hell. None of us, and especially the pastor, should be a blind guide. We should weigh our words carefully so as not to hurt fellow Christians. It seems that we should not hurt anyone!
Our Lord plants his seed in many people, and we must be careful about pulling up what he has not planted. We should be careful not to pull up seed that we are not sure about, which means we should study his Word so we can recognize what is and what is not of the Lord. Our church can be our guide when we don’t read as much as we should.
The Lord showed an example when he did not send away the Canaanite woman. God had planted a seed in her so that she called on Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus hears the cries of anyone who has a seed of faith planted in them, regardless of race, creed, or color.
Doctors on the mission field often work to heal some who would just as soon be left to die. I have had several members who said we should be more concerned about those in need in our country. Our church should encourage us to do both! All those throughout the world are God’s children. Whatever we do for the least of “these,” we do for our Lord.
Bob O.
Hindsight is 20-20, as they say. Joseph confronts his brothers with his identity and clearly says that God has used their treachery and hate for something good. I’m pretty sure Joseph didn’t feel that way when he was thrown into the pit, sold to others, imprisoned, or tortured. He has some perspective now. He has another way of looking at all those circumstances and the journey he has been on throughout his life. His brothers have a lot to catch up on. No wonder they are confused.
As I look at my own life, I can see the hand of God providing opportunities and openings for me in spite of some horrible and tragic things that have happened in my life. Living through those times was not easy. I could not see a destination that would bring hope and love and peace into my life. And while I don’t believe that I am a marionette and God is a puppeteer, I do believe that opportunities are placed before us to move us toward wholeness and health. God and I co-create my life together -- sometimes God carrying me, sometimes me walking on my own, but God is always, always there. That’s my comfort.
Bonnie B.
Genesis 45:1-15
Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy once called the Joseph saga the most beautiful story ever written. At its heart is forgiveness, but before we come to this scene of weeping and reconciliation there are dreams, sibling rivalry, murderous jealousy, betrayal, and a prisoner who comes to rule Egypt in the name of Pharaoh. The central dysfunction of Genesis, in which a parent favors one child over another, continues into this story. Joseph, having played his brothers in order to test them, makes the decision to re-interpret their past history in the best light possible -- all this happened to preserve the family from the worldwide famine. He insists on seeing God’s hand where clearly his enslavement is the direct result of his brothers’ jealousy and rage. In a long-standing grudge between individuals or communities, someone has to take the step of letting go and beginning anew. And after all the weeping and wailing, a miracle happens -- the brothers are able to speak to each other.
Frank R.
Genesis 45:1-15
Sometimes we like to keep things secret from others. In Joseph’s case, everyone was ordered to leave but his brothers. Sometimes our emotions are expressed so strongly that those outside can hear us. Joseph is the one who is crying. He missed his brothers, even though they had sold him into slavery. When they realized how important his job was, they were terrified because of what they had done to him and concern that he might want to get even! Those are normal feelings. It is also normal that Joseph wants to know first about his father and brother Benjamin.
Not only does Joseph not show revenge, he cares for his brothers enough to keep them from starving. He returns good for evil. That rule should still apply to us today -- especially if we realize that the things that Joseph’s brothers did to him might be God’s ultimate plan. We may not know for a long time what God’s plan is for us when we run into trouble.
Some of the families of my seminary students were horrified when their sons became Christians, and even more so when they studied to be pastors. It was only when the families also came to know the Lord themselves that they were overjoyed! The sons had no resentment for their families rejecting them. In Joseph’s case, he led his father and the rest of the family away from starvation.
Can we help starving Muslims so that they may no longer hate us and fight us, but that they will thank us and maybe even turn and discover this religion that cares for others -- even the ones that are hurting us and even blowing up our churches? We should forgive them rather than trying to kill them for what they have done.
It can often take a long time to win others, when it is much faster to just shoot them and give them to God to finish their punishment!
I had a businessman in one parish I served who was being hurt by his partner, who was trying push him out of their business by telling their employees that he was no good and wanted to fire them as soon as he could. At my advice the member went to all their employees and told them what a great person his partner was and how they should appreciate him. In a few days the partner came to him, puzzled by what he had done, and the wounds were all healed with apologies and an offer to sell the business to my member for a bargain price.
