Sermon Illustrations for Proper 26 | OT 31 (2013)
Illustration
Object:
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
An oracle (NRSV, NIV) is a pronouncement (tanakh) that the prophet Habakkuk "saw" (NRSV). This is an interesting mix of senses, insofar as the word "oracle" comes from the Latin orare, meaning "to hear." Visionary words (Habakkuk 2:3) take on flesh because they refer to reality, not some "pie-in-the-sky thought." Case in point: immediately after the Boston Marathon bombings (April 2013), the President of the United States and authorities on the scene were saying, "We will find you." A pronouncement, and the nation was glued to their TV screens to watch (see) the vision of justice prevail as the suspects were hunted down. This particular cry, "violence," was heard, and the response was seen as the nation waited for five anxious days.
Mark M.
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
That's a hard passage to take, though it is a very common one and can make some realize that they are not alone if they have serious problems. It is nothing new. Habakkuk is not stating a fact. It just seems to him and many others that the Lord seems too busy to answer us -- right now! Maybe his computer has crashed! As I always say, look at the news every day and you can imagine many people on earth shouting out Habakkuk's prayer. They see violence and injustice, strife and conflict every day all over the world.
If that was the only passage we had in scripture, we might not want to read any more. We would be tempted to give up. We might even look for another "god" or try to fix things ourselves by any means legal or not. It might even induce suicide.
The next verses do not answer the problem, but the Lord lets Habakkuk know that he is there and hears his cry. He promises that the answer will certainly come to all of us if we wait patiently and keep looking for it. God has a plan for everything -- which will come in his good time.
A young girl in Nepal was jailed for inviting a Hindu friend to church. The conditions in jail were terrible. There was not even a window in her cell. Relatives and friends had to bring her food. She could spend six years in prison if convicted. The father of the friend, who she was in jail for supposedly inviting to church was a Hindu priest and hated Christians. I received a letter from one of my seminary students asking for $100 for an urgent need. All their needs are urgent, and I get those letters constantly. I was tempted to tell him to wait and I would get it to him "sometime." But there was something about this letter that touched me and I sent him the $100 by the next mail. I never got an answer, but when I went back to Nepal a few months later, he invited me to his house for a celebration. When I came he introduced me to a pretty girl of nineteen who gave me a big smile and an unexpected hug. My $100 had bailed her out of that hell of a jail, and when her trial came up her friend admitted that she was the one who asked if she could visit the church. She was found "not guilty" and released. She told me that her prayer had been something like Habakkuk's prayer. She did not see how she could ever get out since her family did not have the money for bail. She was glad she had enough faith to count on the Lord.
How many examples we can give of times when we thought God was not listening. We may not have wanted to settle for our faith that God would answer in his good time. So don't lose faith!
Bob O.
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
In Iran today, which is returning to a theocratic nation, strict Islamic law is being imposed. As a deterrent to others, convicted robbers are being punished by dual amputation; the right hand and left foot are severed. Humanely, during the public display a physician is present to prevent unwarranted bleeding and infection. Inhumanely, the loss of these two body parts makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the condemned to walk, even with a cane or crutches. This story comes from the current year, and though it is an extreme example, it adequately demonstrates how self-righteous judgment disfigures. Physical disfigurement is an atrocity, with its vindictive nature accentuated by visibility.
Application: Living a legalistic life is not growing in the faith.
Ron L.
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
Americans like to think of themselves as self-made men and women. Paul sees us differently, as God-made, according to John Wesley. About this text the Methodist founder claims that Paul "wraps up his praise of men in praise of God" (Commentary on the Bible, p. 552).
Wesley essentially agrees with American newspaper columnist George Matthews Adams that "there is no such thing as a 'self-made' man. We are made up of thousands of others." And of those thousands, God is the main one who made us who we are. American writer and early female aviator Anne Morrow Lindbergh said it well: "Life is a gift, given in trust."
Life is downright fruitless when we try to do it all alone, and we are filled with ourselves and nothing else. Sixteenth-century Catholic mystic St. John of the Cross well describes this fruitlessness in a parable:
He that desires to be alone, without the support of a master and guide, will be like the tree that is alone in the field and has no owner. However much fruit it bears, passers-by will pluck it all, and it will not mature.
