Sermon Library

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About the Sermon Library

The fall of 2005 witnessed the launch of the Council’s groundbreaking lectionary-based worship resource called Acts of Faith: Resources for Prophetic Worship. Spanning all three lectionary years, Acts of Faith is unique in that it offers free worship resources that are both specific to North Carolina and focused on particular social justice issues that impact our communities. This project has far exceeded our expectations; in fact, it’s the most popular resource the Council has published in the last 25 years.

The Council embarked on this project with the recognition that there were very few worship resources available for pastors and religious leaders who wanted to talk about social justice issues in their places of worship. Acts of Faith brings together strong biblical interpretation, excellent liturgical resources and perceptive analysis of each issue as it affects North Carolina’s communities – all in a searchable, printable format that anyone can access for free.

Over the past six years, teams of Council staff and interns have been quietly updating and maintaining this resource. In 2009 we started the process of moving the entire series from print-based PDF files to a more interactive, web-based format. Now we are proud to offer an entirely new companion to this resource: a library of sermons.

We believe that issues of peace and justice can be expressed in the worship life of congregations, and we remain committed to providing accessible and relevant resources to make this a reality. This strong collection features real sermons that have been preached from pulpits across North Carolina and beyond over the last decade. As with Acts of Faith, the themes chosen for inclusion in this sermon library reflect the Council’s focus areas of work and positions on the issues. We hope that these texts will be helpful as you seek to articulate God’s calling in your own context. Please feel free to use these resources however you see fit, but please also cite the authors who have shared their work with us.

All of the sermons in the library are used with the permission of the authors. We’re grateful for their important contributions not only to this particular resource, but also to their congregations and communities. In addition, the Council would like to thank everyone who has helped make this new resource a reality, especially John Lawrence and Rennie Salata.

Please contact us if you are interested in submitting one of your sermons for consideration.

Browse by Topic

CHRISTIAN UNITY

Luke 24:13-35; “The Ecumenical Journey” by Rev. Michael Kinnamon

CREATION CARE

Genesis 1:11-12, Luke 11:12; “Being a Creature Means You Eat” by Dr. Ellen Davis
Isaiah 6:1-8; “Religion and Ecology” by Rev. Nancy Petty
Luke 7:36-8:3; “Shameless Love” by Rev. Nancy Petty
Deuteronomy 33:13-16a, John 3:16-17; “To Savor and Save” by Rev. Dr. Stephen Shoemaker
Genesis 6:11-22; “Living on an Ark” by Dr. Norman Wirzba

ECONOMIC JUSTICE

Luke 24:36b-49 “Stay in the City” by Rev. Dr. Douglass M. Bailey
Luke 12:13-34; “The Economics of Jesus” by Rev. Douglas Long

EQUALITY & RECONCILIATION

Mark 10:23-31, Galatians 3:23-29; “Inviting the Uninvited” by Rev. Peter Carman
John 15:9-17; “Love Is the Last Word” by Rev. Dr. Christopher Chapman
Isaiah 61:1-2a, Luke 4:18, Mark 10:46-52; “Don’t You Shush Me” by Rev. Amy Jacks Dean
Matthew 7:21-27; “A Perfect Storm” by Rev. M. Jonah Kendall
2 Corinthians 5:13-20; “Beholding the New Creation” by Rev. Dr. Stephen Shoemaker
Hebrews 13:1-3, Luke 4:16-30; “Jesus the Stranger” by Rev. Dr. Stephen Shoemaker
Jeremiah 29:4-7, Luke 8:26-39; “This Man is Scary” by Rev. Dr. Stephen Shoemaker

HEALTH

Mark 4:35-41; “Don’t You Care?” by Rev. Cliff Frasier
Isaiah 61:1-3; “No Joy for You!” by Rev. Dr. Deborah Patterson
Mark 5:25-34; “From the Back of the Crowd” by Ginny Tobiassen

IMMIGRATION

Exodus (Part 1); “We Were Strangers Too” by Rabbi Leah Berkowitz
John 10:11-18; “Strangers No More” by Rev. David Hill
Acts 10; “Peter Gets Religion” by Dr. Eloise Kaeck
Acts 16:16-34; “Listen, but Don’t Emulate” by Rev. M. Jonah Kendall
Philemon 1-25; “Living Out Faith” by Rev. Jean Newell
Jeremiah 23:1-6; “A Christian Perspective on Immigration” by Rev. Nancy Petty
Mark 2:1-12; “What Do You See?” by Rev. Ismael Ruiz-Milan

