I would like to talk with you about the meaning of Christianity. I took seriously the assignment that was given to me. I studied about Paul’s sermon at Mars Hill where he stood up in the great place of debate and spoke so eloquently that the people said, "Tell us what is the meaning of this Jesus and the resurrection that you proclaim." I have tried to work out this message mindful of what I imagine are your thoughts, my own thoughts, and the troubled thoughts that are characteristic in this modern period ...
In the overcrowded conditions of our modern world loneliness has possessed us: "He’s a real Nowhere Man, Sitting in his Nowhere Land, Making all his Nowhere Plans for nobody." Such emptiness, such frustration, such loneliness depresses us. What’s to be done about it? This feeling of hopelessness has been around a long time. The ancient writer of Psalm 22 cried out: Dear God, right now I feel like a worm, not a person. I feel so used by other people. And to make it worse, I feel resented by the very same ...
I am a collector of lists. I want to share with you this morning my favorite list of all time. It’s a list of answers given by English school children on their religion exams. Noah’s wife was called Joan of the Ark A myth is a female moth. Sometimes it is difficult to hear in church because the agnostics are so terrible. The Pope lives in a vacuum. The Fifth Commandment is “Humor your father and mother.” This is my favorite of all: Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day and a ball of fire by night. The ...
It was difficult for Jesus to watch people he loved experience such heartache. Never was there a heart more tender than his. When the crowds begged for healing, he complied. When Mary and Martha wept for their brother Lazarus, he called forth Lazarus from the tomb. When the multitude hungered, he gave them fishes and loaves. When they cursed and crucified him, he asked the Father to forgive them. Now his closest friends were grieving. They were grieving because he had been nailed to a cruel cross on a hill ...
Author Barbara Johnson, in her book, Fresh Elastic for Stretched Out Moms, tells about a package she once received that was marked DAMAGED IN TRANSIT, BUT DELIVERABLE. There was a space at the top that said either DELIVERABLE or UNDELIVERABLE, and a big black crayon marked this package as DELIVERABLE! The string was hanging off it, the label was torn off, and tapes were hanging out of one corner, but it was still deliverable. Barbara Johnson says she thought of how many lives like her own are damaged and ...
We're only a few days away from the New Year, and I can feel the anticipation--or dread, depending on your point of view--growing. I heard one guy say he already dreads the new year. He said, "The holidays aren't quite over and already I'm about 90 days ahead on my calories and 90 days behind on my bills." Some of you can identify with him. Our calendar did not come down from above. It was established by human minds. There is no real reason why one day on the calendar should bear more significance than any ...
In 1930 a movie was made about World War I called "All Quiet on the Western Front." In one scene some American "doughboys" were talking. A comic character asked, "Where do wars come from anyway?" Another replied, "Well, one country gets mad at another country, and they start fighting." The first soldier asked, "Do you mean that one piece of land gets mad at another piece of land?" "No," the other replied. "The PEOPLE of one country get mad at the PEOPLE of the other." The first soldier picked up his rifle ...
On Christmas day of 2002, Andrew "Jack" Whittaker, Jr. of Scott Depot, West Virginia, won $113 million in the Powerball lottery. He announced two goals for the money: he would give ten percent to his church, and he would put people to work. Whittaker has started making good on both his promises, but in ways perhaps he didn't initially imagine. On Tuesday, 05 August 2003, someone bashed in the window of his SUV and hoisted a brief case containing about a half million dollars. But the real kicker to this ...
One of the advantages of growing older and getting a few more years under your belt is the opportunity to learn. In fact, I really believe if you're not learning, you are really not living. The day you quit learning or the day you lose your desire to continue learning, your life basically is over. The longer you live, the more you can learn. One of my goals in life is to try and learn something new every day. I do it either by reading a book or a magazine or perusing the internet or asking questions of ...
Today we want to celebrate the gift of music. After all, what would Christmas be without music? Didn’t angels sing the night Christ was born? (Luke 2) Well, it doesn’t actually say they were singing. It says they were saying, “Glory to God in the highest . . .” but that sure sounds like singing to me. Music is such a wonderful gift. A few years ago a group of junior high school students was given a test of musical terms. Here were some of their answers: Music sung by two people at the same time is called a ...
I don't remember my first experience at worship. I was carried there as an infant in my mother's arms. I can almost count on one hand the number of weeks in my 59 years of life that I have not been somewhere in a worship service to praise and thank God. Worship is a part of my DNA. It's just deep within my soul. It was the Westminster Catechism that stated years ago, the chief purpose of humanity is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. We were not created to please ourselves. We were made to please God. I ...
Perhaps some of you are old enough to remember one of the most popular musical groups of the mid 1960s, The Righteous Brothers. Remember "Unchained Melody"? I remember once hearing an interview with one of the Righteous Brothers, Bill Medley, when he described the significance of their name. Normally when we think of the word "righteous," we think of impeccable behavior and sterling moral character. But their name was not so much about their morality as it was about the quality of their music. In the '60s ...
Country music star Kenny Chesney sings a song that contains this refrain, Everybody wanna go to heaven; Hallelujah, let me hear you shout; Everybody wanna go to heaven; But nobody wanna go now. (1) Deep in our hearts we know it’s true. We talk about heaven, but regardless of how wonderful we have heard it described, most of us are not eager to make the journey. We’re like the man who was sentenced to death. He was asked if he had any last requests. He said that he loved to sing and wanted to sing his ...
