Sermon Illustrations

There’s a story in Greek mythology about a young man named Narcissus. He was a beautiful young man, and he knew it. One day Narcissus saw his reflection in a stream, and he instantly fell in love with the reflected image of himself. What he saw staring back at him from the water was so beautiful that he couldn’t pull himself away. He gazed into the stream day and night, and became obsessed with his own appearance. He was trapped in his own ego, and he eventually turned into the Narcissus flower, left to bloom at the water’s edge.

Since we are God’s children, the world looks at us to see the reflection of God, to see what God and God’s children are like. If we are caught up in Narcissism, the world will see a church that is concerned only with itself, a church that cares nothing for anyone else, and ultimately will see a church that doesn’t believe their own teachings. A church that believes in God’s love for the world is to be a church that can’t wait to share that Good News with the rest of the world.