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1. Pathway To God's Kingdom
Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34
Sermon
Leonard H. Budd
Jacob knew nothing of the geography that stretched beyond his farmland to the Great Sea. He did not even know that a Great Sea existed out there, westward beyond his land. He had never been further than half a day's journey from the collection of 15 stone houses that formed his village. Nor did he know anyone who had been further away than those eight or 10 miles. Nor did anyone in his village thi...
Sermon
King Duncan
Today we honor our fathers. And that's good. Dads don't get much respect nowadays.  A doting father used to sing his little children to sleep. He even learned a few lullabies to lend some variety to the task. This was something he could do at night to help his wife out. And he kept up this task until one night he overheard his four-year-old give her younger sibling this advice, "If you pretend you...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
Steve Morrison tells a story about a friend of his who likes to read fairy tales to his two young sons at night. This friend has great sense of humor and often times ad-libs parts of the stories just for fun. One day his youngest son was sitting in his first grade class as the teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs. She came to the part of the story where the first pig was trying t...
4. Hamburgers Don't Grow on Trees
Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34
Sermon
King Duncan
A father tells of taking his four-year-old son, Josh, out to McDonald’s for dinner one evening for a “guys’ night out.” As they were eating their hamburgers, Josh asked, “Daddy, what are these little things on the hamburger buns?” Dad explained that they were tiny seeds and that they were OK to eat. Josh was quiet for a couple of minutes and his Dad could tell Josh was in deep thought. Finally, ...
5. Whoever Would Have Thought?
Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34
Sermon
King Duncan
There comes a time in everyone's life when they are just about at wit's end. Teachers have certainly experienced this. Helen Mrosla remembers teaching a ninth grade class "new math" a number of years ago. Her students were working hard, but she could tell that they just didn't understand the new concepts. And they were growing more frustrated and edgy with each passing class. Then one Friday after...
6. Celebrating the Marvel of Growth
Mark 4:30-34, Mark 4:26-29
Sermon
Charles R. Leary
‘Tis the season to plant seeds, garden seeds, love seeds, fun seeds, study seeds, health seeds, spirit seeds, all kinds of seeds. ‘Tis the season to celebrate the marvel of growth Ñ growth in our gardens, growth in our minds, growth in our bodies, growth in our emotions, growth in our spirits. We are celebrating the invisible system of growth that God has programmed into all creation.1 In this sea...
7. How To Plant An English Garden
Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34
Sermon
William G. Carter
A service club gathers for lunch each week in a nearby hotel. After lunch and a little business, someone from the group usually introduces a speaker. Club members rarely know in advance what the program will be. They may hear from a Mexican exchange student, a tax attorney, or a team of skydivers. They discover the topic when they arrive. Anticipation was high when one speaker arrived with a carou...
8. It's Happening!
Mark 4:30-34, Mark 4:26-29
Sermon
David G. Rogne
In an effort to stimulate their thoughts about the nature of God, I invited a group of teenagers to join me in watching the movie, Oh, God! In the course of the movie, God, in the person of George Burns, has prevailed on Jerry, the assistant manager of a supermarket, played by John Denver, to carry God's message to the world. Toward the end of the film, Jerry is lamenting to God that nobody seems ...
9. The Parables About Response
Mark 4:30-34, Mark 4:26-29
Sermon
Ron Lavin
The kingdom of God is described in many different ways in the Bible. In Mark 4, the kingdom of God is described in terms of small seeds quietly planted by a farmer. The seeds can grow to great size, like a mustard plant which in ancient Israel became one of the largest of bushes. Small beginnings can have great endings. Before looking further at this slow but potentially great growth in Mark 4:26...
Sermon
Ron Lavin
Most of us have planted a garden or lived on or near a farm. In my case, I grew up in Chicago where they have to put cows in zoos because so many city people are shielded from agricultural life and would never otherwise get to see one. But for eleven years I served as the pastor of a church in the agriculturally-oriented community of Davenport, Iowa. Davenport is located in Scott County which is M...
Sermon
King Duncan
I have a question for our retirees this morning. Did you pick up any new hobbies when you retired from your job? Most people I know say they are busier in retirement than they were in their working years, so taking up a new hobby may be difficult. So, let me ask our non-retirees, what hobby do you hope to adopt in your retirement years? I ask this because I was inspired by reading about a retired...
Sermon
Dean Feldmeyer
The kingdom of God is a pretty big deal in the Bible. In the New Testament alone it is mentioned 72 times. In the gospels, it’s the subject Jesus talks about more than any other. (The second-place winner is money.) And yet, despite the fact that Jesus talks about it a great deal, we Christians tend to be rather unclear about what exactly is meant by this four word phrase: The kingdom of God. Th...
Sermon
Lori Wagner
An old story tells of two men climbing a mountain. The one promises the other, who is feeling down and depressed, that it will be worth the effort. Looking forward to the amazing destination, the latter climbs with his friend as they talk and spend time together. When they reach the top, the second man looks around wondering what all the fuss was about. The view is great, but nothing spectacular i...
Sermon
Lori Wagner
[Optional beginning: Have the congregation share about the men who have left an imprint on their lives. Fathers, dads, also learn from their children. What have you learned? We all live in covenant together, and a covenant relationship is one in which we all learn, grow, and take responsibility for a role.] Do you believe in miracles? How do you define a miracle? Sometimes, in our culture, we’ve c...
Sermon
David Coffin
An older man in his early sixties of age has been working for his company for over 25 years. He attended college and later went back for a master’s degree so he could better serve his employer. He has earned his own office due to his hard work. While he is not a regular church worshiper, he does practice the Christian work ethic he learned earlier in life regarding working hard today for a better ...
Sermon
James Weekley
"What is God up to now?" he wondered. "Are you serious, Lord? Did I hear you correctly? You say you want me to withdraw my money from the bank, stop my newspaper, pull up stakes, leave the friends I have grown up with, and move to a somewhere land which has no name?" God did not even give Abraham an Exxon road atlas and a U-Haul trailer. All that he had to go with was faith. "Now I want to see tho...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Every book on change says the same thing. Change has changed. Change is no longer incremental. Change is exponential. Here is what no one will tell you: change is not just incremental, or exponential. Change is infinitesimal. So you gained a pound or two this year. It happens. Then it happens again next year. And the next year. Suddenly a decade has passed and you realize that “a pound or two” h...
Sermon
King Duncan
I understand President Ronald Reagan used to tell story about a very timid little man who ventured into a biker bar. The little man cleared his throat nervously and asked, “Which of you gentlemen owns a black Pit Bull which is chained outside to a parking meter?” A giant of a man, wearing biker gear, turned slowly on his stool, looked down at the quivering little man and snarled, “It’s my dog. Wh...
Sermon
Kristin Borsgard Wee
Several years ago, it was the week before Father's Day and the children and I were looking for a gift for their dad. As we strolled through the men's section of a department store our eyes spotted the perfect gift at the same moment. It was a bright, splashy Hawaiian style shirt with matching shorts. We giggled as we purchased it because Dan is a pretty conservative dresser. As I was handing the m...
Sermon
Ron Lavin
Have you ever suffered from "sophomoritis"? It's not a physical disease, like arthritis. It's a spiritual disease many college sophomores get when they get filled up with knowledge, come home on a vacation, and act like they know more than the folks around whom they grew up, especially their parents and younger siblings. That happened to a young man named Adam. He was studying to be an engineer at...
21. Parable Power
Mark 4:26-34
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Each one of us is in the midst of writing our own gospel our own Good News story. Have you ever tried to retell a funny story or joke that previously split your sides only to see it fall flat as a pancake the second time around? The same setup, the same characters, the same punch line that left yesterday's lunch crowd holding their sides and wiping their eyes, leave today's prayer breakfast yawni...
Sermon
King Duncan
A man was out on the golf course. He spotted another man who seemingly had four caddies. “Why so many caddies?” the first man asked the second. The second golfer replied, “It’s my wife’s idea. She thinks I should spend more time with the kids.” Well, that’s one way of doing it. I suspect he’s the same Dad who was asked by his wife when they brought home their first baby to help with changing dia...
Sermon
King Duncan
Mackie Shilstone is 5'8" and weighs only 137 pounds, but he trains some of the largest professional athletes in the countryfor example, pro basketball player Ralph Sampson, St. Louis shortstop Ozzie Smith, Will Clark of the Giants, Billy Hobbley of the Harlem Globetrotters.  Mackie is not content just to train athletes physically. He wants to help change their lifestyles and ways of thinking as we...
Showing 1 to 23 of 23 results