Sermons on Metaphors:

Fourth Sunday Of Advent, A--Four Advent Annunciations

Contributed by Paul Andrew on Nov 8, 2022

To all the Marys everywhere; to all the Josephs everywhere; to all the Pauls everywhere; and to even all the Ahazes everywhere.

There are four annunciations or announcements in our Gospel this Sunday. 1. To all the Marys everwhere— Mary’s Annunciation— reminds me of an advertising slogan for a shoe company that says, “No great story starts, “it was cold, so I stayed in.” In classical Greek and Roman mythology every ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 7:10-14, Romans 1:1-7, Matthew 1:18-24

Denomination: Catholic

Funeral Message

Contributed by Brian Bill on Dec 17, 2022

Our earthly life will end. Eternal life will be never-ending.

On Saturday, Michael spent most of the night praying for Margo when she was struggling. She couldn’t really talk but would mouth the words, “I love you” to him. Early in the morning, Michael reached for his Bible and the passage that came up on the screen was from 2 Corinthians 5:1-5. He read it ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

Denomination: Baptist

Sermon On The Necessity For Pollination

Contributed by William Meakin on Jan 29, 2022

The list of creatures that can pollinate is long and includes such insects as bees, flies, wasps, beetles, butterflies and moths.

Albert Einstein the German-born theoretical physicist once reputedly quoted: “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.” Genesis 1:25 reminds us: “And God ...read more

Scripture: Leviticus 11:20-23, Exodus 20:11, Hebrews 11:3

Written On Our Hearts

Contributed by Mary Erickson on Oct 30, 2023

A sermon for Reformation Sunday, Year A

October 29, 2023 Reformation Sunday Rev. Mary Erickson Hope Lutheran Church Jeremiah 31:31-34; John 8:31-36 Written on Our Hearts Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord. Many of our metaphors involve the heart. For instance, you can ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 31:31-34, John 8:31-36

Denomination: Lutheran

Edom's False Security Series

Contributed by Jerry Smith on Mar 19, 2021

What gave the Edomites their arrogance and false sense of security?

we began a new study in the one-chapter Old Testament book of Obadiah. Historians do not know anything about him personally other than he wrote this prophesy. It is a little odd that this book is included in the OT writings, because it is not written to the nation of Israel, but to Edom. The ...read more

Scripture: Obadiah 1:3-9

Denomination: Baptist

Jump: Trusting God And Overcoming Pride

Contributed by Fr. Rian Adams on Jul 8, 2019

You can change your life if you can overcome your pride. This is a sermon about Naaman and how he overcame his pride to experience a miracle.

Jump In! Sermon by The Rev. Rian Adams In today’s Old Testament lesson we meet a dangerous man, a military general who led the army of Israel’s biggest enemy, Naaman. He didn't share Israel's beliefs, their theology, their God, their politics, or their ethics, yet God was at work in him. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 5:1-14

Denomination: Episcopal

After God's Own Heart

Contributed by John Dobbs on Oct 24, 2020

Let’s think about King David and why he is called ‘a man after God’s own heart”. What qualities of David led to that designation? How can we be more like David when he was at his best - and avoid the dangers of being like him at his worst?

How to Be a Person After God’s Own Heart Introduction The human heart weighs less than a pound. It beats 100,000 times a day. Without your heart your body would quickly cease to work. Jesus spoke a great deal about the heart. The heart is a metaphor for the inner life. It is the seat of the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 13:14

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Choice To Follow God - More Than A Political Ad

Contributed by Roberta Karchner on Feb 21, 2020

God gives us a promise - that we have the right to choose. But the choice isn't simple, we can choose life or choose death.

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 NRSV 30:15 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 30:16 If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Temptation Is Information

Contributed by Fr. Rian Adams on Apr 6, 2020

First Sunday in Lent. The sermon is about how our temptations in life can give us information about ourselves, and the world.

Temptation is Information Temptations are too much for some people to handle. I heard a few years ago a 340lb man sued a hospital for 900k, claiming it ruined his gastric stapling operation. The man underwent weight loss surgery to cure his overeating. The surgeon implanted 70 tiny staples to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Denomination: Episcopal

Clean Your Glasses: See The Needs Of Others

Contributed by Fr. Rian Adams on Sep 30, 2019

This is a sermon about Lazarus and the rich man who passed him at his gate. The theme is to clear our spiritual eyes to see the needs around us and act to help the ones in need.

Clean your glasses: Seeing those in need I heard something kind of funny last week about our eyesight changing. When I visited a family member, there was a cartoon clipping on the refrigerator that read, “I don’t stress about my eyesight failing as I get older. It’s God’s way of protecting me from ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

Denomination: Episcopal

Faith And Forgiveness.

Contributed by Fr. Rian Adams on Oct 7, 2019

This sermon is how faith "the size of a mustard seed" actually gives us the ability to offer forgiveness to others.

"Faith and Forgiveness" Allow me to begin today with some self-disclosure: I do not understand exactly what faith is, or how it works. But I have a couple of ideas from the lesson that might be helpful. More on that in a moment, but first I’ve got to share some humor. Have you ever ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:5-10

Denomination: Episcopal

Abide In Me, Living The Resurrection Series

Contributed by Amiri Hooker on May 1, 2021

We are practicing this abiding in Christ as we worship together with the hope that it will continue after the benediction is pronounced and the postlude ends.

Like the good shepherd of last week’s text, this week’s image of the vine is another extended metaphor, which also borrows from and adapts Old Testament imagery for Israel. Whereas the Synoptic parable of the vineyard is a story of violence and greed (Mark 12:1-12), this image of the vine is one ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-8

Denomination: United Methodist

Treasure & The Loving Guard

Contributed by Ken Henson on Jun 12, 2019

A combination of two Devotionals on Proverbs 2:1-8. Wisdom calls out like a lover inviting her beloved, and God, our Lover, promises to protect us, to guard us from harm, through His wisdom.

Proverbs Chapter 2 1. My son, if you accept my words and treat my commands as treasures 2. So that you pay attention with your ear to wisdom and bend your heart to understanding 3. If you say “YES!” to discernment, and call out with your voice for understanding 4. If you seek her like silver and ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 2:1-8

Denomination: *other

Equipped For Battle

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 4, 2017

Message interprets Paul’s instruction for spiritual warfare in the light of what he has already said in the first five chapters of the epistle. Sermon believers see the practical application of how to take the full armor of God and live victoriously.

Equipped for Battle Ephesian 6:10-20 (NKJV) Life Church 11-01-15 This is not a full manuscript but gives highlights of the sermon. The message is an expository verse-by-verse discussion. Vs 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Begins with word ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20, 1 Peter 5:8, 2 Corinthians 2:11, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Denomination: Charismatic

Why Are You Afraid?

Contributed by Thomas Clawser on Jul 5, 2017

Do you feel God’s presence and love in the midst of the storms in your life?

Storm-tossed waters are a frequently used metaphor for the turmoil of living. In 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald went down, and songwriter Gordon Lightfoot recorded a haunting ballad in honor of and as a tribute to the ship and the men who lost their lives. He called it “The Wreck of the Edmund ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:35-41

Denomination: Other