Sermon Illustrations for Proper 7 | OT 12, Cycle B (2024)
Illustration
1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49
I am a fan of The Andy Griffith Show. The first episode of the second season is called “Opie and the Bully.” The essence of this episode is about how Opie deals with a bully who has been taking his milk money every morning on the way to school. Opie is afraid of the bully who is bigger than he is and tries to handle it by getting more nickels. Eventually, Andy finds out what is going on and teaches his son that sometimes, when you are in the right, you have to stand up to a bully. There are a few tense moments in the show when Opie does that. However, at the end of the show he happily returns to the sheriff’s office. He’s got a black eye, but also have three nickels, one for him, one for Barney and one for his pa. He concludes the episode announcing, “a sandwich sure tastes better with milk.”
The people of Israel, today’s text, are also facing a bully. Goliath is the Philistine champion who stood over four cubits and a span in height. He was an incredible physical specimen and the epitome of a warrior. Saul and the whole Israelite army were greatly afraid of him. David, however, understood that a bully cannot be allowed to disrespect the Lord. He courageously agrees to fight the Philistine. He does not go to battle in Saul’s armor. Instead, he faces the battle-tested giant with his staff, five smooth stones, his sling and an abiding trust in the living God. It is not a surprise that David got ahead (literally).
Sometimes we faces giants and bullies in our lives, too. The answer is not to cower in fear, but to face them, trusting in the power of the living God.
Bill T.
* * *
1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49 or 1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 18:10-16
If you don’t own a copy of Everett Fox’s translation of the Former Prophets, I recommend you visit your local seminary library, or just buy one. One of the things Fox tries to do is present an intelligible translation that nevertheless preserves the character of the Hebrew original. In this story we’re familiar with Goliath from Gath, but he is identified as “Golyat from Gat.” The fact Golyat is six cubits in height is because he’s “folktale size.” Moreover, the extraordinary weight of his spearhead, six-hundred shekel-weights of iron, is the “equivalent of having a bowling bowl at the end of his spear.”
As is often the case with the scripture accounts when there are two separate origin stories (as with creation for instance) both appear. David met Saul in the previous chapter when he played his lyre to soothe the king’s spirits. Yet in this story the king seems to know nothing of this brash, young warrior. This is not a weakness of the account but a strength. Each of these accounts has something to say about the future king. Both contain truth. And the biblical account would be poorer if one had been eliminated. We are learning that this coming king has an artistic side as well as the fierceness of any warrior ten times his size.
Frank R.
* * *
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Paul calls on the church in Corinth to open their hearts to the faith that has been offered to them. I wonder why it is so hard for some of us to accept God’s grace as freely offered to us. Maybe we feel we don’t deserve God’s love and grace. Maybe we’ve done things we aren’t proud of. Well think about Paul. Before his Damascus Road experience of redemption, he was a persecutor or the followers of Jesus. Not exactly the guy we might have chosen to sow the seed of faith across countries and communities.
And yet, God’s redemption and grace, God’s love and strengthening allowed Paul to one of the greatest evangelists and church planters in history. What’s keeping you from fulfilling your call? What’s keeping you from accepting God’s grace? What gets in the way for you? Maybe we should look at the life of Paul, his hardships, his failings and hir challenges and recognize what God can do. Believe in God’s call on your life. Believe in God’s grace. Just believe.
Bonnie B.
* * *
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Augustine observed that Paul’s point is that we cannot do anything good alone, that we need the grace of God “because his [our] merits , though great, were yet evil.” (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol.5, p.449) John Wesley said much the same thing. Commenting on the “knowledge” received as per v.6, he notes:
This is prudence. Spiritual, divine; not what the world terms so. Worldly prudence is the practical use of worldly wisdom. Divine prudence is the due exercise of grace, making spiritual understanding go as far as possible. (Commentary On the Bible, p.526)
Elaborating on this conception, Martin Luther added that “the works of God are always unattractive and appear evil...” (Luther’s Works, Vol.31, p.44) God clearly does not do things the world’s way. Famed English Evangelical John Stott thoughtfully elaborates on this point:
Instead of always being one of the chief bastions of the status quo, the church is to develop a Christian counterculture with its own distinctive goals, values, standards, and lifestyle – a realistic alternative to the contemporary technology that is marked by bondage, materialism, self-centeredness, and greed. (Obeying Christ in a Changing World)
Mark E.
