In Sermon Illustrations: "Parable Widow"

The Unknown Treasure

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 4, 2011

THE UNKNOWN TREASURE A rock hound named Rob Cutshaw owns a little roadside shop outside Andrews, North Carolina. Like many in the trade, he hunts for rocks, then sells them to collectors or jewelry makers. He knows enough about rocks to decide which to pick up and sell, but he's no expert. He ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:44

Tags: Parable Treasure

Gift Of Pearls

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Jul 25, 2011

GIFT OF PEARLS A number of years ago, when our oldest was just a little tyke, a Chinese man we knew gave my wife a string of pearls as a gift. Anyway, the pearls he gave her were different from the ones we might find in a jewelry store; they were natural, not cultivated. Now, the most common ...read more

Tags: Parable Treasure

Denomination: Lutheran

Buried Treasure

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 25, 2011

BURIED TREASURE In 1992 volunteers from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, excavating in Caesarea dug up 99 gold coins that had been stashed in a makeshift safe beneath the floor of what was once a private dwelling. Caesarea is considered one of Israel’s richest archaeological sites in that ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

Tags: Parable Treasure

The Value Of The Rock

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 25, 2011

THE VALUE OF THE ROCK There is an old story told of an occasion in 1799 when a twelve year old boy named Conrad Reed skipped church and went fishing in Little Meadow Creek on the family farm near Fayetteville, North Carolina. In an attempt to spear a fish young Conrad Reed missed but his spear ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

Tags: Parable Treasure

The New Deal

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Sep 18, 2011

THE NEW DEAL Between the years 1933 and 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted a series of economic programs called "The New Deal." His programs served as a response to the effects of the Great Depression, and "focused on what historians call the "3 Rs": Relief, Recovery, and Reform. ...read more

Tags: Parable Vineyard

Denomination: Lutheran

The Story Of The Nobel Prize

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Jan 10, 2012

THE STORY OF THE NOBEL PRIZE Quiz time, folks--who invented dynamite? Do I hear the answer: Alfred Nobel! In fact in 1867, Nobel received U.S. patent number 78317 for his dynamic invention. That this explosive instead of being used peacefully for blasting the rocks during mining operations (as was ...read more

Tags: Parable Talents

Denomination: *other

Eating The Wealth Of A Nation

Contributed by Ken Henson on Jul 12, 2012

EATING THE WEALTH OF A NATION Cleopatra made a bet with Mark Antony. She said, "I bet you, I can eat the wealth of an entire nation in one meal." And Mark Antony said, "Okay, I will take you up on the bet. Let me see you take the wealth of an entire nation in one meal." According to Plyne, he ...read more

Tags: Parable General

Denomination: *other

Hawking A Treasure  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2002

HAWKING A TREASURE Unless you subscribe to The Atlanta Journal Constitution, you probably missed the story that was in the May 17, 1987 edition. A rock hound named Rob Cutshaw owns a little roadside shop outside Andrews, North Carolina. Like many in the trade, he hunts for rocks, then sells them ...read more

Tags: Parable General, Parable Treasure, Peace

A Few Years Ago I Was Reading A Book By Stephen ...

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Sep 15, 2007

A few years ago I was reading a book by Stephen Gaukroger. He tells the story of a New York Methodist minister who saw the need to bring his ‘ninety nine righteous’ sheep back into the fold. He put an advert in the local paper: “Lost, stolen or strayed; a large flock of Methodist sheep. They ...read more

Tags: Parable Lost Coin, Parable Lost Sheep, Parable Prodigal Son

Denomination: Anglican

Please Come Back  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 6, 2011

"PLEASE COME BACK" Max Lucado tells us about a girl named Christina. She lives in a small dusty village in Brazil. She’s bored. She feels like her strict parents have cheated her out of the joys of life. She longs for the excitement of the big city of Rio. One morning her mother Maria finds ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32, Mark 4:1-9

Tags: Parable Prodigal Son, Parable Sower And Seed

A Funny Marriage Sermon-Starter

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Oct 23, 2022

An 80 year-old woman was recently married to her 4th husband. A reporter questioned the occupation of her newly acquired husband. She replied that he owned a funeral home. Curious about the other husbands, the reporter also asked about their occupations. The woman paused for a while and stated ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:18-31

Tags: Humor, Husbands, Death, Marriage, Widows, Wives  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Discerning Commentator (Alexander Maclaren) ...

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Jul 28, 2005

A discerning commentator (Alexander Maclaren) writes: “The Parable of the Sower is both history and prophecy. It tells Christ’s ...read more

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

Denomination: Baptist

And He Was Changed  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 11, 2004

AND HE WAS CHANGED In 1918, a notorious criminal named Tokichi Ichii was sentenced to hang. While in prison in Tokyo, he was sent a New Testament by two missionaries, Miss West and Miss McDonald. After a visit from Miss West, he began to read the story of Jesus’ and crucifixion. When he reached ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

What Kind Of Soil Will The Word Find?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 12, 2004

WHAT KIND OF SOIL WILL THE WORD FIND? The following story speaks about the kind of soil the Word of God might find. Which woman would you be? Two women were hired by a man to make custom-tailored dresses for his clothing store. They were told that not only would they be paid a flat hourly wage ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

The Strangle-Hold Of Wealth  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 12, 2004

THE STRANGLE-HOLD OF WEALTH There was an article in the Wednesday, June 26, 2002 issue of the Colorado Springs Gazette by Michelle Singletary titled “How Much is Enough in the Pursuit of Money?” She began by writing about Karen Hughes, counselor to President Bush, who decided to leave the White ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

A Little More  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 12, 2004

A LITTLE MORE An interesting article appeared in the Wall Street Journal. It was an interview of six top executives, all of them making six-figure salaries. That means that they made somewhere between $100,000 and $1 million a year. Now you are probably thinking , “If I made even $100,000 a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

Just A Little Silver  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 12, 2004

JUST A LITTLE SILVER There’s an old fable about a miserable rich man who went to visit a rabbi. The rabbi took the rich man by the hand and led him to a window. "Look out there," he said. The rich man looked into the street. "What do you see?" asked the rabbi. "I see men, women, and children," ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

Planting A Donut  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 12, 2004

PLANTING A DONUT When Watching the Krispy Kreme Donut machine, or as I like to call it the “Dream Machine,” I noticed something that made me very upset. At the end of the conveyer they were throwing away a bunch of the donuts. Let me describe the machine. First there is the dough plopper that ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23, Matthew 13:1-23

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

A Cow Gets Lost  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 12, 2004

A COW GETS LOST Mike Yaconelli writes in The Wittenburg Door: I live in a small, rural community. There are lots of cattle ranches around here, and every once in a while a cow wanders off and gets lost.... Ask a rancher how a cow gets lost, and chances are he will reply, “Well, the cow starts ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:4-15

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

Too Afraid To Plant  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 12, 2004

TOO AFRAID TO PLANT A Georgia farmer, ragged and barefooted, was standing on the steps of his tumbledown shack. A stranger stopped for a drink of water and just to pass the time of day he asked: "How is your cotton coming along?" he asked. "Ain’t got none," replied the farmer. "Did you plant ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:4-15

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed