Prop: Anointing oil (preferably frankincense or myrrh) Joey and Nicky at Skull Mountain -- It sounds like a mystery like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, doesn’t it? Or for those with a slightly more sinister flair, a story by E. L. Stine. Intrigue, Mystery, Mayhem, and a good dose of the gruesome. And slightly Spooky. The events surrounding Jesus’ death were certainly strange and unusual. The High Priest and his family of former and future high priests had been pushing to get something done about Jesus ...
This is the season of Christmas, but it’s also the season of …..football! How many of you are watching the Eagles play the Washington Redskins today at 4 pm? Go Eagles! Or maybe you’re a Chicago fan! I may not be a wicked-sharp aficionado about football, but I do know that one of the most important players in the game is the “wide receiver.” Wide receivers are the guys hovering out there along the periphery of the field, ready and able to receive the ball if the quarterback throws it their way. They are ...
On this second Sunday of Advent, we hear Paul's words to the church at Philippi, a church he knew well. I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of ...
It’s hard to impart joy to those who dwell gladly and gainfully in sorrow. Ever notice that? I’m not talking about the truly sad or those who are grieving, and I’m not talking about those suffering from depression or anxiety. These are truly debilitating conditions. Some people however neither respond to joy nor comfort because they are gaining too much power, attention, satisfaction, or compassion in remaining unhappy, angry, miserable, or spiteful.Especially when they feel they are justified. Especially ...
Does anybody else have a tough time with winter darkness at this time of year? We’re still six weeks away from the start of spring, and most of the U.S. is experiencing short days and long nights. Medical studies show that people have less initiative and are more likely to get the blues during the darker winter months. It seems that most of us don’t function well without light. There’s a small town called Rjukan (roo-KAN) in Norway that is located in a valley between two mountains. For six months of the ...
The apostle Paul was one grateful person. I am sure this is one of the reasons why he was effective in his ministry. He had an “attitude of gratitude.” Like many of his letters, Paul began his letter to the Corinthians this way: I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:4 NIV). Not only does Paul continually give thanks in his letters, but many times in scripture he strongly encourages us to do the same: In everything give thanks: for this is the will of ...
On Christmas Day 1988, a beautiful story by Karen Zautyk appeared in the New York Daily News titled “Remember, It is Love That Makes Us Rich.” The story tells about a place in Edinburgh, Scotland, called The Museum of Childhood. This museum is filled with childhood treasures of the upper classes such as elegant teddy bears, puppets, rocking horses . . . and cases and cases of dolls. “In one corner, however, in a solitary case is a worn raggedy doll, much the worse for wear . . . [A sign on it says,] `Doll ...
All stirred up -- that's the way you sometimes feel. Agitated, nervous, worked up, wound up -- for whatever reason. One feature in the story before us is that Jesus appeared to be responsible for bringing one of his dearest friends to such a point of agitation. If you read the Bible carefully, you shouldn't be completely surprised about this. Jesus often left people stirred up. The religious leaders were frequently angered by his words and actions. His miracles left onlookers stirred to the point of awe ...
It takes a steady hand to carry a full glass of water. It takes an even steadier heart to carry forgiveness to one who holds you in opposition. In the Old Testament I like the story of Joseph, particularly its outcome. Joseph is the favored one. The older brothers say, "Dad always liked you best." In this case it was true. The brothers go out and fake Joseph's death. They bring back some bloodied clothes and say to their father, "He is dead." In actuality they have sold him into slavery in Egypt. Time ...
Psalm 30; Exodus 24:15-18; Mark 9:2-9 Virtually every religion has regarded mountains as sacred places. Mircea Eliade, the great religious scholar, called mountains an axis mundi, a symbolic link between heaven and earth, between the divine and the human. For those of us from the flat lands of the midwest it may not be as obvious as it should be why this is so. There is something about a mountain that lifts one's mind beyond the mundane no matter how you look at it. A mountain on the horizon cannot help ...
COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7:1-16 If our purpose here were teaching rather than preaching, we could spin a wonderful tale of the rise of King David, and of his transformation of the Israelites. We could relate how David brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, which was to become known as the city of David, and how David wished to build a splendid tabernacle to house the ark. But more conservative voices prevailed for the time being, and David seems to have conceded for the time. The prophet ...
How many people are helpful to us in a given stretch of time? How many are helpful to you in a given stretch of time? Folks whose names you may not know who go out of their way to help you out. A while back a mother was driving home, and an eruption of discontent came from the back seat -- two little boys who could not get along. She pulled off to the side of the road and stopped. Sensing there might be a mechanical failure, a police cruiser with two officers pulled up next to her inquiring if she needed ...
