Login / Signup

Free Access

Out of the Church

Illustration
Stories
“I’m not sure why we’re doing this,” Ollie muttered to himself as he took his place on the bandstand. He unpacked his guitar and played a few chords to make sure that it was in tune. “The acoustics are better in the church building.”

“They may be,” Todd said raising his voice over the sounds of the busy park. “Going to be a noisy afternoon from the sounds of it.”

“Huh?” Ollie looked over at his smiling friend. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

“You’re just saying what we’re all thinking, isn’t he Wendy?’

“He sure is. The acoustics are lousy outside and out here there are bugs,” Wendy slapped at her arm. “I really don’t like bugs.”

“It think that it’s going to be hot today, too.” Todd wiped his brow. “I have some extra sun screen and water if you need it.”

“Thanks.” Ollie tilted his head. “So if there are bugs, it is hot, and the acoustics are terrible and it’s hard to hear over all the background noise, then why are we here?”

“That’s a good question,” Todd said. “If we played at the church, who would hear us?”

“People who wanted to hear us,” Ollie said. “Along with friends and family, who would come to support us?”

“Exactly.” Todd smiled. “So who will hear us playing our here?”

“Strangers who may or may not want to hear us.” Wendy slapped at another mosquito. “If last time is any indication, there will be some who ignore us. Plus remember those two who were heckling us, Todd?”

“I do.” Todd nodded. “They really didn’t like that we were playing Christian music.”

“They said things, really?” Ollie frowned. “So why go where we aren’t welcome?”

“Who says we’re not welcome?” Todd asked as he nodded toward some families looking at the sign they had placed advertising the concert and talking excitedly. “Some of the people here will see the sign and come to listen. Others may just hear the music telling about Jesus and the gospel. All of that is good.”

“I’m not sure they’re going to come to Jesus just because they hear our songs.” Ollie paused. “I mean I know they are all religious pieces, but I don’t think we’re anything special.”

Wendy played a few notes on the keyboard. “I think that’s kind of the point.”

Ollie scratched his head. “What?”

“It’s like Pentecost.” Wendy said. “We’re out in the world where people are to tell them the good news of Jesus. Some will scorn and mock, but others will listen and come to believe through what we do.”

“I sure don’t think of myself as an apostle.” Ollie shook his head. “They were great figures of the faith who did incredible things. No, that’s beyond what I can do.”

“Is it beyond what the Holy Spirit can do? Because that is what Pentecost is about. Not you or me but what God does through us and with us. Remember the first apostles were just common ordinary people who simply witnessed to what they had seen and heard and felt.” Wendy gestured at the growing group of people around the bandstand. “We witness to Jesus and we sing our songs old and new and we trust that the Holy Spirit is the one who works in the hearts of the people who hear.”

“So we just play and God does the rest?” Ollie said. “That seems a little bit too easy.”

“Sometimes we have people approach us with questions afterward and we explain and share the gospel as best we can. Other times we have to put up with hecklers and people who don’t like talk about God but yeah, pretty much that is how it works.”

“I thought Pentecost was more dramatic.” Ollie frowned. “I’m not sure we’re going to see any miracles this day because we’re playing in the park.”

“If someone is reminded of God’s love and comes back to church, isn’t that a miracle?” Wendy asked. “Or if someone has never heard about God but becomes interested, isn’t that a miracle?”

“Not to mention if someone is strengthened in their faith or who is hurting and hears that God cares.” Todd smiled. “Whatever we do today will be a mere shadow of what the Holy Spirit will accomplish in the hearts and minds of the people who listen.”

“I prefer to think of what we do as a spark and the Spirit sets things on fire,” Wendy said. “The imagery fits more with Pentecost.”

Ollie laughed. “Okay. Let’s give it a go and let the Holy Spirit move.”

The three started to play songs telling of Jesus and all across the park the Holy Spirit moved in and through the people who gathered to listen.
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Easter 2
20 – Sermons
170+ – Illustrations / Stories
26 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
20 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 3
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 4
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
33 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A sheep or lamb stuffed animal.

Note: For the best experience, when you ask the questions, take the time to draw the children out a bit and help them come up with answers. Make it more of a conversation if you can.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent! Let’s get started! (Hold the sheep in your lap as you continue.)

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Mary Austin
For May 4, 2025:

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice… (vv. 11-12a)

Phillip Hasheider is a retired Wisconsin beef farmer and an award-winning author who was dead for six minutes and came back to tell about it. If you have ever thought about dying and wondered what it would be like, then Hasheider’s Six Minutes in Eternity is a book you will want to read.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Coffin
A medical worker is working long, hard, stress filled hours in an urban hospital setting. One day he or she is called into the administrator’s office to be terminated due to angering professionals in the upper echelon. The worker protests that it is, “My word against their word, why am I to be the scapegoat?” The administrator pulls rank! The worker is asked to turn in their badge and do not come into the premises again unless as a patient. The now unemployed medical worker still feels the calling to be a healer. So, they get a job at an alternative/natural health medicine store.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Acts 9:1-6 (7-20)
Martin Luther believed that the story of Paul’s conversion demonstrates that there is no need for special revelation. The reformer commented:

Our Lord God does not purpose some special thing for each individual person, but gives to the whole world — one person like the next — his baptism and gospel. (Complete Sermons, Vol.7, p.271)

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
I've recently spent several hours by the lakeside, for I've been in retreat this past week in the little village of Hemingford Grey, in Huntingdonshire. A great delight for me was to walk to the flooded gravel pits, sit on a bench in glorious sunshine, and watch the water birds. For me, that's a wonderful way to become very aware of the presence of God through the beauty of his created world. And sitting like that for several hours, doing nothing but watching and waiting, I can't help but absorb the peace which passes all understanding.

SermonStudio

Constance Berg
When Beth was a teenager, she lived on the streets. She smoked cigarettes and drank beer and her parents had said that she had to choose: her friends or her family. Beth chose her friends and lived from house to house and eventually in homeless shelters. She barely avoided being raped at one point. About six months of shelter-hopping was all she could take, and she found a shelter that sponsored her until she took the GED. They told her she was brilliant: she was just bored and dissatisfied with the status quo. The shelter supervisors suggested she look into community college.
James Evans
(For alternative approaches, see Epiphany 6/Ordinary Time 6, Cycle B; and Proper 9/Pentecost 7/Ordinary Time 14, Cycle C.)

The main theme of this psalm is captured profoundly in the movement within a single verse: "Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with morning" (v. 5). Casting life experiences between light and dark is not unique or novel, of course, but the poet's treatment of these themes offers some fertile ground for reflection.

Elizabeth Achtemeier
We have three different accounts of the conversion of Saul in the Gospel according to Luke (9:1-20; 22:6-16; 26:12-18). They differ in a few minor details, but essentially they are the same. In addition, Paul writes of his conversion in Galatians 1:11-16, and in 1 Corinthians 9:1 and 15:8-9, stating that at the time of his conversion on the road to Damascus, he saw the Lord. For Paul, that made him an apostle, equal to the twelve. An apostle, in Paul's thought, was one who had seen the risen Christ and had been sent to announce that good news.
Richard E. Gribble, CSC
Once in a far-off land, there was a great king whose dominion extended far and wide. His power and authority were absolute. One day, as events would happen, a young man, a commoner, committed a grave offense against the king. In response, the king and his counselors gathered together to determine what should be done. They decided that since the offense was so grave and had been committed by a commoner against someone so august as the king, the only punishment that would satisfy justice was death.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL