Sweet Spots
Ideas and messages from Len Sweet.
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Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed
Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed
The Story of the Village of Le Chambon and How Goodness Happened There
by Philip Hallie
Today’s column is a Memory Maker book review. Memory Maker books are those that are not recent publications, but which come to mind frequently, as good books will.
This extraordinary book, first published in 1979 by Harper & Row, is about the French village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon. In World War II, Le Chambon, a poor mountain village of 5,000 people, housed more than 3,500 Jews, mostly children, under the noses of the Nazis. How was this possible, you ask? That is one of the questions that the author, Philip Hallie, then a Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Wesleyan University, also asked when he went to Le Chambon in the 1970’s to investigate the story. read more…
Animation — 6/7/15
Stories (homiletics often calls them illustrations) do not serve as ancillary to a sermon. They ARE the sermon. A good story carries the entire message if it’s brought to life through animation. Don’t illustrate, animate. Allow your story to come to life, so that people can see it, hear it, feel it…
The Glow
Elephants and Lambs
My favorite gospel, the Gospel of John is “the flower of all Scripture,” wrote third century theologian Origen of Alexandria (184-254). Its roots go so far down that the gospel’s “deep and hidden meaning no one can ever fully gather.” Gregory the Great (AD 540-604) in his commentary on Job…
Jesus of the Scars
“Jesus of the Scars” By Edward Shillito (1872-1948) IF we have never sought, we seek thee now, Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars, We must have sight of them—pricks on thy brow, We must hare thee, O Jesus of the Scars. The heavens…
The Sign of the Dove
The Sign of the Dove Story Lectionary: The Sign of the Dove The Story of Creation (Genesis) The Story of Noah (Genesis) The Song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32) Psalm 1 (the two ways) Psalm 2 Psalm 98 Psalm 145 Psalm 148 Isaiah 35; 40; 42; 43; 44 Isaiah…
Left Behind?
Left Behind? Lectionary Isaiah 6:1-8 Psalm 29 Romans 8:12-17 John 3:1-17 Text to Life Sermon As kids we all learned “short hand” and “semaphors”–the art of using symbols to replace words. Now this talent has academic standing as “semiotics”—- the ability to read and communicate with symbols and signs,…
A Prayer for Everyone, but especially written for Preachers on Sunday Afternoon
A Prayer For Everyone, but especially written for Preachers on their Sunday Afternoon Fill my life with laughter, Lord, with things to smile about; with the ability to see the funny side of things, with the grace to take a joke and laugh at myself. Thank you for the greatest…
Pastor’s Prayer –5-31-15
“I pray for all those whom I have in any way grieved, vexed, oppressed, or scandalized, by word or deed, knowingly or unknowingly, that you may forgive all our sins and offences against each other.
Take away, O Lord, from our hearts all suspiciousness, indignation, anger, and contention, and whatever is calculated to wound charity or to lessen love of others.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, have mercy on all who seek your mercy; give grace to the needy, make us so to live that we may be found worthy to enjoy the fulfilment of your grace and attain to eternal life.”
Thomas a’Kempis
Playing the Field — 5/31/15
Think of your preaching space as a “playing field,” in which all of you take part in the joy of worship. In “field preaching,” everyone participates. It isn’t strictly planned, but you need to move according to the movements of others, and above all, the movement of the Holy Spirit. …