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Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

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2826. Divine Things

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“My Way!” We all know the famous song by Frank Sinatra that delighted Americans across the country and became the signature song of Sinatra’s career. It is also the quintessential song of self-actualization and self-reliance that often defines American culture. Did you know that the song’s lyrics were not written by Sinatra at all but were written by Paul Anka and set to music based on a French song called "Comme d'habitude" composed in 1967 by Claude François and Jacques Revaux? Did you know too that ...

2827. Jesus Walks With Us

Luke 24:13-35

Eulogy

George Reed

[Read Luke 24:13-35] The story from the gospel of Luke is a familiar one which we often refer to as the Walk to Emmaus. Two of Jesus’ disciples who are not part of the twelve are going from Jerusalem back to their homes in Emmaus. They are heartbroken for Jesus has been crucified. The one they counted on had been lost and they were in grief and despair. Someone came along beside them as they were walking and inquired why they were so sad. The two were incredulous. How could anyone not know of their loss? ...

2828. Bearers of the Seed

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“The Word of God continued to flourish.” (Acts 12:24) “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:8) Prop: apples or small oranges or another small fruit Fruit of my loins! Today, it’s a comical phrase, but it has a scriptural origin: “And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins.” (Genesis 35:11, King James version) “Whereas therefore he ...

2829. The Legend of the Touchstone

John 20:1-18

Illustration

James W. Moore

Do you remember the Legend of the Touchstone? It's a great story to recall on Easter Sunday morning. According to that ancient legend, if you could find the touchstone on the coast of the Black Sea and hold it in your hand, everything you touched would turn to gold. You could recognize the touchstone by its warmth. The other stones would feel cold, but when you picked up the touchstone, it would turn warm in your hand. Once a man sold everything he had and went to the coast of the Black Sea in search of ...

2830.

Psalm 73:1-28

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

God’s Goodness Redefined: The Nearness of God This psalm is a favorite for many because it rings so true to our feelings and experience. Many of us have felt disappointed in God. When we feel life has treated us unfairly, we often betray our belief in the sovereignty of God by blaming and abandoning him! The psalm confesses what we are afraid to admit, and so helps us to be honest before God about life’s temptations and our readiness to sell out. The psalm’s first half is largely negative (vv. 1–14) and ...

2831. Judgment on Israel

Amos 2:6-16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

Oracles against the Foreign Nations: In the prophetic corpora, oracles of judgment against the foreign nations usually follow a prophet’s oracles to his own people (Jer. 46–51; Ezek. 25–32). Here in Amos, however, the prophet begins with the announcement of judgment on the foreign peoples immediately surrounding Israel, and his purpose in doing so is entirely theological. These foreign nations posed no serious threat to Israel’s life in the time of Jeroboam II, although that king may have carried on ...

2832. Loving Against the Grain

Mark 3:20-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“You’re mad, bonkers, completely off your head. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are,” said Lewis Carroll in his famous story, Alice in Wonderland. A couple of weeks ago, I took a day trip to Ocean City, NJ. Once there, I looked for some new and different things to do and discovered that the town has a “historical museum” of the shore’s history. Being a lover of history, I walked several miles to the museum to take it all in. The entrance to the museum was free but one was asked to sign in. ...

2833. Shake It Off

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

June 21, 2024, Taylor Swift arrived at Wembley Stadium in London to perform her astonishingly popular “Eras Tour” concert. That same Friday, before the weekend shows began, the royal family shared a video on Instagram of the royal guard (usually silent and staid) joyfully rocking it to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” The band formed a semi-circle right in front of Buckingham Palace during the change of the guard. What a wonderful display of Britain’s youthful and fun-loving spirit. Later, social media ...

2834. The Loaves

John 6:1-21

Sermon

David Coffin

One of the hardest lessons in life I had to learn was never to get a job at the restaurant I enjoyed eating in since childhood. There was a particular fast food restaurant that had plenty of vegetables and condiments on their sandwiches that I had always looked forward to eating since I was twelve years old. When I got out of college in the 1970s, the job market in my area had a glut of four-year college degree graduates. I applied for a manager trainee position at the restaurant I have cherished since ...

2835. Maybe Today....

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

John B. Jamison

“Maybe today.” He stood at the window and watched the morning sun climb over the mountain. He lowered his eyes to shield them from the glare of the sunlight shining against the streets and buildings. It was a bright and beautiful morning, but all he felt was darkness. It was the same darkness he had felt last night as he tried to sleep. It was the same darkness he felt every day now, the same one that they all felt every day now. He raised his eyes to the window again. “Maybe today,” he said. He stepped ...

