Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2176 to 2200 of 3852 results

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... he leapt from a bridge over the Mississippi River and committed suicide (John Berryman, Collected Poems 1937-1971 [Farras, Straus, Giroux, 1989]). Maybe for Americans, a deep grounding in roots is more poignant than for others. Since all Americans, except Native Americans, originally came from somewhere else, we take pains to know whether we are Scotch-Irish, or Italian-French, or Swahili-Tutsi, or Russian-Iluit. We want part of who we are to reflect where we came from. Likewise, Christians need to get in ...

2177. Rules for the Road

Joshua 3:7-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

NOTE: This sermon, written in the 90s, read the way it's written below, could be a good introduction on how rapidly things have changed. Think about how to rerwork it as an illustration using the original lanuage or completely adapt it by updating the items. How to cruise on the new-century superhighway. People who work at or own a computer should be aware of these two things: First, they have more processing power at their fingertips at home and at the office than the sum ...

2178. Fifty-Fourth and Lexington

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... along that whispered message (or at least the version he or she heard of it). Everyone gets only one chance to hear what is said before telling it to the next one in the circle. It's not hard to imagine how scrambled, or even unrecognizable, the original message is once it comes back, full circle, to the ear of the leader. Despite the advent of high-tech communication e-mail, faxes, conference calls a lot of messages and stories still seem to get through our culture on the old gossip chain. And typically ...

2179. Fingerprints of the Soul

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... including the wonderful deeds such a person could enact. "Virtue" was also derived from the Greek "dynamis," meaning "power" or "influence," especially the healing influence that proceeded from Christ. Spiritual power, excellence, moral worthiness and healing were the original marks of a "virtuous" man or woman of Christ. But by the 19th century, Victorian culture had exchanged the concept of many Christian virtues for a life of virtue. In this designation, virtue became conscientious rule-following instead ...

2180. Drawing Lines

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... line as "ours." No one has ever denied the penetrating truth behind Robert Frost's poetic declaration that "Good fences make good neighbors." Whenever you see a "No Trespass" sign posted, you are facing a warning not to step over the line. (In its original usage, "trespass" meant a sidestep, a lapse or a deviation.) The lines we draw around what is "ours" and what is others' varies from situation to situation. When people trespass against us by touching a "tender spot" where we are vulnerable to offense ...

2181. Luke 2:22-40

Luke 2:21-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... infant Jesus is thus presented here in the temple with another name by Simeon’s utterance, he is “the Lord’s Messiah,” and he is “the consolation of Israel.” Simeon’s outburst reveals that this Messiah might be different than originally anticipated. Although he is “the consolation for Israel,” this Messiah will also be “a light of revelation to the Gentiles” (v.32). This child will offer more than just political redemption. The “salvation” the Lord brings is not political autonomy ...

2182. Do You Know Your Name?

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... some point most of us get sucked into buying one of those baby-naming books or consulting one of those baby-names websites. Not only do they provide huge, long lists of names, from the common to the crazy, but they also give the etiology, the linguistic origins, of the names. No doubt these popular references account for the fact that our local fifth grade soccer goalie this year bears the name “Gwyddeon.” Do you know your name? We all have the name given to us by our parents or by our friends. A family ...

2183. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... The gospel text from John relays Jesus' promises about the Holy Spirit - the "Advocate" or "Counselor" - in greater detail. The John text read this week is part of a larger section (15:26-16:33) believed to be an insertion made by a later editor of the original work. This portion of John, then, repeats but also expands on the themes of the Counselor, Jesus' impending departure, asking in Jesus name, and the gift of peace. In 15:26-16:4 the editor reveals that a time of persecution is coming, but he softens ...

2184. Genesis 2:18-24

Genesis 2:18-24

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Nevertheless, all created beings receive the gift of life from God's own hand. As all these living things come together after their creation, God's first act is to establish them in relationship. In a sense, however, this very activity undermines the original motive behind the explosion in diversity. As the man names each of the creatures brought to him, a hierarchy of types is imposed on their relationships. In naming these birds and animals, their essential difference from the man is revealed - with each ...

2185. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... -crust and replaces it with an entire pie? The elegant mystical language Paul uses in verses 11 and 12 is some of the best loved and most quoted - by the religious and non-religious alike. As moving as Paul's illustration is, it was hardly original. The contrast between child and adult was a common rhetorical analogy of Paul's day, and the image of the dark, distorted reflection seems to have its basis in another analogical root, Numbers 12:8. When God confronts the grousing Miriam and Aaron, God discloses ...

2186. 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... eschatological future when he emphasizes that the First Adam was, the Second Adam is, and we are physical creatures who will be re-created at the time of resurrection. For Paul the convert, resurrection is a necessary rebirth that returns humanity to its originally intended state of glory (before Adam's fall). Thus the spiritual is the way we will experience the risen Christ, and that experience will begin the process of our own transformation into heavenly bodies. Yet the culmination of this process (v. 49 ...

2187. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the established guidelines of all the "call narratives," the face-to-face quality of Moses' experience remains unique. Despite the miraculous nature of the vision, Moses does not immediately associate it with the presence of God. It is curiosity more than awe that originally draws Moses to the burning bush. Not until verse 6 is it made clear that this is a confrontation with the divine. Identified as the God of his own ancestors and history (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), Moses knows he is in the presence ...

2188. John 20:1-18

John 20:1-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... that a scribal error in transcription has occurred. Indeed in the Syro-Sinaitic palimpsest text it matter-of-factly "corrects" this text to read that Mary "recognized him," instead of "turned toward him." (See T. Baarda, "'She Recognized Him': Concerning the Origin of a Peculiar Textual Variation in John 20,16 sys," Text and Testimony Essays in New Testament and Apocryphal Literature [Kampen: Uitgeversmaatschappij J. H. Kok, 1988] 34-35). But the third explanation for this extra "turning" in v. 16 was ...