Karen Fair tells about her three-year-old daughter, Abby, who was having trouble sleeping through the night. She kept waking up because she was afraid. Each time Karen tucked her into bed again, she would remind her that Jesus was with her and that He would keep her safe. The sleepless nights continued, with Abby seeking comfort in her parents’ bedroom. Finally, one night Karen asked her daughter if she had prayed for Jesus to take her fear away and help her fall asleep. “Oh yes,” Abby assured her. “He ...
Emailsanta.com receives more than a million emails every year, and each one gets a response. Here are some samples of the emails they receive: Dear Santa, I’m sorry, but I don’t have a chimney . . . I’ll leave the cat flap unlocked for you, but please watch out for the litter box! Jon, (aged) 4 Dear Santa, Do you have elves that help or elves that sit on the sofa all day long? Jenny, 8 Dear Santa, Mommy & Daddy says I have not been very good these past few days. How bad can I be before I lose my presents? ...
If there is one commandment that is usually thought to be irrelevant, it is the second commandment. However, it may be second in position because it is second in importance. This commandment is one that is probably the most easily ignored and, yet, the most blatantly broken. In case you doubt that idolatry is alive and well right here in America, picture a newspaper article entitled, THE DEIFICATION OF ELVIS: Those who worship ‘the king’ practice their own form of religion. This newspaper writer thought at ...
For those of you who are parents or grandparents, I bet you remember your baby’s first words. Were you surprised by what those first words were? You spend the first six to nine months of your baby’s life just babbling at him and making all kinds of words and sounds. And one day, he or she suddenly responds! It’s a great feeling. Unless your baby’s first words are something unexpected. A parenting website asked parents to submit stories of the strangest first words their babies ever said. Laura Conaway from ...
Someone has said that cleaning with kids in the house is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos . . . Isn’t that so? Another person has said that behind every good marriage is a great house cleaning service. Speaking of cleaning your house, let me ask you a question: what is your go-to technique for relieving stress? Just about everyone feels overwhelmed with stress from time to time. A mental health foundation in the United Kingdom ran a poll on the effects of stress. Respondents to the poll said ...
"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you....You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:27-48 Some of you remember the uproar when President Jimmy Carter admitted to Playboy that he had committed "adultery of the heart." Big deal. Show me a man who has never once "looked at a woman lustfully" and thereby committed, in Jesus' words, "adultery with her in his heart" I will show you a candidate for a new heart. And though Matthew doesn't, I ...
As we enter the Lenten season, we reflect on the life of Jesus, his ministry, his sacrifice, and his love for us. Paul contrasted, in this letter, the concepts of righteousness to the law and to faith, accenting that righteousness that comes from faith is the more important. The word, God’s word, is not distant from us, rather it is near us, near our lips and our heart. Knowing Jesus and proclaiming our faith, these are what brings us into relationship with God. This passage from Romans reminds us that ...
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. -- Luke 2:8-9 During a cold winter's night in Bethlehem in the Judean hills, the pains of childbirth came upon Mary. She appears as one more human figure in the eternal agony of motherhood amid the harsh, hard conditions of the ancient world. We must not forget the stark realism of the brutally ...
Cast: Two brothers, Nathan and Joshua Length: 6 minutes (NATHAN is seated on his stool, looking dejected. JOSHUA enters and goes up to him.) NATHAN: (Jumping up) There you are, brother! I thought you'd never come. JOSHUA: (Taking his seat) It was hard to get away. There's so much going on this time of year. NATHAN: I know. And I really appreciate it. Tell me, how is our father? JOSHUA: As well as can be expected. He's getting old, you know. And life has been hard for him these last few years. NATHAN: I ...
Theme: Sharing Christ With Others This play may be presented as a unit, or divided up into Scene 1 and Scene 2 on consecutive Sundays. Small to moderate space is needed, and the setting may be as elaborate or as simple as one wishes to make it. No special lighting or sound effects are needed. Scene I Setting: Fitness center. Present; after Christmas (any holiday may be used). There is a bench front left, exercise bike sits to right of bench Characters:LINDA: Young Christian woman, pleasant, serious about ...
Theme: In the Kingdom of God increased responsibility necessitates increased faithfulness. Summary: The boss delegates responsibilities before he leaves and each of his assistants handles the responsibility according to his level of faith and obedience. The first two people receive praise for their efforts when the boss returns, but the last person receives no praise because he wasted his time. Playing Time: 8 minutes Setting: The boss's office Props: Files Notebooks Phones Gun Costumes: Business Time: The ...
Philemon 1:8-25, Philemon 1:1-7, Jeremiah 18:1--19:15, Luke 14:25-35
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
COMMENTARY Old Testament: Jeremiah 18:1-11 Jeremiah's parable of the potter. In a potter's house, Yahweh speaks to Jeremiah non-verbally. Upon Yahweh's direction, Jeremiah goes to a potter's house and watches him make and re-make vessels. When the potter makes a mistake and the vessel turns out badly, he reworks the clay into another vessel that pleases him. Yahweh is saying: "That is what I can do with Judah. I can destroy Judah and re-make it into a people pleasing to me." Judah has a chance of a ...