Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 226 to 250 of 2157 results

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

... little band of believers from behind closed doors out into the open, to face the very people who had filled them with fear (v. 21). Breathe on us, breath of God. Luke's version of Pentecost describes the impartation of the Spirit as the sound of a mighty wind. This occurred in a public setting. John's version of Pentecost has Jesus breathing on his disciples to impart the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. This happened in a private setting. Both breath and wind are related. Sometimes the Spirit comes ...

227. What Triggers Your Panic Button?

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... .*** What triggered their panic buttons? The disciples thought they saw a ghost. J. B. Phillips’ version says, “they screamed ... they were absolutely terrified ... they were scared out of their wits ... But Jesus spoke quietly to them, 'It’s all right, it is I myself; don’t be afraid!'" What triggers your panic button? Several months ago, soon after we had installed a smoke alarm, my wife ...

228. Bread of the Eucharist (Bread of Life IV)

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... the flesh and drinking the blood was not an issue for them. The Greeks were of such a mind to look for the truth, the meaning. They had been trained, educated, conditioned so that they were not hung up on the literal side of things. Two: This is John’s version of what we commonly call the Words of Institution. The entire “Bread of Life” chapter is really John’s way of dealing with the Eucharist. The Fourth Gospel has no routine on the Last Supper. When you read Matthew’s, Mark’s and Luke’s ...

229. God’s Flowing and Our Ebbing

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5) That’s Isaiah ebbing. In the original Broadway version of Carousel there was a song that for some reason never made it into the film version. The main character, a barker who has led a less than savory life, asks in a fist-shaking manner, “Take me before the highest throne and let me be judged by the highest judge of all.” There is a sense of defiance ...

230. The Unclean Spirit

Mark 1:21-28

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... an unclean spirit" (Mark 1:23). Both writers say, "he cried out," without defining if it were the demon, the man or the unity (or disunity) of both (Luke 4:33 and Mark 1:24). Luke amplifies, "with a loud voice" (Luke 4:33). Mark's version, saying "Just then," (verse 23), is more dramatic than Luke's straightforward, "In the synagogue there was." (verse 33). Except for Luke's preface with the spirit commanding, "Let us alone" (Luke 4:34), Luke and Mark's three direct statements by the spirit are identical ...

231. The Healing Of Simon Peter's Mother-In-Law

Mark 1:29-34

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... Matthew 8:14). The physician Luke amplifies this, saying she is "suffering" from a "high" fever (Luke 4:38). As implied above, according to Matthew and Luke, the woman takes more direct action in her healing by getting up herself when the fever leaves. In all three versions, she wastes no time returning to her work. According to Luke, she rises "immediately" and returns to her task as homemaker and host (Luke 4:39). Mark 1:31 and Luke 4:39 tell that she begins to serve the disciples as if she were focusing ...

232. Stilling The Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... "gave orders" (Matthew 8:18) to go over to the other side when he saw the great crowds. In Matthew, the disciples follow Jesus rather than taking care of him (Matthew 8:23). Of the three versions, only Mark explains further that other boats were with him (Mark 4:36). Compared to the sense of urgency or tension in Mark's version, Luke's telling is casual on the surface. Note such terms as "One day," "a boat," and "So they put out" (Luke 8:22). The Storm And Jesus Asleep: The Gospel called Luke tells first ...

233. Proper 8

Mark 5:21-43

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... (Matthew 9:24, Mark 5:39-40, and Luke 8:52-53). Jesus heals the child only after he has dismissed the crowd. Prefacing Jesus' words to the crowd that the child is not dead, Matthew relates that Jesus told the crowd, "Go away" (Matthew 9:24). Mark's version is more of a suggestion: "Why do you make a commotion and weep?" (Mark 5:39) Luke's even gentler report has more feeling for the crowd when Jesus says, "Do not weep" (Luke 8:52). In Luke, the representative from Jairus' house speaks more directly than in ...

