Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2776 to 2800 of 4997 results

John 3:1-17

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... believe, that whether you go to heaven when you die depends on your forcing yourself to believe something and, if you just can’t make yourself believe it, then you’re going to hell. I know that it’s not uncommon for people who were raised in that kind of church to come into my office, share their doubt or their question with me, sometimes with no little fear and trepidation, and then breathe a huge sigh of relief and sometimes even come to tears because I haven’t thrown them out of my office as they ...

2777. Little Start, Big Finish

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... of years, now. About the first third of those years I worked as a youth minister in the local church as well as at the district and conference levels. Every once in a while, I’ll be at annual conference, school of missions, a meeting, or event of some kind, occasionally, even at a shopping mall or grocery store, when a person will come up to me and ask if I’m Dean Feldmeyer. I’m always a little hesitant at first — you never know, right? — but I usually, eventually, confess that I am. And then the ...

2778. Desperation to Hope

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... ability to recognize the joy and beauty that is inherent in it. But death is not the final word. Throughout the gospels, Jesus Christ proved that death, even death, need not be a barrier for us. Even death need not lead to hopelessness. Even death — any kind of death, be it physical, emotional, moral, or spiritual — need not be the ending of our lives but can, indeed, be the beginning of them. For I am convinced, as is Paul in chapter 8 of Romans, “that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers ...

2779. Living Bread

John 6:51-58

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you.” Nothing was more abhorrent to first century Jews than breaking the dietary restrictions set down in Leviticus and chief among those was that no human was ever to drink blood of any kind or eat human flesh under any circumstances. Even to use human flesh and blood as a metaphor, as Jesus does here, was a horrible breech of propriety. And, yet, it is this very metaphor that Jesus chooses to show the radical demand of Christianity — demands that ...

2780. The Heart's Deceit

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

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... righteous goal. The more fear, the less trust both in themselves and others. But the problem is, that also means, less trust in God. The more rules, the more arrogance builds, as a false righteousness takes the place of true intimacy with God, the kind of intimacy that allows one to stand before God and admit fault and shortcomings, imperfection, and humanness. Only when one can stand intimately and openly in God’s eyes can one also stand with trust in God’s forgiveness, mercy, love, and salvation. Like ...

2781. Uncontainable Faith

Mark 7:24-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... territories to the north. When Jesus commends the woman for her answer, he is giving her a test. She has come to him begging for him to heal her daughter. She has not gone to her own gods or her own temples. She has come to him. That is the kind of faith and curiosity that gives her the courage to approach Jesus, a Jewish rabbi, who she has heard of but not seen until now, and to ask him to heal her daughter. Likewise, when Jesus enters into the Decapolis (the region of the Ten Cities), some people (again ...

2782. Briny Faith

Mark 9:38-50

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... steady and sure. For those who have heart failure or heartbeat issues, the pacemaker resynchronizes the heart and makes the heartbeat more efficiently. The heart’s electrical system controls the heartbeat. But aging, muscle damage from a heart attack, or some kinds of genetic conditions can cause the heart to beat abnormally. It can get sludgy, therefore not pumping enough oxygen to the brain and other organs. If you heart is beating too slowly, the peacemaker sends an electrical signal to your heart ...

2783. It Helps If You Laugh

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of the time we take them for granted. Our passage from John, while not directly related to Mothers or parenting, is a model of the kind of love needed to be a good parent, a good mother. It takes lots of love. But that love has to be coupled with ... this paragon of virtue? Why, EVERYBODY ELSE'S Mother! The whole point is, it's not easy to be a mother or a parent. Parenting kids is kind of like holding a wet bar of soap. Too hard a grasp and it shots out of your hand like greased lightening, too loose a grip ...

2784. For The Love of God Is Contagious

Mark 7:31-36 · Luke 5:12-15 · 2 Corinthians 5:16-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... never be a burden. B. Saint Francis of Assisi may have said it best, "Let us leave sadness to the devil. As for us Christians, what can we be but rejoicing and glad." God's love is infectious. The Good News is infectious. It's infectious because it's kind and compassionate just like its author. The missionary George Buttrick told about the head man of a village in Pakistan. It seems the he came and asked the members of the little Christian church next door to his house in the village to move to the edge of ...

2785. If It Helps You Laugh

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

2786. The Readiness Potential

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... disciples in our scripture for today. He’s explaining the meaning of “signs,” those subtle hints of perception we can recognize in our world, because our faith prepares us to see them. The deeper your faith, the more aware you will be of these kinds of signs of God around you, signs that will help prepare you for the future and protect you from harm. Jesus gives them examples first that they can recognize, examples of how their minds already recognize signs without them even knowing. When the fig tree ...

2787. Get Out of the Seed Box

1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

Sermon

Mary Austin

... fullness. A seed that stays a seed is a little piece of dried-out promise. A seed that falls into the ground, cracks and sprouts can become a flower, or a tree. It can become a redwood, or a sunflower, or a tomato, or a gorgeous lily. There are all kinds of promise in the seed, Paul says, and in us, as the people of God. The hard part is that promises only come to life when something else lets go and dies. It only goes in one direction. In her book Kitchen Table Wisdom, Rachel Naomi Remen tells about a ...

2788. Get Out of the Seed Box

1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

Sermon

Mary Austin

2789. Playing Outside the Rules

Luke 6:27-38 · Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... you pray, you don’t say, God, please give me justice for all I’ve done. You pray with all your heart, mind, and soul, throwing yourself at the feet of Jesus: Lord, have mercy. You pray that God gives you mercy, forgiveness, love, and redemption. We are a fickle kind of people. So, says Jesus, if you really want to live by your own rules instead of God’s rules, then apply them to yourselves: You want an eye for an eye? Do you really want God to reward you with what you’ve done? You want justice for ...

2790. A Day of Passion, Praise and Prophesying

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... he and Helen, his wife, reconciled. However, Helen wanted nothing to do with her husband’s new-found faith. A few months later, some friends invited the two of them to church. Helen was resistant to going until her husband said, “Honey, I love you. You're beautiful, kind, and smart, and you're the love of my life. But you’re dead.” How’s that for some truth-telling? He meant that without God in her life, she was spiritually dead. And then he said, “I believe it is time for you to go and learn ...

2791. Poor Old Thomas

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... just being a bit tired? Could it be that there may be something subtle working in all of us that makes it tough to face church on the Sunday after Easter Sunday? Do you think we could we find and explore what might be described as a kind of post-Easter timidity? Think back to what is happening in this scripture today. We have a whole crew of Jesus’ followers gathered together in a place of relative safety. It’s probably not an exaggeration to suggest that they were not exactly running around shouting ...

2792. I'm Going Fishing

John 21:1-19 · Acts 9:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... were younger you tied your own belt and walked around wherever you wanted. When you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and another will tie your belt and lead you where you don’t want to go.” The scriptures indicate that Jesus was showing Peter the kind of death by which he would glorify God after which he told him, “Follow me!” Jesus’ words in a sense echo the words of Zechariah who says in 8:23: “In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish ...

2793. Everything You Do Bears Witness

John 10:22-30

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... am not saying that he was particularly quiet in the sense of talking and sharing. In fact, in my mind’s eye I see Jesus with his head reared back, caught in the midst of a powerful laugh. He was maybe sitting at the table with all the wrong kinds of people; the kind I wouldn’t let my kids talk to, and he heard a joke or a comment, and he laughed. This laughter was pure, free, and open to the power of the fellowship. So, from my own perspective it’s not that he was withdrawn or introverted. It was ...

2794. Rejoice: Hints Of Heaven Are Here On Earth!

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... in the service that we render when we worship him. We are doing that now. Some of you have even rendered direct service to God in setting up for this worship service. All who have a role in the life of this congregation and the wider church are giving this kind of service. And in offering that service you and I are doing the same sort of thing Peter did in the first lesson (Acts 9:36-43). We are all doing the same sort of thing that the saints in heaven are doing right now, the same sort of thing ...

2795. The Voice

John 10:22-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... emotions just in the human voice.[1] We know that must be true, because when we talk to babies, we may not speak in language, but we alter our voice to initiate a kind of bonding tone. When we sing, we pour into our songs and hymns a kind of emotional reverence that spellbinds others and creates in them a similar reverence and feeling of divine connection. The voice, sound created by the movement of air through a windpipe and the subsequent vibration of a set of vocal chords, is an intricate and beautiful ...

2796. Selling Out

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... well as their request. First of all, Jesus just did what none of them could come close to doing. They couldn’t control this guy, but Jesus not only controlled him, he cast out the demonic powers that were messing with their friend. Who has that kind of power? Anyone who does is certainly to be feared. Secondly, those pigs had to have belonged to someone. They were somebody’s property. Whoever the owner(s) happened to be (probably a consortium of townspeople), they lost a lot of capital. As we know, pigs ...

2797. Have Mercy!

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... got to be kidding me!” or “Oh, come on!” Whether in delight or frustration, the phrase is full of exclamation, passion, vim, and vigor! Christians use the phrase another way. To have mercy in the gospels translated in Greek to “eleos,” which meant to show kindness or goodwill to someone miserable or afflicted with a desire to relieve their pain. We would call that feeling we get when encountering someone in need “empathy.”[1]But we would call the impetus or desire to act upon that empathy, our ...

2798. How Did I Get That Job?

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... in on a couple tenets of the kingdom of God. He quickly warned them that greed could be their downfall. “Guard against all kinds of greed,” he implored them (Luke 12:15). He gave a similar warning to the Scribes and Pharisees. In Matthew 23:25 he ... t even get today. It was still today when he died. When tomorrow came, he was already lying in a tomb. Most of us don’t take kindly to this story. Frankly, we don’t think it’s fair. The guy deserved to enjoy some of his returns, didn’t he? I’d like to ...

2799. All Dressed Up

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the image of Jesus donning his big white apron, wrapping it around his waist, and kneeling down to wash his disciples’ feet. Perhaps for you, you can picture someone serving in a white chef’s apron in a homeless shelter or even the corner café. What kind of identity does this apparel convey? A job as a server, waitress, or chef is not an easy job. It requires close attention to what’s going on around you. It requires quick response, an eager spirit, and dedication to the task at hand. It requires ...

2800. I’ve Come To Bring Fire

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49). This is a pretty startling statement from Jesus. This is something we’d expect old Beelzebub to spew forth as he foamed at the mouth. It’s not the kind of thing you’d expect Jesus to say. It is, undoubtedly, one of his least quoted utterances. Out of context, it sounds as though he’s about to bring hell on earth. When most of us think of a place called hell, we envision flames, torment, and punishment ...

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