Posted by Eliza on: 08.17.2006 /
Those of you who go to church have heard quite a number of sermons over the years. Those of you who are pastors have given quite a number of sermons over the years! I’m wondering about a sermon that sticks in your mind:
For anyone who doesn’t attend church, are there any talks or lectures you’ve heard that made a big impression on you, that you could tell us about? (Including the questions above, changing “sermon” to “talk” and “pastor” to “speaker”, of course.)
Comment by: Helen
1Thanks Eliza — interesting topic!
I remember being at a “motivational’ talk at a work conference back when I worked full-time (pre-kids — probably about 15 years ago). The speaker said something like “Go try something you always wanted to do and have never done”. Because of that I signed up for classical voice lessons and continued with them until I couldn’t breathe deeply enough because I was late into my first pregnancy. Those were fun — I’m glad that talk motivated me to go have them.
Sermons: my favorite type of sermon is the kind where the pastor looks at the life of someone in the Old Testament and draws lessons from it. The Old Testament narratives include very little commentary so there’s actually a lot of freedom to interpret “Was this a wise or unwise thing to do?”
I doubt I agreed with all their conclusions but nevertheless I think this taught me how to look at the lives of other people and learn things from them.
Learning from someone else’s mistakes is generally quicker and easier than making those mistakes myself (although I still do that too, of course ;-))
Also, if I’m wondering whether something is a good idea or not, and someone else is already doing it, I can look to see whether it’s working or not before I try it myself.
Comment by: Eliza
2I haven’t been to many sermons, but one recently at our local UU church was memorable (only time will tell if it’s short-term or long-term memory!). It was their long-time pastor’s first sermon there in 3 months – he’d been away taking classes for a graduate degree he’s working on. He grew up in the South, in a Pentacostal church…and boy, did it show in this sermon! He was full of fire and energy, moving around the room – not just the front, but also at times going to the back of the room with his microphone – voice rising and falling – full of enthusiastic exhortation for his listeners to act to address socal injustice. He basically said, if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. It was inspiring for me to see someone so passionate about fairness and equality. (I did tell him afterwards that I’d been inspired by his sermon – in amongst all of the long-time members welcoming him back.)
The talk of any type that shook me the most was a lecture I heard 2-3 years ago on a new idea in biology: microchimerism. This is the presence of one person’s cells in another person. It was found when researchers stained organ tissue from women with compounds specific for the Y chromosome – and found clumps of it! After study, they concluded that women who had had any pregnancy carried these cells within them – from the fetus or fetuses – afterwards. Even as long as 27 years, maybe forever! With additional study and more detailed ability to stain for material “different” from the host, they’ve found this in men and in women who have never been pregnant – they think we may have cells from our mothers, and maybe in some cases from an early unrecognized twin who got reabsorbed, in us.
This challenged my view of the uniqueness of each person, or at least of his/her cellular makeup. This finding happens, on purpose, in people who have had bone marrow transplants (and solid organ transplants), but these researchers are finding that everyone has the possibility of having this microchimerism. It made me shiver, to hear about it – just think how weird it would have been to be among the first researchers looking at tissue from women and find, repeatedly, markers from males scattered within it. You’d have to wonder what on earth was going on!
In a funny way, it makes me feel closer to my mom. (Not only do we share 50% of her chromosomes, but now I know there may be cells from her in me, and cells from me in her!) And in a way it leads me to see all people as more connected.
Comment by: Mike O
3I have lots, probably depending on the stage of life I happened to be in at the time. I suppose that ‘memorable’ implies that it’s not necessarily something I just heard, but I have a few favorites:
In the late 70′s, a Christian artist named Keith Green had a hidden track at the end of a cassette of his. I’ve pulled that one out several time. The topic was churches, and how much money they spend on salaries, lights, etc. and how much time went into it. I don’t remember the exact statistic, but the point was something like this … if, on average, a preacher preaches 2 sermons a week, 40 weeks a year (that’s reasonable), and then he gave some number of churches, I’ll say it was 1000 but I really don’t know what the number was, somehow these 1000 pastors and these 80,000 sermons FAILED to bring a single soul to Christ. Then he said, and I quote from memory, “Now my brothers, something is radically wrong here.”
I think that actually speaks to a lot of what I’m hearing out here … the pointlessness of church.
Another one was on the 23rd psalm, verse 1. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. And he went on to talk about the limitless love that our Shepherd has for us. That one was back in 1996, I think.
