03/06/2023
It is common for me to come across a wonderful sermon illustration, but run
out of time to use it. In talking about the genealogy of Jesus in the first chapter of
Matthew’s gospel I would have loved to work the following in. Unfortunately, I’d
already said enough and I wasn’t quite sure where and how to work it in.
Nevertheless, it’s worth taking a look at and reflecting on.
The movie A Knight's Tale, set in medieval England, tells the story of a young would-be knight named Ulrich. In those days, men had to be descended from noble stock in order to become a knight. But Ulrich does not have a drop of
royal blood in him. Even so, he attempts to secure his place in history by winning a famous tournament.
It is traditional for the knight's squire to introduce him at such tournaments,
usually delivering a grandiose recitation of the knight's royal lineage. In this scene, Ulrich's squire is a young Geoffrey Chaucer. People in the audience smile as Chaucer cranks up the hype like a modern-day puffmeister:
“I cannot look upon my Lord Ulrich, for I weep to see his shining face. My
Lord is a gift to your eyes, for we shall never, ever see his like upon this Earth
again. I would list his lineage if it served to honor him. Most men here—it's sad,
but it's true—they look to their past to prove their worth; they look to the deeds of
their fathers.”
“Now, Sir Ulrich has great ancestors, make no mistake about that. Sir
Chirard von Richbach, Duke Guelph of Saxony, Van Misch IV out of
Brunswick—but these great, great men pale into insignificance next to him. I do
not list them to honor him; I list him to honor them!”
That was all hype, of course, but that last line captures the essence of
Jesus' genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. Jesus Christ "has great
ancestors—make no mistake about that! But these great men (and women)
pale into insignificance next to him. I do not list them to honor him; I list him to honor them!"
(You need the DVD to see this. It’s under Deleted Scenes, "Chaucer's Second Speech")
Being a forebearer of Jesus is the true honor. Knowing that you helped bring
about the birth of the Messiah, who ended up being so much more than Israel’s
savior, is the greatest status any and all of these women and men could possibly
enjoy.
Archived Posts
Gandhi and the Sugar
I wasn’t preaching Sunday, Reverend Jackie Chandler was. And she talked about the power of influence you get when you practice what you preach. This famous illustration came to mind. It fits Jackie’s points quite well. Enjoy!
Not Just for Parents
Our current sermon series is about How To Talk Parent, but it doesn’t require any of us to be parents to appreciate the bits of wisdom OUR parents shared with us growing up.
If Not Higher
Here’s a story I wanted to use when talking about ‘what you do when no one is looking’ yesterday. It’s a wonderful illustration of what Jesus was saying in Matthew 6:1-6—do what you do because of who you want to be, not so that others will take notice and praise you.
The Perfect Church
There is an old joke about the perfect church. We talked just a little about the perfect pastor, but turnabout is fair play. It goes like this:
The Clothes You Wear
Sunday I talked about Joshua the High Priest having his filthy clothing replaced by a cleaned and beautiful garments. I also used the illustration of a boy becomes a dragon—who ‘wears’ dragon scales—and is stripped of those scales in order to be restored to a boy. In fact, I could have done the whole sermon around all the clothing imagery in scripture.
What just missed the cut for Sunday’s Sermon
Naaman’s servants may actually become one of the hidden gems of the sermon. They say, essentially: “If the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it.”
One of the Longest Benedictions I Ran Out of Time to Share
Maybe you know the story of how Joseph and Mary accidentally left Jesus at the gas station on their way home from Jerusalem. Well, not the gas station bathroom in Jesus’ case. Joe and Mary are far down the road before they realize Jesus isn’t with them...