Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2551 to 2575 of 5000 results

2551. Tale of Three Trees

Mark 8:31--9:1

Children's Sermon

Elaine M. Ward

Object: None There is an old story that tells of three trees growing on a hillside, dreaming of what they wanted to be. The first said, "I want to be a treasure box and hold the greatest treasure in the world." The second said, "I want to be a strong sailing ship and carry the most powerful king in the world." The third said, "I want to grow tall and point to God who gives beautiful treasures and mighty seas." Their dreams grew as the days passed until one day men came with axes and took away the three ...

2552. Having the Right Connection

John 15:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

After Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, died in 1977, many people claimed to be related to him. Tabloids published stories with headlines like “I was Elvis’ love child!” Some of these claims were made by fans desperate to maintain some connection to the musical legend. Some of the claims were made by folks who just wanted a chance at publicity or money from Elvis’ estate. Claiming a connection to Elvis Presley became so popular that Detroit-area disk jockey, Dick Purtan, began selling birth ...

2553. The Mighty Mustard Seed

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

King Duncan

I have a question for our retirees this morning. Did you pick up any new hobbies when you retired from your job? Most people I know say they are busier in retirement than they were in their working years, so taking up a new hobby may be difficult. So, let me ask our non-retirees, what hobby do you hope to adopt in your retirement years? I ask this because I was inspired by reading about a retired Canadian man named Young S. New. New picked up an interesting new hobby when he retired. His new hobby was ...

2554. The Power of the Staff

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

A year or so ago, when our primary activity during lockdown was to sit on the porch and watch the wildlife, I noticed a mother bird building a nest. I had never seen the process up close like this, and so fascinated, I took note of everything she was doing. In fact, I became so engrossed in Mama bird’s family that I would perch on my rocking chair each and every day, just so I could observe the entire scenario up close and personal. She gathered bits of grass, twigs, leaves, and other odds and ends and ...

2555. Christ and the Magic Cloak

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

Lori Wagner

[Prop: Jewish Tallit with Tzitzit] The fashion industry has captivated people, both men and women, for centuries. If you look back in your history books, you’ll be amazed at some of the beautiful and stunning costumes that people wore in times past. In fact, in many museums, fashion has become a popular display –Medieval gowns, Knight’s armor, Viking attire, Victorian splendor. We marvel at the handicrafts that people were able to assemble even so many years ago! Today, we continue to adore fashion. We ...

2556. Never on Sunday

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

There are not ten commandments; there are only nine. That other one, the one about resting and not working on the Sabbath, that’s really just a suggestion. No one, not even the most observant Christians — with the possible exception of Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-a — take it all that seriously, and even they simply close their businesses. Whether or not they actually rest and remember, as the commandment requires, is anyone’s guess. Business Insider lists In-and-Out Burger, Marriott, and Forever 21 as three ...

2557. The Secret Man

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

In 1972 two relatively unknown reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post, began to cover what was described by one person as “a third rate burglary.” On June 17, 1972, five men were arrested for breaking into the Watergate Hotel, where the Democratic National Committee had its headquarters. They were attempting to place a wiretap in the party offices. Even though it was an election year, the story didn’t seem to have much traction, because President Richard Nixon had such a large ...

2558. Passing on the Flame

Psalm 138:1-8

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Garfield gets up one morning and still half asleep, looks in the mirror. Seeing his face he says, "Boy, do I need a shave." Then you hear the electric razor buzzing and Garfield's frantic thought, "Wait a minute!" In the final scene, John has this startled look on his face as he sees Garfield with the fur shaved off the bottom half of his face. And with a very perturbed look on HIS face, Garfield says, "I forgot I was a cat, okay?" (1) Just like Garfield, sometimes we forget who we are. Sometimes we forget ...

2559. Listen!

Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)

Sermon

King Duncan

Where are you most likely to get important news and information that you rely on each day? From a print newspaper? From an app on your phone? From social media? From a cable channel? What about from a man or woman standing in the middle of your neighborhood and shouting out the latest headlines? Not likely. If you’d lived about 1,000 years ago in England, you would have gotten the latest news and headlines from a town crier. The job of town crier began officially in the year 1066. What happened in 1066? ...

2560. Shared Promises

Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Faith is a journey you don’t do alone. This is one of the most important distinctions about the Christian faith. If you are Buddhist, you can and must pursue your personal enlightenment alone. If you are a Hindu, you can make your personal sacrifices, carry out your personal rituals, and attempt to attain “nirvana” alone. If you are of one of the other Abrahamic religions, you try to live morally by the laws and teachings set before you. It’s a personal journey. But if you are a Christian, you cannot live ...

2561. When Table Talk Won a Super Bowl

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome to the Lord’s Table on this Maundy Thursday evening. This is a special place and a special time. It is, hopefully, a time when we as the family of Christ draw closer to one another and closer to God. Recently, in an unexpected place, I ran across an example of the closeness that can develop around a table. Football fans will remember that in the 2018 Super Bowl the Philadelphia Eagles pulled off a stunning win over the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII. According to writer and ...

2562. The Holy Spirit Brings Everyone To The Party

Acts 8:14-17

Sermon

Mary Austin

On this Sunday after Epiphany, we celebrate Jesus’ baptism, and the gift of the Holy Spirit that comes to him that day. The reading for today looks at the same gift — the coming of the Holy Spirit — to a community of believers. Listen for God speaking: Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had ...

