Sermons Illustrations for Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 (2016)
Illustration
Object:
Jeremiah 8:18--9:1
This passage was very likely the inspiration for that great spiritual “There Is a Balm in Gilead.” Words of strength, assurance, and comfort roll from that hymn. The balm of Gilead, we are told, promises to heal the sin-sick soul and to make the wounded whole. This balm makes it possible for us to never to be discouraged.
While that seems like it offers the ingredients for a powerful sermon, that wonderful spiritual is not faithful to Jeremiah 8:22. In fact, the message of the prophet is opposite that of the song. Jeremiah says that the balm available in Gilead lacks the power to bring about the healing the nation needs.
In his wonderful memoir The Tender Bar (Hachette Books, 2006), author and journalist J.R. Moehringer tells of growing up in a single-parent household. While still small, he idealizes his missing father as some sort of balm in Gilead capable of healing the emptiness within him. At first he forms something of a relationship with the voice of his father, a New York City late-night radio disc jockey.
At eight years old, suddenly unable to find his father’s voice on the radio, J.R. turns in desperation to the tavern on the corner. Here among the bar’s regulars he finds a group of alpha males willing to accept him, love him, take him to the beach, and show him the ropes of it means to be a man -- at least a man by the standards of a neighborhood tavern. Being tended in that bar was a healing balm for J.R. He became a regular attendee during his growing-up years.
Unfortunately, by the time he was ready to be launched into the adult world the bar had become a fortress protecting him against from the harsher realities of a world he needed to negotiate. The bar, this balm that once filled the emptiness in his life, had become a big part of the problem.
To answer Jeremiah’s rhetorical question “Is there no balm in Gilead?” No, there is not. There is no simple, readily available healing medicine that can cure all that is wrong with us and our world. We do not need not a lotion of patent medicine. We need the heart transplant that God offers in Christ Jesus.
R. Robert C.
Jeremiah 8:18--9:1
On “Bloody Sunday,” January 30, 1972, British soldiers fired without provocation on demonstrators in Northern Ireland who were peacefully protesting the lack of independence their country had from England. On that day, the soldiers killed 13 unarmed civilians. Father Edward Daly, a Roman Catholic priest, was present at the site of the mayhem. Two photographs were taken of him that became the iconic images of the tragedy across the globe. One showed Father Daly on his knees, tending to the wounds of a 17-year-old boy who later died; the other showed him waving a blood-stained white handkerchief as he attempted to move the boy to safety.
Application: Compassion calls for us to get on our knees and wave a blood-stained white handkerchief.
Ron L.
Jeremiah 8:18--9:1
Americans think they are good, especially if they pull together. Hillary Clinton has been telling us that. A 1989 Gallup Poll revealed that 85% of Americans reported that a good self-image is very important. Little has changed, it seems, in a quarter of a century. A more recent survey held a decade ago indicated that 80% of middle-school students in America valued self-image this way (Review of General Psychology, Vol. 14, No. 3). In the face of such optimism in pop culture, we need to be reminded of our shortcomings and sin.
Why do we need such reminders? Winston Churchill helps us understand why it is good to put some chinks in our self-image, like Jeremiah did to the Judeans: “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” There is some real truth to what country singer Naomi Judd once said: “A dead end is a good place to turn around.” Martin Luther King Jr. did a good job helping us to see why God condemns our sin: “The greatness of our God lies in the fact that he is both tough-minded and tender-hearted. He has qualities both of austerity and of gentleness. If God were only tough-minded, he would be a cold, passionless despot sitting in some far-off heaven. But if God were only tender-hearted, he would be too soft and sentimental to function when things go wrong and incapable of controlling what he has made.... He is tough-minded enough to transcend the world; he is tender-hearted enough to live in it (A Testament of Hope, p. 496).
Mark E.
1 Timothy 2:1-7
There’s something subtle about what Paul is saying here. He’s advising us to pray for all rulers -- not because there is something divine or ordained about them, but because there’s nothing we can do about them, and we just want to escape their notice.
