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4976. Listening for the "Ching-ching"

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

When television producer, Dick Wolf, introduced a new "cop show" in the early 1990s, he could hardly have predicted it would lead to one of the biggest television sensations of its time. In the fifteen years or so since its first episode, the familiar "ching-ching" sound and opening credits of Law And Order have become cultural icons equivalent to Archie Bunker's All In The Family living room or the scrambling medical staff of M*A*S*H. Since the original Law and Order debut Special Victims Unit, Criminal ...

4977. Letters from a Loving Prophet

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

Jeremiah was the last of the great prophets to minister to the Hebrew people during the days of their political independence. His book is the longest prophetic book in the Hebrew Scripture. Because of the incredibly profound concepts which it contains, and because of the great spiritual advances which Jeremiah charted, he has been called by some the "greatest figure between Moses and Jesus." In chapter 29, the prophet is writing to the exiles in Babylon. It is a message of hope, a message that contains ...

4978. Building the Temple of God

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

Haggai is what has been labeled as the first of the restoration prophets, and he has no recorded history. We are told in verse 13 of chapter 1 that he was "... the messenger of the Lord." As is the case with all of the prophets, those listed as major and minor, the message, not the messenger, is of prime importance. God, not God's prophet, dominates the message. Apart from this book, Haggai is mentioned only in the book of Ezra. His name is usually associated with that of his better known and younger ...

4979. The Shepherd King

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

Although we are going to concentrate on Jeremiah 23:1-6, it is important to note that these verses are a part of a larger section that is best understood in its entirety. This section contains a collection of prophecies concerning the Davidic kings. It is not important that it be broken down verse by verse, but rather theme by theme. The first section is a lament over Jehoiakim (22:1-9); then Jeremiah's judgment speech against Jehoiakim (22:10-12); a lament over Jerusalem's disaster (22:20-23); speeches ...

4980. Good News about Faith

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

We all are inspired when an individual overcomes great odds and accomplishes extraordinary things. A television program preceding the 1988 Winter Olympics featured a group of skiers being trained for slalom skiing. We’re talking alpine skiing here, not water skiing. For those unfamiliar with alpine skiing, the skill known as slalom involves skiing between poles spaced close together thereby causing quicker and shorter turns. You’ve seen skiers zigzagging between flags down a hill. That’s slalom. The unique ...

4981. Mary and Joseph: His Obedient Servants

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I was in Columbus, Ohio not long ago. I had wedged in a day, following a meeting in Kentucky, to visit for the first time since their marriage last summer, my daughter, Kim and her husband, John. We were coming home from dinner out in the evening and John called our attention to a striking sight. On the end wall of a church sanctuary, a giant shadow of Christ was cast. It was a unique and moving sort of thing, created by the lighting of a small statue of Christ in a garden behind the church. I had passed ...

4982. Jesus: What's in a Name?

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

The late Erma Bombeck, one of America’s best-loved columnists, wrote a funny but penetrating piece. And I quote her as clearly as I can. “Most of us have never seen anyone smile in the Post Office. The Post Office instead is like a clinic for lower back pain. Well, I was in line yesterday, when the door opened and in walked a lady with a big smile on her face weighted down with boxes for mailing. She held the door open for her three little girls who filed in, each carrying a package. It was quite obvious ...

4983. Good News for Widows

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

King Duncan

I have some good news today for widows. [How many of you fall into that category?] Some of you have been widowed and remarried. Some of you still grieve the loss of your life’s partner. If you are a widow, you can probably use some good news. It’s not easy losing a spouse. Some of you have a void in life that nothing will ever fill. But here’s the good news. Jesus is aware of your situation, and Jesus is aware of your faithfulness to the church. Pastor James Love tells about a friend of his, a young ...

4984. It Wasn’t The Hilton, You Know

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

Characters (in order of appearance) Child 1 (Lead Shepherd) Child 2 (Mary) Child 3 (Narrator) Child 4 (Joseph) Child 5 (Lead Angel) Child 6 (Angel 2) Director Assistant Director Kristy (Innkeeper's Wife) Shepherd 2 Shepherd 3 Props Dish towels Bathrobes White pillow cases Cardboard box Stuffed animals —a few Piece of white fabric “Scripts” Broom Clipboard Tinsel halos Cardboard star Baby doll Baby blanket Notes This play about doing a play drives home the central message of this volume — that the trappings ...

4985. The Greatest News Of All

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

Characters (in order of appearance) Narrator Bureau Chief Reporter (Ace) Shepherd 1 Shepherd 2 Shepherd 3 Shepherd 4 Other Shepherds (nonspeaking) Angel 1 Angel 2 Angel 3 Angel Choir Maid Rachel Innkeeper’s Wife Stable Boy Mary Joseph Props Desk Chair Phone Fake computer Notebook Pencil Cardboard door Bowl Spoon Makeshift cradle Doll Bigger cradle Notes “The Greatest News Of All” is one of our “anachronism” plays, where we insert elements from the present — in this case an Internet News Bureau — into the ...

4986. “Unto Us A Child Is Born... Next, On Omar”

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

Characters (in order of appearance) Jacob Omar Looseandfree Applause Child (nonspeaking) Shepherd 1 Shepherd 2 Shepherd 3 Lead Angel 2nd Angel Angel Choir Audience Member 1 Wise Man 1 Wise Man 2 Wise Man 3 Servant (nonspeaking) Mary Joseph Audience Member 2 Audience Member 3 Stage Manager Stagehands (nonspeaking) Props Four chairs Handheld microphones (real or fake) Sign with “Applause” written on it Bells Three pillows Baby doll Notes Another one of our “intentional anachronism plays,” “Unto Us A Child Is ...

4987. Miracles? No Problem!

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

Characters (in order of appearance) Elizabeth Mary Gabriel King 1 King 2 King 3 Mary’s Mother Joseph Mary 2 Shepherd 1 Shepherd 2 Shepherd 3 2nd Angel 3rd Angel Angel Choir Props Stool/chair Bowl Star Broom Sack Carrots and veggies Knife Handkerchief Bundle Notes This play puts the viewer in Mary’s home the day she received the news that she was to have a special child, and is based on Luke 1:26-38. It envisions Gabriel arriving in Mary’s kitchen and Mary’s reaction to the news. As he talks with Mary and ...

4988. If We Do It, It Will Work

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

Characters God (offstage voice) Gabriel Michael Mary Messenger Joseph Innkeeper Innkeeper’s Wife Lead Shepherd Gabriel Shepherd 1 Shepherd 2 Shepherd 3 Shepherd 4 Angel 1 Angel 2 Angel 3 Angel 4 Angel 5 Props Paper (decree) Arrow sign saying “To Bethlehem” Notes No one really knows much about the personality of the angels Gabriel and Michael. “If We Do It, It Will Work” takes some dramatic license in assigning personalities for these characters, portraying them as something of an “odd couple.” It views ...

4989. Christmas Eve at Angel School

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

Characters Teacher Angel Lead Shepherd 1st Angel 2nd Angel 3rd Angel 4th Angel 5th Angel Joseph Mary Angel Choir Shepherd Shepherd 1 Shepherd 2 Shepherd 3 1st Child 2nd Child 3rd Child 4th Child 5th Child Props Chairs Blackboard with “Junior Angel Training” written on it Lectern or music stand Christmas tree Christmas tree decorations 4 Bibles Manger, with a baby “Christmas Eve At Angel School” offers a variety of speaking roles for children of all ages, making it a good choice for medium-sized Sunday ...

4990. Room at the Inn

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

Characters (in order of appearance) Narrator Innkeeper Innkeeper’s Wife Angel 1 Mary Angel 2 Joseph Angel 3 Shepherd 1 Innkeeper’s Daughter Shepherd 2 Other Shepherds (nonspeaking) Props Chair Brush Lantern Manger Baby doll Notes With only eleven speaking parts, many of the roles are only a line or two in length, and a very basic set, “Room At The Inn” is a fairly simple play to stage. The set consists of one chair, placed stage left, facing out. A lantern is placed at the end of stage left. (Narrator ...

4991. Rehearsal for Christmas Eve

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

Characters (in order of appearance) Director Lead Angel Stage Manager Angel Choir Youth Choir Mary Clark Shepherd 2 Narrator Shepherd 3 Shepherds King 1 Angels King 2 Lead Shepherd King 3 Young Shepherd Props Clipboards with paper Script Doll Manger Gifts for Baby Jesus from Wise Men Notes This is a “play within a play,” which tells the story of one youthful actor’s search for the real meaning of Christmas, and how he finds it at a Christmas pageant rehearsal. Because it is set in a church auditorium at an ...