Another one was on “the spirit of offense.” Honestly, I don’t remember any of the sermon, and I don’t necessarily know that “offense” is a spirit, but that’s not the point. The point was on how easily people get offended, and how being offended rather than resolving a problem, comes between people. That one was 1998
A more recent one was by Andy Stanley. I just heard it a couple weeks ago, but I can’t get it out of my head. It’s available online titled “The Legend of Joe Jacobson,” and it’s about the life of Joseph, and how God was with Him in the bad times. His entire life, he lived honorably, yet he went through one hell after another “and God was with him.” It asks the question, “What would someone do in your situation if they were absolutely convinced that God was with them.”
And now, the thing that’s going to stick like a sliver in my brain is Jim’s book, a.k.a. Lost. While I don’t happen to agree theologically with Jim on every point, that’s irrelevant. This whole thing about “free attention give-aways,” ordinary attempts, and doable evangelism. The church has got to get off their fat butts, and start seeing things from the other guys’s perspective and get out there and mingle with the masses so we can effectively (I’m sorry I’m just going to say it), “reach the lost.”
Comment by: Rachel
4Sounds very uplifting and inspiring, Eliza! That reminds me of a book I read recently by Desmond Tutu. He said that there is no neutral ground in a situation of injustice and oppression. He said that if you say you are neutral, you are a liar, because then you have already taken the side of the oppressor. He went on to say that our God is not a neutral God – our God does take sides and he is on the side of the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized, the widow and the orphan, the helpless and the downtrodden.
It was a very memorable “sermon.” And it meant so much more to me because it was preached by someone who has lived what he is preaching. I remember reading about an incident during the apartheid era when heavily armed white South African police stormed into Tutu’s church to put a stop to his service. He stretched out his arms to them and said, “I invite you to join us, because we have already won.”
Another sermon I remember was preached at my church several years ago by a Romanian pastor named Joseph Tson. He had spent over a decade in a Communist prison as a religious prisoner. He was repeatedly tortured but his captors would not execute him because they did not want to make a martyr out of him. His sermon was about having the courage to stand for your faith and honestly I don’t even remember many specifics of what he said. I had heard that his body was covered in scars and as I listened to him preach about the courage of one’s convictions, I just kept thinking that if he took off his shirt we would see the scars on his back and how I and everyone sitting there had absolutely no idea whatsoever what it really meant to suffer for one’s beliefs.
Another thing I remember was speaking to my senior pastor after my dad’s death from a brain aneurism. He put his arm around me and said, “I was so shocked to hear of your dad’s death. I just can’t believe it. We will miss him so much and I don’t know who will fill his shoes. It always seems like the good ones go first and I just don’t know why this has happened.” His words meant so much to me. I was so relieved that he did not try to give me some religious pat answers or try to make me “feel better.” To know that he shared my grief was the greatest comfort I could have received.
Comment by: Rachel
5Oh, yes – Keith Green! Now there was a radical, off-the-map follower of Jesus! We had some Keith Green records when I was a kid – remember records…those big black plastic round things :)
Comment by: jim
6When I was getting started with Jesus a pastor named Bob Mumford was very influential. He seemed more relevant and humorous than some of the more stodgy types.
He introduced me to the Old Testament by breaking down Israels journey out of Egypt and into the Promised land into a three part presentation he called The Promise – Problem and Provision.
Pretty self explanatory to anyone familiar with the story but it was new to me then and I still remember it today
Comment by: Eliza
7Sounds like memorable can be from a new idea, or from contagious enthusiasm (even about difficult topics), or from the speaker’s own example (whether that’s directly addressed, or not). As well, of course, from a meaningful personal comment at a difficult time…
Comment by: Pam Hogeweide
8good question helen. how many life-changing sermons can a girl hear in her life? not that many, apparently. i’ve been a mostly consistent church attender for nearly two decades. that means i’ve listened to more than 1000 sermons at Sunday church in my adult life – that doesn’t count the extra meetings I’ve attended, like mid-week services or special conferences.
Here are the top three that come to mind:
1. Gary Witherall – he came to our church and described the murder of his missionary wife by a Muslim extremist in Lebanonand how God met him in that tragedy.
2. Graham Cooke – this is the guy who says things like “God is the kindest person I’ve ever met.” I love all of his preaching ministry.
3. RAchel Hickson – A fiery preacher of a woman from UK. I’ve heard her several times but the most memorable message was on loving God with all your mind. That was a transforming sermon for me.
(I didn’t do this on purpose but my top three memorable sermons are by non-Americans. In fact, I think they are all Brits)
Whoa…
Comment by: Susan
9The first sermon that comes to mind is one that, actually, I can’t recall anything he (my current pastor, Dan Bailey–a really great guy and fantastic speaker) said, except, “The book of Habakkuk in the Old Testament is really, really good. I challenge you to sit down and read it straight through this week.”
