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Quote
The atheists have produced a Christmas play. It’s called Coincidence on Thirty-Fourth Street. -
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A Christmas Surprise
There was a woman who was baking her Christmas cookies and she heard a knock at the door. She opened the door to find a man who was dressed in pretty tattered clothes, and he was obviously poor. And h... -
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So he took the paint brush and went out
So he took the paint brush and went out back. She forgot about it until sometime later when there was another knock at the door. It was him. He obviously had been painting because there was paint spla... -
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“Does My Ash Look All Right?”
One Ash Wednesday a decade ago, when I was new to Anglicanism, I knelt at a rail as Fr. Thomas, my priest, smeared a black cross on each forehead. “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall ret... -
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The Great, Perfect Box
To me, if life boils down to one significant thing, it’s movement. To live is to keep moving. Unfortunately, this means that for the rest of our lives we’re going to be looking for boxes. When you’re ... -
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The Self-Destruction of Executives
In his highly insightful work, Inside Job , Stephen W. Smith shares the sobering truth of what happens to many leaders when they climb the “ladder of success”: The ground at the foot of the ladde... -
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Gosh, Some Angels
My ten-year-old son Jim had to write a play for Christmas for his Sunday School class. He made it a dialogue between two animals at Bethlehem. It goes like this: Donkey: It sure is cold, is it not? ... -
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The Anti-Gift League
If you ever find yourself sympathizing with Charles Dickens’ character Ebenezer Scrooge regarding the commercialization of Christmas, you’re not alone—this has been a common complaint for quite some t... -
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Stir Up Sunday
Christ the King Sunday has also been called “Stir Up Sunday” because the collect for the day in the Anglican church began, “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people…” (The co... -
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You Can’t Pray to Jesus
Today is Holy Saturday, the day between the cross and the resurrection of Christ. It’s a day of reflection and waiting. It’s a time to consider further the reality of the cross so as to prepare for th... -
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What is the Purpose of Easter?
It was Easter Sunday and the pastor gathered the children at the front of the church to ask them about the meaning of Easter. The pastor was disappointed as he listened to the first response: “Easter ... -
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Letters to Santa
“Dear Santa, there are three little boys who live at our house. There is Jeffrey; he is two. There is David; he is four. And there is Norman; he is seven. Jeffrey is good some of the time. David is go... -
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A Gift That Requires Swallowing your Pride
Christmas is about receiving presents, but consider how challenging it is to receive certain kinds of gifts. Some gifts by their very nature make you swallow your pride. Imagine opening a present on C... -
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Doubting Santa’s Existence?
It is astonishing that some people still doubt the existence of Santa Claus. Despite the vast amount of photographic evidence, the hundreds of annual reports on Father Christmas’s activities from perf... -
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“I’m in the Secret Service”
Jim was leaving church after Christmas services when the pastor greeted him and said, “Jim, it’s time you joined the Army of the Lord. We need to see you every Sunday.” “I’m already in the Army of th... -
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Jesus’ Resurrection in Two Words: Ta Da!
Pastor John Ortberg tells the story of a friend of his (also a pastor named Skip Viau) who was attempting to tell the resurrection story in a children’s sermon. He asked the question, “What were Jesus... -
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The Swoon Theory
The “swoon theory” argues that Jesus never really died, only appeared to have died, and then came back to life while buried in the tomb. It’s an interesting idea, one that was popularized in a book in... -
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Your First Assignment: Do Nothing
I’ve always thought that Jesus gave a very odd first step to completing the Great Commission, basically telling them, “Do nothing until the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Luke 24:49, my paraphrase). Wit... -
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What Do You Want for Christmas?
What do you want for Christmas this year? If you were to ask a typical little boy, he’d probably give you two words: video games. There’s a little boy I know named Brian. For weeks he bugged his paren... -
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This Constant Bickering
The monks at a remote monastery deep in the woods followed a rigid vow of silence. Their vow could only be broken once a year—on Christmas—by one monk. That monk could speak only one sentence. One Chr... -
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"Good" Friday
Do you remember the first time someone explained to you the concept of “Good Friday?” I remember my own mother explaining how it was possible that Jesus’ death was “good,” not because torture and suff... -
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4 Lent Quotes to Start Your Sermons: Fresh Angles for Preaching
You may think of quotes as a great thing to add a little gravity, insight, or humor to your sermons. And they are! But have you considered Lent quotes as a jumping-off point for sermon ideas? We pick... -
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The Plane Is Coming
In rural Msinga, a municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, the highlight of Christmas Day festivities is when men, newly returned home from work in the big cities, gather to sing a... -
Quote
The incarnation is a kind of vast joke whereby the Creator of the ends of the earth comes among us in diapers... Until we too have taken the idea of the God-man seriously enough to be scandalized by i... -
blog
Sermon Illustration Tuesday (11/20/18)
Just before Christmas, my whole family piled into our kid-moving vehicle and rushed to the nearest mall to grab some last minute Christmas presents before dashing to a holiday party. As usual, we were... -
Quote
Ash Wednesday is full of joy...The source of all sorrow is the illusion that of ourselves we are anything but dust. -
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What it Means to Be "Childlike"
In his book of sermons titled The Magnificent Defeat, Frederick Buechner mentions two qualities of childlikeness. First, children have no fixed preconceptions of reality. If someone tells them that ... -
Quote
It is a sprinting, squirting, shoving age. -
Quote
Anxiety is the handmaiden of contemporary ambition. -
liturgy
Inspired by Proverbs 15:1-16
Pastor: O wise and wonderful God, in our quick temper and selfish pride, we have not followed your example—you are slow to anger, abounding in love, and show steadfast faithfulness to your children. ...
