Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2501 to 2525 of 4508 results

Sermon

King Duncan

Someone once said that a pun is the lowest form of humor, but sometimes I can't resist. There once was a young man--a Puritan, somewhere around Boston in the 18th century--who had a great deal of difficulty remembering the various rules of conduct in his community. He tried hard, but was constantly being ridiculed because of some breach of etiquette. In desperation, he asked an older man, also a P...

2502. Clean Heart, Dirty Heart

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Answer what makes a heart unclean or clean. Props: An unwrapped white bar of soap, a bowl with a little water in it, a pitcher of water, and a towel. Optional: A white marshmallow cut to resemble the corner of the bar of soap. Lesson: Good morning! (response) I have several things with me this morning and I am going to need your help. Hold up the unwrapped soap. What is this? (s...

2503. No Prejudice in God’s Family

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship One: May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us; Selah. That your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations. One: Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. All: Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah. One: Let the peoples pr...

2504. Children of God by Faith

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Let us come together to worship all who have known God's mercy! People: We were unclean yet the Lord loved us and called us to be God's own. Leader: In the wonder of God's mercy, room was made in God's Kingdom for all. People: Let us rejoice for surely we have been granted the greatest blessing Leader: And let our voices shout the good news for all the world to hear! All: B...

2505. Proper 15

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Genesis 45:1-15 Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. Because of a famine in Canaan, Jacob sent his sons to buy food in Egypt. None of them knew Joseph was the prime minister of Egypt and was responsible for selling food. In this passage, Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers, gives God the credit for his being a top ruler, and urges his brothers to tell Jacob th...

2506. Faith That Overcomes Obstacles

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Notes Matthew's designation of the woman in this passage as a Canaanite (and thus a traditional enemy to the Jews) reveals his intention (in contrast to Mark's) to make this incident speak to the place of Gentiles with respect to the gospel in a most dramatic way. Despite Jesus' insistence (v. 24) that his mission is only to Jews, he is "won over" by her faith and works the miracle of exorc...

2507. Demon-Possessed Child

Sermon Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

First Point Of Action After the miracle of walking on the water (see Cycle A, Miracle 8), Jesus leaves the land of Gennesaret and goes to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Second Point Of Action A Canaanite woman from that region comes out and shouts at Jesus for mercy because a demon torments her daughter. Third Point Of Action Jesus ignores her. Fourth Point Of Action When the disciples urge Je...

2508. Clean Hands and Dirty Hearts

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: Bring some kind of "junk food" for the children such as small packages of donuts or candy. Show the children the "junk food" that you have with you. Say: I have some food here that we could call "junk food" because you don't get much nourishment when you eat it, although you do get full. Do you like "junk food?" . . . Does your mother ever tell you to not eat so much "junk food" but more ...

2509. A Bill of Rights

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

A church that believes in anything and everything is standing on the brink of believing in nothing. What is your basis for deciding between right and wrong? Do you even think in terms of right and wrong anymore? Do you have categories of rightness and wrongness in your life? Or are you paralyzed by an overdose of tolerance, drowning in what is "politically correct"? Jesus was more loving and ac...

2510. How Great Is Your Faith

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

This morning I want to start by telling you about Edith. Edith was one of the poorest African American women in Harlem. As a single parent, she was trying to raise four children while holding down one part-time and one full-time job, where between the two, she earned just enough for the bare necessities of life. She was poor, but she wasn't a quitter. She kept close tabs on her three sons and dau...

2511. Proper 15

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter - Psalms 133:1-3 First Lesson - Joseph forgoes vengeance for forgiveness and largesse. Genesis 45:1-15 Second Lesson - Paul praises the wideness of God's mercy. Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 Gospel - Jesus teaches that purity has more to do with the heart than with the hands, with the spirit than with the external. Matthew 15:10-28 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Chri...

2512. Proper 15, Pentecost 13, Ordinary Time 20

Bulletin Aid

Amy C. Schifrin

Prayer Of The Day Leader: Merciful God, you gathered the outcasts of Israel and filled their hearts with joy. We pray that you would gather in those who are lost today, that united together in praise, every heart would be cleansed and every life made whole through Jesus Christ our Lord. All: Amen. Intercessory Prayer After each petition: Leader: God of the outcasts, All: may your mercy prevail. ...

2513. A Strong Woman

Illustration

A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape, but a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape. A strong woman isn't afraid of anything, but a woman of strength shows her courage in the midst of fear. A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her, but a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone. A strong woman walks sure-footedly, but a woman of...

