Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 2501 to 2525 of 4972 results

2501. Proper 23

Job 23:1-9, 16-17, Mark 10:17-31, Hebrews 4:12-16

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... man wasn't bad, just shortsighted. 2. He wanted to inherit the treasure of eternal life but wasn't willing to invest for the long haul. 3. We see charity as giving away but Jesus would have us view it as an investment that never stops paying benefits. 4. Investing our lives in Jesus is the most secure long-term investment imaginable. 4. Sermon Title: Beyond Respectability And Security. Sermon Angle: The rich man had what most of us are seeking, respectability and financial security. It wasn't enough. He ...

2502. Proper 4

Mark 2:23-3:6, 1 Samuel 3:1--4:1, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... could be touched and not others. Glancing at the "do not touch" shelf, the potter explained, "These haven't been fired yet." The potter explained that there was more to creating masterpieces than just making globs of clay into beautiful shapes. If he stopped at that point, the objects would quickly become marred and misshapen. Without the fire the objects would soon deteriorate and be of no use to anyone. Fire makes the objects firm and strong and enables the beauty to endure. Suffering, pain, loss, failure ...

2503. Proper 6

Mk 4:26-34 · 2 Cor 5:6-17 · 1 Sam 15:34 - 16:13 · Ps 20

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... : Samuel was an old man and had seen many changes in his lifetime. Now God had rejected Saul, the one who was to take from him the mantle of leadership. Samuel was depressed as he mourned for Saul, the lame duck king. God came to him and told him to stop living in the past. It was time to move on. God was doing a new thing (v. 1). We learn from this story that it does no good to bewail the past. God told Samuel to fill his horn with oil, symbolic of God's Spirit, and pour it on ...

2504. Christmas 1

Isaiah 61:10–62:3, Luke 2:21-40, Galatians 3:23–4:7, Colossians 3:12-21

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... anxious about your lack of growth. Too bad that adults lose their excitement for growth. I'm not speaking of physical growth but in other ways, especially spiritually. Jesus grew physically, intellectually and spiritually (v. 39). He grew so well that even death couldn't stop his development. Are you looking to Jesus for the grace of growth and for growth in grace? WORSHIP RESOURCES Psalm Of The Day: Psalm 148; Psalm 147 "Praise the Lord!" (Psalm 148:1a); Psalm 127:1-5 Prayer Of The Day: God of Hope, you ...

2505. The Importance Of Asking The Right Questions

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... t be surprised if we get an answer that we neither expect nor wish to hear. Our question becomes a judgment upon us. Like the people of ancient Judea, if we are going to find our way forward as a nation, we are going to have to stop asking questions that serve only our own individual or parochial interests and start asking the larger questions about truth, justice, kindness, mercy, and meeting needs that may be more pressing than our own. In God's world, there is no true security for those who are unwilling ...

2506. Speak, Lord; We Are Listening

1 Samuel 2:12-26, 1 Samuel 1:21-28

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

... God, so often we have lived our lives with no concern for any personal call You might have for us. Too often, Lord, we have kept ourselves busy in the world so we would not have time to hear You. Forgive us, Lord, and help us have the courage to stop and listen and seek out Your word. And then, O God, give us the strength to be Your people in today's world. In Christ we pray. Amen. Hymns "I Am Thine, O Lord" "Have Thine Own Way, Lord" "I Surrender All"

2507. Praise The Lord!

Psalm 148:13

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

... Praise the Lord! (verses 1-3, 11-13, 14b) The echo of his last words had not finished ringing through the carved oak rafters before Mae Ella's hands clapped before her and she shouted in return, "Oh, praise the Lord!" Just as abruptly as it began, her applause stopped as Mae Ella's hands clapped over her mouth. She sank back in the pew in horror of what she had done. But her husband tapped her shoulder and pointed to the Bishop, who now stood in the pulpit beaming a warm smile in her direction. "Thank you ...

2508. Made, Lost, And Found

1 John 1:1-4

Sermon

Mark J. Molldrem

... if that thing is its mother; then, it will know who it is. The little duckling asks a cow, a dog, a steam shovel, and a host of other things as it searches for its identity. The entire book portrays the steady searching of the little duckling which does not stop and is not satisfied until it finds its mother. Who am I? I am someone who is made by God! God was not absent when we came into the world. God was intimately present. "Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his ...

