Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2201 to 2225 of 5000 results

Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... letting go of the sorrow and depression that had once consumed her life, you also can heal. You may awaken to discover that prayers you never uttered have already been answered. The portrayal of Boaz as Ruth's kinsman-redeemer is an exquisite illustration of Jesus Christ, kinsman-redeemer for the entire human race. Jesus purchased us with his own blood, providing us with the peace and security that comes from knowing we belong to him eternally. Boaz's trustworthy response to Ruth's situation foreshadows the ...

2202. What Is the Will of God?

Matthew 22:34-40

Illustration

Rudolf Bultmann

... " (Mk. 12:28-34) There is no obedience to God which does not have to prove itself in the concrete situation of meeting one's neighbor, as in Luke (10:29-37), probably unhistorical but with the right of correct understanding of the subject matter, makes clear by combining the illustrative narrative of the Good Samaritan with Jesus' discussion of the greatest commandment. The demand for love surpasses every legal demand; it knows no boundary of limit; it holds even in regard to one's enemy (Mt. 5:43-48).

2203. Matthew 25:1-13

Matthew 25:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the third and final of Jesus’ lessons on keeping alert, being ready, for the return of the Son of Man. This parable of the ten maidens with its concluding warning to “watch” doesn’t quite seem to fit the details of Jesus’ illustration, but this third lesson does fit well into the flow of Matthew’s organizational pattern. The parable describes details that would be familiar to any first century Jew for whom the traditions surrounding a wedding celebration were some of the highlights of existence ...

2204. Love Still Asks the Question

Matthew 25:31-46

Illustration

Edward F. Markquart

... Jesus Christ?" They are the two sides of the same question. When we are asked that question, "What have you done for the least of these, my brothers and sisters," this does not contradict the grace of God, that salvation is a pure gift. Let me illustrate this by means of an analogy. I love my children too much. Do any of you have that problem? Do any of you love your children too much? That you love your children immensely? That you love your children unconditionally? That you love your children graciously ...

2205. Merry Christmas or Happy Kitschmas?

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... perfection, if there is no indecency allowed, it is “kitsch.” Barbie is “kitsch.” Barney is “kitsch.” Thomas Kincaid is “kitsch.” The “Brady Bunch” was “kitsch.” “Ozzie and Harriet” were “kitsch.” Norman Rockwell’s Saturday Evening Post illustrations were “kitsch.” Without the grit and messiness of reality, there is no real, living, organic content. That is why celebrating the real, physical incarnation of Jesus that is so “kitsch” free. A true Christmas does not ...

2206. Wild Beasts

Genesis 9:8-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... least, during the late Winter/early Spring - a time still cold, still barren, still swaddled in silence. As Easter and Spring approach, the cycle of life begins again: Leaves begin to bud, grass begins to grow, hibernating animals awaken, the entire earth rouses to its rebirth. All creation not only illustrates for us the redemption of life through Christ's death and resurrection; it also participates in that event as full partner with humanity in the covenanted love of God the Creator.

2207. Heresies of the Heart

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... In its past the Church has been inflamed by "heretical" doctrines that challenged proscribed ways of thinking about God and God's relationship to humanity. Today those who lost the historical battle with the majority are only thought to generally illustrate righthearted believers with wrongheaded ideas. A heresy, we are convinced, is just an out-dated concept representing out-of-step believers. But heresies have begun springing up like dandelions in congregations all over the country. The heretical notions ...

2208. A Postmodern Coat of Crayola Colors

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... differently. Blue - Kindness in the face of rude Pink - Generosity toward someone less fortunate. The new Crayola crayons can suggest to us the presence of still other color-coded qualities we need to cultivate. Historical theologian David F. Wells illustrates how different cultures order and formulate information by citing how "English-speaking people divide the rainbow into six colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet (some add indigo). People from Telugu, on the other hand, divide it into two ...

2209. Seeing the Elephant/Hearing the Owl

2 Samuel 18:24-33

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to use with some frequency. The earliest likely use of the saying goes way back to the third century BC, when Alexander the Great's soldiers defeated King Porus' elephant-borne troops in the IndusValley. Gerald Conti,"Seeing the Elephant,"Civil War Times Illustrated, (33 June 1984), 19. Today some of our "elephants" and "owls" are not quite so dramatically physical, but they are just as capable of stopping us dead in our tracks. How many people struggling to make their lives better have been trapped by ...

2210. The Job Description of a Leader

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... naturally or is an acquired talent, every Christian must come to terms with it. A biblical style of leadership and language of leadership must become endemic in the church. In the Old Testament and Gospel lessons for this week both David and Jesus illustrate the mysterious qualities and unique characteristics God has chosen to hold up as necessary for those who would lead the people of God on their life journeys of faith. The surprising nature of their faith, their lives, and their words combine to write ...

2211. The Ultimate Athlete

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... military image is easily translated into the more familiar idiom of athletics. Who cannot identify with the professional (or even the Saturday afternoon) athlete requiring special shoes to play the game right? Why can't we make "Air Jordans" or "The Pump" illustrative of transportation for the gospel of peace? Paul's "shield" of faith can be updated to describe the function of an imposing offensive line. Like a shield the front line does not destroy the opponent completely, but it does give the quarterback ...

2212. Tweed Jackets, Sweat Pants and Wet Suits

Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... clothes. "Let us then stop discussion of the rudiments of Christianity," Hebrews 6:1 says. "Instead let us advance towards maturity."Or, in modern parlance, "For heaven's sake, grow up!" Sweat Pants: The sweat pants period of faith illustrates the believers' attempt to exercise their faith in their daily lives. Putting faith through its paces and whipping the Spirit incarnated into shape for its confrontations with the contemporary world characterizes the sweat pants phase. Making the authoritative ...

