Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2651 to 2675 of 5000 results

2651. Tempted By Good

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

Have you ever noticed that almost every mountaintop experience in life is followed by a valley experience? You graduate from school with the great expectation of making your mark in the world, but you find out that the world doesn't exactly welcome you with open arms. You get married with the full expectation that your new spouse will relieve your loneliness and solve your problems, but you find out you are still you. Life's high moments are often followed by low times -- depression and bewilderment. If we ...

2652. A Spear, A Nail, A Cross

Psalm 22:1-31

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

(Each member of the congregation is handed two toothpicks as he or she enters the sanctuary.) It seemed like the beginning rather than the end. At least it seemed like the beginning as it is recorded in Genesis 1:2 -- The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep .... The world of so many people seemed formless and empty that Friday so long ago. And darkness seemed to have covered the face of the land with its black mask. It was a moral darkness as well as a physical ...

2653. When It Is Dark Enough

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

On clear summer nights my wife and I often stretch out on the deck of our Maine cabin scanning the skies for satellites. While it might be dark at ground level, neither satellites nor stars appear until the sky is black. The ancient Persians put it this way: "When it is dark enough you can see the stars." At the graveside of his brother, the agnostic Robert Ingersoll, said, "In the darkest night hope sees a star and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing." Today is the first Sunday in Advent. The ...

2654. Why Be Good?

Luke 6:37-42

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

There are a few things religion -- almost any religion -- can be counted on to affirm. There are standards of conduct and piety, differences between right and wrong, obligations and responsibilities which are so clearly stated nothing is left to chance. Religion will always find a way to define what the deity requires, and to cite the rewards and the punishments for right or wrong conduct. The penalties for violating religious commands vary, from a slap on the wrist to eternal damnation. The rewards also ...

2655. On Golf, Swimming, Gardening and Lent?

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Glenn E. Ludwig

As the days lengthen (remember the meaning of Lent?) and get warmer, I begin to think about that game some of us play that keeps us humble -- golf. It is a game I find frustrating, challenging and fun all at the same time. This last fall, I was playing a round with someone who is quite good at the game. I am always open to tips and pointers and we were having a very good time, until we ended up behind a foursome that was playing in front of us. They had one golfer who was not very good. He would hit three ...

2656. The Hands And Arms Of Grace

Luke 15:1-7, Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Glenn E. Ludwig

There is a wonderful story out of the Middle Ages that goes something like this. It seems people were putting pressure on the Pope, saying to him, "Your Holiness, this is the capital of Christendom. There ought to be only Christians in Rome. Let's get rid of the Jews." The Pope however, replied, "I don't know. Before I do anything, I will have a theological discussion with the chief rabbi of Rome. If the rabbi says the right things, the Jews will be allowed to stay. If he says the wrong things, they will ...

2657. A Parade That Gets Ugly

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Glenn E. Ludwig

The city was in the mood for a celebration. Streets jammed with people from all corners of the world. The Holy City was a frenzy of activity; voices pitched a little higher than normal; children scampering about with greater abandon; people talking and greeting and gathering. The crowd had formed, larger than a normal Passover crowd; large enough to worry the Roman soldiers; large enough to worry good old Pilate. Listen to the crowd: "Can you see him?" "Look, here he comes!" "Hail, Son of David!" "Finally ...

2658. Getting and Giving

John 13:31-38

Sermon

Glenn E. Ludwig

Solomon Grundy, Born on Monday, Christened on Tuesday, Married on Wednesday, Took ill on Thursday, Worse on Friday, Died on Saturday, Buried on Sunday. This is the end of Solomon Grundy. It is an old nursery rhyme that some of you may recall. Now, I'm not suggesting that we use it to replace the gospel text for today, but I did begin with it because it picks up one of the central themes of our text: the shortness of life on this earth. Jesus said to his disciples: "I am with you only a little longer." In ...

2659. Easter Joy

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

A remarkable feature of Dwight D. Eisenhower's memoirs is the composure with which he greeted crises. He titled his autobiography At Ease, an appropriate description for not only his retirement, but the manner in which he appeared to be on top of life. Colleagues, of course, could recall how excited he could get in revealing his impatience with mediocrity and the failures of the people in his command. However, what was impressive was the way he took control in the European theater in World War II with no ...

2660. Making Our Feelings Known

Job 23:1--24:25

Sermon

John A. Stroman

In our text Job makes his lament to God loud and clear, "Today also my complaint is bitter." The word bitter seems to carry the feeling of defiance in the wake of grievance and complaint. Job earlier has spoken of the bitterness of his soul:Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. (7:11)I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint. (10:1) Here Job is correlating his own bitter defiance with the unrelenting ...

2661. Expanding The Boundaries

Ruth 3:1-18

Sermon

John A. Stroman

The Book of Ruth is a family story. It is an old story, possibly over three thousand years old. It is a story about a family in trouble. Let me briefly summarize the story. Elimelech flees with his wife and two sons from the famine in Israel and heads for Moab because they heard that things were better there. In desperation they move to Moab, an out-of-the-way sort of place. You would have to be desperate, really hungry to move your family to Moab. Soon after their arrival Naomi's husband dies and she is ...

2662. How to Affair-Proof Your Marriage!

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Country singer Gene Watson croons: Slip into something soft, And then come slip into my arms again. Strip away your conscience and Take off your wedding band. Cheating has become America's national pastime. Statistically, 65 percent of men have affairs by age forty. For women, it's 35 percent. Talking with a pastor who had demitted the ministry due to sexual misconduct, he confided, "I never thought it could happen to me. But it did. For fifteen minutes of rolling in the sheets I sacrificed everything ...

