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Sermon
Richard Patt
Maybe you've heard the humorous story about the pastor who was having difficulty with his assigned parking space on the church parking lot. People parked in his spot whenever they pleased, even though there was a sign that clearly said, "This space reserved." He thought the sign needed to be more clear, so he had a different sign made, which read, "Reserved for Pastor Only." Still people ignored i...
2. Hold Your Peace
Luke 14:1-14
Sermon
John G. Lynn
Taylor Caldwell, in her book about Luke, Dear and Glorious Physician, tells how the gospel writer as a young boy sat near the window of his girlfriend, the daughter of a Roman tribune. Luke, in the story, a freed slave's son, really had no business in the courtyard of the tribune, no matter how he felt about his daughter. As he stood there, leaning on a fountain in the courtyard, gazing toward the...
3. Table Manners
Luke 14:1-14
Sermon
Alex Gondola
Ethel Barrymore, the great stage and screen actress, was a stickler for good manners. She once invited a younger actress to a dinner party at her home. But the young lady never appeared. She didn't even bother to offer an excuse or make an apology. She just didn't show up. Several days later Ethel Barrymore and the young lady met by chance at a museum. Embarrassed, the younger actress began, "Mis...
Sermon
Alex Gondola
Imagine this situation, if you will: a husband comes home from work on a Friday night, say the Friday of Labor Day weekend. And as he drives into the driveway, he sees that there is a rented tent in the back yard. Under the tent are tables and chairs for about forty people. A bandstand and dance floor are assembled in one corner of the tent. Paper lanterns are hanging all around. Now mind you, non...
Sermon
Alex Gondola
When I prepare a sermon, I usually begin by reading the assigned Bible passage for that day, often in several translations. Then I free associate, writing down, as fast as I can, my thoughts about the passage as they come. Next I consult commentaries, the writings of learned Bible scholars, about the verses in question. I did all those things as groundwork for today's sermon. But, I also consulted...
Sermon
W. Robert McClelland
This parable of Jesus is often treated as a call for humility. When invited out for dinner, stand aside and let others be seated first. If that is its purpose it seems to be much ado about very little. But to interpret his words as a teaching on self effacement is to miss the point of the parable. Jesus told parables to describe the kingdom of God not to give lessons in social etiquette. Here, Jes...
Sermon
Steven Burt
Not long ago I met with a student pastor whom I was supervising. He was serving a church in a nearby town. In our conversation we got to talking about who ought to be allowed to come up to the rail for Communion. It seems he had gotten into a disagreement with another pastor in that same town. The other pastor said that no children should be allowed to receive Communion. The pastor I supervised th...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Jesus expects us to open our homes and hearts to people who are not on the "A-list." Ever notice how the first thing you do after getting a new haircut is go fishing? Not with a rod and reel, but with words? You might be able to get what you're after with just a single cast. You look your spouse in the eye and ask, "Well?" Less baitable mates might have to be lured along a bit further: "Oh,...
9. A Poor Banquet
Luke 14:1, 7-14
Sermon
George Reed
At first glance the advice Jesus gave on taking a spot at a banquet seemed to just be common sense. Society was very regimented and social standing was incredibly important. One who was more “important” than another person would receive a better seat at a banquet. Class A celebrities got to sit closer to the host than class B celebrities. Even if the celebrity status was based on the number of she...
10. Great Feast or Sad Fast
Luke 14:1-14, Luke 14:15-24
Sermon
Eric Ritz
As we open God''s word from Luke 14, we find that a grand invitation has been extended by a king to invite persons to a delicious and festive banquet. Our God is a God who invites. One of the things that we notice about this parable is that it instructs us in what gets us into the kingdom and what keeps us out. The kingdom of God or the reign of God is often compared to a grand feast rather than...
Sermon
Eric Ritz
Once, while in New York City, I had the opportunity to see the movie "Babette''s Feast," which I liked so much that I bought the video version of it. As I viewed the film, I knew someday it would help form the foundation of a Holy Communion Meditation. As I viewed the film, my mind immediately made connections to the well-known passage of scripture written by Dr. Luke that we just read in our wors...
Sermon
King Duncan
Edward Bowen tells about a minister in Scotland who was concerned that so many stray dogs were being put to sleep. So she invented a new breed of dog, complete with registration papers. She didn’t want any dogs tospend their lives being called mongrels. She determined that her puppies would be the first in a new breed, a breed she called the Newtonmore Haggishound. She now offers membership in tha...
Sermon
King Duncan
Series: Jesus said . . . What? Outrageous Teachings, No. 1 Michael Yaconelli, in his book, Dangerous Wonder: The Adventure of Childlike Faith, says that the most critical issue facing Christians is not abortion, pornography, the disintegration of the family, moral relativity, MTV, drugs, racism, sexuality, or school prayer. The critical issue today, says Yaconelli, is dullness. We have lost our a...
Sermon
King Duncan
Some of you of a certain age may remember when Journalist Howard K. Smith was the co-anchor of the ABC Evening News along with Barbara Walters. Anyone remember her? In his post as a network news analyst Smith had the opportunity to interview some of our society’s most fascinating people as well as various Presidents.  Yet in spite of having a job that most of us would consider high status, he comp...
Sermon
King Duncan
A science fiction story is told about a planet which earth was attempting to colonize. This was a harsh planet with terrible weather and hostile inhabitants. Earth’s best men and women were gathered into teams and sent to do the job. Expedition after expedition came home broken, each one having failed. Finally a new manager was charged with the responsibility of making the colonization work. But ...
Sermon
King Duncan
We all want to be recognized, appreciated, made to feel important. We all want to be somebody. A banker was visiting a customer's farm. He nodded to a figure in the farmyard. "I suppose that's the hired man," he said. The farmer replied, "Naw, that's the first vice president in charge of cows." All of us what to be recognized.  All of us want to believe we are important. Alex Haley, the author of...
Sermon
King Duncan
Isn't it refreshing when people in the spotlight don't take themselves too seriously? One Democratic Senator told colleagues he took a "polygraph" test to find out what the lie-detector fuss is all about. But this silver-haired and flamboyant orator reported he flunked the test when he started a sentence with: "In my humble opinion...." Shortly after Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska announced his a...
Sermon
King Duncan
Thomas Wheeler, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, told a good story on himself. He said that while he and his wife were out driving he noticed they were low on gas. So he pulled off at the first exit and came to this dumpy little gas station with one pump. There was only one man working the place, so he asked the man to fill it up while he check...
Sermon
One sabbath when he went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him. Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, "When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; and he who invited you both ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
August is county fair time. Hooray! Who doesn’t like a county fair? Yes, we are sophisticated, urbane, high-tech people. But there is something about a good old-fashioned county fair that is like catnip. County fairs still draw us to our local fairgrounds like cotton candy draws us to paper cones. Who can resist taking just one ride on the Ferris wheel? Who can resist eating deep-fried somethin...
Sermon
King Duncan
Jesus was a master psychologist. He knew that all of us crave recognition. He knew that the desire for status is an innate part of the human condition. Most of us don’t want to simply keep up with the Jones we want to be slightly ahead of the Jones, the Smiths and everyone else on the block. There is a popular joke about a fellow named Pat who always wanted a telephone in his car. Finally he got ...
Sermon
Eric Ritz
The Academy Award winning movie, BABETTE'S FEAST, is based on a book by Isak Dinesen. Dineson wrote the book on which the movie, OUT OF AFRICA, was based. In BABETTE'S FEAST the author very creatively weaves the story of Phillipa and Martina, two daughters of a well-known Lutheran pastor in a village in the north of Denmark in the late 1870s. Their father's very rigid and strict religious discipl...
Sermon
Years ago I was a director of alcohol and drug programs in a neighboring county. Sadly, I developed a new addiction. I'll put it as honestly as I can ... I became hooked on self-help books, tapes, and videos, especially those that promised if I followed their ten simple steps I would rise to the top of my field. I practiced thinking and growing rich and I studied the magic of thinking big. You nam...
24. Only the Lonely
Luke 14:1, 7-14
Sermon
Ron Lavin
There are three words I hope you will take home from church today. The words are "Only The Lonely." As you think about these words, the assurances of God's Word will comfort and strengthen you. But I'm getting ahead of my story. Before we get to these three words, we need to look at the full text of Luke 14:1, 7-14. That involves looking at three other words: humility, hospitality, and hope. Humi...
Sermon
R. Robert Cueni
Luke opens the fourteenth chapter by telling us that Jesus "was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath," and that "they were watching him closely." Notice four important details in this one verse. First, notice that Jesus is a guest at a dinner party. Important things happen when people gather for dinner. Table talk provides a forum for friends and families t...
Showing 1 to 25 of 39 results