Sermons on John (Page 5)

Sermons on John (Page 5)

The Light is the Lamb

The Light Is the Lamb           Epiphany 2 Isaiah 49:1-7   John 1:29-42 There’s a story about a young fellow who had a habit of skipping out on church. He would go across the street and play pinball with the money his folks had given him for the offering. But he was careful to stand near the preacher as people were filing out so that he could pick up on some snippets of conversation about the sermon. He needed to do this…

The One Coming

The One Coming          3rd Advent Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11   John 1:6-8, 19-28 Way back in 1967, a movie came out that stirred things up in our country. It was widely received because of the star-power represented: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier. But it was also controversial, because it portrayed interracial marriage in a positive light—and there were still, at that time, 17 states where it was illegal! Those of you who are chronologically advantaged know that I am talking about the movie “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?”…

Waiting for God

Waiting for God     Trinity Sunday Psalm 8   Romans 5:1-5  John 16:12-15 In the 1950’s, Samuel Beckett published an absurdist play—absurdist. The play is titled “Waiting for Godot.” It has two strange characters hanging out on a roadside by a sickly tree, and both are waiting for someone named “Godot.” Their conversation rambles and some other characters appear then leave, but these two wait with hope. At the end of Act I, a boy appears and tells them that Mr. Godot is not coming today,…

Experiencing God’s Presence

Experiencing God’s Presence     Pentecost Psalm 104:24-34   Acts 2:1-21  John 14:8-17, 25-27 Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a piano concert by Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the famous Polish pianist. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and went down the aisle to greet her. Left to his own devices, the little boy soon discovered a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE” and he explored his way onto the…

Make Wide the Net!

May 19, 2019 Make Wide the Net!             5th Easter Psalm 148   May 19, 2019   Acts 11:1-18   John 13:31-35 I’m curious to know how many of you have been, or currently are, part of a step-family? (You know—you have step-sisters or step-brothers, step-mom or step-dad, or step-children.) Family counselors do a lot of work with step-families, helping them adjust to new people who are thrust into their lives. We already know that being a part of a biological family is sometimes difficult enough—but at least…

Walk in the Light

Walk in the Light                   4th Easter Psalm 23   Acts 9:36-43  John 10:22-30 Years ago, I went to the hospital to visit a new mom and dad, and see their baby. On the way to their room, I passed the nursery where there was a baby in sunglasses lying underneath a sunlamp! Strange, but cool! When I had a chance to ask a nurse, she told me that the baby had a little jaundice, and spending time under the sunlamp was helping him to…

So I Send You

So I Send You               2nd Easter Acts 5:27-32   April 28, 2019   John 20:19-31 Have you ever stood up from where you were sitting and gone into another room and then stopped and asked yourself, “Why am I here?” Believe me, if you haven’t had that particular experience, you will…many times! It’s kind of a universal experience for those of us who are “seasoned citizens.” But not everyone gets around to asking the deeper question, the more important one, “Why am I here? What is the purpose of…

It’s Friday but Sunday’s Comin’

It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Comin’       Easter 2019 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24   John 20:1-18 Intro: I need to ask you to do a difficult thing. I’m asking you to dwell on a very difficult time in your life, a time of deep disappointment. Perhaps you were disappointed in a relationship that didn’t work out; or some cherished dream you had was shattered; perhaps being passed over for a promotion or not getting that job you were qualified for; perhaps one of your kids didn’t…

Just as I Have Loved You

Just as I Have Loved You       Maundy Thursday Psalm 116: 1-4, 12-19            John 13: 1-7, 31b-35 Every now and then, a preacher finds a story that beautifully illustrates the Scripture passages she or he is working on. I’ve used this one before, and I’m going to use it again, because it is  SO PERFECT! Rodney Roberson was working in a homeless shelter while he was going to seminary. One night, he learned a truly valuable…

Don’t Be Denied

Don’t Be Denied     5th Lent Psalm 126   Philippians 3:4b-14   John 12:1-8 Hello. My name is Lazarus. You probably remember me because Jesus brought me back from the dead. Now, that was pretty spectacular, but I want to share with you the tremendous impact that Jesus had on my whole family—especially my sisters, Mary and Martha. I guess I ought to start with Mary, because she’s the one who introduced us to Jesus in the first place. I’m not exactly sure what happened to Mary—how she started going wrong—but…

A New Light is Shining

January 5, 2020 A New Light Is Shining          Epiphany Isaiah 60:1-6       January 5, 2020     Eph. 3:1-12   John 1:1-18 Do you remember the movie Hook? Captain Hook (played by Dustin Hoffman) and Peter Pan (played by Robin Williams) continue their epic struggle when Hook steals Pan’s kids in order to draw him back to Neverland. There’s one scene in which Captain Hook is talking to his sidekick, Smee, and he says that he’s had a “sublime vision”—an “epiphany”—and he shares his insight with…