Synonyms: replica, copy, representation, mock-up, dummy, imitation, double, duplicate, lookalike, reproduction, prototype, stereotype, archetype, type, version, style, ideal, paragon, perfect example, specimen, perfect specimen, fashion model, supermodel, mannequin, sitter, poser, subject, artist's model, photographic model, design, mark, configuration, variety, kind, sort, original, original design, exclusive, toy, miniature, facsimile, prototypical, prototypal, archetypal, illustrative, perfect, exemplary, classic, flawless, faultless, consummate, impeccable
Antonyms: deficient, imperfect
Showing 576 to 600 of 793 results
576. The Four R's
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
The Parable of the Sower and the Seed is a basic lesson in key survival skills for the 21st century: Roots, Rituals, Relationships, Realities. In the so-called 'good old days' wherever and whenever those were public schools used to boast that they taught the '3-Rs' 'reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic all to the tune of a hickory stick.' In the West Virginia holler from whence my family hails, there were '4-R's' taught reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic and the road to Roanoke (That is the fastest way out of West ...
577. Luke 16:1-13
Luke 16:1-13
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
One of the most confusing and challenging New Testament parables is the story of the so-called "Dishonest Steward" in Luke 16:1-9. Few parables have been subject to such a myriad of interpretations - all attempts to harmonize the story's surprising end with our traditional moral expectations. The problem remains that after painting the steward with the brush of questionable ethics and untrustworthy behavior, this story concludes with words of praise for the master's fiscal manager. The parable starts ...
578. Luke 12:49-56
Luke 12:49-56
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
Here at the end of chapter 12, Luke begins to gather together Jesus' words describing the events he sees lurking in the future. In verses 49-53, the images of judgment and juggernauts are revealed only to his disciples the ones who have been privy to his private tutorings and his special attentions. Perhaps because he assumes they have the knowledge necessary to discern his true meaning, Jesus feels free to use rather cryptic images and arcane references. Yet, everything about his language indicates Jesus ...
579. Luke 16:1-13
Luke 16:1-13
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
One of the most confusing and challenging New Testament parables is the story of the so-called "Dishonest Steward" in Luke 16:1-9. Few parables have been subject to such a myriad of interpretations - all attempts to harmonize the story's surprising end with our traditional moral expectations. The problem remains that after painting the steward with the brush of questionable ethics and untrustworthy behavior, this story concludes with words of praise for the master's fiscal manager. The parable starts ...
580. Mark 10:2-16
Mark 10:2-16
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
The two Markan pericopes making up this week's text offer you a choice between a "safe bet" sermon and a "you'll be sorry" sermon sorry you ever opened your mouth. The "safe bet" sermon would, of course, focus on the second pericope, verses 13-16, where Jesus appears loving, accepting, gentle and non-threatening as he rebukes his disciples for not "letting the little children come" as he sweeps the small ones up into his arms. The "you'll be sorry" sermon is found in the first pericope of today's text, ...
581. Luke 3:1-6
Luke 3:1-6
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
The opening verses of this week's gospel text feature one of Luke's most distinguishing authorial characteristics. More than any other gospel writer, Luke uses historical figures and chronological sequencing in ways that move narratives out of the political-economic-sociological vacuum in which we are tempted to see them. Stylistically formal and rich in its detail, Luke's narrative focuses on the historical scaffolding that supports it. Why Luke goes into such detail, however, is more of a literary ...
582. Luke 7:36-8:3
Luke 7:36-8:3
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
Today the skillful narrator of Luke presents a story that has parallels in all the other gospels (Mark 14:3-9; Matthew 26:6-13; John 12:1-8), yet stands on its own as a uniquely Lukan tale. Scholars argue over the relatedness of all these stories. Some see two genuinely different episodes lying behind the accounts known as "The Anointing at Bethany" and "The Woman Who Was a Sinner." Others posit that originally there was only one tradition which took on various forms when it made the transition from oral ...
