Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 226 to 250 of 1138 results

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

Sermon

Alex Gondola

... you here?" (Ironic again: Jesus already knows.) That same question might be asked of each of us as we prepare to receive Communion: "Friend, why are you here?" It's likely that, in a congregation as large as this one, worshipers have come to church for a variety of different reasons. Some of us might be here simply because we come to church every Sunday (that doesn't just apply to the ministers and the organist!). Frequently, a faithful worshiper will say to me, "It just doesn't seem like a Sunday if I don ...

227. "Friend, Why Are You Here?"

Sermon

Alex Gondola

228. Prayers for Memorial Day, Election, Thanksgiving

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

... colors of fall and the muted tones of spring; Fresh fruit and canned peaches; Loving dogs and self-contained cats; Long letters from family and short notes from people we just met; Strength provided by our faith and caring empowered by your love; Endless variety of plants and trees and the greenness of grass that never wearies us; Eternal love given us through your Son and eternal life granted us in his resurrection. Hear our prayers of thanksgiving, our Creator and Master. Amen. Lord, this is the time of ...

229. The Color Of Diversity

Drama

Karren Boehr

... : Someone who looks and acts with authorityFOLLOWER: Someone who is in full obedience to leaderTEN INDIVIDUALS: Assorted ages Costumes: Leader: Professional dark clothing Follower: Plain clothing so as not to attract attention Individuals: Light pastel colors in a variety of dress from professional to casual Props: Large pole, stepladder, ten dark blue ribbons or streamers (width and length should be suitable for Maypole winding), ten assorted pastel colored ribbons (width and length should be suitable for ...

230. No Longer Servants, but Friends

John 15:18--16:4

Sermon Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... ." "No, I'm not angry; I'm feeling sad. My best friends wouldn't let me play football at lunch today, and I had to eat all by myself." "No wonder you're feeling sad." Well, I was angry; how dare they treat my son that way. I hatched a variety of revenges in my head. The next day, I took Steve to school, and then sat in my car and wept for a half hour. Six months later, I asked Steve about that event; he recalled nothing about it. I reminded him what happened. And he said, "Oh, we resolved ...

231. The Season Of The Holy Spirit

Mark 7:24-30

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

Theme: The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman; the Healing of a Deaf and Dumb Man. Of what do you need healing? THE COMMUNITY GATHERS TO CELEBRATE Pastoral Invitation (Pastor and Ministers) (Several days, maybe weeks, before worship ask a variety of people of what they were healed and to prepare to share in worship.) In the name of the Great Healer, welcome to this sixteenth Sunday in Pentecost. I invite you to share of what God has healed you. Remind them that God is invested in many kinds of healings, ...

232. The Season Of The Holy Spirit

Mark 9:33-37

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... name of the risen Christ, hello. Welcome to God's world, and everything in-between. For what purpose have you come today? (Thirty seconds of silence.) Invite people to respond. If no one responds, express for the people that they probably come for a variety of reasons, some positive, some not so positive, some healthy, some not so healthy. For whatever reason, we are here. We are here today to discover the meaning of true greatness. Welcome! Hymn of Adoration "Many and Great, O God, Are Thy Things" Prayer ...

233. Uncovering Cover-Ups

John 15:18--16:4

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... cover-ups and as a result, the image of some of our dearest heroes has been tarnished. For example, my father and his generation were great admirers of J. Edgar Hoover, head of the F.B.I. But recent books and articles have uncovered a variety of behaviors and improprieties which would have greatly offended my dad. John F. Kennedy lauded Thomas Jefferson when, at an assemblage of artists, actors, authors and musicians in the East Room of the White House, he remarked that there probably had never been such a ...

234. The Divine Advocacy

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... . Unusual phenomena accompanied this occurrence. There was the sound of a mighty rushing wind. Strange phenomena which appeared to be tongues of fire rested upon the disciples' heads. And they were given the ability to understand one another even though they spoke a variety of languages. Peter and the apostles said that this event was in fulfillment of the prophecies of Joel, the prophet, who said that in the latter days God would pour out his Spirit upon his people. Moreover, it was also the fulfillment of ...

