Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2726 to 2750 of 4972 results

2726. The Ultimate Mountaintop Experience

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... t the voice of the pastor he was listening to. It was the voice of Christ telling him to serve a group of young men in prison. And evidently he received more of a blessing from this ministry than any of the young prisoners. “Oh,” he said, “I would never leave this church.” When we hear Christ calling us and are obedient to his voice we discover a meaning and purpose for our lives we will never find any other way. (3) But, you may ask, what if I think I hear God’s voice, but I’m mistaken? What if ...

2727. Extreme Humility

John 13:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... in a car to get here. The setting for the Last Supper was first century Palestine. People walked to get where they were going. They walked muddy streets which not only were strewn with garbage but which they also shared with animals who did not mind leaving their waste in the streets. The people didn’t wear socks, but open-toed sandals. Their feet would be sweaty, grimy and the smell from their just coming in from the streets would be intolerable. Even worse, they were having a meal. And they didn’t ...

2728. Where It Ends

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

John Jamison

... the water and wiped with the towel. I can see Peter almost visibly shaking as Jesus massaged that perfume oil on his feet. In my imagination, as he finished, Jesus gave Peter’s feet a little pat, just to say, “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” After leaving to change again, and then returning to the room and his place as the host of the seder meal, Jesus asked if they knew just what it was that he had just done. Apparently, no one did, or at least couldn’t imagine saying it out loud. So Jesus ...

2729. Out of Control (Good Friday sermon)

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

John Jamison

... quiet and personal prayer is taken, while one section of lights and candles is quietly extinguished. As the final section of the story is completed, the last of the lights are extinguished, leaving the entire sanctuary in darkness, with the exception of one remaining “Candle of Hope” on the altar table. Everyone leaves the sanctuary in silence. There is no music, no scripted liturgy or common prayers, just the story. The experience is a simple recreation of the increasing darkness that was the day.] ONE ...

2730. Tangled Up in the Vines

John 15:1-8

Sermon

John Jamison

... He removes every branch...” and “Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away...” and “such branches are gathered...” (vv. 2, 6). Jesus is saying that while there may be some pruning of wild grapes done at some point, it is not our job. We are to leave that to the hand of the owner of the vineyard, the vine grower, the only one who has the ability to measure the value of any vine. The other definition of the word abide is “to remain, to continue in relationship with, to dwell.” It means more ...

2731. From Fear to Overflowing Joy

John 20:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... from them in flesh and in spirit. There they were--sheep without a shepherd--children whose parents had abandoned them and left them to face the cold cruel world on their own. Psychologists tell us that this is one of the greatest fears of childhood. Parents leaving children in the church nursery for the first time have to give the children a lot of reassurance. Deep in the hearts of many children is the fear that their parents are never coming back. That fear continues with us over a lifetime. This is one ...

2732. Have You Been Pruned?

John 15:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... Just standing under a Manchineel Tree can be a horrifying experience, especially if it’s raining. Many seek shelter under the shady eaves of this tree, only to be drenched in drops of acidic sap dripping from the leaves. When it rains, drops that have made contact with the tree fall on the unsuspecting shade-lover. The result is severe rashes and blistering of the skin. (2) Christopher Columbus encountered this tree and called it the Tree of Death. You don’t want to have anything to do with ...

2733. A Time of Transition

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... stand here looking into the sky?” Why, indeed! But now it was time to say, “Good-bye.” Our parting word, “Good-bye,” is actually a shortened form of an old blessing, “God be with you.” (2) And this was exactly the blessing that Jesus was leaving with his followers, those many centuries ago and even today. God is with us. God is in us. “They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why ...

2734. Family Ties and Good-byes

Mark 3:31-35

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... in the territory of Galilee, in the town of Nazareth. Except for the one incident when Jesus was twelve and went to Jerusalem with his family for Passover, we know nothing about him until he was thirty years old and announced that he was called by God to leave home and declare the good news of God. In addition, Jesus declared kingdom of God people, who did God's will, to be his new family. Conflict was not new to Jesus. Since sons usually followed the vocation of their fathers, it is likely that Jesus was a ...

2735. Without Conflict There Is No Story

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... on missions for him. In Mark 6:6b-13 we hear that Jesus' disciples dealt with conflicts galore as they went out on missions for the Lord. Jesus told them of the conflict before they went out. He said, "If any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them" (Mark 6:11). In Luke's gospel there are more details in the account of the sending of the disciples on mission. If it is the same mission commission, and not a separate one,2 ...

2736. Chaos and Solitude

Mark 6:30-44, 53-56

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... that the illusions they had been living with had to do with trying to change other people instead of changing themselves with the help of God. Of course, not everyone got it. Joe Johnson said, "This is a waste of time. This solitude stuff is for the birds. I'm leaving." And he did. It's not clear at this time if Joe ever got it, but the point of that retreat on solitude was to make a deposit in each participant's account, a deposit that God could use to help people improve the rhythm of their lives. In the ...

2737. What's in Your Wheelhouse...That You Can Offer Jesus?

John 6:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... wanted to come and take Jesus by force and make him king. Jesus didn’t want to be a mere earthly king, however. He wanted to be king of their hearts. He wanted to find other young men and young women and aging men and aging women with 5 barley leaves and 2 small fish to offer and help them see miracles in their lives as well. That was his plan then. That is his plan now. Jesus is looking for persons whose influence he can magnify and multiply. That is how he has always worked. That is Jesus’ plan for ...

