Sermon Illustrations for Proper 14 | OT 19 (2024)
Illustration
2 Samuel 18:5-8, 15, 31-33
David’s willingness to forgive his son Absalom suggests a comment by Victorian-era English poet William Blake: “Where mercy, love, and pity dwell, there God is dwelling too.” Martin Luther offered several comments about the profound love of God (reflected here in David’s love of his wayward son). The reformer noted that “Our Lord God must be a devout man to be able to love knaves. I can’t do it, although I am myself a knave.” (Luther’s Works, Vol.54, p.32). And elsewhere he added:
Our heart is much too limited to be able to grasp the scope of this blessing. For such is its magnitude that if anyone were able to comprehend it... if we had a full understanding of this love of God for men, a joy so great would come to us from this recognition that we would promptly die because of it. From this we see how great our feebleness is, how great our torpor, since few taste, I do not say, this ocean, but scarcely a few drops of this immense joy. (What Luther Says, p.821)
The great medieval mystic Bernard of Clairvaux sang winsomely of this love and what it does to us:
He is living and full of energy. As soon as he has entered into me, he has awakened my sleeping soul. He has stirred and softened and wounded my heart which was torpid and hard as a rock. (Elmer O’Brien, ed., Varieties of Mystic Experience, p.105)
Mark E.
* * *
2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33
Absalom, David’s son, was in open rebellion against the kingdom, intent on overthrowing his father, and yet one senses throughout the story how terribly torn is David’s heart. It is his duty through his commanders to put down the rebellion. And yet here is a son he loves, and it annoys his officers to no end that David laments the son who would have overthrown them, and killed the loyal generals. And yet, there it is. There are occasions where we can say that one’s enemies are totally evil and we are, if not totally righteous, at least on the right side, but too often there the heartrending truth that all of us share and bear the image of God.
Frank R.
* * *
2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33
I really don’t like the passages in scripture which promote, or seem to promote, violence and war. I’m not sure how I would preach this passage. I’m sure it matters that David is successful in battle. I’m sure it matters that the chosen people of God are victorious. I’m sure it’s important that the “right” side wins. But I can’t really understand this battle and move into an acceptance of violence as the way to follow God. Perhaps I don’t need to completely understand. Rather, my approach might be the sorrow and grief that happens at the loss of a child, no matter which side of the battle they are on.
The king grieves for the loss of his son. I wonder how many families of the fallen do the same, wishing they could take the place of their lost young one. How do we manage grief and support those who are ggrieving? How do we reconcile the battles we humans undertake which result in such loss of life? Yes, I know that tyranny must be defeated, that dictators and those who practice genocide must be stopped. And yet, I think of every mother and father, every spouse and child, and their pain. Could we find a better way? I’m not sure, so until then I will comfort the grieving – on all sides – with prayer and calls for peace.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Ephesians 4:25--5:2
I’m one of those folks whose allergies prevent me from wanting to sit near someone who wears perfume, at the risk of incurring an asthma attack and a bad headache. So I take Paul’s revelation in this passage with a grain of salt. “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (5:2)
Smell was an important part of worship. Temple worship involved the sacrifice of animals, and the smells of cooking, which can be heavenly depending what’s on the grill. Certainly most of us would consider the smells from the church kitchen before a big meal or a carry-in, to be a heavenly thing. And in my tradition, the three-part communion known as the love feast, which includes feet washing, the bread and vcup, as well as a meal prepared by the deacons, means when we arrive for worship on Maundy Thursday, there’s the smell of beef and broth in the air.
But the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross would not have been a wonderful smell. He was brutalized, bleeding, and nailed to a cross, left to die, a slow and agonizing death. The smells used by Paul in this letter draw us from pleasant reveries with a shock to stark realities.
Frank R.
* * *
Ephesians 4:25--5:2
Calvin Coolidge served as president from 1923-1929. He was an animal lover and had four different cats. While I could not find multiple sources for this story, it seems like something that could have happened. President Coolidge invited some people from his hometown to dinner at the White House. Since they did not know how to behave at such an occasion, they thought the best policy would be just to do what the president did. The time came for serving coffee. The president poured his coffee into a saucer, so the home crowd did the same. The President then poured some milk into the saucer and add a little sugar. The home folks were puzzled but did the same. They thought for sure that the next step would be for the President to take the saucer with the coffee and begin sipping it. But the President didn’t do so. He leaned over, placed the saucer on the floor and called the cat.
I’m not sure how accurate that story is, but it is true that Coolidge loved animals and had four cats. Though they must’ve felt foolish, I don’t blame the home folks. When you don’t know what to do, you imitate someone whom you think does. After describing the character and actions Christians are supposed to have, Paul tells them, “be imitators of God, as beloved children” (5:1). There is no doubt that those who imitate God will not find that to be a mistake. In fact, when we live out our faith, we are imitating God. A.W. Tozer wrote, “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”
Bill T.
