Sermon Illustrations
The UEFA Cup Final
“One of the most illuminating moments in working through this process was in attending the 2nd leg of the UEFA Cup Final in 1984. Totttenham won 3-2 on penalties; when the penalty was saved which brought the victory, there was such a rush of collective emotion from 35,000 Spurs supporters as I have never felt before. That experience enabled me to realise how much of what I had prevoiusly experienced as ‘worship’ was part of the wider human phenomenom of collective focus on (literally) one goal.”
SDMTS notes on Worship, Jonathon Clark Module 308 – JDC 1997
Worship Work and Play
Gordon Dahl once observed, “Our problem is that we worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship.”
Worship Is A Thirsty Land Crying For Rain
For worship is a thirsty land crying for rain;
It is a candle in the act of being kindled.
It is a voice in the night calling for help.
It is a soul standing in awe before the mystery of the universe,
It is a time flowing into eternity . . . . . .
. . . . . a man climbing the alter stairs to God.
– Author Unknown
Spirit Level by Ann Bird, Methodist Publishing p17Mickey Rivers
Mickey Rivers, a one time outfielder for the Texas Rangers, explained his philosophy of life:
Ain’t no sense worrying about things you got control over, because if you got control over them, ain’t no sense worrying. And their ain’t no sense worrying about things you got NO control over either, because if you got no control over them, ain’t no sense worrying.
Reported in Dallas Morning News, may 20, 1984The Fear In Worry
Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. In encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.
Arthur Somers RocheThe Interest On Worry
Worry is the interest we pay on tomorrow’s troubles.
E. Stanley JonesAll The Worry In One Day
J. Arthur Rank, an English executive, decided to do all his worrying on one day each week. He chose Wednesdays. When anything happened that gave him anxiety and annoyed his ulcer, he would write it down and put it in his worry box and forget about it until next Wednesday. The interesting thing was that on the following Wednesday when he opened his worry box, he found that most of the things that had disturbed him the past six days were already settled. It would have been useless to have worried about them.
Unnatural
It is unnatural to worry. In all God’s creation only people don’t trust God.
J John – New Wine 1995Control
By worry we think we can control the uncontrolable
J John – New Wine 1995Lost . . . A Word
I lost a word yesterday,
Unguarded, from my tongue;
It slipped into the atmosphere –
Then trouble had begun.A dozen others followed it;
They filled the room with grief,
No matter then what word was said,
It could not bring relief.If only I had stopped that word
Before it crossed my lips,
My day had been a happy one –
And sweet with fellowships.I think I wasted yesterday,
Hurt self as well as friend,
Today I want to watch my words,
And let not one offend.Gertrude McDaniel – Quoted from Cybersalt.org email list