Browse Sermon Illustrations
967 illustrations available
The Mission: Mission Work as Kingdom Work - Missional (Colossians 3:23-24)
In the film *The Mission*, we are drawn into the lush, vibrant jungles of 18th-century South America, where Jesuit priests dedicate their lives to serving the Guaraní people. Picture Fr. Gabriel, a passionate Jesuit, his hands calloused from labor as...
God's Not Dead: Personal Defense of Faith - Baptist (1 Peter 3:15)
Imagine a college classroom, the kind where the air is thick with tension, and the scent of stale coffee lingers in the corners. Students are packed tightly, their faces a mix of skepticism and curiosity. In the center of it...
Romero: Martyrdom Working for Liberation - Liberation (Romans 8:28)
In the early morning hours of March 24, 1980, the air in San Salvador hung heavy with the weight of uncertainty. Archbishop Óscar Romero stepped into the small chapel of the Hospital of Divine Providence, the soft light of dawn...
Andrei Rublev: Building on Holy Tradition's Rock - Orthodox (Matthew 7:24-27)
Imagine a small village nestled in the heart of Russia, where the crisp air is filled with the scent of pine and the distant sound of church bells ringing in harmony. Here, in the early 15th century, a humble monk...
Chariots of Fire: Running the Way Set Before Us - Anglican (John 14:1-6)
Imagine the cold, damp morning air of a Scottish track, where the sound of shoes pounding against the earth creates a rhythm of determination. Eric Liddell stands at the starting line, his heart racing not from fear but from an...
Amazing Grace: Faith Expressed in Social Reform - Anglican (Matthew 25:31-46)
Picture a bustling London in the late 18th century, the air thick with the mingled scents of coal smoke and fresh bread. Amidst the clamor of street vendors and horse-drawn carriages, a determined man named William Wilberforce navigates the crowded...
Les Misérables: Daily Grace for Daily Living - Wesleyan (Lamentations 3:22-23)
Imagine the early morning light filtering through the cracked window of a small Parisian apartment, illuminating the worn face of Jean Valjean. He stirs awake, the echoes of yesterday’s struggles still lingering in his mind. Outside, the city is slowly...
The Lord of the Rings: Trust the Wisdom Greater Than Your Own - Reformed (Proverbs 3:5-6)
In *The Lord of the Rings*, there’s a moment that profoundly resonates with our own journey of faith—when Frodo Baggins, a simple hobbit from the quiet Shire, reluctantly accepts his monumental task. The weight of the One Ring hangs heavy...
Schindler's List: Whoever Saves One Life (James 2:14-17)
In the midst of the horrors of World War II, a man named Oskar Schindler stood at a crossroads, his identity woven with threads of self-interest, ambition, and the allure of power. He was a war profiteer, a member of...
The Shawshank Redemption: Joy in Wrongful Imprisonment - Traditional (James 1:2-4)
In the heart of Shawshank State Penitentiary, where despair clings to the walls like dampness, we meet Andy Dufresne—an innocent man trapped in a nightmarish reality. His days stretch long and weary, marked by the clang of iron bars and...
Romero: Grace That Liberates the Poor - Liberation (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Imagine a bustling marketplace in San Salvador, where the air is thick with the scent of fresh tortillas and the vibrant colors of fruit and vegetables spill out from every stall. Here, among the cries of vendors and laughter of...
Harriet: Wings Over the Underground Railroad - Black Church (Isaiah 40:31)
Picture the scene: the cold, moonlit night envelops the dense forests of Maryland, a cloak of darkness hiding the fervent heart of a woman named Harriet Tubman. Like an eagle soaring above treetops, Harriet navigates the shadowy landscape with a...
Les Misérables: Progressive Transformation Into Christlikeness - Wesleyan (Romans 12:1-2)
In Victor Hugo's *Les Misérables*, we encounter Jean Valjean, a man whose journey of transformation is neither swift nor simple, but rather a gradual metamorphosis marked by grace, struggle, and profound choices. Picture Valjean, a hardened ex-convict, emerging from the...
Ostrov (The Island): Theosis as Gift Not Achievement - Orthodox (Ephesians 2:8-9)
In the film *Ostrov (The Island)*, we meet Father Anatoly, a man whose very presence exudes a kind of spiritual radiance that draws people near. Picture him, weathered by the elements, standing on the windswept shores of a remote island,...
Chariots of Fire: Ordered Casting Through Daily Office - Anglican (1 Peter 5:7)
Imagine a young Eric Liddell, the legendary Scottish runner, standing at the edge of the track, the tension palpable in the air. The crowd buzzes with anticipation, their cheers echoing like a distant thunderstorm. Yet, in this whirlwind of expectation,...
Selma: Rest for the Weary Justice-Seekers - Progressive (Matthew 11:28-30)
Imagine the scene in Selma, Alabama, in the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. The sun bore down mercilessly as marchers lined up on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, their tired faces etched with resolve and the weight of history. Many...
Chariots of Fire: Ordered Times - Anglican (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
As we reflect on the life of Eric Liddell, the Olympic runner turned missionary, we can see the profound truth in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: “For everything, there is a season.” Picture Liddell, his feet pounding the track under the bright sun...
The Letters: Catholic Social Teaching in Action - Catholic (Micah 6:8)
In the film *The Letters*, we are invited into the quiet, yet profoundly impactful life of Mother Teresa, a woman who became a living testament to the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. Picture the bustling streets of Kolkata, where life...
Romero: Prophetic Answer from Below - Liberation (1 Peter 3:15)
In the heart of El Salvador during the late 1970s, a nation was in turmoil, and one voice emerged as a beacon of hope amidst the chaos—Archbishop Óscar Romero. Picture the scene: the sun setting over San Salvador, casting long...
Witness: Amish Community Training Children - Anabaptist (Proverbs 22:6)
Imagine a quiet, sun-drenched community in Pennsylvania, where the rhythm of life moves gently to the sounds of horse-drawn buggies and laughter of children playing in the fields. In this close-knit Amish village, everyone knows each other's names, and every...
War Room: Spirit-Empowered Courage - Pentecostal (Deuteronomy 31:6)
Imagine a small, dimly lit room at the heart of a bustling city. The walls are lined with photos of heroes—mothers, fathers, teachers, and friends—each one a testament to courage. In the center is Elizabeth, a woman burdened by the...
The Mission: Grace Received Through Sacramental Encounter - Catholic (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Imagine a rugged landscape in the heart of South America, where the thundering cascade of a waterfall plunges into a vibrant jungle below. This is where we find Rodrigo Mendoza, a man burdened by the weight of his past sins,...
A Man for All Seasons: Reasoned Conscience - Catholic (1 Peter 3:15)
In the vibrant tapestry of the Tudor court, we find Sir Thomas More, a man whose very soul echoed the struggle between loyalty to his conscience and the weight of a crown. Picture him, standing resolute in a dimly lit...
Selma: The Blessed Poor and Persecuted - Progressive (Matthew 5:3-12)
Imagine the scene in Selma, Alabama, on that fateful day in March 1965. The air is thick with tension, but also with an unyielding hope that fills the hearts of those gathered. Thousands of marchers, many of whom were poor...