* * *
Mark 4:35-41
I came across the story of Nicholas Ridley. In 1555, Nicholas Ridley was sentenced to be burned at the stake in England because of his faith and witness for Christ. On the night before Ridley’s execution, I read that his brother offered to stay with him in the prison chamber to comfort him. Ridley declined the offer saying, “I intend, God willing, to go to bed, and sleep as quietly tonight, as ever I did.” Because he knew the peace of God, he could rest in the strength of the everlasting arms of his Lord to meet his need.
Knowing that Jesus is with you brings a sense of peace and calm. The disciples were terrified. A storm hit them and threatened to sink the boat. With only a few words Jesus calmed the storm. Oswald Chambers wrote, “I have to get to the point of the absolute and unquestionable relationship that takes everything exactly as it comes from Him. God never guides us at some time in the future, but always here and now. Realize that the Lord is here now, and the freedom you receive is immediate.”
Bill T.
* * *
Mark 4:35-41
Jesus spoke of faith in this passage. Jesus wondered what was keeping the disciples from having faith that they would be okay in the storm. The fishermen among the disciples had seen storms come up, they had seen boats capsize, and their experience produced fear at this storm. Jesus was calm as he rebuked the wind and the storm, and maybe less calm when he questioned the disciples. Where was their faith?
I find it hard sometimes to remember my faith in times of anguish and fear. Do you? I don’t think God is ever far away from me, but earthly circumstances can make me worry and fear. In a recent conversation, I shared a thought that had been shared with me at a time of great fear in my life. Some people were telling me to be brave, to act with courage, but one friend said to me that the opposite of fear isn’t courage. Rather the opposite of fear is trust. Since that time I have repeated that statement to myself in times of fear. I am not alone. Even when I am afraid, I can trust that God is here, present in my life and circumstance. That is what helps the fear disappear.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Mark 4:35-41
More than one commentator has noted the similarities – and just as crucial – the differences between Mark’s story of the stilling of the storm and the storm in the first chapter. Jonah. The fear experienced by those enduring the storm – and unless you have experienced the total lack of control that can come upon a boat in a moment without warning, we all have a tendency to see the fear as a pro forma thing – and the way the storm dies down immediately because of the divine power displayed in both stories are just two of the obvious parallels. In both stories there is a person sleeping through the storm while everyone else is filled with fear. In the case of Jonah, he’s the one whose sin is responsible for the storm. In Mark’s story, Jesus, unlike Jonah is innocent of sin, also sleeps, and it is his power that will still the waves. The sailors are as awed by the calm that follows the storm as are the disciples, who wonder who is this who has power over wind and rain? (By contrast the sailors know exactly who has this power and make sacrifices to the Lord upon their return to shore). And in a way this is consistent with Mark’s gospel – the people who should know who Jesus is fail to recognize him. Those who are ill, or suffering, outsiders, or even the demons, recognize Jesus as Lord. Insiders hail him as wonder worker, teacher, healer, but not as the Savior on the cross, just as the gentile sailors recognize and honor God’s power in a way that Jonah, an insider, fails to.
Frank R.
* * *
Mark 4:35-41
The disciples experienced fear in the storm. We often succumb to fear, and it wears us down. Martin Luther well described what fear does to us in one of his sermons:
When nature is not frightened it can work and digest its food, and there is no immediate danger. But when nature takes fright, it cannot digest its food, for it is weakened and cast down. (What Luther Says, p.508)
Comments by John Wesley about how God calms fears are certainly appropriate for understanding Jesus’ engagements with his followers in this text. As the Methodist founder put it:
Whenever I feel fearful emotions overtaking me, I just close my eyes and thank God that he is still on the throne reigning over everything, and I take comfort in his control over all the affairs of my life.
Regarding the miracle Jesus performed in this account, Martin Luther did not want us to put too much emphasis on miracles, since in his view “All works and miracles which Christ performs should be so interpreted that they are understood to indicate the works which he performs invisible and spiritually or inwardly.” In this connection, Luther also offers an explanation why miracles seem not to happen any longer (or at least not as often). Speaking to councilmen in German in 1524, he observed:
God will perform no miracles as long as problems can be solved my means of other gifts he has bestowed on us. (What Luther Says, p.955)
Mark E.
I am a fan of The Andy Griffith Show. The first episode of the second season is called “Opie and the Bully.” The essence of this episode is about how Opie deals with a bully who has been taking his milk money every morning on the way to school. Opie is afraid of the bully who is bigger than he is and tries to handle it by getting more nickels. Eventually, Andy finds out what is going on and teaches his son that sometimes, when you are in the right, you have to stand up to a bully. There are a few tense moments in the show when Opie does that. However, at the end of the show he happily returns to the sheriff’s office. He’s got a black eye, but also have three nickels, one for him, one for Barney and one for his pa. He concludes the episode announcing, “a sandwich sure tastes better with milk.”
The people of Israel, today’s text, are also facing a bully. Goliath is the Philistine champion who stood over four cubits and a span in height. He was an incredible physical specimen and the epitome of a warrior. Saul and the whole Israelite army were greatly afraid of him. David, however, understood that a bully cannot be allowed to disrespect the Lord. He courageously agrees to fight the Philistine. He does not go to battle in Saul’s armor. Instead, he faces the battle-tested giant with his staff, five smooth stones, his sling and an abiding trust in the living God. It is not a surprise that David got ahead (literally).
Sometimes we faces giants and bullies in our lives, too. The answer is not to cower in fear, but to face them, trusting in the power of the living God.
Bill T.
* * *
1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49 or 1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 18:10-16
If you don’t own a copy of Everett Fox’s translation of the Former Prophets, I recommend you visit your local seminary library, or just buy one. One of the things Fox tries to do is present an intelligible translation that nevertheless preserves the character of the Hebrew original. In this story we’re familiar with Goliath from Gath, but he is identified as “Golyat from Gat.” The fact Golyat is six cubits in height is because he’s “folktale size.” Moreover, the extraordinary weight of his spearhead, six-hundred shekel-weights of iron, is the “equivalent of having a bowling bowl at the end of his spear.”
As is often the case with the scripture accounts when there are two separate origin stories (as with creation for instance) both appear. David met Saul in the previous chapter when he played his lyre to soothe the king’s spirits. Yet in this story the king seems to know nothing of this brash, young warrior. This is not a weakness of the account but a strength. Each of these accounts has something to say about the future king. Both contain truth. And the biblical account would be poorer if one had been eliminated. We are learning that this coming king has an artistic side as well as the fierceness of any warrior ten times his size.
Frank R.
* * *
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Paul calls on the church in Corinth to open their hearts to the faith that has been offered to them. I wonder why it is so hard for some of us to accept God’s grace as freely offered to us. Maybe we feel we don’t deserve God’s love and grace. Maybe we’ve done things we aren’t proud of. Well think about Paul. Before his Damascus Road experience of redemption, he was a persecutor or the followers of Jesus. Not exactly the guy we might have chosen to sow the seed of faith across countries and communities.
And yet, God’s redemption and grace, God’s love and strengthening allowed Paul to one of the greatest evangelists and church planters in history. What’s keeping you from fulfilling your call? What’s keeping you from accepting God’s grace? What gets in the way for you? Maybe we should look at the life of Paul, his hardships, his failings and hir challenges and recognize what God can do. Believe in God’s call on your life. Believe in God’s grace. Just believe.
Bonnie B.
* * *
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Augustine observed that Paul’s point is that we cannot do anything good alone, that we need the grace of God “because his [our] merits , though great, were yet evil.” (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol.5, p.449) John Wesley said much the same thing. Commenting on the “knowledge” received as per v.6, he notes:
This is prudence. Spiritual, divine; not what the world terms so. Worldly prudence is the practical use of worldly wisdom. Divine prudence is the due exercise of grace, making spiritual understanding go as far as possible. (Commentary On the Bible, p.526)
Elaborating on this conception, Martin Luther added that “the works of God are always unattractive and appear evil...” (Luther’s Works, Vol.31, p.44) God clearly does not do things the world’s way. Famed English Evangelical John Stott thoughtfully elaborates on this point:
Instead of always being one of the chief bastions of the status quo, the church is to develop a Christian counterculture with its own distinctive goals, values, standards, and lifestyle – a realistic alternative to the contemporary technology that is marked by bondage, materialism, self-centeredness, and greed. (Obeying Christ in a Changing World)
Mark E.
* * *
Mark 4:35-41
I came across the story of Nicholas Ridley. In 1555, Nicholas Ridley was sentenced to be burned at the stake in England because of his faith and witness for Christ. On the night before Ridley’s execution, I read that his brother offered to stay with him in the prison chamber to comfort him. Ridley declined the offer saying, “I intend, God willing, to go to bed, and sleep as quietly tonight, as ever I did.” Because he knew the peace of God, he could rest in the strength of the everlasting arms of his Lord to meet his need.
Knowing that Jesus is with you brings a sense of peace and calm. The disciples were terrified. A storm hit them and threatened to sink the boat. With only a few words Jesus calmed the storm. Oswald Chambers wrote, “I have to get to the point of the absolute and unquestionable relationship that takes everything exactly as it comes from Him. God never guides us at some time in the future, but always here and now. Realize that the Lord is here now, and the freedom you receive is immediate.”
Bill T.
* * *
Mark 4:35-41
Jesus spoke of faith in this passage. Jesus wondered what was keeping the disciples from having faith that they would be okay in the storm. The fishermen among the disciples had seen storms come up, they had seen boats capsize, and their experience produced fear at this storm. Jesus was calm as he rebuked the wind and the storm, and maybe less calm when he questioned the disciples. Where was their faith?
I find it hard sometimes to remember my faith in times of anguish and fear. Do you? I don’t think God is ever far away from me, but earthly circumstances can make me worry and fear. In a recent conversation, I shared a thought that had been shared with me at a time of great fear in my life. Some people were telling me to be brave, to act with courage, but one friend said to me that the opposite of fear isn’t courage. Rather the opposite of fear is trust. Since that time I have repeated that statement to myself in times of fear. I am not alone. Even when I am afraid, I can trust that God is here, present in my life and circumstance. That is what helps the fear disappear.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Mark 4:35-41
More than one commentator has noted the similarities – and just as crucial – the differences between Mark’s story of the stilling of the storm and the storm in the first chapter. Jonah. The fear experienced by those enduring the storm – and unless you have experienced the total lack of control that can come upon a boat in a moment without warning, we all have a tendency to see the fear as a pro forma thing – and the way the storm dies down immediately because of the divine power displayed in both stories are just two of the obvious parallels. In both stories there is a person sleeping through the storm while everyone else is filled with fear. In the case of Jonah, he’s the one whose sin is responsible for the storm. In Mark’s story, Jesus, unlike Jonah is innocent of sin, also sleeps, and it is his power that will still the waves. The sailors are as awed by the calm that follows the storm as are the disciples, who wonder who is this who has power over wind and rain? (By contrast the sailors know exactly who has this power and make sacrifices to the Lord upon their return to shore). And in a way this is consistent with Mark’s gospel – the people who should know who Jesus is fail to recognize him. Those who are ill, or suffering, outsiders, or even the demons, recognize Jesus as Lord. Insiders hail him as wonder worker, teacher, healer, but not as the Savior on the cross, just as the gentile sailors recognize and honor God’s power in a way that Jonah, an insider, fails to.
Frank R.
* * *
Mark 4:35-41
The disciples experienced fear in the storm. We often succumb to fear, and it wears us down. Martin Luther well described what fear does to us in one of his sermons:
When nature is not frightened it can work and digest its food, and there is no immediate danger. But when nature takes fright, it cannot digest its food, for it is weakened and cast down. (What Luther Says, p.508)
Comments by John Wesley about how God calms fears are certainly appropriate for understanding Jesus’ engagements with his followers in this text. As the Methodist founder put it:
Whenever I feel fearful emotions overtaking me, I just close my eyes and thank God that he is still on the throne reigning over everything, and I take comfort in his control over all the affairs of my life.
Regarding the miracle Jesus performed in this account, Martin Luther did not want us to put too much emphasis on miracles, since in his view “All works and miracles which Christ performs should be so interpreted that they are understood to indicate the works which he performs invisible and spiritually or inwardly.” In this connection, Luther also offers an explanation why miracles seem not to happen any longer (or at least not as often). Speaking to councilmen in German in 1524, he observed:
God will perform no miracles as long as problems can be solved my means of other gifts he has bestowed on us. (What Luther Says, p.955)
Mark E.