Sermon Resources on Motherhood

liturgy

Mother's Day Intercessory Prayer

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 7:11-15, John 19:25-27, 1 Samuel 1:1-28, John 14:27, Jeremiah 30:17, Isaiah 66:13, Psalm 34:18

Thank You, Lord, for the gifts of life, of love and of care that come from You, wrapped in our moms and step-moms, in our grand-moms, great-grandmas, daughters, sisters, and aunts. We’re grateful for...

illustration

Shame Enters our Lives at an Early Age

Author

Curt Thompson

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 34:5, Hebrews 12:2, Luke 15:20–24, Isaiah 54:4, Genesis 37:23–28, Isaiah 54:4

Shame makes its way into our stories at an early age. So early, in fact, that we usually have no conscious memory of our initial encounters with it. This can take place as early as fifteen to eighteen...

illustration

Searching for a Screwdriver

Author

A. J. Swoboda

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 3:7, Romans 10:11, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Psalm 34:5, Zephaniah 3:19

The following story by professor and author A. J. Swoboda is a vivid example of how shame works in our lives, often causing us to hide and run away from the pain and embarrassment: One of the greate...

illustration

Comfort from a Child

Author

Source Unknown

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 5:4, Psalm 34:18, Galatians 6:2, Isaiah 53:3-4, John 11:35, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Romans 12:15

A little girl came home from a neighbor’s house where her little friend had died. “Why did you go?” questioned her father. “To comfort her mother,” said the child. “What could you do to comfort her?” ...

lectionary

12th Sunday after Pentecost

Author

Allen Thompson

Keywords

Scripture

John 6:35, 41-51, Isaiah 54:13-14, Exodus 16:1-36, Numbers 11:1-9, 2 Samuel 18:5-33, Psalm 130:, 1 Kings 19:4-8, Psalm 34:1-8, Ephesians 4:25-32, Ephesians 5:1-2

Ancient Lens What's the historical context? Back to the Wilderness As he has been doing, Jesus calls the people’s minds back to the wilderness during The Exodus and reminds them of the manna ...

illustration

The Weight of Hell Shifts to the Weight of Glory

Author

Ann Voskamp

Keywords

Scripture

James 1:2-4, Psalm 147:3, John 16:33, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Romans 8:28, Psalm 34:18

In her book The Broken Way, Ann Voskamp shares a beautiful exchange between her and her husband (The farmer). His encouragement is for all of us: that God uses the broken things in this world for good...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, John 6:35, 41-51

Author

Allen Thompson

Keywords

Scripture

John 6:35, 41-51, Isaiah 54:13-14, Exodus 16:1-36, Numbers 11:1-9, 2 Samuel 18:5-33, Psalm 130:, 1 Kings 19:4-8, Psalm 34:1-8, Ephesians 4:25-32, Ephesians 5:1-2

Ancient Lens What's the historical context? Back to the Wilderness As he has been doing, Jesus calls the people’s minds back to the wilderness during The Exodus and reminds them of the manna ...

Quote

Author

Bryan Stevenson

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 34:18, Isaiah 57:15, Matthew 5:3, Matthew 5:7, 2 Corinthians 12:9, James 4:6, Micah 7:18

There is a strength, a power even, in understanding brokenness, because embracing our brokenness creates a need and desire for mercy, and perhaps a corresponding need to show mercy. When you experienc...

blog

Calming Emotional Triggers

Author

Bill Gaultiere

Scripture

Psalm 34:5

Have you ever had a trauma from your past triggered? I have! “Trauma” may sound dramatic — I wasn’t in a war or abused. As an infant I required stomach surgery to survive. My mom wanted to be with me...

illustration

Ain’t I a Woman

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 3:7–8, Genesis 16:13, Micah 6:8, Luke 13:10–17, Galatians 3:28, Psalm 34:18

Few voices captured the brutal reality of enslavement as powerfully as Sojourner Truth. Truth endured profound mistreatment and indignities as an enslaved woman. A severe beating left her reliant on a...

illustration

Embodiment as an Antidote to Screen Fatigue

Author

Ashley Hales

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 2:7, Exodus 20:8–10, 1 Kings 19:5–7, John 1:14, Matthew 11:28–29, Psalm 34:8

In this short excerpt, author Ashley Hales describes the disembodying reality of being glued to screens, and a few ways to become back in touch with our embodied selves: Perhaps we look to a scree...

illustration

What Does it Mean to be Blessed?

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 32:24-30, Numbers 6:24-26, 1 Kings 17:8-16 , Matthew 5:3-12 , Luke 1:46-55, Psalm 34:18

The word blessed has been among the vocabulary I’ve removed from my daily life. In the faith of my young adulthood, it was a word that filled my conversations: a term to close out emails or to d...

illustration

The Kindest Family in America

Author

Mia Levetan

Keywords

Scripture

Micah 6:8 , 2 Kings 4:8–37 , Genesis 50:15–21 , Luke 6:35–36, Matthew 5:4, 7 , Psalm 34:18

In 2021, I heard a story on the radio about the “Kindest Family in America”. As far as I can see, this is the only year Parents magazine awarded such a prize. When I first heard this headline I rolled...

