Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2601 to 2625 of 4914 results

2601. A Joyful New Beginning

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Let us pray: Gracious and everliving Father, on this day which is greater than all the days, we come seeking to understand the eternal message of the gospel and how it may transform our lives. May we in these moments not only come to know that Jesus lives, but may we come to know him as brother and friend. In Christ's holy name we pray, Amen. The philosopher Sidney Hook writes in an article titled "In Defense of Voluntary Euthanasia" about how at one point in his life he was near death. The treatment for ...

2602. Proper 8 & Pentecost 6

2 Kings 4:8-37, Genesis 32:22-32, Psalm 89:1-52, Psalm 17:1-15, Isaiah 2:6-22, Jeremiah 28:1-17, Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Beyond the natural progression of the Pentecost cycle/season, with its eschatological emphasis, there is no clear and definitive clue from the church year. The insertion of these particular readings within the theological framework of the church year does, however, tend to emphasize realized eschatology as much as it does any future eschatology. The latter, of course, is always present, if only in the Eucharist with its "as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the ...

2603. Pentecost 23

Exodus 22:16-31, Leviticus 19:1-37, Ruth 2:1-23, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16, Matthew 22:34-40, Matthew 22:41-46, Psalm 1:1-6

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE In older Lutheran Lectionaries, the readings for the last three Sundays, no matter how many Sundays there were in the Trinity/Pentecost season, all dealt with eschatological themes and the last things; they warned the church of the impending conclusion of Pentecost, as well as the Parousia. That sort of warning - that the end of the year and the end time are approaching - is not sounded in the new lectionaries (with the exception of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod's Lutheran Worship ...

2604. Faithful People in a Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Can you remember where you were and what was going on ten years ago? America was at war in the Persian Gulf. One of the young men in my congregation was an F-16 pilot in the first squadron to strike Baghdad on the opening night of that war. I remember so well the prayers we offered in his home. Millions of people across America were praying desperately for the men and women in harm’s way. Saddam Hussein of Iraq was convinced that he was so powerful that he could snatch up tiny Kuwait and no one would dare ...

2605. Peter’s Net

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Richard F. Bansemer

The sermon is from the fifth chapter of St. Luke, verses 4 and 5: "... (Jesus) said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’ " Unless someone here is extremely wealthy, and very lucky, and easily contented, each of us has wanted something in our lives, but could not have it. Usually we can have whatever we wish, if the wish is reasonable and reachable. But there are ...

2606. A Thinking Person’s Thankful Prayer

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

Dr. Wayne Dehoney, a Baptist pastor in Louisville, Kentucky, tells of a college freshman who attended his first dormitory prayer meeting. Rather unexpectedly he was called upon to pray a sentence prayer. The young man had a slight speech defect which became pronounced when he was under pressure, and thus he prayed: "Lord, make us more thinkful for all our blessings." That young man prayed a better prayer than he realized. Our English word thank stems from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "think," and certainly ...

2607. And Now For Something Completely Different

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

At the end of a week-long retreat in a mountain camp setting a somewhat different kind of worship service was taking place. It was at the end of a day that had been set aside for introspection and talking about feelings of self-worth. There had been some discussion about how to deal with feelings of guilt and the need to feel forgiven, and how it is often easier to forgive someone else than to forgive oneself. Since this was a retreat of church people there was frequent reference to the forgiving nature of ...

2608. Epiphany 7

Isaiah 42:18-25, Mark 2:1-12, 2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Isaiah 43:18-25 Theme: The forgetfulness of God Exegetical Note Speaking out of the context of captivity, Deutero-Isaiah here tells the hope of the future defeat of the Babylonian captors and a return by the Israelites to the Promised Land. The promise here is for a new Exodus for an undeserving people, whose transgressions, sins, and general faithlessness, however, God will choose to forget. Call to Worship Leader: Give thanks and praise, sisters and brothers, for the forgetfulness of God! ...

