Sermon Illustrations for Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 (2011)
Illustration
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
There have been many historical inspirations for our current system of law and jurisprudence. Hammurabi, the king of Babylon around 1760 BC, was one of the first to codify laws and distribute them throughout his kingdom. The Greeks were one of the first to include its citizenry in the formation of laws and because of this, their system of law and government was greatly influential in the concept of democracy. The Magna Carta of 1215 was an important stepping stone in guaranteeing the rights of citizens under the law. The development of the English common law system still influences many Anglophone nations to this day.
However, probably no legal code is as influential as the Ten Commandments. It forms the basis of not only many of our laws (murder and theft, for example), but even our morality itself. Handed down from the hand of God, this edict still shapes how we view the world, even over 3,000 years later.
Craig K.
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
There is an old story about a bandit in the Far East who was badly injured and taken to a Christian mission hospital. Having received excellent care, he decided he would never again rob a Christian. Word got around about his resolve; therefore, when he tried to rob someone that person would profess to be a Christian. How could he tell who was really a Christian? The man went back to the mission hospital and asked the question. The missionaries said that anyone who was a Christian ought to be able to recite the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments. Henceforth, before robbing people this man would ask them to make these two recitations. If they couldn't do this, he robbed them.
Leonard Sweet is not so sure this is the best criteria for judging whether or not someone is a Christian. He says that he knows a lot of mean-spirited people who can quote the facts of scripture but who don't know the Master of relationships.
Richard H.
Philippians 3:4-14
President John Adams described himself as "a church-going animal." He and his wife Abigail believed so strongly in the importance of worship and how attendance at church could mold one's morality and challenge an individual to Christian service that they attended worship twice on Sunday. This was not an exercise in doing what was expected in their Congregationalist community; but it was doing what they believed could instill within them the greatest spiritual enlightenment.
Paul wrote of the Christian faith that "I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own." By attending worship twice on the sabbath, John and Abigail Adams were pressing on to make the Christian faith their own.
Ron L.
Philippians 3:4b-14
Louise was born to a family of accountants -- brilliant accountants, no less -- CPAs. Both her parents, all four of her grandparents: upstanding members of the community, renowned for their fair dealings and quality service, generally well-liked, good people. Then there was Louise. She, too, was a good accountant. She excelled in her studies and went into the family business, her flawless pedigree the only reference she needed. But the role of accountant nagged at her. She felt like she wanted -- needed -- something else. And she left accountancy and pursued economics instead. There was some overlap -- still the numbers, still the dollar signs -- but the equations, the complexities, the delicate balance, all of it was a wonder to Louise. In the accounting world, she had been a duchess -- but here, she was a nobody. She had to relearn everything, start at the bottom, and work her way humbly up the ladder. Unlike her quick success in accounting, economics was difficult and often not fun but she persevered. She had something to prove: to her family, to her career, and to herself.
Leah T.
Matthew 21:33-46
"Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom."
-- Matthew 21:43
In our own time these words might be applied to the Western world and the fermenting churches of the Southern Hemisphere: Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These "Third World" churches once were thought to be insignificant but now they are thriving and growing. Penn State professor Philip Jenkins, in his eye-opening book The Next Christendom, comments: "By 2050, only about one-fifth of the world's three billion Christians will be non-Hispanic whites... The era of Western Christianity has passed within our lifetimes, and the day of Southern Christianity is dawning."
This fact of momentous change is not known by many people. The media do not give it much attention but it is one of the indisputable facts of our day. As Christianity grows in regions where Islam also is expected to increase, we may see a return to the religious wars of the past, fought with high-tech weapons far surpassing the swords and spears of the Middle Ages.
Richard H.
Matthew 21:33-46
Impeachment is a process in which a government official is removed because of unlawful activity committed while in office. One recent example is the case of Thomas Porteous, a judge in Louisiana who was impeached for committing perjury for signing false financial statements regarding his bankruptcy. After it was determined that the charges against him were true, Porteous was convicted and removed from the bench. He was also banned from holding any public office in the future.
With a position of honor comes great responsibility. This is true in both the physical and the spiritual realm. Jesus chided the Pharisees for not being faithful to the God they claimed to serve. He even went on to say, "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits" (v. 43). We as Christians, and especially as pastors, need to remember that we answer to the highest authority and we need to be faithful to God's message, even if it goes against today's culture.