Philippians 1:12-30, Jonah 4:1-11, Isaiah 55:1-13, Exodus 16:1-36, Matthew 20:1-16
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
Theme: The grace of God. Isaiah 55 calls on the people to turn to God for mercy and forgiveness. The Second Lesson has Paul commending the Philippians to the grace of God from his prison cell. The Gospel parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard teaches us that God rewards us not according to our deserving but according to his generosity. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Exodus 16:2-15 In the hardships of the wilderness, the people complain to Moses. They protest about the lack of food, as they remember the ...
After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord--and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. ...
There's a great story being used in business circles to define the buzz-word "paradigm." It seems a battleship was taking part in night maneuvers somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Ahead, in the dark, a light was to be seen and the admiral on deck told his signalman to radio the distant vessel that the other ship was on a collision course with the battleship. He ordered that the other ship change course. However, a reply asked the admiral to change his course. Unused to disobedience, the admiral radioed back ...
Picture yourself starting a brand new project. You might want to call it mission. In a parish where most of the communicants were government workers, civilian and military, I was always hearing the word, mission. I had understood mission in a religious context. I learned that mission could have a broader meaning. Life is mission. Business is mission. Career is mission. Mission is a good word. It suggests vision that is supported by good planning. Define your mission clearly. State its purpose briefly. ...
1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Deuteronomy 18:14-22, Mark 1:21-28
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
Theme: Divine authority. Deuteronomy has Moses predicting that God will send a prophet like him, who will rule with authority. The Gospel features Jesus acting with authority by casting out demons. In the Second Lesson Paul reminds us that our actions must be governed by love's authority. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 The book of Deuteronomy reinterprets the laws of Moses for a new generation. It comes in the form of addresses by Moses as the Israelites are about to enter the promised land ...
Our sermon consumers are used to VCRs and Super Nintendo Ÿ strong visual images Ÿ they watch and then rewind. For our preaching, that certainly means it is a different generation of people out there listening. It has definite implications for what we say and how we say it.11 -- Jerry L. Schmalenberger I talk with many laypeople about sermons, and the comment I hear most often is: "Sermons are bo-o-o-oring!" This comment is of course not new in church history. Perhaps Eutychus thought the same thing about ...
In James Baldwin's Blues For Mister Charlie, there is an arresting scene in which a young boy announces before his grandmother and the world that he no longer believes in God. The wise and unperturbed woman replies, "Ain't no way you can't believe in God, boy. You just try holding your breath long enough to die." No less than breathing or the sucking of a newborn infant, prayer is instinctive human behavior. The disciples' plea, "Lord, teach us to pray," arises from a primal urge deep within the human ...
Objects: Paper foil and a potato. Good morning, boys and girls. I want to teach you a lesson this morning that every Christian must learn if he is ever going to be called a follower of Jesus. This lesson is so important that Jesus taught the disciples about it not once or twice, but many times. The lesson is called humility. Humility means being humble. Now how many here this morning know what I am talking about? Some of you do. Tell me what you think being humble means. [Wait for some answers.] Those are ...
I have always enjoyed that CBS News segment, "On The Road With Charles Kuralt." He takes us to out-of-the-way places like Bethlehem, Georgia; Farmington, Iowa; and Old Town, Maine. He shows us a piece of Americana, and helps us understand ourselves. So, on the Sundays between now and Easter I want us to go on the road with Jesus of Nazareth be on the roads Jesus traveled in order that we would see him more clearly and understand more nearly what it is we are to do. The first road I want us to travel is the ...
Step two. "Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." One word sometimes used to summarize this step is the word hope. We are going to look at today's texts as they relate to believing God restores us as we turn our lives over to that Power greater than ourselves. In the Old Testament reading, Isaiah sings a song of deliverance. The words might sound like a call for personal deliverance, but it is really a song for the deliverance of the nation and a call for a ...
The news media this past week focused a lot of attention on amusement park rides - especially roller coasters. According to their reports, several parks across the country have closed down their roller coasters pending further investigation of serious, sometimes even fatal, injuries sustained by people who were "enjoying" a ride on the roller coaster. Early reports seem to indicate that in some instances mechanical error did indeed account for the accident. But in at least one of these incidents – the one ...
Ex-Senator Sam Ervin tells about a man known as the most ignorant man of Burke County, North Carolina. When he was asked if he knew what county he lived in, he said, "Nope." Did he know the name of his state? "Nope." Then he was asked whether he had ever heard of Jesus Christ. "No," he answered. Finally, in desperation, they asked him if he had ever heard of God. "I believe I have," he replied "Is his last name Damn?" This might be considered a very unusual case, but this is just about all that many know ...
What’s your opinion? If you have two sons, and you tell one of them to do a job, and his answer is no, then afterwards he does it, and you tell the second one to do the same job and his answer is, "Sure, I’ll go," and he doesn’t do it, which one is doing what you told him and following your will? That’s the story Jesus told the crowd, and that’s the question he posed to the religious leaders of his day. The crowd answered Jesus by saying the son who said, "No," and then changed his mind and did the work ...