Our scripture lesson is from the first epistle of Peter, the 1st chapter, beginning at the 13th and reading through the 21st verses. This is the word of the Lord. Therefore, gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is Holy, be Holy yourselves in all your conduct. Since it is written, you shall be Holy for I am Holy. And ...
Mark Twain once said this about the Bible: "I have no problem with those parts of the Bible I don't understand. It's those parts of the Bible I do understand that gives me fits." The passage that we are going to study certainly fits into that category. This passage illustrates something I bet most of you have never thought about before. One of the easiest things in the world to do is to become a Christian. It is ridiculously easy. All you have to do is confess you are a sinner, repent of your sin, believe ...
I just read about two Senior Citizens who were out for their usual morning walk. They both had been complaining about the aches and pains of getting older. As they passed the local funeral home one of them turned to the other and said, "Look there's no hope of recovery, we're just getting older. Let's just go in and give ourselves up." (1) I also read about a For Sale ad in the Roanoke, Illinois, Review which read: "Hope chest: Brand new, half price, long story." (2) I'd like to know the story behind that ...
Sometimes a story in the Bible has me feeling like a kid in a candy shop. There are so many goodies in front of me that it's difficult to know which one to select. Such were my feelings as I prepared this sermon on the healing of the paralytic. I was tempted to entitle this sermon, “When Jesus Is There, The House Is Full," but, I doubted that would be true on a snowy Sunday. I considered a country music theme, “We Get By With A Little Help From Our Friends." Of course, we do. I don't usually remember ...
Life has a way of presenting us with defining moments. I re- member facing a defining moment in my ministry. I went to see a man in the hospital who was dying. He was not active in the church I pastored, but I knew who he was. When I entered his hospital room, his whole family was standing in a semi-circle around his bed. They greeted me, and then the man told his family that he wanted a moment alone with me. So they left us alone. As soon as his family had left, he began to cry. I sat by his bed and began ...
“If you call the Sabbath a delight then you will find your joy in the Lord.” --Isaiah 58:13-14 “Happy is he who is aware of the mysteries of his Lord.” --Abraham Joshua Heschel Visuals: Have Hubbel Space Images scrolling on screen during your sermon / Psalm 92 may be spoken with a musical background or sung You may also opt during or after your sermon to have people sing the psalm (you can find tunes with words on youtube) https://youtu.be/1I_X2bxfAq8 (This version by James Block is particular beautiful.) ...
Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36, Revelation 1:9-20, Revelation 2:12-17
Sermon
Lori Wagner
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18) Prop: translucent stones or another kind of gem (or larger white stones onto which people can write the name of Jesus) He was an upstanding Christian, long-time servant in ministry, Chair of the Administrative Council, member of the Trustees, organizer of the yearly fund-raiser and the monthly Men’s Breakfast. “Carl” (as we’ll call him) was one of the “cornerstones” of ...
[If there is a Lions Club still functioning in your community, find out if any member of your church is a member. Then either use this moment as an interactive to talk about their club, and rituals, or you tell the story and use them to back you up so that you make sure you’re getting the story right.] So the interview might go like this . . . . or turn this into a narrative . . . or make it a personal story. How many here belong to or know someone who belongs to a local Lion’s Club . . . . . Do you have ...
A check-out clerk once wrote columnist Ann Landers a letter of complaint: she had seen shoppers with food stamps buy luxury items like birthday cakes and bags of shrimp. The angry woman went on to say that people on welfare who treat themselves to non-necessities were “lazy and wasteful." A few weeks later Lander's column was devoted entirely to people who responded to the grocery clerk with letters of their own. One woman wrote: “I didn't buy a cake, but I did buy a big bag of shrimp with food stamps. So ...
The front of local markets have been crammed full of candy for the past two weeks. [Get someone to take pictures of your specific local markets.] Halloween “Trick or Treat” might not be until the end of this month. But candy creators want us to stock-up and stock-pile. As a kid it was such a rush to come home after “making the rounds” of the trick-or-treat neighborhood and ceremoniously dump out all that candy crammed into our paper bag. Every piece would be inspected. Perhaps some cautious trades made ...
Big Idea: There needs to be cleansing from sin before God. Understanding the Text The sin offering is the fourth in a series of five offerings found in Leviticus 1:1–6:7. Why are the sin and guilt offerings not treated with the earlier atoning sacrifice, the burnt offering? Probably because unlike the burnt offering, the sin and guilt offerings are obligatory.1The burnt, grain, and fellowship offerings can be offered whenever one feels the need; sin and guilt offerings are mandatory whenever one commits ...
It was an hour before conference time. They were getting off to a late start and it looked like speed limit all the way for any chance of making it in time for the opening gavel. The pastor behind the wheel had experienced the inevitable last minute problems relating to Sunday’s bulletin. One of the hymns he’d picked for the service had only the second tune in their hymnals. The congregation wasn’t familiar with it and the choir couldn’t lead it without practice, and they weren’t practicing this week. It ...
