Sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Sept. 28, 2014
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas
Sermon Text: Philippians 2:1-4; 14-18
Sermon Theme: “From Unity to Gladness and Joy”
(Sources: Concordia Pulpit Resources, Vol. 24, Part 4, Series A; original ideas; Anderson’s Preaching Workbook, Cycle A; Emphasis Online Illustrations; Introduction to Philippians, Concordia Self-Study Bible; Nelson’s Three-in-One)
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ernest T. W. Hoffmann, the writer of the original stories in Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann, once visited the home of a person who had just come into considerable wealth. The man loved to brag about how much money he had, and when he showed Hoffmann his palatial home he boasted about how many servants he needed to keep it going.
The wealthy Berlin millionaire explained that he needed three servants for his personal attendance. Hoffmann, convinced that sarcasm was the only way to respond to such a person, replied that he had four servants just to take care of his bath: one to lay out the towels, one to test the temperature of the water, and the third to make sure the faucets were in good order. Continue reading