tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61790612024-03-13T21:19:30.670-05:00Sermons of Pastor Ben SquiresSermons preached by Pastor Ben SquiresUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-83457757703336168182012-01-15T12:00:00.000-06:002012-01-16T10:35:10.894-06:001 Corinthians 2:6-16 - “The Gift of the Holy Spirit”1 Corinthians: 1 Faith, 1 Love, 1 Focus (2nd Sunday after Epiphany – B)Sunday, January 15, 2012• Have volunteer come forward.• “No eye has seen” – put blindfold on person• “No ear has heard” – put headphones on person• “No mind has conceived” – put hardhat on person• We just don’t know what God has prepared for us.• Ask for a second volunteer• Put a sign on person that says “Spirit”• Tell personUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-92197886769945089922012-01-08T12:00:00.000-06:002012-01-09T12:42:21.163-06:001 Corinthians 1:18-25 - "But Hey, At Least We're in This Thing Together"1 Corinthians: 1 Faith, 1 Love, 1 Focus (Baptism of Our Lord – B)Sunday, January 8, 2011• Fools.• Freaks.• Insane.• Dim-witted.• Hopelessly misguided• Uninformed.• Naïve.• Out of touch with reality.• Not firing on all cylinders.• That’s how the world sees us.• Fools.• That’s what the world thinks about people who take Jesus seriously.• Fools.• They think we’re wasting our time.• They find it Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-37349277304317658732011-12-04T12:00:00.002-06:002011-12-07T20:29:55.784-06:00Mark 1:1-8 - “A Voice of One Calling in the Wilderness”2nd Sunday in Advent (Year B - Lutheran Service Book readings)Sunday, December 4, 2011Whistle: pure sweet Canada Canada Canada (2X)A voice of one calling in the wilderness.Whistle: pure sweet Canada Canada CanadaA beautiful, rich bird song which fills the woods. You look up into the canopy of trees, searching for the bird singing so sweetly, and you’re amazed at the beauty of the forest, amazed Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-68200556276842673722011-11-27T12:00:00.000-06:002011-11-28T10:32:58.788-06:00Psalm 80:1-7 - “Lament Number 223”1st Sunday in Advent (Year B, Lutheran Service Book readings)Sunday, November 27, 2011• Start putting black pieces of cloth into a box marked with David Sweeney’s “Lament Number 223,” saying one word per piece of cloth.• Sadness, grief, despair, fights, war, shame, hurtful words, hurtful actions, sickness, death, loss, pain.• Tape up box and put it under a chair in the corner.• Ask congregation: Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-71446567745505491212011-11-23T20:23:00.002-06:002011-11-23T20:25:44.597-06:00Psalm 67 - "Benediction"This Thanksgiving Eve sermon took the form of a poem compiled and edited from various sources. You can view the sermon in its entirety by clicking here.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-59348508720552605512011-11-20T12:00:00.000-06:002011-11-22T14:28:01.072-06:00Malachi 3:6-12 - “Principles of Giving”Excel in the Grace of Giving (Week 3)Sunday, November 20, 2011• I’ve been making a lot of phone calls lately, trying to check in on people who we have listed as members but maybe who haven’t been in worship for a while, a long while. • Now when I’m not talking to voicemail, every once in a while I actually get to talk to a real, live person, and I explain why I’m calling.• I’m Pastor Squires, Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-88752969239295509012011-11-13T12:00:00.000-06:002011-11-14T09:45:54.216-06:001 Chronicles 29:10-17 - “Outrageous Giving”Excel in the Grace of Giving (Week 2)Sunday, November 13, 2011• Children’s Message: Bring up children and explain we’re going to get the adults moving, too, to help everyone think about who God has made them to be• Ask adults to get up and move to one of the spots on the edge of the seating area—Worship/Music, Administration/Leadership, Education/Discipleship, Fellowship, Community Service, Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-44761331934040316382011-11-06T12:00:00.000-06:002011-11-08T09:18:22.037-06:002 Corinthians 8:1-15 - “Why Christians Give”Excel in the Grace of Giving (Week 1)Sunday, November 6, 2011• Set up half of the pipe, send coins down• This is God sending down His blessings to us and to others• Except that’s not quite the whole picture• Ask for a volunteer• You be God. (give them the jar of coins)• Set up top half of the pipe with Y-joint in middle• Meanwhile, you give me some blessings and encourage me to share those Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-70055484103335989462011-10-30T12:00:00.000-05:002011-11-08T09:20:22.654-06:00Psalm 46 - “Medieval Knights”Reformation Day (Year A) Sunday, October 30, 2011• (Repeat after me)• Above the chaos• God is with us• God brings peace• The theme for this year’s Gurnee Days was Medieval Knights—that was back in those warm days of August• So our Gurnee Days chair Matt Messmer assembled a team of people who brainstormed and came up with the theme for our float: “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”• It worked Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-85411224551195119992011-10-23T12:00:00.001-05:002011-10-24T08:56:23.328-05:00Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18 - “Cones”19th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 25) (Year A)Sunday, October 23, 2011• People outside of the Church are watching us• They’re watching to see if we take the words of Jesus seriously• They’re watching to see if we really love our neighbors as ourselves—words from the Old Testament book of Leviticus but words that Jesus repeated as He summarized the Law• The people outside of the Church realize Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-16514574126667550792011-10-16T12:00:00.000-05:002011-10-24T09:03:37.836-05:00Psalm 96:1-9 - “Preaching to the Choir”18th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24) (Year A)LWML (Lutheran Women’s Missionary League) SundaySunday, October 16, 2011• Climbing up on the shelves in the warehouse, counting how many Bible studies are still left in open boxes• Small way I was helping the families of the world ascribe glory to the Lord• Dollar bills in a mite box• Small way that you are able to help the families of the world Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-20286694763179469842011-10-09T12:00:00.001-05:002011-10-24T09:01:16.477-05:00Psalm 23 - “Bear Pack”17th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23) (Year A)Sunday, October 9, 2011• What is a bear pack?• Explain• (Use rope and backpack, have some pretend to be a tree)• Why do you put up a bear pack?• Keep your food safe• Have you seen the bears?• No, but you know they’re out there• (Person sits down)• Psalm 23, that very, very familiar psalm, talks about the Lord as our shepherd• What does a shepherd doUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-71180132592525834342011-10-02T12:00:00.000-05:002011-10-03T10:04:53.494-05:00Isaiah 5:1-7 - “Unforgettable”16th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 22) (A)Sunday, October 2, 2011• Roll out cart with CD player on it.• Isaiah 5:1-7 is a love song.• It’s God’s love song for His people.• The owner did everything for that vineyard• He put the vineyard on a hill to get good sunlight• He dug and broke up the ground• He cleared the stones• He planted the best vines• He set up the wine press, prepared for harvest• Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-39784065217534835682011-09-25T12:00:00.000-05:002011-09-26T10:05:47.603-05:00Matthew 21:23-32 - “Repent and Be Welcomed”Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 21) (Year A - Lutheran Service Book readings)Sunday, September 25, 2011• So I just did a Children’s Message on the word “Repent.”• It’s not usually one of those warm fuzzy words made perfect for a warm fuzzy children’s message.• But did you catch how “repent” is an invitation to come back to God? • It’s not an invitation to come back to God so that God canUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-67441492395308233802011-09-18T10:30:00.001-05:002011-09-19T08:13:31.363-05:00Isaiah 55:6-9 - "86"14th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 20) (Year A - Lutheran Service Book readings) Sunday, September 18, 2011 These are the notes from this sermon. No manuscript available.• I want you to remember two numbers: 86 and 11.• And for those of you who feel the need to add those numbers, they add up to 97 but that doesn’t really have anything to do with this.• Let’s take 11 first. Where’s that show Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-72892591148977641132011-09-04T10:30:00.000-05:002011-09-06T08:38:46.635-05:00Psalm 32:1-7 - “Rushing Home”12th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 18) (Year A - Lutheran Service Book readings)Sunday, September 4, 2011Read Psalm 32:1-7 and the divisions of the psalm (see picture). Then say, “Here’s a story for Psalm 32. See if you can line it up with the parts of the psalm. The story is a picture of what happens when we come and confess our sins to God.”For what I was about to do, I had hidden my bike Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-60531750806864640762011-08-28T10:30:00.000-05:002011-08-29T09:52:56.213-05:00Jeremiah 15:15-21 - “Out the Door”11th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 17) (Year A - Lutheran Service Book readings)
Saturday, August 27, and Sunday, August 28, 2011
• Jeremiah was called to be prophet—to speak God’s Word to the people
• He was called to tear down—preach the Law, the judgment concerning the people’s sin
• But he was also called to build up—preach the Gospel, the merciful words from God
• God said to Jeremiah—“Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-89601181176811741032011-08-21T10:30:00.000-05:002011-08-22T09:39:42.329-05:00Isaiah 51:1-6 - “Speedily: Daddy, Why Didn't You Run?"10th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 16) (Year A - Lutheran Service Book readings)
Saturday, August 20, and Sunday, August 21, 2011
The following are my notes from this weekend’s sermon. I didn’t write out a full manuscript for this sermon.
