Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2526 to 2550 of 4997 results

Psalm 71:1-6, Jeremiah 1:4-10, Luke 4:21-30, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... goal. People: Great! We are glad to be here; for one hour, we feel protected from the world’s cynicism and profiteering gaze. Leader: But love is not confined to one hour each week! People: Right. Here we are refreshed in spirit so we can be patient and kind, not jealous or conceited. We lose all desire to be ill-mannered and selfish. We lose the need to keep a record of others’ wrongs. We choose to be truthful and happy, never giving up on faith and hope. Leader: Love is eternal, a treasure from God ...

2527. The Problem with ‘Hail Mary’ Moments

James 3:13-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... I find to meet my trials here; trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, I’ve no cause for worry or for fear. He whose heart is kind beyond all measure gives unto each day what he deems best — lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure, mingling toil with peace and rest. 2 Every day, ... attitude, but is identifiable by its actions. First, while false wisdom brings “wickedness of every kind,” wisdom from above is “pure” (“hagnos”), innocent, blameless, and without blemish. Likewise, the other ...

2528. Someone Bigger than Phil

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon

King Duncan

... wild: the old man has run out of weapons!” Some of you may have had parents who were quite harsh in their methods of discipline. Thankfully, parents have, for the most part, changed . . . For most of us, the image of “father” is one of kindness and accessibility. Not for all, unfortunately, but for most. And that is the image that the writer of Hebrews wants us to have of God. Jesus called God, Abba, “Daddy.” That is the first reason the writer of Hebrews writes, “Let us then approach God ...

2529. Open the Window, Aunt Minnie, Here It Comes!

Jeremiah 33:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... . He could not know that the Messiah would be a humble carpenter from Nazareth whose name would one day be held in reverence by people of every race and nation. He knew God would send a Messiah; he could not know this Messiah would be the kind of Messiah Jesus turned out to be. Rev. Bill Hayes tells about an event that occurred several years ago when the community of Spencer, South Dakota was devastated by a tornado. Six people died in that tornado. Among the structures that were devastated was St. Matthew ...

2530. Proper 23

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c, Psalm 66:1-20, Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7, Luke 17:11-19, 2 Timothy 2:8-15

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... of today’s readings seems to be “thankfulness.” Of ten lepers, one returned to express “thanks” to Jesus. After receiving a letter from King Solomon of Israel about building a temple and needing fine woods, King Hiram of Tyre responds with a kind letter of gratitude and collaboration. Jeremiah writes to the Jews exiled in Babylon urging them to settle in by marrying, birthing, and growing their own foods, always remembering the source of life. During these few moments, we step out of life’s ...

2531. Enemies of the Cross

Philippians 3:17 - 4:1

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... any difference because God is going to save me anyway? It's like that streetwise corner newsboy who upon hearing the gospel shouts, "God loves to forgive sins. I love to commit them. Isn't the world admirably arranged?" In the face of such an "anything goes" kind of attitude, there are those who go running to "law and order," to the rules and regulations, convinced that people will always abuse such freedom for their own selfish gain. You have to crack down on them. You have to keep them in line. You just ...

2532. But When God ...

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... , a new way of living that changes everything. A new way where real success is not measured in dollars and cents, but in the character qualities of love, patience, kindness, and goodness. A new way where getting ahead is not as important as being faithful. A new way where the kind of clothing we wear doesn't count as much as the kind of people we are. A new way where we see people in a different light — not divided between different races or different denominations, between old and young, men and women ...

2533. For All the Saints

Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... in fact, in these verses prayer is really the main point. Before Paul, the theologian, turns to the big theological ideas in this letter, he is first off Paul, the apostle, praying for the saints, and we would do well first off to be grounded in the kind of prayer that Paul demonstrates. The apostle focuses on four specific items of prayer: giving thanks for the Colossians' faith and love (vv. 3-4); asking that they might be filled with the knowledge of God's will (v. 9); that they might lead lives worthy ...

2534. The Unchanging Christ in a Changing World

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... is winding up by chapter 13. We are almost to the closing hymn and then racing to get in line at the restaurant. Experts at communication tell us preachers that people remember the beginning of a sermon and the end of a sermon. What's in the middle kind of fuzzes out. At the end of this sermon, the preacher announces how the gospel he has proclaimed affects the way Christians should live. That is a typical pattern for some of the books of the New Testament. Most of Paul's letters follow such a structure ...

2535. How Rich Is Rich?

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... Christian faith. As many people point out, the passage does not say that money itself is bad for us. The real trouble comes from inside us, in our greed, our lust for money. The way the passage puts it is that "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." This is a well-known phrase from this passage, but some of the other things it says about greed may actually be more interesting and instructive. It says that greed can be a trap and that the eagerness to be rich can cause us to pierce ourselves. A ...

2536. Rally or Rail?

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of the Jews” not only disregarded the ruling power of Rome. It provided potential fodder for the local rebellion and even violent, militant reactions of the Jewish population in Jerusalem and beyond. But in today’s text Jesus puts forth a “Who’s on first” kind of question to Pilate. When the Roman prefect asks his Jewish prisoner if he is a king, Jesus redefines the place and space of kingship. His identity must be understood and embraced and believed on two levels. Yes, Jesus is a king. And yet ...

2537. Strengthening Your Grip On Prayer

1 Kings 8:22-23, 41-43

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... 's hard-hitting words. The great need of our world, our nation, and our churches is people who know how to prevail in prayer. Moments of pious wishes blandly expressed to God once or twice a day will bring little change on earth or among the people. Kind thoughts expressed to him in five or six sentences, after reading a paragraph or mildly religious sentiments once a day from some devotional writing, will not bring the kingdom of God to earth or shake the gates of hell and repel the attacks of evil ...

2538. Profile Of A Savior

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... crowd — ganged up on by a mob that is out to get him. Yet he does not seem to be a victim, does he? There is a kind of serenity in his report, as though the turn of events, which surprises us in our reading, does not come as a surprise to him. It' ... before us one of the most significant moments of all: the look of Jesus on the way to the cross. In this instance, Isaiah has the kind of high-powered lens available only through the Holy Spirit. Isaiah is at a distance, but he allows us to see Jesus up close. ...

2539. From Death To Life To…

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

... over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. — Genesis 1:28 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? — Micah 6:8 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. — James 1:27 In his public ministry, Jesus also ...

2540. The Ultimate Mountain Top Experience

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... experience on the mountain provided confirmation that Peter was right. “As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” This was God’s way of showing us that Jesus was one of a kind. There is no one else who can compare. There is a famous story about the eighteenth century German sculptor Johann Heinrich von Dannaker. Dannaker is known for his carving of Greek goddesses, as well as one of John the Baptist. But his finest sculpture was ...

2541. Pilate's Dilemma

John 18:28-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... .’ As quickly as the fever had left his body, he felt the baggage leave his soul. With one gentle brush of the hand, his slate had been wiped clean. He breathed a massive sigh of relief, but his pulse was racing.” * I wonder if Pilate ever experienced that kind of release from the baggage of his misdoing? It’s possible. After all, he spent considerable time in the presence of the Messiah. He is one of the few people on earth to have a one-on-one interview with the Son of God. Pilate asked, “What is ...

2542. Real Heros

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... Hotis all over this earth? Good people, people of deep faith, who are not only suffering IN SPITE OF their faith, but are suffering BECAUSE of their faith. Do you think that God loves us in our affluence more than God loves them in their affliction? What kind of god would God be if that were so? The writer of Hebrews says this about suffering saints of God, they are people “of whom the world is not worthy.” And it’s true. Don’t you ever confuse your life situation with questions about whether you ...

2543. A One Sentence Legacy

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... they do planning for their life. We are so busy with so many things in our lives, we may not even think about the things that really matter. I want to ask you two questions that all of us must answer at sometime or another. Let’s begin here: what kind of legacy do you hope to leave to those you love and to the world? One of these days you will be leaving this earth. How will people remember you? In what ways will the world be a better place because you’ve been here? Stephen Covey in his Seven ...

2544. Choosing

Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

Argile Smith

... in the desert. Now their children possessed them. With his declaration about what God had done for his people, Joshua challenged everyone at Shechem to scrutinize the idols they kept as heirlooms. What had they enabled the people of Israel to accomplish? Had they been kind and generous to the people in their travels? Had they provided anything for them at all? Had they delivered on their promise to provide the people with a land to call their own? Could God’s people testify that they had been sincere and ...

2545. On the Road with Jesus

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

David O. Bales

... eat with us, teach us the Bible and host us at his table in worship. Even when we seem to be inviting him to come to us, we realize that he’s inviting us to come to him, all of us who are weary and overburdened. He comes to all kinds of people, those who are fresh out of hope or faith, those who are grieving, or those who are too shocked yet to grieve. And with the slightest response from us he’ll take us with him forever. Meeting Jesus changes us so that we now live for him and ...

2546. A Man of God

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... things we can never retract. If we can hold our tongue, control our anger at such times, God can use us in a wonderful way. Maybe you are familiar with a story that author Jerry B. Jenkins tells about a man named Raymond who also had that kind of control over his own emotions: Late one night, Raymond stumbled to the phone. His heart stopped when he heard a female voice sobbing, “Daddy, I’m so sorry.” His daughter was calling to say she was pregnant. A million thoughts ran through Raymond’s mind as ...

2547. A Faith that Will Transform You

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... to send him a $4,300 bill for the rescue operation. It’s not often that you see a grown man up in a tree. It’s kind of a ridiculous position to be in. The most famous example of such is found in our lesson for today from Luke’s Gospel. It is, of ... of song and happiness and prayer; he had held up the cross of Jesus to all he met. (3) Such is the kind of complete change that happened in Zacchaeus’ life. Paul Scherer, in describing this story, says that this meeting with Jesus “redeemed Zacchaeus’ ...

2548. A Faith that Works

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.” What do you do with people who refuse to do their share of the work? It’s true in every organization. Some people do not do their share. Indira Gandhi once said, “There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group there is less competition.” Did you realize, by the way, that among rich countries people in the United States work the longest hours? Americans work much longer ...

2549. When Fishermen Don't Fish

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... understand that, don’t we? It’s a lot more fun to fish for fish than it is to fish for people. And fishing for people is a whole lot harder. I wonder if there could be any young adults in this community who are struggling with addictions of some kind? I wonder if there are any middle-aged adults for whom alcohol is their chief nemesis? Is there any way we could reach out to them, minister to them? I wonder if there are any lonely people in this community any older people, shut-in people? I wonder if any ...

2550. The Lord Is (More Than) My Shepherd

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... Egypt I called my son . . . It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them” (Hosea ... suspended on weights and pulleys, and she was immobile for weeks and weeks. Killinger asked how she, a dancer, could stand that kind of immobility for so long. “I would have died,” she said, “except for one thing. Every day, sometimes several times a day ...

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