2836. Lord To Whom Shall We Go?

John 6:56-69

Sermon

David Coffin

Despite his best efforts at teaching, feeding, and healing, today Jesus is rejected. However, he is still our Lord. This is good news for us today. A pastor was about to attend a book fair in a neighboring county and was getting ready to leave the church office. It was early after lunch on a summer afternoon. A young man in his late twenties and his little one- year-old daughter suddenly walked into the pastor’s office, and crashed down in the chair in front of the pastor’s desk. The young man was ...

2837. Going Home – Part One: Which Me Will It Be?

Luke 4:14-21

Sermon

John B. Jamison

Things began moving so quickly. First was the baptism at the Jordan River and the day after that, the first disciples began following him. They went to Galilee, where more disciples joined and the crowds began to appear, wanting to hear him speak. The next day, he performed his first public miracle at a wedding in Cana. The next day, he was back at the Sea of Galilee, in Capernaum, resting briefly before making the trip to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and take a highly visible stand against the ...

2838. Courage to Break

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

From 2009-2013 television viewers couldn’t wait each week to watch an innovative, if disturbing, show called “Breaking Bad.” The storyline followed an ordinary chemistry teacher turned villainous meth kingpin. The idiom “breaking bad” which comes from a southern expression for “raising hell” seemed to suggest within the series the contagion of “hellishness” that Walt brought to everyone around him, including his family. All this resulted and escalated from one initial choice. Choices –they fill our lives. ...

2839. Stay Close

John 10:22-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

With whom do you feel “safe”? This seems like a simple question. But it can be a terribly complicated one for some. Many of us can answer that question. But for some, that question would be hard and difficult to answer. Not everyone feels safe in their lives. Not everyone has a parent or another person in their lives that consistently provides that feeling of safety. For many, to feel “safe” can feel like a priceless and rare dream, a precious gift always out of reach. On this Sunday that we often name the ...

2840. The Turning Point

John 13:31-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

In 1977, a movie came out starring Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft called “The Turning Point.” In the movie, Deedee, a former ballerina, decides to leave the ballet to get married and raise children. Now fast forward –her best friend Emma, who stayed in her ballet career, invites Deedee’s daughter Emilia to join her ballet company. This sparks both pride for her daughter but envy, regret, jealousy, and nostalgia for Deedee. The movie follows Deedee’s painful coming to terms with her past decisions and ...

2841. Keep On Moving

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. Why did the rooster cross the road? He had something to cock-a-doodle dooo! We laugh at these “old as time” chicken jokes, but think about it. The chicken is kind of wise! Look here, he’s not going to let anything stop him from getting to the other side of that road. He’s a chicken with a purpose, and his goal is to get to the other side of the road no matter what comes his way! Now that’s a chicken with a mission! I’ve seen a lot of animals not ...

2842. For Someone of Distinction

Matthew 5:13-16 · 2 Timothy 4:1-2, 6-8

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

If You Build It, They Will Come [You need to describe the wonderful experiences of that person’s life and tell of the wonderful memories they’ve left behind.] There was a movie made several years back that I believe many will remember. The movie starred Kevin Costner. It was entitled A Field of Dreams. It’s a beautiful, whimsical tale of a young farmer who hears a voice from a cornfield say: “If you build it, they will come!”[1] “Build what?” He wants to know. Build a baseball diamond was the answer. “Who ...

2843. For Someone Who Led A Magnificent Life

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 · 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 · 2 Corinthians 4:6-11 · Luke 24:13-35

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

A Wonderful Life [Review the places, the organizations, the committees, the individuals who would be bereft and impoverished had he or she not graced the stage of life.] This very day draws to a close the Christmas season and so I’m given the liberty of referencing a yuletide illustration, in particular, the Frank Capra’s movie classic: It’s a Wonderful Life. We all know the story. George Bailey, played by James Stewart, lives in the fictional town of Bedford Falls N.Y. where he marries a beautiful girl, ...

2844. A Song to Shake the World

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

In The Shawshank Redemption Andy Dufrense is sentenced to two back to back life terms for crimes he did not commit. That tough world of Shawshank Prison conspires to destroy humanity. Andy writes every week to the state legislature requesting books for the prison library. From out of nowhere, a huge shipment of used books and records, accompanied by a check, gets dumped in the warden's office. Andy puts one of the records on the prison record player. Intoxicated by the beauty of an aria, Andy locks out the ...

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