583. Colossians 1:1-14
Colossians 1:1-14
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
While Colossians contains some theological content that seems distinct from Paul's more common themes, there is no compelling reason to dismiss his authorship. Things that make it suspicious to some seem to be a function of the theological and personal issues Paul and Timothy are addressing. Perhaps Timothy had a more collaborative role in the authorship than is generally recognized (v.1). But our exegesis of these passages will assume Paul's overall authorship. In overall literary style, Colossians ...
584. Colossians 1:15-28
Colossians 1:15-28
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
As we continue in the opening chapter of Paul's letter to the Colossians, this week's reading begins with what has been recognized as a Christ-hymn of the early church. Paul's use of it here establishes without question the supremacy of Christ. Some scholars have argued for a pre-Christian dating of this hymn with the church then merely taking it over and attributing the deity's qualities to Jesus. But there is so much that is unique to Christian theology in its content that such arguments are hard to ...
585. Matthew 1:18-25
Matthew 1:18-25
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
(Note: For commentary on Matthew 2:13-23, which tells the story of the holy family's flight to Egypt, see Commentary, December 27, 1998.) The gospels provide two birth narratives, one from Luke which accents Mary, and another from Matthew where the focus is on Joseph. Luke's account is full of poetic tension, dramatic skill and rhetorical flourishes that resound to this day. Matthew's account is sparse and highly stylized by comparison. Even the theatrical, thrilling appearance of the angel to Joseph doesn ...
586. Matthew 10:40-42
Matthew 10:40-42
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
At the conclusion of the 10th chapter of Matthew, Jesus enumerates once and for all the power and authority that is to be accorded his disciples. All of the chapter focuses on the missionizing responsibility Jesus bestows upon his disciples. Jesus invites the Twelve to be extensions of his own ministry - showing primary concern for Israel (vv.5-6), healing the sick in body and spirit, and expecting nothing in return for their efforts except perhaps violence and persecution. After painting a fairly bleak ...
587. Mark 10:2-16
Mark 10:2-16
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
Mark's journeying Jesus moves beyond the Jordan as he approaches his final entry into Jerusalem. But although he has moved into new territory, Jesus continues to confront the same establishment adversaries and to battle the same obstinate ignorance of his disciples. The issue specifically designed to "test" him now is the question posed by the authorities about the legality of divorce. Supposedly, the formulation of this issue was intended to put Jesus on the spot before two different groups _ the body of ...
588. 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
After Paul and his teammates Silvanus and Timothy were expelled from Thessalonia, the apostle worried over the new community there like some anxious parent. Paul's fear had its basis not just in the usual vicissitudes of human nature, but in the disturbing reports of persecution these new Christians had already been forced to endure. It is against this anxious backdrop that Paul receives Timothy's uplifting news, his Thessalonian brothers and sisters have remained strong under stress. In verse 9, Paul uses ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Titanic. Say the word, and everyone, everywhere knows the story. Whether you know the name because you saw the movie, or you know the name because you spent the bulk of your life in the twentieth century, you still know the name. “Titanic” means huge, gargantuan, immense. The word “Titanic,” which rhymes with “gigantic,” brings visions of unstoppable power, immovable force, impenetrable resistance. The “Titanic” really set the tone for the next hundred years, when 100 million people would be killed in the ...
Sermon
James Merritt
Whether it is the Holocaust, the killing fields of Cambodia, the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, a tsunami that wipes out 150,000 people in a day, or the massive starvation of millions of children around the world, you cannot deny the reality of evil. On the other hand, we saw last week how science itself has proved with certainty that the world is not eternal. The universe had a beginning. The only feasible option to explain the origin of the universe is a transcendent creator. DNA itself is a compelling ...
Sermon
David R. Cartwright
The situation was this: A young Jewish lawyer wanted to reassure himself that he was doing the right thing. To help him, Jesus took the opportunity to tell him a story. The story was designed to set the young man straight. The story begins the way a lot of stories begin. "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho" (Luke 10:30). At this point, we aren't told anything about the man. Not his nationality or even his name is revealed to us. He was simply a man traveling down the road. The road the man was ...
