Browse Sermon Illustrations
967 illustrations available
War Room: Warfare Joy, Prayer, Thanks - Pentecostal (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Picture a dimly lit room, cluttered with papers and the remnants of a life weighed down by worry. This is Elizabeth’s war room—a makeshift prayer space where she battles the discouragement that has crept into her heart. The walls are...
Amazing Grace: Hannah More and the Clapham Children - Reformed (Proverbs 22:6)
Imagine a sun-drenched morning in the heart of 19th-century England. The air hums with the chatter of children playing in the gardens of Clapham, a quaint village alive with the spirit of change. Among the bright-eyed children, we find the...
The Letters: The Corporal Works of Mercy - Catholic (Matthew 25:31-46)
In the film *The Letters*, we journey into the heart of Calcutta alongside Mother Teresa, a woman who incarnated the call of Christ in Matthew 25. Picture a hot, dusty street where the cries of the suffering weave through the...
The Lord of the Rings: Be Still Before the Sovereign God - Reformed (Psalm 46:10)
In the heart of the ancient realm of Middle-earth, as the Fellowship of the Ring journeys through the dark halls of Khazad-dûm, they encounter a profound moment of despair. Picture the flickering torchlight casting shadows against the stone walls, the...
Harriet: Deliver Us From Evil - Black Church (Matthew 6:9-13)
In the heart of the antebellum South, in the shadows of cotton fields stretching endlessly under a blistering sun, there were souls who uttered prayers with a rawness that pierced the veil of heaven. Picture Harriet Tubman, standing in the...
Amazing Grace: Salt and Light in Parliament - Reformed (Matthew 5:13-16)
Imagine the crowded, smoke-filled chambers of the British Parliament in the early 1800s, a cacophony of voices rising and falling like the waves of a turbulent sea. Among the throng of politicians, one determined figure stands out: William Wilberforce. With...
WALL-E: A World Fallen From Its Calling - Missional (Genesis 3)
Picture with me the world of *WALL-E*, a film that, at first glance, may seem like a charming tale of a lonely little robot. But beneath that animated surface lies a profound truth about humanity's abandoned purpose. Imagine a future...
Harriet: Armored for Liberation Warfare - Black Church (Ephesians 6:10-18)
As we gather today, let us reflect on the life of Harriet Tubman, a woman who was not just a liberator but a warrior clad in the armor of God, navigating a treacherous landscape of oppression. Imagine the early morning...
A Man Called Otto: Mercies Despite Feeling - Lutheran (Lamentations 3:22-23)
In the film *A Man Called Otto*, we meet Otto, a man wrapped tightly in the heavy fabric of despair. Picture him standing at the window of his worn, grey house, peering out at the world with a gaze dulled...
Amazing Grace: Covenantal Ethics in Public Life - Reformed (Micah 6:8)
As the sun began to rise over the cobblestone streets of late 18th-century London, a young William Wilberforce stood before the towering edifices of Parliament, his heart pounding with the weight of the world. He was not just any politician;...
Romero: A Time for Prophetic Action - Liberation (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
In the heart of El Salvador, during a time of deep unrest, Archbishop Oscar Romero stood at a crossroads where silence had become a shroud over the cries of the oppressed. Picture the dimly lit church, filled with weary faces,...
Selma: God's Love Marches for Freedom - Black Church
Picture the scene on that fateful day in Selma, Alabama, March 7, 1965. The sun breaks through the morning mist, casting a hopeful glow on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, yet this moment is steeped in tension. Dr. Martin Luther King...
Selma: Strategic Nonviolent Resistance - Progressive (Romans 12:9-21)
In the heart of Selma, Alabama, in March of 1965, a moment unfolded that embodied the profound principles of Romans 12:9-21. Picture the scene: the sun rising over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, casting long shadows as hundreds of men and...
War Room: Spirit-Empowered Love - Pentecostal (1 John 4:7-8)
In the heart of a bustling neighborhood, there lived a couple named Elizabeth and Tony. Their home, once filled with laughter and dreams, had become a battlefield marked by misunderstandings and harsh words. Elizabeth, a devoted woman of faith, often...
Romero: God Hears the Cry of the Poor - Liberation (Exodus 3)
In the heart of El Salvador, amidst the shadow of political turmoil and poverty, Archbishop Oscar Romero experienced a divine awakening that forever changed his life and the lives of countless others. It was a day that began like any...
The Mission: Strength for the Climb - Missional (Isaiah 40:31)
Imagine a scene deep in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. A rugged missionary named Father Gabriel, with weathered hands and a heart set ablaze by the call of Christ, stands at the foot of a towering waterfall. The roar...
Harriet: God's Plans for Freedom - Black Church (Jeremiah 29:11)
In the dim light of a candle-lit cabin, Harriet Tubman knelt in prayer, her heart heavy with the weight of her people’s suffering. Outside, the chill of the night wrapped around her, but within her spirit burned a fire of...
Amish Grace: Communal Joy, Prayer, Thanks After Tragedy - Anabaptist (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
In the heart of Pennsylvania, the small, tight-knit community of Nickel Mines faced unimaginable sorrow when a gunman entered their one-room schoolhouse, shattering lives and innocence. Yet, in the aftermath of this tragedy, something remarkable unfolded—a testimony of faith that...
Romero: Subversive Prayer for Liberation - Liberation (Matthew 6:9-13)
In the heart of El Salvador, amidst the turmoil of a nation under the grip of oppressive military rule, Archbishop Oscar Romero found himself in a sacred yet perilous position. Imagine a dimly lit church, its walls adorned with the...
Harriet: God Calls Liberators From the Margins - Progressive (Exodus 3)
In the dense, humid air of the Maryland woods, a young woman named Harriet Tubman stood at the edge of a swamp, her heart pounding like a drum in the silence of early dawn. She had escaped the grips of...
A Quiet Place: Stillness as Survival and Worship - Traditional (Psalm 46:10)
Imagine a dimly lit room, the sound of hushed whispers echoing off the walls. A family huddles together, eyes wide with fear, listening intently for the slightest sound that could spell disaster. This is the gripping reality in the film...
The Lord of the Rings: Hobbits Wonderfully Made for Purpose - Reformed (Psalm 139:13-16)
Imagine the lush green hills of the Shire, where the sun kisses the earth and the gentle sound of a stream flows nearby. In this enchanting land, you might overlook the hobbits—small, unassuming creatures with big feet and simple lives....
The King's Speech: Strength Made Perfect in Weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
In the heart of a trembling nation on the brink of war, King George VI stood before a microphone, his fingers pressing against the polished wood as if it could anchor him to the ground. The air was thick with...
The Passion of the Christ: Emmanuel's Courage Given to Us - Christocentric (Deuteronomy 31:6)
Picture a young man named Jamal, standing at the edge of a darkened forest one autumn evening. The leaves have turned shades of fiery red and orange, but there’s a chill in the air that sends shivers down his spine....