So the other day we were up at Betty Russell Playground just over here in the neighborhood. The boys had their bikes, and Jude, our five-year old, decided Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-28586061841841157032011-07-31T10:30:00.000-05:002011-08-01T08:18:11.749-05:00Isaiah 55:1-5 - “Real Thirst: God’s Blood:Water Mission”7th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 13) (Year A - Lutheran Service Book readings)Saturday, July 30, and Sunday, July 31, 2011Come, come those who are hot and tired, those who need relief from the heat and humidity, come and cool off, come and cool off at no cost to you, come to the free pool, come to the free beach, come to the cooling centers opened by the county. Come, come get much needed Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-77412779115977340212011-07-24T10:30:00.000-05:002011-07-25T08:15:04.138-05:00Matthew 13:44-52 - “The Kingdom of Heaven”Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 12) (Year A - Lutheran Service Book readings)Saturday, July 23, and Sunday, July 24, 2011Pinch yourself. Pinch yourself, because I want you to realize you’re here. I want you to realize that you’re really here. Pinch yourself, because I want you to realize you’re really here, and here is where the message of God is coming to you today, here is where the Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-51812167688076863612011-07-17T10:30:00.001-05:002011-07-18T08:27:33.531-05:00Psalm 119:57-64 - “The Sought Ought”Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 11) (Year A - Lutheran Service Book readings)Saturday, July 16, and Sunday, July 17, 2011A major portion of the opening of this sermon is inspired by and taken from Gabe Lyons’ The Next Christians: The Good News About the End of Christian America (New York: Doubleday, 2010).Do you know who you are? Do you know who you are? Today’s worship has reminded you inUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-83898417442206092982011-07-10T10:30:00.000-05:002011-07-10T10:30:00.266-05:00Isaiah 55:10-13 - “The Smell of Hope”Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 10) (Year A - Lutheran Service Book readings)Saturday, July 9, and Sunday, July 10, 2011Paper and vinyl. It’s that combination of smells in the air that brings hope. You walk into a library, and there’s a smell that hits you right away, and if you’re like me, they bring back a flood of memories. It’s the smell of paper in all of those books. It’s the Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-91498522554513929282011-07-03T12:00:00.000-05:002011-07-05T08:22:54.886-05:00Romans 7:14-25a - “Protect Me From What I Want”3rd Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 9) (Year A - Lutheran Service Book readings)Saturday, July 2, and Sunday, July 3, 2011Romans 7 is a rather confusing little passage. Perhaps you got a little lost when you were listening to those words, “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-8825635291891008862011-06-19T10:00:00.001-05:002011-06-19T10:00:05.479-05:00Acts 2:14a,22-36 - “The Searched-For Conclusion”Holy Trinity (Year A - Lutheran Service Book Readings)Saturday, June 18, and Sunday, June 19, 2011This sermon is inspired by D. Brent Laytham's article, "The Narrative Shape of Scriptural Authority: Plotting Pentecost," where he says, "Peter's speech reads Israel's Scriptures as 'a story in search of a conclusion,' and reads Jesus' story as that story's searched-for conclusion."The car screeched Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179061.post-1750298625359190632011-06-12T12:00:00.000-05:002011-06-13T09:52:34.852-05:00Numbers 11:24-30 - “You Are Prophets”Pentecost (Year A - Lutheran Service Book readings)Saturday, June 11, and Sunday, June 12, 2011Wear a reflective vest. This is a picture of what a prophet does. A prophet directs people to the truth of God’s Word.I’m a prophet—not in the sense that I can foretell the future, but in the sense of the Old Testament prophets who were forthtellers, they spoke for God, called people to God, linked Unknownnoreply@blogger.com