Sermons & Worship (Page 48)

Psalm 42:1-8 There is a story told of a small town that had traditionally been a dry town until one year a local businessman decided to build a tavern.  As you can imagine, this caused quite a bit of controversy but eventually, the businessman garnered enough support that he was able to get zoning clearance and he began building the new bar.  In protest, one of the local churches held an all-night prayer vigil and dozens of church members called…

Psalm 37:1-9 “Poor, foster kid, Black, immigrant, cancer patient, small, Muslim….”This is the opening of a commercial that has been running during the Olympics which ends with Serena Williams staring into the camera and defiantly stating, “The only label that matters is Olympian,” followed by the tagline, “Mini [Cooper] salutes US Olympians who defy labels.” In commentary, advertising, and newspaper coverage, the US Olympic team is being celebrated as representative of the diversity of the United States and as an…

Romans 16:1-16 Paul was in the city of Corinth, thinking, as always, of the things he wanted to do and the places he wanted to go next. He needed to go back to Jerusalem to deliver an offering he had been collecting for some of the poorer churches but after that he dreamed of going to Spain, of taking the gospel to the farthest reaches of his world, and on his way, he thought he would try to visit the…

Romans 12:1-2 A woman conducting a stress management seminar began her opening session by holding up a glass of water and asking people to guess how heavy it was. People called out answers ranging from 8 ounces to 20 ounces. The woman told her audience, “What you have all guessed is the glass’s weight but I asked you how heavy the glass is. The absolute weight doesn’t really matter — what really matters is how long I hold it.  If I…

Romans 7:14-8:4 You know what the problem with sin is?  It’s fun.  I mean, if sin weren’t at least a bit enjoyable, no one would have to warn us against it.  No one ever had to tell their child, “Now be careful that you don’t eat too many Brussel sprouts or you’ll spoil your dessert,” because whoever heard of anyone wanting to make themselves sick on Brussel sprouts?  Brussel sprouts are good for you and they taste like they are…

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…