Sermon Illustrations for Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 (2022)
Illustration
Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15, Psalm 91:1-6,14-15
Jeremiah has been predicting doom and destruction – with a heavy heart to be sure – and he has suffered at the hands of the authorities as a result. But he has also been predicting restoration and return, even before the war is lost and the people are led into exile. This audacious act of redeeming a relative’s property, which he will likely never be able to live in or build a home upon and burying a copy of the deeds in an “earthenware jar” for the benefit of someone in the future demonstrates a tangible belief that God’s promises will come true, if not for us, then for someone else. We need to act faithfully with that kind of faith in God.
This brings to mind the Dead Sea Scroll community. At some point because of the war between Judea and Rome they sealed the holy books of their community as well as the holy books of the Hebrew Bible in earthenware jars. These two are a gift to the future. Certainly, they must have hoped to return to these jars and recover the scriptures, but if they were unable, then these jars filled with the most precious contents imaginable would be rediscovered and bless believers in the future. We are the inheritors of these great treasures which are the oldest witnesses to our Bibles.
Frank R.
* * *
Jeremiah 32:1-3, 6-15, Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16
Our Daily Bread, in October 1995, relayed this story. American Indians developed a fascinating method to train young braves. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, he was put to one final test. He was placed in a forest where he was to spend the entire night alone. Until then, the boy had never been away from the security of the family and the tribe. On this night, however he was blindfolded and taken several miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he found himself in the middle of a thick woods. It could be a terrifying experience. Every time he heard a twig snap, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. After what seemed like an eternity, the sun rose, and the first rays of sunlight entered the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his amazement he saw a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was his father who had been there all night.
I don’t know if that account is historically accurate, but I like the message it conveys. The father was there, the whole time, to protect his son. That’s the image we see of God, the Father, in these passages. He is “our refuge, fortress, our God in whom we trust” (Psalm 91:2).
Bill T.
* * *
1 Timothy 6:6-19
The lesson has a lot to do with wealth and how it can lead to evil. On this subject Martin Luther once wrote:
They [the rich] should not think too highly of themselves, to the point of contempt for the poor, but they should lower themselves and use these gifts of theirs for the glory of God and use of their neighbor. (Luther’s Works, Vol. 28, p. 378)
There is a general consensus in America today with our huge wage gap that the rich have far too much influence in politics. According to Luther and our lesson, that is not the way things should be. As he wrote in his Large Catechism:
To restrain open lawlessness is the responsibility of princes and magistrates. They should be alert and resolute to establish and maintain order in all areas of trade commerce in order the poor may not be burdened and oppressed. (The Book of Concord [2000 ed.], p. 419)
There are reasons why the voice of the poor does not carry the influence of the rich in our politics. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman (“Why Do the Rich Have So Much Power?,” New York Times [July, 2020]) has noted that fewer than 3,400 families accounted for almost half the money raised in the 2016 presidential campaign. And wealthy donors have special access to those making or shaping the laws. And these same wealthy donors are also likely to hire former politicians for well-paying jobs in the private sector. Money talks in politics. Keep in mind in November which candidate may have been and who bought him or her. We do well to remember John Calvin’s comments about how the only one who owns government is God:
The sum of it is, that all the governments of the world are subject to his dominion, depend upon him, and stand or fall at his bidding... while they fade and quickly perish, His authority will endure forever. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XXI/3, p. 167)
Mark E.
* * *
Luke 16:19-31
The Los Angeles Times, on February 3, 1995, reported a tragic story. A 72-year-old grandmother living alone in West Hollywood was assaulted by robbers. While the robbers ransacked her house, she was locked in a closet. They took everything in the house and raced off with her car. All of this took place without anyone knowing. As bad as all that was, the worst of the story was still to come. Days later, investigators found her dead in the closet with her fingers cut from trying to claw her way out.
That story bothers me and I’m sure it is unsettling to you, too. How dreadful it must have been for that poor woman. It is an agonizing reminder, though, of the pain and suffering those who choose eternity apart from God will endure. The rich man in Jesus’ story understood this all too well. He pleads with Abraham, “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.” Did you catch the words “place of torment?” A relationship with Jesus is the only way out of that horrible place.
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 16:19-31
I think one obvious point about this story is that sometimes we can learn from the experience of others, and not have to make the same stupid mistakes. It’s true that many times we do have to learn for ourselves. That seems to be a part of growing up. But, having achieved maturing, can’t we look carefully at the consequences that accompanied the actions of others and change our lifestyles accordingly?
If Jesus was simply telling a story about the rich man who was consigned to the torments of hell, and the comfort and reward of Lazarus, then there wouldn’t be much point in telling us all this. But there is a point. Actions have consequences. The callousness of the rich man’s behavior, his ability to feast with his friends while a starving person was lingering outside his door, should prick our consciences. If we are not moved by the suffering of others, we should be alarmed at our own possible fate.
The rich man’s final plea that Lazarus be sent to his family so that they can change their ways is rejected. Jesus’s point that if his brothers won’t believe the law and the prophets, why would they believe a man come back from the dead is ironic and challenging. We have the words of scripture. We have the testimony of the first generations of the martyrs about the resurrection. Like the hymn says, “What more can he say than to you he has said…?”
