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Sermon
Bill Bouknight
One of the lessons we learn from the world of sports is that victory is not always won by the biggest, the strongest, the fastest, or the most talented. Victory is won between the ears. Doing extraordinary things begins with extraordinary thinking. Did you notice the remarkable story a few months ago about Tony Brown, a high school student in Browning, Montana? Last year in a train accident, Tony ...
2. Out of Order
Mark 6:30-44
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Anyone here have redeye problems? If you have allergies, or if you like "weepies" (movies that make you cry), or if you cry easily, you have redeye problems. If you like a shot of espresso in your morning coffee, you order a redeye If you like two shots of espresso in your morning coffee (like I do), you order a black-eye. Anything more than two shots is a zombie, which is when you REALLY have a r...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
The church is the Body of Christ, and as such it has many organs. This week we consider how best the church can achieve a healthy balance between head, hand and heart. The Hopi Indians have a tradition that contrasts "head knowledge" with "heart knowledge - a tradition that respects the strengths of both ways of knowing. Western culture has been less equal handed, for while it has recognized...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
I had a church member once who displayed a bold sign in his Laundromat. On it were these words: “Everything I enjoy is illegal, immoral, or fattening." Food—we have a love affair with it. It is a source of temptation and cause for celebration. We can't get along without it. The Bible is full of it: Eve was tempted with an apple. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of pea soup. Heaven will be...
Sermon
George Reed
The Gospel Reading from Mark is a clear picture of the Christian life. In it, Jesus calls his disciples apart so that he and they can get away from the crowds who have been coming to him. They need a break, a time apart to be alone with Jesus and to refocus themselves on the work that lies before them. After a while, sooner than planned, the needs of the crowds again press in on them and they, and...
6. UpTime
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Downtime is uptime if it's God's time. It's been a long time now since we marked the celebration of Easter on the church's calendar. It's an even longer time until the seasons of Advent and Christmas return. It seems that the hot, humid days of summer are the time of year we set aside not only to get a break from school or take a vacation from our job, but also as a time when we take a little "ti...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
There is an old story about Albert Einstein. He was going around the country from university to university on the lecture circuit, giving lectures on his theory of relativity. He traveled by chauffer-driven limousine. One day, after they had been on the road for awhile, Einstein’s chauffeur said to him, “Dr. Einstein, I’ve heard you deliver that lecture on relativity so many times that I’ll bet t...
Sermon
R. Curtis Fussell
Every day at about 10:30 in the morning and then about 3:30 in the afternoon, I need a little snack to keep me going. A cookie or some pretzels, some quick and easy snack to get rid of a growling stomach; something to give me a boost so I can get my work done. If I go too long without some snack food, I get to feeling run down. I even become grumpy and irritable. Then I can't do my work because I'...
9. God’s Anthills
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Sermon
Kristin Borsgard Wee
Four years ago this week, I was walking through an African village in Namibia with my friend, Solveig Kjeseth. We stopped to look at a strange tower formed out of earth. It was about five feet high, crooked in shape, wide at the bottom and coming to a point at the top. I thought it looked like the top of a giant, rumpled witch's hat, only it was gray instead of black. Solveig informed me, much to ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Somewhere I read about a man who went to an auto auction. They were selling cars to benefit a certain charity. Vehicles in this auction were classified as either “Running” or “No Start.” On the auction block was a No Starter. It had a shattered windshield, two missing tires, a sagging front bumper, a cockeyed grill, a hood that was sprung up at an angle, and dings and dents all over the body. Bef...
11. Chaos and Solitude
Mark 6:30-44, 53-56
Sermon
Ron Lavin
Everywhere Jesus went, people flocked to him. They wanted what he was offering. They wanted inspiration. They wanted healing. They wanted God. Mark's gospel tells us that "so many people were coming and going they (Jesus and the apostles) did not even have a chance to eat" (Mark 6:31). That coming and going provided a chaotic atmosphere for Jesus' ministry. That chaos meant that even before Jesus ...
Sermon
James Weekley
Have you ever seen a shepherd in living color? Near our home in Southern California several years ago, we would occasionally observe this rare phenomenon on grassy hillslopes of the San Gabriel Mountains. The sheep looked the part, except their wool coat didn't have that washed-in-Tide appearance. The shepherd wore boots, blue jeans, and a Texas straw hat. With a two-way transistor radio strapped ...
Sermon
King Duncan
I hope you’re having a great summer. Some of you, no doubt, have visited or are planning to visit one of our nation’s beautiful national parks. Each year the Park Service receives suggestions from guests on how they might better serve people visiting those parks. Here are some actual suggestions and comments they have received. I’ll let you decide which of them have some merit. Here’s the first su...