2509. The Victory Of Faith

1 John 5:1-12

Sermon

Mark J. Molldrem

... hand and did not deliver them entirely over to the powers of destruction. The Lord held true to his promises and eventually led his people across the Jordan and past the crumbling walls of Jericho and through the Philistine encampment, where not even Goliath was able to stop God's purposes for his people. What a God in whom to believe! What a God in whom to trust! From the psalmist the refrain rises, "All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God." The miracles of Jesus embody the presence and ...

2510. Life In His Name

1 John 5:1-12, 1 John 5:13-21

Sermon

Mark J. Molldrem

... ." Through their lives -- their words and their actions -- the apostles told others about Jesus Christ. They were witnesses. Sometimes they were thrown in jail for this. Sometimes they were stoned for this. Sometimes they were beheaded for this. But, these things did not stop them. They had something to say. The resurrection of Jesus Christ compelled them to say it, whatever the costs to their personal comfort or safety. If Jesus is raised from the dead, there could be no more important news in the world to ...

2511. Made New By Getting Lost

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... once, but you can be immature forever." And so can we spiritually. Advent is the beginning of a time to grow up. The first step is getting lost in solitude and emptiness -- the very places where God finds us. II. We are found. We are found when we stop distancing ourselves from pain. You will hear too many times from this pulpit that chaos is always created in the life of the one you seek to heal, convert, or fix. Parker Palmer identified a deeper distancing in which we cause great pain to one who suffers ...

2512. Is It Better To Catch Or Be Caught?

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... each year in Europe. She was driving home late one night, which was the usual routine. She was driving in the dark. We don't know why, but sometimes we can see more clearly when it is dark. Susan began to cry uncontrollably, and finally she stopped along the road. She would reflect later, "I realized that tonight, like almost every night, I would miss seeing my son because he was already in bed. I realized that life is too short to live like that." She quit her job immediately and became a consultant ...

2513. Getting The Face We Deserve

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... does it twice, three, four times more. He's stung four times. There's a student standing over to the side who comes running and says, "You fool! Why are you doing that? Every time you put your hand down there, you're going to get stung. You need to stop doing that." And the guru says to the student, "Because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting, should I change my nature which is to save?" God reaches out. Most of the time we're too noisy or too busy getting more of what we have enough of ...

2514. Connected To God

Sermon

Lee Griess

... from his seat and began walking up the aisle toward Bill. People looked at each other. They were certain they knew what would happen. This gentleman would ask the young fellow to get up and leave. When the older fellow came to where Bill was sitting, he stopped, and, to everyone's surprise, slowly lowered himself to the floor, and the two of them sat there and worshiped together. Naturally, at first people were shocked but as they thought about it they were moved. For that was an example of the kind of love ...

2515. A Shepherd To Lead Us

John 10:22-42

Sermon

Lee Griess

... was forbidden and worship was banned by the Chinese rulers. One evening the Red Guards burst into their small home and threatened them for worshiping Jesus. A small altar with a crude cross stood in one corner of the room. Determined to put a stop to their worship and command complete allegiance to the Communist state, the Red Guard lieutenant demanded they spit on the cross. They refused. The lieutenant became indignant and shouted at them that unless they spat on the cross they would be killed. Finally ...

2516. Second Sunday In Advent

Sermon

David M. Oliver

... ugly and controversial. Those who saw themselves as defenders and preservers of the faith became resisters of God and deniers of Jesus the Messiah, God's Son. So certain were they of their own ability to discern truth from falsehood, good from evil, they stopped trusting in God and, instead, trusted in their own understanding and righteousness. They refused to accept the new understandings of the faith that God was trying to show them in the life and ministry of Jesus. Claiming to be children of the light ...

2517. Twelfth Night

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

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... sort is coming into the village. There are three camels, several pack animals, and someone who looks like a servant to help the three riding the camels. These look like the visitors from the East, the wisemen. Maybe I can talk with one of them. They are stopping and dismounting. Excuse me, sir. May I speak with you? (A Wiseman comes forward.) Wiseman: The peace of the Lord be with you. What can I do for you? Field Announcer 1: I understand you are looking for a baby born here twelve days ago. Wiseman: How ...

