Sermons on Tea Leaves:

The Audacious Love Of Emmanuel

Contributed by Jessie Manuel on Dec 12, 2025

Church, we're in the season of Advent, and this week we're talking about love. But we're not talking about the kind of love that shows up when it's convenient. We're not talking about the love that sends a greeting card or leaves a casserole on the porch.

Opening Prayer Gracious and loving God, we come before you in this season of waiting and wonder. Open our hearts to receive your Word today. Quiet the noise around us and within us. Let your Holy Spirit move among us now, that we might hear not just with our ears, but with our souls. Speak, Lord, ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Hope For The Weary Youth Sermon

Contributed by Youth Sermons on Sep 4, 2023

We all face challenges and burdens that can leave us feeling weary and hopeless. But Jesus offers us rest and hope. He invites us to exchange our heavy burdens for his light yoke of grace. This rest is best experienced in community, where we can support and carry one another's burdens.

We all need hope, especially after the kind of year we've had. And guess what? That hope is found in Jesus. Life can be a real drag sometimes, right? School, chores, sports, drama... it can all pile up and leave us feeling wiped out. But Jesus gets it. He says, "Come to me, all you who are weary ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30, Galatians 6:2

Topics: Spiritual Rest, Jesus Teachings, Community Fellowship, Divine Peace

Nehemiah's Wild Ride Part 2 Series

Contributed by John Braland on Sep 27, 2006

Today’s message is about being like Jesus. It’s about putting feet under you faith and taking action. It’s about getting off the bench and into the game and when you leave today I hope you get it. I hope you understand how significant you are in the Ki

A mother was preparing pancakes for sons, Kevin who is 5, and Ryan who is 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson so she said: “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, "Let my brother have the first pancake. I can ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 4:7-9

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Land Of Beginning Again

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 15, 2003

For New Year’s: a participatory sermon, raising the questions: [1] What comfort zone is God calling you to leave? [2] What frightens you most about what God is calling you toward? [3] In what ways have you resisted God’s desire to bless you? [4] How is G

Every now and then God does something which guarantees that those among whom He is working will never be the same again. Whatever it is that He does may seem small and insignificant at the time, but after a while you come to realize that He has done something which has changed everything. We’ve ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 12:1-3, Psalm 137:1

Denomination: Baptist

Exodus 5,6 - Keep Your Focus! Series

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Dec 25, 2009

How do you feel when you really believe God has called you to have a positive Godly influence on people and all you end up with is rejection? What do you do when things go from bad to worse? Pack up and leave? I love what Moses does...

Exodus 5,6 - Keep Your Focus! Exodus 5 is where Moses confronts Pharaoh and says "Let my people go!" He is rejected by Pharaoh and instead of freeing Israel, Pharaoh increases the oppression of their slavery. As a result of Moses efforts, Israel also rejects Moses leadership. How would you feel ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Celebrating Ruth Series

Contributed by David Smith on Nov 14, 2009

But Ruth said, "Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die - there will I be buried. May the Lord

Today is ’All Saints Day’ (or ’All Hallows Day’) and while I appreciate that this day is not as celebrated in our broader culture as is the day that precedes it - ’All Hallows Eve’ (or ’Halloween’) it is nonetheless a significant day of celebration in the church - a day when we celebrate our ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

"It Is For Your Good That I Am Going Away."

Contributed by Derrick Tuper on Aug 21, 2013

We often wish Jesus was still here today. We envy the disciples who had God in their presence. They could be with him and talk with him-physically. But here we see Jesus telling them that it’s a good thing that he’s leaving them. Let’s find out why.

“IT IS FOR YOUR GOOD THAT I AM GOING AWAY” John 16:1-7 INTRODUCTION: We often wish Jesus was still here today. We envy the disciples who had God in their presence. They could be with him and talk with him-physically. But here we see Jesus telling them that it’s a good thing that ...read more

Scripture: John 16:1-7

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Tale Of Two Buts

Contributed by Mark Opperman on Sep 29, 2015

Everybody’s got a but! We all have a list of reasons why we don’t do what the Bible says we should do or why we won’t follow the Lord. Salvation provides a turning point where we can leave the buts of excuses and regret behind!

