Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 2626 to 2650 of 4976 results

2626. It Is Blessed To Receive

Sermon

William G. Carter

... and a light for their path. It was a gift. When God's children grew worn-down, burned-out, and exhausted, God said, "You can't keep going without a break. There are limits. Take a day to relax and meditate. One day in seven you shall clear the calendar to the ... God who is generous in all seasons, giving us gifts that we do not expect, inclining toward us with a grace we do not deserve. God keeps giving, for it is God's very nature to give. And the final work of God is not merely to fill our lives with good ...

2627. Shouting At A Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

William G. Carter

... him awake as waves splash into the boat. When Jesus finally stirs, he seems annoyed. It is not clear for a minute if he is shouting at the storm ("Peace!") or the disciples ("Be still!"). Who could this be? The scriptures say, "He who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121:3-4). Yet if you discover Jesus snoring in the back of the boat, the very sight pushes faith to its extremity. Perhaps Mark thinks of this story as an object lesson for the sermon that ...

2628. Time Taken, Life Restored

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

William G. Carter

... death on a tree. Like it or not, every human life will run its course. One of the great illusions of our age is that we can live forever through better medicine. So we spend billions of dollars on medical research. We build machines that keep our lungs breathing. We design great drugs to keep our hearts ticking. Like that sick woman, we are willing to spend all that we have to clot up that hemorrhage. But we're not necessarily better for it. All we do is buy a little bit of time. The writer of Mark starts ...

2629. Pass It On

John 1:43-51

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... experience of wonder and light, so that the old, gray, monotonous world has given way to a life of joy, peace, power, and love for others, then surely you should long to pass it on to others. Philip made a great discovery. He found the Messiah. He could not keep this discovery to himself. He ran to find his friend Nathanael and brought him to Jesus. He had to pass it on. Enriching Faith by Sharing It To share one's faith is to enrich one's faith. I enjoy raising flowers. I have learned it is necessary to ...

2630. Discovering The Unexpected

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... of him. They expected a Christ who would be a smashing success, but to them he was not because he died the shameful death of a criminal. He was the unexpected Christ because he did not fit into their scheme or plan of things. They wanted a Christ they could keep for themselves exclusively as part of their nation, but his life was like a river, a current so strong that no bank could contain it. Jesus did not come then where men and women expected him to come. He may not come today where we expect him to come ...

2631. Hate Evil

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... himself. Therefore, those who cannot see in the light of this witness are in the dark. The world is very much in the dark and cannot find solutions to its own great problems. The behaviorists have to keep altering their findings and the human behavior changes. The sociologists have to keep revising their materials as the great social problems not only go unsolved but get larger and larger. The world is living in the dark. And the real tragedy, the evangelist reports, is that the "people loved darkness ...

2632. Advent 3

Matthew 11:1-19

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

... , Comfort, Comfort Now My People God, Whose Almighty Word Advent 3 Lord, as the end of life drew near for John the Baptist, the walls of his prison cell probably began to close in on him. He asked his friends a question. "Is Jesus the one, or do we keep looking?"This question has crossed our minds too. Sometimes walls form around us and we cannot clearly see the truth. Our shortage of knowledge, our limited experience, and our feelings of self-doubt lead us to the same question: Is Jesus the one, or do we ...

2633. Proper 26

Matthew 23:1-39

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

... Prayer for Proper 26, Pentecost 24, and OT 31 Gracious Lord, you know us better than we know ourselves. You know the games we play. We say "yes" when we mean "no" and "no" when we mean "yes." We make promises we cannot possibly keep. We have an inflated sense of our own ability. We like to keep score, especially if we can modify the rules along the way. It is important to be ahead, and sometimes we will do anything to win. You know how easy it is for us to become caught up in our games. To win at these ...

2634. Ash Wednesday

Matthew 6:19-24, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:1-4

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... Father in heaven." Congregation: Almighty Father in heaven, reform our hearts, redirect our wills. Set us on a course of true piety that will be seen and accepted in the secret depths of your heart. Amen. Commissioning and Blessing Give alms, pray and fast, but keep your piety always directed to your Father in heaven;mand your Father in heaven will give you your reward. Amen. Hymns and Choruses (The asterisk [*] indicates hymns or choruses that are addressed to God and can be used as prayers.) "A Charge to ...