Shortly after midnight; a grimy train station in a midwestern city. CAIN wearing a conductor’s hat, opens a thermos and pours a cup of coffee, adds to it from a flask he carries in his jacket. GRACE enters; opens a large handbag, her only luggage, takes out an apple, or some other fruit, and eats. As CAIN drinks, he turns to look at the woman. Finally she notices him, and she smiles. GRACE It’s a long night. CAIN Like usual. GRACE Are we waiting for the same train? CAIN I don’t know. Are we? GRACE I’m ...
[While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.] Original Title: All That From A Little Bit Of Water? New Title: All That From A Little Water There was the Baptist minister who, at his first baptism, became stage-struck. Standing in the baptismal pool ...
Friday night, February 14th, 2014, something happened at our house that I never thought would ever happen and I hope never happens again. Many of you experienced the same thing. It was as if someone with giant hands took our house and began to shake it. I was asleep and Teresa woke me and said, “Did you feel that?” I said, “What?” She said, “I believe we just experienced an earthquake.” I said, “Seriously?” What really got my attention was when she said, “I hope it did not damage the foundation of our ...
I want you to complete this sentence: ". It's not how you start, it's how you finish that counts." I am convinced that is true because of an article someone sent to me that said the best way to achieve inner peace is to always finish things that you start.ed. This person that sent me the article said "it is definitely working for me. I now make a point of always finishing what I start and I am well on my way toward finding inner peace. Here are the things I have finished today:" Two bags of potato chips A ...
One church has an organ that many sweated, sacrificed, and slaved to buy. Its cost was astounding! But when one hears its tone, sits under the influence of its quality, one begins to believe it was worth it all. It is a special musical instrument. It will serve God and man for many decades. But what will happen when something goes wrong with this musical instrument? Who will be called in to repair it? Perhaps there is one of you who tinkers with old organs and antique pianos. Would we allow him to fix the ...
The headline in the BBC News said it all. When I read it, I thought to myself, “They said more than they intended to say and they were exactly right.” Here was the headline – US Homebuilding At All-Time Low.”[1] What they were referring to was the fact that the rate of construction of new homes in the United States fell by 15.5% in December of 2010. It hit an all-time low. In fact, the rate of new construction from December 2007 to December 2010 was down 45%. In reality, they weren’t really referring to ...
I am very taken by what Paul says. He claims, "I am not ashamed...." Most of us have known people, maybe a lot, maybe a few, and they are ashamed of something. I struck up a conversation with a woman I had known for a couple of years. I thought I knew her fairly well. One day she blurted out that she had been married four times. I said, "You never mentioned it." She said, "I guess I'm ashamed." A man lost his job. That was hard enough. What made it more difficult is that he lost the job because he was ...
Characters (in order of appearance) Father (Aaron) Benjamin Esther Mother Rebecca Ruth Joseph Mary Innkeeper (Daniel) Innkeeper’s Wife Leah Innkeeper’s Child 1 Innkeeper’s Child 2 First Shepherd Second Shepherd Third Shepherd Props Two tables Four chairs Door Scrolls Broom Pitcher of water Glasses Tray with food and bowls on it Blanket Towel Manger Star Notes This play draws together ancient prophecies from the book of Isaiah and the birth of Jesus, showing how his coming was a fulfillment of those ...
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 ...
It is something that all of us will spend at least an hour doing every day and I mean every day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. In fact, we will spend 5 years of our lifetime doing nothing but this. It is universally above everything else the one thing everybody hates to do. In fact, there is nothing that we do that is more frustrating, aggravating, irritating and feels like more of a waste of time than doing this. Can you guess what it is? It’s waiting. An hour every day we wait on something. We are put ...
Imagine this: U2 has just made an announcement they are splitting up. They have been at it a long time, made all the money they could ever spend, and they are tired of traveling. To celebrate their long careers one of the most successful bands in the history of music are going to do one last farewell concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. For one night only, last chance to hear them doing all their best songs, they are advertising it as the greatest show they will ever put on. It is destined to ...
The setting is a darkened room, very early in the morning. There is a table, illumined with a bright light, holding the aftermath of a party: bread and a cutting knife, crumpled napkins, a goblet and wine bottles, etc. The Prodigal sits next to the table, relaxed, sated with the feast. The Brother stands in the shadows, somewhat tense. Prodigal: [Holding the goblet, reflective; drinks slowly, eats pieces of food from the table, shakes his head, wonders, smiles; very contemplative. Sits alone for a time.] ...
"Moreover I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold in bondage and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment, and I will take you for my people, and I will be your God.’ " When someone does not care, bitterly we say in the vernacular, "He does not ...