Jonah went in the opposite direction of that in which God wanted him to go. Jonah was jealous of God's unbounded desire to include even the evil city of Nineveh in his kingdom. Like the older brother in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, Jonah wouldn't hear or speak of God's gracious redemptive sweep, which included even prodigals and foreigners. So, through a great fish, God opened up Jonah's ears so that he would be able to speak God's word of repentance and redemption. "He even causes the deaf to hear ...
Simon was in control of the boat. He was the oldest, and besides it was his boat. He had sailed the waters so often, and usually at night because that is when most of the fishing took place. The disciples pushed away from the shore, a shore still crowded with the village people. The sun had set but still cast a warm, red glow over the hillside, over the men, women and children who had come to hear Jesus and to be healed. The sun's glow worked out upon the gently moving sea. It may have been John, the ...
What a week it had been for the disciples. Everything had happened so fast! One moment the crowd welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with shouts of hosanna, palm branches, and a hero's welcome. And then suddenly, a couple of days later, he was arrested, taken to the cross and crucified. The disciples must have been shell-shocked. They had been taken to the heights of joy and expectancy, only to have their hopes and dreams crushed with Jesus' death. It's no wonder that they hid out. They were afraid. They thought ...
There is something strange and paradoxical about the faith of Christians, and many people struggle to understand how we can celebrate the life of someone who died on a cross; someone who didn't fit the conventional criteria of success; someone who brought good and joy to the world, yet was executed by the very people to whom he brought goodness. How could God take someone who was penniless and make us wealthy; someone who was homeless and provide us with a many-roomed mansion in our Father's house? What a ...
Strong in the Lord Preached on the occasion of the death of a twenty-nine-year-old man whose death came as the result of a brief and unexpected illness. Until that time he had been a model of good health, an active athlete, and dedicated to taking good care of himself. Dearly beloved in the Lord, grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are gathered here today because a husband, son, brother, friend, and father has died. It was completely unexpected. The ...
"Once Upon a time ..." There lived a boy and a girl named Hansel and Gretel; There was a farmer who went out in the field to sow his seed; There was a man who had two sons and the younger of them said to him: "Father, give me that portion of my inheritance which falls to me." "Once upon a time, which is to say at a time beyond time, or at a different kind of time altogether from the kind the clock measures, or at a time that is no time at all because it's without beginning and without end." (Telling the ...
"Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored." (v. 10) Prayer: Dear Lord, when we call on you for help, we have our own idea of the kind of help we want, when it should come, and how it should come. Help us to realize that your answer may be different from ours, and will always be more effective. Amen. While waiting in line at the bank, Earl, a friend I hadn’t seen for some time, told me of a visit he recently had made to a doctor. He said, "I was having some skin problems, and ...
Lk 13:22-30 · Heb 12:5-7, 11-13, 18-29 · Jer 28:1-9 · Isa 66:18-23
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
COMMENTARY Jeremiah 28:1-9 Hananiah, a prophet, contradicts Jeremiah's prophecy of doom. Jeremiah is confronted by Hananiah, a prophet from Gibeon, in the temple. It is a dramatic scene with Jeremiah's wearing a yoke to symbolize the coming bondage of Judah to Babylon. To Jeremiah in the presence of the priests and people, Hananiah tells Jeremiah that Babylon will be defeated and within two years the king, exiles, and the temple treasures will be returned to Jerusalem. Sarcastically Jeremiah says "Amen" to ...
COMMENTARY Isaiah 6:1-8 Isaiah is called to be a prophet. In the year 740 BC when King Uzziah died, Isaiah had an experience with Yahweh who called him to be his prophet. The experience occurred during a worship service in Jerusalem's temple. The earthly temple was the pattern for the celestial temple where Yahweh sat in his glory and his presence filled the temple . The angelic creatures covered themselves before the glorious presence and sang the Sanctus. In the face of this divine majesty, Isaiah ...
Our "take-it-or-leave-it" attitude concerning God is evidence that we do not always fully appreciate who he is. You may have watched Marlin Perkins of TV's "Wild Kingdom." This wonderful animal lover and trainer has been trying to get people on a first-name basis with animals for most of his seventy-seven years. His wife, Carol, gave this account: "When Marlin and I were dating, I wanted him so badly that I never let him know how little I knew about animals. Soon after our marriage we went to the Belgian ...
Times have changed. It took Paul and his company five days to travel from Philippi to Troas, a journey past some Greek islands that can now be negotiated by steamer in five hours. Ancient Troas or Troy is well remembered because of Homer’s epic stories of its great early glory. Helen of Troy, the beautiful goddess who became an enchanting woman; the long Trojan wars; the episode of the Trojan Horse - what a wealth of mythology and history surrounded the group as they climbed from the ship up the hill and ...
In Romans 8:22 Paul declares: "The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now," waiting for "the manifestation of the sons of God." This life with all of its struggle is the womb of the Eternal, wherein receiving the grace of God, and working with him in human relationships, we develop eternal dimensions and are ready to be received into heaven, or we reject grace and miss heaven. Paul, in Romans 12, puts it another way. "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the ...
