Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2701 to 2725 of 4943 results

2701. Unlocking the Power of God

Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2

Sermon

Clayton A. Lord

... who is listed as one of the great heroes of faith, shows us why he is on the list. He did as God commands him without hesitation. He lifts his staff in the air and the incredible happens. Immediately, the Red Sea parts and the exodus continues as the great caravan marches through. As Pharaoh's soldiers approach in hot pursuit, we see the waters roll back and crush them underneath. The enemies are vanquished. The scriptures say, "Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians ... So the people feared ...

2702. The Hard Sell

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... we but look carefully at our passage of holy scripture, the obvious is before us. If we choose to play psychological games and attempt to rationalize our human nature into something of pure beauty, we have missed this lofty Ash Wednesday message. As we know, such a choice is continually before us. It is not a matter of a one-time answer set in cement. If we fail to get it the first time, it is still there. Even if we fail many times, it is in the recesses of our souls. To have once received and implemented ...

2703. Mark 10: 35-45

Mark 10:35-45

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... prepared,” leaves both the identity of those who will be seated and the reason for their place at the messianic banquet table, a mystery. The decision concerning “who” and “where” is declared part of the Father’s divine plan. As the text continues the other ten disciples quickly prove themselves to be as self-centered and uncomprehending as James and John. The clear inference of verse 41 is that the remaining disciples are angry with James and John because they preemptively asked Jesus to secure ...

2704. Shoots of Tomorrow

Jeremiah 33:14-16

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... if he was here before. And I hope I'll be close enough to whisper, 'For the love of heaven, don't answer.' "3 The Messiah is still branching out into human history today. As a branch of Jesse, Jesus enters our lives through our baptism. We continue to grow in him through word and sacrament. Once again, hope is blossoming in Bethlehem. The days are surely coming when Christ will return in glory. We wait in eager anticipation of the kingdom of God. Christ has come. Christ will come again. 1. Shel Silverstein ...

2705. An Invitation to Joy

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... you make it for them to find you?"2 If money can buy happiness, it is a short-lived happiness, one that must be continually replenished with more stuff. God is leading us toward a deeper spirituality where we can find true joy and peace, but isn't it odd ... from her fingertips. Inscribed on the base are these words: "This is our cry, This is our prayer, Peace in the world." People continue to place paper cranes at the base of the statue to recall the tragedy of war and to celebrate humanity's undying hope ...

2706. Walking in the Light

Isaiah 60:1-6

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... the Magi from the palace in Jerusalem, to the place where the young child is. Without God's leading through scripture and star, they could not have found the king whom they sought. If they had not trusted the revelation given to them, they would have continued to inquire in the wrong place. The prophet Isaiah offers encouragement to us today with his prophecy of the coming light. Jesus, the light of the world, appears in the black night of our sin and despair, showing us the way out. Indeed, he was, and ...

2707. The Easter Era

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... faith to uphold that witness, and others, having seen the sincerity of their deaths, were willing to die as well. That tradition continues today. Some believe that more Christians have been martyred the world over in the past century than in all the Christian ... your people come out and hold this service, I want to be in it and I want all my village to have a part in it!' " He continued, "I was too astounded at the time to ask what he meant by that, but on the way back to Garkida I had ample time to talk ...

2708. Jumping through Hoops

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... were raised, and the board realized they had been taught a lesson about how the gospel truly works. I said earlier that the controversy about opening the church was settled only temporarily in this passage. The issue was raised again and again in Acts, and it continues to be raised to this day. The worship hour in America is still the most segregated hour in our society. But there is a real church that is living and growing and breathing. The Spirit is present and the people are alive. Do we intend to ...

2709. Wisdom's Delight

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... greatest benefit of the pursuit of the meaning of life is not the answers we find, but the Creator we meet when we really search for wisdom. To understand this more, it is helpful to look at Colossians 1:15-20, for in fact, the wisdom tradition continues there. James is the only whole book in the New Testament that fits that tradition, but there are a number of sections of other books that echo the wisdom teaching of the Old Testament, and these verses from Colossians are among them. In these verses, the ...

2710. Tales of the Spiritually Stupid

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 18-22

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... that Yahweh had come to the rescue the chosen people, sparing the throne of David. Yet even as they gloried in God's power, they neglected God's covenant and its moral demands. The people continued their pagan worship ceremonies, and their leaders continued their flirtatious courtship with neighboring nations. Kings pledged their allegiance and a hefty tribute to whoever could offer the best protection; citizens offered their sacrifices to whichever god they deemed most expedient to meet their needs ...

2711. New Covenant, New Testament

Jeremiah 31:27-34

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... old covenant that resulted in the destruction of the nation, created a very important question. "How can a holy God maintain a relationship with a sinful people?" The answer is in this new covenant. The new covenant involves both continuity and discontinuity. There will be continuity. Like the old, the new covenant will be rooted in, and rest upon, the divine initiative. In other words, God will act in sovereign grace. Also, it will have as its intent the full realization of a dynamic relationship between ...

2712. The Shepherd King

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... the Davidic covenants. A king must be able to discharge this responsibility in order to gain the stability and continuity of the covenant community. These were no small matters! In his first recorded appearance at the court as God ... and that love will hold the flock together. We cannot say that we love Jesus while hating the world. We cannot say that we respect the king and continue to be a people that hate. Jeremiah knew, and Jesus showed, that a lack of love for any of God's children cuts us off from any ...

2713. Angels and Shepherds: Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My Soul

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... and voice of the heavenly hosts was not for the pleasure of the shepherds, but for the purpose of God - that his coming might be announced. So with us. Let me finish Shelia Cassidy’s witness that I shared a part of a moment ago. Listen to her as she continues: “How can one convey the agony and the ecstasy of being called by God? At one moment one is over awed by the immensity of the honor, the incredible fact of having been chosen, and in the same breath one screams, “No! No! Please not me, I can’t ...

