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25 illustrations — Sermon illustrations drawn from films and cinema
In Spotlight, Boston Globe journalists uncover the Catholic Church's systematic cover-up of child abuse. They share their roof with survivors, listen to painful stories, bring hidden wickedness into light.
SermonWise.ai generates complete sermon outlines for any passage across 17 theological traditions. Try it with Luke.
In Babette's Feast, two elderly Danish sisters take in Babette, a French refugee, as their cook. For fourteen years she serves them plain food. When she wins the lottery, she spends it all on one magnificent French feast for the...
In Gran Torino, Walt Kowalski is a racist Korean War veteran who despises his Hmong neighbors. When gang violence threatens the teenage boy next door, Walt—the last person who should help—becomes the unlikely savior. He gives his life protecting people he once hated.
In Coco, the dead truly die only when no one living remembers them. Héctor is fading because his daughter Coco, now elderly, is forgetting him. Miguel races to restore her memory before it's too late. "Remember me," the song pleads—a...
The Kim family lives in a basement apartment that floods with sewage. The Park family lives on a hill in architectural splendor. When Ki-taek, the poor father, asks what the rich Mr. Park's plan is, he answers: "I never make plans.
In Dallas Buyers Club, Ron Woodroof—a rodeo cowboy dying of AIDS—becomes an unlikely advocate for HIV patients. Homophobic and self-destructive, Ron initially wants only to save himself. But smuggling medicine transforms him. He befriends Rayon, a transgender woman he once would have despised.
In The Blind Side, Leigh Anne Tuohy sees a large Black teenager walking alone in the rain. She could drive past—most would. Instead, she stops. "Do you have a place to stay tonight?" Michael Oher becomes family. "Go and do...
In Patch Adams, Hunter Adams rejects sterile, detached medicine. He clowns in children's cancer wards, learns patients' names, treats people instead of diseases. The medical establishment calls him unprofessional. But his patients heal—sometimes in body, always in spirit. "It is...
In the film *The Pursuit of Happyness*, we meet Chris Gardner, a man grappling with despair in the bustling streets of San Francisco. Picture him for a moment: standing in a dimly lit subway bathroom, clutching his young son, Christopher,...
In the film *War Room*, we meet Miss Clara, an elderly woman whose home becomes a sanctuary—not just for prayer, but for transformation. Picture her small kitchen, where the scent of freshly brewed coffee mingles with the worn pages of...
Imagine a bustling market square in Wakanda, vibrant with the colors of traditional fabrics and the rich smells of spices wafting through the air. You can hear the lively chatter of children playing and the rhythmic beating of drums echoing...
In the gripping tale of *The Prestige*, we enter the shadowy world of 19th-century magicians, where rivalry is as intoxicating as it is destructive. At the heart of this story are Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, two men whose hunger...
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...
In the film *Good Will Hunting*, we meet Will, a young man whose extraordinary intelligence is overshadowed by his profound pain. Picture him in a dimly lit Boston basement, the scent of stale coffee and old books hanging in the...
Imagine a bustling farm at the break of dawn, the gentle light cascading over the fields, revealing a hard day’s work ahead. In the midst of it all stands a farmer named Jake. He’s not just any farmer; he’s known...
In the heart of El Salvador, amidst the vibrant colors of humble homes and the warmth of community gatherings, Archbishop Oscar Romero emerged as a beacon of hope during turbulent times. Picture him—dressed in a simple cassock, his brow furrowed...
Imagine Dorothy Gale, a young girl with dreams as vibrant as the Kansas sunflowers swaying in the breeze. One fateful day, a cyclone rips through her small hometown, whisking her away to the fantastical land of Oz. There, she meets...
Imagine, if you will, a bustling city layered with both opulence and despair—the rich glittering high above in their glass towers, while the poor navigate the shadowy depths of the subway, their faces lined with weariness. This is the world...
In the dimly lit streets of 19th-century Paris, Jean Valjean—a man hardened by years of injustice, hunger, and despair—stumbles into the sanctuary of a humble bishop’s home. His heart, once filled with a restless rage, now carries the weight of...
In the film *Gran Torino*, we meet Walt Kowalski, a grizzled war veteran whose heart seems as hardened as the rusting car he cherishes. The bitterness of his past wraps around him like a heavy cloak, and his world is...
Imagine a small, sunlit room filled with friends gathered around a table, laughter bubbling over as they share stories over a hearty meal. Among them is a woman named Ruth, whose laughter is infectious. But her joy is shadowed by...
In the film *Jojo Rabbit*, we meet a ten-year-old boy named Jojo, a product of a world steeped in hate and fear, where he proudly wears the uniform of a young Nazi. His imaginary friend, an absurd caricature of Adolf...
In the film *Lady Bird*, we meet a spirited teenager named Christine, who insists on being called Lady Bird—a name she claims as her own, a declaration of her desire for independence and identity. In the bustling, sun-soaked streets of...
In the gripping film *Parasite*, there's a haunting moment when the wealthy Parks family begins to notice an inexplicable odor surrounding their new housekeepers, the Kims. It’s a smell that lingers, a blend of cheap soap and dampness—a reminder of...