2738. Hope for People Who Are Angry

Ephesians 4:30-5:2

Sermon

King Duncan

... blocked the driveway with his truck but had left and taken the keys to the truck with him. Ken was furious. Three hours later, Scott showed up and Ken was waiting for him. He stormed out of the house tight toward Scott and let Scott have it. He didn’t leave Scott in doubt about what he had done wrong and how he felt about it. As Ken was walking back to the house, Scott raced after him and followed him into the kitchen. Scott said, “Dad, you forgot the last part of the reprimand, you know, the part about ...

2739. The Year of the Woman

Genesis 2:18-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man.’ “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” What a fascinating story. God doesn’t want man to be ... of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man.’ “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” God takes marriage seriously. It is not good for ...

2740. She Gave More than Bill Gates

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... has loved someone very dearly and that person has died, to be angry, first of all, at the one who has died. “How could you leave me in this situation?” they cry out to someone no longer capable of hearing them. It’s also not unusual for that person to be ... fall from the tree in the front yard, she will be gone.” The little boy didn’t want her to die so he was tying the leaves back on the trees as if that could spare his sister’s life. (1) None of us can deal very well with the idea of losing ...

2741. How Intelligent Is God’s Design?

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... point on that breathtaking highway that winds through those magnificent peaks. I stopped to take a walk on the path rising above the visitor’s center. Suddenly my eyes were drawn toward some small plants blooming on the side of the path — rather homely plants, with squat thick leaves, tiny flowers, hovering, clinging almost desperately to the rocky soil. Why such an odd shape? I wondered. And then I remembered the educational display I had seen in the visitor’s center, explaining that the thirsty ...

2742. A GPS for Your Life

Luke 6:27-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... big mistake when he picked on the Weissers. They decided to fight his hatred with love. Michael Weisser began leaving caring, friendly messages on Larry Trapp’s answering machine. When the Weissers learned that Trapp was a blind, wheelchair ... most powerful way possible for us to show the world that we belong to Christ. To love them until they ask us why. So, I hope you will leave this room today with your GPS programmed. Not the GPS in your car or your phone, but the GPS in your head and heart. I pray that ...

2743. Are You in the Right Place?

Matthew 6:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... says, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” We hear these words about not practicing our righteousness in front of others, then we will leave this service with a smudge on our forehead that announces to the world that we are followers of Jesus. I thought of this when I saw another famous photo recently of former vice-president Joe Biden with a smudge on his forehead where he also had just ...

2744. In the Wilderness with the Devil

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... manager the following morning. Asked why the store alarm system didn’t go off and alert the searching adults they were in the store, a Toys R Us spokesman said: “They never tried to open the doors to leave.” A trail of toys and empty chip bags were proof of that. (1) No wonder they didn’t try to leave. They were in paradise. Two youngsters alone in a toy store--what greater temptation could there be than that? We all know what it is to be tempted, don’t we? Even Jesus was tempted. Luke tells us ...

2745. The Greatest Sin

Luke 13:6-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... of the barren fig tree says to the man who takes care of the vineyard, “For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?” The caretaker replies, “Sir, leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.” That’s interesting, don’t you think? The caretaker asks the master for one more year before he cuts it down. This ...

2746. The Journey of Salvation

Luke 22:39-46, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... where he was rejected by his own people--Golgotha where, by his death, he reconciled the world unto God--and the garden tomb where God resurrected him to live forever in the hearts and lives of those who know him to be the Christ. Where does that leave us? St. Paul gives us a clue when he writes, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them ...

2747. Scarred Hands

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... had saved his life. His hands were scarred from climbing up and down the hot pipe. With a leap the boy threw himself around the stranger's neck and held on for life. The farmer rose and left. The teacher, too. Then the rich man. Everyone departed, leaving the boy and his rescuer who had won him without a word. Those marred hands spoke more effectively than any words. SHORT VERSION The story has been told of a boy who was living with his grandmother when their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to ...

2748. Holding Death Back

Illustration

Rex Humbard

... terminal status of the illness. This little girl stood outside the bedroom door one afternoon as the doctor, along with her father, visited her mother. She overheard the doctor say, "Yes, I will be frank with you. The time is not too far off. Before the last leaves have gone from the trees you will die." The little girl's presence was not detected. Sometime later the father came to the breakfast table to find that his little girl was not there as he had expected. After searching for her he saw her out in ...

2749. Scam of the Month Club

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... They printed their winners in an issue, and this one took the Grand Prize: Wish you were born rich? Now you can be! If you are one of the growing millions who are convinced of the reality of reincarnation, here's a once-in-a-lifetime offer! First, leave us ten thousand dollars or more in your will. After you pass away, our professional medium will contact your spirit in the other world. Then you tell us when you're coming back and under what name. Upon your return, we regress you, at age twenty-one through ...

2750. Father at the Game

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... that Lou thought, this boy would be a great inspiration on the bench. He'll never be able to play, but I'll leave him on the team to encourage the others. As the season went on, Lou began to develop a tremendous admiration and love for ... s not good enough. But he remembered his promise to help and said, “All right, you can start the game,” but he thought to himself, I'll leave him in for a few plays and then take him out. The day of the big game arrived. To everyone's surprise the coach started this boy ...

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