Frank R.
Jeremiah has been predicting doom and destruction – with a heavy heart to be sure – and he has suffered at the hands of the authorities as a result. But he has also been predicting restoration and return, even before the war is lost and the people are led into exile. This audacious act of redeeming a relative’s property, which he will likely never be able to live in or build a home upon and burying a copy of the deeds in an “earthenware jar” for the benefit of someone in the future demonstrates a tangible belief that God’s promises will come true, if not for us, then for someone else. We need to act faithfully with that kind of faith in God.
This brings to mind the Dead Sea Scroll community. At some point because of the war between Judea and Rome they sealed the holy books of their community as well as the holy books of the Hebrew Bible in earthenware jars. These two are a gift to the future. Certainly, they must have hoped to return to these jars and recover the scriptures, but if they were unable, then these jars filled with the most precious contents imaginable would be rediscovered and bless believers in the future. We are the inheritors of these great treasures which are the oldest witnesses to our Bibles.
Frank R.
* * *
Jeremiah 32:1-3, 6-15, Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16
Our Daily Bread, in October 1995, relayed this story. American Indians developed a fascinating method to train young braves. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, he was put to one final test. He was placed in a forest where he was to spend the entire night alone. Until then, the boy had never been away from the security of the family and the tribe. On this night, however he was blindfolded and taken several miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he found himself in the middle of a thick woods. It could be a terrifying experience. Every time he heard a twig snap, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. After what seemed like an eternity, the sun rose, and the first rays of sunlight entered the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his amazement he saw a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was his father who had been there all night.
I don’t know if that account is historically accurate, but I like the message it conveys. The father was there, the whole time, to protect his son. That’s the image we see of God, the Father, in these passages. He is “our refuge, fortress, our God in whom we trust” (Psalm 91:2).
Bill T.
* * *
1 Timothy 6:6-19
The lesson has a lot to do with wealth and how it can lead to evil. On this subject Martin Luther once wrote:
They [the rich] should not think too highly of themselves, to the point of contempt for the poor, but they should lower themselves and use these gifts of theirs for the glory of God and use of their neighbor. (Luther’s Works, Vol. 28, p. 378)
There is a general consensus in America today with our huge wage gap that the rich have far too much influence in politics. According to Luther and our lesson, that is not the way things should be. As he wrote in his Large Catechism:
To restrain open lawlessness is the responsibility of princes and magistrates. They should be alert and resolute to establish and maintain order in all areas of trade commerce in order the poor may not be burdened and oppressed. (The Book of Concord [2000 ed.], p. 419)
There are reasons why the voice of the poor does not carry the influence of the rich in our politics. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman (“Why Do the Rich Have So Much Power?,” New York Times [July, 2020]) has noted that fewer than 3,400 families accounted for almost half the money raised in the 2016 presidential campaign. And wealthy donors have special access to those making or shaping the laws. And these same wealthy donors are also likely to hire former politicians for well-paying jobs in the private sector. Money talks in politics. Keep in mind in November which candidate may have been and who bought him or her. We do well to remember John Calvin’s comments about how the only one who owns government is God:
The sum of it is, that all the governments of the world are subject to his dominion, depend upon him, and stand or fall at his bidding... while they fade and quickly perish, His authority will endure forever. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XXI/3, p. 167)
Mark E.
* * *
Luke 16:19-31
The Los Angeles Times, on February 3, 1995, reported a tragic story. A 72-year-old grandmother living alone in West Hollywood was assaulted by robbers. While the robbers ransacked her house, she was locked in a closet. They took everything in the house and raced off with her car. All of this took place without anyone knowing. As bad as all that was, the worst of the story was still to come. Days later, investigators found her dead in the closet with her fingers cut from trying to claw her way out.
That story bothers me and I’m sure it is unsettling to you, too. How dreadful it must have been for that poor woman. It is an agonizing reminder, though, of the pain and suffering those who choose eternity apart from God will endure. The rich man in Jesus’ story understood this all too well. He pleads with Abraham, “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.” Did you catch the words “place of torment?” A relationship with Jesus is the only way out of that horrible place.
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 16:19-31
I think one obvious point about this story is that sometimes we can learn from the experience of others, and not have to make the same stupid mistakes. It’s true that many times we do have to learn for ourselves. That seems to be a part of growing up. But, having achieved maturing, can’t we look carefully at the consequences that accompanied the actions of others and change our lifestyles accordingly?
If Jesus was simply telling a story about the rich man who was consigned to the torments of hell, and the comfort and reward of Lazarus, then there wouldn’t be much point in telling us all this. But there is a point. Actions have consequences. The callousness of the rich man’s behavior, his ability to feast with his friends while a starving person was lingering outside his door, should prick our consciences. If we are not moved by the suffering of others, we should be alarmed at our own possible fate.
The rich man’s final plea that Lazarus be sent to his family so that they can change their ways is rejected. Jesus’s point that if his brothers won’t believe the law and the prophets, why would they believe a man come back from the dead is ironic and challenging. We have the words of scripture. We have the testimony of the first generations of the martyrs about the resurrection. Like the hymn says, “What more can he say than to you he has said…?”
Frank R.
