Sermon and Worship Resources

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Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

Simon Wiesenthal in his book, The Sunflower, relates a discussion that took place at the Mauthausen Concentration Camp when he was a young Jewish prisoner. Wiesenthal was sound asleep one night when Arthur, another young prisoner, a sort of dreamy skeptic, grabbed him by the shoulder and began to shake him awake. "Simon, do you hear?" "Yes," he stammered, "I hear." "I hope you are listening; y...

2. Come On Down

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

One of the most popular television game shows is The Price Is Right hosted by long-time emcee Bob Barker. When you receive tickets to attend this highly-watched, fast-moving game show, you become automatically eligible to have your name drawn to become a participant. As the show opens, names are drawn, and an announcer exclaims, "Mary Jones, come on down!" Mary excitedly jumps from her seat and ru...

3. First Light

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

Have you ever seen the aurora borealis? That may not be a familiar term to you, and you may be asking yourself, "Is that a country?" "Is it some kind of strange animal that is nearly extinct that I have somehow missed?" Some of you already know what the aurora borealis is; for those who don't, they are called the northern lights. The northern lights occur in the far northern regions. Recently, whi...

4. Getting Ready for Advent

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

Many Americans have become very familiar with courtroom settings. This familiarity has been made possible by the O. J. Simpson trial and such programs as Judge Judy, Judge Brown, and the popular Court TV Channel. In a sense, Americans are afforded an opportunity to become involved in the legal and judicial profession simply by pushing the correct button on their remote control. Here they can list...

5. Going Down to Look Up

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

Our story opens with Naaman, the military Chief of Staff of the Aramean army. Naaman is a very great man who has received the favor of the King of Aram, Syria, because of his victory over Israel. Anytime Israel lost a battle or a war, the disaster was felt to be the hand of God at work. In the theology of ancient Israel, no foreign army could be victorious over Israel unless it was God's will. As...

6. Going, Going, Gone

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

Recently, a friend of mine went to Wrigley Field in Chicago to watch an afternoon baseball game. For my friend, an afternoon at Wrigley Field is the ultimate in baseball. Those who attend an afternoon game at Wrigley Field still sing enthusiastically during the seventh inning stretch, "Take Me Out To The Ball Game." When a player drives a ball deep into left field towards the bleachers, and it loo...

7. Good News!

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

For a period of time there was an emphasis on good news/bad news stories. In good news/bad news stories, details keep turning from triumph to tragedy and back again. One such story which was related quite frequently was about two friends who were avid baseball fans. These two friends made a pact that whoever died first would come back and let the other know if there was baseball in heaven. The fi...

8. How to Recognize a Prophet

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

In his autobiography, Up from Slavery, Booker T. Washington tells of being awakened every morning in the slave quarters long before daylight by an old rooster crowing. The sound of the crowing rooster was the sign for the slaves to hit the floor and move out to the field to begin a day of hard work. According to Washington, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and th...

9. I'll Be Somewhere Listening

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

Children are very perceptive. When our friend's daughter was small, if she was talking to her father or her mother and she felt that they were not quite tuned in to what she was saying, she would adamantly inform them that they were not listening to her. Sometimes she would take a different approach, especially if they were seated in a chair or on the couch. She would be talking away and realize t...

10. Joy to the World

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

Open the hymnals. Pull out the stops on the organ, for we are going to sing a song. What song shall we sing? We could sing Martin Luther's hymn of the Reformation, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." Maybe a hymn by Charles Wesley, such as "And Can It Be," would express how we feel about our Christian faith. We might want to consider something on a little more feeling level like Joseph M. Scriven's "W...

11. Lord of All

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

A question that is often asked by parents of small children is: "How big are you?" Children are so cute, and generally they give the same answer as they stand on tiptoe and spread their little arms to illustrate how big they are. With arms outstretched and spread wide, they inform their inquiring parent that they are "soooo big!" What children are saying is: "I'm huge. Can't you see how large I am...

12. Morning Has Broken

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

Some years ago, popular singer Cat Stevens (who has become a convert to Islam and now spends his time in meditation) popularized Eleanor Farjeon's hymn, "Morning Has Broken." Pop stations played Steven's rendition all over the United States. People found themselves fascinated by the tune and also by the words. The hymn aptly depicts Genesis 1:1-5. Farjeon wrote: Morning has broken Like the first ...

13. Sometimes It Is Okay to Be Absentminded

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

All of us have heard of the absent-minded professor. I have a friend who is the full embodiment of the absent-minded professor. On one occasion he became so absorbed in a chess game that he failed to show up for his Contemporary Theology class. This professor's wife told of asking him to get her a couple of aspirin because of a splitting headache. He left to go retrieve the aspirin and water so sh...

14. The Gospel According to Johan

Jonah 3:1-10

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

Have you ever encountered a real "Scrooge"? I'm speaking about a negative, critical, carping, demanding, selfish person who cannot stand to see other people happy and enjoying life. You remember that the original Scrooge was a figment of the imagination of Charles Dickens, the great English author. Out of the imaginative mind of Dickens comes "A Christmas Carol" whose main character is one, Ebenez...

15. The House of Hope

Hosea 2:2-23

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

A friend of mine lives in a remote area of the United States which has a very low emotional quotient. Because of this, alcoholism is rampant, incest is above average, and spousal abuse is prevalent. One of the dominating social ills is the abuse suffered by teenagers. In a recent study released by the state where my friend resides, a survey revealed that one out of every three teenagers has been a...

16. Yes, No, Someone Else

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

There is an old story about a beautiful emperor moth. This emperor moth was really not living, but was tucked away in a cocoon just waiting to be released. As this particular emperor moth was struggling to get through the narrow neck of the cocoon, a boy was intently observing it. As the moth struggled to release himself from the cocoon, the boy felt the moth would never make it out of the cocoon....

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