Our sermon ideas for the Easter season will help you preach powerful messages through Lent and the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday.
The Benefits of Consecration
by Lenny Ports
...He said look for the presence of God, and when you see it, follow it. God is moving. He is on the move and we are called to follow Him. Jesus' first command to His new disciples was FOLLOW ME. Christianity is not about doing your own thing and expecting God to bless it. It is pursuing God, finding His presence and following it wherever it takes you! God's presence is never stagnant. This passage speaks to our relationship with God. Jesus is not the kind of Husband that will just fall asleep on the couch and do nothing in the home and be apathetic about His relationship with His bride. NO! Jesus is the type of Husband that will take His wife on the adventure of her life, loving her intensely and revealing more and more of what He has for her (His kingdom) to her.
Give up for Lent
by M. Jolaine Szymkowiak
When I was in grade school, as the season of Lent would draw near each year, the children in my primarily Catholic community would start asking what others had ''given up for Lent.'' I always thought it such a strange custom. I had been raised in a protestant home and giving up something for Lent, especially since the family income was stretched for the necessities as it was, giving up something that would not be attainable anyway seemed so ridiculous. We had what we needed and sometimes not much more. Giving up chocolates or candy, ice cream, potato chips, soda pop, Saturday movies, seemed too...
First Sunday of Lent
by Kenneth C. Kroohs
Strap in!! This is one of those Sundays when the Scripture includes so many different themes and lessons that we have to run through them like an MTV video! And it becomes especially challenging because I intend to use the majority of this time to focus on another teaching. So at first, all I going to do is throw several thoughts at you. Any that seem to particularly "hit" you, spend some time thinking about. Call me if you would like to discuss them. In the Genesis reading, consider for a moment that the critical issues was not a piece of fruit, but obedience. That God from the very beginning gave human beings....
Palm Sunday
by Kenneth C. Kroohs
Our next section actually relates to prayer although the authors did not make the obvious connection. I love the definition of a sacrament: ''The outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive grace.'' Great definition! The baptismal water is not magic; it is an outward and visible sign, something we can see so that we understand what has happened spiritually. I also like the ''sure and certain'' part. We are saying that as human beings we cannot be absolutely sure that there are no other ways to enter in a right relationship with God. We just know that these...
Jesus and Palm Sunday (10 of 13)
by Donald Cantrell
This sermon contains a fully alliterated outline, with sub-points. The coronation of Queen Victoria took place on 28 June 1838, just over a year after she succeeded to the throne at the age of 18. The procession to and from the ceremony at Westminster Abbey was witnessed by unprecedentedly huge crowds, as the new railways made it easier for an estimated 400,000 to come to London from the rest of the country. The ceremony cost 6.41 million as of 2015, which exceeded the 2.46 million as of 2015 spent on that of her predecessor William IV in 1831 but was far less than the18.5 million as of 2015 for the grandiose...
Palm Sunday: Tragedy Or Triumph?
by Nelson Price
The sun was rising rapidly. It was beginning to shoot its golden arrows across the horizon to gild the sky and curtain off the dawn that would bring a new day to the history-filled city of Jerusalem. This is the festive season of Passover. The old city was filled with pilgrims, visitors, and travelers who had come from many countries to share in the feast. Secular census records indicate there were at least 2,500,000 people in Jerusalem for the event. An exciting rumor spread through the city: ''Jesus Christ is coming!'' Behind Him were His sermons; ahead, His suffering. Behind Him were His parables; ahead, His passion. Behind Him were...
The CROWD around the Cross (1 of 5)
by Steve Wagers
Drawing from the rich history of "The Old Rugged Cross," Wagers reflects on the contrast between its physical origins in Michigan and its spiritual birthplace at Golgotha, emphasizing the transformative power of Jesus Christ's crucifixion.
The CRIES from the Cross (2 of 5)
by Steve Wagers
Reflect on the profound impact of Jesus's seven last sayings on the cross, contrasting them with Voltaire's unsuccessful attempts to undermine Christianity, ultimately showcasing Jesus's enduring authority and compassion.
Day One - Good Friday (1 of 3)
by Mike Stone
Good Friday's pivotal role in redemptive history as depicted in Luke 23, where Jesus's crucifixion alongside two thieves—symbolizing rebellion, repentance, and redemption—highlights the essential choice facing humanity: to be on one side of Jesus or the other, ultimately determining one's eternal destiny.
The Passion of the Christ: The Rest of the Story
by James Merritt
1. The number one question asked in this country for the last six weeks is - ‘‘Have you seen ‘The Passion’?’’ If the answer is ‘‘No’’ the next question is ‘‘Are you going to see it?’’ If the answer is ‘‘Yes’’ the next question is - ‘‘What did you think about it?’’ 2. There is no question that Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ, is as the Spanish put it, en fuego - it is on fire! In Hollywood parlance it is a blockbuster. Geologists would give it a ‘‘10’’ on the Richter scale. Motown would say, ‘‘It is off the charts.’’ 3. The Passion - - Had the best February opening for a new release in movie history, making $83.8 million dollars its first weekend. - It had...