The apostle lived in at least three different worlds. He was able to navigate Jewish society in both a Palestinian/Jerusalem setting, but he was also quite comfortable among Jews of the Diaspora (a word that describes the scattering of God’s people across the western world). In addition, he was also comfortable in the multicultural Roman society. Paul took full advantage of Roman roads, Roman privileges, Roman citizenship, and Roman culture. Paul recognized that Christians live in a larger world, and that we are not to retreat from it. Rather, we are “to be subject to rulers and authorities.” Though we may be subject, we subversively recognize that there is one God, and one mediator between God and humanity ? it’s Jesus, in case you’re wondering. So even though we pray for rulers and all in power, we don’t recognize their ultimate authority.
Frank R.
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Mediation is an expanding field. It seems that American culture has reached a place where disputes are common. The need for a mediator is fairly high, and there are quite a few options for those in need of these services. A legal website offers this regarding a mediator: “One can choose a mediator who is a specialist in the subject matter of dispute, a specialist in dispute resolution, or a mediator who is both an expert in the subject matter of the dispute and an expert in dispute resolution. Most people would choose someone who is an expert in the field of the dispute and in dispute resolution. While such professional mediators are likely to charge a higher daily fee, they may require fewer days or help to reach a better solution, and thus can be very cost-effective.” Did you catch that? Most people want a mediator who is an expert in the subject matter and in dispute resolution.
In his first letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul notes that there is one mediator between God and humankind -- Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all. Let’s see how that fits with the legal advice we’ve noted. Need someone who is an expert in the field of the dispute? Jesus knows what it is like to be tempted by sin. He understands the terrible effects of sin in the lives of people. Yes, he’s got that one covered. Need someone who is an expert in the field of dispute resolution? Jesus says if we confess him before men, he will confess us before his Father. By his death on the cross, he brought about peace. Yes, he’s qualified there. The legal people tell us that such a mediator will charge a higher fee. What about Jesus? He charges no fee at all. In fact, he paid the price, in full.
Can there be any better mediator than Jesus? Who do you want representing you before God?
Bill T.
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Are we offering prayers for everyone? Are all praying for our president? Are all Republicans praying for Obama?
We sure don’t have peace in our congress! It seems like no one wants peace -- we just want to win every argument and disagreement. We are so proud to stand on our “principles.”
A reading of the New Testament makes me feel that Jesus died for people, not principles! The most principled people in Jesus’ day were the scribes and Pharisees. They didn’t want him to pluck food or heal the sick on the sabbath.
It says that there is only one God, but some of our denominations today make it seem like “those other guys” don’t really know the whole story about our God. But Paul is hoping for peace. We can’t have peace until we accept each other as brothers and sisters in Christ -- even those whose teachings differ from our doctrines.
When I went to ministerial meetings, I often found that I had friends who were not good Lutherans like me. We still had peace together, and we prayed for each other.
When I was a missionary in Nepal, we were all just Christians together. We greeted each brother or sister with Jaimasi (Jesus is Lord). If there was a denominational name on the door of their church, it only meant that they were getting financial support from that body. We all had the same Bible, the same hymnal, the same service. Everything was the same, and I was invited to preach in every church. I taught in a seminary run by Presbyterians, who had other professors who were Methodist, Pentecostal, and even two Roman priests.
There was peace among all Christians. We even prayed for the king. We all wanted peace. We wanted godliness and holiness.
That is Paul’s -- and I believe God’s -- wish.
Bob O.
1 Timothy 2:1-7
This is not a passage of scripture that relates as well to progressive theology as some others. For those of us women in the church and in the ordained ministry to be told we cannot have authority and that we are to remain quiet and submissive doesn’t work very well. Actually it makes the hackles rise on the back of my neck. But when I stop to think about the historical context in which Timothy writes, I calm down a little.
There are some admonitions about faithfulness in this passage; reminders that there is but one true God, one true Savior. Then we are reminded about the worship practices of some of the other “religions.” Often women were a vital part of the worship -- braided, bangled, scantily dressed, engaging in sexual improprieties as a part of the worship to goddesses and gods. No wonder there was a fear of these painted women and an admonition for women of the one true faith to behave differently.