Objection, Your Honor! Intro: I’d like to give a quick English refresher. In the English language we have what are known as coordinating conjunctions which join words or phrases together. The acrostic FANBOYS is one way to remember them: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So. Coordinating ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:59-62

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Blessing Of Power Series

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Oct 25, 2015

God does help those who can’t help themselves! We’re disabled by sin, yet God still loves us too much to leave us in the mess we’re in. Admitting our powerlessness is the first step on the road to recovery and to receiving power from Above.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us. To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations; for ever and ever! Amen.” On July 13th 1977, I was having dinner in Little Italy, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:16-20

Denomination: Congregational

See The Hidden Glory Of God’s Son

Contributed by Michael Otterstatter on Jul 25, 2023

Let’s leave behind our pride and our thoughts about ourselves and witness the glory of the One and Only—God’s Son—who became human to give us life, and light, and hope. The baby in the manger wants us to have these blessings. May we see the hidden glory of God's Son!

You can still go to Bethlehem. Even though it has been over 2000 years since the first Christmas we could get on an airplane and fly to Israel and travel to the town where Jesus was born. And we can even go to the place that for centuries has been considered the actual location where Jesus was ...read more

Scripture: John 1:14, Hebrews 1:1-11

Denomination: Lutheran

Who Cares? Series

Contributed by Gordon Pike on Aug 22, 2021

Has our prosperity made us so oblivious and so apathetic that we are no longer willing to leave our pleasures long enough to protect and heal the nation that so many others have sacrificed to give us? Even if America has reached that point, we Christians must rise above the apathy around us.

[NOTE: The beginning of this sermon is referring to flooding that occurred where I live in western North Carolina.} Wow! What a week, amen? Life can come at you from out of nowhere and turn on a dime, can’t it? Last Sunday we gathered here to worship and had no idea how our little corner of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-5, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Malachi 3:10, Romans 13:1, 1 Timothy 2:1-3  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: United Methodist

The Economics Of Righteousness Series

Contributed by Michael Mays on Sep 14, 2021

Consider spending your whole life working for one cause, only to realize you were so wrong that you were willing to leave everything you'd achieved behind to promote a new one. That's Paul's story, and here he tells the Philippians how it pays off.

I. Intro: Fire Cleans Out Huxley’s Stuff? Years ago, one of Southern California's infamous wild fires destroyed the home of best-selling writer Aldous Huxley. He and his wife barely escaped with their lives. But Huxley's manuscripts, his collection of letters from "great" people ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:4-11

6 Elements To Warfare Prayer Series

Contributed by Scott Maze on Jun 1, 2022

Daniel prayed with resolve—he set his face. He prayed with tremendous reflection—he looked upon God. I hate to say, and so much of my prayer is casual prayer, prayer that comes with almost a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. God is calling us at this late hour to pray with serious concentration.

Americans are riddled with anxiety. Many of you are full of anxious thoughts throughout the night. Many of us feel an impending sense of danger just around the corner. For some, this apprehension is about their jobs, their marriage and their children. Most of us think if we had a little more money, ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 9:3-19

Denomination: Baptist

A Sure Promise Series

Contributed by Brad Beaman on Jul 19, 2022

We are saved by faith, believing God’s promises. Now let’s live by them. You need to recognize your future is as bright as the promises of God. You held on to the key of promise. Jesus said, I will never leave you or forsake you. God kept his promise concerning Israel possessing the land.

An elderly believer was facing death. While he lay dying he told his pastor, “For years I have relied on the promises of God, but now in my hour of death I can’t remember a single one to comfort me.” His pastor replied, “Do you think God will forget?” He smiled, “No, no he won’t forget. I can ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 21:43-45

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus In The Lion's Den Series

Contributed by Scott Maze on Apr 3, 2022

Let’s fast forward in time around 550 years from Daniel’s day. As we leave our time machine, we have left the ancient land of modern-day Iraq because we now find ourselves in Jerusalem. We arrive at the Mount of Olives at night, just outside the skirts of ancient Jerusalem.

Daniel’s story is in your Bible so you’ll always know hope. Hope in the Christian sense is the confident and certain expectation of future blessings and the confidence that the best is yet to come. We need a hope that a virus cannot touch. We need a hope that a divorce cannot destroy. We need a ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 6:16-23, Isaiah 53:10, Mark 15:34, Luke 22:41-42

Denomination: Baptist