The Preaching Platform

3 Vital Questions in the Christmas Story

December 15, 2022 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

An image of Christmas decorations to draw attention to the Christmas story.

Introduction to sermon on ‘Questions in the Christmas Story’ :

When I was much younger, there was a song that used to play on the Radio that I liked very much. It was titled ‘There are more questions than answers’ sung by Reggae singer Johnny Nash. The song asked a few questions like ‘what is life?’, ‘how do we live?’, ‘what should we take?’, and ‘how much should we give?’

Questions are very much a part of life and asking questions can help us increase our knowledge. There are many types of questions we ask. For instance, some of you may be asking some very personal questions right now, like, ‘Will I get a salary bonus this year?’, ‘How much will it be?’, ‘will my medical tests come out all right?’ (I had first-hand experience of this when I prepared this sermon as my wife and 2 sons were down with viral fever with one of my sons having to be hospitalized. There was tension with each blood report of his that came in, due to the threat of dengue fever).

The Heart Of Christmas – 3 Thoughts To Reflect On

December 9, 2020 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A picture of Christmas decorations that includes a pink heart. — Image by Gundula Vogel from Pixabay

Introduction: As we go through the music of today and days gone by, we find that the ‘Heart’ is referred to over and over again. To take a few examples of songs that came out during different stages of my life, we find titles like ‘Heart of Gold’, ‘A Good Heart’, ‘My Heart Will go on Loving You’, and ‘Your Cheating Heart’. (I guess these titles show how old I am!). That’s because the heart is at the center of all life.

One of the meanings given by the Cambridge Dictionary for the word ‘Heart’ goes like this: “The central or most important part” (of a matter). That’s how we come to the term “Let’s get to the heart of the matter”. Another description of the term “the heart of the matter” by The Free Dictionary goes like this: “The most important, basic or fundamental essence or elements of an issue….or matter at hand. That brings me to the main thought in this sermon.

Proposition: Let’s ensure we get to ‘The Heart of Christmas’ this year.

Sermon : Four Steps to Win the Battle Over Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)

April 22, 2017 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 13 Comments

Introduction

A man was constantly worrying that somebody was under his bed. He went to a Counselor who was willing to help him, but at a high fee, over many months. A few weeks later the Counselor met the man on the street and asked him why he had not returned. The man replied, “I met a friend who gave me some great advice for free. It worked perfectly’. The Counselor asked what advice had been given him and the man replied, ‘He asked me to cut the legs of the bed down to ground level”!

How much we worry and how many of our worries are unfounded? Unhealthy worrying can cripple us to the point of making us ineffective and unable to cope with life’s challenges. It can also lead to depression. We worry over sickness, viruses, finances, family, children, salt, sugar, unforeseen dangers and many other things.

God’s Restoration of the Lost Years : Sermon (Isaiah 54)

January 12, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 2 Comments

Sermon : God’s Restoration of the Lost Years

Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka – Photo Credit: Vasantha Jayasooriya

INTRODUCTION

Let me begin this sermon on God’s restoration with the following illustration.

One of the historical wonders of Sri Lanka is the complex rock fortress, Sigiriya, and the palace built on it by one of our former Kings, Kasyapa, many centuries ago. It is an amazing place to see & tourists flock there to view its beauty, grandeur and craftsmanship. One of the highlights of Sigiriya is the frescoes that are painted on the rock walls. These and the site itself are considered National treasures, with UNESCO listing Sigiriya as a world heritage site. (If ever you come over to Sri Lanka, you need to visit Sigiriya).

Many years ago, some of the frescoes were vandalized by an unknown group of people, with, (if I remember correctly), either ink or paint being thrown, to deface them. As a result, many experts had to be brought in (foreign and local), to work at restoring these frescoes back to their original state. Thankfully, they succeeded in most of their painstaking efforts.

Sermon: God’s Favor on the New Year (Psalm 65:11)

January 5, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 2 Comments

Document

Photo credit: Pexels

“You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance”. (Psalm 65:11 NLT)

What a powerful verse for the New Year!

Introduction

As the year comes to an end, you may be going through much reflection as to what happened in the past 12 months. Some will have testimonies, others will remember severe challenges, while some others may think of the health issues they had to face. Some might say, ‘It was my best year’, while others may say, ‘it could have been better’, or, ‘It was a disaster’! The list can go on. Of course, most of the year was overshadowed by the after effects of COVID -19 and economic challenges..

