Sermon and Worship Resources

1901. Miss Manners and Mr. Goodwrench

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a meal, it is the ultimate compliment" (65). Perhaps another way to encapsulate what Paul is urging is to contrast our frantic, fractured, unfocused rush through life with the Second Testament ideal. We have all heard people speak of a person suffering from some sort of personality dysfunction or mental disorder as being not "all there." We flick our wrist and make an excuse for someone, saying, "Oh, she's just not all there." A strange expression, but a telling one, for sanity or what might more accurately ...

1902. Outgrowing the Truth Fairy

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... notes how scop is like the contemporary word "shape." To scop is to shape, or in Wangerin's words "to sing into the everyday events of the folk, the old, old, story." When you have sensitively listened to your people, you will have discovered that all sorts of truth fairies are given a prominent place in the myth-kitty of American spirituality. Some are farce, some are fantasy, some are fable, only some are true faith. It is important for us to recognize which is which, all the while realizing that God can ...

1903. Sevening

Hebrews 4:1-3; 9-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... up, wounded and wrecked. It is not just America's urban zombies who live in overscheduled, overmedicated, overmediated states of existence. There is a natural rhythm to life. To work without a Sabbath leads to a dysrhythmic life replete with all sorts of dysrhythmic diseases - like chronic fatigue syndrome, pain, depression and low energy. Our Sabbath-less culture suffers from "timesickness" - where we have no time to do the important things - only time for frenetic runnings to-and-fro. We have developed an ...

1904. Aged to Perfection - The Third Age

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... an excuse for hanging out the "No Longer in Service" sign. Those who suffer from gerontophobia (the fear of aging that shows up in a revulsion against old people) are convinced that one can only grow and come alive in youth or middle age. Old age is seen as some sort of punishing curse. But to wish aging on someone is not a curse, it is a blessing. Youth may be a gift of nature, but age is a mark of art. We do everything we can to escape the reality of life, of aging, and to fool ourselves that we ...

1905. Scissors, Paper, Rock

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of going with the flow from this formless, featureless label with which we have wrongly tagged it. Back in the Sixties, it became a catch phrase to say 'Let's go with the flow,'.... And the image that was often used was that of the river. The river just sort of does its thing, goes from the mountains down to the ocean. Nobody has to get out there and push the river. But, like all analogies, it's somewhat limited. It suggests to us an image of passivity, when in point of fact, that's not the way it is ...

1906. Christ the Snake

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to him as he squirms on those two-by-fours becomes an antitoxin. By cleaving to him, by clinging to him, by identifying and suffering with him - that is, by repentance and faith - we get inoculated with just enough of his death that a sort of vaccine is formed (l5). Paul has already received this inoculation. Without the pall of death hanging over him, Paul could joyously engage in his "ministry of reconciliation." Paul continues God's process of like curing like when this obstinate, obstreperous, sometimes ...

1907. What's Your Drink?

Isaiah 43:16-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... What do we thirst for? What is our drink? Jesus offers his disciples deep drinks of "living waters." Draughts of the “Living Waters" must be our signature sip, our desired drink. Civilized behavior the world over demands that a proper host or hostess offers some sort of sustenance when welcoming visitors into their homes. Who among us doesn't feel compelled to quiz their guests, even before they get a chance to sit down, about what we might be able to get them? We might ask with enthusiasm when the coffee ...

1908. Terminator 3

Acts 9:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... about the little toy "transformers" is that the robot-aliens usually changed from being body-shaped creatures into some kind of vehicle. Their transformation was usually into some weapon-like transport - a tank, a plane, a car - which was capable of doing all sorts of things they could not perform in their original form. Christ's transforming love empowers us in the same way. We become vehicles for that love, and like Saul, we too are charged with "carrying" Christ-the-Good-News out into the world ...

1909. Let's Give Jesus a Hand

Galatians 6:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... doesn't need our hands slapping together in applause. Jesus needs our hands slapping together in work and witness. From Galatians we are urged "do not grow weary in well-doing," (v.9) - a remark that of course assumes you are already involved in some sort of Christ-oriented labor. This week's Gospel text is prefaced by the wistful realization that while the harvest is plentiful, the laborers are few (v.2). Could a mandate for action be any clearer? America has a long history of voluntary service. Trust in ...

1910. A.Y.O.R. (At Your Own Risk)

Hebrews 12:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... amply rewarded. Perhaps what made this game so popular was that despite its name there really were no bad "consequences." True, you might lose the game. But you couldn't end up in any worse shape than when you started. Even the losers received some sort of consolation prize. Basically, contestants simply got the chance to win big prizes - neither truth nor consequences entered into the game at all. The days of consequence-free behavior are long gone. We are now facing an age where the choices we make are ...

1911. FaithRace

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , four words, representing important sports concepts keep cropping up: Groove, Ambition, Momentum and Enthusiasm. They are easy to remember, for they shamelessly form the acronym GAME. Groove: An exultant Joe Montana commented after the classic Super Bowl XIX how "We got in sort of a groove. Once you get going like that you gain confidence, and it carries over to the defense, and then back to the offense. It is a snowball kind of thing" (P. Zimmerman, "The Niners Were Never Finer," Sports Illustrated, 28 ...

1912. 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 ...

1913. Keep the Stars in Your Eyes

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... story read "Spiritual Renewal Flourishes" while another story was headlined, "Religion's Influence May Be Fading." Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps predict that "the search for soul will accelerate and move from the individual and family to organizations of all sorts and sizes" (The Age of the Network: Organizing Principles for the 21st Century [Essex Junction, Vt.: Omneo, 1995], 232). C. Jeff Woods adds a voice that should make Christians who call the church their home sit up and take notice: "Society ...

