This web page summarizes a 2-sermon series from The Alternate Life Collection. Click the sermon title below to download the notes, which have a link to the Presentation File. For lectionary preachers, a good fit is Year B, Proper 25-26. Another possible fit is Year A, 4-5Easter.
Ok, now for an overview of this 2-week series
Blessings, Tim
Daniel 2 (Nebuchadnezzar's first dream) and 1 Peter 3.15 (Always be prepared to give an answer for the reason for the hope others see in you.)
Thesis: God is patiently building his Alternate Kingdom, which will last for all eternity, and he offers us and all our Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors a place in it.
The first sermon follows the progression of God building his Alternate Kingdom from Abram through Pentecost, with a significant focus on Daniel 7. In it I use a red balloon as an object lesson:
This sermon starts by quietly setting up a red-balloon object lesson. In the beginning, I placed a red balloon floating on a string but held to a height just above head level, so as not to block anyone's view. I didn't explain it at all; I just let it float there as a curiosity throughout the entire sermon. Then at the wrap-up, I revisited to encourage everyone to live every day the following week as a red balloon. To help them remember, I gave each person a red balloon to take home, inflate, and serve as a reminder throughout the week.
1 Peter 2.4-12 (Living stones for God's house), Hebrews 9.11-15 (Christ is our High Priest and the perfect sacrifice)
Thesis: We must worship the right god in the correct way, which turns out to be a very political statement in the midst of the civil religions all around us.
This sermon traces the history of worship, with a significant segment that unpacks Roman Imperial Worship and its connection to Revelation. In addition to helping the congregation understand corporate worship, this sermon also makes a strong point about the politics of worship.
Blessings, Tim