Sermon
Stan Purdum
Colleen was a good woman with a bad heart. She had been a member of my last congregation for more than thirty years, ever since she'd married a man who'd grown up in our church. But for several years, she had been living with a weakened heart. It was just one of those things that afflict some people, and she'd been doctoring for it for some time. Initially, she'd kept working, but as she missed more and more days on the job because of the problems from her heart, it eventually became clear that she could ...
Sermon
Lee Ann Dunlap
What is the most ludicrous business deal you ever got into (or out of) just in time? In the tiny town of Flushing, Ohio, amidst the coalfields of Belmont County, stands a brick building which used to house the Citizens' National Bank. Like a lot of community financial institutions of its day, this bank specialized in small loans made to local farmers, sheepherders, and working-class folks in the nearby area and harbored the hard-earned dollars of their working-class neighbors. Their capital was fortified ...
Drama
Lois Anne DeLong
Characters (in order of appearance) Narrator Elizabeth Mary Samuel Joseph King 1 King 2 King 3 Props Two chairs Small table Medium sized piece of black cloth, plain on one side, stars painted or pinned to other side Two glasses “Logs” for fire Three crowns Small piece of rope or cord Notes “Christmas: Before And After” is simple, spare theater, designed to be performed by a small group of older youth with no set and only a handful of props that are moved around the stage by the cast, and used in different ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
It is a sign that we theologians have run out of ways to ponder the existence and being of God when we start naming our theologies after animals but here goes: "Dog Theology" goes like this: "You feed me. You pet me. You shelter me. You love me. You must be God!" "Cat Theology" goes like this: "You feed me. You pet me. You shelter me. You love me. I must be God." I would like to put forth a Squirrel theology. The way squirrels live their lives puts them on a different theological plane than dogs or cats? ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
We’re still in Advent, but who can resist singing Christmas carols? They are either fun, boisterous and bouncy. Or they are sentimental and sweet. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Deck The Halls” fit the fun, boisterous and bouncy theme. “Away in a Manger” and “Silent Night” fit into the sentimental and sweet category. Although I do admit that as much as I love Christmas music, by about now in the Advent season I start identifying with the 17th century English poet John Donne ...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
Throughout life we use the word edge for lots of different things, a lot of our usage has to do with business like Maintaining your competitive edge. Or being on the cutting edge or leading edge of the industry. We talk about edging people out and being on the edge of a new frontier or development. Sometimes things will drive us over the edge or set our teeth on edge, or just plain set us on edge. There are lots of theories for how to maintain your edge in whatever sport or business we're in. This morning ...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
True story. A United Methodist pastor was asked to conduct a a graveside service for a member of his church. The only problem was, the cemetery was more than an hour and a half away from the church. The pastor wasn't feeling well so he decided to ride with the Funeral Director in the Coach. By the time they arrived at the cemetery, the flu had invaded completely and he said he felt like the Chinese Army was having a pogo stick Derby on his head and stomach. Feverish and sick, he made it through the service ...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
Pet Peeves, we all have them don't we? Those things that just set us off. Some of my pet peeves are: People who don't use their turn signals or turn them on when they're turning. Road maps that aren't folded back up correctly. I don't know why, it just bugs me. I guess it's like the next one, tangled and wadded up extension cords. Fast food lines that aren't fast. All the prescription drug ads on TV with their long disclaimers of possible side effects. (They make me want to run and hide, not ask my doctor ...
600. Revelation 21:1-6
Revelation 22:1-6
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
"Do Over!" Remember that phrase? As children, when we completely messed up while playing some Game — missed the shot, dropped the ball, broke the bat — there was always the option to get a "do over." Shouting "do over" was like a magic reset button. It canceled out failure and offered a clean slate to try again. As John’s astonishing vision approaches its conclusion, Revelation begins to describe God’s "do over" the creation of "a new heaven and a new earth," and the manifestation of a "New Jerusalem." ...
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