People give evidence that they like things to be pure. A favorite theme is of the poor little rich girl wanting to be loved for herself and not her money. She goes to great lengths to find out, “Do you love me for myself or just for my money?” She’s not alone. We all want to be loved for our own sakes. Our preachers are expected to be truly committed. To think they are in their work for the money is offensive. Our doctors are expected to be single-mindedly dedicated to “my” health. Teachers are expected to ...
In the wake of David’s affair with Bathsheba, God was not content to let matters lie, and it fell to the prophet Nathan to be God’s living word to David. A Horrendous Task How about it? Would you want to have been Nathan? When he realized what it was that God wanted him to do, it must have inaugurated more than a few anxiety attacks. I know it would have for me. Not that kings should be given that kind of power, or in fact have that kind of power, or even on the inside, feel they have that kind of power. ...
Simon bar Jacob - Simon, son of Jacob - had just finished the pruning of his olive trees, ending with the three old trees farthest from the road. He was pleased with his work and looked at it for some time, complimenting himself with satisfying grunts. "Job well done!" He turned to look out upon the full olive grove of 57 trees. Each one had received his careful work, talents learned through the years and taught to him by Jacob, his father. But as he looked toward the roadside near the orchard his heart ...
When I was a child there was a game we would play in our neighborhood to pass the time on rainy afternoons. It was a game of the imagination, and if it had a name, which I don't think it did, it would have been called "Where Would You Leave the Treasure?" The idea was this: Suppose you had a large amount of money, a treasure really, but some unexpected crisis has come up, and suddenly you have to leave the treasure with someone for safekeeping. You can't put it in the bank or bury it under the oak tree in ...
Running Time Twenty-five minutes (including one two-minute break) What's It About? This is a skit written for a Christian Women's Pre-Christmas-Season program, suitable for a ladies' breakfast, brunch, luncheon, and so forth. It is not evangelistic, but rather an idea-filled dialogue which gives some practical suggestions for keeping Christ in Christmas and heading off the usual frenzy of the busy season. How Many Characters? The four characters are women who are meeting for their regular kaffee klatsch ...
COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 25:6-9 Through his prophet, the Lord promises to make a joyous feast for his people on Mt. Zion, replete with rich food and wine. God will remove the pall of gloom and sorrow by destroying death and personally wiping away the tears from the eyes of his people. Epistle: Revelation 21:1-6a John's vision of the new heaven and new earth, predicted by Isaiah (65:17; 66:22). The sea, symbolic of unrest and turbulence, is no more. The new Jerusalem descends from heaven, with all ...
Acts 4:32-37, 1 John 1:5--2:14, John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
Theme: The risen Christ confronts us in our doubts and fears with his living presence, fortifying our faith, so that we might withstand the doubt. COMMENTARY Epistle: Acts 4:32-35 The church in Jerusalem witnessed to the power of the risen Christ through the quality of their communal life. They were united in faith and love, freely sharing their possessions. In fact, many of those with property sold it and made the funds available to the whole community. Epistle: Acts 3:12a, 13-15, 17-26 (See Easter 3) ...
Theme: Jesus fulfills all of God's plans and promises. Repent and believe in him and God will give you a new life. COMMENTARY Epistle: Acts 3:12-19 In the first part of the chapter Peter heals a crippled beggar at Solomon's Colonnade in the temple. Great crowds are attracted to Peter and the other disciples and so Peter uses the opportunity to preach the gospel. Peter is brutally blunt in his preaching, accusing them of killing Jesus, even if it was in ignorance. The God of their fathers has glorified ...
A friend related to me how, when he was a youngster, he spent a lot of time on the other side of the block all wrapped up in touch football and whiffle ball and hide-and-go-seek. But there were other important events going on for which his folks knew he needed to be present, like going to church, mealtime, bedtime. So, they blew a whistle to call him home from the other side of the block. God also calls, not with a whistle, but with his Word. Martin Luther in his Small Catechism explains the Third Article ...
This morning, I would like to take you on a little journey with your imagination to meet someone who is a vital part of the Christian story of faith. He appears in this morning's Gospel lesson, and I believe that he offers us a unique perspective upon our Pentecost celebration. So, close your eyes and let this person tell you about what he experienced. "I didn't mean to get Jesus so mad at me that night. It had been an exhausting evening and I didn't mean to push. By the way, my name is Philip, and I am ...
THEME: The Temple was restored after years of decay -- even desecration. The remodeling that took place on a physical level, however, is symbolic of a need also to rebuild our lives. SETTING FOR THE MONOLOGUE SERMON: After worshiping in the present building since 1917, this 126-year- old congregation needed to remodel. There were serious structural problems, not to mention several aesthetic concerns. The church was out of the sanctuary for over six months. The sermon was for a time of celebration and ...
Let us pray: Gracious and eternal Father, we come before you this day seeking to make the most of the gifts which you have given us in life. Lord, as we now hear your word, may we learn how it is that we may serve you with all that we are. Lord, in these moments, grant us wisdom, understanding and peace. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. During the 1992 presidential campaign, one of the slogans which we heard frequently was ''invest and grow.'' The meaning of this phrase of course is that the government will ...