2189. Genesis 11:1-9

Genesis 11:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a chance to talk about the unity of the Father and the Son. Philip's desire to see the Father is answered in Christ, who reveals the Father. The oneness that Jesus articulates in vv.10-11 is a singularity of purpose, for Jesus' works reveal the origin of his words in the being of the Father. Words and works are one just as the Father and Son are one. Verses 12-14 challenge the disciples to continue this intimate relationship between works and words. If his followers draw their strength and faith from the ...

2190. Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the expected diatribe and denunciation, this amazing master praises the steward for his shrewd dealings! Apparently we are not the only ones brought up short by such an outrageous action. Many scholars suggest that Luke 16:10-13 was added on to the original ending of Jesus' parable by the early church as it struggled to deal with "dishonest stewards" within its own walls. Finding the perfect lead-in to this issue with Luke 16:1-7, the first Christian communities supposedly skipped over the problematic verse ...

2191. Genesis 12:1-4a

Genesis 12:1-4a

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 2. Yet there remains a Jewish tradition that the first "call" from the Lord came to Terah at Ur. This is the reason, tradition suggests, that Terah left Ur and set out for "the land of Canaan" (Genesis 11:31). But Terah failed to follow through on his original intentions, and when he and his family reached Haran, they settled there. The text records that Terah was able to get out of Ur but that he failed to break with all the old ties that kept him and his family a part of traditional Near Eastern religious ...

2192. Exodus 17:1-7

Exodus 17:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the leadership of Moses, ostensibly over this vital issue of water. Scholars suggest that an ancient "L" source may have been responsible for Exodus 17:1a - which provides such a vivid description of the Israelites' wanderings. The "L" source is thought to be very old, originating from the people's truly nomadic period of life. Unlike the so-called "J" or Jahwist source, who is usually considered the author of the remainder of this week's text (verses 1b-7 - note that the mountain referred to in verse 6 is ...

2193. John 20:19-31

John 20:19-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The gospel reading for this week extends over two crucial appearances of the resurrected Christ verses 19-23 and verses 24-29 and includes what some say was the original conclusion to John's gospel (vv.30-31). Within the course of these few verses, a lot happens: Jesus' resurrection is made the focus of the future church; the gifts of reconciliation, salvation and the Holy Spirit are offered to the church (the gathered disciples); a major shift in focus ...

2194. 1 Peter 2:19-25

1 Peter 2:19-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... hands of others. Verse 23 uses the image of the silent sheep before its slaughterers (Isaiah 53:7) as a template for 1 Peter's instructions on the proper Christian attitude while enduring suffering. The NRSV has translated verse 24 with a bit less drama than the original text suggests. Invoking the desolate image of Deuteronomy 21:22 (the one hung on a tree was cursed by God), 1 Peter's text speaks of Jesus' carrying our sins away through the power of the "tree" this is the cross' work of redemption on our ...

2195. Acts 17:22-31

Acts 17:22-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... (17:21). Speaking to so many audiences with such equanimity brought Paul to the attention of some of the city's leaders. They brought him to the "Areopagus" to once again recite his message. This "Areopagus" is not clearly defined. The term originally referred to both the historic ruling senate of Athens a considerably less influential governing body by the first century and to the physical location it met in, the royal portico in the marketplace. Indeed, for these Athenians "the Areopagus" may have meant ...

2196. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... explicit references to the mountaintop experience at Sinai, his portrayal of the power and movement of the Holy Spirit certainly recalls the sudden force of the divine presence before Moses. Whether Luke himself intended to evoke a Sinai-type image, or his original source had that event in mind, the effect is the same. Both the fire and wind have numerous echoes among God's earlier prophets and servants in the Hebrew Scriptures. As sweepingly universal as the power is behind these images, Luke is careful ...

2197. Matthew 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... -45). Scholars of first-century rabbinical interrogative techniques reveal that in both the types of questions asked in these dialogues, and in the responses given by Jesus, these Pharisaic challenges demonstrate a precise practice. Although the title "teacher" originally may have been employed as part of the testing process, Jesus' skillful answers, crafted in perfect rabbinical interrogative fashion, testify to his legitimate claim to rabbi status. With the question about whether it is morally correct to ...

2198. Mark 1:1-8

Mark 1:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the omission was due to a scribal oversight, or the addition due to some scribe's unbridled enthusiasm for his subject. Although the "Son of God" title is of theological importance to Mark, and is used elsewhere in the text, this does not prove that Mark originally opened his gospel by declaring "Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Indeed, Mark begins his account of Jesus' life, not by focusing on Jesus, but on the person of John the Baptist. It is John's distinct identity that most seems to concern Mark at this ...

2199. Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Aramean." This is a specific reference to Jacob, who spent so many years working for his uncle, "Laban the Aramean" (Genesis 25:20), that he took on the identity of the Aramean people. This reference to Jacob suggests that the "credo" material probably originated in the northern kingdom of Israel. Next, this confession elaborates on the time spent in Egypt, an experience expressed in all its ambivalent nature. On the one hand, by going down into Egypt, the people survived a time of tremendous famine that ...

2200. Acts 5:27-32

Acts 5:27-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... primary accusation they had disobeyed the "strict orders" that had been previously given "not to teach in this name." The high priest refuses to actually utter the name of "Jesus" as he berates his captives and chastens them for their disobedience. This deft dismissal originally may have been a sign of contempt and disrespect toward Jesus during his ministry and his trial (see Matthew 27:63, John 9:16, 24; 11:47) and toward Jesus' followers (see Acts 4:17). But here, this refusal even to name Jesus' name ...

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