Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2551 to 2575 of 4943 results

2551. Whom Can I Trust?

John 6:55-69

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: a flotation device, like a little child would use in a swimming pool Good morning, boys and girls. Do you like to go swimming? It can be fun, can't it? It's great to just get in the water and paddle around, and move your arms and legs, and splash around. But the water can be deep and kind of scary, too. That's why it's a good idea for you to wear something like this. Do you know what this is? That's right, it's a (name of object). What do you do with this thing? You put it on before you go in the ...

2552. Sheep Without a Shepherd

Mark 6:30-34

Sermon

King Duncan

Somewhere I read about a man who went to an auto auction. They were selling cars to benefit a certain charity. Vehicles in this auction were classified as either “Running” or “No Start.” On the auction block was a No Starter. It had a shattered windshield, two missing tires, a sagging front bumper, a cockeyed grill, a hood that was sprung up at an angle, and dings and dents all over the body. Before he started the bidding, the auctioneer announced the car’s year, make and model. And then the auctioneer ...

2553. The Gardener

John 20:10-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7) “Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden.” (John 10:41) Prop: seeds This is the first Sunday after Easter. It is sometimes called “Low Sunday,” partly because of the low number of people historically attending church this day. It is sometimes celebrated as it was in the past as “Holy ...

2554. In the Wilderness of Temptation

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I had the strangest dream the other night. I found myself standing at the gates of heaven talking to St. Peter. I thought, "Oh, man, there's still a bunch of stuff I haven't done yet." St. Peter grinned and said, "Don't worry, you're just here for a guided tour." And sure enough that's all it was. St. Peter took me around showing me all the sights. The streets really are paved with gold. Everything was more beautiful than I could ever describe. But there was one really strange aspect about heaven. ...

2555. Leaving an Empty Chair

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Have you ever been part of a team-building exercise? A lot of businesses invest in team-building exercises as a way to encourage cooperation and problem-solving skills among their employees. But sometimes the team-building exercise is a problem in itself. According to one study done by the multinational firm Citirix, 1/3 of U.S. employees surveyed dislike team-building exercises. Yet companies spend an estimated $46 billion per year on these types of exercises. Are they getting a good return on their ...

2556. Bearers of the Seed

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“The Word of God continued to flourish.” (Acts 12:24) “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:8) Prop: apples or small oranges or another small fruit Fruit of my loins! Today, it’s a comical phrase, but it has a scriptural origin: “And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins.” (Genesis 35:11, King James version) “Whereas therefore he ...

2557. Risky Business

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Danger, danger!” “Danger Will Robinson, danger!” Who remembers that line from the 1960s series, “Lost in Space”? I know some of you do! For those too young to remember the show, “Lost in Space” was a pre-Star Trek show that told the stories of the Robinson family and their outer space-time adventures. Robot, a large metal contraption with harmonica-like arms, is programmed to protect son Will Robinson by warning him and others of impending dangers in the unknown environments they find themselves in. The ...

2558. To Be Set Free

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Have you ever felt “weighed down” by something in your life? Diana Nyad’s failed first attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida in 1978 weighed heavily upon her spirit. She had undergone a lot of trauma in her life, and this defeat felt like another hard knock. Shame had haunted her for many years. But swimming had felt healing to her. The water calmed and focused her. Now, she felt, she had failed yet again. Discouraged, she abandoned swimming and focused her energies in a new direction. Despite cultivating a ...

2559. Gifts of Lent V: A Soldier Gives His Wine

Matthew 27:45-56

Drama

Donald Neidigk

Dramatic Monologue My name is Saint Longinus. The ancient traditions of the church say I was martyred in the service of Jesus. I was just Longinus then. You'll remember me for a number of things I did on that Friday of Holy Week: commanding the execution squad, giving Jesus a drink of cheap wine as he hung on the cross dying, confessing that he was the Son of God, and finally piercing him with my lance to ensure that he was dead. And you wonder why I'm called Saint Longinus? I understand your confusion. I ...

2560. Christ the King

Colossians 1:1-14, Jeremiah 23:1-8, Luke 23:26-43

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Jeremiah 23:1-6 The Messianic King. This, scholars say, is the most important messianic passage in Jeremiah. The leaders of Judah are blamed for scattering Judah into bondage. But, Yahweh promises to raise up faithful shepherds who will serve the people. He will gather the exiles back to their homeland. Above all, Yahweh will give as king a son of David who will save his people. Epistle: Colossians 1:11-20 We belong to the kingdom of Christ who, as the image of God, is preeminent ...

2561. I Am The Real Vine

Sermon

Ronald Lavin

I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every barren branch of mine he cuts away; and every fruiting branch he cleans, to make it more fruitful still. You have already been cleansed by the word that I spoke to you. Dwell in me, as I in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself, but only if it remains united with the vine; no more can you bear fruit, unless you remain united with me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. He who dwells in me, as I dwell in him, bears much fruit; for apart from me ...

2562. Spare Change

Exodus 20:1-21

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

Object: Two quarters and a nickel. Lesson: Honesty; discipleship; integrity. Text: "You shall not steal." "How many of you know there is a soda machine downstairs?" I begin. Every one of the assembled children raises a hand. "Oh, good!" I continue. "Since all of you know the church has a soda machine, you probably also all know how much a soda costs." "Fifty cents!" comes their unified response. "That's right," I agree. "And already this morning, I have been downstairs to buy a soda. I put one dollar into ...

2563. Advent 3

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28, Isaiah 61:1-11, John 1:19-28, John 1:1-18

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme For The Day: Joy and anticipation concerning what God was about to do. Isaiah promises the oil of gladness (Isaiah 61:3) as God brings the captives of Israel back to their homeland. In Thessalonians, Paul charges the church always to rejoice (v. 16). In the Gospel, John delineates his message as pointing to the One who was to follow him: the One who would be much greater than he. All of these messengers were filled with a sense of joyful expectancy. The third Sunday in Advent has in some traditions ...

