Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 2751 to 2775 of 2815 results

2751. Wounded Trees

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

... and not to fruit, we wound it, gash it, and almost always, no one knows why, this is the result. It turns its energies into fruit.” A close observation will show that we know many wounded trees in the human orchard of whom this is a parable. There are those who experience intense suffering, but in their suffering discover the great realities of life and begin to produce the fruit of the Spirit. The trouble with most of us is that we “want to get to the promised land without going through the wilderness ...

2752. Human Things

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... our own, stay rooted in prayer, and stay fervent in God’s mission and purpose. We make disciples by being disciples. We perpetuate the kingdom by “being” the kingdom. As Peter had to learn the hard way, through experiences like this and no doubt hundreds of parables: The disciple is not the master. The worker is not the owner. The apple is not the tree. The servant is not the King. Jesus’ words to Peter are a reminder to all of us the dangers of unbridled power and authority in human hands. Lucky ...

2753. Avoiding the “F” Word

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the deeper issues of what it meant to be human. He taught them that healing is not merely a matter of the body but of the mind and of the spirit. Every time Jesus healed people, he recognized that their mental state was vital in their healing. The parable Jesus tells in today’s scripture is not merely a punitive one, but it’s a testament that reminds us that we will suffer the consequences of our own anger and inability to forgive. It also reminds us that God’s mercy is meant for all people. Even ...

2754. Trouble in the Vineyard

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... love and favor. God’s grace does not depend upon our systems of justice and fairness. God’s grace is something we should be celebrating not only for ourselves but for the others around us who receive it from God. When we don’t, trouble ensues. Many of Jesus’ parables hearken back to Isaiah. This one is no different: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat ...

2755. The Great Debates

Matthew 22:34-46

Sermon

Lori Wagner

In the 22nd chapter of Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about a wedding banquet––with a clear smack in the face to several of his contemporaries. Jesus had a habit of lighting fires under his opponents in a brilliant way. In response, the remainder of the chapter is riddled with what we might call a set of “great debates,” rabbinical ...

2756. (Don’t) Follow Me

Matthew 23:1-12

Sermon

Steve Molin

... to power. Because that’s what is at the core of #me too: not sex, not job termination or political agendas - power. And just so you know it, it’s not a new thing. In our gospel lesson today, Jesus had just finished telling a string of parable to his disciples, but also to a swelling crowd, and the common thread of the stories was power; exerting it, threatening it, and abusing it. And it led Jesus to point the finger at his religious adversaries, the Pharisees. Do you know the Pharisees; these men of ...

2757. Spirit Soaked

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... soak and marinate your heart and soul in the Holy Spirit of Christ, the more passion, energy, resilience, and direction you will find in your life. Are you Spirit soaked? What does it mean to be Spirit soaked? In today’s scripture, Jesus tells yet another parable about what it means to be in true and intimate relationship with him. He uses the metaphor of a bridegroom and wedding –one of the popular and prevalent metaphors in all of scripture for God’s relationship with us. In fact, the entire book we ...

2758. Ever Felt Like a Frog?

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

... happen. One day a beautiful maiden grabbed him up and gave him a big smack. Crash -- boom -- zap! There he was -- a handsome prince. And you know the rest. They lived happily ever after. Wes Seeliger, Episcopal minister from Houston, Texas, has turned this fairy tale into a parable and given it fresh meaning by asking, "So what is the task of the church?" and answering, "To kiss frogs, of course!" But not only is it the task of the church, it is the task of each one of us. The good news is that, by your ...

2759. The Legend of the Touchstone

John 20:1-18

Illustration

James W. Moore

... ; it was cold... he threw it into the sea. He picked up another stone - cold! He threw it into the sea. He picked up another stone... it turned warm in his hand, and before he realized what he was doing... he threw it into the sea! That's a good parable for Easter, isn't it? Because that can so easily happen to us. We can come upon a miraculous moment like Easter... we can feel it turn warm in our hands... but then (so dulled by the routine) before we realize what we are doing... we throw it away ...

2760. Free to Forgive

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... but will instead deliver mercy upon us, due to the gift of Jesus. Instead, “measure for measure” becomes a different concept for Jesus –a way to change the world and to cultivate a kingdom kind of community, one act at a time. Think for a moment about the parable of the wheat and weeds in Matthew 13. Jesus tells us to “let” them grow together until the harvest. God will take it from there. The word for “let” in that passage and in others like it is the same word used in our passage in John for ...

2761. Light in the Darkness

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Will Willimon

... what in the dim candlelight appeared to be a small service doorway, he opened it and, holding his candle at eye level, stepped in. He was found the next day at the bottom of an elevator shaft, the extinguished candle still clutched in his hand. Is that a parable of us, groping about with a flickering candle which is no match for a dark world run amuck? Our great technology brought to nothing in a power failure, a dead man clutching an extinguished candle at the bottom of a shaft in the dead of night. We ...

2762. The Feast of Leviathan

Luke 24:36b-48

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ’s victories and interventions are told by eating together. In fact, eating together in Jesus’ time and still in the Jewish tradition was a way of establishing relationship and intimacy, as well as mutual mission and reverence for God, with those at the table. In the story/parable of a great dinner in fact, Jesus tells that God’s final act will be to assemble a grand feast at which all believers have a seat at the table. The sharing of the flesh acknowledges the embodiment of who we are as part of the ...

2763.