2714. Jesus: What's in a Name?

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... who is coming to the world.” Do you remember the movie, The Day After? The declaration of that movie was ‘Look what the world is coming to.” Its detractors and its champions have had their day in the media. What kind of political statement it was still continues to be debated, and I’m intrigued by that debate. But there was a religious statement that I hope we didn’t miss. The theme music in the beginning and at the end was that of one of our great hymns ‘How Firm a Foundation”. That theme ...

2715. Mark 13:1-8

Mark 13:1-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of Revelation. And yet, the “little” moniker also fits this chapter in another way. Although Mark has gathered together a number of Jesus’ words, warnings, and predictions into this singular long discourse, there runs throughout his dire descriptions a continuing cautionary note. The “little” apocalypse is as much about curtailing and containing eschatological expectations as it is about giving a sneak peek at the future. Jesus is no “shock jock.” His words are directed towards disciples and ...

2716. “Unto Us A Child Is Born... Next, On Omar”

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... king was, but he hadn’t heard anything. He seemed as curious as all of us were. Wise Man 2: More than curious, as we later found out. Wise Man 1: He practically ordered us to find this king, so he could go worship him, too. Wise Man 2: We continued to follow the star, so we could deliver our gifts. Omar: So, what sort of gifts do you give a king? Wise Man 2: We brought him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Wise Man 3: I suggested the myrrh. I like the smell. Jacob: It is different ... more along the lines ...

2717. I Am the Good Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... going through a midlife crisis, or when they’re having some family problems, at least 50% of them are really ravaged with insecurity. If we could appropriate, if we could really know that Christ knows us and calls us by name, we could overcome that. I’m convinced that continuing insecurity in our lives is really a result of a lack of assurance that we are accepted by God. That’s really the root of it. We really are not in touch in the depths of our being with the fact that God accepts us. We know it ...

2718. I Am the Ressurection and the Life

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... today for one of his boldest claims – I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me though he be dead, yet shall he live, and whoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. We need to get that scripture in perspective as we continue our long, longing, loving look at Jesus. So see the scripture in its setting, it’s really a love story. Martha and Mary and Lazarus were some of Jesus’ most beloved friends. When Jesus was in the vicinity of Jerusalem, he always spent time with them in ...

2719. I Am the Alpha and the Omega

Revelation 1:1-3

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... waves that were breaking against the shore. And John fell down at his feet to worship him. Breathless in adoration, John listened as the voice continued, fear not. I am the first and the last, the living one. I was dead, but I am alive forever more, and I have the ... of Jesus Christ who are seeking to live out his will in the world, to be a part of the work of his kingdom and to continue to pray as he taught us to pray – that his will will be done and that his kingdom will come on earth as it is in ...

2720. I Am the Bread of Life

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... . The bread must be broken in order for us to be nourished by it. The bread must be broken in order for us to be nourished by it. And that’s what this sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is all about. The body of Christ continually broken, that the salvation and the continued life of Jesus Christ might come to you and me. That’s a mystery. It’s absurd to apologize for mystery, we simply receive it. Go back to our scripture lesson – the crowd was thinking, if not saying, wait a minute. It was Moses who ...

2721. Putting Ourselves in the Picture

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the house, and getting ready a mid-day meal as Tigor looked on with this burning anger mounting within and raging. Finally he said to the servant, drop everything! Cut it out! I can’t stand the sight of you! You’re dismissed! Fired! The servant however continued working for a moment, then looked Tigor in the eye and with quiet dignity said, my little girl died last night. You see, it doesn’t matter who we are, rich or poor, servant or master, belonging to a family and being in relationship as a caring ...

2722. Putting Ourselves into the Picture

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Jacob had a son, Joseph. And you will remember that Joseph’s jealous brothers sold him into captivity in Egypt. And God continues to move in a mysterious way his wonders to perform, because when famine arose in the land, and Jacob and all of ... of Abraham, the God of Isaac; the God of Jacob; the person with whom God has made the covenant in order that that covenant might continue through Israel. So when Jacob comes to make a sacrifice at Beersheba, this is what happens. God speaks to him, I am God, the God ...

2723. Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)

Luke 1:1-4

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ” is now specifically linked with Mary’s assertion that God is her “Savior,” a connection that had already been hinted at in 1:14 and 1:44. Mary rejoices because the salvation promised by God is about to be fulfilled. As Mary’s canticle continues it reveals two other reasons for her great joy. God’s favor has been bestowed on someone with the “lowliness” of a “servant.” No doubt that Mary’s “lowliness” was very real. She was poor, unmarried, young, female, a person of no status or ...

2724. Startled By Jesus

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... used to that kind of behavior out of Jesus because all through his earthly ministry Jesus was constantly startling everybody around him. He startled them with His teaching, with His miracles, with the way He challenged authority. Jesus continually startled everyone around Him in some way or other, just as He continues to constantly startle us today. I. Jesus Is Startling A. When you really look at the Good News, when you look at the Bible; when you look at Jesus what you find is startling. It's startling ...

2725. Living By The Spirit

Galatians 5:16-25

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... three other people. I'm going to help them, but it has to be something really big, something they can't do for themselves. So I do it for them, and they do it for three people. That's nine people. And nine lives turn into 27." As the movie continues, "Paying It Forward" changes the lives of the rich, the poor, the homeless and a prisoner. That's what Wesley meant when he said: Do Good. III. Stay In Love With God Third: Stay In Love With God. Actually what he said was "attend upon all the ordinances of God ...

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