Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2851 to 2875 of 4972 results

2851. Three In One

John 16:12-15

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... you all.” In our passage for today, John recorded the words of Jesus as he was preparing to die. He had one final meeting with the twelve. At one point in the conversation, Jesus seemed to wrap it up and said, “Come now; let us leave” (John 14:31). They didn’t leave, however, and he went on to speak and pray for what we now identify as three more chapters. I can remember times as a child when my parents would invite people over to the house. It was not unusual to hear someone say, “Well, we’ve ...

2852. The Thing About Evil

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... and vanquish evil in a single swoop. They knew Jesus was Jewish. They knew he was a foreigner. They were amazed at what he could do. But it was so outside of their realm of understanding and experience that they wanted nothing to do with it. So, Jesus did leave them. But not before telling the man he had healed to tell everyone what God had gone for him. Now that’s clever evangelism! We hear the truth more easily from those we know and trust. Today, we may not identify evil in the same ways as people did ...

2853. Unconditional Commitment

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... sort of disciples. You’re in or you’re out. Look ahead, not behind. Once you come on the road with me, there’s no turning back. Can you look ahead and not back? Can you leave your friends and family? Can you risk danger, little sleep, rejection, and discouragement? Do you know what you’re committing to? If you do, “The train leaves at 9:02. If you’re not on it, you’ve lost your shot.” We most often look at Jesus as a kind, loving, gentle person, and he certainly was. But he was also tough as ...

2854. Sheep and Shepherds

John 10:11-16 · Psalm 23

Sermon

Will Willimon

... s life for one's family, or one's best friend, or even for one's nation. But to sacrifice a life for a sheep—can such undistinguished animals be worth so great a cost? Hardly? “He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees,” notes Jesus. “He flees because he cares nothing for the sheep.” The hireling may flee simply because he or she is a good judge of the relative value of sheep. The hireling's behavior is nothing but prudence. A while back our local ...

2855. How Did I Get That Job?

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... importance of material things when juxtaposed to the things of the heart and of God’s kingdom. As is usually the situation, Jesus didn’t leave it as a simple admonition. He added a parable to drive the point home. In this case, it’s the story we have come to ... is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). It’s pretty apparent where this guy’s heart was. But where does that leave us? How do we become rich toward God? What does that even mean? I think it means we need to develop a heart for ...

2856. Depart from Me

Luke 5:1-11 · Isaiah 6:1-8

Sermon

Will Willimon

... what it really is. And all of us who came here to catch just a glimpse of God get more than we wanted and cry, ''Depart from me!'' You were warned. ''It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.'' Why could he not leave Peter with his nets, fishing? Why could he not let us be, content with our little lies, masks fixed firmly in place, quite happy to play our games. As Eliot declared, ''Mankind cannot accept too much reality.'' Of course, I'm a preacher, one accustomed to climbing out and ...

2857. Christmas Is Out of Control

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

John Jamison

... ; the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the priests, and the scribes. “Woe to you…” he said, describing them as hypocrites who use their position for wealth and power, instead of for mercy and faith. He said they were like somebody who polishes the outside of a cup but leaves the inside all moldy and messy. He said they were like someone who strained the gnat out of wine, but swallowed a camel. He said they looked beautiful on the outside, but on the inside, they were like a pile of dead man’s bones. He ...

2858. The Potter's Secret

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... come close to what Jesus had in mind. What would Jesus’ kind of discipleship look like today? As Jesus said to the crowds back then, you need to renounce everything you’ve known and understood for your entire life, be willing to let go of everything familiar and leave it all behind. You need to be willing to stand tall while others scoff and disagree with you. You need to carry the weight of the world upon your shoulders and be willing to go against the grain. You need to sit down, look at the state of ...

2859. Missing!

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the rest of the flock to go and search for the missing sheep. You would do the same. Perhaps you have 5 or 6 pets at home. But if Fluffy the housecat accidentally gets out, you will leave the other pets safely in the house while you search high and low to recover your missing pet. Now in Jesus’ day, sheep were not pets, but they were valuable commodity. And the shepherd held responsibility for their well-being. Still, when you spend that much time with an animal, ...

2860. A Pep Talk for a New Year

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... Smarter Than Us” by Eric Spitznagel, Men's Health, January 10, 2017. https://www.menshealth.com/trending-news/a19536383/advice-from-kids/. 4. “Parked for 435 days: First Officer leaves letter in A321 in March 2020 to serve as pandemic time capsule,” Staff Writer Jun 4, 2021. https://news.delta.com/parked-435-days-first-officer-leaves-letter-a321-march-2020-serve-pandemic-time-capsule. 5. "How to Survive a Doomsday Cult" Slate interview by David Epstein with Hannah Stott and Michael Slate.com March 4 ...

2861. If It Had Been a Snake

John 1:29-42

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... in Jesus’ appearance or his circumstances. He still looks like an average Joe. He’s still a carpenter from Nazareth. But suddenly, John looks past his biases and distractions and sees Jesus for who he really is. And two of John’s disciples see it too. They immediately leave John and begin following Jesus. What did John see? And how would it change our lives if we could see Jesus for who he really is? The first thing John saw was that Jesus is the hope of the world. Let’s look back at Genesis 3 for ...

2862. The Complete Picture

John 11:1-45

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... is to redeem all of creation and heal humanity someday. In the meantime, God came in the flesh in Jesus Christ to walk with us through our suffering and brokenness and grief. (3) But in the life of Lazarus, Jesus showed us that God will not leave us in our suffering and brokenness and grief. In the raising of Lazarus, Jesus is showing us God’s ultimate plan to release us from the power of death and the grave. After Martha’s accusation, Jesus replies, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered ...

2863. In the Wilderness

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

April Yamasaki

In Hannah Hurnard’s classic allegory, Hinds’ Feet on High Places, little Much-Afraid leaves her home in the Valley to journey to the High Places at the invitation of the Great ... of scripture. It is written, I remind myself: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine” (Isaiah 42:1). It is written: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John ...

2864. On the Mountaintop

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... my husband and I see a movie in a theater, we’re generally the last to leave. Other movie goers have already gathered up their coats and left the building. An usher stands ... miss anything. At the end of some movies, we’ve been rewarded with a surprise extra scene that makes the movie even more satisfying or sets up for a sequel. So instead of leaving early, we’ve learned to linger in case there’s more to the story. We stay in our seats as if we’re not ready for the movie to end. I imagine that ...

2865. Mandatum

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

... equally by all. But, for the Corinthian church that was no longer the case. Those who arrived early began to eat and get drunk be- fore those who had to travel further arrived. Also, those who arrived early and those who had more money would eat too much, leaving little or no food for those who traveled further and for those who were poor. Paul wrote that the meal that was supposed to be, in the Greek, kurakon diepnon, or a common meal, had become idiom diepnon, or a series of private meals. In the Greek ...

2866. What Fills Your Life Now?

Acts 7:55-60

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... of COVID-19 in January, 2021. Due to quarantine restrictions, the sisters could not visit him in the hospital in his last days. After his death, his last message to his family was found scrawled by his bedside: it has been such a good life. What kind of man leaves a legacy like that? In an interview, Abrielle said, “He made everyone feel loved and he saw the good in everyone. I really take that with me in my life.” Anna agreed, saying, “If we can just be even a portion of the person he was then I’ll ...

2867. The Way For Troubled Hearts

John 14:1-14

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... had good reason to be anxious. Our text formed part of Jesus’ farewell speech to his disciples after their last supper together and before Jesus would be arrested, put on trial, and crucified. Jesus had just given them three pieces of disturbing news: 1) he would be leaving, and they wouldn’t be able to come with him; 2) one of them would betray him; and 3) Peter would deny him. How could any of that possibly be? The disciples had left home, family, and livelihood to follow Jesus, and he was saying they ...