(Varieties of Mystic Experience, p. 219)
Mark E.
Luke 19:1-10
How determined are we to see our Lord? Is it worth the pain of being faithful to our church? What if the Lord's business conflicts with something else we want to do? Would we climb the highest mountain?
I read about a sports enthusiast who sacrificed his time and money to see a football hero when he came to town. Another wanted to see a famous actress whom he adored! What would a businessman do if he had a chance to meet Warren Buffett? If we make a list of those we would sacrifice anything to see, where would Jesus come on our list?
Zacchaeus was short and probably not an athlete, but he climbed a tree. (I would not dream of climbing a tree to see the president for fear of killing myself!) Jesus saw his effort and rewarded him by having supper with him. The people were shocked because this man was on the low end of the totem pole. What if I were invited to visit a mafioso? What would my members say? I had many around my church in South Philadelphia years ago, and all my people knew where they lived. What if I were invited to dine with an imam? How could I associate with a Muslim? You name some person who would bring shame on you if you related to them in any way.
To show the genuineness of Zacchaeus' motive, he offered to give back all the money he had misappropriated from those whom he collected taxes from. It was his livelihood! He was not just offering to pay back what he owed, he offered to give back more than he owed! He was going to extremes! In so many passages it seems like Jesus is reaching out to lost sheep like that tax collector. So maybe we need to realize we also are the lost sheep and we need to humbly give ourselves to our good shepherd! Without our Lord Jesus we are lost.
How can we measure our zeal for our Lord? You might have to start with your pocketbook like Zacchaeus did!
Bob O.
Luke 19:1-10
Zacchaeus is a common Jewish name. It means innocent, clean. Of course, Zacchaeus in Luke's story was anything but innocent when it came to money dealings! Because of his position as a tax collector for the Roman government, he was able to fleece the people of more money than they owed, pocketing the difference for himself. When he met Jesus, however, his guilt became apparent as he admitted his fraud. It wasn't until he repented and "came clean" that he finally lived up to the meaning of his name. Jesus empowered Zacchaeus to live into a fuller potential of his humanity.
Mark M.
An oracle (NRSV, NIV) is a pronouncement (tanakh) that the prophet Habakkuk "saw" (NRSV). This is an interesting mix of senses, insofar as the word "oracle" comes from the Latin orare, meaning "to hear." Visionary words (Habakkuk 2:3) take on flesh because they refer to reality, not some "pie-in-the-sky thought." Case in point: immediately after the Boston Marathon bombings (April 2013), the President of the United States and authorities on the scene were saying, "We will find you." A pronouncement, and the nation was glued to their TV screens to watch (see) the vision of justice prevail as the suspects were hunted down. This particular cry, "violence," was heard, and the response was seen as the nation waited for five anxious days.
Mark M.
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
That's a hard passage to take, though it is a very common one and can make some realize that they are not alone if they have serious problems. It is nothing new. Habakkuk is not stating a fact. It just seems to him and many others that the Lord seems too busy to answer us -- right now! Maybe his computer has crashed! As I always say, look at the news every day and you can imagine many people on earth shouting out Habakkuk's prayer. They see violence and injustice, strife and conflict every day all over the world.
If that was the only passage we had in scripture, we might not want to read any more. We would be tempted to give up. We might even look for another "god" or try to fix things ourselves by any means legal or not. It might even induce suicide.
The next verses do not answer the problem, but the Lord lets Habakkuk know that he is there and hears his cry. He promises that the answer will certainly come to all of us if we wait patiently and keep looking for it. God has a plan for everything -- which will come in his good time.
A young girl in Nepal was jailed for inviting a Hindu friend to church. The conditions in jail were terrible. There was not even a window in her cell. Relatives and friends had to bring her food. She could spend six years in prison if convicted. The father of the friend, who she was in jail for supposedly inviting to church was a Hindu priest and hated Christians. I received a letter from one of my seminary students asking for $100 for an urgent need. All their needs are urgent, and I get those letters constantly. I was tempted to tell him to wait and I would get it to him "sometime." But there was something about this letter that touched me and I sent him the $100 by the next mail. I never got an answer, but when I went back to Nepal a few months later, he invited me to his house for a celebration. When I came he introduced me to a pretty girl of nineteen who gave me a big smile and an unexpected hug. My $100 had bailed her out of that hell of a jail, and when her trial came up her friend admitted that she was the one who asked if she could visit the church. She was found "not guilty" and released. She told me that her prayer had been something like Habakkuk's prayer. She did not see how she could ever get out since her family did not have the money for bail. She was glad she had enough faith to count on the Lord.