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D
- Dancing
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E
- Easter
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F
- Face of God
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G
- Garden of Eden
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H
- Habits
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I
- Identity
- Idolatry
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- Illness
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J
- Jealousy
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K
L
- Lack of Faith
- Lack of Forgiveness
- Lack of Trust
- Landscape
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- Laying Down Your Life
- Leaders
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- The Lamb of God
- The Last Supper
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M
- Magnificat
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N
O
P
- Pain
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- Palm Sunday
- Paradox
- Parents
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- Pastor Responsibilities
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- Peter
- Pilgrimage
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- Pollution
- Poor
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- Possessions
- Pouring Ourselves out
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- Purpose
- The Pit
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- The Prince of Peace
- The Prophets
Q
R
- Race (Running)
- Racial Reconciliation
- Racism
- Rain
- Reality
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- Retreat
- Returning to God
- Revelation
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- Riches
- Righteousness
- Risks
- Roman World
- Routines
- Royalty
- Running from God
- The Reliability of Scripture
- The Resurrection and the Life
- The Rich
- The Risen Lord
- The Roman Empire
S
- Sacrifice
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- Sadness
- Safety
- Saint Nicholas
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- Salvation
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- Sanctification
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- Santa Claus
- Sarah
- Satan
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- School
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- Sea
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- Self-Centeredness
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- Self-Denial
- Self-Destruction
- Self-Examination
- Self-Glory
- Self-Righteousness
- Self-Sacrifice
- Selfishness
- Sermons
- Servant Leadership
- Servanthood
- Service
- Serving God
- Serving Jesus
- Serving your Neighbor
- Shadow
- Shalom
- Shame
- Sheep
- Shepherd
- Shepherds
- Shortcomings
- Sickness
- Silence
- Silence (Spiritual Discipline)
- Sin
- Sin Avoidance
- Sinfulness
- Singing
- Sinners
- Sins
- Sins of Omission
- Sins of the Church
- Slavery
- Sleep
- Snow
- Social Media
- Social Status
- Son of God
- Sorrow
- Space and Time
- Speaking in Tongues
- Speaking Truth to Power
- Speech
- Spending Time with God
- Spiritual Battles
- Spiritual Death
- Spiritual Health
- Spiritual Practices
- Sports
- Spring (Season)
- Stable
- Stars
- Status
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- Steadfast Love
- Stewardship
- Stillness
- Storms
- Straying from God
- Strength
- Stress
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- Stuff
- Success
- Suffering
- Sun
- Sunday
- Superheroes
- Surgery
- Surprise
- Sustainer
- Sweetness
- Symbols
- The Sacraments
- The Saints
- The Second Coming Of Christ
- The Soul
- The Spiritual Life
- The Star of Bethlehem
T
- Taking Up the Cross
- Teachers
- Temptation
- Terrorism
- Testimonies
- Thankfulness
- The Temple
- The Trinity
- The Twelve Disciples
- Theology
- Thirst
- Time
- Today
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- Tradition
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- Treasure
- Tree of Life
- Trees
- Trinity Sunday
- Triumph
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- Trouble
- True Worship
- Trust in God's Word
- Truth
- Turning a Blind Eye
U
V
W
- The Way
- The Will
- The Work of the Holy Spirit
- Wages of Sin
- Waiting
- Waiting on God
- Walking
- Wandering
- War
- Ways
- Weakness
- Weakness of Will
- Wealth
- Weariness
- Weddings
- Wickedness
- Wilderness
- Winter
- Wisdom
- Wisdom of God
- Witnesses
- Womb
- Wonder
- Work
- World
- World Communion Sunday
- World Leaders
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- Worldliness
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- Worship
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Top_level_categories by Reference
Genesis
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Nehemiah
Psalm
- Ps 1 (2)
- Ps 4 (1)
- Ps 8 (3)
- Ps 16 (7)
- Ps 19 (2)
- Ps 22 (4)
- Ps 23 (6)
- Ps 24 (3)
- Ps 25 (6)
- Ps 27 (6)
- Ps 28 (2)
- Ps 29 (1)
- Ps 30 (2)
- Ps 31 (1)
- Ps 32 (4)
- Ps 33 (1)
- Ps 34 (7)
- Ps 36 (1)
- Ps 37 (1)
- Ps 38 (2)
- Ps 40 (1)
- Ps 46 (9)
- Ps 47 (1)
- Ps 51 (21)
- Ps 57 (1)
- Ps 65 (1)
- Ps 70 (1)
- Ps 72 (3)
- Ps 84 (1)
- Ps 86 (2)
- Ps 89 (1)
- Ps 90 (5)
- Ps 91 (1)
- Ps 95 (2)
- Ps 96 (5)
- Ps 98 (2)
- Ps 100 (2)
- Ps 103 (8)
- Ps 104 (1)
- Ps 107 (1)
- Ps 110 (1)
- Ps 111 (2)
- Ps 113 (1)
- Ps 116 (1)
- Ps 118 (13)
- Ps 119 (2)
- Ps 121 (1)
- Ps 122 (1)
- Ps 124 (2)
- Ps 130 (2)
- Ps 131 (1)
- Ps 133 (1)
- Ps 136 (2)
- Ps 139 (9)
- Ps 145 (2)
- Ps 147 (2)
- Ps 148 (2)
- Ps 150 (1)