* * *
John 6:35, 41-51
“I am the Bread of Life” proclaims Jesus. And everyone in the leadership of the church proclaimed that could not be because Jesus was a son of Joseph, a carpenter, one with no royal authority or call. I can remember the reaction to my desire to respond to the call from God to become an ordained minister. Some folks, friends and my pastor, were really happy. Some, my parents, were concerned about my giving up my career and pursuing something else. Some high school folks laughed a little as I don’t think they had seen that in my future.
To be honest, I hadn’t foreseen this either – at least not since a sister convinced me, at age nine, that girls couldn’t be priests. To be sure it has been an interesting journey, going to seminary while working full time. And yet, the first time I led worship, as a licensed interim pastor, I knew I was in the right place. No matter my history, my upbringing, my religious background, my trust in God anchored me and I was able to see pastoral leadership as my role. Who is God calling you to be? Not a savior, certainly, but where is your role in the church, in your faith? Don’t deny God, my friends.
Bonnie B.
* * *
John 6:35, 41-44
John Calvin notes ways in which we reject Jesus like the Jews did in this lesson:
We too, sin daily in both of these ways. First, it is a great hindrance to us, that it is only with carnal eyes that we behold Christ; and this is the reason why we perceive in him nothing magnificent, for by our sinful views we pervert what belongs to him and to his doctrine, so unskillful are we to profit by them, or to view them in the proper light. Secondly, not satisfied with this, we adopt many false imaginations, which produce a contempt of the gospel. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVII/2, p.256)
Martin Luther reflected on how we can only know God through Christ. He observed:
[Many people] all search for God in heaven... But they will not find him, for he will not be found except in Christ alone. You will not encounter him elsewhere. (Luther’s Works, Vol.23, p.117)
With Jesus, the reformer reflects on how Christ is not found unless God draws us (v.44). Thus in another sermon Luther notes:
When God draws us, he is not like a hangman who drags a thief up the ladder to the gallows; but he allures and coaxes us in a friendly fashion, as a kind man attracts people by his amiability and cordiality, and everyone willingly goes to him. (Luther’s Works, Vol.23, p.86)
In the same spirit, the reformer proceeds to comment on the joy of Christian living: “Therefore a Christian life is a life of bliss and joy. Christ’s yoke is easy and sweet...” (Complete Sermons, Vol.2/1, p.402)
Mark E.
David’s willingness to forgive his son Absalom suggests a comment by Victorian-era English poet William Blake: “Where mercy, love, and pity dwell, there God is dwelling too.” Martin Luther offered several comments about the profound love of God (reflected here in David’s love of his wayward son). The reformer noted that “Our Lord God must be a devout man to be able to love knaves. I can’t do it, although I am myself a knave.” (Luther’s Works, Vol.54, p.32). And elsewhere he added:
Our heart is much too limited to be able to grasp the scope of this blessing. For such is its magnitude that if anyone were able to comprehend it... if we had a full understanding of this love of God for men, a joy so great would come to us from this recognition that we would promptly die because of it. From this we see how great our feebleness is, how great our torpor, since few taste, I do not say, this ocean, but scarcely a few drops of this immense joy. (What Luther Says, p.821)
The great medieval mystic Bernard of Clairvaux sang winsomely of this love and what it does to us:
He is living and full of energy. As soon as he has entered into me, he has awakened my sleeping soul. He has stirred and softened and wounded my heart which was torpid and hard as a rock. (Elmer O’Brien, ed., Varieties of Mystic Experience, p.105)
Mark E.
* * *
2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33
Absalom, David’s son, was in open rebellion against the kingdom, intent on overthrowing his father, and yet one senses throughout the story how terribly torn is David’s heart. It is his duty through his commanders to put down the rebellion. And yet here is a son he loves, and it annoys his officers to no end that David laments the son who would have overthrown them, and killed the loyal generals. And yet, there it is. There are occasions where we can say that one’s enemies are totally evil and we are, if not totally righteous, at least on the right side, but too often there the heartrending truth that all of us share and bear the image of God.
Frank R.
* * *
2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33
I really don’t like the passages in scripture which promote, or seem to promote, violence and war. I’m not sure how I would preach this passage. I’m sure it matters that David is successful in battle. I’m sure it matters that the chosen people of God are victorious. I’m sure it’s important that the “right” side wins. But I can’t really understand this battle and move into an acceptance of violence as the way to follow God. Perhaps I don’t need to completely understand. Rather, my approach might be the sorrow and grief that happens at the loss of a child, no matter which side of the battle they are on.