2663. You Can Create A Godly Heritage!

1 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Former Colorado Governor Richard Lamm said: "Future historians will see best the multiple factors that led to the decline of America. But I suggest one of the major factors will be the failure to replace ourselves with enough stable children born to families with the ability to raise successful children." What Governor Lamm is talking about is heritage and our failure to receive it, embrace it, enrich it, and transmit it. Thousands of years ago the prophet Jeremiah observed that his own people had loosened ...

2664. All Mine To Give!

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Do you ever get tired of giving? Have you ever seriously considered dropping out of the ranks of tithers? I have. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by those computer generated appeal letters that come into my office, three or four a day, from ministries in urgent need. Then a man raising his support calls and wants to drop by for an hour to solicit financial backing. After him follows a brother in dire straits who wants an extra 500 dollars for unexpected ministry expenses. Driving across town one sees a ...

2665. Mirror, Mirror ON The Wall . . .!

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Do you remember the fairy tale "Snow White"? Recall how the wicked witch peered into her magic looking glass and said, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"\n The mirror's answer was quite disappointing. "It's certainly not you, Ugly!"\n Does your mirror ever do that to you? Sad to say, but thousands of people's mirrors disappoint them each day.\n Have you ever known someone to look at a photograph of himself in his high school yearbook and say, "Golly, I take an awful picture. ...

2666. Take Up Your Ministry

Mark 9:38-41

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Several years ago at my previous congregation I remember a discussion I had with the church council. It was very revealing of the kind of distorted vision of ministry that is very much afoot in the church these days. I had a sudden change in my vacation plans and was going to have to be out of town for a Sunday that I had not planned on. I was having great difficulty finding another pastor to fill the pulpit. It was the summer. Many pastors are already on vacation and those who are available for pulpit ...

2667. Breaking The Tabboo

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

"Taboo." It's a strange, mysterious, ancient-sounding word that we don't use much any more in our modern, scientifically enlightened world. A taboo is something that is forbidden. A taboo is a prohibition. It is usually associated with something sacred and mysterious. Something that is taboo is set aside, never to be touched and desecrated by human hands. We are usually afraid of the taboo. We are in awe of its power. Taboos control us. In the ancient world certain places or things may have been considered ...

2668. When The Fat Lady Sings

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

That great twentieth century prophet of Yankee Stadium, Yogi Berra, said it well when describing the uncertainty of any athletic contest: "It ain't over 'til it's over." Until that last fly ball is caught or strike is called or ground ball is thrown to first base and the last out is made, the game is not over. Anything can happen. And more often than not it has. Everyone has a story about dramatic comebacks in the bottom half of the ninth inning. I suppose that is why Red Auerbach, the former great coach ...

2669. Miracle Three: Healing A Leper

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

BACKGROUND MATERIAL There is considerable variety to the miracles performed by Christ. One was performed in a synagogue (curing the demoniac), another in a home (healing Peter's mother-in-law), and this one he performed on a public thoroughfare. While Jesus and his disciples were walking, a man afflicted with the terrible disease of leprosy approached them. Fear of leprosy was so great that strict laws had been passed concerning the actions of one so afflicted. The law demanded that lepers should isolate ...

2670. Will The Real Messiah Please Stand Up?

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

William L. Self

In the early days of television a popular game show, To Tell the Truth, held the attention of the American audience. A panel of interesting and colorful experts was in place, along with an engaging host. They were presented with three contestants, each claiming to be a famous person or a person who had accomplished an unusual feat. The identity of the real person was known only to the host. After a period of questioning by the panel when the panel and everyone else had been given a chance to vote for their ...

2671. The Agenda Factor

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

William L. Self

Architecture and power are Siamese twins joined at the hip. Rulers have always wanted to translate their power into brick and mortar -- from the tower of Babel and Egypt's pharaohs to Chairman Mao, Joseph Stalin, and Adolf Hitler. I. M. Pei, in his contract given by FranÁois Mitterand to renovate the Louvre, was commissioned to re-establish the glory of France. Serious resources have been committed by rulers to display their strength and grandeur with architecture. David had finally consolidated his ...

2672. The Giver Becomes The Receiver

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Harold Warlick

The text for today lifts before us Yahweh's choice of the family of David as the vehicle for God's divine gift to humankind. Yet the message marked a transition in David's status. According to the passage, David wanted to build Yahweh a "house." He proposed to do what all self-serving rulers in that ancient world would have done. Much of Israel's worship life was well established at that point. The tent which housed the Ark of the Covenant was a recognized institution. A conviction began to emerge that God ...

2673. A Bad Temperament Can Kill You

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Harold Warlick

Imagine, if you will, two children walking down a hallway at school. Neither one of them is paying close attention to what he is doing. Consequently, they bump into each other. One child pushes the other down and makes a fist. "He bumped me. He bumped me," the child screams. He is ready to fight. The other child is headed toward class, realizes there is a class to attend and that the hallway is plenty big enough for both of them to pass. So he wants to go around and continue on his way. The first child is ...

2674. A New Name

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

What names did people call you as you were growing up? What nicknames did your parents or grandparents saddle you with? I hope most of the names were endearing. But were others nasty or hurtful? Were you given a nickname because of how you looked or how you talked? Because of where you lived or what you wore? Did anyone ever give you a name because they felt they knew what your future would hold? If so, did that spur you on in your destiny or did it hold you back and discourage you? Did they nickname you ...

2675. Held In His Arms

Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son, shared a passion for collecting art. Together they traveled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and many others adorned the walls of the family estate. The widowed elderly man looked on with satisfaction as his only child became an experienced art collector. The son's trained eye and sharp business mind caused his father to beam with pride as they ...

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