Sermon and Worship Resources

1576. Thunder in the Mountains, Silence in the Soul

1 Kings 19:9-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

God is both inside and outside - in the mountains and their thunder and in the quiet caves of our souls. To Moses God spoke through the mountains with a roar. To Elijah God spoke through the cave in a still small voice. God still speaks in various ways today. The multifaceted nature of God's presence before human beings is demonstrated dramatically in this week's text from 1 Kings. While the redactors have taken tremendous pains to set up a correlation between Moses and Elijah, the experience of God is ...

1577. Who Is the Good Samaritan?

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Love costs. Asking people to personally identify with the story of the Good Samaritan is a little like asking all the children of a picnic-time softball team what position they would like to play. Just as surely as you are going to end up with nine pitchers, you will find yourself with a congregation full of hypothetical Samaritans. Very few of us will voluntarily choose to identify with the priest or the Levite or the helpless wounded man lying at the side of the road. Even though we may readily admit ...

1578. The Truly Human Christ

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Illustration

Donald B. Strobe

In the early years of the Church Gnosticism gave rise to the heresy of "Docetism," from the Greek dokeo which means "to seem." This heresy taught that Jesus never had any real human body, but just sort of flitted over the earth like a ghost. It is interesting to note that in the familiar "Apostles' Creed" the phrase "born of the Virgin Mary" was inserted in the first place not to emphasize the word "virgin," but rather to emphasize the word "born." Lest you think that this theological debate is long, long ...

1579. Keep the Stars in Your Eyes

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a culture where even the atheists claim to have a "spirituality," it's time for the church to soul out. Until March of 1997, the approaching Third Millennium sneaked up on us like some great, fun adventure. For intrepid entrepreneurs, the year 2000 promises huge sales in commemorative junk. Party planners have been plotting big New Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two ...

1580. Holy Hocus-Pocus!

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a culture where even the atheists claim to have a "spirituality," it's time for the church to soul out. Until March of 1997, the approaching Third Millennium sneaked up on us like some great, fun adventure. For intrepid entrepreneurs, the year 2000 promises huge sales in commemorative junk. Party planners have been plotting big New Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two ...

1581. Hear the Vision?

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a culture where even the atheists claim to have a "spirituality," it's time for the church to soul out. Until March of 1997, the approaching Third Millennium sneaked up on us like some great, fun adventure. For intrepid entrepreneurs, the year 2000 promises huge sales in commemorative junk. Party planners have been plotting big New Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two ...

1582. The One and Only Original Sin

1 Peter 3:18-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a culture where even the atheists claim to have a "spirituality," it's time for the church to soul out. Until March of 1997, the approaching Third Millennium sneaked up on us like some great, fun adventure. For intrepid entrepreneurs, the year 2000 promises huge sales in commemorative junk. Party planners have been plotting big New Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two ...

1583. The Trace of Grace

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a culture where even the atheists claim to have a "spirituality," it's time for the church to soul out. Until March of 1997, the approaching Third Millennium sneaked up on us like some great, fun adventure. For intrepid entrepreneurs, the year 2000 promises huge sales in commemorative junk. Party planners have been plotting big New Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two ...

1584. Count Your Wows!

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a culture where even the atheists claim to have a "spirituality," it's time for the church to soul out. Until March of 1997, the approaching Third Millennium sneaked up on us like some great, fun adventure. For intrepid entrepreneurs, the year 2000 promises huge sales in commemorative junk. Party planners have been plotting big New Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two ...

1585. The Ultimate Soul Food

John 6:24-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Jesus has two major metaphors for himself-Bread and Water: "Bread of Life" and "Living Water." For the Christian, the #1 soul food is bread and water. What makes bread come alive, what turns juice into wine, is YEAST. There is a Kudzu cartoon that shows the preacher reading from the pulpit the Lord's Prayer: "Give us this day our daily....low-fat, low-cholesterol, salt-free bread ..." The last frame has him saying to himself, "I hate these modern translations." Despite such modern translations, despite new ...

1586. Waging Wisdom

James 3:13—4:8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a culture where even the atheists claim to have a "spirituality," it's time for the church to soul out. Until March of 1997, the approaching Third Millennium sneaked up on us like some great, fun adventure. For intrepid entrepreneurs, the year 2000 promises huge sales in commemorative junk. Party planners have been plotting big New Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two ...

1587. The Great Postmodern Soul Train

Mark 13:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a culture where even the atheists claim to have a "spirituality," it's time for the church to soul out. Until March of 1997, the approaching Third Millennium sneaked up on us like some great, fun adventure. For intrepid entrepreneurs, the year 2000 promises huge sales in commemorative junk. Party planners have been plotting big New Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two ...

1588. An Advent Attitude

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a culture where even the atheists claim to have a "spirituality," it's time for the church to soul out. Until March of 1997, the approaching Third Millennium sneaked up on us like some great, fun adventure. For intrepid entrepreneurs, the year 2000 promises huge sales in commemorative junk. Party planners have been plotting big New Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two ...

1589. Stable-Time

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a culture where even the atheists claim to have a "spirituality," it's time for the church to soul out. Until March of 1997, the approaching Third Millennium sneaked up on us like some great, fun adventure. For intrepid entrepreneurs, the year 2000 promises huge sales in commemorative junk. Party planners have been plotting big New Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two ...

1590. The Perfect Time to Lose Your Luggage

Colossians 3:12-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a culture where even the atheists claim to have a "spirituality," it's time for the church to soul out. Until March of 1997, the approaching Third Millennium sneaked up on us like some great, fun adventure. For intrepid entrepreneurs, the year 2000 promises huge sales in commemorative junk. Party planners have been plotting big New Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two ...

1591. 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 ...

1592. Was Jesus the First Buster?

Matthew 21:23-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

As the first, in-your-face Buster, Jesus said: "Don't listen to people's WORDS; look at their DEEDS." 1996 is a very significant year for baby boomers because it is the year the first wave of boomers hit 50. Boomers like rocker Bruce Springsteen and actor Diane Keaton, director Steven Spielberg, basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and singer Dolly Parton (to name a few) are squinting into the sun of their golden years with a mixture of joy, fear and modulated anticipation. Boosters, the GI generation born ...

1593. Just Say Know

Philippians 3:4b-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

We are living in a world of informational overload and relational anorexia. The call of the church must be to "know Christ" and to "make Christ known." Thus, "Just Say Know" may be a better addiction strategy than "Just Say No." Is there anyone here immune to the "Great American Dream"? The American "pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps" Dream lures us into believing that if we somehow just knew more, we could get ahead and get the jump on the next guy. You say you are immune to the Dream's magic spell? ...

1594. One Breathwork, Many Bodyworks

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The world is becoming more global while at the same time more tribal. Pentecost gives us the key to living in a world that is becoming more different and more alike at the same time. We live in a time when our horizons are both expanding and contracting. Never before has it been so easy to be in direct contact with people from all over the globe. Uplinks, downlinks, e-mail, tele-conferences, Internet, bulletin boards all these various electronic pit stops (and sometimes potholes) on the information highway ...

1595. Luke 6:17-26

Luke 6:17-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's gospel text immediately follows Jesus' selection of the twelve. It is their first opportunity to observe and listen to Jesus with the new eyes and ears of those totally committed to and securely a part of his ministry. What a powerful beginning for them all! Returning from the mountain top (Luke's traditional choice for retreats of prayer and meditation), Jesus and his disciples now come down to "a level place." While all three of the synoptic gospels record their own versions of the following ...

1596. John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

God has planted throughout the Scriptures time-released fireworks. At various periods in the church's history these bombs go off under their texts, exploding for all to see, inviting people of that era to "look at me" and take seriously the Word of God coming alive specially for them right before their eyes. Two books of the Bible exploding under us, and wanting to explode within us (that's what preaching basically is), are the books of John and Genesis. Why John? First, it stands apart from the other ...

1597. Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

All of this quarter's Gospel readings are from Luke - a fact that makes focusing on any of the other weekly texts quite difficult, for Luke is one of history's most masterful storytellers. Thoroughly steeped in Jewish Scripture, Luke's descriptions are so vital, his characters so pungent, his scenes so artfully set, that our whole being is drawn into the flair and fascination of these stories. It is no surprise that Luke's Gospel is most commonly read at Christmas, or that our most beloved parables are ...

1598. Matthew 14:13-21

Matthew 14:13-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's gospel reading offers the one miracle story that all four gospel writers saw fit to include in their works the feeding of the 5,000. In the synoptics, this miracle story follows on the heels of the news of John the Baptist's death with both Matthew and Mark giving a full account of the treacherous events that led up to his execution. John the Baptist's death obviously disturbed Jesus deeply. John was both Jesus' kinsman and his messianic confederate. Matthew's text does not try to intrude upon ...

1599. John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

God has planted throughout the Scriptures time-released fireworks. At various periods in the church's history these bombs go off under their texts, exploding for all to see, inviting people of that era to "look at me" and take seriously the Word of God coming alive specially for them right before their eyes. Two books of the Bible exploding under us, and wanting to explode within us (that's what preaching basically is), are the books of John and Genesis. Why John? First, it stands apart from the other ...

1600. Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

All of this quarter's Gospel readings are from Luke - a fact that makes focusing on any of the other weekly texts quite difficult, for Luke is one of history's most masterful storytellers. Thoroughly steeped in Jewish Scripture, Luke's descriptions are so vital, his characters so pungent, his scenes so artfully set, that our whole being is drawn into the flair and fascination of these stories. It is no surprise that Luke's Gospel is most commonly read at Christmas, or that our most beloved parables are ...