1914. Holy Hocus-Pocus!

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... story read "Spiritual Renewal Flourishes" while another story was headlined, "Religion's Influence May Be Fading." Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps predict that "the search for soul will accelerate and move from the individual and family to organizations of all sorts and sizes" (The Age of the Network: Organizing Principles for the 21st Century [Essex Junction, Vt.: Omneo, 1995], 232). C. Jeff Woods adds a voice that should make Christians who call the church their home sit up and take notice: "Society ...

1915. Hear the Vision?

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

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... story read "Spiritual Renewal Flourishes" while another story was headlined, "Religion's Influence May Be Fading." Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps predict that "the search for soul will accelerate and move from the individual and family to organizations of all sorts and sizes" (The Age of the Network: Organizing Principles for the 21st Century [Essex Junction, Vt.: Omneo, 1995], 232). C. Jeff Woods adds a voice that should make Christians who call the church their home sit up and take notice: "Society ...

1916. The One and Only Original Sin

1 Peter 3:18-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... story read "Spiritual Renewal Flourishes" while another story was headlined, "Religion's Influence May Be Fading." Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps predict that "the search for soul will accelerate and move from the individual and family to organizations of all sorts and sizes" (The Age of the Network: Organizing Principles for the 21st Century [Essex Junction, Vt.: Omneo, 1995], 232). C. Jeff Woods adds a voice that should make Christians who call the church their home sit up and take notice: "Society ...

1917. The Trace of Grace

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... story read "Spiritual Renewal Flourishes" while another story was headlined, "Religion's Influence May Be Fading." Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps predict that "the search for soul will accelerate and move from the individual and family to organizations of all sorts and sizes" (The Age of the Network: Organizing Principles for the 21st Century [Essex Junction, Vt.: Omneo, 1995], 232). C. Jeff Woods adds a voice that should make Christians who call the church their home sit up and take notice: "Society ...

1918. Mission Impossible

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... his disciples out to preach and heal and exorcise demons (he sent them "two by two"), Jesus continues to keep his disciples operating as teams. Do you think the two disciples chosen for this latest duty looked forward to this "mission" with the same sort of anticipation that they had enjoyed when venturing into Galilee? Not on your life! Instead of miraculous healings and exorcisms, they have now been appointed "horse thieves for Jesus." A young colt was a valuable commodity in those days. As a pack animal ...

1919. Count Your Wows!

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... story read "Spiritual Renewal Flourishes" while another story was headlined, "Religion's Influence May Be Fading." Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps predict that "the search for soul will accelerate and move from the individual and family to organizations of all sorts and sizes" (The Age of the Network: Organizing Principles for the 21st Century [Essex Junction, Vt.: Omneo, 1995], 232). C. Jeff Woods adds a voice that should make Christians who call the church their home sit up and take notice: "Society ...

1920. Dare Care

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... flirted with the 20 percent chance that your local water supply has infectious bacteria in it. Men endured a one in 7,000 chance of a serious shaving injury. Men and women endured the danger of a one in 2,600 chance of being zippered, snapped or buttoned into some sort of injury. If you avoided the stairs, you still took a one in six million risk of an elevator injury. A one in 11,000 risk of dying in your car while traveling, as either a passenger or a driver. A risk of one in 145 of your car's ...

1921. Parable Power

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... sip their coffee. We've come up with some standard comebacks to cover ourselves and explain these freakish occurrences: "I guess you just had to be there." "It loses something in translation." "You just don't get it." But the fact is, storytelling of any sort, amusing anecdotes or tragic tales, is an unrepeatable art form. The variety of people listening, the inflections in your voice, the mood of the day, the color of the sky they all combine to create a one-time-only atmosphere for the words you speak ...

1922. Quenching St. Anthony's Fire

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... you have it together. You may be successful, affluent, well-educated, respected. But until you understand the secret power of the "Isenheim Altarpiece" and why it heals, you are unprepared for being a disciple of Jesus. For the "Isenheim Altarpiece" is a sort of Rosetta stone, a reference source for understanding the meaning of discipleship. And the key to unlocking and unleashing the power of this Rosetta stone is the figure of Mary, the most pronounced and interesting figure, apart from Jesus, in the ...

1923. Waging Wisdom

James 3:13—4:8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... story read "Spiritual Renewal Flourishes" while another story was headlined, "Religion's Influence May Be Fading." Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps predict that "the search for soul will accelerate and move from the individual and family to organizations of all sorts and sizes" (The Age of the Network: Organizing Principles for the 21st Century [Essex Junction, Vt.: Omneo, 1995], 232). C. Jeff Woods adds a voice that should make Christians who call the church their home sit up and take notice: "Society ...

1924. The Great Postmodern Soul Train

Mark 13:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... story read "Spiritual Renewal Flourishes" while another story was headlined, "Religion's Influence May Be Fading." Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps predict that "the search for soul will accelerate and move from the individual and family to organizations of all sorts and sizes" (The Age of the Network: Organizing Principles for the 21st Century [Essex Junction, Vt.: Omneo, 1995], 232). C. Jeff Woods adds a voice that should make Christians who call the church their home sit up and take notice: "Society ...

1925. An Advent Attitude

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... story read "Spiritual Renewal Flourishes" while another story was headlined, "Religion's Influence May Be Fading." Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps predict that "the search for soul will accelerate and move from the individual and family to organizations of all sorts and sizes" (The Age of the Network: Organizing Principles for the 21st Century [Essex Junction, Vt.: Omneo, 1995], 232). C. Jeff Woods adds a voice that should make Christians who call the church their home sit up and take notice: "Society ...