It seemed as though the bishop was looking straight at me "Are you in debt so much as to embarrass you in your work?" What an incongruous question to ask of a candidate for ordination. It seemed so mundane, so inappropriate for such a hallowed occasion, even if it was one of the questions asked of ordinands ever since the day when John Wesley first posed it. "Are you in debt so much as to embarrass you in your work?" "Of course, I’m in debt, Bishop! Who wouldn’t be after three years in seminary on a ...
The first thing about anyone is his name. A human person is born into the world, and almost immediately a word is chosen to denote him. Not a number, not a sign, not a shape - but a word. And that word becomes everyone’s way of saying who he is. For all of his lifetime that word is used to indicate him. By means of it, he says, "This is I." By means of it, others say, "That is he." In a very real sense the word equals the person, stands for him as his equivalent. This is so very true that I can say, "I am ...
A seven-year-old girl was sitting on her grandmother's lap. As the little girl moved her hand across the older woman's face, Grandma said, "Those are my wrinkles. They mean that I'm getting older." The little girl asked, "Do wrinkles hurt?" What a loaded question! It involves more than just wrinkles. It deals with the whole business of getting older. Everybody has to address that question if one lives long enough. Is it fun to get old? Is it humiliating? Should we look forward to it or dread it? Should we ...
In JAREL’S apartment. There is a table in the room, with a telephone on it. JAREL is seated. SETH is standing, with a deck of cards in his hand. JAREL Look, I never invited you here, I never asked you to come in, and I absolutely do not want to go back to him. And, finally, I don’t want to play any silly game. SETH Don’t knock what you haven’t tried. JAREL I could always try calling the police. You’re not exactly a guest. SETH Go ahead. I’ve got my story ready: FAITHFUL BROTHER-IN-LAW REBUKED IN ...
"You will not commit adultery" Exodus 20:14 If I had my "druthers" I would skip this Commandment and go on to the next one, because this "word" speaking about sex is a difficult one to deal with frankly and directly. What makes it so hard to do that without beating around the bush is the fact that most people are still skitterish about the subject. Oh, most of us are able to talk about sex with a few choice friends, or in some small groups, but a lot of us still start to get up tight when the subject comes ...
"You will not lie about your neighbor" Exodus 20:16 The eighth Commandment consists of only five words in the Hebrew. But despite its brevity, don’t be fooled into thinking that it is unimportant. It speaks to the heart of a fundamental human problem. Its intention is to prevent one man from destroying another with his tongue. In all probability, the original purpose of this guide for living was to assure truth in the law courts. Even today before a witness takes his place before the bench he usually must ...
Certain events - often cataclysmic ones - stand out in bold relief in our memory. Those of you who are over 35 or so, think of where you were or what you were doing when you heard the news that President John Kennedy had been shot. You may not remember the date - it was November 22, 1963 - but you will probably remember other things about that day. Or if you are sixty or more think of what you were doing when you learned that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. Chances are some things about that day are etched ...
There are a few times in our lives when long periods of planning and expectation are fulfilled. We cram months upon months with preparation. At last the coveted day arrives and our cup runs over. Weddings are such days. Long periods of activity go into getting ready. Each activity and emotion is carefully choreographed. When the day finally comes, the anticipation is so intense and the emotions so high that we expect life to go into overdrive. We will be lifted out of ourselves. A mysterious ingredient ...
May I share with you one of my favorite Christmas memories? It took place several years ago when the children in our home were young and filled with all of the enchantment and enthusiasm of Christmas that captures young minds. It was the Sunday just after Christmas and we had packed the entire family in the car and driven several miles to a nursing home where I led a short devotional time for the residents each week. As we arrived, a number of this aged congregation had already gathered in our regular ...
Christmas has come and gone for another year. And we are left remembering, wondering, and a little more financially embarrassed than we were a few weeks ago. In some there is a cynicism as seen in this poem: CHRISTMAS PAST The carnival has ended. Marionette "Jesu" no longer performs At the whim of carolers’ tunes. Neon stars diminish and disappear. Plastic virgins steal away To be hidden among the angel suits. Brown "evergreens" stand naked and embarassed. Love seeks a place to hide Amid shepherds’ crooks ...
As the winds rose and the black sky threatened to unleash its wrath the crowd on the hillside began to melt away, small groups and pairs and an occasional individual hurried toward the dark, brooding buildings of the city. Even the morbid attraction of a crucifixion could not hold the fickle mob against the portent of the fury of a spring storm. At the last there were few to witness the deaths of the crucified or their laborious descent from the crosses. The four soldiers who had made up the crucifixion ...
The healing of the deaf and mute person becomes a metaphor for a deeper and more difficult healing, the changing (if not the character, then at least the attitudes) of those touched by the Healer. And all have been touched. This sermon suggests that being deaf (being closed) happens in more than one way. Biblical and contemporary examples flavor the meaning of the biblical "Be opened," and the contemporary "Be open." The fluidity of response to the crucified and Risen Christ breaks barriers, which, if ...
It is said that by the year 2000 one-half the population of our nation will be over 50 and one-third over 65 years of age. Those of us who are growing older will have plenty of company. We have a science, gerontology, dedicated to our well-being. We do not even have to surrender to senility: doctors tell us that it is not a normal state of old age; only 8 percent of older people need to fear such a breakdown. It is possible to remain alert and creative right down to the conclusion of our lives. Marie ...