234. Proper 12

John 6:16-24, John 6:1-15, 2 Samuel 11:1-27, Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... crowd is so impressed by this sign that it wants to make Jesus their king. Jesus withdraws from them to a deserted place. Some interpreters see this story as John's version of the institution of the Eucharist, which was deleted from his passion account. This is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. Verses 16-21 contain John's version of Jesus coming to his sea-tossed disciples via walking on the water. Gospel: Mark 6:45-52 (E) After feeding the five thousand, Jesus dismisses the people, puts his ...

235. Epiphany 7

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4, Isaiah 43:14-28, Mark 2:1-12

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... God's people. The new thing that the Lord was about to do was patterned after the Exodus. Even new things tend to fall into patterns. Weary of God? (v. 22). The Revised Standard Version of the Bible says: "but you have been weary of me." The New RSV interprets: "you have not wearied yourselves for me." The latter version is probably more accurate when you consider the context. Yahweh is sharing his disappointment at the people's lack of devotion for him in worship. However, they really boil down to the same ...

236. The Beauty Of Holiness

Psalm 96:1-13, Psalm 29:1-11

Illustration

Clement E. Lewis

... translated Psalm 96:9 to read, "Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him all the earth." Older people have long been accustomed to using the words from the King James Version. Worship ought to be made beautiful in sight, sound, and thought. The physical settings of worship experiences serve to enhance and reinforce the yearning for understanding and completeness. This may be illustrated by a question: "Would you rather have a picnic on a graveled area in the heat of the ...

237. The Infinite Becomes An Infant

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... of God took upon himself our humanity." It is not that we humans have become God, but that God became human in Jesus. And that took a miracle which is related in today's Gospel lesson: Matthew 1:18-25. ACCLIMATION The Situation Matthew gives his version of Jesus' birth. Mary was engaged to marry Joseph. Before the wedding Mary realized she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Matthew does not explain how Mary knew it was the Holy Spirit who impregnated her. When Joseph learned of her condition, he, a good man ...

238. Epiphany 2

John 2:1-11, Isaiah 62:1-12, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... gunai. It can be translated as "woman," "lady" or "madam." At Cana Jesus addressed his mother, "Woman." On the cross he did the same, "Woman, behold your son." The Revised Standard Version translates verse 4: "O woman, what have you to do with me?" The Good News Bible: "You must not tell me what to do." The New International Version: "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Why did he not call her "mother?" Apparently Jesus was teaching his mother that their relationship had changed since his baptism and call ...

239. Epiphany 6

Luke 6:17-26, Psalm 1:1-6, Jeremiah 16:1--17:18, 1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... those who believe that Jesus is the risen and reigning Lord are forgiven sinners who have hope of being raised from the grave and living in the eternal kingdom of the Lord forever. Luke 6:17-26 (E, L, C); 6:17, 20-26 (RC) This is Luke's version of the "great sermon" that Jesus preached to his disciples in the presence of a large crowd of people; Luke locates the sermon on a "level place," a plain, in contrast to Matthew's situating the sermon on a mountainside (which was more of a typological pulpit - a new ...

240. Proper 10

Colossians 1:15-23, Colossians 1:1-14, 2 Kings 2:1-18, Deuteronomy 30:11-20, Psalm 69:1-36, Psalm 25:1-22, Luke 10:25-37

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... Matthew, the commandment to love God and human beings - our neighbors - is given in a different form than it is in Luke. Evidence would suggest that the Markan/Matthean versions, in which Jesus combined commands from Deuteronomy and Leviticus, is probably the way it happened. The "love God, love human beings" combination really pre-dates both versions. Luke gives a different twist to the "double-commandment" for reasons of his own, so that it is a lawyer who asks Jesus, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit ...

241. Proper 12

Luke 11:1-13, Psalm 138:1-8, Genesis 18:16-33, 2 Kings 5:1-27, Colossians 2:6-23

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... a sign of victory, not the defeat of God, for all time. Luke 11:1-13 (RC, E, L, C) One cannot read this pericope without remembering that the Lord's Prayer was left out of the Matthew 6 Gospel for the Day on Ash Wednesday. Luke's shorter version - five petitions instead of seven - of the Lord's Prayer almost puts the faithful in the setting of the beginning of Lent once more. One has the feeling that there is a minor complaint in the disciples' request, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples ...