Sermon
Charles R. Leary
Our son who has a two-engine plane took his wife and two children on a three day out-of-state trip during the Fourth of July week-end. I called, expecting to hear a relaxed voice. Instead, I heard a tense and anxious voice. I said, “How was your little trip?” “Oh, it was fine. The weather was good. [Weather is a primary concern to a pilot.] We saw the people we wanted to see. I took Dave and Jim o...
Sermon
Donald B. Strobe
I think Jesus would understand about vacations.  St. Mark gives us this interesting little parenthesis in the life of our Lord.  He says that Jesus knew the disciples’ need for rest.  He knew that we cannot be everlastingly at it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year.  Jesus knew that, and so, immediately after He sent forth His disciples on that first evangelistic mission, (a mission whi...
Sermon
King Duncan
Savanarola, the great Florentine preacher of the fifteenth century, one day saw an elderly woman worshipping at the statue of the Virgin Mary which stood in his city's great cathedral. On the following day, he noticed the same woman again on her knees before the Blessed Mother. With great interest, Savanarola observed that day after day, she came and did homage before the statue. "Look how she re...
17. Balancing Act
Mark 6:30-44
Sermon
King Duncan
A lady opened her refrigerator and saw a rabbit sitting on one of the shelves. "What are you doing in there?" she asked. The rabbit replied: "This refrigerator is a Westinghouse, isn't it?" To which the lady replied "Yes." "Well," the rabbit said, "I'm westing." I guess everybody needs a westinghouse. Everyone needs a quiet spot--a place that they can get away to recharge the batteries, to re...
Sermon
Leonard H. Budd
Two bits of the gospel story are put together for today's lectionary lesson from Mark. First (6:30-34), the disciples have been out in the neighborhood, teaching the words that Jesus had taught them and doing the good deeds that they had seen him do. You remember that, after his rejection in Nazareth, he commissioned his close followers to be his messengers to the world. Now they have returned to ...
Sermon
David G. Rogne
The Superintendent of Schools was having a bad year. Some contentious issues were being dealt with by the school board. One Sunday, during the coffee hour after church, I heard the Superintendent say in a particularly loud voice, "For crying out loud, it's my day of rest, too!" Someone had approached him about a concern in the school district, and he felt that there was no place he could go to get...
Sermon
King Duncan
Have you ever noticed that different people have different attitudes about work? I heard about a congregation who had the same pastor for many years. He resigned and they hired a new young pastor with new ideas about church leadership. The first suggestion he made to the church's ruling body was that they hire a part-time person to look after the church lawn. "I'll have you know, parson," said on...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
Today we’re beginning a series of sermons on coping - coping as a Christian. To cope is to “contend or struggle successfully.” Now I had some hesitancy about the use of the word cope in the title of this series. A lot of people are talking about coping. Being who I am, a Christian minister seeking to proclaim the word of God, I was not interested just in a series of self-help, psychological messa...
22. Soul Food
Luke 9:10-17, Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, John 6:1-15
Sermon
Lori Wagner
“I am the Bread of Life.” (John 6:35) Prop: a puppy or kitten; recipe for barley flat bread I have with me a little friend today [allow for the oohs and aahs]. Who would like to come and pet him? I know last Sunday was World Animal Sunday. But every Sunday should be World Animal Sunday, our pets are such an important part of our families. [No rushing, give people time … especially children to ...
Sermon
King Duncan
How many of you have a hard time taking a vacation? We all want a vacation. We all need a vacation. But do you have trouble finding the time for one? Do you have trouble leaving work back at the office when you go on vacation? Do you feel like your vacation is re-charging you or draining you? Futurist and author Faith Popcorn claims that, compared to the rest of the world, Americans suffer from a...
24. Missional Discontinuity
Mark 6:30-44, Mark 6:45-56
Sermon
Dean Feldmeyer
What is it with Americans and work? We work, on average, 1,836 hours a year, more than just about anyone else in the industrialized world, and we take less vacation. 42% of working Americans don’t take any vacation at all and, of those who do, 61% report that they were working when they should have been playing!1 Paid time off makes up, on average, 7% of an American workers’ compensation package...
Sermon
Lori Wagner
[Prop: Jewish Tallit with Tzitzit] The fashion industry has captivated people, both men and women, for centuries. If you look back in your history books, you’ll be amazed at some of the beautiful and stunning costumes that people wore in times past. In fact, in many museums, fashion has become a popular display –Medieval gowns, Knight’s armor, Viking attire, Victorian splendor. We marvel at the h...
Showing 1 to 25 of 29 results