Sermon and Worship Resources

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1. A Fist and a Kiss

Luke 22:47-53

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

Once in Damascus years ago, when I was strolling along the street called Straight -- wondering whether it is truly the most ancient street in the world that has served continuously as a marketplace -- I watched as a man who was riding slowly through the crowd on a bicycle with a basket of oranges precariously balanced on the handlebars was bumped by a porter so bent with a heavy burden that he had...

2. A Walk With The Devil

Luke 4:1-13

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

The devil came to me the other day, as he often does, and he said, "Preacher, how about joining me for a little walk. It never hurts to walk and talk a little bit, now does it?" I had to admit that I couldn't see any harm in walking and talking, and so I agreed to walk with him for a little while. He led me out the door of the church and up the street to one of our neighborhood convenience stores....

3. An Old Enemy

Colossians 3:1-17

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

We met on a commercial flight between Minneapolis and Detroit sometime in the late 1950s. He was Oriental. It was almost 15 years after the war. I don't remember his name, but I still have his business card somewhere in my desk. I'm not sure why I sat beside him. In those days the airlines still allowed you to pick your own seat. I could have sat with any number of people, or I could have sat by m...

4. For Freedom

Galatians 5:1-15

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

It is the Fourth of July. An old veteran puts on his medals and makes his way to the park where Independence Day celebrations have already begun. He is greeted by the inviting aroma of hamburgers and bratwurst cooking on portable grills, and the sounds of happy voices floating out over the grass on a warm summer breeze. The park is full of picnickers gathered around tables and sitting on blankets ...

5. If I Live To Be A Hundred

Psalm 30:4-5

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

Sam Duncan lay in the semi-darkness of his nursing home room performing the only two activities of which he still considered himself capable: watching and waiting. Although his eyesight was dim, he could still make out the steady brightening of the light of dawn through the window next to his bed. And although his hearing was too far gone to catch the rumble of the medicine cart, as it worked its ...

6. Jerry's Faith

Luke 7:1-10

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

In the Lutheran parochial school I attended as a child I was taught to fear God, and that I risked punishment for sin. When I was 17 years old, my younger sister died of a brain tumor, and I began to question everything that I had been taught. I could not understand how God could allow this. Her death left me confused and angry. I became more of a doubter than a believer. I came to the conclusion ...

7. Judgment Day

Luke 3:1-20

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Luke 3:16-17 The small ...

8. Make My Landlord Fix The Furnace

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

In a certain city there was a corrupt bureaucrat who neither feared God nor respected people; and there was a welfare mother in the same city who kept coming to him and saying, "Make my landlord fix the furnace and insulate the walls. I can no longer afford to pay the heat bills and my children are freezing." For a while the bureaucrat refused to listen, but the woman kept coming to his office eve...

9. Praise The Lord!

Psalm 148:13

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

The Board of Bethlehem Community Church gathered for its monthly meeting with solemn resolve. They were the largest, most prestigious congregation in their region, and with that honor came some serious responsibility. Every other year they hosted the Bishop's Winter Renewal Retreat for forty to fifty area pastors. Bethlehem Church's beautiful facility provided meeting rooms and meals for the speci...

10. Praying To Win

John 14:5-14

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

Ithaca High School has been known over the years for its championship wrestling teams. I wrestled on some of those teams in the late 1960s when Steve Waterman was our coach. Steve encouraged us to give our best for the school and the team, but he also made it very clear that church, family and relationships with friends came first. His supportive style of coaching and his caring personality foster...

11. The Bread Of Life

John 6:35

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

When the INNS shelter program for the homeless started in Kenosha, I signed up for the training to be a volunteer. After I was trained, I was assigned a three-hour shift on a Sunday night at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, several blocks up the street from my own congregation. My shift was to be from 8:00 till 11:00 P.M. I helped to register the homeless persons as they arrived. Each person received...

12. The Crooked Accountant

Luke 16:8

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

There was a rich bookie who had an accountant who was accused of mismanaging his business affairs. And the bookie called in the accountant and said, "Hey, man, what's this I hear about you? Turn in the books, you're fired!" The accountant thought, "What shall I do? I won't qualify for unemployment and I am too proud to go on welfare. I know what I'll do, I'll make sure that enough people owe me th...

13. The Friendship Ring

John 12:1-11

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

It was a bright, sunshiny day and Margie was very happy. It was her birthday. She was seven years old. That afternoon, Margie's mother gave her a party. All of her friends were there. They played games, and ate lots of cake and ice cream. Margie blew out all of the candles on her cake in one blow. Her friends cheered and urged her to open her presents. She got a bracelet, a new blouse, a baby doll...

14. The Light Has Come

John 3:19-21

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

Have you ever sat in a lighted room at night, reading or talking, and suddenly the lights go out? What's the first thing you say? Usually everyone says, "Who turned out the light?" In this age of electricity, light is something we take for granted. Few of us ever experience total darkness. In the city, we have street lights which come on automatically as soon as it begins to get dark. In the coun...

15. The Lost Dog

Luke 15:1-32

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

There was once an old man who had a little spotted dog. The dog was a mixture of spaniel, collie, terrier and dachshund. He was a street-bred mutt, but the old man loved him because he was all he had. They were constant companions, going everywhere and doing everything together. Every night the dog slept at the foot of the old man's bed. Then one day the dog disappeared. He was playing in the yar...

16. The Spirit Bird

Galatians 1:23b

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

One summer morning in a mission camp where I was serving as a teacher of Galatians to junior high youth, a bird appeared at morning devotions, and lighted on the head of one of the girls. From there the bird hopped to her arm and then onto the arm of another camper and then another. The bird seemed to be looking for someone. We learned later that it was indeed a tame bird, the pet of a camper in a...

17. Uncle Hilbert

1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Psalm 19:1-14

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

Uncle Hilbert used to stand at the front door of the church every Sunday morning and greet everyone as they came into worship. He always had a big smile on his face as he called all of us by name, and he had a special handshake for us kids. It was a rare day when he wasn't there, and when he was absent church wasn't the same. You had the feeling that something essential was missing. I don't know ...

18. Waiting For Christmas

Luke 2:20

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

There was a little girl named Lucinda who couldn't wait for Christmas to come. She was so excited about Christmas that she was about to burst! Lucinda loved everything about Christmas. She loved singing Christmas carols, she loved decorating the tree and sending Christmas cards, she loved shopping and wrapping the presents. But, most of all, she loved unwrapping presents on Christmas morning. She ...

19. Where You Do Not Wish To Go

John 21:18

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

Wilma Petersen chaired the social concerns committee in her church. She also headed an action group that lobbied the state legislature on senior citizen issues; she served on the regional Commission on Aging and was secretary of a city task force that was seeking a government grant to build low income housing. When the doctor told her she needed gallbladder surgery, the first thing she said was, "...

Showing 1 to 19 of 19all results

Showing all results

1. A Fist and a Kiss

Luke 22:47-53

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

2. A Walk With The Devil

Luke 4:1-13

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

3. An Old Enemy

Colossians 3:1-17

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

4. For Freedom

Galatians 5:1-15

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

5. If I Live To Be A Hundred

Psalm 30:4-5

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

6. Jerry's Faith

Luke 7:1-10

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

7. Judgment Day

Luke 3:1-20

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

8. Make My Landlord Fix The Furnace

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

9. Praise The Lord!

Psalm 148:13

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

10. Praying To Win

John 14:5-14

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

11. The Bread Of Life

John 6:35

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

12. The Crooked Accountant

Luke 16:8

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

13. The Friendship Ring

John 12:1-11

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

14. The Light Has Come

John 3:19-21

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

15. The Lost Dog

Luke 15:1-32

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

16. The Spirit Bird

Galatians 1:23b

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

17. Uncle Hilbert

1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Psalm 19:1-14

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

18. Waiting For Christmas

Luke 2:20

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

19. Where You Do Not Wish To Go

John 21:18

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

Showing 1 to 19 of 19all results