Plan for: Thanksgiving | Advent | Christmas

Sermon Illustrations

1. Richard A. Swenson, M.D. writes in “Margins,” “The conditions of modern-day living devour margin. If you are homeless, we direct you to a shelter. If you are penniless, we offer you food stamps. If you are breathless, we connect the oxygen. But if you are marginless, we give you yet one more thing to do.

a. Marginless is being 30 minutes late to the doctor’s office because you were 20 minutes late getting out of the hairdresser’s because you were 10 minutes late dropping the children off at school because the car ran out of gas two blocks from the gas station- and you forgot your purse.

Margin, on the other hand, is having breath left at the top of the staircase, money left at the end of the month, and sanity left at the end of adolescence.

b. Marginless is the baby crying and the phone ringing at the same time; Margin is Grandma taking the baby for the afternoon.

c. Marginless is being asked to carry a load five pounds heavier than you can lift; margin is a friend to carry half the burden.

d. Marginless is not having time to finish the book you’re reading on stress; margin is having the time to read it twice.

e. Marginless is fatigue; margin is energy

(Quoted from Margin, by Richard A. Swenson, M.D. Navepress, Colorado Springs, CO., pg. 13)

Related Sermon Illustrations

Related Sermons