I thought, “OK”, so I did. You know what? I was absolutely fascinated! Riveted! Overwhelmed! Now, I’d read it before, but something about it just struck me like a thunderbolt! Strange–even though it’s one of the shortest books in the Bible (only 3 chapters long) it tells a story of incredible courage and faith. It also shows how close of a relationship a man can have with his Creator–the dialog, the questions–even a demand that God answer him! Amazing! Well, you may know that I’m a writer, so I wanted so much to get this down into a story. Of course, to do that I had to know about the history and learn all I could about the man himself. Do you know that I stayed completely engulfed in this learning project for ten months without once getting bored with it? I started studying everything I could get my hands on–the Bible, History books, Josephus, 2 books on Bible manners and customs, books on ancient Babylonia & ancient Assyria, lexicons, Bible encyclopedias, biblical archaeology, etc… I read for five hours a day for three months before I even started writing the book. Now it’s finished–58 chapters long & 176,000 words, but I still find ancient middle-east history absolutely fascinating!
It’s really strange what will set you off, you know? You may not even see it coming.
Another talk I found inspiring was given by former Mrs. Idaho, Lonna Vopat. She is a motivational women’s speaker and she gives a talk called “From Maybelline to Maker”. As you can imagine, she’s quite beautiful, but as she gives her talk, she removes her crown, her fancy clothes (don’t worry, she’s got shorts and a t-shirt on underneath), her makeup, her fake eye-lashes & even her falsies, and starts sharing how she’s just like any other woman–with insecurites, needs and desires. She talks about inner beauty & how God holds your mirror, no one else. She also shares her testimony–her battle with drugs, abuse and how she had two abortions, but how God brought her through it and turned her life into a miracle. It is really a fantastic talk. I think every woman should hear it. If you want to find out more about her, actually, and how to get her to come to your church/meeting hall/conference/etc. her web address is: http://www.in-his-grace.com
Comment by: Helen
10Pam wrote:
Pam, yes it is a good question, but Eliza posted this blog entry, not me!
Comment by: Helen
11Susan, I have to say, no sermon has ever motivated me to write a 58 chapter book…maybe I’ve been at the wrong churches! ;-)
Comment by: Julie Marie
12probably the most memorable teaching I’ve had came from a priest in upstate New York about 18 years ago…he explained the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. I was having trouble forgiving because of faulty ideas about what forgiveness is…
and as a follow up, being taught that instant forgiveness is not necessarily a sign of spiritual maturity – that taking the time to honestly work through the feelings associated with the transgression takes time…that ‘instant forgiveness’ can sometimes be nothing more than denial dressed up in piety…was very growth enhancing.
Comment by: Gregg Lamm
13I’m new here … but am glad to find y’all.
One of the most memorable Scripture teachings I ever heard is one I orginally didn’t “hear” at all. I just “heard about it” over an over again from a friend. And by the time I “heard about it” the pastor who studied for it, wrote it and delivered it in the 1970s had long since died.
But the title of the sermon, the passage it focused on, and the lessons it shared left such a profound imprint on my friend (and hey, how many teachings do that?) that it never left my mind. And so a few years ago, through the power of the Internet, I found a copy of it, and eventually even secured a CD of it as well. And so, without any further suspense, introduction or rantng here’s a link to it …
How to Kill a Lion on a Snowy Day
1 Chronicles 11:22-24
Pastor-Teacher Ray Stedman
Peninsula Bible Church | Palo Alto, CA
Catalog No: 3136
4 November, 1973
http://www.pbc.org/library/files/html/3136.html
It’s truly a keeper. Godspeed.
read.think.pray.live.
Gregg Lamm
staying the course
Comment by: Helen
14Julie Marie, I think I learned the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation somewhere other than in a sermon but there was a pretty good sermon series at my ex-church on forgiveness a couple of years ago. It certainly is helpful to understand that difference, imo.
Gregg, thanks for your comments. How interesting that ithat sermon is memorable because your friend kept telling you about how much it impacted him!
I think the point of that sermon is: if you’re facing a difficult/challenging situation, remember these two things – they will give you the courage you need to get through it. 1) 1) God knows, understands and cares about what you’re going through 2) God is using this difficult situation for some good purpose.
Well, I’m too uncertain about God these days for that to be of any help. But I see how it could help people who have those beliefs to be reminded of them.
