In Sermons: showing 1-15 of 22

What's In Your Basket? Series

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Feb 29, 2008

The first os stewardship series: the gift of time. Based on the Feeding of the Five Thousand. What we give to Jesus, He multiplies to a great blessing - for us and for others.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, which of the “What’s in your wallet?” commercial is your favorite? Mine is probably the one with the attacking Vikings. What’s in your wallet? There is a familiar story in the Bible where the question could have been re-phrased to “What’s in your basket?” It ...read more

Scripture: John 6:1-13

Denomination: Lutheran

Living The Life Of Grace

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Feb 14, 2008

Having gratefully received the gift of God’s grace, we can’t repay it or hoard it, but pass it on to others.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is relatively easy to accept grace but it seems rather challenging to live a life of grace. I say it is relatively easy to accept grace, because we human beings have the tendency to earn it first. Do a trick – get a cookie! A doctor told a story about an ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16-17

Denomination: Lutheran

Making The Right Turn To Jesus

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Dec 22, 2007

Christmas Eve sermon. The wisemen made a wrong turn. Instead of following the star all the way to Bethlehem, they thought the new King would be born in a royal palace. They eventually got it right. This message is for those who are at crossroads in their

Dear brothers and sisters, have you ever made a wrong turn in your travels? I know I have! My misadventures usually come from taking the wrong exit off a freeway. Thirty some odd years ago I drove from new York to Seattle. As you may know, getting out of New York City is not the easiest thing in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

Denomination: Lutheran

The Bethlehem Discovery

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Dec 19, 2007

An Advent sermon, following the theme of an adventure: the plan, the journey, the discovery.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, do you ever examine the deeper meaning of commonly used words? Take the word “discovery,” for example. It is fairly common in our vocabulary. Someone may say, “The other day I discovered a six-month old tub of cottage cheese in the back of my refrigerator. It ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran

The Gift Of Music

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Dec 8, 2007

Music is one of God’s greatest gifts to His people. It has the power to touch our hearts, lift our spirit, bring us closer together and closer to God’s glorious presence. A Christmas sermon.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, can you imagine what life would be like without music? Think about it for a moment: No song humming through your head after hearing it at church. No M-TV. No CDs. No bands, no concerts. Radio? Limited only to stations airing the news, weather and road conditions ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 95:1-7, Psalm 95:1-95

Denomination: Lutheran

The Humbled And The Exalted

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Aug 28, 2007

Jesus’wisdom teaches us to win in the struggle between pride and humility.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, there is an old saying, “A nail that sticks out will be pounded.” Although this saying might be appreciated by those in the building trades, I think it originated in the military. It’s nice to receive recognition, but not too much. You don’t want to call too ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:7-14

Denomination: Lutheran

Have A Little Talk With Jesus

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Jul 28, 2007

This is a follow-up on "Choosing the Good Portion," (Luke 10: 38-42). Our faith and attitude intertwine to affect our outlook on life, on our relationships with others and with God, and are the necessary components of effective prayer life.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, have you ever been in a situation where you thought everybody would agree with you only to receive immediate comments to the contrary? I found that out last Sunday when we talked about choosing the good portion and I used the illustration of Kentucky Fried ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:1-13

Denomination: Lutheran

Choosing The Good Portion

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Jul 19, 2007

A slightly different twist on the familiar story of Mary and Martha. Using an analogy of Kentucky Fried Chicken, how do we act when life treats us to chicken wings? Have faith in God because He is bigger than our problems.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, when was the last time you brought home a family-size bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken? I imagine more people will be buying those again since KFC announced they no longer use partially hydrogenated fats for frying. What portion do you usually choose from the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:38-42

Denomination: Lutheran

The Art Of Imitating Others

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Mar 1, 2007

A sermon for the 2nd Sunday in Lent, Year C. We imitate the good qualities in the Apostle Paul because he was an imitator of God.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, have you heard the phrase “Monkey see - monkey do”? It is actually funny to watch monkey imitate their trainer. The trainer rubs his belly, the monkey will rub its belly. The trainer throws a stick, the monkey will throw a stick. People clap their hands, monkeys ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:17-19

Denomination: Lutheran

Living In The Age Of Terror

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Oct 5, 2006

A message in response to the schoolhouse shootings in the Amish community of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, what kind of news do you anticipate when you turn on your TV set? Good news or bad news? Probably bad news. The media people have learned that the human psyche is attracted to bad news. The more tragic the news, the more attention we pay to it. We have ...read more

Scripture: James 4:7-8

Denomination: Lutheran

Loose Lips Sink Ships

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Sep 16, 2006

Based on James 3: 3-12, this message looks at the sins of loose lips and the way of dealing with them through discipline and a change of attitude.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, what does the phrase “Loose Lips Sink Ships” remind you of? For some of you it may be a war-time poster. This phrase originated during World War I in England. Enemy spies frequented local pubs listening on the seamen’s conversation, until after a few pints of ...read more

Scripture: James 3:3-12

Denomination: Lutheran

Going All In For Jeus

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Aug 24, 2006

When a poker player says "I am all in," he commits all his chips. We commit all our faith chips on Jesus, because he has the words of eternal life.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, when was the last time you heard the phrase, “Going all out for something”? Last week our mayor and council members went all out to welcome the Governor into Kingman. People will go all out to celebrate a wedding. And, we can go all out to celebrate our new life ...read more

Scripture: John 6:56-69

Denomination: Lutheran

Bring One More To Jesus!

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Jun 3, 2006

A Pentecost Sunday message, challenging us to invite one more person to worship and bring one more to Jesus. The experience of Pentecost is not ancient history, it should be today’s reality.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, you may have noticed an article in the newspaper a few days ago about a British mountain climber David Sharp who collapsed during his descent from Mount Everest due to lack of oxygen. Such tragic event in itself is not so unusual. The area above 26,000 feet ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:1-21

Denomination: Lutheran

A Life Of Power

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Apr 15, 2006

Easter Sunday sermon. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in our lives.

Dear brothers and sisters, have you ever driven a Datsun sedan? You know those little cars, before the company changed its name to Nissan? Datsuns were very easy on gas, could make a U-turn almost anywhere, and lasted nearly forever. The body might have rusted out but the engine kept on going and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:17-20

Denomination: Lutheran

Rescued From A Nightmare Of Sin

Contributed by Stan Simonik on Apr 13, 2006

Being led to one’s execution can be our worst nightmare. Jesus took our place of execution to set us free to live in Him.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, do you ever have bad dreams? Nightmares they call them. Do you ever find yourself free-falling in a dream , not able to stop? Or, what about trying to get away from a fire but your feet won’t move? Those are scary dreams. For at least a couple of years after ...read more

Scripture: Mark 15:6-11

Denomination: Lutheran