I created these images for a sermon on religious freedom based on Isaiah 58:3-9, the idea that religion is as much serving our neighbor as attending services, and that no law can stop us from doing that. I ended up going a different route with the visuals, but I submit these images for anyone else’s use for sermons about the Body of Christ saying, “I’d like to help, but my hands are tied.”

Confession & Absolution based on the readings for Epiphany 2A: Isaiah 49:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, John 1:29-42a

P          Our
vindication is with the Lord, and our reward is with our God. Therefore, we
confess our sin to Him.

C          Lord, You formed us from the womb to
be Your servants, but we daily disobey and turn from You in our thoughts and
thoughtlessness, our words and our silence, our actions and inaction. For the
sake of Jesus, forgive and restore us as we eagerly wait for the revelation of
our Lord Jesus Christ.

P          Here is the
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! He is the Son of God, a light
for the nations, to be the Lord’s salvation to the ends of the earth. He will
also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our
Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; you were called by him into fellowship with
his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore, as a called and ordained servant of
Christ and by His authority, I forgive you all your sin in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C          Amen.

A collection of candle and flame-related images for a sermon based on Isaiah 42:1-7 with a nod to the Epistle lesson, Romans 6:1-11. He restored us when we were united with Him in His death.

Based on the readings for Epiphany 1C (The Baptism of our Lord): Psalm 29, Isaiah 42:1-9, Romans 6:1-11, Matthew 3:13-17

P          The LORD
gives his people strength; the LORD blesses his people with peace. Therefore,
we confess our sin to God that He may give us strength and peace.

C          Lord, You called us for a righteous
purpose and held us by Your hand, but we continue in sin so that grace may
multiply. We give Your glory to others and Your praise to idols. Open our blind
eyes, bring us from the dungeon and from sitting in darkness in the prison
house.

P          Consider
yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus, or are you unaware
that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his
death? He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering
wick. The Lord’s Servant, Jesus Christ, brought justice to the nations, and if
we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly
also be in the likeness of his resurrection. For we know that our old self was
crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so
that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, since a person who has died is freed
from sin. Having fulfilled all righteousness, the Lord says of you, “This is my
beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” Therefore, as a called and ordained
servant of Christ and by His authority, I forgive you all your sin in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C          Amen. Ascribe to the LORD, you
heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD
the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness!

Based on Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12

P In Christ Jesus and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence, so we kneel before our King in confession.
C Lord of the nations, the wise men traveled many miles and searched carefully for Your Son, bowed down, and worshiped Him. But even though I need to go nowhere to find You, because You come to me, I still ignore Your presence, and I think, speak, and act selfishly as if You hadn’t come. I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, so I depend on Your mercy on behalf of Christ to forgive my sin that although thick darkness covers Your people, I may see Your glory.
P Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. Through the Gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, as a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His authority, I forgive you all your sin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen!

P At the name of Jesus every knee will bow — in heaven and on earth and under the earth —
C and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
P By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone from my mouth, a word that will not be revoked:
C Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.
P All the nations will come and worship before You
C because Your righteous acts have been revealed.
P Lord, who will not fear and glorify Your name?
C For You alone are holy.
P All the nations You have made will come and bow down before You, Lord,
C and will honor Your name.
P If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
C and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Drawn from: 1 John 1:7; Revelation 15:4; Psalm 86:9; Philippians 2:10; Isaiah 45:23

In uncertain times, we can take shelter in the cross of Christ, from a sermon, “Reading the Signs,” based on Luke 21:5-28 for Proper 28C

Confession & Absolution for Proper 28C, based on these readings: Psalm 98, Malachi 4:1-6, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Luke 21:5-28

P          The day is
coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and everyone who commits
wickedness will become stubble, so we confess our sin to God.

C          Lord, You will judge the world
righteously and the peoples fairly. We often fail to remember the instruction
of Moses Your servant, the statutes and ordinances You commanded him at Horeb
for all Israel. We grow weary in doing good. For Jesus’ sake, forgive us.

P          Stand up and
lift up your heads, because your redemption is near. For you who fear the
Lord’s name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and
you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall. He has
remembered his love and faithfulness to the house of Israel and has sent His
Son, Jesus Christ, to be judged on the cross on your behalf. Therefore, as a
called and ordained servant of Christ and by His authority, I forgive you all
your sin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C          Amen. Sing a new song to the LORD, for
he has performed wonders; his right hand and holy arm have won him victory!

An illustration used for a sermon, “Standing Firm in the Swamp,” based on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8,13-17 (Proper 27C), I discussed how the description of the “man of lawlessness” (antichrist) corresponds to the Old Adam in the heart of a Christian.

Confession & Absolution based on the readings for Proper 27C: Psalm 148, Exodus 3:1-15, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17, Luke 20:27-40

P          The place
where you are standing is holy ground. In the presence of God and each other,
we confess our sin.

C          O Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob, You have revealed Your glory to me, but I have not
stood firm and held to the traditions I was taught. I have disobeyed Your
commandments and enslaved myself to sin. Hear my cry for Jesus’ sake, and free
me from my sin.

P          I AM has sent me to you. He has observed the misery of His people in sin, death, and the power of the devil and has heard you crying out because of your oppressors. He knows about your sufferings, and He has come down in the person of Jesus Christ to rescue you from their power. From the beginning, God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, so that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, as a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His authority, I forgive you all your sin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C          Amen! Praise the name of the LORD, for
His name alone is exalted. His majesty covers heaven and earth!