Sermons on Of Cloth And Cleric:

Is "Church" A Dirty Word? Series

Contributed by Steven Spillman on Jun 3, 2008

At this point in Christian history we’ve been so ingrained with our concept of what “church” is, it can be a real shock to our systems to find out what the Bible says it is.

I may have opened a can of worms by bringing up the definition of “church.” At this point in Christian history we’ve been so ingrained with our concept of what “church” is, it can be a real shock to our systems to find out what the Bible says it is. I got a phone call from my buddy Roger this ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:8-10

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Islam, The Church And Reformation Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Nov 20, 2017

Was Islam the "rod of God's wrath" or the foil for the great miracle of the sixteenth century?

Feast of St. Andrew 2017 Reformation/Revolution The Synoptic Gospels don’t pay a lot of attention to St. Andrew. The triad Peter, James and John is often seen–on Mt. Tabor, in the Garden of Gethsemane, and in leadership and healing roles in the early days of the Church. Andrew has more prominence ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:18-22

Denomination: Catholic

Scapegoats

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Apr 28, 2019

Jesus turns that human sin on its head by becoming the scapegoat, by taking all sin onto His divine shoulders and letting the Romans and Jewish leaders nail His sacred Body to the cross.

Tuesday of 2nd Week in Easter The great literary critic and philosopher René Noël Théophile Girard, was baptized in France with names that speak of Christmas, his birthday, and the love of God. He gave us the idea that all our desires are borrowed from other people, and that all ...read more

Scripture: John 3:7-15, Acts 4:32-37

Denomination: Catholic

Cheating Life

Contributed by David Dewitt on Nov 28, 2001

Far too many people are living without hope or vitality and thus they are cheating life

Cheating Life John 11 November 16, 1997 Morning Service 1. The aspect of Dead air: A. The best part of radio: The playing of record and D.J., the challenge of radio was to avoid dead air B. Why do we focus so much on the concept of death? What is it about death that seems to fascinate? 2. Break ...read more

Scripture: John 11:38-44

Denomination: Church Of God

The Special Role Of The Laity Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on May 2, 2015

Lay people in the Church, especially women, serve a vital role in spreading the Gospel and building community.

Thursday of the 5th Week of Easter 2015 Joy of the Gospel Both of our readings today are concerned with what the Catechism calls “The Christian Life,” or the moral and virtuous way of life. Paul and Barnabas were traveling through the lands of what is now Turkey and Greece, going to ...read more

Scripture: Acts 15:17-21

Denomination: Catholic

Believe In The Son And Walk The Talk Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Apr 13, 2013

The answer to the new atheism is the old faith, belief in Christ and reception of his forgiveness and grace.

Monday of Third Week in Easter 2013 Gaudium et Spes It’s been a while, but some years ago I used to hear Christians using the phrase “walk the talk.” That means that what you profess with your lips you have to live with your whole person. Today we are given the first ...read more

Scripture: John 6:22-29

Denomination: Catholic

No Traitor, But Servant Of God Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Dec 25, 2014

St. Thomas of Canterbury lived a life in service to God, a service in love and defense of His Church and people.

St. Thomas of Canterbury Mass (December 29) Thirteen Days of Christmas There is no doubt what happened on December 29, 1170, but what one thinks of it depends very much on a connection to the people and places of twelfth century England. On that day, four English knights of Norman descent came ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:4-6

Denomination: Catholic

Pray To The Lord Of The Harvest Of Faith Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Sep 28, 2013

In faith we must weep, like the people of Israel, when we hear the Law of God; there are three reasons to do so.

Thursday of the 26th week in Course 2013 Pray the Lord of the Harvest of Faith And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 8:1-12

Denomination: Catholic

Persecution--Coming To A Church Near You? Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 14, 2021

We have two challenges: to make faith in Our Lord known and to so act that Americans turn back to Christ and the Church and repent and are healed. And at the foundation of that effort, we must pray, pray, pray.

Feast of St Agnes 2021 Saint Agnes was martyred in the persecution of Diocletian, right about the year of our Lord 303. Now we in the United States tend to think in terms of four to eight years, the length of a presidential administration. But just imagine what life was like in the last half of ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:7-12, Hebrews 7:25-28, Hebrews 8:1-6, Psalm 40:7-17

Denomination: Catholic

Take Up The Challenge And Do The Will Of God Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jul 6, 2019

In this age, when Christians of all kinds are being ridiculed, harassed and threatened in many different ways, we need to look at the martyrs of the past two thousand years and take courage.

Tuesday of the 14th Week in Course 2019 Jacob ben Isaac was a cheat, a liar and a thief. You may recall from an earlier reading in Genesis that he lied, cheated and stole his older brother, Esau’s, first-born blessing. Then, wisely, he left town and took up with Laban, where he married two sisters ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:32-38, Genesis 32:23-31

Denomination: Catholic

Some Actions Are Always Wrong So What Do We Do? Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 19, 2021

Murdering the innocent is always gravely immoral. Thus we have been taught since the first Christians accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and celebrated communion together.

Homily Monday of 12th week in ordinary time If we are to understand what the Lord is saying to us today, and more importantly what He is not saying, we need to find the key word in the Gospel: it’s “hypocrite.” A hypocrite is someone who calls sin a sin in other people, but ignores the sin in ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 12:1-9, Matthew 7:1-5

Denomination: Catholic

The Nature Of Grace Series

Contributed by Denn Guptill on May 16, 2010

A look at Grace demonstrated in the lives of Joseph, Moses, David and Peter

It seemed to make perfect sense: If the “Grace of God” was a good thing, and if the “Grace of God” was demonstrated through the forgiveness of sin, then the more we sinned than the more the Grace of God would be demonstrated. It seems to make perfect sense but it ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:1-7

Denomination: Wesleyan

How To Be A Great Commission Christian

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Sep 27, 2003

Too many Americans are missing out on the blessings of being involved with the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our great Savior and Friend said, You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jer

How to Be a Great Commission Christian Too many Americans are missing out on the blessings of being involved with the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our great Savior and Friend said, You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Are All Divorcees Adulterers? (Mark 10:11-12)

Contributed by David Smith on Nov 4, 2007

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

It seems like we’ve been covering most of my least favourite Bible passages of late, so perhaps I should have expected this one to come along - "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her”. Another winner! And what a good passage to have on the day of a baptism! ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:11-12

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Purpose Of The Church

Contributed by Melvin Maughmer, Jr. on Feb 13, 2022

The purpose of the church is to be the catalyst that will ignite change in the sinner through and with the unadulterated word of God convicting sinners of their sin, convincing them that God loves them and died for their sins, and converting them.

The Purpose of the Church By Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr. OPENING: - Last week I spoke on how the Spirit of the Nicolaitans is operating in the church today. In that message I dealt with what I called superfluous fluff when I spoke on so-called Ecclesiastical Attire, Clerical Vestments, Robes, ...read more

Denomination: Apostolic