Sermons & Worship (Page 47)

Romans 1:21-2:8 [Before I start, I want to tell the parents that this sermon is not G rated. I am going to be talking about the biblical references used by churches to condemn homosexuality and so my sermon will contain some material that you feel your children are not ready to hear. If you would like to take your younger children over to the Church Center, please feel free to do that now.] A few weeks ago, Georgia Representative Rick…

As promised, today is “Ask the Pastor Sunday” and one question that people have asked me many times over the years is, “How do you choose your sermon topics?”  The answer is that sometimes I follow the lectionary, a three year cycle of scripture readings that is used by many Catholic and Protestant churches around the world.  Sometimes, I choose a book of the Bible and preach a series on the stories and verses of that Bible.  Occasionally I preach…

II Corinthians 4:7-18 A New Yorker was driving through Texas on business when he collided with a truck carrying a horse.  A few weeks later when he returned home, he submitted a claim to his insurance agent to collect damages for his injuries. “How can you claim to have all these injuries now?” the insurance company lawyer asked. “According to the report made at the scene, you told the police that you weren’t hurt.” “Look,” replied the New Yorker, “I…

Acts 2:1-12, 37-39 A children’s Sunday School class was learning the Apostles’ Creed and three children had each been assigned a section to learn the previous week at home which they were to recite that week for the rest of the class.  When it was time for their recitation, the first child stood and dutifully said, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” The second child continued, “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son……

I Corinthians 15:12-14, 35-44 Many years ago, I read of a man who was a student of the great theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. The student said that he entered college as an atheist but eventually he came to so admire Niebuhr’s philosophy about social interactions, justice, and ethics that he converted to Christianity. “Without God,” the student said, “Niebuhr’s whole philosophy fell apart but his philosophy made so much sense of what was happening in society at that time that I…

I Corinthians 13-14:1 No matter how biblically illiterate a person might be, they have probably heard these words of Paul’s at some point in their lives, at least they have if they have attended enough weddings.  I Corinthians 13 is the passage of choice both for couples who honestly want to create a faith based ceremony, and also for couples who are including a scripture reading only because Great-Aunt Bertha will have a heart attack if there is no mention…

I Corinthians 1:10-31 I’d like to begin my sermon with an apology to all of the little people. Last week, I preached on a scripture passage that I referred to as coming from “Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians.” I was using biblical scholarly convention, but even as I used the phrase, “Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians,” I was aware that I was giving short shrift to two other men in the room at the time of the writing…

Acts 17:1-10; I Thessalonians 1:1-8 The apostle Paul was a contemporary of the disciples but he didn’t know Jesus personally. He was, in fact, initially opposed to the Christian movement and as a zealous Pharisee, he abhorred the message of the disciples and persecuted the young church. We don’t know exactly what Paul disliked about the gospel but since after his conversion, he writes about the scandal of the cross, we can assume that his objection was the same as…

Acts 1:6-14; Galatians 4:8-11, 19-20 Even in the sparse words of the gospel writers who were more interested in telling the story of Jesus than describing to us the psychological state of the disciples, we can still feel the terrible grief and confusion of the ones who were left behind after Jesus is gone. In Luke’s description of the ascension, Jesus is lifted into heaven to reign in glory, yet the triumph of Jesus doesn’t alter the fact that he…

Luke 24:13-35 It can happen as early as March 23 and it can occur as late as April 23 though usually it falls somewhere in between those two dates, but no matter how late or how early, we can be assured that year after year Easter will come. Year after year the horror of the crucifixion is followed by the announcement of the resurrection and we cry out with gladness, “He is risen. Jesus Christ is risen indeed!” If you’re…