2563. Treasures from the Past

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sermon

Mary Austin

We continue in the season of Epiphany, listening to the words Paul writes to the church in Corinth. Listen for God speaking. Now I should remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our ...

2564. They're Drunk

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Will Willimon

A few years ago, a friend of mine and I were discussing the then current Neo-Charismatic Movement which was sweeping the churches. My friend was a fellow United Methodist pastor, and graduate of Duke. We had met during doctoral work at Emory. As a fellow intellectual, someone quite thoughtful and astute, I wanted him to help me think through this strange outbreak of spiritual gifts and weird behavior called Charismatic. I was telling him how I, as a pastor, had struggled with an outbreak of Charismatic ...

2565. Beware! Angels

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Will Willimon

''Angels are big this Christmas," said the florist as he placed yet another cherub on the tree. An outburst of bestselling books testify to our current infatuation with angels. Why does the whole world seem so interested in angels, and at this time in human history? The word ''angel'' means, in the Greek, ''messenger." Angels are messengers of God. That's why artists portrayed them with wings. Angels, messengers from God. But in one Mercedes Benz TV commercial, angels are depicted as cute, hermaphroditic ...

2566. When the Doors Were Shut

John 20:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

The Rev. Dr. Steve Griffith, a British pastor, tells about the first time he worked in India. This was more than 20 years ago. He was there for just over 3 months and worked in lots of different areas: some urban, like Delhi, and others very rural. And, for a short time, he was working in a place, along with a group of other Christians, that was basically just a clearing in the jungle. This mission consisted of a collection of wooden huts with verandas set out into a square with a cleared, sandy area in ...

2567. The Lonely Prophet

1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a

Sermon

King Duncan

One of the great concepts that has come out of the sobriety movement and organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous is the acronym HALT—H. A. L. T. The word, of course, literally means “to stop.” But in sobriety circles, the acronym HALT serves as a reminder to be careful how you react when you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. Researchers have found that, for someone with addiction issues, these four states leave you particularly vulnerable to temptation. They suggest that, before you take a drink or pop a ...

2568. Bent Out of Shape

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Today’s scripture is about a woman who had been “disabled by a spirit” for eighteen years. She was bent over and couldn’t stand up straight. Jesus straightened her out! He also straightened out the synagogue leader and his cohort of objectors. They were “put to shame.” The story reads like an interesting allegorical switch, in which a woman no doubt bent under a burden of shame heaped upon her by her synagogue and leaders for her ailment is healed, while the oppressors themselves (having become bent out of ...

2569. Being Different

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

John Jamison

Picture it this way. The teenage daughter walks in the house. “Hey mom, dad, guess what? I was down at the gas station filling up the car when something happened. An angel walked up and told me that I was going to have a baby. Wow! Can you believe it?” I’m not trying to make light of the scripture today, but if you think about it, that’s about how this story began. According to tradition, Mary had gone down to the village well to get water. It was one of the routine chores the young girls in the family ...

2570. A Young Man's Vow

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

Richard Hasler

A young man awakens in the morning and hears the birds singing. He realizes how fortunate he is. It is summer time and he is back home in his father’s parsonage in Gunsbach, Germany. Recently, he has been reading about Jesus’ call in the gospels: “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” “From everyone to whom much is given, much will be required.” Whoever would save his life shall lose it, and whoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel shall save it.” What do ...

2571. A Last Appeal

Luke 23:33-43

Sermon

Richard Hasler

Robert Raines told the story of the day when a daughter was going through the things left over after her mother’s death, and she found this anonymous poem: I dreamed death came the other night. And heaven’s gates swung wide, With kindly grace, an angel asked me inside And there to my astonishment, Stood folks I’d known on earth — Some I judged and labeled as “Unjust” or “Little Worth.” Indignant words rose to my lips but none were set free For every face showed stunned surprise … No one expected me![1] I ...

2572. Forgiven

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

April Yamasaki

Instead of making new year’s resolutions, each year I like to choose a key word to help set my direction for the coming year. One year I chose “wonder,” which for me meant being curious, exploring new things, and asking questions. It meant being filled with wonder at God’s creation and work in the world and in my own life. That year it seemed as if the word had chosen me, for as soon as I settled on “wonder” as my word for the year, I started seeing wonder everywhere. This year I chose “blossom,” and when ...

2573. Faith or Folly

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” Ecclesiastes 10:1 “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.” Matthew 4:10 Imagine you are a vineyard owner preparing a scrumptious feast for a party for esteemed guests. You’ve gone to a great deal of preparation, and you’re just about ready to serve. You’ve brought out your best, sweetest red wine from your wine cellar. Yet, the weather is humid that day, insects are swarming, and you’ve ...

2574. Shut the Back Door!

John 10:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Every churchgoer knows about the “back door” –a kind of secret exit plan people sometimes use when the service is over (especially if it went long) in order to avoid the pastor, the greeting line, or an upcoming fellowship event or congregational meeting. When I was growing up, our church had a convenient “side” door that led right from the sanctuary to the cemetery walkway to the left of the church. If the line down the aisle toward the front door where the pastor stood to greet people as they exited grew ...

2575. The Cost of Commitment

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

What is the longest distance you have ever walked? Try to picture that journey in your mind. What mental and physical reserves were required for you to keep going when you wanted to quit? More importantly, how did you feel when you finally stopped? Most of us are fortunate to have some form of transportation, whether it’s a bicycle, car, bus or Uber to take us where we want to go. Long journeys no longer require much effort or commitment. We can’t remember the last time we walked to the point of exhaustion ...

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