Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2501 to 2525 of 5000 results

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... give a pleasant chuckle, even though it makes us uncomfortable. We don’t want to offend our friends by expressing indignation. We’re afraid of what others think. For some people this is the dominating fear in their lives. Some of us are cowards for Jesus. Mark Twain once said, "It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare." A rap singer has an interesting way of expressing it. He has "updated" some of the advice given by the book of Ecclesiastes to add ...

2502. From Jim

Humor Illustration

A young man entered a jewelry store and handed the jeweler a ring, stammering that he wished it marked with some names. The jeweler was sympathetic. "What names do you wish it marked with?" he asked. "'From Jim to Sarah,''" the young man whispered, red-faced. The jeweler looked from the ring to the young man and smiled. "Take my advice, young fellow," he said. "Have it engraved simply, 'From Jim.''"

2503. The Four Scents of Adventing

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... “Sleigh Ride”). But for plenty of people in the southern regions, there is the smell of sunscreen, heat, peppers, chlorine. Whether the holly berries or hot sidewalks it smells like Christmas. The Advent season that Mark portrays with his first “gospel” words suggests a lot of strange smells. Advent, for Mark, starts way out in the wilderness. The “good news” of the gospel, the beginning of a new beginning, is ushered in by the outlandish figure decked out in camel’s hair and chomping down on ...

2504. The Handiwork of God

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... St. Paul’s words say three things to me. First of all, they say we were created for greatness. Now it’s important for you to understand what I mean by greatness. Greatness in God’s eyes is different from what the world means by greatness. Dr. Mark D. Roberts tells one of the most moving stories I’ve heard in quite a while. He tells about a phone call he received about bedtime one evening. He was the pastor on call that night at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. The operator informed him ...

2505. Yada, Yada, Yada

John 12:20-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... answer, of course, is “the white.” But nearly everyone gets it wrong. They’ve become accustomed to words ending in the “oke” sound, and so they answer, “The yolk.” (5) How well do you listen to those around you? How well do you listen to God? Author Mark Buchanan tells about a scene from the movie Ray which was based on the life of musician Ray Charles. Ray Charles went blind at age seven. He lived his childhood in poverty, in a one room shack at the edge of a sharecropper’s field. In this ...

2506. Seeking Christ

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... they see a spike in their sales. Jesus is commercially attractive. He is still popular with lots of folks people like you and me. He was also popular when he first began his ministry two thousand years ago. The scene we have in our lesson from the gospel of Mark takes place at the house of Simon Peter where Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law. I don’t know if you have thought about the disciples of Jesus having families or not. Here is evidence that they did. Jesus heals Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. As ...

2507. Do You Know Your Place?

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... be expected of those who confess and follow him. In doing so Jesus redefines the whole concept of the Messiah and challenges his disciples to see their own role from a completely new perspective. Today’s text offers the first of three passion predictions in Mark’s gospel (8:31, 9:31; 10:33-34), each of which use similar language to declare that the “Son of Man” will be “killed” and yet after “three days” he will “Rise again.” This first passion prediction is the most detailed, describing ...

2508. No Cleansing, No Refreshment

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and by the next weekend they are a huge mess again. Do the dishes Tuesday and, guess what . . . there is a sink-full again on Wednesday. Dermatologists know that a gentle daily cleansing is the best way to nurture healthy, renewed, refreshed skin. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record Jesus “cleansing” the Temple at the end of his public ministry. It is, in fact, the act that gets Jesus hauled before the authorities. So why does John put this event at the very start of Jesus’ mission? John’s placement ...

2509. From Loving Jesus

Luke 24:36-53

Illustration

Mark Allen Powell

In his book, Loving Jesus, Mark Allen Powell offers this metaphor: Somebody once asked me, "What does it feel like to be a Christian?" That seemed like an odd question, but I tried to answer. I said, "It feels like being in love with someone who has gone away." They said, "That can't be very ...

2510. Toss Your Cap Over the Wall

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... him. He has chosen his twelve disciples who will carry on the work after he is gone and the crowds are growing larger. Momentum is building toward a magnificent ministry. But almost immediately he runs into opposition. First of all, it was from his own family. Mark tells us that when Jesus’ family heard about what was happening, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” Can you imagine that? Jesus’ family wanted him to shut down his ministry and come home. Isn’t this ...

2511. Stand by Me

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... evening, they were not expecting bad weather. “Fair winds and following seas” were typical of the evening hours on that body of water. Mark’s presentation of what occurred next is so moving. It is so memorable, in part, because it has all the earmarks of an ... of the storm, the anxious awe of the witnesses — all of these point to a personal perspective, a first-hand narrative. Mark got his story from someone who had been thoroughly wet and worried. And then wowed. Jesus quieted the wind and calmed the ...

2512. Why Are You So Afraid?

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... ?” Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. Then he turned to his disciples and asked, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Then, says Mark’s Gospel, they were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” That has always fascinated me. The disciples, including the sturdy fishermen that Jesus had called, were afraid of the storm, but when Jesus calmed the ...

2513. Believing Thomas

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... of the disciples and blessed them with peace — shalom — perfect wholeness in every aspect of their lives. They were all there — but Thomas. When the others enthused about the wonder of the resurrection, Thomas replies, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe" (v. 25). Actually, I can't say I blame Thomas. Remember, when it came to doubting, the apostles come first, all of them. They doubted the women ...

