Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 67 results

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... Athenian, "Now, answer the riddle, if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bow implies." The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. Aesop explained, "If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it." Aesop was talking about balance. As followers of Christ it is important for us to realize that Jesus advocated balance in life too. Christianity has always been an activist faith ...

2. Peace or Pieces

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian, "Now, answer the riddle if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bow implies." The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. Aesop explained, "If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it." People are also like that. That''s why we all need to take time to rest. In today ...

3. Give Yourself Some Slack

Genesis 2:3

Illustration

... up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian, "Now, answer the riddle, if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bows implies." The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. Aesop explained, "If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it." People are also like that. That's why we all need to take time to rest. Jesus prescribed ...

4. Many Parts, One Body

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... ’s body metaphor is a unique way of explaining the church as the body of Christ. In the ancient world, however, comparing the human body to the society and community structures was rather commonplace. The ancient fable by the Egyptian Aesop (The Belly and the Members) gives a helpful example of this. Aesop tells the story of a belly having issues with the feet about who was more important. The feet argue that they carry the belly around, the belly that it gives nourishment and strength to the feet. When ...

5. Set Free Through Forgiveness!

Matthew 18:21-35

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... enormous debt which he could not pay. The king forgave him his debt so that he would not have to go to jail. Another man owed this same man a very small debt but instead of forgiving him, he had this other man thrown into jail. This man was like Aesop's dog who had been given the bone. They both had received a gift of love, but they both were unwilling to share that love with another. The most important message of the Bible is that we are to love one another as God has loved us. That means that ...

6. Bridging the Generation Gap

Ephesians 6:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... wrong turn, they would take a spoon and tap their glass every time he made a right turn. He made it through the maze in ninety seconds, and his attitude was a whole lot better. When I was a kid growing up I used to love to read Aesop's fables. There is an Aesop's fable in which the wind and sun argued over who was the stronger. The wind said, "Do you see that old man down there? I can make him take his coat off quicker than you can." The sun agreed to go behind the cloud while the ...

7. Belling the Cat

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

... years after his death and resurrection call him their Savior. (6) But here is the critical point: Christ was willing “to bell the cat” for us. The question we are left with is this: what are we willing to do for him? 1. David C. Noonan, Aesop & the CEO (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc., 2005), p.34. 2. William H. Cosby Jr. and Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D., Come On (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc, 2007), pp. 216-217. 3. Getting Through What You’re Going Through (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson ...

8. Digging Deeper

Luke 1:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... is about 99% established. This only proves half the point. It is one thing to say that Luke’s gospel is historically reliable. It is another thing to say it is historically accurate. I could have the text of Aesop’s Fables established at 99% accuracy and that would do nothing to show that what Aesop wrote anything more than fables. Now, let’s look at why Luke was writing this gospel. “That you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” (Luke 1:4, ESV) There was a man named ...

9. The Roman Verdict

Luke 22:66--23:25

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... conscience told him. Pilate’s great power actually came with great helplessness and obligation. The cry for crucifixion reveals the full depth of humanity’s depravity and upside-down values—apart from God’s grace, we would all have joined in shouting it. Literature: Aesop’s Fables. One of Aesop’s fables is the story of the scorpion and the frog. The two meet on the bank of a river, and the scorpion asks the frog for a ride across the stream on his back. The frog asks, “How do I know you won ...

10. Getting Outfoxed

Illustration

Traditional

Aesop, the ancient storyteller, told this fable: Once upon a time, a donkey found a lion's skin. He tried it on, strutted around, and frightened many animals. Soon a fox came along, and the donkey tried to scare him, too. But the fox, hearing the donkey's voice, said, "If you want to terrify me, you'll have to disguise your bray." Aesop's moral: Clothes may disguise a fool, but his words will give him away.

11. Runaway Lives

2 Samuel 18:1-18

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... waters. What’s more, its scope is inclusive. When runaway-ness grips our lives and we are out of control, other lives are affected, too. Families where there is substance abuse know that all too well, as do families that must cope with a workaholic or a despot. One of Aesop’s fables is about a young mouse in search of adventure. As he is running along the bank of a pond, he is seen by a frog who swims to the bank and croaks: “Won’t you pay me a visit? I can promise you a good time if you ...

12. African-American Spirituality: The African's Gift To America

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... and originated the mathematical, medical, and physical sciences. We invented the first alphabet and gave to humanity its first language and systems of civil and political government. We have made our mark in literature and letters. Our writers range from Socrates and Aesop to William Shakespeare, Alexandre Dumas, and Alexander Pushkin;from Ralph Ellison to Toni Morrison; from Cheikh Anta Diop to W.E.B. DuBois and Carter G. Woodson. We are a people of music, culture, and industry. We have among us Ludwig van ...

13. Lord, I Believe - Or Do I?

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

... where our weakness and our need for healing is most obvious. They speak assurance when the going is most rough. They stamp the guarantee of love eternal when the prospects are most dim. But the parables cannot be mastered. They cannot be heard or read like Aesop’s fables with the casual concern that says, "I’ve heard that one before. What’s new?" They refuse to be defused, for unlike a land mine that is detonated only once, the parables are detonated every time we step on them. The parable may be ...