.While preparing this message, here are some old memories that went through my mind.

Sermon: 3 Thoughts on The Christmas Light that Brings Hope

December 22, 2015 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

Sermon: The Christmas Light that Brings Hope

Photo credit: CliffMuller

(This sermon titled ‘The Christmas Light That Brings Hope’ was preached at our Carol Service on 13th Dec 2015. It is shown here as it was preached that night)

INTRODUCTION

Good evening friends, it’s so nice to have you at our Christmas production 2015, “Christmas Hope – for more than a season”. I want to speak tonight about a hope that lasts beyond a season. One of our musicians told me yesterday that santa seems to be in a hopeless situation this year. Apparently, he had opened a Facebook page at the beginning of this year, and he has been complaining that while he received almost no friend requests till November, that as soon as December arrived, millions of people have been sending him friend requests!!

5 Foundations To Build A Blessed Family

October 18, 2015 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 15 Comments

Image credit: Evil Erin

Introduction

Many buildings that look strong on the outside develop cracks and some collapse, due to the foundation being weak. Bad foundations produce bad buildings! It’s no different with building a blessed family. Didn’t the Lord Jesus Himself give us the parable of the house on the Rock and the one on sand (Matthew 7:24-27)? The house on the Rock stood firm because it had the right foundation.

In this article, I would like to share what I believe are 5 vital foundations for building a blessed family. They are:

Having a Heart of Thanksgiving

November 23, 2024 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a lady praising God with upraised hands to denote the theme of Thanksgiving.

A 5-point sermon on Thanksgiving.

“O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1)

Introduction: Soul singer Lionel Ritchie was once deeply impacted by a speech in which his father had honored his mother, on their 37th wedding anniversary. In his speech, Ritchie Senior had lovingly given thanks to his wife for sticking by him through the ups and downs of life. Said Lionel, “What a great story because I pass through my house every day and I don’t say thank you. I just take for granted that certain things be done”. That speech moved him to compose one of his best loved songs, ‘Three Times a Lady’.

How much we too forget to express thanksgiving to God for the blessings He gives us. We often take them for granted. In Psalm 107, the author earnestly encourages the people to proclaim thanksgiving to God, by repeating the phrase, “Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to humankind” on four occasions (Psalm 107: 8, 15, 21, and 31). That’s a good policy for us to follow too.

Helpful Tips for Preaching from Biblical Journeys

October 24, 2024 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

Preaching From Biblical Journeys

Introduction:

My mind goes back to my childhood as I begin this article. I remember the first time I rode the train through the beautiful hill country of Sri Lanka with my family – a journey considered by many to be one of the most scenic train journeys in the world. The images of perfectly manicured tea plantations, misty hills, cascading waterfalls, winding streams glistening in the sun, and the many enchanting tunnels we passed, are forever etched in my memory.

I also remember our family of 5 being huddled around a small radio in 1969, listening to the ‘live commentary’ of man’s first attempt to land on the moon. Even though we were thousands of miles away, the excitement of this adventure was so special that we stayed up all night following the story with hope in our hearts. The sense of relief as well as joy as Astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped on to the surface of the moon and spoke his now legendary first words, still remain with me.

I have always been interested in following journeys. Throughout my lifetime, I have followed many such journeys with much enthusiasm. In fact, my favorite comic strip in my childhood was based around the adventures of Tintin as he journeyed to many parts of the world including, of all places, the moon. (I am not ashamed to say that I still read those books sometimes). Not sure however why Tintin never travelled to Sri Lanka!

Renewing Hope Through Stormy Seas (Acts 27)

October 7, 2024 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a lighthouse on a stormy day to illustrate finding hope through storms.

Sermon: RENEWING HOPE THROUGH STORMY SEAS

Sermon preached at the People’s Church in Sri Lanka – Sunday, 26^th June 2022

Introduction:

(Illustration of a story related by D.L. Moody that led to a beautiful and well loved hymn being composed).

During a sermon he once preached, D. L. Moody spoke about a ship that was trying to enter a harbor on an extremely dark, stormy night. The Captain noticed the lighthouse light was working but not the ‘lower lights’. He then asked the Pilot, “Where are the lower lights?”, to which the Pilot replied, “They must have gone out, sir.” The Captain then asked, “Can you make it into the harbor?” The Pilot replied, “We must sir, or we will perish in this storm.” As they tried to maneuver the ship into the harbor in the darkness, it hit the rocks and sank. Many lives were tragically lost that night. (Adapted from Hymn History – Enjoying the Journey)

‘The Lower Lights’ – These are lights located away from the lighthouse that light up the water line and give ships safe entry to the harbor.