2514. How Much of an Honor?

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... to gather them together and keep them safe from those who would take advantage of them. One of the things that makes Jesus the ideal shepherd is that he is portrayed as one of the sheep, the Lamb of God in the gospel of John, the Lamb bearing the marks of slaughter in Revelation. As the Word was made flesh that dwelt among us, he understands our infirmity. He is one of us. That's why Jesus can say that his sheep know the shepherd because in this case the shepherd is a sheep. This is especially hopeful when ...

2515. Advocate and Redeemer

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... one is based on scientific knowledge. The other is based on something else instead. In both Matthew and Mark the word "afraid" is used in the stories surrounding the resurrection. Jesus tells the apostles they must not be afraid in Matthew. The women say nothing to ... anyone because they're afraid in Mark. But in John's account fear is not mentioned. Why would anyone be afraid in the face of this wonderful event? What ...

2516. Appointed and Sent!

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... again was read and revered. The temple doors opened up and the priests functioned faithfully. The Passover was recovered and the Lord God Yahweh was worshiped. Josiah was a leader who knew how to lead God's people Israel. Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller in their book, The Secret, dedicate their work to "the next generation of serving leaders." Blanchard and Miller suggest the acronym SERVE as benchmarks of great leadership. S stands for See. See the future. Leaders create and empower compelling visions ...

2517. Lust

Galatians 5:16-26

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... no interest in emulating American freedom — they see it not as freedom but as license. Perhaps Shakespeare was right on the mark in comparing lust and love in his poem "Venus and Adonis": Love comforteth like sunshine after rain, But lust's effect ... of. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh" (Mark 10:7-8). Sex was meant to give expression to the concept of unity between husbands and wives that words alone could not describe. ...

2518. Success Is Sometimes Measured in Inches

Matthew 15:8; Isaiah 29:13

Illustration

King Duncan

... discovered that the spacer between the carburetor and the intake manifold was one-half-inch too long according to NASCAR rules. He was fined $40,000 and penalized 46 points in the season standings. Something that small seemed very significant for Mark. In his book The Range of Human Capacities, Dr. David Wechsler says that if Cleopatra's nose had been just a fraction of an inch longer, the face of Europe might have been changed because Caesar might have shown less interest in the lady. This is another ...

2519. The Lost Five Commandments

Mark 12:35-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... anxiety, and your cares. I ask that you give those up to me, and I will walk along side you. I will guide you and bring you to my place of peace. With all my love, God COMMENTARY Throughout the final scenes of Jesus’ public ministry, Mark’s text has documented an ongoing debating match between Jesus and the members of the Sanhedrin. In today’s gospel text chronicling these Temple-located exchanges, Jesus gets in the last word. Although in last week’s text Jesus had praised a Scribe, declaring that ...

2520. The Hidden Gifts of Christ

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... us we will hear his words: “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34b). Lastly, the Pauline author says that the community of faith of which we are members has been marked by the seal of the Holy Spirit. We cannot see the Spirit, but we know, after the first Pentecost, the Spirit entered the world, as Jesus had promised. The presence of the Spirit, sanctifying our world, unites the gifts of Christ and helps us, through ...

2521. The Hidden Gifts of Christ

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... us we will hear his words: "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34b). Lastly, the Pauline author says that the community of faith of which we are members has been marked by the seal of the Holy Spirit. We cannot see the Spirit, but we know, after the first Pentecost, the Spirit entered the world, as Jesus had promised. The presence of the Spirit, sanctifying our world, unites the gifts of Christ and helps us, through our ...

2522. Transformed to Christ

2 Corinthians 3:7-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... on the road to Damascus. The Transfiguration itself is a highly significant event in Jesus' life. All three synoptic writers, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, tell us the story. All three evangelists connect it in time to Peter's earlier profession of faith. When ... our goal as well. We might not want to admit it, but often we live our daily lives with a veil over our face that marks who we are and does not allow us to properly see the world around us. The fisherman thief thought crime would pay; it was his ...

2523. The Glow of a Star

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... tattoos of ex-gang members and wipes the slate clean. For many, it is as crucial a service as it is merciful. To a former gang member, the gang tattoo fosters the attitude that the gang’s claim on that person’s life is permanent. It is a mark of ownership as much as identity. The process of tattoo removal is extremely painful. Patients describe the laser procedure as feeling like hot grease on their skin. Yet the waiting list grows of those who will put up with whatever pain it takes to receive a new ...

2524. The Bride of Jesus

John 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... periods of silence. The older woman asks, “Do you have a daughter?” The younger woman answers, “Yes, she’s twelve years old.” Long silence. “Do you have any sons?” the old lady asks. “Yes, our boy is sixteen.” Long silence. “What is his name?” “Mark. He is such a tall boy, almost six feet four.” “My, he is a tall boy.” These two women talk back with long periods of silence in between. It finally comes time to leave. The younger woman says, “I must be going now.” The older ...

2525. Luke 3:15-17; 21-22

Luke 3:1-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the act will “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). In Luke’s gospel, John’s baptism is more obviously about people pointedly and publically turning their lives and actions towards God in preparation for what is to come. In all four renditions, Jesus’ baptism marks the beginning of his public ministry and his new proclamation of the coming of the Kingdom of God. The time of preparation is over. The time for action is at hand. Clearly, Jesus’ baptism is unlike that of any other. Instead of ...

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