Sermon and Worship Resources

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2776. Hell: Ocean of Oatmeal

John 10:10

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

... to me. Hell: the deadness of a huge ocean of oatmeal in which we are caught. It may look like this: sad...wanting joy; despairing...looking for hope; anxious...needing courage; bereaved...hoping for sympathy; lonely...longing for friendship; bored...searching for meaning; hostile...needing love; guilty...desperate for forgiveness; dead...grasping for life. Is there hope to escape such hells? Take courage -- there is! Jesus provided the good news -- "I am come that you may have life and have it abundantly."

2777. Faith In Death

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

... something different about her. Subtle, but distinctly different. "How are you?" I asked. Immediately she responded, "I'm praying, and I want you to pray that Jesus will come soon and deliver me." We did that together. It wasn't a surrender to despair; it was a yielding to certain hope. It was her ultimate commitment. For more than a year she had fought a courageous battle and lived in the strength of her faith. Now she had moved to another level of commitment. She prayed confidently and in ...

2778. Vengeance: Human and Divine

Matthew 13:1-9 · Isaiah 44:6-8 · Psalm 1-12, 17-18, 23-24

Sermon

Will Willimon

... candor only in the Bible, or in fleeting glimpses of ourselves. Sometimes we see it in children, in their unselfconscious resentment. They haven't learned yet to put on a smiling face. “I hope that an elephant stands on your face, I hope your bike tires blow out when you're peddling ninety-miles an hour, I hope the principal gives you fortyleven whippings,…” The Psalms are cathartic. They help us blow off steam. And of course, these are only words. The Psalmist isn't talking about killing anybody in ...

2779. The Lord Is With Us

Luke 1:26-38, 2 Samuel 7:1-17, Romans 16:1-27

Sermon

Will Willimon

... also from a kind of misguided piety, a respectful unwillingness to involve the holy in our unholy exploits. We know that our lives need some contact with the source of our being. We yearn for some fellowship with the eternal, reaching out, tentatively toward heaven, longing, hoping. But like Groucho Marx who once turned down a membership to an exclusive club saying, "I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would take a guy like me,'' we find it difficult to worship a God who would have a serious interest ...

2780. The Rainbow

Genesis 9:8-17

Eulogy

George Reed

... in our speech at times like these. They may just give a trite saying or just break down in silence or tears. The eloquence is not in their words but in being here to share this moment. The presence, the hug, the grasp of the hand is a rainbow of hope and love. We are people of the earth and we often need the physical presence of others. To hear a familiar voice, to see a loved one’s face is priceless to us and especially when we are troubled and hurting. Sometimes we just need an angel that is flesh ...

2781. The Shepherd Knows

John 10:11-18

Sermon

Mary Austin

... constantly getting off the path and needing to be called back. But, Megan said in that same sermon: “Nonetheless, Jesus is confident we will be able to distinguish him from all the other influences. The fact that Jesus is so sure we will be able to do it gives me hope. If Jesus is certain I will hear his voice, who am I to say I won’t. As sheep we are all important to him. Jesus has told us it is possible to know him and it is possible to have a relationship with him.” Because he says that, we ...

2782. The Kings of the South and the North

Daniel 11:2-35

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... He . . . will make an alliance with the king of the South. Although the power and wealth of Antiochus inclined him to attack Egypt again, the rise of Rome caused him to seek a marriage treaty instead. In 197 BC, he gave his daughter Cleopatra I to Ptolemy V, hoping to retain her loyalty. But she sided with Egypt, and after her husband’s death, she led the South until her son Ptolemy VI took the throne in 181 BC.11 11:18–19 he will turn his attention to the coastlands. Thwarted in the South, Antiochus ...

2783. To Us a Child is Born

Isaiah 9:1-7

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... the evidence that the Mighty God really will bring to effect a wonderful purpose and that the Everlasting Father will act effectively as a commander, for the sake of people’s spiritual and physical well-being. But this is a judgment and a statement of hope based on what we know of Jesus rather than an exegetical judgment about the meaning of this passage. The passage is a vision of what God is committed to achieving through David’s line. It receives partial fulfillments in the achievements of kings such ...