Let us pray: Our Father and our God, on this day we give you thanks for all the blessings of our lives. In these moments, may we learn something about what it is for which we need to be most thankful. Lord, in these moments may we experience your mercy and your grace. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. A social psychologist by the name of David Myers has written a book titled The Pursuit of Happiness. The book has 59 pages of references and a 43-page bibliography. This large number of citations clearly ...
The language in this passage is remarkably restrained.There is no attempt in it to create sympathy for Jesus.There is no attempt to incite hatred toward those responsible for the actual crucifixion itself.This is an event far too solemn for that sort of thing.The facts are stated and left to stand for themselves.There is no additional comment of any kind.In a passage where the language is so carefully chosen the reader must go through it slowly and thoughtfully.Otherwise we might miss what is being said. ...
ORDER OF SERVICE Opening Words L: Let us worship our Creator, the God of Love. P: God continually preserves and sustains us. L: We have been forgiven with complete understanding. P: Through Jesus Christ we have received the full love of God. Hymn "How Firm A Foundation" Prayer Of Confession (Unison) Forgive my sin and cover my transgression, O Lord. I acknowledge my sin and pray unto thee in a time when thou may be found. Thou art my hiding place, O God. I seek preservation in thy word. Encompass me with ...
I would urge every preacher to attempt an experimental sermon occasionally, especially if he or she is normally a very routine, conventional person.51 -- John Killinger Change attracts attention. Every preacher knows this after watching people's attention shift to a child walking up the aisle and out the door to the bathroom. I was in a church once where a bird was flying around the sanctuary. The pastor could just as well have been reading out of the phone book for all the attention the sermon retained. A ...
Instrumental Meditation Something Worth Thinking About: There is so much good in the worst of us, And so much bad in the best of us, That it ill behooves any of us To find fault with the rest of us. -- Anonymous Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good .... Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. -- Romans 12:9, 21 The heart of a good man is the sanctuary of God. -- Madame Anne Germaine de Stael Hymn: "I Would Be True" Scripture: Mark 10:17-22 (NRSV) As he was setting out on a ...
In James Baldwin's Blues For Mister Charlie, there is an arresting scene in which a young boy announces before his grandmother and the world that he no longer believes in God. The wise and unperturbed woman replies, "Ain't no way you can't believe in God, boy. You just try holding your breath long enough to die." No less than breathing or the sucking of a newborn infant, prayer is instinctive human behavior. The disciples' plea, "Lord, teach us to pray," arises from a primal urge deep within the human ...
"Conflict" is a dirty word in most churches. As Christians, we seek to avoid it at all costs and do so in the name of Christian love. We call it, "seeking the peace, unity and purity" of the church. And then Jesus comes along and says, "I have not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34)," or as Luke has it, "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!" The words send us scurrying for explanations to reduce their caustic effect. But who is this whose words intrude ...
Genesis 11:1-9 This Old Testament lesson is a story of failure, but there is a great truth for all of us in it. I had a dear friend who used to say, "Every man is my teacher. I either learn what to do from him, or what not to do." It reminds me of a cartoon, which showed a bum sitting on a park bench; his clothes were tattered and torn, his toes were coming out of his shoes - the stereotypical hobo. Beneath the picture was the caption, "No man is completely worthless - he can always serve as a horrible ...
There was still a slick of morning moisture covering the path into the town as Eli and Samuel walked by Nathan's orchard, crossed the small stream, and finished the prescribed sabbath day's journey to the synagogue: in length, 2,000 cubits. By our modern standard of travel it was not far. It was about 1,000 yards. They walked at hurried pace. Their prayer shawls were pulled tightly around them, which helped protect them from the morning chill. Sabbath. The day of rest. In Nazareth the gathering was a ...
Matthias was the 13th of the 12 disciples! He had been chosen by lot to fill the 12th spot when Judas had removed himself from the close circle of Jesus' followers. Matthias had followed the crowds down from the Galilee and had been close to all the disciples through much of the teaching years. And so, with the casting of the lots that picked him, Matthias joined the inner circle of disciples. He was a serious man, trained in the religious law, and certain that Jesus was the expected Messiah. So certain ...
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive ...
But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth ... (John 15:26) Many of the pentecostal and charismatic churches place entirely too much emphasis on the Holy Spirit. In fact, the Holy Spirit seems the only part of the triune God some of these churches pay attention to. In their worship, their preaching and their faith, they nearly abandon God the Father and Christ the Son in favor of the Spirit, to the point where Christian faith is reduced to a mere matter ...
John 20:1-9, Acts 10:23b-48, Isaiah 51:1-16, Exodus 15:1-21, Colossians 3:1-17, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 24:1-12
Sermon Aid
George Bass
THEOLOGICAL CLUE The Resurrection of Our Lord, Easter Day, exposes the heart of the gospel and the church year, too. It was the resurrection of Jesus Christ that made the difference in the disciples and the early Christians, changing them into bold witnesses for the crucified and risen Lord; all of the disciples, according to tradition, with the exception of St. John, died as martyrs - witnesses - for Jesus Christ. When Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, told them that "men (would) revile and persecute you ...