The king grieves for the loss of his son. I wonder how many families of the fallen do the same, wishing they could take the place of their lost young one. How do we manage grief and support those who are ggrieving? How do we reconcile the battles we humans undertake which result in such loss of life? Yes, I know that tyranny must be defeated, that dictators and those who practice genocide must be stopped. And yet, I think of every mother and father, every spouse and child, and their pain. Could we find a better way? I’m not sure, so until then I will comfort the grieving – on all sides – with prayer and calls for peace.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Ephesians 4:25--5:2
I’m one of those folks whose allergies prevent me from wanting to sit near someone who wears perfume, at the risk of incurring an asthma attack and a bad headache. So I take Paul’s revelation in this passage with a grain of salt. “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (5:2)
Smell was an important part of worship. Temple worship involved the sacrifice of animals, and the smells of cooking, which can be heavenly depending what’s on the grill. Certainly most of us would consider the smells from the church kitchen before a big meal or a carry-in, to be a heavenly thing. And in my tradition, the three-part communion known as the love feast, which includes feet washing, the bread and vcup, as well as a meal prepared by the deacons, means when we arrive for worship on Maundy Thursday, there’s the smell of beef and broth in the air.
But the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross would not have been a wonderful smell. He was brutalized, bleeding, and nailed to a cross, left to die, a slow and agonizing death. The smells used by Paul in this letter draw us from pleasant reveries with a shock to stark realities.
Frank R.
* * *
Ephesians 4:25--5:2
Calvin Coolidge served as president from 1923-1929. He was an animal lover and had four different cats. While I could not find multiple sources for this story, it seems like something that could have happened. President Coolidge invited some people from his hometown to dinner at the White House. Since they did not know how to behave at such an occasion, they thought the best policy would be just to do what the president did. The time came for serving coffee. The president poured his coffee into a saucer, so the home crowd did the same. The President then poured some milk into the saucer and add a little sugar. The home folks were puzzled but did the same. They thought for sure that the next step would be for the President to take the saucer with the coffee and begin sipping it. But the President didn’t do so. He leaned over, placed the saucer on the floor and called the cat.
I’m not sure how accurate that story is, but it is true that Coolidge loved animals and had four cats. Though they must’ve felt foolish, I don’t blame the home folks. When you don’t know what to do, you imitate someone whom you think does. After describing the character and actions Christians are supposed to have, Paul tells them, “be imitators of God, as beloved children” (5:1). There is no doubt that those who imitate God will not find that to be a mistake. In fact, when we live out our faith, we are imitating God. A.W. Tozer wrote, “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”
Bill T.
* * *
John 6:35, 41-51
“I am the Bread of Life” proclaims Jesus. And everyone in the leadership of the church proclaimed that could not be because Jesus was a son of Joseph, a carpenter, one with no royal authority or call. I can remember the reaction to my desire to respond to the call from God to become an ordained minister. Some folks, friends and my pastor, were really happy. Some, my parents, were concerned about my giving up my career and pursuing something else. Some high school folks laughed a little as I don’t think they had seen that in my future.
To be honest, I hadn’t foreseen this either – at least not since a sister convinced me, at age nine, that girls couldn’t be priests. To be sure it has been an interesting journey, going to seminary while working full time. And yet, the first time I led worship, as a licensed interim pastor, I knew I was in the right place. No matter my history, my upbringing, my religious background, my trust in God anchored me and I was able to see pastoral leadership as my role. Who is God calling you to be? Not a savior, certainly, but where is your role in the church, in your faith? Don’t deny God, my friends.
Bonnie B.
* * *
John 6:35, 41-44
John Calvin notes ways in which we reject Jesus like the Jews did in this lesson:
We too, sin daily in both of these ways. First, it is a great hindrance to us, that it is only with carnal eyes that we behold Christ; and this is the reason why we perceive in him nothing magnificent, for by our sinful views we pervert what belongs to him and to his doctrine, so unskillful are we to profit by them, or to view them in the proper light. Secondly, not satisfied with this, we adopt many false imaginations, which produce a contempt of the gospel. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVII/2, p.256)
Martin Luther reflected on how we can only know God through Christ. He observed:
[Many people] all search for God in heaven... But they will not find him, for he will not be found except in Christ alone. You will not encounter him elsewhere. (Luther’s Works, Vol.23, p.117)
With Jesus, the reformer reflects on how Christ is not found unless God draws us (v.44). Thus in another sermon Luther notes:
When God draws us, he is not like a hangman who drags a thief up the ladder to the gallows; but he allures and coaxes us in a friendly fashion, as a kind man attracts people by his amiability and cordiality, and everyone willingly goes to him. (Luther’s Works, Vol.23, p.86)
In the same spirit, the reformer proceeds to comment on the joy of Christian living: “Therefore a Christian life is a life of bliss and joy. Christ’s yoke is easy and sweet...” (Complete Sermons, Vol.2/1, p.402)
Mark E.
