Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 2176 to 2200 of 4942 results

2176. Shame on You

1 Timothy 1:12-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

A sense of guilt and shame can sometimes be spiritually healthy. Dogs are great at guilt. The moment you walk into the house, a dog will telegraph to you with its whole body the sin it has committed. The eyes squint and dart this way and that. The ears are flattened. The head is lowered. The tail trails. Pathetically ingratiating behavior usually accompanies all this - desperate little hand licks, half-hearted tail wags, general obeisance. When you discover the actual crime - a mistake on the rug, a broken ...

2177. FaithRace

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

There is no excuse for not running the race of life. Christians need no longer fear that their lives are going nowhere - like some kind of hamster-wheel marathon. Christians are called to join the faithrace, where the "finish" line is just the beginning of our life in Christ. Paul chose his words carefully when he proclaimed to his long-time companion Timothy that he had fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith. But today, one is reluctant to reinforce the athletic imagery. In medieval ...

2178. Genesis 11:1-9

Genesis 11:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The eleventh chapter of Genesis is the final unit in the book before reaching the story of Abraham. Chapters 10 and 11, like the dual creation stories in chapters 1 and 2, offer two distinct versions of the world's repopulation after the flood. The Priestly writer of chapter 10 suggests the natural spreading out of all Noah's offspring to account for the diversity in language, culture and race among humanity. The Jahwist writer of chapter 11 deals with the same issue. This writer finds a very different way ...

2179. 1 Kings 19:9-14

1 Kings 19:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Ironically, 1 Kings 19 contains one of the most familiar, revered stories of the prophet Elijah's tumultuous life, and it is a historical-critical quagmire. There is no reason to believe that the events in chapter 19 chronologically followed those in chapter 18. The consensus is that a skillful redactor put together the two units by adding 9:1-3, thus connecting the flight to Horeb with the events at Carmel. Chapter 9 itself then combines three stories out of the Elijah tradition - his desert wanderings, ...

2180. Matthew 10:24-39

Matthew 10:24-39

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The extensive gospel portion read for today brings us the center section of Jesus' missional instructions. The nature of the warnings and encouragements he offers to his disciples are both profoundly personal and eschatologically sweeping just as is the mission of the gospel itself. In verses 24-25, Jesus extends a rather dubious compliment to his followers. His words suggest that there is a close identification between himself and his disciples that they stand in the proper teacher-disciple relationship ...

2181. Matthew 20:1-16

Matthew 20:1-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The remarkable parable Jesus tells in this week's gospel text is found only in Matthew. Nevertheless, the startling message this parable communicates is considered by many scholars to be an excellent candidate for being classed as a genuine word from Jesus. The classic parable structure, its skillful telling and the power of its unexpected conclusion, all suggest the special creativity and uniqueness of Jesus' own insights and teachings. Matthew introduces this parable into his gospel with his traditional ...

2182. Luke 13:1-9

Luke 13:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The incidents recorded and read in Luke's gospel this week are unique to that gospel. They appear neither in the other synoptic gospels nor in John. Despite the fact that both Jesus and Luke assume they are making reference to well-known tragedies in verses 1 and 4, those incidents are also not well represented in ancient historical texts. Luke has just closed a section (12:57-59) that speaks of the power and the punishment the guilty may expect at the time of their judgment. The text closes with the ...

2183. Ephesians 1:3-14

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The epistle reading for this week gives us one of the longest continuous sentences found in ancient Greek literature. Ephesians 1:3-14 is only one complete sentence in its original Greek, although nearly all translations now break it down into several shorter sentences to make it an easier read. Some scholars suggest that this lengthy unit should be seen as a doxological hymn that may even have been a liturgical prayer. They recognize an identifiably Trinitarian focus in this text the work of the Father ( ...

2184. Mark 10:2-16

Mark 10:2-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The two Markan pericopes making up this week's text offer you a choice between a "safe bet" sermon and a "you'll be sorry" sermon sorry you ever opened your mouth. The "safe bet" sermon would, of course, focus on the second pericope, verses 13-16, where Jesus appears loving, accepting, gentle and non-threatening as he rebukes his disciples for not "letting the little children come" as he sweeps the small ones up into his arms. The "you'll be sorry" sermon is found in the first pericope of today's text, ...

2185. Luke 4:1-13

Luke 4:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Today's gospel text is a remarkably detailed tour of temptations given Jesus by an articulate, Torah-toting, Scripture-quoting devil. Mark's short form of this confrontation is elongated and elaborated by both Luke and Matthew, suggesting that the shared source of these two gospel writers held this longer version, which each then adopted and adapted to fit his own gospel form. Luke opens by affirming the coherency between Jesus' experience at his baptism and his journey into the wilderness. The Holy Spirit ...

2186. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Paul's conversations with the Corinthians take on various tones throughout his letters. At times he harangues, sometimes he pleads; elsewhere he criticizes, cajoles or convinces. In today's text, Paul is continuing his response to the questions some Corinthians had posed previously about eating meat that had been offered to idols. Paul has already urged the Corinthians to be like athletes (9:25) and "exercise self-control in all things." But he now turns to established Scriptural examples to demonstrate ...

2187. Revelation 21:1-6

Revelation 21:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Using a text from Revelation two weeks in a row may surprise your congregation. The truth is, both last week's and this week's texts are within the realm of Revelation's "kinder and gentler" images. Just as last week's text offered Revelation's readers a needed break from the devastating images revealed by the breaking open of the seven seals, so this week's text offers a vision of perfect peace and plenty after the terrible judgment scenes in chapter 20. Having dispensed with sinners in an all-consuming ...

