Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2476 to 2500 of 4945 results

2476. Philip the First

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I wonder about folks who proclaim their theology through the medium of bumper stickers. I have wondered ever since I read about the fellow who honked when he saw the bumper sticker, “Honk if you love Jesus,” only to be greeted by an obscene gesture from the driver of the other car. I suppose “Have a nice day” is harmless enough, but I recently came across one which said: “Don’t tell me what kind of a day to have!” A few years ago there was a campaign which plastered bumper stickers on cars with the caption ...

2477. Good Old What’s-His-Name

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

In the fifth century, St. Jerome called the apostle we are considering in this sermon “Trinomius,” which means “the man with three names.” In Mark he is called Thaddeus (3:18), in Matthew he is called Thaddeus or Lebbaeus (10:3), and in Luke he is called Judas, the son of James (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13). If the Gospels cannot agree on this man’s name, how can we ever hope to get it straight? Well, I have recently read an advertisement from one of those sheets which fall out of the Sunday newspaper, an ...

2478. Knight of the Woeful Countenance

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

In the musical play: “Man of La Mancha” there is a scene where the addled Don Quixote asks the innkeeper to dub him a knight so that he may ride forth to do battle with the forces of evil. The innkeeper, after trying to persuade the would-be knight of his foolishness, finally agrees to go along with his fantasy. But Don Quixote isn’t content. He says to the innkeeper: “It is customary to grant the new knight an added name. If Your Lordship could devise such a name for me....” The Innkeeper ponders awhile ...

2479. An Eye-Opening Experience

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Eric Ritz

One of the most significant books I read in seminary was titled THE MEANING OF REVELATION by Dr. H. Richard Niebuhr. Dr. Niebuhr probes the difference between history as lived and experienced, and history as observed by an external spectator. History is constantly being made each and every day of our lives. The Christian Church exists in a real world, but how do we discern between the external reality of the world and the inner revelation that the faithful community needs to follow as God’s covenant people ...

2480. Feasting and Fasting for Lent (Part III)

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Dr. William H. Willimon, our minister at the historic Duke Chapel at Duke University, shared an insight to the Lenten season while he was a pastor in South Carolina. He was called to the hospital to be with a couple who belonged to the congregation he served. The wife had given birth to a child. Word had drifted out of the delivery room that all was not well. Dr. Willimon then shared how the doctor spared few words. "Your baby is afflicted with Down''s Syndrome, mongolism. I had expected this. But things ...

2481. Three Modern Meanings of the Ancient Christmas Story

Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Luke 2:10--And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Dr. Bryant Kirkland, former pastor of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City, tells of traveling to the West Coast one winter to preach in another congregation: "I needed the time on that three-hour flight to study and prepare," he said, "so I buckled down and let everyone ...

2482. A Memorial Forever - Memorial Day

Proverbs 1:1-7

Sermon

Eric Ritz

I have always had an intense dislike for digital watches--especially those that beep. Perhaps it is my undergraduate training as a historian. A digital watch only tells us what time it is now. While it describes the present moment in exact numbers, it leaves out the past and the future. Some of you know that my favorite clock is in my church office. It has the face of Jesus on it. While it does help me to be on time, it reminds me of another sense of time which is eternal. Today, many Americans live only ...

2483. The Reality of Fear--The Power of Faith

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Eric Ritz

My friend, Donald Shelby, told his congregation of a captivating ad he found in a magazine for Nike Athletic shoes. "Fear of failure, Fear of success, Fear of losing your health, Fear of losing your mind, Fear of being taken too seriously, Fear of not being taken seriously enough, Fear that you worry too much, Fear that you don''t worry enough, Your Mother''s fear you''ll never marry, Your Father''s fear that you will, Fear of the unknown? Forget it. Fear of too many roads and not enough time? Maybe! But ...