We could go on and on about the patriarchal historical context and the historical concern about the mystery of women as those who bring forth life. We could go on and on about the interpretations in Genesis about the “fall.” We could live by a literal interpretation of this passage -- or we could all strive to move closer into relationship with one another, submitting to each other and to the will of God. It might make me a little more comfortable -- but maybe comfort isn’t the point.
Bonnie B.
Luke 16:1-13
By the time Moses came down from the mountain with the tablets, moral codes already had a long history. In fact, the first written prohibition of such things as murder, stealing, and lying appeared more than a millennium before the Ten Commandments. Although similar in some ways, the intent of the rules recorded in Deuteronomy 5 and Exodus 20 differed significantly from the intent of other ancient Mesopotamian moral codes. Those other codes focused on how to protect the property of the rich and perpetuate their social status. The biblical moral code was aimed at protecting ordinary people and their relationships with one another. Perhaps this difference gives rise to the aphorism that “Faith calls us to love people and use things. The ways of the world encourage us to love things and use people.”
The gospel reading for this Sunday demonstrates how radical this moral teaching had become by the time of the ministry of our Lord. In Jesus’ parable, the dishonest manager works to prepare for his own future by wasting the assets of the landowner. Instead of collecting from those who owe his master, he reduces their debt loads.
One might have thought the landowner would be outraged at this behavior. The farm manager’s behavior, after all, was some form of self-serving incompetence, if not out-and-out grand larceny. By any reasonable standard, the landowner should not have been pleased. Yet the one who lost significant assets praises the behavior of the one responsible for the loss. The landowner calls the farm manager shrewd and praises all he has done to improve relationships with the people indebted to him.
In a curious and unexpected way, the parable demonstrates that acquiring money is less important than building good relationships with one another. In fact, nothing is more important than loving relationship.
Money is a thing. Use money, but love people.
R. Robert C.
Luke 16:1-13
Most recent government statistics suggest that 15.2 million Americans (14.5% of us) live in poverty. Renowned 20th-century theologian Karl Barth offers some good advice for dealing with these realities: “The wisdom of the world or of men is not, therefore, something which we must rate too low. In many cases it may have a very high value.... Within its limits it is often worthy of the most serious respect” (Church Dogmatics, Vol. III/4, p. 529).
The world’s wisdom in this election cycle is split. Donald Trump wants to cut taxes (in unspecified ways, but especially to the advantage of the rich) and show preferences for Americans, protecting American jobs by deporting illegal immigrants while ending free trade with other nations until we get good deals. By contrast Hillary Clinton will raise the minimum wage, reform tax policies hurting working families, and target communities mired in generational poverty with federal dollars.
Which of these programs best responds to Martin Luther’s claim that it is “the poor who live in your time and among you, your nearest neighbors, who need your help” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 2/2, p. 311)? And we should not forget the advice of the third-century theologian Cyprian of Carthage, who told his priests “Let your care... and your diligence not be wanting to the poor” (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 5, p. 315).
In this dialogue, African-American Episcopal layman and Yale University law professor Stephen Carter offers invaluable insights. In his view, the religious perspectives just noted are essential for a culture like ours steeped in materialistic ideologies. Religion teaches that means are as important as ends, he contends, that how you got there is as important as where you got (The Culture of Disbelief, p. 273). For him religion needs to engage in politics, for without the competitive perspective it offers, government becomes absolute (The Culture of Disbelief, pp.271-272).
Mark E.
Luke 16:1-13
W. Carter Merbreier is a name that’s probably unfamiliar to most people, but the ordained Lutheran pastor was better known as Captain Noah -- the main character of the Philadelphia-based children’s show Captain Noah and His Magical Ark, which aired from 1967 to 1994 and ran in 20 television markets. Merbreier and his wife (who played Mrs. Noah) imbued the show with a Christian message, and it featured many celebrities as guests, including Elvis Presley, Charles Barkley, and Martina Navratilova. As Merbreier was getting older he thought his show would be cancelled, but recalls that his bosses reassured him: “I was always guaranteed that I would be able to present a good show for children. And as long as we were able to do that, I was going to stay on the air.”
Application: Jesus instructs us to be good stewards of that which is entrusted to us. And for W. Carter Merbreier, it was Captain Noah and His Magical Ark.
