Community – Page 2 – Sermon Illustration Ideas

Chosen Family

Chosen Family, Community, Family, Found Family, The Family of God

In the last few years, the media has given attention to the notion of chosen family, with traditions such as Friendsgiving gaining momentum. Friendsgiving…

Diversity, Unity, and the Love of God

Community, Diversity, Family, God's Love, Love, The Body of Christ, The Family of God, Unity

We can demonstrate the love of God well when we act as an aggregate, a whole formed by collecting many parts into one group,…

Mourning Together

Community, Grief, Loss, Mourning, Pain

It is common for communities to gather together in mourning when there is a natural disaster or large-scale tragedy that leaves the community feeling…

Church Burnout

Burnout, Church, Church Body, Community, Grace, Limits, Stress, Tired

If you’ve ever experienced a broken bone or thrown-out back, or left your glasses at home, then you understand the challenges that come when…

Community Blessings

Blessing, Church, Community, Prayer

The Richmond Hill Community is an ecumenical retreat center in the city of Richmond, Virginia. From their beginning in 1987, they have believed that…

Community Garden

Community, Studying Scripture, The Bible, Working Together

Community gardens are plots of land dedicated to planting and cultivating fruits and vegetables. Often, these gardens are not set up in individual plots;…

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…

Salt, Light And Christmas Lights

Community, God's Kingdom, Light of the World, Loving Our Neighbor, Salt of the earth, Working Together

In the book, Fearing Bravely, McNiel illustrates Jesus’s intention for the kingdom by pointing to his own illustration: salt and light. Jesus claimed that…

Love Your Neighbor

Care, Community, Family, Love, Loving Our Neighbor, Neighbor

Writing for Plough magazine, Gerhard Lohfink claims that “the topic of love forneighbor is widely misunderstood.” He goes on to explain what it meant…

The Manchineel Tree

Community, Influence, Negative, Words

The Manchineel tree is the world’s most dangerous tree. Its fruit looks like a delicious apple, but it is thoroughly poisonous. It can cause…

Hiking

Christian Life, Christian Walk, Community, Walk

Hiking alone can be very dangerous for a number of reasons. Most of the dangers can be summed up with this: If you get…

Closing the Gaps

Community, Connection, Division, Unity

Artist Hunter Franks traveled across the country, intentionally designing interventions to help close gaps in racially and economically divided cities by sending postcards to…

Working in Unity

Community, The Church, Unity, Working Together

Throughout the many seasons of the television show Gilmore Girls, the small town of Stars Hollow (so small it doesn’t have a mayor) constantly…

Be Kind Rewind

Comfort, Community, Kindness, Working Together

Be Kind Rewind (directed by Michel Gondry [New Line Cinema, 2008])is the silly story of two clerks in a video rental store who accidentally…

An Outward-Facing Church

Community, Generosity, Ministry, Service

Immanuel Reformed Church in Paramount, California, is a large congregation that understands the full scope of what it means to be an outward-facing church….

A “Perfect” Community

Community, Evil, Fallen World, Jealousy, Sin

The movie The Village shows the struggle to create a “perfect” community in a fallen world (directed by M. Night Shyamalan [Touchstone Pictures, 2004])….

Farmers Helping Farmers

Community, Helping others, Outlook, Sacrifice, Working Together

Farmers are notorious for helping each other when times get tough. One North Dakota community of farmers helped one of their own after he…

Invitations

Community, Generosity, Invitation, Loving Others, Serving Others

Jesus says, “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” (14:13). Invite people, then, who normally are…

Enhancing Others’ Lives

Community, Kindness, Loving Others, Serving, Serving Others

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses two sensory-rich descriptions for the people who are his disciples. He states, “You are the salt…

Starter Pack

Christian Life, Christianity, Community, Conformity, Culture, Stereotype

Social media offered up some hilarious takes on a starter pack for whatever stereotype, trend, or subculture someone might identify with. Like the “hip…