235. The Bread That Endures

Luke 22:7-38

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... that many others do each morning as well -- you had a piece of toast or a bagel for breakfast. Perhaps you put strawberry jam or honey on your toast and spread some cream cheese on your bagel. Around the world, this simple human ritual is repeated in a variety of ways. In Malaysia, that same piece of toast might be smeared with kaya, a thick jam made from coconut milk. In Taiwan or in Beijing, instead of toast, it may be a steamed bun filled with bits of roast pork and vegetables. In India, the morning ...

236. Easter Day

John 20:1-9, John 20:10-18, Acts 10:23b-48, 1 Corinthians 15:12-34, Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... in the resurrection. Men do not usually die for a legend. If they had manufactured the story, they would not have been surprised by the resurrection. Even the Apostles had to be convinced by Jesus that he was really alive again. c. A variety of reports. The accounts have many variations but they do agree on the essentials of the resurrection story. If this were a composite creation of the disciples, they would have worked out their disagreements and conflicting stories. d. The power of God. The resurrection ...

237. The Lenten Season

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... program of preaching at morning services, evening services, midweek Lenten services, Holy Week services and possibly noonday Lenten services for business people. It is traditionally the time when series of sermons are presented on Lenten themes. Lent calls for a variety of preaching: meditative, doctrinal and evangelistic. It is the most important time for preaching because it deals with the passion and cross. These constitute the heart of the Christian faith. When the cross is preached, we deal with the ...

238. Pentecost As A Festival

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... Gospel Lessons cover the seventh to the 23rd chapter of Luke. These lessons lend themselves to sermons on the teachings and miracles of Jesus according to Luke's interpretation of them. As can be seen, the above overview shows that the preacher has a variety of preaching sources for the long Pentecost season. If the congregation needs to know more about the Old Testament, the first lesson may be chosen. If the church needs moral instruction, the second lesson may be used. If the congregation needs a series ...

239. The Spreading Word

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Marc Kolden

... is on God, who sent Jesus Christ, who is God's word. You've got ears: listen to him. And the promise is that this word will bring forth a huge harvest.2 There is a great old hymn that appears in numerous hymnals, in a variety of translations and with different numbers of verses. It is usually known by its first words, "Spread, O Spread, Thou Mighty Word" (original German texts by Jonathan Friedrich Bahnmaier, 1774-1841). It is almost automatic, I think, that when we hear those first words, especially in ...

240. Gluttony - Living By Bread And The Word Of God

Mark 6:30-44, 1 Timothy 4:1-16

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

... become a struggle, and a particularly difficult struggle for us Americans because we are bombarded by food on all sides. Nearly every street corner has some kind of food available for us. You are never anywhere far from food. In addition to all that, the variety of food in the grocery stores is staggering. The problem is compounded for us because we are bombarded every day by messages in the newspaper and on television about food and drink. Curiously though, while we get all these messages to eat more in ...

241. Is there really a God?

Illustration

John R. Brokhoff

... child sighed, "Gee whiz! Ask a simple question!" We have some "simple" but profound questions to ask about God. Is there really a God? Where did God come from? What is God like? Can we know him? Where is God? If we go to philosophers, we get a variety of answers. Sartre speaks of the silence of God; Heidegger of the absence of God; Jaspers of the concealment of God; Bultmann of the hiddenness of God; Buber of the eclipse of God; Tillich of the nonbeing of God; Altizer of the death of God. In contrast, the ...

242. Advent 4

Mt 1:18-25 · Rom 1:1-7 · Isa 7:10-17 · Ps 80

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... . No place for wild and impulsive devotion in the kingdom of God. Christ does not seek to obliterate our will; rather, he gives us the grace to willingly subject our will to that of God's. Another distinction between Christian obedience and that of the zombie variety is that Christ does not seek power or control for self-aggrandizement. Rather, he seeks to focus and channel the power of obedience for the benefit of the neighbor. The mystery is that the way of willing obedience to Christ is also the means of ...

243. Christ The King

Ephesians 1:15-23, 1 Corinthians 15:12-34, Ezekiel 34:1-31, Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... they call themselves. Sheep and goats. It seems that Jesus has a bias toward sheep and against goats. Why? An argument could be made in favor of the superiority of the goat species. Goats are more independent than sheep, they can feed on a greater variety of food and are generally more hardy than sheep. While sheep are led, with the shepherd out front, goats must be driven from behind with a stick. Is it this pathological independent streak that makes the goats unacceptable in the community of heaven? An ...

