Sermon Illustrations for Christ the King Sunday (Proper 29) (2012)
Illustration
Object:
2 Samuel 23:1-7
Howard Stern wrote an editorial in which he expressed his admiration for the professionalism of Matt Lauer, the host of NBC's Today show. The article was informative and interesting, until the closing paragraph.
Stern then wrote of sexual fantasies he had regarding Matt's wife, Annette. For the reader it was shocking to suddenly come across these words, followed by a questioning of why Time magazine would even allow them in print.
Following the innuendoes, Stern wrote, "Hey, I'm Howard Stern, and I need to throw something inappropriate into everything I do."
Application: Our scripture lesson reads, "The spirit of the Lord speaks through me." It is sad that some individuals derive their character from the opposite. They are, as the scripture reads, "the godless are like thorns."
Ron L.
2 Samuel 23:1-7
The image of a rock is often used in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy, Psalms, Isaiah) to speak of God's steadfastness, reliability, and strength. One can get a profound sense of the appropriateness of this reference touring the Black Hills of South Dakota, viewing the two and a half billion-year-old granite monoliths erupting all throughout the hills, standing bold and undaunted over the Ponderosa pine forests. Mount Rushmore is carved out of one of these -- the faces of four American presidents who spoke guiding words at critical times in our history. This unique rock speaks to the patriotic heart of Americans.
Mark M.
2 Samuel 23:1-7
What will our last words be? What will we leave to our children? Those words of David give me hope. Here was a man who raped one of his soldier's wives, and then when she got pregnant, he was complicit in the soldier's death. That was only one of his faults, but the Lord had lifted him to the top position in the kingdom. The Lord even made a contract with David that one of his descendants would be king over all. If the Lord forgave him and raised him to such a level, then I can hope that the Lord will forgive me, a divorced pastor whose children have not all followed in his way (and one is even in jail). God still loves me and he loves my children. Praise be to the God who forgave me! He will forgive you also! Praise his holy name!
Bob O.
2 Samuel 23:1-7
Evan was graduating. Looking over his picture boards, his path could be identified by those who had impacted his life: Evan and Mr. Shirk, his band teacher; Evan and Mrs. Hogan, his vocal teacher; Evan and his biology teacher, Mr. Martonen. Music and biology? Synonymous? Hmmm...
Graduates are often asked, "What do you want to do when you graduate?" Their dreams are often formed by those they looked to like: Ben, Crystal, and Bob, lives modeled after God's own heart.
King David was a godly role model. Greatness is often inspired by the quality and character of leadership.
On another graduation day, Justin asked Mr. Steve Faust, a member of the school board, to present him his diploma. As a church elder, Justin looked to him as a Christian model. His godly witness had impacted a young man's life. How about yours?
Cynthia C.
Revelation 1:4b-8
How is Christ king in light of all the evil that still plagues us, all the suffering, war, and injustice still in the world today? Famed twentieth-century theologian Karl Barth contends that Jesus reigns in the sense that there is a "pronouncedly revolutionary character of his [Christ's] relationship to the order of life..." Jesus breaks all the bonds asunder (Church Dogmatics, Vol. IV/2, p. 171). Martin Luther made a similar point: "Even if your sin and your conscience plague and oppress you and you stand in awe of God's judgment, you must realize that all that has been changed and that judgment has been abolished. Instead of harboring fear of the final judgment, you must yearn and long for it..." (Luther's Works, Vol. 22, p. 364).
Christ is king and he has conquered, in the same sense that the Union had won the Civil War after Gettysburg, the same way that the Allies won World War II after D-Day succeeded. But in both cases, as with the evil we still encounter, there were and are still a lot of mop-up operations to accomplish, too much suffering still remains, until ultimate victory.
Mark E.
Revelation 1:4b-8
Eugene Peterson not only produces Bible translations, he also is a poet. Likewise, he sees John who wrote the Revelation as a poet with an amazing imagination. Peterson argues that the intent of revelation is not to "inform" us about God but to "involve" us in God.
In Peterson's own words: "Marks on paper, via the imagination, make pictures and sounds that involve us as living persons who hear and see and touch in our encounter with reality. The famous blessing that stands on the first page of the Revelation (Revelation 1:3) is not for those who read for information or knowledge, but for those who read aloud and those who hear, reconstituting the words as oral and visual realities that pull us into personal encounter with the personal God. 'Anything can make us look,' says poet Archibald MacLeish, 'only art makes us see.' The Revelation makes us see: 'I turned to see the voice' " (Revelation 1:12).
Richard H.
John 18:33-37
There is no jihad in Christianity. We don't win people by killing them, because our God's kingdom is not a worldly kingdom. Some have given their lives for even suggesting that in some countries. We are not called to be terrorists defending our king's honor! There are not that many who are open to the truth! Not in Pilate's office or today.
