Sermons on Contemplate:

The Purpose Of The Exodus Is Worship Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Sep 11, 2010

Liturgy is play of a special kind, the play of a child dependent on God; the purpose of being led out of slavery is right worship as God wants it, for our good.

September 13, 2010 The Spirit of the Liturgy Memorial of S. John Chrysostom Jesus came to gather together the dispersed tribes of Israel, and not Israel only, but the whole world. This is why St. Paul was so insistent that there be no factions at the celebration of the Eucharist. In the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 7:1-10

Denomination: Catholic

Mission And Suffering Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 29, 2014

We must not marvel that we suffer pain and persecution when we carry the message of Christ to our culture.

Thursday of the 14th Week in Course Lumen Fidei Pop singers and bands engage in a ritual–they all do. There’s a warmup act, usually a second or third rate band. It’s their Introit and Gloria, except the praise is of the human act to follow. There’s audience ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:8-14

Denomination: Catholic

Purpose Of Prayer Series

Contributed by Ken Henson on Sep 23, 2017

Paul promotes the purposes of prayer as Watchfulness, Thankfulness and Effectiveness.

42 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 4:1-6

Denomination: *other

Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit As Applied To Prayer

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Oct 23, 2017

Poverty of soul is a way of entering in prayer, especially at the outset of when we begin to pray.

Poverty of soul is a way of entering in prayer, especially at the outset. Poverty of soul cannot be sought as an item of self-knowledge. It retains always an unknown, elusive quality. It cannot be simply a thought of our unworthiness before God. Much less can it be a mood of despondency about ...read more

Denomination: Catholic

Emotions In Prayer

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Oct 23, 2017

There may be souls of spiritual depth who presume in themselves a meager capacity for prayer because they find interior silence unachievable.

“Clearly, then, the idea we have of God can make prayer difficult, if not impossible. We block our way to God by every wrong notion of God. That can happen if we dwell too much on God’s transcendent mystery, if we look upon him as distant and remote, as a God without eyes. A God unavailable to our ...read more

Denomination: Catholic

Thirty-Second Sunday In Ordinary Time, C--The Sadducees

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Oct 12, 2022

I believe the question I would have asked the Sadducees would be, “Was this woman taking out life insurance policies on all these husbands?”

One of my seminary professors said that it’s easy to remember who the Sadducees were because since they denied that there is a resurrection, they were “so sad you see.” The Sadducees were the ancient version of modern liberal theologians. They were anti-supernaturalistic. They only accepted the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 20:27-38

Denomination: Catholic

What Does God's Love Look Like Series

Contributed by John Gullick on Apr 3, 2017

Part of a series looking at God's love through Jeremiah

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS Exodus 20:1-17 The first thing that we notice about the Ten Commandments is that they are the words of God (Exodus 20:1). Secondly we notice that the LORD is the God who has redeemed us (Exodus 20:2). It is not the keeping of the Ten Commandments which saves us: salvation is ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 31:1-5

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Patient Gardner

Contributed by Mary Erickson on Mar 21, 2022

A sermon for the third Sunday in Lent, Year C

March 20, 2022 Hope Lutheran Church Rev. Mary Erickson Luke 13:1-9; Joel 2:13 The Patient Gardner Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. So says the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:1-9, Joel 2:13

Denomination: Lutheran

Getting A Faith Check-Up

Contributed by Chris Swanson on Dec 22, 2022

Paul’s final warning to the Corinthians. If they do not turn from their sins, no one will be spared Christ’s punishment.

Paul’s final warning to the Corinthians is found in 2 Corinthians 13:1-10. Before he comes to see them, he tells them that they need to repent of their sins. If they do not turn from their sins, no one will be spared Christ’s punishment. When Paul carries out Christ’s potent discipline among them, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:5

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Knowing And Following God's Will Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 3, 2023

Jesus Grew in Wisdom and Knowledge, and how did that happen?

Saturday of 2nd Week of Christmas 2023 Many of us, when we lay out our plans for the day or week or year, like New Year’s resolutions, add the tag line, “God willing.” That may be an ancient holdover from paganism, whereby a petitioner at a shrine would make his sacrifice or offering and then say ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:14-21, 1 Timothy 2:4, John 2:1-11, Matthew 18:15-17

Denomination: Catholic

A Needed Transformation

Contributed by Dennis Lee on Jan 14, 2023

A vision and goal for 2023. It all begins with an inside work through the type of heart Christians are to possess. It's all about a transformation. A small sermonette to go along with "A Christian's Heart - Introduction."

A Needed Transformation Over this past generation our country has gone through wholesale changes in what we stand for and believe in. There are things happening today that weren’t even contemplated a couple of generations ago. In 1965, after reading Billy Graham’s manuscript entitled, “World ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14, 1 Samuel 17:55

Denomination: Foursquare

How Much Must We Do? Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Dec 30, 2016

It’s ironic that when dealing with these positive commandments, we don’t ever come to a point when we can say, “I have fulfilled them.”

Thursday before Epiphany 2017 Joy of the Gospel St. John teaches us today in both Epistle and Gospel: “By this we know love, that [Jesus] laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But if any one has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:11-21

Denomination: Catholic

"overcoming The Season Of Droughts"

Contributed by Rev. Mark Orwa on May 7, 2020

Denomination : Presbyterian

DATE: 07/05/2020 TITLE "overcoming the season of droughts" TEXT: 1 Kings 19:1-18 Denomination: Presbyterian. Intro. The Covid-19 challenged every aspect of human life. It has brought the season of drought that reminds humanity that Life is full of ups and downs irrespective of any ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-18

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Greatness Of His Works

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Oct 15, 2020

The LORD is High for evermore. Psalm 92 verse 8.

THE GREATNESS OF HIS WORKS. Psalm 92:1-15. This Psalm takes up a common Bible theme: the dichotomy between the “righteous” (Psalm 92:12) and the “wicked” (Psalm 92:7). However, first and foremost, taken as a whole, it is about the LORD. The LORD is mentioned seven times in this ‘Psalm or ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 92:1-15

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Fourth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Cycle B; 4th Sunday, Year B.-- Deliverance Ministry

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Jan 29, 2021

It’s powered by the love flowing from Christ’s wounded side on the Cross; it’s the Power-source of deliverance and healing ministry.

“He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” Jesus spoke in the imperative when he said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” 1.Authority is internal—in the Greek it means "out of (one's) essence"—essential. Like Jesus, whatever we do should be a demonstration, not of external ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:21-28

Denomination: Catholic