Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2526 to 2550 of 4508 results

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Engagement in controversy again leads to Jesus’s withdrawing to compassionate ministry (15:21–31; cf. 12:15; 14:13), this time in the direction of Tyre and Sidon—Mediterranean coastal cities northwest of Galilee. In this location, Jesus is approached by a Gentile woman, a Canaanite, with the term evoking the Old Testament association of Israel’s enemies (15:22; cf. Num. 21:1). Using the messianic ...

2527. An Uppity Woman

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

When I was a kid, we played a game in which we would stare into each others eyes until one gave in and blinked. We used tricks to win sometimes, but above all we would refuse to back down no matter how much our eyes were hurting. Something like that is going on between Jesus and the Canaanite woman. There is a stand-off happening here. I think it is helpful to know that Jesus has just gone throug...

2528. The Faith of the Canaanite Woman

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

15:21–28 Departing from Gennesaret (cf. 14:34), Jesus goes in a northwesterly direction to the area around the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon. The journey of approximately fifty miles took him into gentile territory (although Jeremias cites evidence that the eastern Tyrian region was largely Jewish, Jesus’ Promise to the Nations, pp. 31–32, n. 3; pp. 35–36). A Canaanite woman of that district...

2529. Religious Balkanization

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

As a seminary intern in St. Louis, Missouri, I was part of a Jewish-Christian Dialogue group. We were seeking to understand one another's traditions, work together for the good of our neighborhoods, and promote tolerance and respect in society. I had been invited into the group by a member of the church at which I was serving. She grew up Jewish, and in recent years had, in her words, "completed m...

2530. The Faith Of Outsiders

Sermon

William J. Carl

Have you ever had an inner emotional pain that would not go away? A depression that would come and go in waves? Sometimes it seemed like everything was completely normal and then it would come upon you totally unexpected. Perhaps it was related to something that happened in your childhood, something so awful that you couldn’t tell anyone, not even your spouse or your best friend because in reality...

2531. Love Without Limits

Sermon

Roger G. Talbott

The epitaph on the grave of Albert Camus, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957, reads: "Here I understand what they call glory: the right to love without limits." In our gospel lesson we see two people who love without limits. Neither of them seem very glorious. One is a tired itinerant preacher named Jesus. The other is a woman who has no name -- only a racial designation: a Canaanite w...

2532. Worried About Her Child

Sermon

King Duncan

A man was going up to bed, when his wife told him he'd left the light on in the garden shed. She could see it from the bedroom window. But he said that he hadn't been in the shed that day. He looked out himself, and there were people in the shed, stealing things. He rang the police, but they told him that no one was in his area, so no one was available to catch the thieves. He said "ok," hung up,...

2533. This Woman Was a Fighter

Sermon

King Duncan

She was a single mom with a special needs child, and she desperately needed Jesus’ help. Okay, so the scriptures don’t actually say that she was single. Our lesson simply doesn’t mention her husband, but I’ve seen enough single moms courageously facing difficult obstacles that I can imagine she may have been one of them. Perhaps her husband had been killed in an accident or simply died young as m...

2534. It Makes No Difference Where You Belong

Sermon

King Duncan

Religion has always been a rich vein for humorists to mine, particularly the differences between denominations. For example, two men were in an airplane and the plane developed engine trouble. It was clear that they were going to be killed. One said to the other, "Well, this is it. We are going to die. Are you religious?" The other one said, "No, are you?" The first one said, "No. I'm not either. ...

2535. God's Push

Sermon

Most of us, when we are pushed, will push back. When we are pushed harder, we will resist even more. A mother says to her teen-age daughter, "I'd like you to clean your room before you go away for the weekend." "Do I have to?" she groans. "Yes, you must." "I don't want to." "Do it," said the mother, "and that's final!" "No, I won't." And Slam! Bang! go the doors. Very few of us like to be pushed -...

2536. Everybody Pray!

Sermon

"Jesus left that place and went off to the territory near the cities of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman who lived in that region came to him, 'Son of David, sir!' she cried. 'Have mercy on me! My daughter has a demon and is in a terrible condition.' But Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples came to him and begged him, 'Send her away! She is following us and making all this noise!' Then ...

2537. Come From Anywhere

Sermon

"... Great is your faith!" - Matthew 15:28 When Jesus walked with his disciples among the hills and valleys and towns of Palestine, he often led them in directions they had not expected to go. Traveling from Judea to Galilee, he chose to take his disciples through Samaria, although the Jewish people, who had no dealings with the Samaritans, normally went around another way. Although there was gra...

2538. Proper 15

Bulletin Aid

Call to Worship Pastor: Many barriers come between God and his people, limiting his ability to give wholeness. People: It seemed the Canaanite woman would be rejected; but her faith overcame her barriers, and brought healing to her daughter. Pastor: The gift of faith is available to everyone, and breaks through any barrier to God's grace. People: May God give us faith to overcome any obstacle whic...

2539. Prayer

Bulletin Aid

A little humor can sometimes help To relieve a difficult situation. Here, Jesus seems out of character "Out of sorts", we might say. - Maybe he'd had a bad day! He not only refused to help the woman (Strange, even with a foreigner A non-Jew), He insulted her! Called her a dog! (Translate that into the vernacular if you will!) But she didn't get mad. She didn't (If you'll pardon the expression), "...

2540. Proper 15

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Green Gospel: Matthew 15:21-28 Theme: The faith of a Gentile woman. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One pastor began this way: After welcoming the people to celebrate the Good News, he continued to build the invitation around this idea (taken from Frederick Speakman's book, Love is Something You Do.) Faith is something we do, not something we talk about doing. Faith is ...

2541. Proper 15

Bulletin Aid

Theme: Faith that overcomes obstacles Exegetical note 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" b...

2542. Proper 15 & Pentecost 13

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The phrase used in the title for the day, "after Pentecost," reminds the church and its preachers that the journey to Christ the King Sunday is roughly half-completed. The Holy Spirit is still at work in the church, bringing people to the Lord, undergirding the faith of the believers, and inspiring the people of God to devote themselves to good works and loving service in the nam...

2543. Demonized

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: Jesus has total control over the powers of darkness. Summary: A mother talks to a psychiatrist about her demonized daughter and how she was delivered. The psychiatrist won't accept the healing. Playing Time: 3 minutes Setting: The office of Dr. Willis Props: A file folder A new book Costumes: Contemporary Time: The present Cast: Dr. Willis -- a psychiatrist Mrs. King Debbie -- her da...

2544. Worried About Her Child

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: An Ice Cube Boys and girls, how do you move a mountain? I was reading about a mountain recently--a mountain of ice. What would we call a mountain of ice? (Let them answer.) We would call a mountain of ice an "iceberg," wouldn't we? That is what an iceberg is. I read about a piece of an iceberg that had broken off and had floated a few miles and was blocking a harbor. The fishermen who use...

2545. It Makes No Difference Where You Belong

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A blindfold Good morning, boys and girls: Our lesson for today from God's Word deals with prejudice against other people. Have you ever noticed how some people can't stand persons who are not like them? Maybe it's because their skin is a different color or they belong to another religion or they are handicapped or they don't wear the right kind of clothes. Isn't that about the dumbest thi...

2546. A Ticket for All

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: An admission ticket. Boys and girls, what if you were going to McDonald's or Burger King or wherever you like to eat and saw a sign that said, "Brown people only"? And you watched lots of other boys and girls going in and eating and having a good time, but you could not go in because your skin was white. You would feel bad, wouldn't you? There was a time when this was true in certain par...

2547. The Clean Plate Club

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Bread crumbs Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you are good eaters? (Let them answer.) Do a lot of you belong to the clean plate club? (Let them answer.) If I came to your house and ate dinner with you, would I find anything left on your plate? (Direct your question to a clean plate club member.) You mean that I would not find even a crumb of food left somewhere around where you e...

2548. Learning to Be Patient

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Ice cubes and paper cups Good morning, boys and girls. How are you on this wonderful Lord’s day? Sometimes I can hardly wait for the next Sunday to come so that we can get back together. I begin to think about what we’re going to do next Sunday and then it’s all that I can do to just wait. When that happens, someone has to remind me to be patient. Do you know what being patient means? (Ge...

2549. Popcorn Catching

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Catching popcorn in your mouth. Good morning, boys and girls. Have you ever had to practice something time and time again before you were able to do whatever you want done? The first time that you tried to catch a ball was one of those times. Do you remember how you dropped it and dropped it before you were able to catch it? [Let them answer.] That is what I mean about practicing. I have ...

2550. Patience and Practice

Children's Sermon

Object: An exercise requiring careful coordination; or learning to clap in rhythm -- any skill that requires patience and practice. Good morning, boys and girls. February has been a very special month with many things happening. First of all, two of our greatest presidents were born in this month. Can you tell me who they were? [Wait for answers.] That's good, Washington and Lincoln. There was al...

Showing 2526 to 2550 of 4508 results