Politics sent Jesus to the cross. Pilate would have let him go, but it would have caused trouble and Pilate couldn't afford that if he were to keep his job. Democracy ruled! The Jews won! How many today believe in Jesus but are afraid to come out strongly for him lest it hurt their jobs or relationships? Do you accept the truth or do you play politics? To accept the "truth" in Nepal or preach it was dangerous. Only love wins! Put away the sword!
Bob O.
John 18:33-37
Las Vegas is the prime destination for trade shows. It is truly the place to market one's wares, with 10.6 million square feet of exhibition space. Add to this 19,000 meeting rooms and 150,000 hotel rooms. One shouldn't forget the added attraction of the casinos and stage entertainment. Las Vegas is the go-to place, with 900 daily flights and nonstop service from 130 cities. For this reason, Las Vegas hosts North America's 250 largest trade shows.
Application: Jesus replies to Pilate that "My kingdom is not of this world." Unfortunately, we, like Pilate, do not hear or heed the words of Jesus, for we are too busy looking to the kingdom of Las Vegas.
Ron L.
John 18:33-37
Pilate exemplifies what Winston Churchill once observed: "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." Also, the words from James Russell Lowell in The Present Crisis summarize well the scene of Jesus before Pilate: "Truth forever on the scaffold. Wrong forever on the throne." (Lowell was the first editor of The Atlantic Monthly and a member of the Fireside Poets, along with Longfellow, Whittier, Holmes, and Bryant.)
Mark M.
John 18:33-37
Three-year-old Benjamin pranced around wearing his Burger King crown. Sixty-year-olds Jim and Carol Jean took center stage as the Panama City Beach Winter Senior Prom royal couple. Queen Elizabeth II, coronated in June 1952, celebrated her Diamond Jubilee (sixty years on the throne) in June 2012 with pomp and pageantry.
Who will be the next BK king? Who will be the next senior royalty? Will Elizabeth at age 86 live to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee (seventy years)? It's possible: the Benjamin in his cardboard BK crown, the Butzlers in their Dollar Store crowns, and Elizabeth in the royal golden-jeweled crown of the United Kingdom.
Jesus wore an earthly crown of thorns. Now he wears the Crown of Victory: King of kings, and Lord of lords. No parading around a fast-food restaurant or senior citizen center or sailing at the head of a flotilla. Christ the King will come crowned in glory celebrating eternal life.
Cynthia C.
Howard Stern wrote an editorial in which he expressed his admiration for the professionalism of Matt Lauer, the host of NBC's Today show. The article was informative and interesting, until the closing paragraph.
Stern then wrote of sexual fantasies he had regarding Matt's wife, Annette. For the reader it was shocking to suddenly come across these words, followed by a questioning of why Time magazine would even allow them in print.
Following the innuendoes, Stern wrote, "Hey, I'm Howard Stern, and I need to throw something inappropriate into everything I do."
Application: Our scripture lesson reads, "The spirit of the Lord speaks through me." It is sad that some individuals derive their character from the opposite. They are, as the scripture reads, "the godless are like thorns."
Ron L.
2 Samuel 23:1-7
The image of a rock is often used in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy, Psalms, Isaiah) to speak of God's steadfastness, reliability, and strength. One can get a profound sense of the appropriateness of this reference touring the Black Hills of South Dakota, viewing the two and a half billion-year-old granite monoliths erupting all throughout the hills, standing bold and undaunted over the Ponderosa pine forests. Mount Rushmore is carved out of one of these -- the faces of four American presidents who spoke guiding words at critical times in our history. This unique rock speaks to the patriotic heart of Americans.
Mark M.
2 Samuel 23:1-7
What will our last words be? What will we leave to our children? Those words of David give me hope. Here was a man who raped one of his soldier's wives, and then when she got pregnant, he was complicit in the soldier's death. That was only one of his faults, but the Lord had lifted him to the top position in the kingdom. The Lord even made a contract with David that one of his descendants would be king over all. If the Lord forgave him and raised him to such a level, then I can hope that the Lord will forgive me, a divorced pastor whose children have not all followed in his way (and one is even in jail). God still loves me and he loves my children. Praise be to the God who forgave me! He will forgive you also! Praise his holy name!
Bob O.
2 Samuel 23:1-7
Evan was graduating. Looking over his picture boards, his path could be identified by those who had impacted his life: Evan and Mr. Shirk, his band teacher; Evan and Mrs. Hogan, his vocal teacher; Evan and his biology teacher, Mr. Martonen. Music and biology? Synonymous? Hmmm...
Graduates are often asked, "What do you want to do when you graduate?" Their dreams are often formed by those they looked to like: Ben, Crystal, and Bob, lives modeled after God's own heart.