Quote

Author

Frederick Buechner

Keywords

Scripture

2 Corinthians 4:7-10, Psalm 51:17, Psalm 147:3, Psalm 34:18

No matter how much the world shatters us to pieces, we carry inside us a vision of wholeness that we sense is our true home and that beckons us.

illustration

Faithfulness in the Darkest Places

Author

Ben Lansing and D. J.Marotta

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 3:7–8, Genesis 50:20, Isaiah 61:1, John 8:36, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Psalm 34:18

Josephine Bakhita’s life is a testament of God’s faithfulness in the darkest circumstances. She was born in Darfur, Sudan, among the Daju people. Her first years were happy, but at age eight she was k...

liturgy

Come to the Table

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 11:28-30, Revelation 19:9, Psalm 23:5-6, Isaiah 55:1-2, Luke 14:16-17, Luke 22:19-20, John 6:35, Psalm 34:8, Isaiah 25:6, Matthew 22:2-4, Proverbs 9:5-6

In the midst of all you are facing Your burdens Your responsibilities Your hustle Hear the invitation “Come to the Table” In the midst of all you are facing Your longing Your ambition Your distractio...

illustration

Turning from Conflict to Conversion

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Jonah 1:4, Luke 15:11-32, Matthew 18:21-35, Psalm 34:8, Romans 8:28

Maltbie D. Babcock, author of This Is My Father’s World and a Presbyterian pastor in Brooklyn, introduced a free pew system in his church, upsetting a wealthy woman who found strangers in her us...

liturgy

Holy One, on this night we remember Jesus

Author

Steve Garnaas Holmes

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 12:11-14, Deuteronomy 16:3, Isaiah 53:7, Matthew 26:26-28, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Psalm 34:8

Holy One, on this night we remember Jesus gathering with his disciples for a Passover meal. You have delivered your people from slavery, and you call us to celebrate. Tonight we give thanks for the lo...

liturgy

Living and present Lord (Extended)

Author

Richard Herman

Scripture

Hebrews 12:1-2, Matthew 6:33, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Psalm 34:17, John 14:27

Prayer of Adoration Living and present Lord: You often surprise us, coming when we least expect it; or, You simply fold back the curtain to show us You’ve been there all along to give us hope and to ...

Quote

Author

Barbara Fiand

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 57:18, James 5:16, Jeremiah 30:17, Romans 8:28, Psalm 34:18, Isaiah 61:1, Psalm 147:3

Wholeness is brokenness owned and thereby healed.

illustration

When your Good Christian World Falls Apart

Author

Tammy Maltby

Keywords

Scripture

1 Kings 19:1–18, Job 3:42 , Lamentations 3:17–26, Luke 15:11–32 , 2 Corinthians 12:7–10, Psalm 34:18

In her memoir, Confessions of a Good Christian Girl, Tammy describes the internal turmoil she experienced trying to be a good, rule-following Christian who had unexpectedly built an entire life arou...

illustration

To Magnify the Lord

Author

Nancy Guthrie

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 1:46, Luke 1:39-56, Psalm 145:3, Psalm 48:1, Psalm 34:3

Another Bible translation says that Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord” (NKJV, emphasis added). What did she mean by magnifies? When you look at something through a magnifying glass, it looks much...

blog

A Love Letter: Sermon Illustration Tuesday

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

John 12:1-3, 2 Samuel 6:14-16, John 6:1-13, Zephaniah 3:17, James 1:17, Psalm 34:8

Maurice Sendak, author and illustrator of Where the Wild Things Are and other children’s books, gets many letters from his young fans. A favorite was a “charming” drawing sent on by a little boy’s m...

illustration

When Grace Strikes

Author

Brennan Manning

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 5:20, Isaiah 61:1-3, Psalm 34:18, Luke 15:11-32, 1 Kings 19:1-18

Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life…. It strikes us when, year after year, the longed-for pe...

liturgy

Jesus, Lord—because you took on flesh,

Author

Richard Herman

Scripture

Isaiah 53:4-5, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Romans 12:15, 1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 34:18, Hebrews 4:15-16

Jesus, Lord—because you took on flesh, You know what it’s like to be us. You know what keeps us awake at night, or yanks us out of sleep in the early morning. You know what it’s like to have good days...

illustration

The Magician’s Nephew: No Deals to be Made with the Lion

Author

Steven Garber

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 22:1-14 , Job 38:1-7 , Exodus 3:7-12, Psalm 34:17-18, John 11:32-35 , 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Most of life is autobiographical for all of us—and so it was for [C. S.] Lewis. Growing out of his years of sorrow, especially the ones of watching his mother become sick and die, The Magician’s Neph...

illustration

Consolation Defined

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Romans 12:15, Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 34:18, Matthew 5:4, Psalm 46:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Ruth 1:16-18, John 11:32-35, John 14:1-4

The etymology of certain words can profoundly enrich our understanding and experience of life. Consider the word “consolation.” Its roots lie in the Latin words “con-” meaning “ “to be ” and “solus,...

Quote

Author

Edmund Burke

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 15:1, Genesis 24:17-20, Daniel 1:8-9, Colossians 4:6, 1 Peter 3:15-16, Psalm 34:13-14

Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe in. They give their wh...

Quote

Author

Thomas à Kempis

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 17:12, Isaiah 49:29-31, Ruth 1:16-17, Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 34:8, 1 Corinthians 13:7

Love alone makes heavy burdens light and bears in equal balance things pleasing and displeasing. Love bears a heavy burden and does not feel it, and love makes bitter things tasteful and sweet.

Quote

Author

Gregory of Nyssa

Keywords

Scripture

2 Corinthians 3:18, Psalm 34:5, Isaiah 61:7, Hebrews 12:2, Romans 10:11, Isaiah 54:4, Psalm 139:14

Our godlike beauty is hidden beneath curtains of shame.

liturgy

illustration

illustration

illustration

lectionary

illustration

scripture guide

blog

illustration

illustration

illustration

illustration

illustration

liturgy

illustration

liturgy

liturgy

illustration

illustration

blog

illustration

liturgy

illustration

illustration

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Judges

Ruth

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

1 Kings

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Esther

Job

Psalm

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Song of Solomon

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Daniel

Hosea

Joel

Amos

Obadiah

Jonah