2518. The Resurrection

John 20:10-18, John 20:1-9

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... Magdalene comes down the center aisle from the back of the church.) Field Announcer: I hear something. It sounds like someone walking down the path I just came down. Yes, I can see someone now, a woman. Let me see if she is willing to talk with us. She's stopping. I better let her know what is happening. Miss, don't be afraid. I am a reporter broadcasting for a news service. I don't mean to disturb you. Can you tell me what you are doing here? Mary Magdalene: You startled me. It is so dark. Terrible things ...

2519. The Disciples' Tenebrae

Mark 12:13-17

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... in among the trees (9 and 10). Second Person: Thomas stood there, watching, first Jesus being arrested, and then all his friends deserting into the woods to save themselves. Stunned, he simply stood there as the crowd took Jesus away and did nothing to stop them (11). First Person: But Peter, who had also slipped into the trees, rejoined the crowd as they made their way toward the high priest's house, and followed along. He kept his distance. It was cold in the courtyard near where Jesus faced questioning ...

2520. A Monolgue from Peter

Mark 8:27-30

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

... I was a listener. So many times -- example: the woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years -- to herself she kept saying, "If I could but touch the hem of his garment, I would be healed."When she slipped in among the crowd and touched Jesus, He stopped and said loudly, "Someone touched me!" "Of course -- of course, Master," I said impatiently -- "the crowd is so close, they're touching all of us!" I didn't wait for Him to clarify what He meant, I just shot off my motormouth. Jesus ignored me and said ...

2521. Reuben: I'm Not A Sandwich

Genesis 37:12-36

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

... than a decade passed since we sold Joseph. We heard nothing of him. Outwardly, life went on much the same as it always had. For years, Joseph's face would appear in my dreams -- and I felt guilty -- guilty because I didn't find an adequate way to put a stop to it. We used to talk about it out under the stars as we sat on the hillsides tending our flocks. My dreams were mild compared to the nightmares of some of my brothers. They were haunted by the look of horror on Joseph's face, as his brothers collected ...

2522. Josiah Speaks: An Ancient King Brings Greetings

2 Chronicles 34:14-33, 2 Chronicles 34:1-13

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

... it was read to me, I was astounded, confused, and bewildered. I had little or no idea of either its promises or its curses. I tore my clothes and wept before Almighty God. I ordered the sacrifices of children to the pagan god Molech stopped. Wizards, sorcerers, and sacred prostitutes I put out of business. My people restored the Temple. Bulls, goats, and lambs were sacrificed once more on the altars to Yahweh, our God. We rededicated our Temple, and we celebrated. We celebrated and we worshiped! Singers and ...

2523. Poolside Blessing: Monologue of a Paralytic

John 5:2-16

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

... it.I walked.I carried my pallet.I couldn't believe it.I felt life in my legs.I could stand on them -- I could, and did, move them.After 38 years as a paraplegic, I could walk.I felt absolute hilarity. Since it was the sabbath day, my first stop was at the temple.There, of all places, I assumed I would find those who would rejoice with me, and praise our God.But, before I even got there, some religious people, many of whom knew me, got all upset because I was carrying my pallet -- no bigger than one ...

2524. I Am Zacchaeus

Luke 19:1-10

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

... said I bid too much in that auction, that I couldn't possibly make any money. They just didn't know how ruthless I could be. I made sure that I always had a good contingent of the Roman army with me when I went out to collect taxes. I stopped at nothing. What did I care if some widow had nothing left to buy groceries -- scourge of the earth, anyway. Right? If she was a widow, there was probably a curse on her. I could have gone on living like this forever, but something caught my attention recently. When ...

2525. The Son Makes Us Free

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... their common identity and felt those first stirrings of love for each other, they began to know the truth, and the truth began to set them free. Freedom for the young white woman came in the form of courage to work within the limitations of her own condition, to stop the abusive treatment of the slaves by her mother-in-law and plantation overseer. Freedom for the young slave woman came in the form of courage to hang on and do what she had to do to secure the promise from her master that the son she had ...

Showing results