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Sermon
Erskine White
Galatians 2:17-21 It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20) Have you ever noticed how some people go through life full of confidence and vigor, no matter what happens to them? When disaster strikes, they survive. When obstacles are placed in their path, they persevere. In the tumult of life's arena they are knocked down but never out, and they always have the interna...
Sermon
Johnny Dean
This sermon written after the Columbine Shooting incident. In the first semester of seminary, I remember one of my professors saying something like this: "During your ministry, there will be weeks when your cup overflows with joy and you feel a keen awareness of the presence of God. The sermon will not be quite as difficult to prepare then. In fact, there may even be times when it just seems to wr...
Sermon
Gordon Pratt Baker
The author of the Twenty-third Psalm is quite possibly an old man who has lived the better part of a lifetime. In his day he may have been a shepherd. But now the years have siphoned his stamina. So he sits and reminisces on what used to be. And as he does so he observes another shepherd silhouetted against the sky leading a flock to a greener pasture. Instinctively, the sight turns the poet’s min...
Sermon
Robert Allen
We were just completing our evening meal when the phone rang. The kids started laughing because the joke around our house is that we cannot sit down to eat without the phone ringing just once. Sometimes it is someone trying to sell us siding for the house ... or it’s a phone call for one of the kids ... or a phone call from someone just to chat. On this night, the call was to let me know that Bob ...
Sermon
Leonard H. Budd
The afternoon sun was waning as the shepherd boy, David, led his sheep down the well-worn path that led from the green pastures to the pool of still water where his flock would quench their thirst before heading back to the fold. He glanced back at the flock following him; then stopped and looked more closely. Where was Ayin, his big ram? One of the lambs was gone, too. The shepherd boy shaded his...
Sermon
David E. Leininger
"The Lord is my shepherd..." Probably as well-known and well-loved as any phrase of scripture: the twenty-third psalm. Generations have memorized it, in Sunday School or at the knee of parents or grandparents. It is one of the first Bible passages we learn, and, as often as we hear it funerals, it is among the last words said over us when we die. A wonderful affirmation of our faith in God's abili...
Sermon
Siegfried S. Johnson
L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, had finished the outline to his famous book, but he hadn't come up with the name of the enchanted land where Dorothy, the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion sought the help of the Wizard. As he gathered up his files, Baum's eyes fell upon a drawer in his filing cabinet marked, "O-Z." And thus he came up with a land called "Oz." There's nothing pecu...
Sermon
Eric Ritz
Today is the first Sunday in our summer schedule, and for the next seven Sundays when I am in the pulpit I want to focus on the timeless truths of what may be the most familiar and comforting passage in all of the Bible--the 23rd Psalm. I have often shared with other colleagues that it is so unfortunate that we only read and preach about this text at funeral services, which are most often off...
9. A Soul Restored
Psalm 23:1-6
Sermon
Eric Ritz
Today, we are continuing in our study of the 23rd Psalm, as we claim new insights from this trusted old friend of ours. Now, if you were with us these last two Sundays, you know that we have looked at the first two verses of this marvelous writing. I am going to give a quick review of what has been taught these past two weeks for those of you who have been absent or not listening very well. I...
Sermon
Eric Ritz
We are continuing in our study of the 23rd Psalm and we shall begin where we left off last Sunday. Now we examine the words, "In the Paths of Righteousness."  Righteousness is a good word. It is strong, clear and concise. Righteousness is a noun, therefore it is able to stand up in any room and say what it is! That is what nouns are, that is what nouns do. If you want definitions, nouns ca...
Sermon
Eric Ritz
We have been talking about moving through the valley of the shadow--and now we come to the phrase "of death, I will fear no evil." A colleague, Dr. John A. Huffman, Jr., believes the two greatest fears of life are the fear of dying and the fear of living. These two fears conveniently cover everything on our list. I''ve heard of a tombstone somewhere in the mid-West that reads as follows: Pau...
Sermon
Eric Ritz
Now, let us shift gears and travel on to the beginning of verse five: "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." A distinguished colleague wrote of the time he experienced such gracious hospitality when he stayed at the home of a friend. He wrote: "They received me into their lovely house, which the wife had labored all day to clean for my arrival. They ushered me into the...
Sermon
Eric Ritz
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (verse 6)  Today, we bring our study of this marvelous writing to its conclusion. The Psalmist has had us travel through life''s many experiences, and then leaves us with a great declaration and conclusion. I am glad it is there. I would like to share with you the rich mean...
