Brainstorming Sermon Series
In addition to working with our small groups, I have the privilege of serving on our weekend teaching team. So I've been brainstorming potential sermon series for the next few months. Here are some of the ideas I'm playing with right now.
Bad Habits- Seven Deadly Sins
Help NCCers identify and break sinful habits in their lives.
- Lust
- Gluttony
- Greed
- Sloth
- Wrath
- Envy
- Pride
Sola
Help NCCers establish and build on strong theological foundations. Opportunity to touch on some historical theology.
- Sola Scriptura
- Sola Fide
- Sola Gratia
- Sola Christus
- Sola Deo Gloria
Sacred Paths
Introduce NCCers to spiritual disciplines that aren’t talked about very often but have the potential for tremendous growth. Might have been a better fit with a Lenten series.
- Solitude
- Sabbath
- Simplicity
- Confession
Trinity
Proclaim the glory, majesty, and mystery of God. Help NCCers grow in their understanding of and relationship to the different members of the Trinity.
- Father
- Son
- Spirit
Mysteries
Acknowledge the mysteries of our faith and, in the process, develop a deeper sense of awe and worship to a God that cannot be placed in a box or described by a set of theological statements.
- Incarnation- fully man and fully God
- Trinity- Three and One
- Eternity- Always was, always will be
- Sovereignty and Free Will
Code of Conduct
A series on the 10 Commandments
Imago Dei
Help NCCers understand what it means to be created in the image of God and the divinely ordained expectations, responsibilities, rights, and privileges that accompany that.
- Essence- we reflect God’s image in our being (could focus on our capacity for morality, goodness, reason, ability to grow and change, etc)
- Authority- we reflect God’s image in the authority we have been granted over creation (could talk about influence, Biblical leadership, even creation care)
- Relationships- we reflect God’s image in our capacity for relationship ( could talk about the community of the Trinity and how we have the created need for relationship with other people)
I'm also playing around with some ideas on a series on spiritual warfare (not sure we've ever done one of those at NCC and it's always tricky talking in quasi-military language and metaphors in DC), but I haven't quite nailed that yet. And we'll be doing a missions/outreach/evangelistic related series this summer, so I'm trying to stay away from those topics. And we'll most likely be doing Elephant in the Church again the Fall.
Here's the question-- if you could hear a sermon series on ANY topic or ANY book of the Bible, what would it be?
posted by Heather Z @ 11:04 AM
9 comments
Sacred Roads: Exploring the Historic Paths of Discipleship
9 Comments:
They all sound pretty good. I particularly like:
- Sola
- Sacred Paths
- Trinity
- Mysteries
And if you do the Spiritual Warfare series, I would love the hear what the Bible (not tradition) has to say about Satan. I think a lot of our common ideas about the Devil com from Paradise Lost and other extra-Biblical accounts.
What is Elephant in the Church exactly?
Thanks for the feedback, Nate. And intrigued about the Satan from the Bible sermon. That would be good. We've tossed around a Heaven/Hell series before.
Elephant in the Church- it's what everyone is thinking about but no one is talking about. We tackle tough subjects that tend to get ignored or danced around in the church- politics, alcohol, hypocrisy, sexuality, suffering, etc. We've done the series twice, and it's been hugely successful.
Those are great sermon topic ideas! Here are a couple that popped in my head...
"The Romans Road" (how to share the basics of your faith or something to that effect)
"Hymns for Him" (a look at the scriptural and spiritual richness of selected older hymns... "Amazing Grace," "And Can It Be," etc)
I'm really on board with the Seven Deadly Sins one honestly. I know that isn't really a 'feel good' topic but I always really appreciate it when someone has the guts to touch the sin issues in a thinking and sensitive manner. I'm not talking fire and brimstone, but in a learning manner. I think that and spiritual disciplines are the most fascinating on that list for me. Anyhoo- that's my vote.
Bad Habits- Seven Deadly Sins really jumps out at me.
I also really like Nate's suggestion about Satan and Aaron's "The Romans Road" idea.
My pastor hates military imagery, which I like to use! So an alternative I've found that we both can live with is sports imagery. You know, do you want to be on the football offense or defense? etc.
Mysteries & Imago Dei, for me.
One other thought for the Imago Dei series.
I was taught that the Hebrew for "in" His image can also be accurately translated "as."
We are not only made "in" His image, but also "as" His image.
Essence, Authority, Relationships, & Representations
It's also clear in the OT that God expected Israel to represent Him to the rest of the world and of course Jesus placed the same calling on us.
Anyway, it's just another dimension to the series.
I was experimenting and made a video (pathetic) about it here:
http://stevecorn.com/wordpress/2008/08/the-image-of-god/
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