Psalm 121:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... liturgist. What is the significance of the hills? Are they a threat or a potential source of my help? There are three possibilities. First, in keeping with the notion of pilgrimage, they may represent hiding places for dangers en route (cf. the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10). Second, they may represent touchpoints of divine help, as symbolized by shrines on the “high places.” Third, they may be symbolic of natural stability because they were considered the earth’s pillars that stabilize it ...

2764. Blessings for a Defiled People

Haggai 2:10-19

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... questions of the kind that Haggai raises about topics such as cleanliness and taboo, and thus explicating what the Torah had to say (e.g., Lev. 10:10–11); more literally, Yahweh says, “ask the priests [for] torah.” But prophets sometimes go in for parables and parabolic actions (e.g., Isa. 20; Jer. 18; Ezek. 4–5; and compare the symbolic features in Zechariah’s visions). The fact that this question comes from a prophet would probably cause the priests to suspect that they were being set up, or at ...

2765. Building Trust

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

David Coffin

... is trying to build trust with his disciples. There are many test practices of how much faith the disciples have in Jesus. This Mark 4 text is one of such tests. Among the previous lessons taught include: teaching about Satan and family in Mark 3; the parable of the sower and mustard seed earlier in Mark 4. Mark’s gospel is written to small town and rural audience round 70 CE. He uses very basic koine Greek (instead of the highly educated classical Greek). Mark is not as polished in his writing skills ...

2766. Yada, Yada, Yada!

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in our hearts. That kind of knowing is different than merely studying “about” Jesus, knowing “facts” about Jesus or seeing Jesus as a historical figure. We can know about him, about the things he taught and did, about the wisdom he imparted, and the parables he told. But it’s entirely something else to “know” Jesus in our hearts, to “know” him the way we know our partners, our spouses, or ourselves. When we allow ourselves truly to “know” Jesus, and allow him into our hearts, to allow ...

2767. When the Rules Change

7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

David Coffin

... took all of two verses in Mark 1:14-15. There is no dialogue with Satan about turning stones into bread or jumping off the temple as in Matthew and Luke. We do not get a Sermon on the Mount in Mark as in Matthew. Nor do we hear parables about the prodigal son or good Samaritan as in Luke. Jesus was like the worker who kept his nose to the grindstone and kept working. He might be the unemployed person who was always on the computer at employment websites and sending resumes to prospective employers. He was ...

2768. A Portion of Thyself

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... or a minister on board who can do something religious?!” There was; a clergyman got up, and passed his hat for an offering! Money and religion often go hand in hand! But maybe they should. They certainly did for Jesus. The gospels record 37 of his parables, and in nearly half of them ― sixteen, to be exact ― Jesus talks about money and the way in which we use our possessions! More than that: one-tenth of all the verses in the gospels deal directly with the subject of money. That’s 288 verses! Again ...

2769. Love Lives

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Bonnie Bates

... desert. The most documented, for us was the life and active ministry, the three years when Jesus walked throughout Israel and Judah teaching people about a loving God who wanted a relationship with the people, wanted to love people more than judge them. The parables and stories, the healing, and praying, the miracles in our midst throughout the public ministry of Jesus, these were well-documented and gave us a peek at the loving character of God. The acceptance of those on the outside of the society, those ...

2770. Never Satisfied

John 14:8-17, (25-27)

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... miracles, listening to him as he taught and preached, grilling him with questions, and they still weren’t satisfied. They wanted more. Phillip stepped up for the whole group and put it into words: “Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied.” Enough of these parables and stories that make us think. We don’t want to have to think or interpret or work at this anymore. We want you to just tell us the answers. Put it out there in bold, stark relief. Make it plain, simple, and direct. This is the ...

2771. Motives Matter

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of scripture, we see countless examples of desires and impulses run amok, as well as hero stories of those who overcame their baser motivations through faith, commitment, compassion, and their relationship with God. The Ten Commandments, the Parables, the Prophecies within scripture all serve as “correctives” to human penchants for control, autonomy, power, materialism, competition, envy, validation, or some kind of personal gain. Jesus understood these human urges well. He went through them himself in ...

2772. The Power of Story

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . And when Jesus wanted to show how to redefine the Jewish concept of “neighbor,” he told a story –one of many, many more that he would use to touch people’s hearts and change their perspectives one person at a time. Jesus understood the power of parable and story and the way to teach compassion in a non-threatening, self-initiated way. He didn’t lecture. He didn’t command. He didn’t cajole. He didn’t threaten. He healed. And he told stories so powerful that people’s lives were changed ...

2773. A Sermon About Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8. I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. A curious parable, is it not? It is about a man with two friends and it is about the first-century semitic law and custom of hospitality. Hospitality was, for first-century Jews, not a choice. One was expected to show hospitality to anyone who was in need of it, friends or ...

2774. The Rhythm of Your Heart

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ! I want you all to hear that. Sometimes, we can imagine that Jesus somehow only has a heart for those without means. But this is not true. It isn’t wealth itself that causes someone to falter, but how the heart defines its “treasure.” Jesus tells a parable about a wealthy man whose land yields abundant crops. As he surveys his wealth, he says to himself, “What will I do?” This is always the heart’s question, isn’t it? When faced with a decision, what we do depends on where our priorities lie ...

2775. God Is Like...a Name

Exodus 3:1-15

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

... that identity, learning exactly who we are is a lifelong process. The teenage years are especially devoted to discovery of identity, but the process really does go on all through our lives. And discovery is the right word for it. It’s almost like that parable Jesus told about the man who found a treasure hidden in a field or a pearl of great price. The discovery was a cause for great rejoicing. Learning who you are, discovering the unique gifts God has given you and being grateful for this discovery ...

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