Ron L.
This passage was very likely the inspiration for that great spiritual “There Is a Balm in Gilead.” Words of strength, assurance, and comfort roll from that hymn. The balm of Gilead, we are told, promises to heal the sin-sick soul and to make the wounded whole. This balm makes it possible for us to never to be discouraged.
While that seems like it offers the ingredients for a powerful sermon, that wonderful spiritual is not faithful to Jeremiah 8:22. In fact, the message of the prophet is opposite that of the song. Jeremiah says that the balm available in Gilead lacks the power to bring about the healing the nation needs.
In his wonderful memoir The Tender Bar (Hachette Books, 2006), author and journalist J.R. Moehringer tells of growing up in a single-parent household. While still small, he idealizes his missing father as some sort of balm in Gilead capable of healing the emptiness within him. At first he forms something of a relationship with the voice of his father, a New York City late-night radio disc jockey.
At eight years old, suddenly unable to find his father’s voice on the radio, J.R. turns in desperation to the tavern on the corner. Here among the bar’s regulars he finds a group of alpha males willing to accept him, love him, take him to the beach, and show him the ropes of it means to be a man -- at least a man by the standards of a neighborhood tavern. Being tended in that bar was a healing balm for J.R. He became a regular attendee during his growing-up years.
Unfortunately, by the time he was ready to be launched into the adult world the bar had become a fortress protecting him against from the harsher realities of a world he needed to negotiate. The bar, this balm that once filled the emptiness in his life, had become a big part of the problem.
To answer Jeremiah’s rhetorical question “Is there no balm in Gilead?” No, there is not. There is no simple, readily available healing medicine that can cure all that is wrong with us and our world. We do not need not a lotion of patent medicine. We need the heart transplant that God offers in Christ Jesus.
R. Robert C.
Jeremiah 8:18--9:1
On “Bloody Sunday,” January 30, 1972, British soldiers fired without provocation on demonstrators in Northern Ireland who were peacefully protesting the lack of independence their country had from England. On that day, the soldiers killed 13 unarmed civilians. Father Edward Daly, a Roman Catholic priest, was present at the site of the mayhem. Two photographs were taken of him that became the iconic images of the tragedy across the globe. One showed Father Daly on his knees, tending to the wounds of a 17-year-old boy who later died; the other showed him waving a blood-stained white handkerchief as he attempted to move the boy to safety.
Application: Compassion calls for us to get on our knees and wave a blood-stained white handkerchief.
Ron L.
Jeremiah 8:18--9:1
Americans think they are good, especially if they pull together. Hillary Clinton has been telling us that. A 1989 Gallup Poll revealed that 85% of Americans reported that a good self-image is very important. Little has changed, it seems, in a quarter of a century. A more recent survey held a decade ago indicated that 80% of middle-school students in America valued self-image this way (Review of General Psychology, Vol. 14, No. 3). In the face of such optimism in pop culture, we need to be reminded of our shortcomings and sin.
Why do we need such reminders? Winston Churchill helps us understand why it is good to put some chinks in our self-image, like Jeremiah did to the Judeans: “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” There is some real truth to what country singer Naomi Judd once said: “A dead end is a good place to turn around.” Martin Luther King Jr. did a good job helping us to see why God condemns our sin: “The greatness of our God lies in the fact that he is both tough-minded and tender-hearted. He has qualities both of austerity and of gentleness. If God were only tough-minded, he would be a cold, passionless despot sitting in some far-off heaven. But if God were only tender-hearted, he would be too soft and sentimental to function when things go wrong and incapable of controlling what he has made.... He is tough-minded enough to transcend the world; he is tender-hearted enough to live in it (A Testament of Hope, p. 496).
Mark E.
1 Timothy 2:1-7
There’s something subtle about what Paul is saying here. He’s advising us to pray for all rulers -- not because there is something divine or ordained about them, but because there’s nothing we can do about them, and we just want to escape their notice.
