Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2551 to 2575 of 4934 results

2551. When a Member of the Family Dies

John 11:17-37

Sermon

R. E. Lybrand

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been buried four days before. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Judeans had come to see Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother's death. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died! But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask him for." "Your brother will rise to life," Jesus ...

2552. Confessional Services

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Bulletin Aid

G. William Genszler

Sample bulletin for special confessional service for Ash Wednesday, based on the Ten Commandments Note: St. Paul says that a person ought to examine himself before he comes to the Lord's Table. St. John instructs that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and will forgive us all of our iniquities. Martin Luther, in the Catechism, suggests that we examine our lives in the light of the Ten Commandments. In view of the instructions listed above we will use the following confessional service, following the ...

2553. The Gospel of the Little Man

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Children of all ages quickly recognize Zacchaeus as the little man who shimmied up a sycamore in Jericho to get a glimpse of Jesus as he passed through town. His story has long been a favorite with the children of the church schools, especially those who have experience in climbing trees. His image is imprinted on the mental screen of everyone familiar with the story, for when pilgrims tour the Holy Land and come to Jericho, to see a sycamore rates high in their priorities, and travel guides who find ...

2554. Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

Our "take-it-or-leave-it" attitude concerning God is evidence that we do not always fully appreciate who he is. You may have watched Marlin Perkins of TV's "Wild Kingdom." This wonderful animal lover and trainer has been trying to get people on a first-name basis with animals for most of his seventy-seven years. His wife, Carol, gave this account: "When Marlin and I were dating, I wanted him so badly that I never let him know how little I knew about animals. Soon after our marriage we went to the Belgian ...

2555. Lent 4

1 Samuel 16:1-13, Psalm 43:1-5, Hosea 5:1-15, Hosea 6:1--7:16, Romans 8:1-17, Matthew 20:17-19, Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The clue to the theme for worship and preaching this Sunday comes more from the general theme of Lent than it does from any theological content of this Sunday. Before Vatican II, the Fourth Sunday in Lent was known as Laetare Sunday, the mid-point in Lent, and was known as "Refreshment Sunday;" The purpose of this Sunday was to gather strength for the final stages of the Lenten pilgrimage. Therefore, the Introit could declare, with one of the Songs of the Pilgrims, (Psalm 122, a Psalm of ...

2556. Proper 10 & Pentecost 8

Isaiah 55:1-13, Psalm 65:1-13, Romans 8:1-17, Romans 8:18-27, Exodus 2:11-25, Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE As the first third of the Pentecost cycle/season approaches its conclusion, the preacher must keep in mind that the theological framework of the season continues to be eschatological; the church continues to wait and work in anticipation of the Parousia. The Gospel for the Day, supported by the first reading, continues to provide the primary theme for worship and preaching, depending on whether or not one reads the shorter or longer lection, while the second reading continues to go its own ...

2557. Two Bodies for Two Worlds

Isaiah 26:1-21

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Thy dead shall live, their bodies shall rise, O dwellers of the dust, awake and sing for joy! But some one will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" (1 Corinthians 15:35) "Body Shop," "Body Control," "Body Power," "Body Wisdom," "Body Glow" - so say the newspaper ads urging us to do something about our bodies. Today we are a body-conscious people. We believe in body building through exercise. In America, there are 10,000,000 joggers, 15,000,000 serious swimmers, 25,000,000 ...

2558. I Believe In Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Robert Allen

I don’t suppose that it comes as any surprise to you that a minister would stand in a pulpit and affirm, "I believe in prayer." You would expect this affirmation. But, belief in prayer came normally and naturally for me as a child. Even before I can remember, I was taught to pray. The first prayer I was taught was the bedtime payer that almost all children learn. It is a simple little prayer which says: Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake; I pray the ...

2559. The Glory and the Cross

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

I thought my heart would skip a beat I was so excited. I was sixteen at the time. It was a magic moment. We all held hands around the campfire. The wooden cross stood out against a moonlit sky. The waves of the lake seemed to beat against the shore in perfect time with the music. Our hearts were united as we sang chorus after chorus. The Bible camp leader led us in prayer. We added our own prayers. No one wanted to leave the campfire. The moment was just too perfect. "It is well to be here," I thought to ...

2560. Why Fear Growing Old?

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

It is said that by the year 2000 one-half the population of our nation will be over 50 and one-third over 65 years of age. Those of us who are growing older will have plenty of company. We have a science, gerontology, dedicated to our well-being. We do not even have to surrender to senility: doctors tell us that it is not a normal state of old age; only 8 percent of older people need to fear such a breakdown. It is possible to remain alert and creative right down to the conclusion of our lives. Marie ...

2561. The Measure of Greatness

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

Brett Blair

Some years ago St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City was seeking a new president. Over one hundred candidates applied for the position. The search committee narrowed the list to five eminently qualified persons. Then somebody came up with a brilliant idea: let's send a person to the institutions where each of the five finalists is currently employed, and let's interview the janitor at each place, asking him what he thinks of the man seeking to be our president. This was done and a janitor gave such a ...

2562. Keeping the Glow On

Exodus 34:29-35

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

Frank Peretti created a stir with the publication of two books, This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness. He claims that his books are a creative fictional treatment about the spiritual warfare that is going on in the world. He believes that Christian people have the authority to exercise spiritual control over the things and forces which detract from the promise of what the Christian faith can be. In an interview about the nature of his books, he remarked how Christians have lost the ability to ...

2563. Real Religion

Micah 6:1-8

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Micah 6:8..."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?" Familiar words. Perhaps you memorized them in Sunday School in years past, or perhaps you saw them on the wall of the Library of Congress. (They are inscribed there.) They are an ancient answer to the modern acronym that Christian youngsters wear on tee-shirts, bracelets, and necklaces: WWJD - What would Jesus do? These few words spell it ...

