... , are we really making it happen according to blueprint? If not, why? Is there a breakdown of communications? Have we confined evangelism to pew filling, jolly green giant building programs, fatted calf budgets, a "feelin' fine, prime-time prosperity gospel" a la tube? Wilbur Rees illustrates in his $3.00 Worth of God, "I would like to buy $3.00 worth of God, please, not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk ... I want ecstacy, not transformation; I want ...
... hydrogen and oxygen and solve forever our energy problems? George Washington Carver revolutionized the agriculture of the South with the peanut and the sweet potato. Think what we could do with kudsu and crabgrass! Jesus performed his healing and nature miracles to illustrate the workings of God's Spirit. More than that he wanted to demonstrate how his power within our seedling talents could be transformed into major miracles. We have that power now. We have that gift ... now. When Jesus said that he would ...
... harmony and fulfillment. It is a love which grows out of the emotions of courtship to create charitable acts of compassion and kindness. ________ and ________, love will be evident in your marriage when you forgive one another. Love will be illustrated when there is healing and encouragement. Love will be practiced when you help each other and support one another. A love that works to help, heal, restore, and forgive, can make your marriage beautiful - exquisitely beautiful - not only for yourselves, but ...
... , and is able to provide a basis for a long, hearty, and joyful marriage. Paul lists fifteen characteristics of agape: Christian love. Let's look at a few and relate them to marriage. Love is patient. That patience is a difficult virtue to come by is illustrated in the well-known prayer, "Lord, give me patience - right now!" Christian love thinks before it speaks and pauses before it acts. In our relationships we need to remember how patient God is with us - how he stands ready to forgive and pour out his ...
... sapling is planted. Each home creates new traditions out of old memories. In a few minutes, in the Name of God, you will become husband and wife. Your two names will become one. That is important, for names are symbols, and to share the same name illustrates to the world, in a concrete way, the unity of marriage. Your union as husband and wife was designed by God to be permanent. In no sense should marriage ever be looked upon as experimental or temporary. Jesus was veiy clear in stating that no one should ...
... and that he loves you "more dearly than the spoken word can say." Because his love for each of you is boundless, he wants you to be extravagant in your love for each other. That's one concrete way his love finds its way into your life. Let me illustrate. A new Christian came to her pastor telling him of the wonderful new life she had received from Christ. "If only," she exclaimed, "if only I could feel the touch of his hand on me." "Have you ever prayed for that?" asked the pastor. When the woman responded ...
... to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures for ever." Psalm 136:1-3 Our love, at its best, imitates God's love - strong and steadfast. There's a story which illustrates what I've been trying to say. We all recall the famous ship, Titanic, and how it sank, killing hundreds of people. Among the people aboard the Titanic were a Mr. and Mrs. Isidor Straus. When it became obvious that the ship was going down, Mr. Straus tried ...
Object: photo illustration of a clock. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you know how to tell time? (Let them answer.) Telling time is something we need to learn to do. Sometimes our parents teach us how to do it at home. Some of us learn how to tell time in ...
Object: photo illustration of three wise men. Lesson: The hope to which (Christ) has called you (is) the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. Boys and girls, whose picture am I holding in my hand today? (Let them answer.) That's right. The Three Wise Men are a favorite part of ...
Object: photo illustration of a duck swimming on a peaceful pond Good morning, boys and girls. It wasn't long ago when we celebrated Father's Day, was it. Here is a picture a lot of fathers would like. (Show them the picture.) Does your father like to hunt ducks? Some fathers like ...
Object: photo illustration of dove and flame. Boys and girls, how many people live in your house? (Let them answer, as many as would like to.) There's somebody else who also lives there. I have a picture today to give you some clues. Here, let's take a look together. (Talk about ...
Object: photo illustration of a basket of apples (see page 3). Boys and girls, I have a picture here for you to look at. Do these apples look good? I think so too. How many are there in this picture? That's right. The picture shows seven. Actually, there could be more than ...
Object: photo illustration of the infant Jesus in the manger. Boys and girls, can you remember how long ago it was when we celebrated Christmas? Let's count the months. Christmas comes at the very end of December, so we have come through January, February, March and April since Christmas time. That makes ...
Object: Photo illustration of two children out of doors. Boys and girls, I want to show you a picture today. (Show them the picture of two children.) Tell me what you think is happening in this picture. (Let them interpret the picture for you.) I want you to pretend for a minute that ...
