Sermons on Robert Powell:

Practicing Your Piety In Secret

Contributed by Carla Powell on Jan 2, 2002

The life of faith is low-profile. We minimize ourselves so that God can be magnified and glorified. Contrasts showy piety and quiet faith actions.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day in Lent, the season of the church year during which we focus our attention on our devotion to God before Easter. Ash Wednesday gives us an unusual opportunity to focus on our mortality and our sin. These are not popular topics, nor issues that we like to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:1-6, Matthew 6:16-21

Denomination: Lutheran

Free To Really Live (Easter Sunday)

Contributed by Carla Powell on Jan 2, 2002

Resurrection isn’t just about life after death; it is also about the promise of abundant life-now!

[I have a tradition when preaching on Easter Sunday to insert "Christ Is Risen" as often as possible, to which the congregation respond, "Christ is risen indeed. Hallelujah!"] Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed!) Shouts of alleluia ring out; flowers adorn our sanctuary; people are dressed in ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:1-9

Denomination: Lutheran

What Can We Learn From Mary Magdalene?

Contributed by Carla Powell on Jan 2, 2002

Investigates some common misconceptions about Mary Magdalene. We can learn how to love Jesus from Mary’s persistence, sincerity, and enthusiasm.

Today is the day when we honor Mary Magdalene, dedicated follower of Jesus. Legends about Mary Magdalene abound. In fact, Mary Magdalene is probably most well-known for false details and unproven facts in her life. Often she is identified as a former prostitute, but there is nothing in the Bible ...read more

Scripture: John 20:1-18

Denomination: Lutheran

A Fairy-Tale Wedding

Contributed by Carla Powell on Jan 2, 2002

Urges the couple to seek faithfulness and communication in their marriage. Appropriate for an Interfaith wedding.

You all know the story about fairytale marriages. A beautiful princess goes into a forest and sees a frog. She kisses the frog. He turns into a prince. They get married, and live happily ever after. Or maybe you remember the prince who searches through every house in town and won’t give up until he ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Genesis 2:21-24

Denomination: Lutheran

Love Your Enemies?

Contributed by Carla Powell on Jan 2, 2002

Responding to Sept 11th and a (minor) break-in to our church building, this sermon focuses on how live Jesus’ call to do unto others as we would have them do to us.

Today we celebrate All Saints Day, when we honor those well-known saints of the church. And All Saints Day also helps us to recall those faithful departed who have gone before, people who have died in the faith from this congregation and in our lives. But All Saints Day also serves as a reminder ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:20-31

Denomination: Lutheran

What's Love Got To Do With It?

Contributed by Carla Powell on Jan 2, 2002

Discusses Paul’s use of love as the yardstick for Christian living, then turns to several congregational issues to ask what the loving response would be.

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany (Year C) 1 Corinthians 13, is a popular passage to use for wedding sermons, because of course the topic is love. Brides and grooms have often chosen this lesson because of the beautiful, poetic prose it contains. But Paul did not write this to the Corinthians so ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Denomination: Lutheran

God's Topsy-Turvy Kingdom

Contributed by Carla Powell on Jan 2, 2002

Approaches the Beatitudes as the promise of a future great reversal of fortunes (uses images from Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame).

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the peacemakers, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake." Jesus’ ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12, Micah 6:1-8

Denomination: Lutheran

The Nicodemus Question

Contributed by Carla Powell on Jan 2, 2002

What does it mean to be born again? How can we be saved?

Second Sunday In Lent (Year A) Many people attend sporting events carrying signs labelled JOHN 3:16, the promise that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. I heard of a sporting event recently, where the announcers began to snicker and gawk at a sign one of the spectators held that ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-17

Denomination: Lutheran

Worthless Weeds

Contributed by Carla Powell on Jul 20, 2002

Using Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the tares, this sermon looks at the miraculous way weeds can turn into wheat when God’s in charge.

Around Timothy Lutheran, there are a number of you who have incredibly green thumbs. You know how to identify plants and what the different flowers look like. You know how to coax flowers and vegetables from seeds planted in the soil. Some of you are quite amazing when it comes to the garden. And ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30

Denomination: Lutheran

Slaves Either Way...

Contributed by Carla Powell on Jul 20, 2002

St. Paul tells us we’re going to be slaves, but will we be slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness (draws heavily on some Martin Luther quotes).

As we approach Independence Day, I hear more and more conversations talking about what freedom means. In 1941, FDR identified four essential freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of each individual to worship God in their own way, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Today some people suggest ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:12-23

Denomination: Lutheran

Sum Of All Fears

Contributed by Carla Powell on Jul 20, 2002

Looks at fear and why we shouldn’t be afraid. Tom Clancy’s movie is used as the title, and little else.

Just a few weeks ago, the movie "The Sum of All Fears" was released. This movie plays on the fear of international hostility, and allows our favorite Tom Clancy character Jack Ryan to save the day once again. The movie title though, seems to hit on a very timely topic these days: fear. Even though ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:24-39

Denomination: Lutheran

Security In Being Secure

Contributed by David Powell on Nov 14, 2000

Security of the Believer

Security In Being Secure: John 10:25-30 (.doc format) MSWord Trying to tell all about Security in 20 min. is like trying to paint a house with a 2" brush. But we'll try. ILL. When the world was series going on in San Francisco and Oakland the Golden Gate bridge played a significant part in ...read more

Scripture: John 10:25-30

Denomination: Baptist

Believer's Boast

Contributed by Dallas Powell on Sep 21, 2002

Our faith is an expression of our Godly boast.

Preacher’s Boast Romans 1:16-17 September 21, 2002 A minister, a boy scout, and a scientist were the only passengers on a small plane. The pilot came back to the cabin and explained that the plane was going down but there were only three parachutes and four people. The pilot then added, "I ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16

Denomination: Baptist

Sacrifice, Our Christian Duty

Contributed by Dallas Powell on Sep 21, 2002

An Acceptable sacrifice begins with love. Do you love him?

Sacrifice, Our Christian Duty Hebrews 13:7-16 December 1996 Sacrifice of Leaders Charlotte was born of hearty stock an old Virginian family. Her brother would be a respected physician, and a sister would be also be a doctor, the first female doctor south of the Mason-Dixon line. She would serve ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:7-16

Denomination: Baptist

Having Fun With Jonah

Contributed by Carla Powell on Oct 2, 2002

A re-telling of the entire story of Jonah, but with a twist.

This sermon was given without notes, so the text may differ somewhat from the actual preached word. I asked the people to help me as I read the story of Jonah from the Bible, to raise their hands whenever they heard something that differed from the story as told in the Bible. This sermon works ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran