Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 251 to 275 of 2157 results

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Robert Allen

... , "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." I don't believe those translations which use the word "authority" really capture the true meaning of Jesus. In this particular passage, I believe that the King James version is more accurate when it translates that verse. The King James version says: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Now, I realize that you did not come to church today hoping I would conjugate Greek words for you. I simply want to say that the word "authority ...

252. Winning Isn't the Only Thing ... It's Irrelevant

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Carl Jech

... The Christ is not a glorious maker of arrogant claims, but a humble channel of the free grace of God. We do not go to the ends of the earth to tell the story of Jesus as the Messiah because we believe everyone who doesn't accept our version of Christianity is lost, but because we believe simply that the message of God's love and grace is worth telling! Our motivation is basically positive rather than negative - not to save the lost, but to tell Good News. Stories about a messenger whose name means "God will ...

253. Love Is Down to Earth

John 12:1-11

Sermon

Carl Jech

... references to the poor, particularly in the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the poor" (as Luke has it) or "the poor in spirit" (as in Matthew), "for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven." While it is likely that Luke's version refers to the down-to-earth poverty of the poor, it is possible that, like Matthew's version, it also refers to the blessedness of those whose piety is simple. As noted in the Ash Wednesday sermon, the New Testament celebrates "the piety that isn't." True piety is a simple piety that will spend ...

254. Jesus, Mary, Gustav Mahler, Brother Martin, and the Magi

Luke 20:9-19

Sermon

Carl Jech

... of what the Christian community stands for? If people are to be "tripped up" by the church, let us be sure that they stumble over Christ - over the "foolishness" of God's vulnerable and unconditional love - and not over some parochial, culturally-limited version of Christianity. The religious leaders in our text tripped over Jesus, not realizing that he was the cornerstone of something new that God was making with their tradition. Perhaps a modern parallel is to be found in an open letter written to Pope ...

255. Some Women's Stories

John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Carl Jech

... and diversity of many sheepfolds, many mansions. The point of this story is that Jesus is critical only of those who self-righteously condemn others. He says, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her." (A more contemporary version of this saying would be: "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.") The smug self-righteousness of those who were about to stone this woman to death does become an issue of sexism, if we assume that it was men who were so eager ...

256. Giving Away the Store

Luke 22:7-38, John 13:1-17

Sermon

Carl Jech

... a better place. To further dispel doubts and objections about whether this giving-away-the-store version of Christianity is a cheapening and weakening of the faith, an inauthentic revision of Christianity, let us turn once more to Luke's account of the Last ... Supper. In the Revised Standard Version of the New Testament the footnotes to this story tell us that many of the oldest manuscripts do not say anything ...

257. Colorizing Jesus

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Carl Jech

... little more than fairy tales. But when the editors of John's Gospel tell us that they have chosen to write about certain things in order to make us believe that Jesus is the Christ, we must face the fact that they are literally creating their own version of Jesus. They are doing the same thing that we have been doing when we have asked what it means to believe in Jesus - they are interpreting what his life means for us. The New Testament presents us with a particular reinterpretation of the Messiah-concept ...

258. A Word About the Right Time

Haggai 2:1-9

Sermon

... every year of your life, delay marriage; and once married, delay children, and then at the right moment ... Why build a church when your own home leaves much to be desired? Delay makes sense. We have our own version of delay. It is persuasive, reasonable, thoughtful, and religious. Our version is, "You have to love yourself well enough before you can hope to love others." What sounds persuasive, reasonable, thoughtful and religious is in fact self-centered. The Biblical way is that it is in loving others ...

259. God Is No Respecter Of Persons

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

... is so unnerving. St. Peter's statement to the Roman, Cornelius, we quoted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible - "Truly, I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to ... him." The King James Version puts that first line more graphically - "Truly I perceive that God is no respecter of persons." Imagine that! What we seek above all ...

260. Palm · Passion Sunday

Isaiah 50:1-11, Psalm 31:1-24, Matthew 27:11-26, Matthew 27:32-44, Matthew 27:45-56, Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon Aid

... he survives snow and a cold winter night and lives to tell the whole story on his return to the story teller, Kipling. Could this be Kipling's explanation for the death and resurrection of Christ? At any rate, he had to use two persons to tell his version of the story, if that's what he was up to. The clue for the preacher who faces the task of preaching on the Sunday of the Passion is simply this: the whole story has to be told as succinctly and interestingly as possible. That's the homiletical priority ...

261. Sticks and Stones

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Sermon

... of Gath standing well over seven feet tall. Probably a descendant of the native Anakite people of Hebron. Able to sympathize with Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s remark in his new autobiography that no one loves a Goliath. Like a dragon in a fairy tale, eager to demolish the latest version of St. George. Hear him as he bursts out in a rumbly bass, "Fe fi fo fum! I smell the blood of Jesse’s son: Be he alive or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread." Goliath taunted David. Told him his young flesh ...

262. Good Morning, Jerusalem!

Drama

... took the cup of blessing, and when he had given the traditional blessing, he gave it to us, saying, "Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:26-28, Revised Standard Version.) I think Yeshua was saying that he is the New Passover, that in light of our faith in him God passes over our sins and leads us through death into a new life. As I hear these reports of our rabbi’s missing body, and of his appearances to some ...

263. The Secret Story of Gabriel

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

... angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth.... (Luke 1:26) From our text in Luke you have heard the Bible’s account of how God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary. But this is not the only version of the story. There is another, unofficial, version which came to light recently when an ancient manuscript was discovered in Bethlehem. For those of us who like to stay on the cutting edge of biblical research, this new discovery is exciting and has changed forever the way we know the story ...

264. All Saints' Day

Matthew 5:1-12

Bulletin Aid

... of the Beatitudes is a bit more interpretive of Jesus' actual teachings than Luke's version. For this particular Sunday, the sayings are best taken as revealing the features of true saints: they are poor in spirit, gentle, "hungry" for justice, merciful, pure-hearted, peace-making, reviled and persecuted, and (probably because of these last two) sorrowful. But, as the second clause of each beatitude shows, ...

265. Advent 1

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon Aid

... you avoid getting ready. Apply that to Jesus' invitation always to be ready for whatever happens. Scripture Readings Suggestion: Keep the reading alive. This means that we read it several times before we enter the pulpit. We read it in several versions rather than the same version every Sunday. We may also want the congregation to act it out, or to repeat it after us, or to stand, especially when we read the New Testament. Proclamation of the Good News Consider this: Continue the theme of readiness, and ...

266. Lent 3

John 4:1-26

Sermon Aid

... "Christ, of All My Hopes, the Ground" "O Come and Sing Unto the Lord" "Open My Eyes, that I May See" (Use first stanza as a response to the confession of sin, and the entire hymn to conclude worship.) III. Other Music Possibilities Music for Preparation: Musical version of Psalm 95 Choral Introit: "O Lamb of God" Weiss Response to the Confession: "Open My Eyes, that I May See" Response to the Proclamation: "What's That I Hear" Offertory: "I Only Have Eyes For You" (Introduce it by applying it to God and us ...

267. Pentecost

John 20:19-23

Sermon Aid

... They Gathered" "Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove" "The Lord of the Dance" III. Other Music Possibilities Music for Preparation: "Adagio for Strings" Singing of the Old Testament Reading: Musical Version of Psalm 104 Singing of the New Testament Reading: "Upon Your Great Church Universal" (Make certain that the people know this as a musical version of Acts 2:1-4.) Response to the Proclamation: Adult Choir "It is a Great Day of Joy" from "Jesus: The Life of Jesus in Twelve Contemporary Songs" Response ...

268. Proper 6

Matthew 9:35-38

Sermon Aid

... author unknown, revised) Continue the assurance of pardon with these words: "The grace of God is the power of God in people; it represents an accession of resources which we do not have of ourselves." (author unknown) Then, you may want to sing the West Indies version of the Lord's Prayer, arranged by Paul Abels. Have the choir sing the words of the prayer and the congregation sing the response, "Hallowed Be Thy Name." Before singing, invite the people to respond only to that part of the prayer they plan to ...

269. Proper 18

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon Aid

... for love only make manifest their lovelessness; and the loveless never find love. Only the loving find love, and they never have to seek for it." (Silent Meditation.) For the act of receiving new life, use a musical version of 1 Corinthians 13. The Ecumenical Institute of Chicago developed a version around the tune "Five Hundred Miles." If you have it, ask the choir to sing the stan-zas and the congregation to sing the chorus. "Faith and hope and love abide; Love is greatest of the three. Faith and ...

270. Proper 27

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon Aid

... or to use our time well. Ask for ways to use our time well. Or, build the message around the parable of the talents. Tell the story in a modern form. Or, maybe you would want us to use Clarence Jordan's translation from the Cotton Patch Version, with the necessary revisions for the ages of your children. Proclamation of the Word Consider these ideas: Foolish and Fool-Proof Behavior "Be prepared," insist the Boy Scouts. You may want to include these ideas: Can a person trained in courage give it on demand to ...

271. Steadfast and Faithful

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

... of it. The story of the Flood is less important for its scientific details (or lack thereof) than for its religious message. When we see how the biblical writers cast the story, its significance becomes clear. 1. The biblical version of the Flood, unlike other versions, affirms the goodness of God’s creation, the theme on which Genesis opens. When natural catastrophies occur, they often raise doubts about God’s Covenant with creation, a Covenant otherwise taken for granted. But the Bible affirms that ...

272. Loyalty: Imperative Ingredient

Ruth 1:1-22

Sermon

... separate. However, they were well aware, as persons related to each other, that religious and political ideas were bound to intermingle. Ben Franklin could write and pray his own version of "The Lord’s Prayer" but this did not mean he would recommend it as an official prayer for the new nation. Thomas Jefferson came up with his own version of the New Testament, entitled The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. However, there is no record of him even remotely suggesting it should become official for The ...

273. "Gone Fishing!"

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... re the expert. Notice that Simon refers to Jesus as "Master." That was a term denoting someone in authority. But what does a carpenter turned preacher know about fishing? Verse 5 includes a great word of faith. In the King James Version the word is "nevertheless." In the New International Version, which I am reading, it is rendered, "But because you say so, I will let down the nets." That’s a victory of obedience over preference. Simon Peter was really saying, "Master, I don’t believe there’s a fish ...

274. A Thinking Person’s Thankful Prayer

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... well. The first thing he says in his prayer is that he hopes the Philippian Christians will grow in love. "My prayer for you is that you will have still more love - a love that is full of knowledge and wise insight" (Philippians 1:9). The King James Version says it even more vividly: "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment." When we consider the charter members of that little church at Philippi, it’s easy to understand why Paul would first pray that ...

275. While We Watch for the Coming

Matthew 24:1-35

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... didn’t get to the big city of Jerusalem very often, and this time when they did, they expressed their awe and wonder at the temple area - that majestic white marble with gold that shone in the sun. We read Jesus’ answer in verse 2 - the Today’s English Version puts it: "... You may well look at all these. I tell you this; not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one of them will be thrown down" (Matthew 24:2). Jesus says the Holy City will fall. I suppose that was shocking news to ...

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