Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 476 to 500 of 972 results

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... at his or her student's feet, offering guidance and service in indirect, even pedestrian ways. As a child, didn't you love to sing "This little light of mine ... I'm going to let it shine ...."? The only problem with that song is that it focuses exclusively on the single beam of light emitted by our small singular lights. Jesus wanted us to think corporately about the illuminating power he generates in each of us. The "city built on a hill" is not noticed because one lone light flickers in a window. It is ...

477. The Family Ideal, Not Idol

Genesis 12:1-4a

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... while, at the same time, not make family into a new idolatry. The church needs to do more than ever to "focus on the family" (as one organization puts it), while at the same time resisting the temptation to fixate on the family to the exclusion of God. The fact is, despite the realities of a soaring divorce rate, broken families, abused children and neglected home-time, our culture is beginning to make "the family" into one of the most revered idols at which we kneel and worship. When a leading politician ...

478. Holy Spirit Holes

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Are there any Holy Spirit holes open in the ceiling of your church, your home, your workplace, your car, your school? Are you willing this morning to become a Holy Spirit hole in the life of this church? The first group of religious women dedicated exclusively to the professional medical care of the sick in mission areas is called the Medical Mission Sisters. Founded in 1925 as a Holy Spirit hole in the Roman Catholic church (its world headquarters is in Rome, its U.S. center in Philadelphia), the Medical ...

479. Ten Commandments of Trust

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... sometimes the most difficult of all these commandments. But if all of us told the truth all of the time, there would be no reason to harbor doubt. Alternative Sermon Idea "Why Jesus Shouldn't Have Fed the 5,000" "Apparently, biblical scholars funded exclusively by the Christian Coalition now feel that, for their own good, the 5,000 should have worked for that food instead of depending on an overly generous Messiah. Scholars are convinced that the disciples the first shareholders in the kingdom of God, if ...

480. God Will Be God

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... global. - Adam and Eve thought they had godlike freedom ... they did not. - Saul thought he had godlike impunity ... he did not. - David thought he had godlike authority over who lives and dies ...he did not. - The Israelites thought they had godlike exclusiveness ... they did not. - Peter thought he had godlike loyalty ...he did not. - Saul of Tarsus thought he had a godlike mission to wipe out Christians ... he did not. - The Romans thought they had godlike ruling power ... they did not. - The Europeans ...

481. Say Amen, Somebody

Psalm 1:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... "Amen" at the sound of some good news? In order to shout an Amen, we've got to start offering up on a regular basis some positive statements worthy of earning an "Amen." It's time to get critical of criticism _ not to the exclusion of thinking critically, but to the inclusion of thinking celebratively. Instead of always joining "protest movements," why can't we in the church head up "profess movements" _ movements for justice and peace based on professions, not protestations? We in the church are in the ...

482. The Devil's I

Acts 5:27-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is what we are calling "The Devil's I." There is no first person plural ("we") in the devil's chorus, no third person singular (she or he) to be concerned with, no third person plural (they) to consider. Everything and everyone is intently focused on "I," to the exclusion of all else. Ulysses S. Grant once admitted, "I only know two tunes one is Yankee Doodle, and the other isn't." Increasingly in the USA, we know only two tunes one is "The Devil's I," and the other isn't. It goes without saying that for ...

483. The Cream of the Crop, or The Skimmed Milk of the Earth

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... force behind everyone's attendance. Human measures of success rely on cutthroat competition and "survival-of-the-fittest" strategies. Ralph Waldo Emerson, commenting on this self-centered drive toward success, sadly concluded more than 100 years ago: "We are great by exclusion, grasping and egotism. Our success takes from all what it gives to one. It is a haggard, malignant, careworn running for luck." Emerson went on to note three qualities he deemed marks of true "success:" the ability to discern and ...

484. Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... . The Christian community in no way belittles its Jewish heritage in Luke's tradition. It is the fulfillment of all that God had promised the "chosen people." The remaining apostles must now undertake the task of admitting a new member to their exclusive ranks. Luke has Peter stipulate careful criteria for the selection of this twelfth man. The new apostle (for Luke all Christians are disciples, but only one who meets these special requirements is an apostle) must have been with Jesus since his baptism ...

485. Luke 21:25-36

Luke 21:25-36

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... they anticipate this new age. Verse 27 reveals what all this shaking and quaking are about: the "Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." In Luke's Gospel - even more than in Mark's - the title "Son of Man" is limited almost exclusively to Jesus' direct discourse. Clearly it is Jesus' chosen term for himself. Perhaps it is the dual nature of this term that makes it so attractive to Jesus and to the gospel writer. The Son of Man incorporates both Jesus' present and future self. As a prophet ...

486. John 17:20-26

John 17:20-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... phrase "most high god" had met with increased usage in the second half of the first century as the tendency for single deities grew more widespread. Under Greek and Roman, as well as Jewish influence, pagan religions began to focus on a more exclusive form of divinity - a single all-powerful god - instead of dividing lordship according to numerous "job descriptions." The term "most high god" became popular as a way to refer to the particular pagan deity of a region or city. Visitors traveling between areas ...