4992. Ordinary People

John 18:28-40, John 18:1-11

Illustration

Brett Blair & John C. Purdy

In the story of the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus we do not have a rascally, villainous cast of characters. We have ordinary soldiers, policemen, officials, priests, magistrates, and citizens - all doing what soldiers, police, officials, priests, and zealous citizens do every day. It is the usual "morality play," with a suspected criminal, arresting officers, prosecutors, a trial, and sentencing. With the exception of Jesus, none of the actors appear to be sterling characters. They are ordinary ...

4993. Advent 2

Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 3:1-20, Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Malachi 3:1-4 Yahweh promises to send his messenger to prepare the way for his coming. The messenger is the center of this pericope. Malachi means my messenger." (v. 1) The book was written by an unknown prophet who considered himself the messenger to prepare the way for Yahweh's coming to the rebuilt temple after the return of the Exiles from Babylon. When Yahweh comes, he, like a refiner's fire, will cleanse the Levitical priesthood and their sacrifices. Christians interpret ...

4994. The Power of Purpose

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Paul had laid down the flail of the persecutor and took up the torch of the evangel on the Damascus Road. There he began the course of a great adventure, an adventure that sent him trudging through the then-known world – through the deserts and over the mountains, through blinding blizzard and blistering sun, traveling in peril of his own life, shipwrecked, beaten by the Romans, stoned by the Jew. Yet, throwing back his great cloak to show the scars of his beatings there saying, I bear in my body the marks ...

4995. I Am the Good Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Sometimes in human relationships, the more we know a person, the more we love them. Now that’s true, not because the more we know people, the greater they become in our eyes, because oftentimes as we know people, we begin to discover their weaknesses, their failures and faults, their shams and their shames. Now unlike our knowing other people, the more we know Jesus, the greater he becomes, and the more we love him. Napoleon was once visiting with a group of cynics and these skeptics concluded that Jesus ...

4996. I Am the Alpha and the Omega

Revelation 1:1-3

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Most of you here today would know the name Lloyd C. Douglas, the author of The Robe and Ben Hur. Mr. Douglas shares an experience out of his early life when he was a student at the university. He lived in a boarding house, and on the first floor below him, lived an old man who was a retired music teacher. The fella was infirm and was no longer able to walk. And Lloyd C. Douglas said that each day they would share a ritual together. He would come down the stairway and knock on the music teacher’s door and ...

4997. Putting Ourselves in the Picture

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is an old adage which has God saying, take what you will, take it and pay for it. That brings us immediately into the heart of our theme this morning. There is a price, a price for everything. We began our discussion of this theme in the sermon last Sunday, and if you were here you may recall that we used this first scripture lesson that we read today for that sermon last Sunday. And to get on board with the theme, let’s review it. In this lesson, Jesus gives us three parables – many parables really ...

4998. The Wisdom of the Wise Men

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I heard a story recently about this negative barber that had a customer in his chair and he said to him, “I hear you’re going to Europe; you shouldn’t do that. The weather is going to be bad in Rome, there is bombing and there’s strife and strikes in London. You think you’re going to get to see the Pope, but he won’t give you an audience, you just shouldn’t go.” About a month later, the same man was in the chair, and the barber said to him, “You didn’t take my advice; you went to Europe after all. And I ...

4999. Christmas in the Midst of Songs

Luke 1:39-45

Illustration

J. Ellsworth Kalas

No season of the year sings as well as Christmas. This seems to be true whether one is a saint or a sinner. The world about us has occasional song fests for patriotic days or school homecoming celebrations, but those songs are sung by selected groups in isolated places. Only at the Christmas season does the majority of the population choose to sing or to listen to the singing of others. Some of the songs which now mark the Christmas and Advent season are poor secularizations of the original Christmas theme ...

5000. The Word that Changed the World

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome on this first Sunday of the New Year. I won’t ask you to raise your hand if you are still keeping the resolutions you made 2 days ago. Andy Simmons, the Senior Editor for Readers Digest says that he keeps all of his New Year’s resolutions, every single one. How does he do it? Quite simple, really. After years of introspection he says he has developed a healthy understanding of what he can and cannot do. Therefore, he keeps his resolutions realistic. For example, a few years ago he resolved to gain ...

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