2784. Do You Believe in Miracles?

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of the Garden of Eden asked us to “till and keep” the covenant of God between our divine Creator and all of humankind, and to bear the fruit of that relationship to all generations. We are seed bearers and sowers. We are to plant the seeds of love, hope, prayer, and the gospel and allow God to work the miracles among people that only God can do. That only God can do. Jesus’ commissioning words to Peter when he prepared him for the task of ministering to a world in need were these: “Feed my sheep ...

2785. What He Said!

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... can find meaning and purpose in life. Restless? Of course you are -- until you who were made by God, for God, find rest in God." "Come unto me," Jesus said, "and you will find rest!" He taught them many things. Without God in the world you are without hope. But now God, coming to us in the flesh-and-blood Jesus Christ, has brought us near. God created this "nearness" by being near. "He is our peace!" Much of Ephesians 2:13-22 describes how God-in-Christ has broken down the wall which divided Gentiles and ...

2786. The Case of the Hardened Heart

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... more a church is led by fear of the future and the unknown, the more solidly that church situates itself in its current “worldview,” a view not merely of itself and its inhibitions but a view of Christ’s power and a hesitance to trust and hope for a different future. But Jesus would tell us differently: that faith makes all the difference. It’s why he could not do miracles in his own home synagogue, where they continually questioned his identity and challenged his power. It’s why he told Peter to ...

2787. Maybe Today....

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... In the past, when the nation was threatened, the people looked to the temple and the priests for God’s guidance. They looked to their leaders and teachers to hear what the scriptures directed them to do. Today, all they could find to give them the hope they sought were the old words of prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Joel — words saying that one day, God would fulfill the promises made and come with the mighty armies of heaven and destroy those who oppress God’s people. One day, the sky will break ...

2788. Redefining “Blessed”

Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... of those great moments that ends up being a song, or a painting. Over the years it becomes a symbol of peace and hope, and everything good. Mary is a young girl whose life has been turned upside down. It might have been for a very good ... Our being blessed is God’s way of making us more God-like; bending us so we can live our lives the way God hopes we will live them to help others. As I said at the beginning, if I say, “God bless you!”, I may not be offering you something you really would care to have. But it ...

2789. What's In a Name?

Mark 10:2-16 · Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12 · Psalm 8

Sermon

Thomas C. Willadsen

... and we’re free of sin. Twelve images are a lot. Too many to absorb and put to use at once. But as I say after a big meal, “the message of the gospel is abundance.” There should be more than we can hope to comprehend - more than we can hope to use. There should be too many images for us to see anything clearly. Hold onto one and you’ll miss the others. Son… heir… Creator… reflection of God’s glory… exact imprint of God’s very being… sustainer… purifier… superior to angels… below ...

2790. Creation Reborn

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... Christians in Rome conflated the myth of Orpheus with the reality of Jesus. They did not trust in human legends. But they did hang their hopes on the one who said to Martha and Mary, “I am the resurrection and the life!” and then proved it that day in Bethany. In ... , whispering our names at night or noon, and, against our wheedling and pleading, will march us into his awful gloom. Then the hope of our faith will endure its final test. For if the gospel is true, our good, great, and chief shepherd will not ...

2791. We Build the Tomb

Hebrews 10:16-25

Sermon

Bonnie Bates

... to us. We know how we feel when we forgive. It is, after all, more about us than the one we are forgiving. To fail to forgive provides us with one more burden to carry, one more stone in the wall between us and another. This is not God’s hope for us. One Lent, when I was serving in a local congregation, we built the tomb of Jesus during our prayers of confession. Each of us was given a roughhewn stone on our way into worship. Each Sunday during the silent prayer of confession, we walked to the front of ...