King David was a godly role model. Greatness is often inspired by the quality and character of leadership.
On another graduation day, Justin asked Mr. Steve Faust, a member of the school board, to present him his diploma. As a church elder, Justin looked to him as a Christian model. His godly witness had impacted a young man's life. How about yours?
Cynthia C.
Revelation 1:4b-8
How is Christ king in light of all the evil that still plagues us, all the suffering, war, and injustice still in the world today? Famed twentieth-century theologian Karl Barth contends that Jesus reigns in the sense that there is a "pronouncedly revolutionary character of his [Christ's] relationship to the order of life..." Jesus breaks all the bonds asunder (Church Dogmatics, Vol. IV/2, p. 171). Martin Luther made a similar point: "Even if your sin and your conscience plague and oppress you and you stand in awe of God's judgment, you must realize that all that has been changed and that judgment has been abolished. Instead of harboring fear of the final judgment, you must yearn and long for it..." (Luther's Works, Vol. 22, p. 364).
Christ is king and he has conquered, in the same sense that the Union had won the Civil War after Gettysburg, the same way that the Allies won World War II after D-Day succeeded. But in both cases, as with the evil we still encounter, there were and are still a lot of mop-up operations to accomplish, too much suffering still remains, until ultimate victory.
Mark E.
Revelation 1:4b-8
Eugene Peterson not only produces Bible translations, he also is a poet. Likewise, he sees John who wrote the Revelation as a poet with an amazing imagination. Peterson argues that the intent of revelation is not to "inform" us about God but to "involve" us in God.
In Peterson's own words: "Marks on paper, via the imagination, make pictures and sounds that involve us as living persons who hear and see and touch in our encounter with reality. The famous blessing that stands on the first page of the Revelation (Revelation 1:3) is not for those who read for information or knowledge, but for those who read aloud and those who hear, reconstituting the words as oral and visual realities that pull us into personal encounter with the personal God. 'Anything can make us look,' says poet Archibald MacLeish, 'only art makes us see.' The Revelation makes us see: 'I turned to see the voice' " (Revelation 1:12).
Richard H.
John 18:33-37
There is no jihad in Christianity. We don't win people by killing them, because our God's kingdom is not a worldly kingdom. Some have given their lives for even suggesting that in some countries. We are not called to be terrorists defending our king's honor! There are not that many who are open to the truth! Not in Pilate's office or today.
Politics sent Jesus to the cross. Pilate would have let him go, but it would have caused trouble and Pilate couldn't afford that if he were to keep his job. Democracy ruled! The Jews won! How many today believe in Jesus but are afraid to come out strongly for him lest it hurt their jobs or relationships? Do you accept the truth or do you play politics? To accept the "truth" in Nepal or preach it was dangerous. Only love wins! Put away the sword!
Bob O.
John 18:33-37
Las Vegas is the prime destination for trade shows. It is truly the place to market one's wares, with 10.6 million square feet of exhibition space. Add to this 19,000 meeting rooms and 150,000 hotel rooms. One shouldn't forget the added attraction of the casinos and stage entertainment. Las Vegas is the go-to place, with 900 daily flights and nonstop service from 130 cities. For this reason, Las Vegas hosts North America's 250 largest trade shows.
Application: Jesus replies to Pilate that "My kingdom is not of this world." Unfortunately, we, like Pilate, do not hear or heed the words of Jesus, for we are too busy looking to the kingdom of Las Vegas.
Ron L.
John 18:33-37
Pilate exemplifies what Winston Churchill once observed: "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." Also, the words from James Russell Lowell in The Present Crisis summarize well the scene of Jesus before Pilate: "Truth forever on the scaffold. Wrong forever on the throne." (Lowell was the first editor of The Atlantic Monthly and a member of the Fireside Poets, along with Longfellow, Whittier, Holmes, and Bryant.)
Mark M.
John 18:33-37
Three-year-old Benjamin pranced around wearing his Burger King crown. Sixty-year-olds Jim and Carol Jean took center stage as the Panama City Beach Winter Senior Prom royal couple. Queen Elizabeth II, coronated in June 1952, celebrated her Diamond Jubilee (sixty years on the throne) in June 2012 with pomp and pageantry.
Who will be the next BK king? Who will be the next senior royalty? Will Elizabeth at age 86 live to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee (seventy years)? It's possible: the Benjamin in his cardboard BK crown, the Butzlers in their Dollar Store crowns, and Elizabeth in the royal golden-jeweled crown of the United Kingdom.
Jesus wore an earthly crown of thorns. Now he wears the Crown of Victory: King of kings, and Lord of lords. No parading around a fast-food restaurant or senior citizen center or sailing at the head of a flotilla. Christ the King will come crowned in glory celebrating eternal life.
Cynthia C.