Building Blocks for Effective Spiritual Maturity (1 Corinthians 3)

July 22, 2024 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a girl reading the bible to denote building spiritual maturity.

Introduction to sermon titled “Building Blocks for Effective Spiritual Maturity Spiritual:

I wonder how many of you received a letter in the post recently. Sadly, we don’t get too many letters by post now, but we do get letters mainly through email. We also get messages on WhatsApp. Maybe you got a letter saying that you’ve got a promotion, or you’ve got a salary raise—some good news. Or maybe you got a letter that wasn’t so pleasant, that was a bit difficult to receive. Or maybe you even received a letter that brought some correction or some guidance into your life.

Well, whatever it may be, we know the value of receiving a good and meaningful letter from someone.

Proposition: I would like to share a sermon today titled, ‘Building Blocks for Effective Spiritual Maturity’, based on the Apostle Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthian Church.

As we look at this book, and the background to this book, we find that the church in Corinth, which was a city in Greece, had been founded by the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul founded that church while he stayed there for 18 months, teaching the word of God. It happened through a vision that he received from the Lord (Acts 18:9), and this particular church was very precious to the Apostle Paul. He was like a father to the congregation.

Help Someone Along Life’s Journey

July 15, 2024 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

Devotional: Help Someone Along Life’s Journey

Scripture: “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre” (1 Samuel 16:18)

Today’s Reading – 1 Samuel 16:14-23

Illustration:

Award winning songstress Gloria Estefan has often spoken about the challenges she faced as a foreign student in her early school life, mainly due to her inability to communicate in English.

Gloria however received assistance in her English language skills and was given confidence to persevere by her year one teacher, Dorothy Collins. She eventually won the class reading prize and went on to study languages at University.

Showing respect for her teacher, Gloria once said, “My year one teacher didn’t just teach me the language; she helped me find my voice”.

Speak Words of Kindness (Proverbs 12:25)

July 2, 2024 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual to denote speaking words of kindness showing the words 'Thank You'.

Devotional on Kindness:

A little child with learning difficulties had a tough time during her first sessions in class and was coping poorly. During the following year however, her learning improved quite dramatically. In case you’re wondering why? – Well, after her first day in the new class, the new teacher called up every child individually and whispered something into their ear. When this particular child walked up, the teacher had leaned over and whispered, “I wish I had a child like you.” Those words of kindness were the catalyst for a powerful change in the child’s behavior and learning.

Country singer Christy Lane once sang –

God Will Never Leave You (Deuteronomy 31)

April 18, 2024 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A photo of an adult holding a child's hand to highlight that God will never leave you.

(This is an outline of a sermon titled ” God Will Never Leave You”, preached at the People’s Church in Sri Lanka on Sunday, 7th April 2024).

Opening Illustration: Shared a memory of being let down by someone during a moment of crisis.

Introduction: Refer to Deuteronomy 31:1-8

a) The nation of Israel was preparing to enter the promised land.

b) Moses says that he is now 120 years old and unable to lead them any longer.

c) The Lord had told him that he would not be crossing the Jordan to enter the promised land.

This was a pivotal and important moment in Israel’s history. The people would have been deeply disturbed by Moses’ statement. However, Moses assures them with a powerful promise.

The Tomb – Given with Courage and Commitment

March 30, 2024 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a tomb to depict the tomb given by Joseph of Arimathea for Jesus' burial.

This reading based around Joseph of Arimathea, is from Day – 21 of the Devotional titled, “Reflections on Passion Week”. The e-book can be purchased on Amazon.com here. (Available on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited).

Scripture: “As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.” (Matthew 27:57-58)

After Jesus’ death, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a prominent and upright member of the Jewish Council, went boldly before Pilate and requested permission to bury the body. In the process, he had to go through the tension of first facing an unscrupulous and treacherous governor, and thereafter, a battle-hardened centurion (Mark 15:43-45, Luke 23:50). After checking with the centurion whether Jesus was already dead, Pilate eventually released the body to Joseph (Mark 15:45).