2213. Gutsy Joy

Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 5-6, 8-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... times you must pick yourself up from the hurts and pains of life and go on; however difficult it is to get through each day - the joy of the Lord can be yours. A cartoonist successfully divided the entire human race into two types with one telling illustration. The cartoon pictured two women at a well. Each has a bucket with which to draw water. One woman, looking sad and bitter, remarks, "Life is terrible. Every time I fill this bucket up, it is empty within minutes." The other woman, who appears at peace ...

2214. What's Your Drink?

Isaiah 43:16-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Lloyd-Jones, Growing in the Spirit: The Assurance of Our Salvation [Westchester, Ill.: Crossway Books,1989], 79-91). Lloyd John Ogilvie also recognized the close relationship between spiritual exhilaration and alcoholic inebriation. In perhaps his most famous illustration, Ogilvie compared the local church to the local bar. The spirit of well-being, cheerfulness, camaraderie, and acceptance that flowers briefly in the smoky, sweaty pub, must become equally accessible to visitors who enter the church. Like ...

2215. Terminator 3

Acts 9:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... former enemy. The Schwarzenegger-droid had threateningly vowed "I'll be back" at the conclusion of the first "terminator" movie. His promise is fulfilled in this movie, but in a totally unexpected manner. He returns as a "good guy." These two contemporary examples illustrate what it must have been like for Paul and Ananias, for Simon Peter and the other disciples, to experience the transforming grace and forgiveness of Christ. If ever there was a "terminator"-like character in the Bible, it had to be Saul ...

2216. Are You on the Gospel Side?

Colossians 3:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.' Yes, that's gospel measure - pressed down, shaken together and running over." Shelby uses the theme "Gospel Measure With Leftovers" to illustrate how "Gospel measure is about extravagance, prodigality and profusion. Gospel measure is the Psalmist singing, 'Thou anointest my head with oil/My cup runneth over.' It is the apostle Paul proclaiming, 'O, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge ...

2217. From a Distance

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , he insisted that blind people see more. "If there's no bottom to your eyes, they hold more," he once told his faithful landlady (O'Connor, Wise Blood [New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1962], 222). [Warning: Hazel Mote's usefulness in the illustration ends with this quote. His career as an evangelist of questionable character ended with his self-inflicted blindness.] Perhaps distance does the same thing for all of us who are sighted. A hyperopic view of life's dreams and expectations can stretch out ...

2218. The Necessary Book

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... portions of the unfair debts that had been incurred, he also restores the master's name among the honorable. As a book of dollars and cents, the steward's pay book now gleams with red ink at the master's expense. However, as a Necessary Book, an illustrated version of the master's moral integrity, this volume is clearly in the black. In fact, the master sees no red ink at all. The value of his restored relationship with the community is beyond price. As a Necessary Book, the accounting of the master's ...

2219. FaithRace

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 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 January 1985, 20). Each of our lives revolves basically around a certain question or theme or what used to be called "life verse." Each of us has one theme with many variations, one conflict with many skirmishes, one chord that is played in a variety of ...

2220. Keeping Expectations Low

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

One of my favorite sources of illustrations used to be the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. I miss that little miscreant and his stuffed tiger. In one of the strips, Calvin is talking to Susie (remember, his arch enemy) about a test they had just taken and asked her: "What grade did you get?" Susie says, "I ...

2221. Five Steps to Takeoff

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... he can establish a visionary relationship with the pilot, he makes a "thumbs-up" signal a signal which the pilot must return so that the airboss knows the pilot has seen him and is as ready as is his technology. The "thumbs-up" gesture illustrates the pilot's confidence, the pilot's faith in the airboss' guidance, and the aircraft's preparedness. Before Jesus calls his very first disciples, he is already calling people to faith. Faithfulness is the Christians' "thumbs-up" sign. We have no way of knowing ...

2222. Take an Ember Day

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... schedule that you can hardly move, you still want to do more. You may be too tired to get up to go to bed, but you are convinced that what you really need is to schedule some good ab-crunching time into your daily regime. Is there any better illustration of the fact that you are living in a paradoxical culture, a culture where opposite things happen at the same time and they aren't contradictory? Do any of us really know how to say "enough" any more? Just because we are hooked up to the Internet, must we ...

2223. Quenching St. Anthony's Fire

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... us to the point where the central motivating symbol of ministry is the ladder, rather than the cross. A conversation with a prospective student who had decided to enter the ministry after a successful, six-figure-income career in corporate America illustrates the lethal power resident in the concoction of the careerist-clerical-managerial "ladder" paradigm. "Once I reached the top of the ladder and looked around," he reflected, "I realized that all the struggle, all the costs to my family and friendships ...

2224. A Concert of Prayer

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Drama

Leonard Sweet

... . This week, we present a "concert of prayer" that attempts to get people to note and hear their own differences as well as celebrate the uniqueness of the others in their family of faith around them. As part of this "concert" theme, we have integrated prayers, illustrations and hymns into this text, rather than segregating them out into diffuse little total units. You may use this service in toto, as I have done in groups varying in size from 20 to 2000. Or you may use this as a basis for an interactive ...

2225. The Four R's

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... reactions to situations, like in the rest of the animal kingdom. I see being 'human' as the unique opportunity to use our minds and wills to act in ways that elevate us above the animal kingdom.' Schlessinger then closes her point with an illustration from the film classic The African Queen: Humphrey Bogart as Charlie, the solitary sailor, tries to invoke the 'only human' excuse when he attempts to explain his prior drunken evening. Katharine Hepburn as Rosie, the missionary, peers over her Bible and aptly ...

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