Sermon Illustrations

“Christ Has No Hands But Ours”

Christ Followers, Church Body, Hands and Feet, Imperfect People, Jesus

“After WW II German students volunteered to help rebuild a European church that had been destroyed by bombs. As the work progressed, debate broke…

Rage Cleaning

Anxiety, Jesus' Teaching, Martha, Mary, Mary and Martha, Priorities, Stress

The following blog post is a tongue-in-cheek explanation of rage cleaning, and while we aren’t sure Martha is in fact “rage cleaning” while Mary…

Feeling Inadequate By Comparison

Comparison, God's Righteousness, Inadequacy, Relationships, Righteousness

In the sitcom The Good Place, Tahani Al-Jamil is beautiful, intelligent, a wonderful hostess, and a philanthropist with connections to many celebrities. However, she…

God Calls Us To Care

Indifference, Loving Others, Lukewarm, Relationship with God, Relationships, Taking care of others

In her song, “I Forgot That You Existed,” Taylor Swift takes the listener through getting over someone who did them wrong: “It isn’t love,…

“Happy In The Midst Of Dangers And Inconveniences”

Danger, God's Presence, Inconvenience, Life in Christ, Love, Love One Another, Trials, Tribulation

In his autobiography, Daniel Boone wrote about his explorations of the Kentucky wilderness. As he remembered fondly the nights of constant wolf howls and…

Growing Spiritually Through Easy And Tough Times

God's Plan, Hard times, Seasons, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Life, Spiritual Maturity, Uncomfortable

Our spiritual life endures different seasons. Some feel like hard work, and some seem simple and sweet. Those hard, uncomfortable times often bring the…

God’s Kingdom Looks Different

Different, Ethics, God's Kingdom, Jesus Followers, Living Different, Matthew 5:1-12, The Beatitudes

The Beatitudes teach us that God’s kingdom looks different from the world’skingdom. One way to illustrate is with nontearable paper. By giving nontearablepaper to…

Christ, The Focal Point

Christ-Centered, Endurance, Focal Point, Gospel, Hope Of the World, Son of God

In the world of image making (paintings, photography, etc.), focal points are necessary for successfully communicating the desire of the artist or photographer. “A…

Listen And Apply Their Knowledge

Apply Knowledge, Knowledge, Learning, Listening, Proverbs, Wisdom

Walk into a local breakfast diner any day of the week, and you’re likely to find a group of retired men or women having…

God Keeps His Promises

In Titanic (directed by James Cameron [Paramount Pictures, 1997]), Rose tells Jack, “I’ll never let go, Jack… I’ll never let go. I promise.” When…

Despair Into Hope

Agapé, Despair, Future Hope, God's Love, Hope, Salvation

In movies and literature, the main characters often face dark times and difficult circumstances. When the situation seems hopeless, something happens to turn their…

Forgiving Enemies, Becoming Friends

Christ's Example, Enemies, Forgiveness, Friends, Friendship, Healing, Love, Prayer

After a twenty-four-hour shift, firefighter and EMT Matt Swatzell fell asleep at the wheel, crashing into another vehicle. As a result, June Fitzgerald was…

Christ Cleanses Us From Sin

Baptism, Cleanse, Demonstrate, Forgiveness, Jesus Christ, Sin, Washed Clean

The attached link includes a “scientific” object lesson, using a basic chemical reaction to demonstrate how Christ heals us of our sin. Combining a…

All Sins Washed Away

Baptism, Cross, Forgiveness, Grace, Healing, Purity, Salvation, Washed Clean

Marilynne Robinson’s novel Lila follows the story of a young woman—a drifter from birth, without home or family—who finds hope in the church and…

Writing Comforting Words

Comfort, Community, Follow-through, Praying, Words

In 2020, the sale of sympathy cards was at an all-time high because of the COVID-19 pandemic, even leading to shortages in stores. One…

A Sacrificial Act On Behalf Of Another

Christ's Sacrifice, Jesus' Death, Love, Self-Sacrifice, Selflessness

In the novel The Hunger Games, the nation of Panem has a Capitol that rules over twelve districts. Every year a lottery is held…

Freedom From Condemnation

Condemnation, Forgiveness, Freedom, Gospel, Grace, Kindness, Second Chances, Sin

An illustration of our freedom from condemnation can be seen in the novel Do We Not Bleed? In that novel, the character Jon Mote…

Lighthouse Keepers

Discipleship, Knowing God, Light of the World, Sharing the Gospel

This story of lighthouse keepers illustrates both the importance of lighting the way for people in the dark and preserving God’s good creation. A…

Love Overcomes

Forgiveness, Forgiving Others, Journey, Love, Loving Others, Loving Our Neighbor, Peace, Truth

NPR interviewed Koko Kondo, a woman who was just eight months old when the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on her city, Hiroshima….

Caring For Strangers

Caring for Others, Loving Others, Loving Our Neighbor, Self-Sacrifice

Folk tales throughout the ages have been told to express the sacred human duty of caring sacrificially for strangers. In these tales, a god,…

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