Why the Passion over the Passion? (4 of 7)
by Roger Thomas
Introduction: Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ has created quite a sensation. Some of it is good. Some of the discussion may leave us wondering what the fuss is all about. Today I want to explore this passion over The Passion. In the first week of its release The Passion took in over $150 million. Its first day’s take of $23.5 million put it in the top tier of all time movie openings. It joins the ranks of such record setting films as Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. America’s best-known movie critics, Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper gave it two thumbs up. Roeper called The Passion, ‘‘the most powerful, important and by...
From the Passion to Pentecost
by Doug Tegner
Happy Pentecost Sunday! Did you get your Pentecost Card from Hallmark? One of the great days in the life of the Church worldwide. The 3 significant Christian celebrations...The Advent of Christ The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ The Coming of the Holy Spirit A lot of confusion on the meaning of Pentecost.Many fear talking about Pentecost or have erroneous assumptions Why is this day so significant in the life of the Church? The Spirit of God came to indwell all believers on this day. Pentecost Past...- Pentecost was already celebrated by Jews worldwide. - The word Pentecost from Greek for ''fifty'' 50th day after the...
Easter Sunrise and the Talking Tomb
by Donald Cantrell
I will never forget walking into the funeral home several years ago to meet with the family who had just lost a 40-year-old son and husband. He was not dressed in a typical suit, but a pair of bib overhauls and a dirty ball cap. He had died of a heart attack, but in the pocket of his overhauls was a pack of Camels cigarettes, and in his hand was a can of Mountain Dew. The family explained that these were his loves. He smoked three packs of camels a day and drank a half case of Mountain Dew. That was about all they could tell me about his life, and they wanted the service to be brief without anything religious. As I was leaving, the...
Resurrection Faith
by Tony Nester
What do you think Jesus' first words were when he was raised from the dead on that first Easter morning? Maybe it was, ''Where is everyone?'' (1). The Bible tells us that at that first Easter no one was there to welcome Jesus back from the dead. Mark's Gospel tells us that three women went to the tomb early on Sunday morning, but their purpose was to anoint Jesus' body with burial spices, not to greet him as the Risen Lord. Not one of the disciples were expecting Jesus to be raised from the dead. Mark's Gospel makes a point of telling us of the repeated unbelief of the disciples: verse 11: ''they would not believe''; verse...
Alive
by David Cawston
What is Easter all about? The teacher was extremely enthusiastic. She looked at her class of four-year-olds and asked this question: ''Does any know what today is?'' A little girl held up her hand and said, ''Yes, today is Palm Sunday'' The teacher exclaimed, ''That's fantastic. That's wonderful. Now does anyone know what next Sunday is?'' The same little girl held up her hand. She said, ''Yes, next Sunday is Easter Sunday'' Once again the teacher said ''That's fantastic. Now, does anyone know what makes next Sunday Easter?'' The same little girl responded and said, ''Yes, next Sunday is Easter because Jesus rose from the...
The Easter Story Begins with a Baptism
by Jordan Easley
Most of the time, when we tell the Easter story, we talk about it as being a 3-day event. Good Friday (the day Jesus was crucified) ... Holy Saturday (the day where Jesus laid in the grave) ... and Easter Sunday (the day when Jesus rose from the grave). But this week, as I was thinking through the timeline of the Easter story, I realized something new: Before there was a crucifixion... And before there was a resurrection... there was a baptism. 3 years before Jesus died... Jesus was baptized...
Our Easter Legacy
by Richard Bradley
What is a legacy? A legacy is like a birthright or an inheritance. It's what comes to us at a certain time because of who we are. This event may occur after the death of a parent or a spouse or at some other time such as when someone reaches a certain age. Our legacy is not something we earn or even deserve. It's something that is bequeathed to us because of what we are to someone else...
Easter Is Here!
by Joe Alain
This sermon was preached on Easter Sunday as a three-part sermon with various worship elements interspersed between each part. Song: ‘‘Hallelujah, God Is Here!’’Part 1: ‘‘Then Jesus Came’’ (Jn. 20:19-24) ‘‘Hallelujah, God is Here!’’ The first Christians discovered that on the first Easter. Here’s their story. (Read John 20:19-23). It was the first Easter at evening when ‘‘Jesus came’’ to the huddled disciples in the upper room. This upper room would become the center of spiritual power in just a few days but now it is far from that. The disciples were behind closed doors ‘‘locked because of their fear of the Jews’’ (v.19)...