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John 3:14-21

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

There was a game show on television. Some of you may remember the 1970’s remake of it, and a few may even remember the original from the early 1950’s. It was one of those shows that keeps cycling back into our lives in different formats. Today, iTunes even has a version of the game. It is called “Name That Tune.” The rules were simple, the host would play a few notes from a popular song and the co...

2. An Encounter with Jesus

John 12:20-33

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

“We Would See Jesus” has been the title of books, songs, and most likely hundreds of sermons. It is a great phrase loaded with dozens of directions that a preacher can go with a sermon. It is a temptation for any preacher to take the phrase where he wants it to go but the truth is that staying inside this story, without leaping in countless directions is the very best way to teach and understand w...

3. And That’s All I Need To Know

John 10:11-18

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

As many Sunday school teachers do, Miss Johnson pulled together her young students so they could prepare to memorize Psalm 23. She approached the pastor wanting to have the students present their memory work to the whole congregation on Sunday morning a month from that date. Little Bobby was initially excited about the memorization and being able to recite his part before the church. He wanted to...

4. As You Sent Me, Then I Send Them

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

In our gospel reading today, Jesus is praying for his disciples. We find that he is broadening the meaning and scope of the title disciple. It not only included those who surrounded him at that moment, and the many who believed in him but it appears to refer to all those who are beyond the Jews. The passage seems to refer to all believers of that time and the future. In other words, even us. He p...

5. Beginning the Lenten Journey

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

I read of a pastor, who confessedly tells that he is not the neatest person in the world, but discovered his daughter was on the way to becoming an even messier housekeeper than he. His approach was always to come at a problem not only with both self-confession and identification but with a bit of humor. When she came home from school one day, he caught her as she walked in the door and said, “I h...

6. Did I Say That Out Loud?

Mark 8:31-38; 9:2-9

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

Have you ever been in a situation where you don’t know what to say? Many people have. It is hard to imagine that a pastor would ever be in that position. But all of us have faced it, experienced it, and remember that moment. Maybe it was something unbelievable and there you stood with your mouth wide open then suddenly you say something. Yes, you say something incredibly dumb. Been there—done that...

7. Don't Fall

Luke 22:39-46

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

After New Year’s Day an office worker decided to go on a diet. She did fairly well for about a week then she started to think about her one guilty pleasure. It was a cream filled donut from a certain bakery she passed on the way to work. For years she had stopped there regularly to get coffee and a cream filled donut. Not every day but a few times a week. On this one particular morning as she was ...

8. Get the Picture?

John 18:1; 19:42

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

Each one of us is either a mother, a brother, a sister, a father, or a friend to someone. We have all felt the loss when a relationship or a relation passes from this life to the next. We know the pain, the depression and grief of that loss. (You may wish to insert a personal loss here.) I know and you know it. Try to imagine the pain of Mary, Jesus’ mother; Peter, his disciple; John, a faithful ...

9. How Does Your Garden Grow?

John 15:1-8

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

Our scripture reading from the gospel of John tells of Jesus teaching his disciples about remaining connected to him in order to grow strong in their Christian lives. He used an illustration that people of his day would have understood easily. Grapevines were readily handy and they were most likely grown by most homes as a source of food and drink. The disciples, who were once boys, would have ten...

10. I Doubt It!

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

(This sermon requires previous set-up for the opening. The writer suggests a male member of the congregation is prepared ahead of time to call the pastor on his cell phone. They should follow the script below.) This morning will be a little different. I am expecting a call from a well-known person. I am taking the call during the service and will put it on speaker phone so everyone can hear. You’...

11. It’s Sunday…But Friday’s Comin’

Mark 11:1-11 · John 12:12-16

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

As a pastor and a preacher I’ve developed my own top ten of messages I’ve heard preached by other men and women. One of my favorites is Tony Campolo’s “Its Friday…But Sunday’s Comin.’” Dr. Campolo told the story of a little preaching competition that he had with his pastor during services at the church where he attended. Dr. Campolo told how he preached the perfect sermon, perfect in every way. He...

12. Love Is a Verb

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

Most of you may not remember Art Linkletter on television but he always had a section on his show titled “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” There is something so very honest and innocent about their views on the world’s toughest subjects. Following Linkletter’s example, a group of professionals gathered and asked a group of four- to eight-year-olds “What does love mean?” Here are some of their answer...

13. Profiles In Joy

John 20:1-18 · Mark 16:1-8

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

Little Philip, born with Down’s syndrome, attended a third-grade Sunday school class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences, according to an article in Leadership magazine. But because of a creative teacher, they began to care about Philip and accept him as part of the group, though not fully. The Sunday afte...

14. Tearing The Sky To Get To You

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

No one in the growing crowd saw anything out of the ordinary. Not even those standing a few feet away from John heard the voice. Not a single person felt the ripping of the air above their heads. Only one person saw it. Only one person heard it. Only one person felt the sky rip apart. Even without witnesses we know the account was absolutely true. We know it occurred because the one who told about...

15. The Road to the Passover

John 2:13-22

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

It was Samuel’s twelfth birthday and for the first time in his life, he would accompany his Father Lemuel to the Passover in Jerusalem. Every Jewish male from twelve years on was to make the pilgrimage to the Holy City and to the temple to make their Passover sacrifice. It was a long journey so Lemuel traveled it without his family - until this year. Samuel was twelve and had to accompany his fat...

16. Wash All of Me

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

“Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right.” This anonymous quote cuts to the center of our Maundy Thursday lesson. Jesus had been teaching the disciples about humility inside the kingdom of God. That was a lesson they had struggled with. After all their time together, you may remember, the brothers James and John had come to him and asked that Jesus do for the...

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