2609. Why Must We Carry A Cross?

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Brett Blair

You might remember comedian Yakov Smirnoff. When he first came to the United States from Russia he was not prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in American grocery stores. He says, "On my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk you just add water, and you get milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice you just add water, and you get orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to my self, What a country!" Smirnoff is joking but we make these assumptions about Christian ...

2610. Coping with Fear, Worry, and Anxiety

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

If you do not worry, if you have never worried, if you do not plan to worry, do not read this chapter; it will be a waste of time. But if a dark cloud of worry overshadows your life, read this chapter carefully; the shadow can be dispelled. We live in an age of anxiety. The image is the image of fear - not the image of faith. We respond to the old Scotch litany: "From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggety beasties. And things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!" It seems that we expect the ...

2611. Do You Know?

Hosea 11:1-11

Sermon

John W. Wurster

“ ‘It was I who taught Ephraim how to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them’ (11:3). They did not know me. Do you? “‘I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.’ (1:4). But they did not know me. Do you? “I fashioned a world in love, bringing forth order from chaos and light from darkness. I filled the seas and the land and the air with life. As the climax of my ...

2612. The Second Touch for the Out of Touch

1 Kings 19:1-18

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

There’s an old legend that tells how God sent one of his angels to Satan with the message that all the methods the devil uses to defeat Christians would be taken from him. The devil pleaded to be allowed to keep only one. The angel, thinking it an unusual, modest request from the greedy devil, agreed Satan could keep that one. “Which one would you want to keep?” the angel inquired. “Let me keep discouragement,” was Lucifer’s reply. The angel agreed. Satan could keep discouragement. And the devil rejoiced ...

2613. The Promise of a Son

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

A son was a symbol of the strength of the inheritance. A son would carry on the family name and continue the family line. A son represented the promises of a realizable future amid clear and present dangers. A son would be the embodiment of hope and opportunity for future generations. A son would understand the meaning of sacrifice, fortitude, vision, and courage. Abram wanted a son so he could place his mantle upon him. Here was a man whose faith had been tested. He set out as a man of 75 years to leave ...

2614. Remembering Charlie

Job 38:1--41:34

Sermon

David E. Leininger

The story of Job is familiar to all of us - a man whose world was spinning merrily along with everything falling into place suddenly confronted with one misery after another... disaster, death, disease, despair. In some of the most moving poetry ever written, chapter after chapter attempts to deal with the age-old question of why, so often, life is so unfair. People still wrestle with the issue. Did you happen to catch the season finale of "The West Wing" last week?(1) Great show! The scene was the ...

2615. Responding Instead Of Reacting

Jeremiah 28:1-17

Sermon

Dr. B. Bruce Humphrey

Will Rodgers had a reputation that he could make anyone laugh. President Calvin Coolidge had a reputation that he never laughed at anything. Finally, Will Rodgers was invited to the White House. People wondered what would happen. Both men's reputations were at stake. It is said that Will Rodgers came through the reception line and was introduced to the President. "President Coolidge, this is Will Rodgers. Mr. Rodgers, this is President Calvin Coolidge." Will Rodgers leaned forward and said, "I'm sorry, I ...

2616. Internal Medicine

Matthew 6:16-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Mussa Zoabi of Israel claims to be the oldest person alive. He says he's 160 years old. Unfortunately, Guinness Book of World Records isn't going to print his name simply because his age can't be verified. Mr. Zoabi is older than most recordskeeping systems will go. But here's the interesting thing! However old he really is, Mussa Zoabi knows exactly how he managed to live so long. He'll tell the secret to anybody who wants to know. He says: Every day I drink a cup of melted butter or olive oil! Doesn't ...

