Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2876 to 2900 of 4490 results

2876. Pentecost 4

Psalm 100:1-5, Genesis 25:19-34, Exodus 19:1-25, Romans 5:1-11, Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The eschatological stance of the church year continues to throw its theological aura around the assigned readings for the day. It insists that the call to the ministry of the church and the proclamation of the gospel began with the calling and naming of the disciples, and that the church must establish evangelism as its outward thrust and its reach into the world. The church is evangelical by the work and definition accorded it by Jesus Christ; its business is the Word of God, and ...

2877. Proper 15 & Pentecost 13

Isaiah 56:1-8, Psalm 67:1-7, Psalm 78:1-72, Exodus 16:1-36, Romans 11:11-24, Romans 11:25-32, Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The phrase used in the title for the day, "after Pentecost," reminds the church and its preachers that the journey to Christ the King Sunday is roughly half-completed. The Holy Spirit is still at work in the church, bringing people to the Lord, undergirding the faith of the believers, and inspiring the people of God to devote themselves to good works and loving service in the name of Jesus Christ. Of itself, the church year "theological framework" has little direct influence upon the ...

2878. Advent 3

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Purple/Blue Gospel: Matthew 11:2-11 Theme: Wonder - Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another? How can we recapture our wonder? Declaration of our Joyful Expectation One congregation used this: Pastor: Listen! (pause) Listen! (pause) Listen! Do you hear God? Ministers: We do hear God. Pastor: (pause) How do you hear God? Ministers: In the plaintive crys, in the joyous shouts, in the pain and the pleasures of the world. Pastor: (pause) I invite us to become even more ...

2879. The Most Beautiful Sacrifice

Mark 14:1-11

Drama

Setting: Lights dim, except for center area of the stage. A woman appears, wearing shawl or head covering, carrying an opaque flask or vase and a towel. Throughout the drama, she should be busy, or talk as she works. Perhaps other props might include table and water basin, food and utensils. Text: Mark 14:1-16 Cast: A woman from Bethany A man in the congregation who will sit among the people in a place where he can stand and be heard. Time: Her testimony is timeless, although the events she describes ...

2880. Stuffed Bodies and Skinny Souls!

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. Behold, I made him a ...

2881. As Good As God

Leviticus 19:1-37

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

The Lord said to Moses, "Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel, You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy. You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go up and down as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand forth against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbor ...

2882. "American Express Traveler’s Cheques ..."

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Peter Rudowski

Parables - short stories - are very effective ways to communicate ideas. Again and again we read in the Scriptures parables which are used to communicate God’s message to us. Jesus is a master at the short story. He tells us that the kingdom of God is like a father who had a son leave home with his inheritance. The son is welcomed home after a disastrous journey. Or, the kingdom of God is like a woman who lost a coin and celebrates when she finds it. Or, the kingdom of God is like a field with a treasure ...

2883. A Tale to be Told

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

George Bass

In James Michener’s recent novel, Space, Astronaut John Pope is asked by the President of the United States of America to make a good-will tour of the world after an astounding flight to the Moon. In Autralia, he meets a Korean newspaper woman, Cindy, whose real name is Rhee Soon-Ka, who wants to write the story of the astronauts for her paper. They go to an inn and talk at considerable length - and innocently - but a story reaches Washington that Pope and Cindy are having an affair. NASA, the State ...

2884. The Three Faces of God

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

Let’s get our theology straight It makes a world of difference what we live by. It determines our lives. Jesus gave us a broad, sound base on which to build our lives and our relationships: "Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." Jesus was at one with the Father and at one with the Holy Spirit The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit are one - the eternal living reality at the heart of the universe. Late one night I was ...

2885. Faith Opens the Door

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

Faith opens the door in the human spirit that allows an individual to step from one dimension of living into a higher dimension of living. Dr. Charles Allen tells of a desperate layman who called him one morning over the phone and urgently requested him to come to his office. The businessman continued, "Would you tell me what it means to be a Christian? I have got to know." We ministers are challenged by such a request, but how do we answer the question? It all begins with faith. Faith is a personal ...

2886. Dessert in the Desert

Deut 32:10-12 · Ez 37

Sermon

Robert Noblett

On one occasion our family went to a park for a picnic, and as my wife and I sat watching our children play, we beheld the most unsettling of sights. There was a child, perhaps eleven months of age, playing in the sand next to his mother, and he was eating handfuls of sand the way you and I consume handfuls of Planters Peanuts. One of his siblings brought this matter to the attention of his mother and her comment was, "Don’t worry about it; it won’t hurt him!" After watching him wolf down a few handfuls of ...

2887. The Circus and My Faith

Ps 139 · Mt 22:37

Sermon

Robert Noblett

The Bible admonishes us to love God, but it also embellishes on the point. It admonishes us to love God with all the heart that we have, all the soul that we have and all the mind that we have. Our intent in these pages is to land on the third dimension of our love for God, our willingness to love God with our minds. That may strike some as a bit unusual - loving someone with our mind (we usually love with our hearts), but then loving God is a different matter than loving our spouses or our children. ...

2888. Food for Faith

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Pentecost XI Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. As he went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to ...