2484. A Landmark Event!

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

During World War II allied armies marched into Germany on their way to Berlin. Retreating German soldiers switched road signs and destroyed landmarks in an effort to confuse their enemy. And, to an extent, it worked, for many a G.I. followed a false marker only to end up in the wrong place. That just goes to show the need for landmarks, the importance of reliable signposts by which to steer. Here locally, landmarks like the courthouse, the river, the college, or the bridge are important in helping us find ...

2485. Is Your Love Shy?

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

When I was in college my post office box was right next to a pretty little blonde's. She was a tanned Florida Freshman, if you know what I mean. And her name was Sally. Now John, a fellow on my hall, was secretly in love with Sally. And he kept trying to get me to switch post office boxes with him. That way he could be close to Sally. You see, John was painfully shy. Though he longed to know Sally, he couldn't muster the nerve to ask her out. So, he secretly loved her at a distance. Once he rode a bus four ...

2486. Sometimes It Is Okay to Be Absentminded

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

All of us have heard of the absent-minded professor. I have a friend who is the full embodiment of the absent-minded professor. On one occasion he became so absorbed in a chess game that he failed to show up for his Contemporary Theology class. This professor's wife told of asking him to get her a couple of aspirin because of a splitting headache. He left to go retrieve the aspirin and water so she could find relief. When he returned a few minutes later, she inquired as to the aspirin and water. According ...

2487. A Passion for Christ (New)

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

King Duncan

A man was sitting in a psychiatrist’s office. He was complaining about an obsession that was ruining his life. “It’s baseball, Doctor,” he said. “Please help me. Baseball is destroying me. I can’t even get away from it in my sleep. As soon as I close my eyes, I’m out there chasing a fly ball or running around the bases. When I wake up, I’m more tired than I was when I went to bed. What am I going to do? The psychiatrist sat back and folded her hands. “First of all,” she said, “you have to make a conscious ...

2488. Working Out Our Salvation

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

William Muil describes a time he visited one of those old colonial houses up in New England. The house still retained the furniture and the atmosphere of the 18th Century. The guide was the last descendent of the original owner of the house. As Muil was walking through the house, he noticed a beautiful old rifle over the fireplace, and reached up to examine it. The old lady pulled his arm down and said, “Please don’t touch it, it’s loaded and it may go off.” Then she explained, “My great, great grandfather ...

2489. Singing The Lord's Song In A Strange Land (i)

Psalm 137:1-9

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A few years ago when George Bush was serving as our Vice-President, he represented our country by attending the funeral service of Leonid Brezhnev. You remember, of course, that Brezhnev was the leader of the Soviet People from 1964 to 1982. Then President Bush was talking about the necessity of faith for leadership in our country. He said very emphatically, "I don't believe a person could be President of the United States without faith in God." Then he added that he felt this faith was universal -- that ...

2490. The Nuclear Truth Of Christianity

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Amos Alonzo Stagg was one of the great football coaches of all time in sports history. As a coach he constantly tried to keep his substitutes prepared and ready on the bench. He had the habit of prompting alertness by suddenly popping questions at them while the game was underway. One afternoon he turned to a fourth-string player who hadn't seen a single minute of the game during all the season. Stagg barked, "You, Cartmell! What would you do if we had possession of the ball with one minute to play, the ...

2491. If I Have Not Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There was a time when Indians communicated by drums and smoke signals. There may be places in the world where that sort of thing still goes on. Years ago when the atomic bomb was being tested out on the desert flats of Nevada, a cartoon pictured two Indians. They were looking across the barren wastes – the spacious flats – when on the horizon the mushroom smoke cloud of an atomic explosion rose dramatically. As these Indians looked at that in wonder – never having seen such smoke – one Indian said to the ...

2492. Prayer

Psalm 42:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Prayer is at the heart of the Christian life. If not the greatest, it is certainly one of the greatest privileges given us as Christians. You may or may not have had a meal yet today. But before the day is past you will have eaten something – probably three meals, and maybe a snack between. Fasting is natural and necessary. If you haven’t eaten today, the chances are you have had a cup of coffee or tea, or a glass of water or milk. Drinking is natural and necessary. Like eating and drinking, prayer is not ...

