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1. Forgiven!
John 12:1-11
Sermon
Lee Griess
On a recent religious talk show the hostess was interviewing a young woman who had just recently come to know Christ and had been received into the church. Until her recent conversion, she had lived on the wrong side of the tracks, lived in the fast lane, and teetered on the brink of destruction. So overwhelming was the sense of forgiveness that this young woman practically gushed with joy as s...
Sermon
Carl Jech
The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me. (John 12:8) Like me, I suppose, you have probably wondered about the popularity of such TV shows as "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," "Dallas," and "Dynasty." It would seem that our value systems have become much too materialistic. One wonders if any really serious attempts are being made to close the gap between the rich and the...
Sermon
Mark Trotter
I understand there is an organization in Colorado called, "Dare to Be Dull." I am not a joiner, but I think I may have found my people. Their mission statement reads, "We try to reach out to all other people out there who actually like jell-o and washing their own cars, but have been afraid to admit it." Actually I don't like jell-o. And I hate to wash my car. So I may be a wilder, crazier gu...
Sermon
R. Robert Cueni
This is the fifth and final Sunday in Lent. In today’s gospel reading, it is the Saturday night before a crowd lined the streets of Jerusalem to give Jesus a parade, throw palm branches in his path, and sing, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” (v. 13). In spite of that enthusiastic welcome, by the following Friday night, Jesus was in a grave. In the previous few weeks...
Sermon
James W. Moore
A few years ago Mark Trotter told a true story about a man in New York City who was kidnapped. His kidnappers called his wife and asked for $100,000 ransom. She talked them down to $30,000. The story had a happy ending: the man returned home unharmed, the money was recovered, and the kidnappers were caught and sent to jail. But, don’t you wonder what happened when the man got home and found that ...
Sermon
James W. Moore
You probably heard about this – it was in all the papers; it was in radio and television news reports; it was a “hot topic” on the call-in-talk shows. A minister in North Carolina had members of his church voted out of the church because they had voted for a Presidential Candidate different from the one he voted for and supported. In October last year (2004) he preached a sermon in which he told...
Sermon
Donald Charles Lacy
In our spiritual voyages, surprises — sometimes outlandishly — come to us. We scratch our heads and wonder if what we are experiencing is fact or fiction. It may or may not be a time of inspiration. However, it may be one of instruction, as we view it in retrospect. You and I are to remember that every occurrence may very well be a teaching event. Mary's act near the time of Jesus' crucifixion is...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
A group of men celebrated on and on in a sports bar. "Here's to 94," one of them toasted. "Hip-94-Hooray," another of them cheered. "Ninety-four, Ninety-four," "Ninety-four," they chanted in unison. The waitress could take the mystery no longer. When one of them left for the men's room, she intercepted him and asked, "Why the big deal about 94?" "It only took us 94 days to finish this puzzle we'...
Sermon
Donald B. Strobe
“But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ “ (John 12:4-6) You’ve got to admit that Judas had a point.  His was the voice of sweet reasonableness.  “Let’s not let ourselves get carried away,” he said, “Let’s not jump off the deep end.  This is wasteful extravagance...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
A little girl hugged her grandmother and said, "Mmmmm! You smell so wonderful, Grandmother! Is that Oil of Old Lady?" (1) Have you ever noticed how a particular smell or aroma can bring back memories. You smell something and before you know it your mind has taken you back to when you were a child. There's one aroma that immediately brings me back to boyhood and that's the aroma of chicken frying...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
Somewhere I read of an art show that featured a unique introduction. The entry area of the gallery featured what appeared at first to be four paintings. Actually the paintings were on mirrors and as you looked at each of them, it was your mirrored image that became dominant. It was an imaginative statement about the nature of art. It was an invitation to enter the paintings —— not to remain aloof ...
12. Be a Bethany
John 12:1-11
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
We never truly appreciate “home-grown,” or “home-style”,” “home-spun” or “down home” until “home” is in our rear view mirror. For college students, Mom’s meatloaf suddenly take on a whole new luster after a semester of college cafeteria food. A burger from McDonald’s, a Pizza Hut pie, or some KFC, tastes like heaven after an extended tour of duty in Afghanistan. It is the simple tastes, the simple...
Sermon
Frank Ramirez
Secretly I'm on Judas' side on this one. You probably don't want to admit it, but so are you. He points out that 300 days' salary had just been cracked open and wasted on Jesus. Well, not wasted. Yeah, wasted. Because once that expensive perfume was used it couldn't be used again. It was a limited, one time resource. Can you imagine the good that could have been done for the poor? Try to imagine w...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
Two strangers attended the same church for several Sundays. No one spoke to either one of them, so one lady decided, “I’ll give this church one more chance. If nobody speaks to me next Sunday I’ll never go again.” The other lady said, “I don’t like this ‘no speak’ situation in church. If no one speaks to me next Sunday, I’ll break the ice and speak to someone myself.” The next Sunday the ushers ha...
Sermon
Frank G. Honeycutt
"Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" Well, it's not a bad question. Judas may have been a thief and informant, he may have embezzled money from the common purse occasionally, he may have had other motives besides the high moral road he seems to project, and he probably really didn't give a fig for the poor. But isn't he basically right? Couldn'...
16. Time Out
John 12:1-11
Sermon
Robert Beringer
A woman who worked in a high level job for a major corporation experienced a grueling schedule and a lot of pressure. So when she was offered the opportunity to attend a stress reduction seminar, she quickly accepted. However, she soon realized the seminar might not be as helpful as she first thought. The instructor arrived late, out of breath, and announced, "In order to accommodate everyone's bu...
17. The Olfactory Sense of Prayer
Exodus 30:34-38, Exodus 30:22-33, John 12:1-11
Sermon
Lori Wagner
“Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all God’s people on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” Revelation 8:3 Props: Several strong-smelling ingredients (such as onion, garlic, cilantro, horseradi...
18. Lazarus Rising
John 11:1-16, John 11:17-37, John 11:38-44, John 11:45-57, John 12:1-11, John 12:12-19
Sermon
Lori Wagner
“Come out of the ark!” (Genesis 8:16) I saw a movie awhile back, “The Nice Guys.” Anyone see it? It stuck with me, because it was so disturbing. The plot went like this. A young girl is trying to assist in making a secret film that will uncover a criminal plot to allow an auto industry to sell an illegal converter that will damage and desecrate the environment. The girl is located by detectives,...
Sermon
Schuyler Rhodes
Have you ever been in a situation where you have said something that got totally misunderstood? I remember once some years ago there was a horrible fire in a church in the community where I was serving. This fire burned the centuries old church to the ground. It was a beautiful example of older architecture and the people of the congregation loved the place. The truth, though, was that the congreg...
Sermon
Lori Wagner
What does death smell like? I’m guessing that many of you might say flowers. But not just any flowers. Heavily fragrant flowers. Dozens and dozens of them. Huge floral arrangements freshly plucked and designed to impress ooze that honeysuckle smell that masks the decomposition of the body. These aren’t light, wisps of perfume but a pungent, aromatic, overwhelmingly oppressive scent that chokes our...
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