2564. A Religion that Shows

Haggai 1:1-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Someplace or other at sometime or other, I heard of some little girls who had gone on a hike with their scout troop. They were all dressed up in their uniforms and most proud of the way they looked as they tramped around the countryside. But, of course, with all that tramping around, some became a bit disheveled as the day wore on. One little girl, who normally wore a St. Christopher medallion under her clothing (remember, this is back in the days before St. Christopher got demoted), became just active ...

2565. The Gift of Fire

Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Have you ever received a gift you were not sure you knew what to do with? I suspect we all have. Garish ties that you would not be caught dead in...rank perfumes or colognes that you would not wear for fear of dropping everyone in the room into a faint...horrible pictures from some rich, ugly old relative that are suitable only for the attic. There are some gifts we do not know how to handle. Now, let me change the subject for a moment. Let's talk about FIRE. Fire is fascinating. Little children say they ...

2566. He Brings Light

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

There is an old vaudeville joke that goes like this. What is worse than a oneweek vacation in Philadelphia? The answera twoweek vacation in Philadelphia. The reason: Philadelphia rolls up its sidewalks after dark. It's unfair, of course, to label Philadelphia in this way. In the years preceding and immediately following World War II, most American cities were like Philadelphia. Almost everything in them, from retail outlets to radio stations, was packed away for the night. The idea of stores and ...

2567. Teach Us To Pray

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

"Is anybody listening? Is anybody listening? Please somebody help me! My husband has collapsed and I do not know how to fly a plane!" These are the words of a desperate North Carolina woman whose husband, an accomplished pilot, had just died suddenly of a heart attack at the controls of their tiny aircraft. She had not been very enthusiastic about flying in the first place, but it was the great joy of his life. She went along reluctantly, but she had never paid any attention to how he operated the plane. ...

2568. What Would You Have Him Do For You?

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

One long hot summer in a place called St. Johns, there came into town a man with a big tent which he set up at the corner of Lombard and Clarendon, with a sign posted in front: THE GREAT MARCEL AND HIS FABULOUS SNAKE SHOW. He was dapper and slim, and he wore a stovepipe hat and a cutaway coat. And when the crowds thronged around the tent that night and oil torches flickered their light over a lithe young lady dancing with snakes, Marcel told of his wonderful oil ” oil extracted from snakes that cured every ...

2569. Our Damascus Road Experience

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever noticed that most of us fit into one of four styles of behavior? That's what some psychologists tell us ” four distinct styles of behavior. Some of us are dominant. Dominant folks like to be in control. Nobody has to ask dominant people what they think. They are blunt, direct ” fast to make judgements and ready to take action. Then there are those for whom life is a party. These are "people" people. They like to talk. They are very animated. They like meeting new friends. Their nature is ...

2570. Facing Up To The Giant Task Of Life

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Sermon

Eric Ritz

From our scripture lesson this morning, we find that facing a Giant task is not a new experience in human history, nor in the life of the people of God. In our passage from I Samuel, we see an incident that would put a challenge into any person. Here are two armies in their camps, each occupying a side of the mountain, with a valley in between them. Out of the camp of the Philistines comes the giant, Goliath, the champion of the group, with an interesting proposal to save bloodshed. It would be well for ...

2571. Hey, You Can Only Be Young Twice!

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Nicodemus was probably an old man when he came to Jesus. He was confronted with the reality of a body that was no longer as vigorous as it once was. He was also conscious of dreams that would never be fulfilled. It's not easy to age, is it? Even middle-age is disconcerting to some of us. Someone has made a list of the Top Ten Ways You Can Tell if You're Middle-Aged. 10. You rank the invention of remote control TV right up there with the discovery of fire, the invention of the light bulb, and elastic ...

2572. Take This Job And Love It

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

Ignace Paderewski, the famous Polish pianist, made his first tour of the U.S. in 1891. He soon won over American audiences with his powerful playing. In one concert in New York, Paderewski severely injured his hand. The injury, which caused him to lose the use of one of his fingers, left him in constant pain, but he insisted on continuing his tour. In all, he played 107 concerts on that tour. In 1892, Paderewski returned to the States for a second successful concert tour. At one point on this tour, he ...

2573. Passing The Test Of Faith

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

King Duncan

A juggler with a circus was pulled over for speeding. The officer was suspicious when he looked in the back seat and saw several large knives. "What are you doing with those?" he asked. "I'm a juggler with the circus," said the man. "To make it more exciting I juggle those large knives." "Well, show me," said the officer. So the juggler started juggling six of these large knives all at once. Knives were flying everywhere, though amazingly all of them were expertly under his control. While he was performing ...

2574. One Commandment, Slightly Used

John 13:31-38

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

We might consider Jesus’ words to His students (disciples) in the Upper Room as sort of a “Last Will and Testament,” a final summing up of all that He had taught them during His brief ministry among them. He begins to speak of His coming death not as a probability but as a certainty, and He begins to talk with new urgency as though the passing moments are infinitely precious and as though he wants to etch every word indelibly on the minds of each of them. And what does He say to them? “I give you a new ...

2575. God’s Greatest Gamble

Mark 12:1-12

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

Have you ever seen a naked chicken? I haven’t, but I read about one recently. Two poultry researchers, Ralph Somes, Jr. in Connecticut and Max Rubin in Maryland, have produced a new breed of naked chicken. Actually this strange breed was first discovered in 1953 by Ursula Abbott, a researcher at the University of California. Since then, according to the Wall Street Journal, naked chickens have been bred and studied on a wide scale. The advantage of having a naked chicken is this: none of the food intake of ...

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