2792. Learning Our Role

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... wanted him to be, and he said, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I will come” (v. 16). John remembered his role. He remembered who he was, and who he was meant to be. And if John could do that, there is hope for us too. No matter how certain we might be in our faith, there are times when opportunities appear that offer us things of which we have only dreamed. Things that offer us answers, money, recognition, pleasure, or anything else that might grab our attention. And all we ...

2793. Two Lives to Live

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... they are them. Once in a while, one of the children, in the excitement of the game they were playing, moved too near to one of those in the front and was quickly sent back to their place — back to them. They are them, and the one thing they hope to hear is that God cares something about them too. Even if just a bit. As Jesus looked across the crowd, I believe he saw the two groups as well. One standing tall and proud, even defiant. The other bowed, broken, humbled, perhaps even afraid. And Jesus began to ...

2794. The Art of Reflection

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... but glorify our magnificent Creator. Jesus’ words that day were meant for each and every one of us. No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve been going through, come to Jesus, and know that “you are blessed.” “Know that you are blessed!” I hope you can hear Jesus’ voice of assurance in your bones right now today at this very moment. Let his words resonate in your heart and take up residence there, so that when things get tough, when life feels heavy, or when self-doubts creep in and start ...

2795. Why We Light the Candles

Luke 2:1-20 · Isaiah 9:2, 6

Sermon

Will Willimon

... the darkness," is sometimes the motto for those who do good in a darkened world. Is that what we are doing here? Tonight? Sure, it's a deep, dark world, so let's all gather in church, one night a year, and brighten things up a bit. Light a hopeful yuletide candle, sing a cheerful carol, tie the tinsel about the ugliness? If that is why we're gathered, then we shall fail. Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness, sure. But the darkness is so great and your candle is so frail, even a thousand ...

2796. The Power of Story

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ? That’ll do it every time. This is what Jesus knew. If you want to change the world, you do it one heart at a time –with a powerful story. The Bible is that powerful story. It’s God’s “love story” for all people, a story of shared humanity, hope, falls from grace, and a grand rescue at the hands of Jesus. In our world today, nothing can beat that story. The story of Jesus. The story of salvation so heart-shattering that no one who hears it goes unchanged. The story that shook a world and grew a ...

2797. For Someone Who Will Be Terribly Missed

Isaiah 43:1-5 · Job 19:23-27

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

... same kindness and compassion that so marked her nursing life. Tessie, as many of you know, worked the night shift and so she’d often be coming home just when her children were getting out of bed. And she’d often share her day with them with the hope that in hearing of the sick, hearing of the emergencies, hearing of the dying, they’d come to realize what a blessing health happened to be and how fortunate they were to be free of the infirmities and pains that plagued so many people’s lives. Amy made ...

2798. For Someone Who Led a Happy and a Virtuous Life

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 · Matthew 25:31-46 · 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

... are filled with the silly, funny little treasures and memories of childhood. Then there’s the page Ellie labeled “Stuff I’m Going to Do” and it was on the following pages that Ellie planned to chronicle the adventure, that dream trip she and Karl were hoping to take, and Karl is stung with remorse that he never kept his promise to take Ellie on that trip. As Karl turns the page, he sees that Ellie had collected pictures of their life together, their courtship and wedding, their working side-by-side ...

2799. An Up-Close Nativity

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Heather Sugden

... young church that is growing into its own, and a young apostle eager to preach the gospel. As a Christian community, they are longing to tell others about the grace of God that has already appeared in Jesus Christ. They are also longing for the “blessed hope” that would appear when Christ comes again. As Paul writes to Titus, the importance of the time in which they find themselves is always part of the story. There is an urgency to the message and an added importance to the community’s actions in how ...

2800. God Is Like...a Name

Exodus 3:1-15

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

... to grasp, if only in a partial way, the divine mystery we call God. And it gave me an idea for a sermon series. My purpose is simply to help all of us appreciate and understand more about God and to discover appropriate responses to this Holy One. I hope our exploration will provide both comfort and challenge. And I think a word of warning is in order: we should be prepared for some surprises along the way, because the older I get, the more I keep discovering that both the universe we live in and the God ...

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