In Sermon Illustrations: "Mary Mott"

The World Slept When Jesus Came.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 21, 2020

Ken Gire writes, “Where you would have expected angels, there were only flies. Where you would have expected heads of state, there were only donkeys, a few haltered cows, a nervous ball of sheep, a tethered camel, & a furtive scurry of curious mice. Except for Joseph, there was no one to share ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-12

Tags: Christmas, Christ, Bethlehem, Birth Of Christ, Mary And Joseph  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Unsung Heroes: Simeon Of Jerusalem

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 27, 2020

Introduction: Mary and Joseph weren’t the only ones eagerly awaiting the birth of Jesus. Under the Law of Moses, every male child was to be circumcised. Joseph and Mary took Baby Jesus to the Temple where this surgery would be performed on the Baby. While they were in the Temple, they received ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:25-35

Tags: Unsung Heroes, Birth Of Christ, Simeon, Joseph And Mary

Denomination: Baptist

Hilarious Christmas Story!!!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 19, 2022

• A Sunday School was putting on a Christmas pageant which included the story of Mary and Joseph coming to the inn. One boy wanted so very much to be Joseph, but when the parts were handed out, a boy he didn’t like was given that part, and he was assigned to be the inn-keeper instead. He was ...read more

Tags: Joseph, Children, Christmas, Bethlehem, Nativity, Pageants, Mary  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Sagrada Familia Basilica.

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Dec 22, 2024

Well today just because I can I want to share with you a couple of pictures, one that I took and one that is much better than the one that I took of the same thing. The first is this whooping great big church the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain and the other is a small part of the building, ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:6

Tags: Mary, Nativity, Christmas, Donkey, Joseph, Baby Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Salvation Army

Who Was Salome?

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 11, 2025

By comparing Matt. 27:56 with John 19:25, it seems likely that Salome was sister to Mary (Jesus’ mother). “By inference from the other Gospel accounts, Salome is also identified with the mother of the sons of Zebedee (Mt. 27:56) and with the sister of Mary the mother of Jesus…. (John 19:25)… If ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 27:56, John 19:25, Mark 10:35-40

Tags: Salome, Jesus' Family, Mary's Sister, Jesus' Aunt

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Again, There’s A Great Deal Of Internet ...  PRO

Contributed by Kyle Meador on Jan 2, 2001

Again, there’s a great deal of Internet research and revisionist thinking going on about these characters in the Christmas story. Some of have suggested that things would have been considerably different if these wise men had actually instead been wise women. And things sure would have been ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:40, Acts 16:40, Acts 16:29-31, Philippians 2:5-11, Acts 16:9-27, Acts 16:16-34  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Wall, Birth Of Jesus, Christmas, Mirror, Mary Jesus Mother  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Fear Nots Of The Christmas Story

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 28, 2023

The "fear nots" used in the biblical narratives of the birth of Christ: The "fear not" of SALVATION: "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings...which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Birth Of Christ, Savior, Messiah, Mary, Virgin Birth  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Census At The Birth Of Jesus

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Dec 9, 2023

Historians have been puzzled about the census. The one taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria. While all this begins to explain why Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem, Luke is making a point. The birth of this little boy is the beginning of a confrontation between the kingdom of God - in all its ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-2

Tags: Caeser Agustus, Census, Birth, Bethlehem, Mary And Joseph, Quirinus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Ordinary Joe – An Unsung Hero

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Dec 24, 2023

Ordinary Joe – An Unsung Hero There are many characters in the cast of the Christmas story that have gripped the Church’s imagination but there’s one that has rarely had a place in the spotlight. Joseph. There’s the Magi, exotic and somehow still gleaming in their silks after the long, dusty road ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:16-25, Matthew 2:14-21, Luke 1:27, Luke 3:23-30

Tags: Simeon, Mary And Joseph, Angel, Angels, Christmas, Joseph, Genealogy  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Two Days After Christmas

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Dec 19, 2024

It’s two days after Christmas. The celebrations are over. The presents have been put up. Another Christmas in the books. Christmas 2024 will now take its place among all the Christmases passed. I wonder what Mary was thinking two days after the first Christmas. It’s been quite a ride. How could she ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20, Matthew 1:18-24, Hebrews 4:14-16, Philippians 2:1-16

Tags: Mary, Christmas, Bethlehem, Manger, Birth, Joseph, Census, Catteau  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Caesar Ruled.....but God Overruled!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 20, 2020

"Augustus Caesar was ruling, but God was in charge, for He used Caesar's edict to move Mary and Joseph eighty miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem to fulfill His Word. Rome took a census every fourteen years for both military and tax purposes, and each Jewish male had to return to the city of ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-12

