Sermons
Weekly professional powerhouse sermons by Leonard Sweet.
The Great Physician Will See You Now
The Great Physician Will See You Now Lectionary 25 October 2015 22nd Sunday After Pentecost Reformation Sunday Job 42:1-6,10-17 Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22) Hebrews 7:23-28 Mark 10:46-52 Text to Life October is when the temperature drops and the rains move in. So what do we do? We take up sports or…
Jesus –A New Kind of High Priest
Jesus –A New Kind of High Priest Lectionary 18 October 2015 21st Sunday After Pentecost Laity Sunday Job 38:1-7, 34-41 Psalm 104:1-9,24,35c Hebrews 5:1-10 Mark 10:35-45 Text to Life We all “dress for success.” But that does not mean we all have the same wardrobe. There is, of course, the…
The Jesus Stance in Every Circumstance
The Jesus Stance in Every Circumstance Lectionary 11 October 2015 20th Sunday After Pentecost Job 23:1`-9, 16-17 Psalm 2:1-15 Hebrews 4:12-16 Mark 10:17-31 Text to Life Ancient China is renowned for the development of amazing artistic stitchery. Embroidery, the art of stitching fine designs into fabric, was raised to a…
The Four Daily Prayers
The Four Daily Prayers Lectionary 4 October 2015 19th Sunday After Pentecost World Communion Sunday Job 1:1; 2:1-10 Psalm 26 Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12 Mark 10:2-16 Text to Life This Sunday a lot is going on. For some it is World Communion Sunday, when the whole world gathers around one symbolic…
Salted With Fire
Salted With Fire Lectionary 27 September 2015 18th Sunday After Pentecost Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22 Psalm 124 James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50 Text to Life Pink Himalayan Salt. How has such a weird condiment become something we know about? Pink Himalayan Salt comes in big slabs or as a crunchy, coarse…
When to Be Seated, and When to Stand Up!
When to Be Seated, and When to Stand Up! Lectionary 20 September 2015 Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost Proverbs 31:10-31 Psalm 1 James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a Mark 9:30-37 Text to Life There are two types of teachers. There are those who ask their students, “Raise your hand if you have the answer.”…
Tongues of Fire
Tongues of Fire Lectionary 13 September 2015 16th Sunday After Pentecost Proverbs 1:20-33 Psalm 19 James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38 Text to Life There could hardly be a more timely text than this week’s epistle reading, James 3:1-12. This year spells a late Labor Day weekend. This means for the majority…
Adam I and Adam II
Adam I and Adam II Lectionary 6 September 2015 15th Sunday After Pentecost Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 Psalm 125 James 2:1-10 (11-13), 14-17 Mark 7:24-37 Text to Life Our Scripture reading today is from the Book of James. The Book of James is one of the most controversial books in…
How James Gives the World a Cathedralled Finger
How James Gives the World a Cathedralled Finger The photograph for this sermon was kindly provided by Julia Weidemann Winward. Julia told us her story about this very special church: “This steeple belongs to my church in a tiny village in the middle of Siberia. The church was destroyed…
The Dress Code of a Christian
The Dress Code of a Christian Lectionary 23 August 2015 13th Sunday After Pentecost 1 Kings 8: (1,6, 10-11), 22-30, 41-43 Psalm 84 Ephesians 6:10-20 John 6:56-69 Text to Life There are two kinds of people —always. There are those that experience the world as a series of stories.…