Sermon Illustrations for Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 (2022)
Jeremiah 2:4-13, Psalm 81:1, 10-16
This story is attributed to Elisabeth Elliot, wife of slain missionary Jim Elliot. Speaking to a group one evening, she told them of her brother Thomas Howard. Their mother would let him play with paper bags she’d saved if he put them away afterwards. One day she walked into the kitchen to find them scattered all over the floor. Tom was out at the piano with his father, singing hymns. When confronted, he protested, “But Mom, I want to sing.” His father stated, “It’s no good singing God’s praise if you’re disobedient.”