2514. Sometimes You Need to Grab Their Attention

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

It seems a man was headed up to bed one night, when his wife told him that he'd left the light on in their shed. She told him she could see it from the bedroom window. He told her he hadn't been in the shed that day. When he looked out the window, he saw that there were people in the shed, stealing things. So, he phoned the police. The police told him that there was no one was in his area and con...

2515. You Have Judged Yourself

Illustration

Brian Stoffregen

A story related to this text has a group of the very pious waiting in heaven for the judgment. As they are waiting and complaining about the wait, they begin to see some of the "sinners" they knew on earth coming into the waiting room: a corrupt politician, an itinerant woman who had been convicted of shoplifting numerous times, a prostitute, a drug addict, a man who spent most of his life in pris...

2516. Innocent Ignorance

Illustration

Oswald Chambers

We begin by trusting our ignorance and calling it innocence, and by trusting our innocence and calling it purity. And when we hear these rugged statements of our Lord's (Matthew 15:18), we shrink and say: "But I never felt any of those awful things in my heart." Either Jesus Christ is the supreme authority on the human heart or He is not worth paying attention to. Am I prepared to trust His judgm...

2517. Success Is Sometimes Measured in Inches

Illustration

King Duncan

Success is sometimes measured in inches. After winning the Pontiac 400 in Richmond, Virginia, several years ago, stock car driver Mark Martin 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 ...

2518. Tradition Is a Powerful Thing

Illustration

King Duncan

Years ago Harry Emerson Fosdick told about a church in Denmark where the worshipers bowed regularly before a certain spot on the wall. They had been doing that for three centuries bowing at that one spot in the sanctuary. Nobody could remember why. One day in renovating the church, they removed some of the whitewash on the walls. At the exact spot where the people bowed they found the image of the...

2519. Proper 15

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Genesis 45:1-15 Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, who have come to Egypt to secure food during the famine. Rather than seeking revenge, he sees God's gracious hand in his brothers' treachery. Joseph openly wept for joy and reveals his plan to provide for his entire family in Egypt. This ends the cycle of stories from Genesis. Old Testament: Isaiah 56:1-7 The proph...

2520. Careful With Those Lips

Children's Sermon

Robert B. Lantz

Object: Lips stickers Good morning, boys and girls. I'm thinking of an external part of the human body that you use all the time, whether you are walking, standing still, sitting down, awake or asleep. Can anyone guess which part of the body I have in mind? (Responses -- Allow eight or ten. If they have not said mouth or lips, you can give them a couple of clues.) I'm using them right now. Eyes? ...

2521. Master Teacher

Sermon

Lori Wagner

The Christian Testament scriptures are the most fascinating set of inspired and brilliant stories we can possibly read and learn from. The scriptures are amazing. But too often, we miss the best parts. This can happen when we read either from habit and read over clues that we’ve never noticed before or when we don’t see the entire picture and have a hard time imagining what’s happening in real-tim...

2522. Humility

Illustration

John R. Brokhoff

Humility is the quality that will make you admit when you are wrong and will cause you to ask another's pardon. Carl Sandburg, in his book Lincoln: The War Years, tells about Colonel Scott who requested a leave to attend the funeral of his wife who accidently drowned. President Lincoln refused the request. Early the next morning Lincoln came to Scott's hotel room and admitted to the amazed officer...

2523. Nag, Nag, Nag!

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Pentecost XIII And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us." He answered, "I was sent ...

2524. Matthew 15:21-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Once again, Jesus has been accosted by Pharisees for failing to strictly follow the traditional rituals for washing and eating. Once again, Jesus patiently explained the larger concept of “defilement” to a clueless crowd and even denser disciples. Little wonder an exhausted Jesus decides to “get out of Dodge.” Leaving Galilee and heading northwest, Jesus’ departure took him to the Mediterranean co...

2525. Jesus’ Compassion and Authority to Feed and Heal

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Matthew demonstrates Jesus’ compassion and authority in a miraculous feeding and in healing that extends even to a Gentile, indicating that trust is the right response to Jesus. Understanding the Text For a third time in Matthew, Jesus withdraws from controversy (15:21; see also 12:15; 14:13) to minister with healing to the crowds (15:22, 30–31). Given that Matthew focuses almost exclu...

Showing 2501 to 2525 of 4508 results