Sermons on Course:

Center Of Chaos Or Peace--Your Decision

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 16, 2024

The Lord Jesus, in His Galilean ministry, was at the center of ongoing controversies.

Saturday of the Second Week in Course 2023 The Lord Jesus, in His Galilean ministry, was at the center of ongoing controversies. The authorities, both Jewish and Roman, probably said something like “chaos follows Him.” The Pharisees hated Christ because He taught that doing just and charitable ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 1:1-27, Psalm 80:2-7, Mark 3:20-21

Denomination: Catholic

Chosen In Christ--But For What?

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jul 2, 2024

The choice is tied up with the Father’s decision to adopt us as sons and daughters, siblings by adoption with His only-begotten Son. For what purpose? We are so favored so that we might praise the glory of God’s grace granted us through the beloved Son, His life, passion, death and Resurrection.

Fifteenth Sunday in Course 2024 St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians anchors our Scriptures today. Paul is acting as a prophet/teacher for the Church at Ephesus but the universal feel of this letter suggests to us that it’s more like an encyclical or circular letter for all of the churches in that ...read more

Scripture: Amos 7:12-15, Ephesians 1:3-14, Mark 6:7-13, Psalm 85:9-13

Denomination: Catholic

Healing From Leprosy And Sin

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Oct 7, 2022

Just as leprosy could and did kill in the time of Christ, so sin kills the life of the soul in every age of man.

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Course 2022 What was the worst part of leprosy in the days of Christ and even millennia before and after? I believe that the skin condition and other physical ailments were horrible experiences, as well as knowing there was no human cure. But the worst part seems to be the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:11-19, 2 Timothy 2:8-13, Psalm 98:1-4, 2 Kings 5:14-17

Denomination: Catholic

Lord, Bring Your Day To Dawn On Us Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Sep 1, 2019

In pretty much every age of the Church, things have looked so challenging that Catholics have prayed to God to make the Day of the Lord dawn.

Tuesday of 22nd Week in Course 2019 St. Gregory the Great Early Christians knew themselves to be the heirs of the promise God made to the people of Israel, and they looked forward to “the day of the Lord” in which God would act to redeem His people and make every thing that is wrong to be right. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 4:31-37, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Denomination: Catholic

Surrendering To God's Will Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Nov 4, 2017

If we are to be living stones in the Church built on Christ, we must have the attitude of surrender to God’s will that infused Mary and Jesus.

Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica 2017 Revolution and Reformation “Today the liturgy celebrates the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, called “mother and head of all the churches of the city and the world.” In fact, this basilica was the first to be built after Emperor Constantine’s edict, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:9-17

Denomination: Catholic

God Communicates Through Dreams, Visions, And Revelations Series

Contributed by Shaila Touchton on Jan 26, 2025

In this sermon, we will explore five biblical examples of God speaking to individuals through dreams, visions, and revelations.

The Bible is replete with instances of God communicating with His people through various means, including dreams, visions, and revelations. These modes of communication played a crucial role in shaping the lives of biblical characters and the course of human history. In this sermon, we will explore ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 28:10-22, Genesis 37:1-11

Making A Name For Ourselves Fails The Test Of Joy

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Feb 17, 2025

We have a tendency to believe our own publicity, and feel best about ourselves when we own the deeds to lots of stuff.

Friday of the Sixth Week in Course 2025 “Let’s make a name for ourselves” hints that the first reading, from Genesis, is really talking about the results of human pride. Migrating people from the far reaches of Asia are imagined coming together in the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 11:1-9, Mark 9:1

Denomination: Catholic

Who Judges And When?

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Sep 2, 2024

Only Jesus can shed light on the nuances of every human judgement, and He will do that either when He returns in glory to judge everyone, or when each of us dies and renders a report on our gifts and thoughts and actions.

Friday of the Twenty-Second Week in Course 2024 Living in the kind of highly polarized society we have today, one must be uncommonly careful about what you say to others, or even what your face does when you are interacting with another person. Suppose they were talking to you about what they did ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, Luke 5:33-39, Matthew 7:1

Denomination: Catholic

Choosing The Better Part And Learning From Jesus Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jul 13, 2025

Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.

16th Sunday in Course 2025 What is the critical verb in today’s Gospel account of Martha and Mary? What is it that Mary is doing that gives her a pass on serving the food and drink and cooking the chicken in the kitchen? Mary listened at the feet of Jesus. Martha did a lot of busy work, probably ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 18:1-10, Psalm 15:2-5, Colossians 1:24-28, Luke 10:38-42

Denomination: Catholic

Bite Your Tongue Series

Contributed by John Visser on Feb 20, 2006

It’s easy to start a fire, much harder to put it out. So let us by faith in Christ learn to zip it up, rein in our tongues.

Bite Your Tongue The story is told of a young man who had just started his new job in the produce department of a grocery store, when a woman came up to him asking to buy a half head of lettuce. As politely as he could, the young man said that “In this store, we don’t sell half heads of lettuce, ...read more

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Remember Me (Whose Line Is It?) Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Apr 11, 2003

The story of the thief on the cross is one of the most powerful in all the Gospels. But it is possible to get some wrong impressions from what this teaches us.

OPEN: A minister was talking to a professing Christian and asked him if he was active in his local Church. The man responded, "No, but the dying thief wasn’t active in a local Church and he was still accepted". The minister then asked if the man had been baptized. He said, "No, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:38-43

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Tall Trees And Tumbleweeds Series

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Aug 10, 2001

Honoring parents gives us and society the stability we need to flourish.

I started reading science fiction when I was 11 or 12, I think. My father brought home a couple of Heinlein juveniles from the library, Red Planet and Space Cadet. I don’t remember which one I read first, they’re both still favorites. All the Heinlein juvies are good reading. The plots were all ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:16, Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 4:9-11

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Happy Birthday, Church

Contributed by Christopher Roberts on Oct 29, 2003

Penetcost is perhpas the most significant day on our calendars. The celebration of the birth of the Church is just as important as Christmas and Easter. So why do so many churches overlook it, in spite of celebrating other civil holidays?

I love to study history. I enjoy memorizing dates. How many of you here this morning like history? Regardless, there are certain dates in history that we remember aren’t there? For example, if I say 1492 – we all know what happened in 1492. Columbus sailed the ocean blue. What about October ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:1-21

Denomination: Methodist

Too Much On The Plate Series

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Feb 22, 2009

God’s people aren’t immune from grumbling and murmuring, but those who wish to lead effectively will pray for divine solutions in handling dissension.

In a small, struggling situation like those of many churches, it is tempting to look upon the “growing pains” of the early church with some degree of envy. They were adding to the church daily. They were filling up Jerusalem to overflowing with excitement about Jesus’ resurrection and the presence ...read more

Scripture: Acts 6:1-7, Acts 6:1

Denomination: *other

Students Of Christ

Contributed by Chris Appleby on Aug 31, 2009

As disciples we are primarily students of Christ. God gives us his word to train us and correct us.

I sat the last exam for my engineering degree in January 1973. I had to sit it in January because I’d failed one of my final exams the previous June. That had nothing to do with the fact that I’d got married three months earlier nor that I’d just started reading Lord of the Rings a few weeks before ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:10-17

Denomination: Anglican