The apostle lived in at least three different worlds. He was able to navigate Jewish society in both a Palestinian/Jerusalem setting, but he was also quite comfortable among Jews of the Diaspora (a word that describes the scattering of God’s people across the western world). In addition, he was also comfortable in the multicultural Roman society. Paul took full advantage of Roman roads, Roman privileges, Roman citizenship, and Roman culture. Paul recognized that Christians live in a larger world, and that we are not to retreat from it. Rather, we are “to be subject to rulers and authorities.” Though we may be subject, we subversively recognize that there is one God, and one mediator between God and humanity ? it’s Jesus, in case you’re wondering. So even though we pray for rulers and all in power, we don’t recognize their ultimate authority.
Frank R.
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Mediation is an expanding field. It seems that American culture has reached a place where disputes are common. The need for a mediator is fairly high, and there are quite a few options for those in need of these services. A legal website offers this regarding a mediator: “One can choose a mediator who is a specialist in the subject matter of dispute, a specialist in dispute resolution, or a mediator who is both an expert in the subject matter of the dispute and an expert in dispute resolution. Most people would choose someone who is an expert in the field of the dispute and in dispute resolution. While such professional mediators are likely to charge a higher daily fee, they may require fewer days or help to reach a better solution, and thus can be very cost-effective.” Did you catch that? Most people want a mediator who is an expert in the subject matter and in dispute resolution.
In his first letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul notes that there is one mediator between God and humankind -- Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all. Let’s see how that fits with the legal advice we’ve noted. Need someone who is an expert in the field of the dispute? Jesus knows what it is like to be tempted by sin. He understands the terrible effects of sin in the lives of people. Yes, he’s got that one covered. Need someone who is an expert in the field of dispute resolution? Jesus says if we confess him before men, he will confess us before his Father. By his death on the cross, he brought about peace. Yes, he’s qualified there. The legal people tell us that such a mediator will charge a higher fee. What about Jesus? He charges no fee at all. In fact, he paid the price, in full.
Can there be any better mediator than Jesus? Who do you want representing you before God?
Bill T.
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Are we offering prayers for everyone? Are all praying for our president? Are all Republicans praying for Obama?
We sure don’t have peace in our congress! It seems like no one wants peace -- we just want to win every argument and disagreement. We are so proud to stand on our “principles.”
A reading of the New Testament makes me feel that Jesus died for people, not principles! The most principled people in Jesus’ day were the scribes and Pharisees. They didn’t want him to pluck food or heal the sick on the sabbath.
It says that there is only one God, but some of our denominations today make it seem like “those other guys” don’t really know the whole story about our God. But Paul is hoping for peace. We can’t have peace until we accept each other as brothers and sisters in Christ -- even those whose teachings differ from our doctrines.
When I went to ministerial meetings, I often found that I had friends who were not good Lutherans like me. We still had peace together, and we prayed for each other.
When I was a missionary in Nepal, we were all just Christians together. We greeted each brother or sister with Jaimasi (Jesus is Lord). If there was a denominational name on the door of their church, it only meant that they were getting financial support from that body. We all had the same Bible, the same hymnal, the same service. Everything was the same, and I was invited to preach in every church. I taught in a seminary run by Presbyterians, who had other professors who were Methodist, Pentecostal, and even two Roman priests.
There was peace among all Christians. We even prayed for the king. We all wanted peace. We wanted godliness and holiness.
That is Paul’s -- and I believe God’s -- wish.
Bob O.
1 Timothy 2:1-7
This is not a passage of scripture that relates as well to progressive theology as some others. For those of us women in the church and in the ordained ministry to be told we cannot have authority and that we are to remain quiet and submissive doesn’t work very well. Actually it makes the hackles rise on the back of my neck. But when I stop to think about the historical context in which Timothy writes, I calm down a little.
There are some admonitions about faithfulness in this passage; reminders that there is but one true God, one true Savior. Then we are reminded about the worship practices of some of the other “religions.” Often women were a vital part of the worship -- braided, bangled, scantily dressed, engaging in sexual improprieties as a part of the worship to goddesses and gods. No wonder there was a fear of these painted women and an admonition for women of the one true faith to behave differently.