Sermon
James Merritt
I have been preaching through the 23rd Psalm, and I have entitled this series of messages “Good Vibrations.” Good vibrations are important. Dr. Michael Jacobson cited a recent study in which patients were asked to recall various types of emotional experiences, while doctors monitored their physiological reactions. They were first asked to recall an argument in which they became very angry or frust...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
God has promised to turn our "thoughs" into "throughs." There is a story from the first century B.C. that may be apocryphal. The story took place when much of the world was unexplored, unknown and largely unmapped. Mapmakers had to have some way of portraying those areas of the earth that were as yet unexplored, so they symbolized these regions by dragons, monsters and large fish. The message was...
16. Wounding Love
Psalm 23:1-6
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
What do you think of clergy who lived through the bubonic plague and never addressed it pastorally with their people? We are precisely in that situation today with ministry in "the AIDS era" - the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic, perhaps the worst disaster to have befallen humanity since the Great Plague of 1347 to 1350, where close to one-third of the population perished. Mother Tere...
17. Close Enough For Comfort
Psalm 23:4, John 14:15-18
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
A little girl asked her father if he was afraid of the dark. He told her no. She asked if he was afraid of snakes. He said "No." The little girl asked if he was afraid of long, slimy worms. Her father again told her he wasn't afraid, not even of long, slimy worms. The girl thought for a moment and then concluded, "So, then, the only thing you're afraid of is Mom!" (1) We laugh but there are certa...
Sermon
James W. Moore
On Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed with devastating and amazing force into the Gulf Coast just east of New Orleans, Louisiana. With screaming, shrieking 175 MPH winds, Katrina smashed ashore and… - destroyed houses and buildings, - turned over cars, trucks and boats, - swamped Mississippi’s beachfront, - blew out windows in hospitals, hotels and high-rises in Alabama, Louisiana...
Sermon
James W. Moore
Jerry Eckles was one of those inspiring young people who just loved being at the church. He literally grew up at St. Luke's. Every time the church doors were open, he was here. Sunday School, youth fellowship, Pure Sound Youth Choir, acolyte practice, worship services, concerts, plays, Scouts, Vacation Bible School, missions trips, all-church events… whatever we were having or doing here at St. Lu...
20. Still Waters
Psalm 23:1-6
Sermon
Eric Ritz
I believe there is a beautiful, wholesome power in the second verse of the 23rd Psalm that will not let us go: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside still waters.  First, He maketh me lie down next to still waters. The words of the Psalmist suggest what is revealed in the creation story --that there is a need of regular rest and renewal in the make-up of human life. We ...
21. Shepherding And Parenting
Psalm 23:1-6, 1 Peter 2:13-25
Sermon
King Duncan
"A small child waits, thumb in mouth, doll in hand, with some impatience, the arrival home of a parent. She wishes to relate some small sandbox experience. She is excited to share the thrill she has known that day. The time comes, the parent arrives. Beaten down by the stresses of the workplace the parent so often says to the child, `Not now, honey, I'm busy, go watch television.' The most often s...
22. No Fear
Psalm 23:4
Sermon
James Merritt
Fear—we all know what it is. It is one of the most debilitating emotions known to the human race. As a matter of fact, it is fascinating to see just what it is that people fear most. Here are the three greatest fears people have in America: Fear number one: Going to a party where they will be surrounded by strangers. Fear number two: Having to speak before a crowd. Fear number three: Being asked a...
Sermon
James Merritt
They can make you, they can break you. They can put scars on your soul, or stars in your heart. A bad one can ruin a life forever, a good one can redeem a life forever. You will frequently rejoice over the good ones, and you will forever regret all the bad ones. What am I talking about? Decisions, decisions, decisions. They can make you bad, glad, or sad. I read about a man who had placed some fl...
Sermon
James Merritt
One of my favorite theologians was the late Irma Bombeck. She said something about worrying that I think we can all relate to. I’ve always worried a lot, and frankly I’m good at it. I worry about introducing people and going blank when I get to my mother. I worry about a shortage of ball bearings; a snake coming up through the kitchen drain. I worry about the world ending at midnight and getting ...
Sermon
James Merritt
Is there anyone here today dealing with stress? Just looking out, I see a lot of people who are all stressed up and no place to go. Stress is a problem. Believe it or not, this is a problem for the pastor. In a recent Los Angeles Times article, psychologist Richard Blackmon said, “Pastors are the single most occupationally frustrated group in America.” About 75% of pastors go through a period of ...
Showing 1 to 25 of 47 results