Sermon and Worship Resources

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Mark 8:27-30

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

Theme: Peter is like many of us who preach. He thinks he must talk, even when he has little to say. Setting: The lectionary reading was Mark 8. It was the Lenten season. What does it mean for Messiah to die? Peter wrestles with that eventuality in a manner that we Monday morning quarterbacks sometimes can't quite comprehend. Dramatic Monologue In the year 1988, the Democratic Convention opened ...

2. Boaz: I Am Blessed!

Ruth 4:13-22, Ruth 3:1-18

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

THEME: Our God uses traditions to bless, but He isn't stuck in them. He will even bypass normal traditions when it will accomplish His purposes. SETTING FOR THE SERMON MONOLOGUE: On two successive Sundays in the fall of 1994, the Old Testament lectionary reading was from the book of Ruth. In the first one, I extolled Naomi. The message title was "How's Your Mother-In-Law?" It centered on the need...

3. Gabriel: I Was There

Luke 1:5-25

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

Theme: Salvation history is not a series of whimsical happenings. What happens is by design. The Biblical witness suggests not only a loving God, but cosmic evil forces in combat with the Almighty. The archangel Gabriel shares all this from the perspective of an "eyewitness." Setting for the Sermon Monologue [I have used this monologue on two occasions. The first time, I used it in slightly diffe...

4. I Am Zacchaeus

Luke 19:1-10

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

Theme: Zacchaeus was a man who loved power, wealth, and status. As a tax collector, however, he was shunned by polite society. Inwardly, he had not found satisfaction in his accumulation of wealth. Whatever it was that made him climb a tree to see Jesus, he found what his inward man longed for. Setting For The Sermon Monologue: Zacchaeus is in the lectionary readings. He is a fascinating little m...

5. It's Hell, I Say: Herod Speaks

Matthew 2:1-12

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

Theme: I regret the insensitive way I spent my life. I do wish for you to understand me, through my times and the culture that shaped me and my decisions. Setting For The Sermon Monologue The sermon was used on the first Sunday after Epiphany. Epiphany is the season that recognizes the first revelation of Christ to the Gentiles (Magi). Whereas, in Advent we look forward to the coming of Christ, E...

6. Josiah Speaks: An Ancient King Brings Greetings

2 Chronicles 34:14-33, 2 Chronicles 34:1-13

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

THEME: The Temple was restored after years of decay -- even desecration. The remodeling that took place on a physical level, however, is symbolic of a need also to rebuild our lives. SETTING FOR THE MONOLOGUE SERMON: After worshiping in the present building since 1917, this 126-year- old congregation needed to remodel. There were serious structural problems, not to mention several aesthetic conce...

7. Number One Mother

Genesis 2:4-25

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

THEME: Adam and Eve speak of our origins. Not only have we all eaten of the "fruit of the tree of good and evil," but we are usually drawn to members of the opposite sex. Yet, while drawn to our opposites, we are also confused by them. They act and communicate differently. SETTING FOR THE SERMON MONOLOGUE: This was a mother's day sermon. However, it celebrates God's gift of all women. While we ma...

8. Pentecost Communion Meditation: Monologue Of A Saint

Acts 2:42-47, Acts 2:14-41

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

Theme: The Holy Spirit has, through the years, drawn us to Christ, that He might make us saints and family. Setting: Like Abraham, I set out on a journey. After twenty years teaching in a United Methodist Church college setting, I grew restless, but still did not know what to do with the rest of my life. For one year, I took a part-time appointment, a two-church circuit, 65 miles from my home in ...

9. Poolside Blessing: Monologue of a Paralytic

John 5:2-16

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

Theme: We sometimes follow routines that are a substitute for a living. Instead of having a life of our own, we give up and become passive. In fact, that passivity can be a deceptive and manipulative style of control. Jesus' question to the paralytic by the pool was, "Do you want to be healed?" Do you want to get a life, or is life as you now live it a means of avoidance and control that you find ...

10. Reuben: I'm Not A Sandwich

Genesis 37:12-36

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

THEME: Reuben is one of the forgotten characters of the Bible -- the one who, by normal processes, should have received the birthright as the firstborn son of Israel. He tells of the common experience of feeling like a second-class son, because Israel favored Joseph. He shares family events, as well as his inner soul. SETTING FOR THE SERMON MONOLOGUE: Most persons have heard the story of Joseph a...

11. Satan Goes to Church

Job 1:1-5, Job 1:6-22

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

THEME: Satan is not a gruesome Halloween figure. Rather, he is remarkably attractive, very much like us, and frequently not only fools, but also uses us for his own devious purpose. SETTING FOR THE SERMON MONOLOGUE: The lectionary called for a sermon on Job. The book of Job invites us to explore the problem of evil. People are fascinated by evil. Why not? It's in them. It's in their environment. ...

12. The End of Babel

Genesis 11:1-9, Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Dr. Raymond Bailey

The time of Pentecost was a joyous one in the lives of the Jewish people.In contrast to Passover, where they ate unleavened bread to commemorate the solemn passage out of Egyptian slavery, they baked yeast bread of the first harvest of grain of the new growing season. The feast of Pentecost always occurred on Sunday, fifty days after Passover. Jewish pilgrims came from all over the world to be in ...

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