2188. 2 Timothy 1:1-14

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's epistle lesson comes from the so-called "pastoral epistles" (1,2 Timothy, Titus), which combine both the personal and theological concerns of Paul with tremendous poignancy and power. The message read in 2 Timothy today vibrates between two distinct poles: the unwavering strength and commitment of the apostle's faith, and the emotional appeals of a man who realizes his time on Earth is swiftly drawing to a close. During his second Roman imprisonment, Paul became convinced that this time there ...

2189. Isaiah 11:1-10

Isaiah 11:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The poem in today's Old Testament reading is called by Hans Wildberger a "pearl of Hebrew poetry." There is a breathtaking variety of images and metaphors: the shoot out of the stump, the branch out of the roots, the rod of the mouth, the breath of the lips and righteousness as a belt around the waist (vv.1-5). This is followed by the description of a pastoral scene in which a variety of animals are paired to convey an image of peace: the wolf, leopard, young lion, bear, lion, viper and young viper are ...

2190. Matthew 11:2-11

Matthew 11:2-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Matthew is closing out his treatment of the emergence of Jesus' preaching, teaching and healing ministry (4:12-11:1) and opening up a more dialectical section in which he focuses just as intently upon the response Jesus' works and words evoke as on the events themselves. The crowds and the disciples lap up Jesus' words and deeds. But the religious authorities are growing more restive and rigid, convinced that Jesus' ministry poses a threat to them and the status quo. The reading branches in two directions ...

2191. John 1:(1-9) 10-18

John 1:(1-9) 10-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The exalted and exuberant prologue to John (1:1-18) has been recognized since the church's earliest history as a uniquely soaring and sonorous text. Indeed, it is in large part due to the poetic flight of these words that John came to be symbolized by the eagle. The power of these words has been felt so deeply through the centuries that there emerged the Christian tradition of wearing an amulet containing a tiny copy of the prologue in the belief that it could protect the wearer from all manner of ...

2192. 1 Peter 1:17-23

1 Peter 1:17-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Hope, joy, optimism and exuberance characterize the epistle of 1 Peter. Writing to those Jew and Gentile Christians who made their homes in the extreme northern reaches of Asia Minor, this Petrine author seeks to blow gentle breezes of love and joy into the midst of the far-flung faithful. Yet all these good tidings are celebrations of an eschatological future, not a humanly conceived time. Thus 1 Peter also spends as much time discussing suffering - both Christ's and his followers - as it does rejoicing. ...

2193. Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Perhaps most basic to recall about the event described in Acts 2:1-21 is that the first gift of the Holy Spirit is speech. Jesus is gone. He ascended into heaven. Left behind was a band of shell-shocked, stupefied and rather cowardly followers. Not only is the task before them immense, they can not even adequately articulate it among themselves. Before Pentecost the only business the disciples can bring themselves to undertake is a mere bookkeeping one - choosing a replacement for Judas. Then comes the ...

2194. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's epistle reading from 1 Thessalonians lies within a slightly larger section (5:12-28) in which Paul gives a series of final instructions. Amid these lists of "dos" and "don'ts," Paul also includes two prayers or benedictions (vv.23 and 28). In these few verses Paul covers relationships between members and leaders (vv.12-13), Christian responsibility (both to other community members and to non-Christians [vv.14-15]), interior attitudes of believers (vv.16-18) and the workings of the Holy Spirit ( ...

2195. Luke 1:26-38

Luke 1:26-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

2196. John 15:9-17

John 15:9-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's gospel lesson gives us a portion of the "true vine" unit, usually understood to include John 15:1-17. The theme of Jesus as the true vine, with his Father as the gardener, continues through verse 4, when two alternatives are then placed before the listener. Verses 5-6 expand on these choices, one positive, one negative. The lectionary verses read today (vv.9-17) are part of the next unit of this chapter where only the positives are developed. Fundamentally, the first half of this chapter is ...

2197. Ephesians 1:3-14

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The enthusiasm and eloquence of the Ephesians' author are magnificently apparent in these opening texts. Ephesians 1:3-14 is actually one very long complex sentence, into which the author weaves both the traditional opening blessing format of a formal letter, an internalized hymn and the outline of concerns and issues that will direct the rest of this epistle. While far richer and more extensive, Ephesians 1:3-14 is similar in style to the opening texts in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 and 1 Peter 1:3-12. All of ...

2198. 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

After Paul and his teammates Silvanus and Timothy were expelled from Thessalonia, the apostle worried over the new community there like some anxious parent. Paul's fear had its basis not just in the usual vicissitudes of human nature, but in the disturbing reports of persecution these new Christians had already been forced to endure. It is against this anxious backdrop that Paul receives Timothy's uplifting news, his Thessalonian brothers and sisters have remained strong under stress. In verse 9, Paul uses ...

2199. Genesis 9: 8-17

Genesis 9:1-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The season of Lent begins with ashes, a symbolic smudge on the forehead to remind us of our mortality and of the frail, fleeting nature of human existence. Likewise, the entire Lenten season has solemn, serious overtones, a time for intentional study, prayer, fasting, spiritual disciplines and the preparation of the soul for the approaching events of Holy Week. But at the very start of Lent there is a considerably more cheering and inspiring message sent by this week’s Old Testament lesson. Instead of ...

2200. Mark 15: 1-39 (40-47)

Mark 15:1-15

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The lectionary text assigned for this week covers a lot of ground. The sixth Sunday of Lent has two monikers. It is “Palm Sunday” and thus we have a “Liturgy of the Palms” that focuses on Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-11 or John 12:12-16). But this Sunday is also “Passion Sunday,” the beginning of the “Liturgy of the Passion” (Mark 14:1-15, 47, or Mark 15:1-39 [40-47]), which encompasses Jesus’ arrest, trial, abandonment by all his supporters, the abuse and ridicule he suffered, and ...

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