Tags: Mary, Messiah, Christmas, Prophecy, History, Sovereignty Of God, Augustus Caesar  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Christmas Humor

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 21, 2020

A Sunday School was putting on a Christmas pageant which included the story of Mary and Joseph coming to the inn. One boy wanted so very much to be Joseph, but when the parts were handed out, a boy he didn’t like was given that part, and he was assigned to be the inn-keeper instead. He was pretty ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-12

Tags: Coming Of Christ, Christmas, Christ, Manger, Birth Of Christ, Mary And Joseph  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Poiticians Rule And A Sovereign God Overrules!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 19, 2022

Augustus Caesar was ruling, but God was in charge, for He used Caesar's edict to move Mary and Joseph eighty miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem to fulfill His Word. Rome took a census every fourteen years for both military and tax purposes, and each Jewish male had to return to the city of his ...read more

Tags: Mary, Prophecy, Sovereignty Of God, Bethlehem, Christmas, Joseph, History, Virgin Birth  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Casket Stolen

Contributed by Roberta Karchner on Feb 28, 2020

Funerals usually go calmly. But sometimes things happen that change everything. Perhaps the greatest example is that of Easter morning, as the women arrive to prepare the body, only to find that the stone was rolled away and the body of Jesus was missing. There was much running around and great ...read more

Scripture: John 20:1-8, Matthew 28:1-10, Luke 24:1-10, Mark 16:1-8

Tags: Easter, Tomb, He Is Risen, Stone Rolled Away, Ressurection, Missing Body, Mary At Tomb  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

How Important Is The Virgin Birth Of Christ?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 6, 2022

Several years ago, Redbook Magazine took a poll of students in Protestant seminaries. They found that 56% of the students in Protestant seminaries studying for the ministry rejected the idea of the virgin birth. The Survey Research Center of the University of California at Berkeley polled the ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 7:14

Tags: Liberalism, Mary, Deity Of Christ, Christmas, Bethlehem, Incarnation, Jesus, Humanity Of Christ, Virgin Birth  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jesus Is Hard To Ignore And Easy To Miss

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 19, 2022

In a Christmas sermon, David Devine relates a story that appeared in the Washington Post last year... “He emerged from the Metro at the Plaza Station and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved ...read more

Tags: Prophecy, Mary, Manger, Shepherds, Spiritual Blindness, Bethlehem, Birth Of Christ, Angels, Christmas, History, Joseph  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[022] A Message From A Poem - At His Feet

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 3, 2024

[022] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - AT HIS FEET This poem looks at certain events focussed on being at the Lord’s feet. Those feet that today bear the scars of Calvary, walked this earth in ministry and teaching as God among us. The best known story about the feet of Jesus is this one – {{Luke ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:9-11, Luke 10:39-42, Luke 7:37-38

Tags: Worship, Feet, Devotion, Mary And Martha, At His Feet, Bow At His Feet, Wiping Jesus Feet  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[043] A Message From A Poem – Christ Upholds The Battling One

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 3, 2025

[043] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHRIST UPHOLDS THE BATTLING ONE (Longer Introduction) Do you face battles? Do trials and opposition buffet you and make the way ahead very hard? This poem partly addresses that. Well there is good news for you. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Your Saviour goes with you all ...read more

Scripture: John 10:2, John 10:11, John 10:14, 2 Timothy 3:12

Tags: Grace, Comfort, Dreams, Poetry, Burdens, Footprints In The Sand, I Had A Dream, Battling, Mary Stevenson  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[029] A Message From A Poem – Be Still And Know That I Am God

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 15, 2025

[029] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD This is a very special poem because in a time of great difficulty, the Lord woke me from irregular sleep to give me this poem at 3 o’clock in the morning. Of course the poem flowed along because it came from God. It was a message I ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 4:4, Luke 10:39-40, Psalm 46:10

Tags: Mary, Rest In The Lord, Be Still, Wait On The Lord, I Am God, Cease Striving, Seated At His Feet  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[067]. A Message From A Poem – Eden’s Garden And Gardens Of Significence

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 27, 2025

[067]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – EDEN’S GARDEN AND GARDENS OF SIGNIFICENCE This poem is an examination of the Garden of Eden, mainly dealing with Satan’s temptation and man’s fall into sin. There are a lot of teachings that derive from this account in Genesis 3 and in the poem I try to bring ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:45-47, Matthew 19:4-6, Revelation 21:1-2

Tags: Eden, Satan, Temptation, Serpent, Gethsemane, Adam And Eve, Garden Of Eden, Poetry, The Fall, Mary Magdalene, Poem, Gardens  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational