Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2476 to 2500 of 4914 results

2476. Unlikely Election

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

John E. Harnish

You could make the case that right here, in the first days of the first church in the first chapter of the book of Acts, the church made its first big mistake. Jesus left them in Jerusalem with nothing but a promise and told them to wait. Waiting got to be too much. With no idea what was to come, or when, anxious about the future, uncertain about what they should do, they decide to take things into their own hands. I can just imagine impetuous Peter—always ready to jump into a vacuum, to fill the silence ...

2477. Looking Out for Others

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

Being able to synthesize in such a way that harmony can be the outcome is among the many things the Apostle Paul does well. The often-pesky church at Corinth desperately needed such a skill, written and practiced in charity. To follow his inspired advice comes as a gift to all of us, 2,000 years ago or today. The individualistic Christianity, largely the work of Protestants, has been and is both a bane and balm, for us. To do our own thing is commendable and perhaps essential but it can prove utterly ...

2478. Fifty-Fourth and Lexington

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

There is no song so broken, no monotone so horrible, no voice so tremulous, that God can't take it and compose it into a beautiful symphony. Have you ever played the game "Gossip" or "Rumors"? After gathering everyone into a circle, one person begins by whispering some message to a neighbor softly and quietly. The neighbor must then pass along that whispered message (or at least the version he or she heard of it). Everyone gets only one chance to hear what is said before telling it to the next one in the ...

2479. How to Stay Spiritually Fresh

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

How can we stay spiritually fresh and alive and plugged into the power of the Spirit? We rely on being able to do some things automatically, without thinking our way through them. Some things like tying our shoelaces or riding a bike are the result of skills we have learned so well that our bodies perform them without fail. Other things like brushing our teeth or putting on the seat belt are habits we have developed so fully that we no longer realize we are doing them. But in other parts of our lives, we ...

2480. John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

God has planted throughout the Scriptures time-released fireworks. At various periods in the church's history these bombs go off under their texts, exploding for all to see, inviting people of that era to "look at me" and take seriously the Word of God coming alive specially for them right before their eyes. Two books of the Bible exploding under us, and wanting to explode within us (that's what preaching basically is), are the books of John and Genesis. Why John? First, it stands apart from the other ...

2481. Luke 5:1-11

Luke 5:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's New Testament lesson reveals something interesting about Luke: while he could weave a wonderful story when using his own sources, Luke's ability to work chronological events into his illustrations sometimes suffered from awkwardness. Luke's gospel narrates Jesus' birth and the earliest moments of Jesus' ministry by focusing on the messianic meaning of these events. According to Luke's account, Jesus had already embarked upon a profoundly popular ministry in Galilee, one characterized by ...

2482. John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

2483. Eight Days until Eternity

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

A little girl came home from worship. It was Palm Sunday. Her father asked what she had learned that day. She told him she learned all about the crowd waving their palm branches and singing a song to Jesus. The father was pleased that she had learned so much. He asked, “What was the song they were singing to Jesus?” The little girl paused, then said, “I think it was ‘O Susanna’.” Palm Sunday is the celebration of that momentous day when crowds of people welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem and the crowds sang, “O ...

2484. Hurts Can Heal

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Have any of you ever looked through “night vision goggles.” [Or, if you can get a pair to show to the congregation . . . . ] Do any of you know what these are? Night vision goggles. Used by the military, and in all good spy novels, the special light source used in “night vision” technology allows you to see someone as much as 200 yards away on a moonless night. Night vision goggles project out either a near infra-red light source, or ultraviolet radiation, to detect the presence of individual photons. The ...

2485. Proper 9

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, Mark 6:1-6, Mark 6:7-13, 2 Samuel 5:6-16

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 David becomes king of all Israel. For 71/2 years he ruled the southern tribes from Hebron. Then leaders of the northern tribes came to Hebron and made him king of all Israel. At the time he was 30 years old, and ruled Israel and Judah for 33 years. This was in accord with the Lord's will that David should be the shepherd-ruler over the entire country. Epistle: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 Paul is fed up with his opponents who cast doubt on his apostleship and boast ...

2486. Proper 21

Esther 7:1-10, Esther 9:20-22, Psalm 124:1-8, Mark 9:38-50, James 5:13-20

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 124 First Lesson—Queen Esther is a personal champion for her oppressed people. Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 Second Lesson—The elders are given a healing role in the life of the congregation. James 5:13-20 Gospel—Self-control is not easy but it is urgent. Mark 9:38-50 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: Praise the name of the Lord, you servants of the Lord, who stand in the house of the Lord. People: We will ...

2487. God's Christmas Tree

1 Peter 2:24

Sermon

James Merritt

How many of you have real Christmas trees in your house? I am talking about real deal Christmas trees - the kind that you have to water, that have needles that fall on the floor, make you sneeze and give you raspy throats. How many of you have artificial trees, fake trees, or counterfeit trees? You may be interested to know that this year, about 24.5 million real trees will be sold during this Christmas season and about 10 million fake trees. Christmas trees are a big business (as you can imagine) in this ...

2488. Death to Glory

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Once in a far-off land, there was a great king whose dominion extended far and wide. His power and authority were absolute. One day, as events would happen, a young man, a commoner, committed a grave offense against the king. In response, the king and his counselors gathered together to determine what should be done. They decided that since the offense was so grave and had been committed by a commoner against someone so august as the king, the only punishment that would satisfy justice was death. The king' ...

2489. Beware of Cute

Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Beware of Cute. This is the time of year when we need to be on high alert for cute. We love cuteness. This is a cute-driven culture. And this season of year turns everything it touches into glitz and cuteness. But the story of Jesus’ birth wasn’t cute. The Annunciation wasn’t cute. The virgin birth wasn’t cute. The Magnificat wasn’t cute. The little town of Bethlehem wasn’t cute. The killing of the innocents wasn’t cute. The nativity genealogy puts Mary in the lineage of Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheeba, and Ruth ...

2490. What Difference Does It Make?

John 14:15-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I ran across a story this week about a seven-year-old granddaughter who said to her grandfather, "In this family we are kind of serious about God, aren't we?" Grandpa said, "Yes, we sure are." And the little girl asked, "Why?" Grandpa wrapped the little girl in his arms, hugged her real close and said, "So that I can hug you and tickle you and try to tell you how much I love you and how glad I am that God gave you to us." The little girl grinned and said, "That's cool." I'm not sure that hugging and ...

2491. Our Common Life in Christ

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

It glows with light and power today as we turn to verses 1 through 4 of the second chapter of this Philippian letter. “If then our common life in Christ yields any thing to stir the heart, any loving consolation, any sharing of the Spirit, any warmth of affection or compassion, fill up my cup of happiness by thinking and feeling alike with the same love for one another, the same turn of mind, and a common care must be no room for rivalry and personal vanity among you, but you must humbly reckon others ...

2492. Redemption: A Wide Angle Picture

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Some time ago I was in Maryland for a retreat, and we were near Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. I had never been to Gettysburg, that sight of the pivotal battle that turned the tides of the Civil War, so we rode out there one day. It was altogether too cold, and there was too much snow and ice for us to tour the battle field. But we had the opportunity of visiting the Cyclorama - the giant painting on canvas the high water mark of that awful war. Paul Philippoteaux was the artist. He came to America in 1881 ...

2493. The Door of Service

Luke 22:7-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Toward the end of his life, Albert Einstein removed the portraits of two scientists, Newton and Maxwell, from his wall and replaced them with portraits of Gandhi and Schweitzer. When asked why, Einstein explained it this way; “The time has come to replace the image of success with the image of service." It would be a meaningful day of worship today if that were to happen in the hearts and lives in those of us who gather here. The time has come to replace the image of success with the image of service. The ...

2494. Sneak Preview

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

How much do we miss when we don't really look? Edgar Allan Poe explores that question in his short story, The Purloined Letter. As the story begins, two men are sitting in an apartment in Paris smoking their pipes and enjoying each other's company. They are not much for conversation; they go for an hour at a time without saying anything. One of the two men is the brilliant detective, Auguste Dupin, who had earlier solved the Rue Morgue murders. A police inspector drops by. Clearly agitated and anxious he ...

2495. A Little Theology at Christmas

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

John N. Brittain

Scholars who study such things are quick to tell anyone who will listen that Christmas is much overrated as a church festival. If you ask the average person (even the average churchgoer) what the most important Christian festivals are, they will probably answer "Christmas and Easter," and most likely in that order. But, the scholars will point out, they are not even close in theological significance, Easter, with its empty tomb, being the primary reason there is Christianity. There are a number of ...

2496. A Vision Vanished

Philippians 3:4-14

Sermon

Larry Lange

Arnold Toivonen was headed to work at 5:06 a.m. Monday morning on a wet highway winding east through the dark pines that came crowding up close to the road from out of the spring fog. Arnold worked at the Caterpillar shop in town, crawling into the iron bellies of enormous Caterpillar tractors, scraping his knuckles on their cold, sharp innards, dropping heavy wrenches on the concrete with that satisfying metallic ring, and wiping his greasy hands on gray cloths while he stood around talking with his ...

2497. Proper 16, Pentecost 14, Ordinary Time 21

Psalm 138:1-8, Isaiah 51:1-6, Matthew 16:13-20, Romans 12:1-8

Bulletin Aid

Amy C. Schifrin

Prayer Of The Day Leader: Almighty God, fill the church with your power — the power of truth, the power of mercy, the power of love — that your glory might be known in every land, through Jesus Christ our Lord. All: Amen. Exhortation Omit the Offertory Prayer this morning and use the Romans 12 text as an exhortation preceding communion. Conclude with: Leader: Upon these lives, O Lord, rests the ministry of the gospel in this time. Bless each one through this holy meal, that your church would be faithful in ...

2498. The Logical Conclusion

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon

John Smylie

For several years, I had the privilege of serving a congregation in upstate New York. There were many wonderful, faithful people who were part of that congregation. Before I arrived, the membership had decided to build a columbarium. Unlike many churches that create niches inside the church for burial, this group decided to create a rather elaborate and visually attractive outdoor columbarium. The church was blessed with land. It was a fairly narrow plot that extended a great distance from Main Street down ...

2499. Red, White and Pink

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Have you done time in the “pink aisle”? If you’ve been there, you know what I mean. It’s that entire section in Target or Toys’R’Us or wherever you shop, that glows with a Pepto-Bismol-bright pink haze. The corridor you trundle your shopping cart down is awash in pinks . . . there is Barbie and all her accessories, there are dolls of lesser nobility and parentage, there are fingerpaints, Frisbees, . .. Whatever sits on those shelves, they all give off a ghastly pink glow. Stores really should provide ...

2500. The Glow of a Star

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

A young man sitting in church one day made a startling discovery. He was a pre‑med student, only nineteen years of age. The sermon that day was probably a dull one. There are such things I understand, dull sermons. Of course, you wouldn’t know about such things. Anyway, instead of listening to the sermon, this young man’s attention was drawn to the altar lantern swaying back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. [“You are getting very sleepy . . .” If I could hypnotize all of you, I could stop now and ...

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