14. A Queen Bee’s Sting

2 Samuel 6:1-23

Sermon

... with honey. Angry bees swarmed to God’s court. They demanded that God grant them the power of stinging to death anyone who approached their honeycombs. God was angry with the greedy bees who would not even share a Bit-o-Honey candy bar with their neighbors. Aesop, in his fable, tells us that God condemned the bees to instant death whenever they stung someone. The bees would be a chorus, adept at humming Paul’s song about the sting of death. Michal was a queen bee whose tongue was a sharp saber of ...

15. I Believe In Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Robert Allen

... was real ... that prayer made a difference. And through all the years of my life, I have never had any reason to change that opinion. When my children were old enough, my wife or I would read them bedtime stories. We read Mother Goose ... and Aesop’s Fables ... Bible stories ... and the Great Brain Series. We read the Hardy Boys ... and Nancy Drew mysteries. Finally, when the story was over for the evening, it was time for our bedtime prayers. We taught our children to pray because we believed in prayer ...

16. THE NEIGHBORHOOD GAP

Sermon

William McKee Aber

... of identity and worth. Because we are all a bit unsure about our own worth (we know our insecurities and our guilt more than anyone else), we tend to up our self-esteem by favorable comparison with our neighbor. Consequently, his success, becomes a threat. (Remember Aesop’s Fable about the man who asked Zeus to grant him one wish? He was offered anything he wanted, as long as his neighbor could have twice as much. After agonizing over this, the man finally made the wish that he would lose one eye!) We ...

17. Vive La Difference

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... the valley of suffering been the ones who have been best able to minister to others who are walking through that same valley? When making an inventory of the things you might offer to God, do not ignore what may seem to be your weaker points. One of Aesop's fables tells the story of a deer, a handsome buck, that came to a spring to drink. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water, and admired his strong and beautifully shaped antlers. He was not as impressed with the appearance of his legs. They ...

18. Love Is Not Easy

Romans 13:8-14

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A telephone Good morning, boys and girls. The great storyteller, Aesop, once told a story about four bulls who were great friends. They went everywhere together, fed together, and lay down to rest together. Always they stayed close to each other so that if any danger were near they could all face it together. Now there was a lion which had ...

19. Are You Praying or Pouting? (Part IV)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... GENERATE ON OUR OWN. One of the great tragedies in life I believe is for someone not to accept or receive a gift that is given in love and sincerity. I recently heard Dr. Steve Brown of Key Life Ministries on our local Christian radio share one of Aesop''s fables about a skylark who lived on earthworms. He shared how "there was a certain fox who wanted to eat the skylark. The fox, having a plan, caught a bunch of earthworms and tempted the skylark with them. When the skylark asked the price of the worms ...

20. If Only -- In Spite Of

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... to have a better lot in life than we do. The "If only" response to life as it relates to envy and jealousy for those who we think have it better than we always results in suspicion and mistrust -- it even becomes paranoia. One of Aesop's fables makes the point. You may remember the one. Four bulls were great friends. They went everywhere together. They ate together, rested together, stayed together constantly -- so that if any danger were near, they could all face it together. Now there was a lion which ...

21. Advent 1

Matthew 24:36-51, Romans 13:8-14, Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122:1-9

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... , and congregationally-centered. While the corporate nature of these remarks is not the primary point of the text, it is necessary that those preaching and forming the liturgy labor to avoid turning the text into a private moral lesson along the lines of Aesop's fables. Matthew 24:36-44 - "Waiting and Watching for Jesus" Setting. Jesus spoke in a kaleidoscope of images about the future, especially about the day of final judgment. Often he drew on Old Testament images familiar to him, his hearers, and to ...

22. Proper 19

Exodus 13:17--14:31, Matthew 18:21-35, Romans 14:1--15:13, Exodus 15:1-21

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... clear lesson—so clear, in fact, that the preacher will be strangely tempted to turn the parable into a moral lesson rather than a declaration of gospel. Indeed, one way of reading the closing line (v. 35) will provide even further temptation to treat the parable like an Aesop's fable. Yet, notice what Jesus says in v. 35. It is not that we better forgive others or God will get us. No, Jesus says God's wrath will come on those who do not "forgive [their] brother or sister from [their] hearts." It is the ...

23. The Church: The Health of a Godly Family

Hebrews 10:22-25

Sermon

James Merritt

... less walk, bothers to go to church." The old man said, "I go to church because I want infidels like you to know which side I'm on." When you bring your family to church you let the whole world know whose side you are on. Have you ever read Aesop's parable of The Lion and the Woodman's Daughter? It goes like this: A lion was very much in love with a woodman's daughter. The fair maiden referred him to her father and the lion applied for the girl. The father said, "Your teeth are too long." So ...

24. Try a Little Kindness (Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness)

Galatians 5:22

Sermon

James Merritt

... because we ought to handle people's feelings the way we handle little babies—with kindness, gentleness, and tenderness. You know one of the great lessons of leadership I have learned, is that tenderness can motivate people to do things that toughness never can. There is an Aesop's fable in which the wind and the sun were arguing over who was the stronger. The wind said, "Do you see that old man down there? I can make him take his coat off quicker than you can." Well, the sun agreed to go behind the ...

25. Envious Eagles

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

Brett Blair

Aesop had a fable about two eagles, one envious of the other because the other could soar higher and more elegantly than he could. So the envious eagle would pluck his strongest feathers from his own body and shoot them as arrows, trying to wound or kill the other eagle. It was his own undoing, however. He could not hit the high flying eagle, and he was eventually grounded by his lack of feathers. Envy destroyed the eagle.

Showing 1 to 25 of 67 results