2493. A Cloud of Witness

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

It was baseball season in a small Pennsylvania town. If you know anything about Little League baseball, you know it is also a time when little boys’ hearts and egos are on the line. A certain ten-year-old had ridden the bench most of the season. But in the championship game, his coach finally called him up to bat. The little boy’s whole extended family had turned out for this very special game. His parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, second cousins--they were all there, cheering and ...

2494. A Gift for You

Romans 1:1-7

Sermon

James L. Killen

Christmas is almost here. There is probably a Christmas tree in your house somewhere and there are probably presents appearing under it, all brightly wrapped and labeled. No doubt you have snooped around enough to see which packages have your name on the tag, and you may have begun to try to guess what is in them. If you have guessed what is in the package, you probably can't wait for the day to come for you to open it. If you haven't been able to guess what is in it, you are probably even more eager to ...

2495. With a Song in Your Heart

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

James L. Killen

What kind of a song does your heart sing as you go through your days? Almost everyone sings some song. Of course, we may sing different songs from time to time, depending upon what is happening in our lives, but most of us have one song that is our song, a song that expresses our feeling about life. Some people dance to meet life, singing something like, "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay; My, oh my, what a wonderful day." Others drag themselves into life singing something like, "Nobody knows the trouble I' ...

2496. Jesus Breaks Our Chains

John 11:1-45

Sermon

Richard Gribble

He was chained, held bound in a life of torment and blasphemy. In the end, however, God would set him free. John Newton, a name probably not familiar to many of us, was born in July, 1725, to a pious English woman and her seafaring husband. From his earliest days, young Newton was attracted to his father's side of the family and to the life at sea. Thus, when he was only eleven years old he became an apprentice aboard his father's vessel, a cargo ship which ferried products throughout the major ports of ...

2497. The True Definition of a Sanctuary

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Have you ever known anyone with agoraphobia? I encountered someone recently with the opposite of agoraphobia: claustrophobia. And guess where I met her? On an airplane. She climbed aboard the plane and at row 3 announced that she could go no further. She was claustrophobic and needed a first-class seat or she could go no further. I didn't know whether to feel sorry for her plight, or feel admiration for her ingenuity in trying to get a first-class seat. Where claustrophobia is fear of cramped places, ...

2498. The Problem with Busybodies

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

One of the earliest newspapers in Paris, France, was created in the 1750s by a woman named Madame Doublet. Madame Doublet had an interesting and effective technique for gathering news: each morning, she sent one of her servants to gather all the gossip from other servants who worked in wealthy households. According to Smithsonian magazine, Madame Doublet’s servant may have been “the first reporter in the history of French journalism.” After making the rounds of all the fashionable neighborhoods, the ...

2499. The Longest Running Parade in History

Psalm 118:1-29

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Who doesn't love a parade!? Okay, okay. Maybe a better question to ask is "Who in the world still likes parades?" Parades don't really fit the pace of our postmodern world anymore. They are intentionally slow-motion, repetitive, predictable, even (oh no!) historical. Face it. There are few of us over the age of ten who really look forward to going to see a parade. And be IN a parade? Don't even talk about it. How completely embarrassing. The trouble with being in a parade vs. being cast in a local play or ...

2500. That's What Jesus Does for Me

Psalm 139:7-12

Sermon

James W. Moore

Her name is Pascale. She is five years old. She is a very important part of our church family. She is here in the 8:30 service most every Sunday morning. One evening recently, Pascale was watching television with her mom and dad. Suddenly, a news flash showed President Bush walking to a meeting. The President was surrounded by a group of men in dark suits. Pascale asked her parents: “Who are those men with the President? Why are they with him?” Her parents answered: “They are members of the secret service ...

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