How many examples we can give of times when we thought God was not listening. We may not have wanted to settle for our faith that God would answer in his good time. So don't lose faith!
Bob O.
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
In Iran today, which is returning to a theocratic nation, strict Islamic law is being imposed. As a deterrent to others, convicted robbers are being punished by dual amputation; the right hand and left foot are severed. Humanely, during the public display a physician is present to prevent unwarranted bleeding and infection. Inhumanely, the loss of these two body parts makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the condemned to walk, even with a cane or crutches. This story comes from the current year, and though it is an extreme example, it adequately demonstrates how self-righteous judgment disfigures. Physical disfigurement is an atrocity, with its vindictive nature accentuated by visibility.
Application: Living a legalistic life is not growing in the faith.
Ron L.
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
Americans like to think of themselves as self-made men and women. Paul sees us differently, as God-made, according to John Wesley. About this text the Methodist founder claims that Paul "wraps up his praise of men in praise of God" (Commentary on the Bible, p. 552).
Wesley essentially agrees with American newspaper columnist George Matthews Adams that "there is no such thing as a 'self-made' man. We are made up of thousands of others." And of those thousands, God is the main one who made us who we are. American writer and early female aviator Anne Morrow Lindbergh said it well: "Life is a gift, given in trust."
Life is downright fruitless when we try to do it all alone, and we are filled with ourselves and nothing else. Sixteenth-century Catholic mystic St. John of the Cross well describes this fruitlessness in a parable:
He that desires to be alone, without the support of a master and guide, will be like the tree that is alone in the field and has no owner. However much fruit it bears, passers-by will pluck it all, and it will not mature.
(Varieties of Mystic Experience, p. 219)
Mark E.
Luke 19:1-10
How determined are we to see our Lord? Is it worth the pain of being faithful to our church? What if the Lord's business conflicts with something else we want to do? Would we climb the highest mountain?
I read about a sports enthusiast who sacrificed his time and money to see a football hero when he came to town. Another wanted to see a famous actress whom he adored! What would a businessman do if he had a chance to meet Warren Buffett? If we make a list of those we would sacrifice anything to see, where would Jesus come on our list?
Zacchaeus was short and probably not an athlete, but he climbed a tree. (I would not dream of climbing a tree to see the president for fear of killing myself!) Jesus saw his effort and rewarded him by having supper with him. The people were shocked because this man was on the low end of the totem pole. What if I were invited to visit a mafioso? What would my members say? I had many around my church in South Philadelphia years ago, and all my people knew where they lived. What if I were invited to dine with an imam? How could I associate with a Muslim? You name some person who would bring shame on you if you related to them in any way.
To show the genuineness of Zacchaeus' motive, he offered to give back all the money he had misappropriated from those whom he collected taxes from. It was his livelihood! He was not just offering to pay back what he owed, he offered to give back more than he owed! He was going to extremes! In so many passages it seems like Jesus is reaching out to lost sheep like that tax collector. So maybe we need to realize we also are the lost sheep and we need to humbly give ourselves to our good shepherd! Without our Lord Jesus we are lost.
How can we measure our zeal for our Lord? You might have to start with your pocketbook like Zacchaeus did!
Bob O.
Luke 19:1-10
Zacchaeus is a common Jewish name. It means innocent, clean. Of course, Zacchaeus in Luke's story was anything but innocent when it came to money dealings! Because of his position as a tax collector for the Roman government, he was able to fleece the people of more money than they owed, pocketing the difference for himself. When he met Jesus, however, his guilt became apparent as he admitted his fraud. It wasn't until he repented and "came clean" that he finally lived up to the meaning of his name. Jesus empowered Zacchaeus to live into a fuller potential of his humanity.
Mark M.
