Gift-Wrapped in Swaddling Cloths

The bottom line is that our risen Lord manifests himself exclusively to the church. We're the ones who witnessed his life, death, and resurrection, and therefore, we are the ones responsible for declaring it to the world. If people don't know what took place on Easter, it's not Pilate's fault. We can't blame the government for not getting the message out. Christ came to us. This is our story to tell.

(from "Sharing What We Have Been Shown," Epiphany 5 sermon)

In this collection of sixteen inspiring sermons based on New Testament epistle texts, Robert Crilley powerfully proclaims the good news to a modern world that desperately needs to hear the healing message of God's unconditional love. Thoroughly grounded in scripture and chock-full of compelling personal stories and insightful illustrations, these sermons cogently relate the challenges faced by the early church to our contemporary lives -- drawing clear lessons for Christian living. Crilley is a master preacher whose messages are memorable both for their friendly charm and for their potent biblical witness.

Sermon titles include:

Just You Wait! (1 Thessalonians 3:9-13)

God's Peace Is on Patrol (Philippians 4:4-7)

The Multitasking Church (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)

Losing that Loving Feeling (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

A Labor not in Vain (1 Corinthians 15:51-58)

Robert S. Crilley is the senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Grapevine, Texas. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan (1984) and his M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary (1987), where he was awarded both the John T. Galloway Prize in Expository Preaching and the Senior Fellowship in Practical Theology. He also won first place (expository division) in the Best Sermons 7 competition. In 1997, Crilley received a D.Min. degree from McCormick Theological Seminary. He is also the author of Veiled Glimpses of God's Glory (CSS).