We could go on and on about the patriarchal historical context and the historical concern about the mystery of women as those who bring forth life. We could go on and on about the interpretations in Genesis about the “fall.” We could live by a literal interpretation of this passage -- or we could all strive to move closer into relationship with one another, submitting to each other and to the will of God. It might make me a little more comfortable -- but maybe comfort isn’t the point.
Bonnie B.
Luke 16:1-13
By the time Moses came down from the mountain with the tablets, moral codes already had a long history. In fact, the first written prohibition of such things as murder, stealing, and lying appeared more than a millennium before the Ten Commandments. Although similar in some ways, the intent of the rules recorded in Deuteronomy 5 and Exodus 20 differed significantly from the intent of other ancient Mesopotamian moral codes. Those other codes focused on how to protect the property of the rich and perpetuate their social status. The biblical moral code was aimed at protecting ordinary people and their relationships with one another. Perhaps this difference gives rise to the aphorism that “Faith calls us to love people and use things. The ways of the world encourage us to love things and use people.”
The gospel reading for this Sunday demonstrates how radical this moral teaching had become by the time of the ministry of our Lord. In Jesus’ parable, the dishonest manager works to prepare for his own future by wasting the assets of the landowner. Instead of collecting from those who owe his master, he reduces their debt loads.
One might have thought the landowner would be outraged at this behavior. The farm manager’s behavior, after all, was some form of self-serving incompetence, if not out-and-out grand larceny. By any reasonable standard, the landowner should not have been pleased. Yet the one who lost significant assets praises the behavior of the one responsible for the loss. The landowner calls the farm manager shrewd and praises all he has done to improve relationships with the people indebted to him.
In a curious and unexpected way, the parable demonstrates that acquiring money is less important than building good relationships with one another. In fact, nothing is more important than loving relationship.
Money is a thing. Use money, but love people.
R. Robert C.
Luke 16:1-13
Most recent government statistics suggest that 15.2 million Americans (14.5% of us) live in poverty. Renowned 20th-century theologian Karl Barth offers some good advice for dealing with these realities: “The wisdom of the world or of men is not, therefore, something which we must rate too low. In many cases it may have a very high value.... Within its limits it is often worthy of the most serious respect” (Church Dogmatics, Vol. III/4, p. 529).
The world’s wisdom in this election cycle is split. Donald Trump wants to cut taxes (in unspecified ways, but especially to the advantage of the rich) and show preferences for Americans, protecting American jobs by deporting illegal immigrants while ending free trade with other nations until we get good deals. By contrast Hillary Clinton will raise the minimum wage, reform tax policies hurting working families, and target communities mired in generational poverty with federal dollars.
Which of these programs best responds to Martin Luther’s claim that it is “the poor who live in your time and among you, your nearest neighbors, who need your help” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 2/2, p. 311)? And we should not forget the advice of the third-century theologian Cyprian of Carthage, who told his priests “Let your care... and your diligence not be wanting to the poor” (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 5, p. 315).
In this dialogue, African-American Episcopal layman and Yale University law professor Stephen Carter offers invaluable insights. In his view, the religious perspectives just noted are essential for a culture like ours steeped in materialistic ideologies. Religion teaches that means are as important as ends, he contends, that how you got there is as important as where you got (The Culture of Disbelief, p. 273). For him religion needs to engage in politics, for without the competitive perspective it offers, government becomes absolute (The Culture of Disbelief, pp.271-272).
Mark E.
Luke 16:1-13
W. Carter Merbreier is a name that’s probably unfamiliar to most people, but the ordained Lutheran pastor was better known as Captain Noah -- the main character of the Philadelphia-based children’s show Captain Noah and His Magical Ark, which aired from 1967 to 1994 and ran in 20 television markets. Merbreier and his wife (who played Mrs. Noah) imbued the show with a Christian message, and it featured many celebrities as guests, including Elvis Presley, Charles Barkley, and Martina Navratilova. As Merbreier was getting older he thought his show would be cancelled, but recalls that his bosses reassured him: “I was always guaranteed that I would be able to present a good show for children. And as long as we were able to do that, I was going to stay on the air.”
Application: Jesus instructs us to be good stewards of that which is entrusted to us. And for W. Carter Merbreier, it was Captain Noah and His Magical Ark.
Ron L.