244. The Rain Of Bread

Exodus 16:1-36

Sermon

... nature, listening only to the sounds of wildlife, having a bit of creation all to yourself. Of course, there is one downside to it all -- the food. Cans are out of the question, they're too heavy to carry. That leaves only the packaged, freezed-dried variety of food. The pictures on the outside of these packages look inviting, but the actual stuff is all texture and no taste. If there's one complaint heard again and again during a wilderness experience, it's the food. This is what we find Israel doing ...

245. Epiphany 7

Mt 5:38-48 · 1 Cor 3:10-11, 16-23 · Lev 19:1-2, 9-18 · Ps 119:33-40 · Ps 71 · Ps 62

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... Unconditional Love. Sermon Angle: My father once told my mother, "I can't love like you do." I think what he meant was that he found it difficult to love unconditionally. The kind of love that Jesus lifts up in our gospel lesson is agape love the unconditional variety. The love of God is of this nature. This kind of love is only possible for those who are rooted and grounded in love. Only those who rest secure in God's love and exhibit a healthy self-love can begin to love unconditionally. We can only give ...

246. Lent 2

John 3:1-21, Genesis 12:1-8, Romans 4:1-25

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... looked to the bronze serpent for salvation 3. We can overcome sin's deadly sting by looking to the crucified Christ 4. God doesn't want to condemn us but save us (vv. 16-17) SERMON ILLUSTRATIONS 1. William James, in his book, The Varieties Of Religious Experience, distinguishes between the once born and twice born believer. His purpose is to bring out the fact that some Christians experience their faith as a process of growth over the entire span of their lives, while others undergo a sudden transformation ...

247. Pentecost

1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Joel 2:28-32, John 7:25-44, Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13, John 20:19-23

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... here and there. Otherwise it was bottled up. Joel envisions a time when God would take out the cork and pour forth his Spirit on many. Peter saw the events witnessed in Acts 2 as the uncorking of the Spirit. Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 12:3-13 Varieties of religious experience. William James wrote a book on this topic to portray the various ways that humans experience God. No two people worship and serve God exactly the same way. Faith is as unique as each of us. This results not only from our unique genetic ...

248. Proper 11

Romans 8:18-27, Isaiah 44:6-23, Genesis 28:10-22, Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... manicured outdoor carpets that you're afraid to even walk on. Over all, my lawn looks presentable. There is a fairly luxuriant strand of grass and, when it is cut, it looks quite nice. However, when it gets long, you can see the panoply of dandelion and a variety of other outlaw plants. The fertilizer/herbicide I put on once or twice a year doesn't seem to faze the weeds. Last year I tried to zap the weeds individually with some toxic stuff that's on the market but my dandelions just wouldn't die. I ...

249. Proper 16 & Pentecost 14

Matthew 16:13-20, Exodus 1:1-22, Exodus 2:1-10, Isaiah 22:1-25, Isaiah 51:1-16, Romans 11:33-36

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... ask us, "Who is this Jesus to you?" could we readily respond? Even more significantly, what does our life say about who Jesus is to us individually and corporately? Outline: 1. Ask the people on the street what they think about Jesus and you'll get a variety of answers. 2. The important question is personal: "Who do you say that I am?" 3. What does your theology say about this question and what does your life proclaim? 2. Sermon Title: The Keys Of The Kingdom. Sermon Angle: Christ gave to Peter and company ...

250. Proper 21

Matthew 21:23-27, Matthew 21:28-32, Exodus 17:1-7, Ezekiel 18:1-32, Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... their rebellion under a religious cloak. Outline: 1. Both sons in the parable were rebels but with a difference 2. The first son rebelled overtly and openly (criminal behavior is of this stripe) 3. The second son rebelled covertly (the most common variety) 4. Overt rebellion is easier to confront than covert rebellion 5. The primary distinction is that the first son repented "Almost all your faults are more pardonable than the methods you think up to hide them." (La Rouchefoucauld, a French moralist) In ...

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