2564. Overcoming Temptation

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Lee Griess

This morning's Gospel reading sets the theme for us today, an appropriate theme as we begin our observance of Lent -- the theme of sin and temptation. It's an appropriate one because it is one with which we all struggle. I recently read a story about a little boy named Bobby who desperately wanted a new bicycle. His plan was to save his nickels, dimes and quarters until he finally had enough to buy a new 10-speed. Each night he asked God to help him save his money. Kneeling beside his bed, he prayed, "Dear ...

2565. The TV Revolution

Sermon

Michael Rogness

As the dominant medium of social expression, television is pervasive in a profound way that we seldom recognize fully. Because most of us get most of our information about the society most of the time from television, it becomes the primary social fact of our lives.2 -- James Monaco Preaching Today While visiting many congregations I am constantly astonished to hear how much complaining there is about preaching. Faithful churchgoers find themselves wondering, "What's happened to good preaching?" "Where ...

2566. With Unwavering Trust

Romans 4:1-25

Sermon Aid

Clement E. Lewis

Instrumental Meditation The Call To Worship (By the leader) "The Lord is in his holy temple; Let all the earth keep silence before him." Amen. The Instrumental Prelude (People reverently silent) Scripture: Romans 4:13-25 (NRSV) The promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is ...

2567. A Bucket Of Water

Matthew 7:7

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To encourage children to actively seek the things of our faith. Materials: A bucket half full of water. Special Preparation: Hold the bucket at your side with your arm stiff and straight down. In a rapid circular motion swing the bucket to the front, up and over and down in the back. As the bucket reaches the downward position again, continue on around in the circular motion without stopping. Keep the bucket moving fast! When you wish to stop, be sure to stop in the position from which you started ...

2568. Proper 16

Luke 13:22-30, Isaiah 28:1-29, Isaiah 66:1-24, Jeremiah 28:1-17, Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Depending on the lectionary being followed and the calendar of this particular year, Holy Cross Day will soon be celebrated. It's a festival that is relatively new to many Protestants, but quite familiar to Roman Catholics. To celebrate the cross and the crucifixion of Christ in August or September seems like a liturgical anachronism; Jesus' passion and death are remembered annually in the spring of the year, along with Easter, of course. But Holy Cross day comes at a propitious time in ...

2569. Let It Shine!

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

The Gospel of John makes one of the most powerful observations in all scripture: "In the beginning was The Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life and that life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not." (KJV) The Moffatt translation of the Bible says, "And the light shines in the darkness and the ...

2570. Monologue: A Slave, A Jailer, A Child Of God

Acts 16:16-40

Drama

Robert F. Scott

We have only a bare-bones mention of the Philippian jailer. He received Paul and Silas, beaten and bleeding; he fastened them in the painful stocks; after his conversion, he personally dressed their wounds and then fed them at his own table. What other changes grew from the jailer's new Christian faith? Let us attempt to stretch some living flesh over those bare bones. Call me Quintus, but my name doesn't matter. Most people just see me as a slave, a piece of the house furniture, nothing more. My master is ...

2571. A Wandering Aramean

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

Ten years ago history was made in the broadcast of a television show. The show was Roots. As you may remember, Roots was a documentary of one man's search for his ancestry. Black author, Alex Haley's hunger to know his identity led him to record his own roots, his own heritage, first on paper, then on the screen. And the significance of this T.V. show? This mini-series attracted more viewers than any other television program in history. With eighty-five million viewers, this story of the black man's ...

2572. Reformation Sunday

Jeremiah 32:1-44, Romans 3:21-31, John 8:31-41

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Virtually all Lutheran calendars and lectionaries make provision for the celebration of Reformation Day, cognizant of the fact that it is necessary to move the festival from October 3 1st to the previous Sunday, unless, of course, October 31st falls on a Sunday. Most Lutheran churches continue to observe Reformation Sunday, despite the good and growing relations with the Roman Catholic Church, which have developed with the onset of the ecumenical movement following Vatican II. But the tone ...

2573. The Call to Obedience

Luke 22:42 · Romans 1:17 · John 15:10

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

In the last chapter we talked about the door of faith which opens upon the whole expanding Christian experience. In this chapter we want to look at the obedience to God in our inner nature and lifestyle that comes from and grows out of the experience of faith. The problem of disobedience began with the dawn of time and has been repeated in every generation. It is known to me in my own acts of rebellion against God. The original sin is probably my own natural bent to put myself at the center of the universe ...

2574. Miracle On Main Street by Dr. George A. Buttrick

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Mann

There’s always mystery on Main Street, and one day the miracle occurred. You look into the mirror. You don’t say, "Who am I?" No, a Voice asks, "Who are you?" You don’t say, "I needn’t be here." No, the Voice says, "It is inevitable that you are here." Try it, and see. You are meant to be here. Then trouble begins. Who meant your life? "My parents," you say. Oh no, parents don’t create life: they only transmit life. We shouldn’t speak about "my children." They are not ours: they are God’s, every one of ...

2575. The Words We Speak

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Chuck Swindoll in his book, "Flying Closer to the Flame," tells about a married couple who attended a seminar taught by a male demagogue. I refer to that type of man who uses scripture improperly to make husbands domestic autocrats and to turn wives into lowly doormats. Well, the husband just loved everything this man said! But his wife sat there fuming. When they left the meeting that night, the husband felt drunk with fresh power as he climbed into the car. While driving home he said rather pompously, " ...

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