Comment by: Kathleen
15An African priest who was at our parish for a while (absolutely wonderful, and we all really miss him) once gave a homily about how Catholics take their faith too “seriously” – as in, we don’t let it bring us joy. I don’t remember too much of what he said, but I couldn’t have been more than 10 or 12 – I do remember that the idea of religion being joyful was something that had never occurred to me before. He ended with having us stand up and sing an Amen for a few minutes. It was something I’ll never forget. That was probably the most influential sermon I’ve ever heard.
I’ve had a few in the past few years:
One about forgiveness on the anniversary of 9/11 – I don’t think it has changed the way I act, but it has changed the way I think I should act. I hope that that will eventually lead to actual changes in behavior.
One about how real love for God and for others isn’t necessarily something that’s easily come by. It’s there, but it takes work and prayer to experience it. That HAS changed my prayer life, at the very least.
Fr. King on a Jesuit in the “70s who’d had his legs blown off in WWI, “and he was a joyous man.” He’d received a letter from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin the day after losing his legs, in which he was told (and I paraphrase), “Let the greatest comfort to you be the knowledge that the Lord, in his Infinite Wisdom and Power, now prefers that you be so. Your most profound hopes and dreams, therefore, are not thwarted, but even enlarged.” It’s what I think of when things go horribly wrong and I wonder how God could let X happen.
And a priest who said, “Sin and death did everything they could. And even after that, God still had the last word.” The actual thought that went through my head was “Wow. You can’t make this stuff up.” Ever since then, I’ve been much more confident in my faith. I know what I believe, and I know the joy it gives me.
Comment by: SezMe
16OK, I’ll buck the trend here.
When Richard Feynman was in his prime, he was absolutely brilliant in bringing the scientific understanding of the universe down to the everyman level. His lectures can be viewed here.
I find that exploring the edges of our understanding of the universe to be quite exhilerating
Comment by: SezMe
17Oops, the link does not seem to work. Go here:
http://vegaserver1.hpc.susx.ac.uk:8080/ramgen/feynman/feynman1.rm
Comment by: SezMe
18Huh? This was not a “pat answer”? How do you know he did not try to make you feel better? I have no doubt that he shared your grief but that does not negate the “pat answer” question.
Comment by: Rachel
19Good, SezMe! That’s exactly what we want! :) And I hope you always feel free to say what you think and feel on this blog.
Comment by: Rachel
20I see your point, SezMe. I guess my perception of it was that it wasn’t a prepackaged feel-better answer, certainly not in comparison to the dreadful things other people in my life were saying to me. Like “Now your dad is your guardian angel and he is with you everywhere you go” or “It’s time for you to move on now – I want the happy Rachel back.” Or my cousin who said to me, “Remember…life is for the living.” What the heck?? What in the world does that mean? Dad’s dead, gone forever, it feels like crap!
So I guess to me the senior pastor’s comment was helpful because it acknowledged the pain and loss that I felt and didn’t try to give some religious sounding platitude like “This is the will of God.” He didn’t pretend to have any answers and in the conversation, he highlighted several things about Dad that he appreciated (he said more than I paraphrased above). I also saw the tears in his eyes and I remembered hearing him talk about the loss of his beloved stepmother so I knew that he could identify with what I was going through and knew that it would be long, slow, painful process.
I think I also didn’t perceive it as a “pat-answer” because of all the practical things the church did for me. Within two hours of me leaving a message on the church line that Dad had died, I got a call from one of the assistant pastors. Two assistant pastors came to the house the next day to meet with us and give us practical information and guidance on planning a funeral, etc. I had absolutely no clue about anything. People in the church brought home-cooked meals, sent cards and flowers, left caring phone messages, gave hugs, wrote letters about their fond memories of Dad, gave me several excellent books about grieving. I went to grief counseling with the staff counselor (a trained psychologist) at the church – something I could never have afforded if I had to pay for it. The counselor also gave me his home number and in the first several weeks I would often call him at 6am when I woke up and felt unable to cope.
So the pastor’s comment was helpful to me. But I see your point, SezMe. It’s still just words and someone else might feel very differently in response to the same comment.
Comment by: JG
21Not a sermon but a one day seminar led by Selwyn Hughes in Cardiff, UK entitled “Caring by Encouragement” back in 1987 which my wife and I attended.
All pretty straight forward, sensible, common sense points – eg that you cannot exhort or challenge a discouraged person. You need to encourage and accept before you exhort or challenge.
Made a big impression on me at the time not least because such common sense is often lacking within some parts of the church, in my experience. Obviously we all get it wrong at times but I struggle with those who don’t even accept the principles let alone seek to apply them.