487. Hebrews 12:1-2, 12-17

Hebrews 12:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... compose an image based on physical competition. Athletes were also "surrounded" by witnesses when the great coliseums of the day filled up for some sports spectacular. Perhaps, then, these are the witnesses to our spiritual struggles. Indeed, neither image is exclusive, making the writer's jump from past faithfulness to present striving a smooth and seamless transition. Secondly, the writer directs the reader's attention straight down the road, the course of the lifelong race the author enjoins everyone to ...

488. 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... community itself. Whether working as a baptizer or a teacher or a cook - all are full and equal members of the body of Christ. More than that, all this diversity is necessary in order to maintain the health of the community. None may claim exclusive importance over any other group within the body. The final two verses introduce a theme which will be developed more fully next week. Paul not only celebrates his unique "teacherly" role in the Christian community; he brags that he is deficient in "eloquent ...

489. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

In 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Paul continues to offer his view of essential Christian unity amid myriad claims to the exclusivity of certain groups and their ideas. While verses 10-16 dismissed any special claims that Corinthians might make based upon their loyalty to any one individual leader, Paul now turns to the even more insidious divisiveness suggested by those who touted one form of theological knowledge or insight over another. ...

490. Matthew 25:31-46

Matthew 25:31-46

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in with the emphasis on faithfulness noted in the other judgment texts that precede 25:31-45, as well as other Jewish-Christian apocalyptic writings. If the "sheep and goats" being judged in this text are righteous or sinful Gentiles exclusively, with no explicit knowledge of Christ and his teachings, good works appear to become the criterion for judgment. Yet another imprecise designation used in this text suggests that some question still remains about to whom these good works, this benevolent behavior ...

491. Galatians 2:15-21

Galatians 2:15-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... , it is not completely clear whether Paul's declaration in verse 15 is still directed toward Peter in which case the "we" is inclusive or if Paul has now fully turned his attention to his Galatian audience, making this "we" reference exclusive of the primarily Gentile Galatian Christians. When Paul states that he (or possibly he and Peter) are "Jews by birth" and therefore not "Gentile sinners," he is articulating the most basic insider/outsider distinction. Gentiles are not "sinners" because of any ...

492. Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

493. Luke 21:25-36

Luke 21:25-36

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

494. John 17:20-26

John 17:20-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

495. John 12:20-33

John 12:20-33

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... readily accepting the "coming" of his hour. His obedience mirrors the call to discipleship Jesus extended to others. He refuses to try to save himself. Instead, he calls to God to "glorify your name." The epiphany of verse 28 is another Johannine exclusive. The voice from heaven responds directly to Jesus' obedience, affirming his understanding both of his identity and of his future. While this voice is not quite a private communication with Jesus, it is decidedly not made clear to the general crowd. Though ...

496. Mark 10:17-31

Mark 10:17-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 's response, he reveals for the first time the economic status of this individual: He has "many possessions." Jesus' demand leaves this wealthy man "shocked." Other translations render it "his face fell." Jesus' command unerringly zeroed in on this man's exclusive source of well-being. His most important sense of self came from the status, power and security vast affluence afforded him. The man's failure to follow through on Jesus' final demand reveals that his confessed observance of the Law was governed ...

497. Revelation 21:1-6

Revelation 21:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Testament Jewish hope that is central to John's concluding images. But even as the promise of a world to come follows John's vision of the final judgment, this promise now comes with additional requirements. According to the judgment scene in chapter 20, the exclusivity of salvation is no longer limited to obedient Jews and a few "righteous Gentiles." It now is dependent upon one's name being found in "The Book of Life" (20:15). For those whose names are found inscribed, the promise is a familiar one: the ...

498. 1 Timothy 2:1-7

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Throughout the pastoral epistles, the focus is on the saving grace of God made possible by Christ. The explicit inclusivity of Paul's assertion here is perhaps directed against the restricted salvation offered by gnostic "false teachers" or even against Jewish claims to exclusivity. The phrase "the knowledge of the truth" (v. 4) has a distinctly gnostic ring to it, but here the "saving knowledge" is available to all, not just a select few. The text now offers what must surely be a liturgical fragment a hymn ...

499. Luke 17:5-10

Luke 17:5-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... section of the pericope, verses 7-10, while distinct, builds on this first interchange by showing the apostles what is the nature of faith: A faithful witness is one who obediently carries out the will of the master without the expectation of praise. The scene, exclusive to Luke's gospel, depicts a small farmer who has but one servant. This servant, a jack-of-all-trades, not only does the plowing and the planting and tending of sheep, but, when the day is done, sets a table for his master and prepares ...

500. 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... "kept the faith" without the constant presence and protection of God. Indeed, if Paul had not first been God-filled to overflowing with the spirit of faith and love, there would be nothing left in him to "pour out as a libation." It is the almost exclusively personal focus of this message to Timothy that has led some to read this epistle as Paul's final word, a last will and testament, to his dear companion. The completed Pauline mission is described with athletic metaphors in verse 7. This was a favorite ...

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