A HELPFUL RESOURCE Baker Book House has just printed a most helpful book entitled Worship Services for Special Occasions, by Edd Breeden, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Cruz, California. It has service…
Sermon Illustrations
PUT ON CHRIST A number of the following stories were sent in by Charles Krieg, St. Joseph's Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Several of them come from Jokes Priests Can Tell, ed. Arthur Tonne. The "Christening…
EARLY IDENTITY The story is told of a grandmother who proudly presented her two young grandchildren to her friend. "Oh," remarked the friend, "They're so cute. How old are they?" The question brought the definite…
FIRST DATE A fine old gentleman walked into the fashionable florist shop. "I want a beautiful corsage," he said, "not a big one, but just about the prettiest one you can make." He smiled broadly,…
GIVE HIM A THOROUGH WASHING Kathy watched quietly and intently as Father Smith baptized her little brother. But when the ceremony reached the pouring of water, little Kathy became nervous, edged up to the baptismal…
INADEQUATELY PREPARED In a certain parish it was the practice to give instructions to the parents and sponsors before Baptism. It was also the custom to invite relatives and friends to a buffet luncheon afterward.…
BRANDED Remember the old Western movies? A frequent scene was where the cowboys round up some cattle. The animals are first chased and lassoed -- then they are held down and branded. The hot branding…
USE WHAT YOU HAVE . . . A man once searched for fire with a lighted langern. Had he known what fire was he could have cooked his rice much sooner. Hindu proverb
NAMED The Hasidic Jews tell the story of a newcomer to America who took his pregnant wife to the hospital. In a short while the doctor came to the waiting room and announced to him…
A NEW NAME A little boy went to his mother and asked her what the next door neighbors were going to name their brand-new baby girl. The mother replied that she thought they were going…
FIRST TIME OUT Some time ago I came across a cartoon which showed a priest ready to baptize a baby -- the family is present -- the priest is standing next to the baptismal font…
FRESH START A man opened up the morning paper and was shocked to find his name mistakenly printed in the obituary column. Greatly disturbed, he went to the newspaper office and complained to the editor:…
SYMBOLS Baptism is like a wedding ring: they both symbolize transactions. A wedding ring symbolizes marriage, just as baptism symbolizes salvation. Wearing a wedding ring does not make you married any more than being baptized…
A CHRISTIAN . . . is not a man who is trying to do something, he is a man who has received something: a man to whom something has hapened and who simply cannot keep…
COURAGEOUS CANDOR The following is an excerpt from Bill Moyers' interview with Forrest McDonald: MOYERS: I remember the story of the time Lyndon Johnson was very morose. The polls had shown him down. He looked…
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITY The following is an excerpt from Bill Moyers' interview with psychiatrist and author Willard Gaylin, who has specialized in the field of bioethics: GAYLIN: Absolutely. We talk about civil liberties, certainly something…
PETER DRUCKER: ADVICE FOR FUTURE The following is an excerpt from Bill Moyers' interview with management guru Peter Drucker: MOYERS: So do you look forward to the twenty-first century? DRUCKER: I do look forward to…
LEADERSHIP If there is one name that would be synonymous with leadership in this decade it would be Lee Iacocca. In the 60's and 70's Iacocca was the president of Ford and the number 2…
QUALIFICATIONS OF A GOOD PASTOR A good pastor must have: The strength of an ox, The tenacity of a bull-dog, The daring of a lion, The wisdom of an owl, The harmlessness of a dove,…
RESPONSES TO THE VOICE FROM HEAVEN Mary, my wife and my favorite English teacher, recently passed along the following to me. It is entitled, appropriately, "The Lesson," and although its author is unknown, I strongly…