242. The Churches and Higher Education

Sermon

Thomas Slavens

... thousand years the bulk of the professional leadership of the church. Luther was a professor at Wittenberg. The first Methodists were students at Oxford. From Cambridge and Oxford came the King James Version of the Bible. From the seminaries and universities have come the scholars to translate the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. The modern missionary movement was largely born in the colleges. One of the remarkable facts about the World Council of Churches is that many of its leaders are old friends ...

243. Let It Shine!

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... for the darkness has not overpowered the light, put it out, absorbed it, or appropriated it and is thoroughly unreceptive to it. It is this translation of John 1:5 that I wish to elaborate today. Before dealing with the meaning of the Amplified Bible's version of this passage, I want to talk about the function and purpose of darkness and light in two principal realms: the physical realm at the beginning of creation and the spiritual realm at the beginning of the second creation with the coming of Christ. In ...

244. Like A Breath Of Fresh Air

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Larry Goodpaster

... is more like a series of quick snapshots, taken at random around the room. The lens of John’s camera quickly moves from one shot to another, focusing first on a locked door, then a mysterious stirring, now a scarred hand, and frightened faces. Luke’s version is more like a video with special effects. Look at John’s pictures and you catch a glimpse of that which is “gift” -- the Holy Spirit. It is presented to the world as a special present to a unique group of people, who are now more blessed ...

245. From Inferiority To Fulfillment

Isaiah 62:1-12

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... sixth century B.C. The prophet Isaiah (the scholars usually call him Second Isaiah) brings the corrective to the discouraged, downheartened people of God in these words:"Yahweh takes delight in you (Isaiah 62:4, JB)." The Revised Standard Version puts it this way: "You shall be called My Delight." Today's English Version says that Israel's new name is, "God is Pleased with Her." The Living Bible says, "Your new name will be 'The Land of God's Delight' and 'The bride,' for the Lord delights in you and will ...

246. The Road To Samaria

John 4:5-42

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... and coming back into Galilee. The most direct route, however, was to go straight through Samaria. Jesus was in a hurry to leave Judea. So he went right straight through Samaria. That was the quickest shortcut. The Revised Standard Version reads, "He had to go through Samaria." The King James Version states it, "He must needs go through Samaria." We do not know how many times Jesus passed through Samaria. But we are struck by the fact that he did, because the Samaritans were looked down upon by the Jews ...

247. To Be Sure

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

... mutually shared. Believed by tradition to be the remnant of the lost tribes of Israel which disappeared after the fall of Samaria to Sargon II of Assyria in 722 B.C.E., the Samaritans had retained many of the traditions of their Hebrew heritage, including their version of the Pentateuch (the Torah) and festivals such as Passover. In 586 B.C.E. the Southern Kingdom, Judah, fell to the Babylonians and many of its leaders and people were carried into exile. Upon the return of the exiles from Babylon in 538 B.C ...

248. God Forsaken

Mark 15:21-32

Sermon

Erskine White

And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, la'ma sabach-tha'ni?" which means, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34) Many churches today read from the Revised Standard Version or the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, but it wasn't always that way. In fact, the first RSV translation was printed in 1952. There were great arguments within many congregations between those who wanted to accept the new Bible and those who wanted to keep the old King James ...

249. Foretaste

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Eulogy

Richard F. Bansemer

Death in Ols Age For the meditation text, listen to the same passage of Scripture from 1 Corinthians 15:19 from three different versions. From the Revised Standard Version: "If in this life we who are in Christ have only hope, we are of all men most to be pitied." From the Good News Bible: "If our hope in Christ is good for this life only and no more, then we deserve more pity than anyone else in all ...

250. Proclaim Peace

Sermon

Alan Bacon Bond

... to apply. To receive the Holy Spirit is to be filled with the creative power of peace which nothing can sidetrack. Receive the Holy Spirit. The fourth aspect of the commission to Proclaim Peace, is that of forgiveness. I was really struck by the King James Version of Jesus' words: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. I've tended to think of forgiveness in terms of the effect it has on the person who committed the offense. But the word ...

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