2868. Invincible

John 14:15-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... they are afraid, that they feel alone and hapless, that they feel lost without his presence, that they lack the confidence they need to fulfill the mission he has in store for them. This scripture is one of reassurance. He tells them, he will by no means leave them alone or “orphaned.” He assures them that they will “see” him. And he drives home that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. Although they may not physically see him, he will be with them. He is the “Way, the Truth, and the ...

2869. Living the FIRE Life

John 17:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... cannot be described other than “so fire!” The gospel writer John often writes philosophically and ethereally, sometimes losing us in his lofty descriptions and theology. But Jesus’ message is clear. He is passing on his status, his knowledge, and his blessing to those he is leaving behind. He wants them to know that they will have the opportunity, as he did, to enter into the “life of God,” to know God in a way that will give them super energy and fuel for their mission, and that they will have a ...

2870. The Cost of Commitment

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... a nearby trash can. He discovered a tiny baby boy in the can. The baby, covered in stinging ants, was screaming in pain and fear. Other people gathered to stare, but no one offered to help. Jimmy had no idea what to do, but he knew he couldn’t leave the baby behind, so he took the baby to his mother’s house. He and his mother cleaned this child and fed him. They searched for the baby’s parents, and contacted the local police, but nothing came of their search. Jimmy wrestled with the idea of adopting ...

2871. When You Are Weary

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... from Naomi’s town lived on the side of a mountain. But when Boko Haram, armed with guns and bombs, set out to capture the refugees, they fled again to a camp in Cameroon. They also settled for a time in an emergency camp in Nigeria but were forced to leave again. As Naomi said, “I did not know where to go, so I cried to God.” Some workers from Voice of the Martyrs helped Naomi and her children find a home, and they enrolled her children in a local school. In spite of the trauma they have experienced ...

2872. A Second Look

Matthew 5:27-48

Sermon

Will Willimon

... visiting anything that was free, walking the streets, eating our lunch out of a paper bag to save money. In Grand Central Station, on our way home, a young man came up to me and told me that his wallet had been stolen, that the last train to Albany was leaving, and that he needed ten dollars for a ticket. He would pay me back, he said, as he worked in Albany for IBM. Perhaps remembering Jesus' words to "Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you," I gave him the ten ...

2873. Immediately, They Followed

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Will Willimon

... a boy on the end of the dog, a red and blue ball beside the dog, four balloons over the boy, a daisy. You think I am going to leave this text alone with just a couple of fisherman, Jesus, and "Follow me"? "It was a bright, cloudless day in Galilee. The waves gently lapped along the shore, surging ... we are inherently evasive. In our wildest imaginations, most of us cannot imagine that it is possible to leave everything and to follow on the basis of a simple invitation and promise. We are not simple, taciturn, ...

2874. You've Got Spirit

Luke 3:15-22 · Acts 8:14-17 · Psalm 29 · Isaiah 61:1-4

Sermon

Will Willimon

... heal, enabled us to invite. It was the Spirit that did it. The Spirit. I'm just an ordinary man who got inspired. Get it?" (Acts 8) Toward the end of John's gospel, as Jesus prepares to go to his cross, he tells his grieving disciples, "I will not leave you comfortless. I will send to you the Holy Spirit, the Comforter" (John 17). That sounds so comfy and cozy, doesn't it? The Spirit as Comforter. Well, there is comfort, and then there is comfort. In the Bayeux tapestry there is a scene in which a column of ...

2875. Glimpses of Eternity

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Will Willimon

... week is the beginning of Lent, the season of the cross. In three days, in this chapel, people will have ashes smeared on their foreheads as a sign of their walk with Jesus down the narrow way of obedience, a way which leads on Good Friday to pain and death. Leave here today and you are on your way back to that cruciform valley. But as you go to be a disciple wherever you make your home in the valley, know this: In Jesus Christ, God's past has come to fruition, the law and the prophets find their glorious ...

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