Craig K.
There have been many historical inspirations for our current system of law and jurisprudence. Hammurabi, the king of Babylon around 1760 BC, was one of the first to codify laws and distribute them throughout his kingdom. The Greeks were one of the first to include its citizenry in the formation of laws and because of this, their system of law and government was greatly influential in the concept of democracy. The Magna Carta of 1215 was an important stepping stone in guaranteeing the rights of citizens under the law. The development of the English common law system still influences many Anglophone nations to this day.
However, probably no legal code is as influential as the Ten Commandments. It forms the basis of not only many of our laws (murder and theft, for example), but even our morality itself. Handed down from the hand of God, this edict still shapes how we view the world, even over 3,000 years later.
Craig K.
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
There is an old story about a bandit in the Far East who was badly injured and taken to a Christian mission hospital. Having received excellent care, he decided he would never again rob a Christian. Word got around about his resolve; therefore, when he tried to rob someone that person would profess to be a Christian. How could he tell who was really a Christian? The man went back to the mission hospital and asked the question. The missionaries said that anyone who was a Christian ought to be able to recite the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments. Henceforth, before robbing people this man would ask them to make these two recitations. If they couldn't do this, he robbed them.
Leonard Sweet is not so sure this is the best criteria for judging whether or not someone is a Christian. He says that he knows a lot of mean-spirited people who can quote the facts of scripture but who don't know the Master of relationships.
Richard H.
Philippians 3:4-14
President John Adams described himself as "a church-going animal." He and his wife Abigail believed so strongly in the importance of worship and how attendance at church could mold one's morality and challenge an individual to Christian service that they attended worship twice on Sunday. This was not an exercise in doing what was expected in their Congregationalist community; but it was doing what they believed could instill within them the greatest spiritual enlightenment.
Paul wrote of the Christian faith that "I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own." By attending worship twice on the sabbath, John and Abigail Adams were pressing on to make the Christian faith their own.
Ron L.
Philippians 3:4b-14
Louise was born to a family of accountants -- brilliant accountants, no less -- CPAs. Both her parents, all four of her grandparents: upstanding members of the community, renowned for their fair dealings and quality service, generally well-liked, good people. Then there was Louise. She, too, was a good accountant. She excelled in her studies and went into the family business, her flawless pedigree the only reference she needed. But the role of accountant nagged at her. She felt like she wanted -- needed -- something else. And she left accountancy and pursued economics instead. There was some overlap -- still the numbers, still the dollar signs -- but the equations, the complexities, the delicate balance, all of it was a wonder to Louise. In the accounting world, she had been a duchess -- but here, she was a nobody. She had to relearn everything, start at the bottom, and work her way humbly up the ladder. Unlike her quick success in accounting, economics was difficult and often not fun but she persevered. She had something to prove: to her family, to her career, and to herself.
Leah T.
Matthew 21:33-46
"Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom."
-- Matthew 21:43
In our own time these words might be applied to the Western world and the fermenting churches of the Southern Hemisphere: Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These "Third World" churches once were thought to be insignificant but now they are thriving and growing. Penn State professor Philip Jenkins, in his eye-opening book The Next Christendom, comments: "By 2050, only about one-fifth of the world's three billion Christians will be non-Hispanic whites... The era of Western Christianity has passed within our lifetimes, and the day of Southern Christianity is dawning."
This fact of momentous change is not known by many people. The media do not give it much attention but it is one of the indisputable facts of our day. As Christianity grows in regions where Islam also is expected to increase, we may see a return to the religious wars of the past, fought with high-tech weapons far surpassing the swords and spears of the Middle Ages.
Richard H.
Matthew 21:33-46
Impeachment is a process in which a government official is removed because of unlawful activity committed while in office. One recent example is the case of Thomas Porteous, a judge in Louisiana who was impeached for committing perjury for signing false financial statements regarding his bankruptcy. After it was determined that the charges against him were true, Porteous was convicted and removed from the bench. He was also banned from holding any public office in the future.
With a position of honor comes great responsibility. This is true in both the physical and the spiritual realm. Jesus chided the Pharisees for not being faithful to the God they claimed to serve. He even went on to say, "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits" (v. 43). We as Christians, and especially as pastors, need to remember that we answer to the highest authority and we need to be faithful to God's message, even if it goes against today's culture.
Craig K.