2617. Dogsleds And Dogged Determination

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

King Duncan

Beverly Masek is a Native American living in Alaska. Beverly was born and raised in Anvik, a very small village in the interior of Alaska with a population of about seventy people. Anvik is one of the sites on the legendary Iditarod. The Iditarod is a dog sled race where one person runs through blizzards, ice and wilderness for 1,029 miles! The racer is all alone with help from no other human being. Just the dog team. The musher, as they are called, has to provide for himself or herself as well as the dogs ...

2618. Full Barns--empty Souls

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Motivational speaker Danny Cox tells an interesting story in his book, Seize the Day. Danny and his wife took a hot air balloon trip early one morning in Africa. As the balloon rose gracefully, they saw a herd of wildebeest running frantically across the vast expanse below. The herd stopped suddenly and began looking around as if they were confused. Danny asked their pilot why the herd had stopped so suddenly and what they were looking for. He told them that the wildebeest, which migrate by the millions ...

2619. Inexpressible Joy

1 Peter 1:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

Bernard Kerik is a former New York City police commissioner. Kerik always kept a low profile in his job. He was not a man who sought publicity. And then came the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Suddenly, Kerik's face was all over the national and international news. He organized and led the highly-praised police response following the attacks. In his autobiography, Bernard Kerik talks about the rocky road that led him into police work. He dropped out of high school, then entered his chosen ...

2620. Boldly Going . . . Nowhere

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

In Operation Desert Storm a few years ago, for camouflage purposes, a division of soldiers had to repaint their Humvees to the color of the surrounding sand. The result was that the Humvees suddenly acquired a distinctly pinkish cast. As you can imagine, this became quite a source of humor for the soldiers. Someone even made a bumper sticker for one of these Humvees. It read, "Ask me about Mary Kay." Human beings are so creative. Particularly when it comes to humor. We can see evidences of that creativity ...

2621. Finding Peace

John 20:19-23

Sermon

King Duncan

Recently, passengers on a flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles were surprised when a passenger got up from his seat and began pacing the aisles, reading his Bible very loudly. The other passengers and the flight crew were unable to get the man to sit down and be quiet, so they subdued the man and duct-taped him to his seat. When the plane landed, Los Angeles police officers took the man into custody. (1) What do you suppose got into this individual? Was he afraid of flying, or had he suffered some severe ...

2622. To Whom Shall We Go?

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

Some of Jesus' followers were beginning to leave him. His teachings were too difficult for them. So he turned to the 12 and asked, "Will you also go away?" Peter's plaintive reply lives forever, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." "Lord, to whom shall we go?" We can scarcely imagine anyone other than Peter saying this. It seems unlikely that this would have been the first response from the critical ...

2623. Grieve Not The Holy Spirit

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

I understand there is an organization in Hollywood, CA called The Holy Ghost Repair Service, Incorporated. And no, they aren't in the business of repairing shoes, watches, or automobiles. On their stationary they state as their purpose "repairing broken lives for Jesus . . . in the power of his Spirit." We may express it a little less colorfully, but that is our church's purpose as well"” "repairing broken lives for Jesus in the power of his Spirit." Some of us know what it is to have broken lives. There ...

2624. On Not Losing Heart

2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Eulogy

Edward Inabinet

What is the most famous monument ever built in honor of love? Some would say it is the incomparable Taj Mahal--a shimmering, white jewel that seems to float over the hot Indian plain. It is a tomb, and it tells one of the greatest love stories of all time. A great shah, when he was only nineteen, fell in love with a highborn beauty and married her. She gave the shah many children. She ruled at his side as an equal. He adored her and brought her diamonds and flowers. In the tenth year of their marriage, ...

2625. Angels in the Wilderness

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

As soon as Jesus was told that He was the Son of God at His baptism, Mark says that “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan.” (1:12-13) A strange and rather inauspicious way to begin one’s ministry! And what about this “Satan” business? Dr. David Read of New York tells of the old Scottish lady who remarked about her minister: “It’s such a comfort to have a preacher who believes in a personal devil.” But I thought that our ...

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