2889. The Poor - With Us Always?

Sermon

Harold Warlick

The weather was typical of winter in Oconee County, South Carolina: wet, hazy, and cold. I wheeled my rattling Rambler into the driveway of a small frame house. Walking up the poorly-kept lawn, I shuffled toward a screenless front door. Behind that door I would find two small children walking stark naked through the dirt on the floor. No heat would comfort them this day when the temperature had plunged to near freezing. A television set, a broken-down sofa, and a bed comprised the entire furnishings of the ...

2890. Fingertip Embalming

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

Have you ever noticed? It seems that there is always one at every party. No matter how carefully you select the guests, there is always one - the wet blanket, the killjoy, the party pooper, the spoilsport, the kind of person to whom you’d like to say: "I never forget a face, but in your case, I’m going to make an exception." I am reminded of the mother whom I was visiting in a home and, as we visited, the sounds of the children’s hilarity was coming up from the family room below. Finally, the mother got up ...

2891. I know You by Name

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

Jon L. Joyce

YET THOU HAST SAID, ‘I KNOW YOU BY NAME.’ How often in Holy Scripture the promise of personhood is carried out by Almighty God. As for instance, when he speaks through Isaiah in the first verse of the 34th Chapter: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, and you are mine." Or as that promise is fulfilled in the New Testament in John 10:3: "He calleth his own sheep by name." Think of the wonder of it that the individual human being is known to Almighty God by name. The deepest desire ...

2892. Is Someone Knocking?

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Have you ever been blamed for something that was not your fault? It's not pleasant. I heard about a retired Admiral who had such an experience. He was taking his six-year-old grandson on a tour of the great Plaza Hotel in Detroit. They were riding the elevator to the top when suddenly a young woman turned and slapped the Admiral sharply across the face. The Admiral, with great restraint, kept his dignity. As a true gentleman he said nothing. Up a few floors the young lady got off the elevator. Then the boy ...

2893. Crossing Over

Joshua 3:1-4:24

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Today as I look out upon this great congregation, gathered for the first time in many years in one place, I feel a strange blend of excitement and anxiety. Perhaps this is what a paratrooper feels just before his initial leap out of an airplane. It's a glorious experience but a little frightening too. I felt a similar mixture of excitement and anxiety recently, on the golf course, of all places. I was invited to play at Southwinds by two good friends who are excellent golfers. Though I am just a mediocre ...

2894. Whispering The Lyrics (revised)

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Thomas Long

Many of you probably have stashed away in a drawer somewhere around your home the old 45 rpm records. If you have some from the 50s and early 60s you will have Elvis' grinding out "Hound Dog," Buddy Holly and the Crickets' hiccupping "Peggy Sue," Chuck Berry's joyful hot licks in "Maybellene," the Coasters' slapstick tour de force "Charlie Brown," the mournful "Tears On My Pillow" by Little Anthony and the Imperials, the impenetrable and probably scandalous "Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen, and the teenaged ...

2895. When The Word Became Flesh

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Here we are in the heart of the Advent season. Most churches are preparing for Christmas pageants of various kinds. Usually children are involved, and therefore things don't always go according to script. In one pageant I heard about, the innkeeper of Bethlehem was played by a boy named Ralph. He had very much wanted to play the part of Joseph, but that part was given to someone else. Ralph decided to take some revenge. On the day of the play, the fellowship hall was filled to capacity. Mary and Joseph ...

2896. The Trinity

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Brett Blair

A preacher proudly boasted that he does not preach doctrinal sermons. They are boring he asserts and people do not understand or relate to them. Further, he claimed, I am a preacher and not a theologian. I get down do the practical issues and simply preach Christ crucified. His thinking is faulty at several points. First, he is wrong when he says that he is not a theologian. The fact is that everyone to a certain extent is a theologian. Theology is nothing more than what you think about God. Well, shouts ...

2897. Even The Bosses Wash Feet!

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

About two years ago Michael Jordon, the world's greatest basketball player, announced his retirement. Later he repented and returned to the hardwood. But at the time of his retirement the owner of his Chicago Bulls team said this: "Michael is living the American dream. This American Dream is to reach a point in your life where you don't have to do anything you don't want to do and can do everything you do want to do." That is the American Dream, isn't it? Even we Christians yearn for a situation in which ...

2898. Overcoming Fear

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Many years ago when I was a young preacher, I noticed that a new family had moved into a neighborhood not far from our church. So I dropped by late one afternoon. I noticed that one car was parked in the carport. I went to the side door, the one opening onto the carport. I had rung the door bell only once when I heard a deep, bass growl that sounded like the rolling of thunder. It was coming from the back of the carport and it made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up. I glanced to my left and ...

2899. Resurrection: Temporal to Eternal

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

Almost two thousand years ago today The stone upon His grave was rolled away, And in the blinding darkness of the tomb He rose and shattered there the grief and gloom Within the hearts of those who worshiped Him. Although that day and time have now grown dim, One message through the ages has been hurled: His love is hope and light for all the world. And as the dawn of Easter fills the skies We, too, with Him in spirit must arise; For even underneath us in the earth There is a faithful promise of rebirth. ...

2900. Resurrection: From Sin to a Second Chance

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

The afternoon sun was waning as the shepherd boy, David, led his sheep down the well-worn path that led from the green pastures to the pool of still water where his flock would quench their thirst before heading back to the fold. He glanced back at the flock following him; then stopped and looked more closely. Where was Ayin, his big ram? One of the lambs was gone, too. The shepherd boy shaded his eyes against the late afternoon sun. In the distance he saw the big ram lumbering down the hill along a ...

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