Stewardship Now - Sermon Starters

November 2009 Articles

Stewardship Now

Changing the Scene

In the past I have written about some of the “Big Box” churches and their proactive pastor‘s. There are now over 1,200 of these “Mega churches” which are defined by sociologists as non-Catholic churches with at least 2,000 in weekly attendance. I received several emails asking what their mission was... read more 




 
It's Not Up To Us

The council had gone over the figures a half dozen times, and now two hours into this discussion they were no closer to an answer than when they started. “I think it’s time to table this conversation and move on,” the pastor said. “It’s pretty obvious we aren’t going to
come to a solution here tonight. We each seem to... read more 
 



The Key to Success

In working with congregations over the years, there is one key factor that keeps coming back, loud and clear. If the Pastor and the lay leaders aren’t “out in front” of the stewardship efforts, there’s very little chance of growth! In spite of the work of the Stewardship Team and it’s Chair, the program isn’t going to get up and... read more 

Sermon Starters - November 2009

Larry Iverson
Synod Minister
South Eastern Minnesota, ELCA

 









November   1,  2009
All Saints Day—Lectionary 31

John 11:32-44

Sometimes, we leave very little space for new events or new ways of doing things. We form early on our sense of generosity in our lives. How far are we willing to go in reaching out in mission to help others? How generous are we going to be with our time, our abilities our resources?

To read the full version please Download a hard copy   PDF     Word   

November  8, 2009
Lectionary 32

Mark 12:38-44

Then we read in the gospel that Jesus sits down and watches as people deposit their offerings in the temple courts of Jerusalem. Jesus watches the rich people putting in large amounts, but he calls his disciples’ attention to one poor widow... 

To read the full version please Download a hard copy   PDF     Word   

November  15, 2009
Lectionary 33

Mark 13:1-8

I had a wonderful opportunity for a sabbatical this summer, and I spent 30 days in Israel, and I spent much of that time in Jerusalem. While there, I made many trips to the “Old City” of Jerusalem with its stone walls around it and remnants of the temple mount retaining walls from Solomon’s time. In this Mark passage...

To read the full version please Download a hard copy   PDF     Word  

November 22, 2009
Christ the King

John 18:33-3

For Jesus this is a definitive moment in his life, before he is to be crucified. He answers Pilate honestly as he has always answered honestly to questions posed to him. For Pilate it is not a special moment, it is one of many. He has handed out many death sentences in his life serving Rome. He is going through the motions...

To read the full version please Download a hard copy   PDF     Word    
  

November 29, 2009

Luke 21:-36

The image of the branch sprouting took on new meaning for me when I saw olive trees at the base of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem this summer that go back to the time of Jesus. I discovered that with olive trees, they die down but then sprout new branches from old trunks. The root structure is very strong and even can regenerate when the...

To read the full version please Download a hard copy   PDF     Word    
  

Please visit the Worship web site.