Sermons
Weekly professional powerhouse sermons by Leonard Sweet.
The Final Four: Love
The Final Four: Love Lectionary 18 December 2016 Third Sunday in Advent Isaiah 7:10-16 Psalm 80:1-7,17-19 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25 Text to Life The Fourth Sunday of Advent is the “final” in our “Final Four:” Love. If there is one word that brings together Hope, Peace, and Joy, it…
The Final Four: Joy
The Final Four: Joy Lectionary 11 December 2016 Third Sunday in Advent Isaiah 35:1-10 Luke 1:46b-55 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11 Text to Life The day Christmas is over, many of us start prepping for the next one. Some of us set up “Christmas clubs,” putting aside a bit throughout the…
The Final Four: Hope
The Final Four: Hope Lectionary 4 December 2016 Second Sunday of Advent Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12 Text to Life This second Sunday of Advent we are focusing on the second of the “final four” words of this preparatory season—“hope.” Both this week’s text from Isaiah…
The Final Four: Peace
The Final Four: Peace Lectionary 27 November 2016 First Sunday in Advent Isaiah 2:1-5 Psalm 122 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:36-44 Text to Life This Sunday marks the beginning of a new “season” in the liturgical calendar. The twenty-seven Sundays of Pentecost have come to a close. Today we begin the…
Bottoms Up!
Bottoms Up! Lectionary 20 November 2016 Christ the King Sunday Jeremiah 23:1-6 Luke 1:68-79 Colossians 1:11-20 Luke 23:33-43 Thanksgiving Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Psalm 100 Philippians 4:4-9 John 6:25-35 Text to Life Whose got the power? For the past year and a half that has been the quest of the 2016 election…
Lions and Lambs, Republicans and Democrats…..Christians
Lions and Lambs, Republicans and Democrats….Christians Lectionary 13 November 2016 26th Sunday After Pentecost Isaiah 65:17-25 Isaiah 12 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19 Text to Life It goes without saying . . . You never resemble Jesus more than when you have your mouth shut. But I didn’t say that.…
Undeserved
Undeserved Lectionary 6 November 2016 25th Sunday After Pentecost Haggai 1:15b-2:9 Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 Luke 20:27-38 Text to Life “Missed that class!” We all have, haven’t we? There’s always been a class or memo that we have missed, messing us up for the rest of our…
God’s Golden Buzzer Moment
God’s Golden Buzzer Moment Lectionary 30 October 2016 Reformation Sunday All Saints Day Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 Psalm 119:137-144 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12 Luke 19:1-10 Text to Life One of the greatest gifts in life we can receive is an “aha” moment. An “aha” moment is when suddenly the answer to…
Was Marx Right?
Was Marx Right? Lectionary 23 October 2016 23rd Sunday After Pentecost Joel 2:23-32 Psalm 65 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Luke 18:9-14 Text to Life No one wants to be “misquoted,” but it happens all the time. Everyone knows the architect of ruthless political success, Machiavelli, famously proclaimed, “The ends justify…
Wanderlust!
Wanderlust! A Guest Sermon by Judge Jesse Caldwell Lectionary 16 October 2016 22nd Sunday After Pentecost Jeremiah 31:27-34 Psalm 119:97-104 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 Luke 18:1-8 Text to Life About 40 years ago I became fascinated with genealogy, and sought out 93-year old Aunt Bert, my late grandfather’s only living sibling,…