Object: photo illustration of a cross. Boys and girls, do you like obeying orders? Sometimes I don't. We have people tell us to do things sometimes when we would rather do something else. Sometimes we get angry when somebody tells us to do something that does not make sense to us. Or ...
Object: photo illustration of a palm branch Boys and girls, today is a special day in the church. What do we call today? (Listen for some answers.) That's right. It's Palm Sunday. And what happened on the first Palm Sunday? (Talk about it.) Does it seem to you that waving palm ...
SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME IN SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL Object: work gloves Teachers: You can illustrate the Gospel lesson for today with a simple game utilizing several pairs of gloves. You should obtain a variety of gloves representing obvious social classes and occupations such as doctor's gloves, fancy long silk gloves, and several pairs of work gloves. Discuss today's Gospel reading with your class. ...
... mainly because they have been selected with the theological themes of Epiphany in mind. As also happens in the Pentecost cycle/season, these readings establish the content of Sunday liturgy and preaching, rather than the readings being selected to amplify and/or illustrate the theme of the cycle, season, and/or day. The entire first half of the year is built around the Lectio Selecta method ("limited" Lection Selecta in Epiphany) of choosing lections which do just this. Festivals are the ultimate example of ...
... year itself, with its general theological theme of the reality of the resurrection of Jesus, actually calls for the selection of gospels that portray the appearances/apparitions of the risen Lord. The specific themes of the gospels for the Third Sunday of Easter illustrate this continuing theme of resurrection visitations by the risen Lord, and in light of all three Gospels for the Day, since Jesus shares a meal with the disciples in all three gospels, it might be called "Bread and Fish Sunday." The Prayer ...
... the good news, the gospel of our Lord, God's voice becomes louder and more distinct, and the Spirit prompts our response, "My Lord and my God." Note: One could build a narrative sermon out of the following story, or simply use it as an illustration. Dr. Wayne Robinson, in his chapter in Journeys Toward Narrative Preaching, tells how he became a minister. He had a definite aversion to ministers until he attended a summer conference on a college campus while he was in high school. He found the pastors there ...
... is the chief reading and (at least, liturgically) the preaching text for the Sunday liturgy, should complete the other readings and proclaim the gospel to the hearers. This reading certainly does the first, that is, in the parable of the rich fool, Jesus illustrates the other readings in a very graphic manner. He shows the futility of living for today, for the accumulation of wealth and possessions, for living as if there were no tomorrow, and that this life is all there is. Such people - and his parable ...
Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:1-7, Psalm 51:1-19, Exodus 32:1-33:6, Hosea 4:1-19, Hosea 6:1--7:16, 1 Timothy 1:12-20
Sermon Aid
George Bass
... comments and a sermon suggestion may be located in the materials for that Sunday. The "short form," which contains the so-called "twin parables" of the lost sheep and the lost coin stops short of the parable of the prodigal son (or the "loving and forgiving father), but it illustrates how much God loves his people and how far he will go to save them from sin and death. Here is another form of John's "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son" to seek and to save the lost. The cross is the ...
... sinners "shall be devoured by the sword." Exodus 34:5-9 (L) This reading was chosen, not simply to tell the story of Moses cutting two tablets of stone - for a second time - and taking them, at the instructions of Yahweh, up Mt. Sinai, but to illustrate how the Old Testament parallels the New Testament in God's revelation of himself. Yahweh is the Lord, who revealed himself as Yahweh-Lord to Moses, and who creates in Moses' being a response of true worship and prayer in the presence of the Lord. The ...
... .) Ahead of time, ask a couple of church members to bring a group of adults to that hiding place, as happened with Jesus and the disciples. And point out, that, even though they needed to rest, Jesus had compassion on the people. Define and illustrate compassion in children's language. (Empathy: feeling with and not feeling sorry for.) Proclamation of the Word Consider this: The Dimensions of Compassion I. What it isn't: Feeling sorry for someone. II. What it is: Feeling with someone. Maybe you will want to ...
... the trend, or we will all weep and gnash our teeth. What does the parable call for? Why did Jesus give us this story? What should we do as a building committee? By the way, building committees usually do a superb job. Ours certainly did. I use this illustration only to help us see how serious our responsibility for the earth really is. What is our calling as stewards of creation? I will continue this sermon next Sunday. It is not too late. There are signs of hope around us. There are things we can do to ...