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HomeIllustrations

10,079 Illustrations

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Sermon Illustration

The Wi-Fi That Runs Through the Walls

In 2018, a small church in Christchurch, New Zealand, shared a building with a Korean Presbyterian congregation. They worshiped at different hours, spoke different languages,...

John 17:20-26Universal

244 words

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Sermon Illustration

The Astronomer Who Followed a Different Light

In 2015, NASA scientist Lucianne Walkowicz stood before a TED audience and said something that stopped the room cold: the most important discoveries happen when...

Matthew 2:1-12Universal

235 words

Sermon Illustration

The Brick They Almost Threw Away

In 2014, a demolition crew in downtown Savannah, Georgia, was tearing down a condemned cotton warehouse when foreman Marcus Delaine noticed something odd. Buried beneath...

Psalm 118:14-29Universal

231 words

Sermon Illustration

The Astronomer Who Heard the Planets Sing

In 1619, Johannes Kepler published a book with a remarkable claim: the planets were singing. The German astronomer had spent years charting the orbits of...

Psalm 98Universal

233 words

Sermon Illustration

Nature Illustration: Ants and Small Wisdoms

As I stood in my backyard one afternoon, I was captivated by a small ant hill nestled near the edge of my flower bed. The ants were tirelessly moving to and fro, each one carrying bits of food, some too...

Genesis 1:1-5Universal

253 words

Sermon Illustration

The Sound That Circled the Globe

On August 27, 1883, the island of Krakatoa in the Sunda Strait erupted with a force the modern world had never witnessed. The explosion was...

Psalm 29Universal

216 words

Sermon Illustration

Kagawa's Six-Foot Room

In 1909, a young Japanese seminary student named Toyohiko Kagawa did something his professors could not understand. He left his comfortable dormitory in Kobe and...

Isaiah 58:1-12Universal

240 words

Sermon Illustration

The Broken Composer Who Heard Heaven

In the spring of 1741, George Frideric Handel was a ruined man. London's musical establishment had turned against him. Creditors circled. His operas played to...

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24Universal

253 words

Sermon Illustration

The Priest Who Made a King Listen

In 1550, an elderly Dominican friar named Bartolome de las Casas stood before the Spanish court at Valladolid and did something almost unthinkable. He argued...

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14Universal

244 words

Sermon Illustration

When Inclusive Language for God Meets Real Life

In our ever-evolving world, the call for Inclusive Language for God can feel like navigating a vast and sometimes tumultuous sea. Picture a ship, its sails straining against the winds of change, just as the disciples found themselves adrift on...

Luke 12:33Christocentric

335 words

Sermon Illustration

Frederick Douglass and the Price of Permanent Freedom

In 1838, Frederick Douglass escaped slavery in Maryland by disguising himself as a free Black sailor and boarding a northbound train. He was free —...

Hebrews 9:11-15Universal

255 words

Sermon Illustration

Nature Illustration: Ants and Small Wisdoms

Not long ago, I found myself entranced by a small patch of wildflowers in my backyard, illuminated by the golden morning sun. As I watched, a tiny line of ants marched diligently across the ground, each with a purpose, seemingly...

Psalm 19:1-6Universal

234 words

Sermon Illustration

The Long Defeat of William Wilberforce

In 1787, a twenty-seven-year-old member of Parliament sat at his desk in Old Palace Yard, London, and scratched two sentences into his journal: "God Almighty...

Isaiah 49:1-7Universal

228 words

Sermon Illustration

The First Fire of a Newborn Star

Deep in the constellation Orion, roughly 1,300 light-years from Earth, the Orion Nebula hangs like a vast cosmic nursery. Astronomers have watched this region for...

Genesis 1:1-3Universal

229 words

Sermon Illustration

Science Illustration: Order and Design in Creation

Imagine a small child standing before a puzzle box, excitement radiating from her bright eyes. She pours the pieces onto the table and begins to fit them together with a determined focus, her little fingers working diligently. Some pieces seem...

Revelation 21:1-5Universal

245 words

Sermon Illustration

The Lifeboat at Dunkirk

On the morning of May 29, 1940, Private Arthur Edwards crouched behind a sand dune on the beaches of Dunkirk, watching the German Luftwaffe scream...

Romans 8:31Universal

240 words

Sermon Illustration

The Bridge They Said Would Never Hold

In 2009, engineers in rural Rwanda faced an impossible problem. The Nyabarongo River had swallowed every bridge the government tried to build during rainy season....

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24Universal

252 words

Sermon Illustration

The Doctor They Refused to Hear

In 1847, Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis made a discovery that should have saved thousands of lives. Working in a Vienna maternity ward where one in...

Psalm 81:1, 10-16Universal

229 words

Sermon Illustration

The Contractor Who Read Isaiah on a Job Site

Marcus DeLeon had been a faithful church member for twenty years — never missed a Sunday, tithed to the dollar, fasted every Lent. Then one...

Isaiah 58:1-12Universal

221 words

Sermon Illustration

The Breakfast Tables at Haley House in Roxbury

Every Friday morning at Haley House Bakery Cafe in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, something quietly radical happens. Volunteers who spent the previous evening in prayer groups...

Isaiah 58:1-12Universal

249 words

Sermon Illustration

Real-World Discipleship

Discipleship is not merely about filling a pew; it’s about allowing the light of Christ to shine through every facet of our lives. Let me share with you the inspiring journey of Lisa, a young professional navigating the bustling corridors...

Revelation 21:4Missional

270 words

Sermon Illustration

The Man Who Bore Fruit at Ninety

George Müller of Bristol was seventy years old when most people expected him to rest. He had already cared for over ten thousand orphans, built...

Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15Universal

240 words

Sermon Illustration

Laying Down the Jersey

On May 31, 2002, Pat Tillman walked away from a three-year, $3.6 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals. Eight months after the September 11 attacks,...

Universalsacrifice

242 words

Sermon Illustration

Finding Pentecost in Everyday Moments

In our fast-paced modern world, the celebration of Pentecost can feel both daunting and exhilarating—a bit like standing on the precipice of a great adventure. Just as the early disciples found themselves wrestling with uncertainty after Christ’s ascension, we too...

Jeremiah 29:11Traditional

284 words