Sermon Illustrations

If you visit the Four Corners where Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado meet, you can see the architectural remains of a mysterious people who lived there more than a thousand years ago. Little is known about them. They lived in the area for 700 years. Then, about 1300, they suddenly left. No one knows why. They may...

Crater Lake in Oregon is uniquely beautiful. Created by a volcanic eruption, the lake is crystal clear, and set in a goblet of mountains. The first Europeans to see it were two prospectors searching for food. After seeing the stunning lake they continued looking for food and came across some Native Americans. Though they lived...

The great heart of the Australian continent is a desert, hot and dry. It seldom rains at all. But when it does rain lakes form and small fish suddenly appear. It seems miraculous. Pelicans come in great numbers to feed on the vast schools of fish. Then the lakes dry up, and the pelicans leave. The fish die and nothing is left but...

Just inside the magnificent walled city of Dubrovnik, Croatia, stands the bell tower. It marks the beginning of the Stradun, the city's main street. Two iron figures strike the bell each hour. The bells ring twice every hour. The first time is on the hour. The second time is three minutes later. That's just in case you lost count the...

The largest group of native Americans east of the Mississippi is also the most mysterious. They are the Lumbee people of eastern North Carolina. Because they were able to quickly adapt to the white European culture they were neither exterminated nor exiled. They live among others as teachers lawyers, and farmers. They...

The great naturalist John Muir wrote; "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." All of that is probably true. But there are...

The remarkable Redwood tree is not subject to any known plant disease. Insects do not bother it. It can survive being struck by bolts of lightning. If it is cut down the stump produces many sprouts for another tree. If it is blown over it will send up shoots all along its side. By comparison the life of man seems very fragile. It is...

Mt. Rainier in the state of Washington is always an awe-inspiring sight. Its peak is snow-covered all year long. It is visible from a distance of two hundred miles. Native Americans called it Tahoma which means "the mountain that was God." It reminds us of the Greek Mt. Olympus, regarded as the residence of the gods. But we...

Rimsky-Korsakov's fourteenth opera was about the legendary Russian city of Kitezh. The legend is that long ago Tartar invaders were coming to destroy the city. A woman named Fevronia prayed that God would intervene and the city would be spared destruction. Immediately Kitezh became invisible, except for its reflection in...

Near Skagen, Denmark, visitors can see the tower of the Tilsandede Kirke, the Sand Covered Church. The tower is visible because this 14th century church has been buried since the 1700's. Shifting sand from the coast of Jutland has covered much of the surrounding farmland and the church as well. Only the tower is...