2635. Jacob And The Night Wrestler

Genesis 32:22-32

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... no guts. You are scared to face anything. You could have grabbed Rachel when she came running out with Laban's gods and taken her and them back to him, but no, you had to run. Jacob: This guy was in my face. He wouldn't stop. God: You keep asking God to keep His promises and you haven't kept yours. What a mess you are! Jacob: I turned my back and started to walk away. One of the stones he threw hit me hard just above the hip. I went down in agony, pain leaping through my right leg from ...

2636. Moses's New Job

Exodus 4:18-31

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... daughter was swimming, and how she had my sister offer my mother's services as wetnurse and maid for me when Pharaoh's daughter decided to keep me. You know how I grew up, trained in our religion, language, and culture by my mother and trained also in Egyptian life and ways by ... force. He has put women to work. He has cut water and food rations. He's become paranoid about the Hebrews. If he keeps up the harassing and the assassinations, there won't be a nation for God to give as a blessing to the world. We ...

2637. What Really Happened Christmas Day

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... if there wasn't a story or something, so the following was my offering that Sunday. Luke 2:8-20 "It's almost dawn and they still aren't back," Matthal mumbled to himself. The sheep were beginning to stir and he'd have his hands full trying to keep them together if the shepherds didn't get back pretty soon. A lamb bleated on the far side of the flock. Matthal strained to see what had startled it. "The wolves are usually bedded down by now," he thought to himself. Then he realized that the road to Bethlehem ...

2638. Mending

Ephesians 4:1-16

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... of the material to facilitate my forthcoming demonstration. "What do you suppose will happen if I pull too hard on the ends of this piece of cloth?" I ask.Several children respond at once: "It'll rip!" "You'll tear it!" "That's right," I agree, "and if I keep on pulling, it will come completely apart, won't it?" As I speak, I tear the cloth in two; it makes a very satisfying sound over the hand-held microphone. "So, now we have two smaller pieces of material," I continue. "How might I put them back together ...

2639. Attitudes

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... different shapes and sizes and can be found with subjects from sports to angels, cartoons to quotations," I tell the children. "We seem to be very conscious of time in our lives, don't we? Just look at all these things we have to help us keep track of time. It's almost as if by keeping track of it we have a sense that we can somehow control time. But we really can't. Time is not in our hands; it's in God's. "We are not in control of our time. We are not in control of our lives ...

2640. Getting Ready

Luke 3:4-5

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... clean," comes their response. "That's right," I affirm. "I was sweeping away some of the straw that has fallen out of the manger, so you wouldn't have to sit on it. I was preparing the steps for your coming." Then, changing my line of thought in order to keep their attention, I ask, "Have any of you ever cleaned a carpet?" I am surprised at the number of hands which go up, indicating which children have done so. "Wow! What a bunch of helpers you must be at home!" I tell them. Then I ask, "Well, when you ...

2641. No Strings Attached

John 3:16

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... ask one of them to hold "Cecil," to whom I have attached a "leash" of rubber bands. As I hand the cat to Marie, I keep my fist closed around the end of the "leash." Before Marie has an opportunity to notice the rubber bands, I give them a tug. ... would not be completely happy about what I was doing, and whatever I gave with that attitude would still be tied to me. My unhappiness would keep me from letting go of the gift. "I might also give something to another person out of a sense of pride. For example, if I ...

2642. The Wish

Hebrews 11:1

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... a deep desire to play the piano, I'd have to work hard at it -- I'd have to do my part. But God would help me have the patience to practice. "Other times, there may be nothing we can do to help the dream come true other than to keep alive the hope that it will. And that is the gift of faith, something the Bible calls 'the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen' (Hebrews 11:1). "Sometimes the hopes and dreams and wishes we have may seem impossible. And without God's help, they ...

2643. Idols

Psalm 115:1-18

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... have ears. Can you hear?" "YES!" they answer with greater volume. "And you have noses. Can you smell?" "YES!" This time their answer is mixed with numerous giggles. "And it's obvious that you not only have mouths, but you can talk -- because you keep answering my questions. So, what is the difference between you and this wooden cow?" "We're alive!" Patrick responds with assurance. "Oh! So you are," I agree, "and this wooden cow is not. Do you think God made this cow?" "No," several children answer. "Well ...

2644. The Poor In Spirit

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

John A. Terry

... are poor in spirit is a blessing. Billy Graham's biographer notes the quality of a "continuing sense of inadequacy" and dependence on God as a key to Graham's success. Billy once said, "The Lord had always arranged my life so that I have had to keep dependent on Him. Over and over again I went to my knees and asked the Spirit of Wisdom for guidance and direction. There were times I was tempted to flee from problems and pressures and my inability to cope with them; but somehow, even in moments of confusion ...

2645. The Righteous

Psalm 107:1-43

Sermon

John A. Terry

... to be satisfied, for things to be put right with the world, so that no child ever goes to bed hungry at night. At one point, Jesus criticized people for saying "Peace, peace" when there is no peace. Feeling content because we are well fed can keep us from feeling the unquenchable hunger and thirst of a needy world. We cannot be content with anything less than the peace and righteousness of God's kingdom. Blessed are the dissatisfied. Blessed are those who possess a divine discontent. Blessed are those who ...

2646. We Come to Jesus for Rest

Mark 6:30-44

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... of "coming away to rest" that is suggested in the second greeting printed above. Carry this theme through the entire worship service. Keep the music soft and restful. Do not have the worshipers stand as much as usual. Have the worship leaders speak in relaxed ... carry more of the service, and reduce the number of responses from the worshipers. Provide more special music than usual, but keep it soft and restful too. Every congregation needs to rest once in awhile. And if some people fall asleep, then you ...

2647. AUGUST 14-20

John 6:25-59

Sermon Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... the World, in Mercy Broken Break Thou the Bread of Life Come, Let Us Eat Come, Sinners, to the Gospel Feast Fill My Cup, Lord For the Bread Which You Have Broken Here, O My Lord, I See Thee I Am the Bread of Life Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence Let Us Break Bread Together Now the Silence O Food to Pilgrims Given O the Depth of Love Divine" READING THE SCRIPTURE Have the congregation read the lesson responsively as printed below. Lft: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Rgt: Whoever eats of ...

2648. Taking Christ's Side

Mark 9:38-41

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... then they will not lose their reward.In the name of our Creator, Savior and Guide, may you live in peace with one another. Amen. Hymns and Choruses (The asterisk [*] indicates hymns or choruses that are addressed to God and can be used as prayers.) * "A Charge to Keep I Have" * "Bind Us Together" * "Dear Lord, Lead Me Day by Day" "He Is Our Peace" * "I Want a Principle Within" "In Christ There Is No East or West" * "Lead Us, O Father, in the Paths of Peace" * "Lord, I Want to Be a Christian" * "Make Us One ...

2649. What Must We Do?

Mark 10:17-31

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... , the true fountain of youth. Strengthen our resolve, steel our nerve, to trust Jesus' every word, to follow his every direction, to throw ourselves upon the mercy of his grace. We want to live forever, eternal God. We do not want to die. Let nothing in this world keep us from the treasure that Christ is preparing for us in heaven. Amen. Prayer of Confession and Assurance of Pardon Good and loving God, we know the grief of the rich man. We too have many possessions. For us to sell what we own and give it to ...

2650. Loving God with Our Whole Being

Mark 12:28-34

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... as suggested under "Responses to the Word" above, then pass out strings of 1960s-style love-beads to the worshipers. The worshipers could keep the beads as a reminder of the commandment that is "first of all." Put the word out ahead of time, and invite ... means with the second greatest commandment. After the service the prints could be hung in other parts of the church building to keep Jesus' command in the minds and hearts of the congregation. Anthems and Special Music The Great Commandment The Word of God ...

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