It doesn’t seem to make sense to return good for evil, but then we often doubt God’s words. That is why our church can get us back to his will.
Bob O.
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
President Abraham Lincoln was well-known for having a soft heart when it came to the issue of pardons. Several Union generals were privately frustrated with Lincoln’s mercy to disobedient soldiers. Private William Scott of Groton, Vermont, was one who experienced Lincoln’s mercy. He had been court-martialed and sentenced to death by firing squad on September 9, 1861. His offense: falling asleep at his post while on watch over the Potomac.
Scott had volunteered to take the place of a sick comrade and was serving his second consecutive night of sentry duty. As word of his plight spread, many appeals were made on his behalf. Scott’s death sentence was to have been carried out September 9 -- but a petition found its way into the hands of an army chaplain, who presented it to President Lincoln the day before the execution. Early the next morning, Lincoln visited General McClellan. A pardon was issued.
Sadly, seven months later Scott was mortally wounded while struggling up a riverbank with a wounded companion. Knowing he was dying of his bullet wounds, he called his closest companions to his hospital cot where he relayed messages to his family and friends at home. He also requested that his friends contact President Lincoln, informing the president about the circumstances of his death. Scott asked that his gratitude be expressed for the pardon he received, which made it possible for him to die in battle as a solider and not in disgrace at the hands of a firing squad.
Mercy is offered to those who are disobedient. Whether it be for disobedient Gentiles who receive mercy because of the Jews’ disobedience or Jews who are now disobedient receiving that same mercy, mercy is offered to all. What Private Scott knew a long time ago in the Civil War, we know today. It’s good to be a recipient of mercy.
Bill T.
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Bob Jones, Creflo Dollar, Franklin Graham, and their ilk have done a disservice to Christianity with their eccentric remarks. A stir was created when Falwell said: “AIDS is not just God’s punishment for homosexuals; it is God’s punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals.” Robertson told viewers that “awful-looking” women can cause marriages to lose their spark. Tabloids had a feeding frenzy when Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty condemned homosexuality.
Phil did say: “My mission today is to go forth and tell people why I follow Christ and what the Bible teaches...” Displaying conviction and sincerity, many Christians journey forth on that mission. Unfortunately, it is a mission of the Pharisees -- legalistic, judgmental, intolerant.
To this portfolio we can add televangelists, including those who espouse the prosperity gospel, which promotes a distorted message. Victoria Osteen, the wife of Joel, said in a sermon: “When we obey God, we’re not doing it for God... we’re doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we’re happy.” Theologians were quick to rebuke Osteen, for Christians are not called to be happy but to serve.
Application: Parochial convictions have always been a part of the church. But this is not what has propelled Christianity forward for two millenniums. We are called to be evangelists with a message that is true, has integrity, and is honest.
Ron L.
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
This text’s reference to the call of God to the Jews being irrevocable (v. 29), since all Israel will be saved (v. 26), raises the issue of whether God’s grace might be for all. Not long after the Reformation had begun, Martin Luther certainly expressed an interesting hope in this connection: “If God were to save anyone without faith he would be acting contrary to his own words.... It would be quite a different question whether God can impart faith to some in the hour of death or after death so that these people could be saved through faith” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 46, pp. 53, 54).
And famed modern theologian Karl Barth made a similar point: “Secondly, there is no good reason why we should forbid ourselves, or be forbidden, openness to the possibility that in the reality of God and man in Jesus Christ there is contained much more than we might expect and therefore the supremely unexpected withdrawal of that final threat, i.e. ...the final deliverance of all men. To be more explicit, there is no good reason why we should not be open to this possibility” (Church Dogmatics, Vol. IV/3, pp. 477-478). To this he adds that while we cannot preach this as though we had a claim on it, we are surely urged to hope and pray for it.
Mark E.
Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28
I love this passage, this story of the woman who argues with Jesus and wins. I have often contemplated this, and I believe that Jesus acted in this way with the woman, claiming he was only sent for the children of Israel, to provide an object lesson for the disciples and for us. Often the disciples claimed Jesus for themselves. This argument continued between Peter and Paul after Jesus died. It continues in lots of churches today. For whom did Christ come into the world?
This confrontation reminds us that Jesus came for all of us, for those of faith and those without faith, for those following doctrine and those not following doctrine, for those with a church and faith history and those without. Jesus is present for us all. We, as the hands and feet and voice and heart of Jesus in the world, need to be present for all our neighbors as well. It’s a big task, but together we can be the people Jesus calls us to be.
Bonnie B.
Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28
The two portions of this scripture are two sides of the same coin. In the first, consistent with his message throughout the gospels (especially when it comes to eating), Jesus directly addresses the true nature of clean and unclean. All cultures have definitions for what is allowed and what is not. Sometimes there’s a rational reason; sometimes there isn’t. In American society people are willing to eat cows, but not horses; chickens and ducks, but not dogs and cats. We eat cheese. Some societies think cheese is disgusting, but they may eat things that our society may find hard to swallow. We clean dishes and wash hands in different ways, but this isn’t about the brand of dish soap we use.
In the first century basic laws of clean and unclean created societal boundaries, but were later over-interpreted to the point where the cleanliness police attached great complications to what makes a person acceptable. Jesus insisted it’s what comes out of the mouth, not what goes in, that makes us unclean. A lot of that other stuff we insist is disgusting is just biology, but evil intent comes from within and is expressed outwardly.
Flip the coin. The story that follows is about the Canaanite woman. Ironically, Jesus becomes example number one of what not to do! Is Jesus falling prey to the prejudices of his society, or is he just showing his disciples how ugly racism really is? The language he uses to refuse this foreign woman’s request for her daughter’s healing (“It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs”) is insulting in his society. Dogs were despised scavengers, not pets. Not only that, the woman is unclean by the standards of the disciples’ culture because she is both a foreigner and a woman. Jesus and the disciples should not have contact of any kind with her for both of those reasons. The woman’s reply, that even dogs are entitled to the crumbs that fall from the table, either brings Jesus to his senses or allows Jesus to use her words to demonstrate to the prejudiced disciples standing nearby just how wise she is.
Jesus is fully human and fully divine. Some people are not comfortable with the fully divine part. Many Christians are not comfortable with what it means for Jesus to be fully human. He seems to say one thing about the true meaning of clean and unclean and do another. But he does correct himself, or rather allow himself to be corrected by the Canaanite woman.
Frank R.
Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28
Don’t we feel like Peter sometimes? The Lord’s words are too deep for us. Someone asked me: If he drank whiskey, was it not a crime according to that passage? I told him that you had to read the whole passage and relate it to other things our Lord said. Jesus did not say it was evil to take a drink of liquor. He used wine for the last supper and converted water to wine for a wedding feast. He only said we should not do anything to excess. But in this passage it shifts to what comes out of us -- and he doesn’t mean going to the toilet!
The important message here is that we should watch what we say so we don’t hurt anyone or curse them, and we shouldn’t we tell them to do things that are not in scripture. We should not tell those who are not good Christians that they are going to hell. None of us, and especially the pastor, should be a blind guide. We should weigh our words carefully so as not to hurt fellow Christians. It seems that we should not hurt anyone!
Our Lord plants his seed in many people, and we must be careful about pulling up what he has not planted. We should be careful not to pull up seed that we are not sure about, which means we should study his Word so we can recognize what is and what is not of the Lord. Our church can be our guide when we don’t read as much as we should.
The Lord showed an example when he did not send away the Canaanite woman. God had planted a seed in her so that she called on Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus hears the cries of anyone who has a seed of faith planted in them, regardless of race, creed, or color.
Doctors on the mission field often work to heal some who would just as soon be left to die. I have had several members who said we should be more concerned about those in need in our country. Our church should encourage us to do both! All those throughout the world are God’s children. Whatever we do for the least of “these,” we do for our Lord.
Bob O.