PEACE

Amos 5:21-24, Matthew 5:1-12; “Waging Peace in the Midst of War” by Rev. Amy Jacks Dean
Matthew 2:1-12; “A Missing Peace in the World” by Edward Stallworth
Matthew 5:1-8; “Blessed are the Merciful” by Rev. Mel Williams
Ephesians 2:11-22; “He is Our Peace” by Rev. Dr. Sam Wells

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Mark 1:40-45; “A Sermonic Feast” by Rev. Dr. Jill Crainshaw
2 Samuel 5:6-8, Mark 10:46-52, 11:1-11; “The Story of Two Sons” by Rev. Jill Edens

Index by Scripture

GENESIS

Genesis 1:11-12, Luke 11:12; “Being a Creature Means You Eat” by Dr. Ellen Davis
Genesis 6:11-22; “Living on an Ark” by Dr. Norman Wirzba

EXODUS

Exodus (Part 1); “We Were Strangers Too” by Rabbi Leah Berkowitz

DEUTERONOMY

Deuteronomy 33:13-16a, John 3:16-17; “To Savor and Save” by Rev. Dr. Stephen Shoemaker

2 SAMUEL

2 Samuel 5:6-8, Mark 10:46-52, 11:1-11; “The Story of Two Sons” by Rev. Jill Edens

ISAIAH

Isaiah 6:1-8; “Religion and Ecology” by Rev. Nancy Petty
Isaiah 61:1-2a, Luke 4:18, Mark 10:46-52; “Don’t You Shush Me” by Rev. Amy Jacks Dean
Isaiah 61:1-3; “No Joy for You!” by Rev. Dr. Deborah Patterson

JEREMIAH

Jeremiah 23:1-6 “A Christian Perspective on Immigration” by Rev. Nancy Petty
Jeremiah 29:4-7, Luke 8:26-39; “This Man is Scary” by Rev. Dr. Stephen Shoemaker

AMOS

Amos 5:21-24, Matthew 5:1-12; “Waging Peace in the Midst of War” by Rev. Amy Jacks Dean

MATTHEW

Matthew 2:1-12; “A Missing Peace in the World” by Edward Stallworth
Matthew 5:1-8; “Blessed are the Merciful” by Rev. Mel Williams
Amos 5:21-24, Matthew 5:1-12; “Waging Peace in the Midst of War” by Rev. Amy Jacks Dean
Matthew 7:21-27; “A Perfect Storm” by Rev. M. Jonah Kendall

MARK

Mark 1:40-45; “A Sermonic Feast” by Rev. Dr. Jill Crainshaw
Mark 2:1-12; “What Do You See?” by Rev. Ismael Ruiz-Milan
Mark 4:35-41; “Don’t You Care?” by Rev. Cliff Frasier
Mark 5:25-34; “From the Back of the Crowd” by Ginny Tobiassen
Mark 10:23-31, Galatians 3:23-29; “Inviting the Uninvited” by Rev. Peter Carman
Isaiah 61:1-2a, Luke 4:18, Mark 10:46-52; “Don’t You Shush Me” by Rev. Amy Jacks Dean
2 Samuel 5:6-8, Mark 10:46-52, 11:1-11; “The Story of Two Sons” by Rev. Jill Edens

LUKE

Isaiah 61:1-2a, Luke 4:18, Mark 10:46-52; “Don’t You Shush Me” by Rev. Amy Jacks Dean
Hebrews 13:1-3, Luke 4:16-30; “Jesus the Stranger” by Rev. Dr. Stephen Shoemaker
Luke 7:36-8:3; “Shameless Love” by Rev. Nancy Petty
Jeremiah 29:4-7, Luke 8:26-39; “This Man is Scary” by Rev. Dr. Stephen Shoemaker
Genesis 1:11-12, Luke 11:12; “Being a Creature Means You Eat” by Dr. Ellen Davis
Luke 12:13-34; “The Economics of Jesus” by Rev. Douglas Long
Luke 24:13-35; “The Ecumenical Journey” by Rev. Michael Kinnamon
Luke 24:36b-49 “Stay in the City” by Rev. Dr. Douglass M. Bailey

JOHN

Deuteronomy 33:13-16a, John 3:16-17; “To Savor and Save” by Rev. Dr. Stephen Shoemaker
John 10:11-18; “Strangers No More” by Rev. David Hill
John 15:9-17; “Love is the Last Word” by Rev. Dr. Christopher Chapman

ACTS