Sermon and Worship Resources

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1. All the Little Things

Matthew 22:34-46

Illustration

John P. Jewell

All of us know people who get all tangled up in the web of "little things" and thereby miss the "big things." There is the young professional couple with two little children who were simply trying to get ahead and provide for their young family. "I woke up one day," the mom said, "And my son was on his way to college and my daughter in her last year of high school. There is the older couple in...

2. Being Graceful Salt

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

John P. Jewell

A pastor tells the story of how he and his wife decided to have the church council and the husbands and wives of the council members over to dinner. It was quite an undertaking, but then this pastor and his wife wanted to be salt and light for the leaders of their church. When it came time for dinner, everyone was seated and the pastor's wife asked her four year old daughter if she would like to s...

3. Bridges of Friendship

Matt 10: 24-39; John 20:21

Illustration

John P. Jewell

Joseph Aldrich wrote a book several years ago entitled, "Lifestyle Evangelism." His central point is that Christian people need to build bridges of friendship with people who are without a spiritual home. It is across these "bridges" that people can be gently nudged towards the love of God and the support of a caring Christian fellowship. It is one thing to see the harvest. And it is important t...

4. Defining Moments

John 20:1-18

Illustration

John P. Jewell

Did you ever play the game "Freeze" as a child? The group is running and playing as though everything were normal and then the one who is "it" yells, "Freeze!" Everyone has to freeze exactly as they are when they hear the word. The first person to stumble or move from their "frozen position" are "it" for the next round. There are moments in all of our lives that are frozen in time and frozen in o...

5. For God All Things Are Possible

Luke 3:1-6

Illustration

John P. Jewell

I asked a group of high school young people to write headlines they would love to see and here are the top six from the group: Peace declared all over earth! Hunger and poverty to be eliminated by year's end! No reports of child abuse in the US for over a year! Religious tolerance at an all time high! Vaccine for all forms of cancer discovered! Officials to investigate complete absence of violent...

6. God's Anxiety Reduction Plan

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

John P. Jewell

As I look about our world, skim the massive number of ads in the Sunday paper and watch the faces of shoppers going about their last mad dash before Christmas day arrives... I am reminded that his season of peace, joy and good cheer does bring a certain increase in anxiety for many people. "Will John get along with my mother this year?" "The stores are all sold out of that toy junior had first ...

7. How Much Is Enough?

John 6:1-15

Illustration

John P. Jewell

According to the old saying, enough is enough. When you have enough of anything, it means you have an adequate supply. If it is money it means you have sufficient funds to pay the bills. If it is food, it means you have an ample amount for the number of people who are going to eat. If there is not enough of something, you could have trouble. Not enough money means you might have creditors hou...

8. Our Relationship with God

Mark 5:21-43

Illustration

John P. Jewell

One of the reasons people tend to see faith as a religion about God instead of a relationship with God is the sense that they are not worthy of the attention of an Almighty God. "My problems are too small for God to care about." or "With all the pain and suffering in this world, why would God care about me?" are a couple of ways people give expression to this sense of insignificance. The sense i...

9. Seeing the Good News

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

John P. Jewell

"All flesh shall see the salvation of God." What amazing words. The deepest sense of these words is that peace, harmony, health and healing will break out all over the world! "All flesh shall see.." means that every single human being on earth will see this come to pass. Sounds impossible doesn't it? This promise from the prophet Isaiah, brought to us in the gospel of Luke courtesy of John the...

10. Shame on You!

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

John P. Jewell

I was waiting my turn to see the emergency room doctor when a young mother came through the doors with her child, maybe three or four years old. The little girl was crying and the woman who, I took to be the child's mother, was holding a bloody handkerchief over the little girl's mouth. She looked around frantically for someone to help and rushed to the desk and said, "My daughter's been hurt and ...

11. Signs of the Times

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

John P. Jewell

In his award winning book, The Education of Little Tree, writer Forest Carter writes of life with his Cherokee grandparents. He tells of sitting with his grandfather watching the morning sun rise over a mountain one winter morning. "... we watched the mountain while we ate. The sun hit the top like an explosion, sending showers of glitter and sparkle into the air. The sparkling of the icy tree...

12. The Final Outcome Is Not in Doubt

Luke 18:1-8; Heb 11:1

Illustration

John P. Jewell

Here's a critical issue for living. The final outcome is not in doubt! Life is not like an NBA basketball game where victory hangs in the balance until the last second and the crowd sits on the edge of their seats waiting to see who will prevail. In God's universe, good will triumph! The right will prevail! Justice is certain! However, It is only with the eyes of faith we can see the outcome. ...

13. When God Comes with a Blessing

Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

John P. Jewell

With this fourth Sunday in Advent, we have arrived at the dawn of another Christmas Eve. It is almost mind boggling to realize that we stand at the beginning of the third millennium since the good news of God's blessing the world through the Christ child was proclaimed. Yet, the words of the angel Gabriel, Elizabeth and Mary continue to stir the hearts of Christian people around the world today a...

14. Worth a Thousand Points

Luke 18:9-14

Illustration

John P. Jewell

Perhaps you have heard the story of the man who came to the gates of heaven to be greeted by St. Peter. Peter asks the man if he can give a brief history of his life with an emphasis on the good deeds he had done in order to gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven. "You will need 1000 points to be admitted," Peter tells the man. "This will be a cinch," the man thinks to himself, "I've been invol...

Showing 1 to 14 of 14all results

Showing all results

1. All the Little Things

Matthew 22:34-46

Illustration

John P. Jewell

2. Being Graceful Salt

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

John P. Jewell

3. Bridges of Friendship

Matt 10: 24-39; John 20:21

Illustration

John P. Jewell

4. Defining Moments

John 20:1-18

Illustration

John P. Jewell

5. For God All Things Are Possible

Luke 3:1-6

Illustration

John P. Jewell

6. God's Anxiety Reduction Plan

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

John P. Jewell

7. How Much Is Enough?

John 6:1-15

Illustration

John P. Jewell

8. Our Relationship with God

Mark 5:21-43

Illustration

John P. Jewell

9. Seeing the Good News

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

John P. Jewell

10. Shame on You!

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

John P. Jewell

11. Signs of the Times

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

John P. Jewell

12. The Final Outcome Is Not in Doubt

Luke 18:1-8; Heb 11:1

Illustration

John P. Jewell

13. When God Comes with a Blessing

Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

John P. Jewell

14. Worth a Thousand Points

Luke 18:9-14

Illustration

John P. Jewell

Showing 1 to 14 of 14all results