Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2901 to 2925 of 4914 results

2901. Wrestling with God

Genesis 32:22-31

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

How many of you are into the sport of wrestling? I guess I should clarify which kind of wrestling I’m talking about, because there are a surprising number of competitions with the word “wrestling” in them that aren’t exactly sports. I’m sure all of us have tried arm wrestling or thumb wrestling at one time or another. But have you tried toe wrestling? Two barefoot opponents lock their big toes together and try to pin each other’s foot down. Ouch. Some folks in Staffordshire, England, created the World Toe ...

2902. Proper 23

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

George Paul Mocko

Atlas, Hercules and Tantalus; a Powerful and Deadly Fruit; All About War and Rape and Divorce; Laziness and Guilt Trips and Punishment for All The Above But Don't Despair: a Touch of Salvation Too. As a boy, I was facinated with those Greek myths, the stories of Hercules and Atlas, Zeus and Mercury, Narcissus and Neptune. Let me tell you one of those - one which brings together the familiar words "Nectar", "Ambrosia", and "Tantalize". It was King Tantalus of Phrygia whose birth, as often is the case in ...

2903. The Master Has Come - To Be Lord of Life

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

He was eight years old, and mentally retarded. His name was Stephen. I do not know much about him. I only read his story in another church’s bulletin. But, I was touched by it. There were seven other children in his Sunday church school class. In the spring as Easter approached the children were asked to bring to Sunday church school those L’eggs panty hose containers, with some object inside which represented new life. Not wanting to embarrass Stephen, and being afraid he had not understood, the teacher ...

2904. Tears At The Tomb

John 11:17-37

Sermon

William G. Carter

By all appearances, the junior high youth group at First Church was going well. Bob and Betsy, their two enthusiastic advisors, planned a full calendar of events to keep them busy. The youth went to roller skating parties and winter retreats. They played a variety of sports, discussed a lot of movies, and celebrated every holiday with a party. But when it came to leading the young teens into the deeper waters of faith, Bob and Betsy were frustrated. One Sunday afternoon, Bob announced the group was ...

2905. Breaking The Tabboo

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

"Taboo." It's a strange, mysterious, ancient-sounding word that we don't use much any more in our modern, scientifically enlightened world. A taboo is something that is forbidden. A taboo is a prohibition. It is usually associated with something sacred and mysterious. Something that is taboo is set aside, never to be touched and desecrated by human hands. We are usually afraid of the taboo. We are in awe of its power. Taboos control us. In the ancient world certain places or things may have been considered ...

2906. The Scope Of The Spirit

Sermon

John A. Stroman

How is the power of the Holy Spirit within the Christian community related to divine activity in the world as a whole? Does the wind of the Spirit that blows within the church blow elsewhere in the world? There are those who almost instinctively sense that the Spirit is moving about in all levels of human activity seeking to unlock many doors and seeking to resolve many of our human dilemmas. In John 3:8 Jesus talks about the wind (pneuma) as the Spirit and that the wind "blows where it wills." This ...

2907. Proper 8

Luke 9:57-62, Galatians 5:16-26, 2 Kings 2:1-18, Luke 9:51-56

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 Elisha succeeds Elijah as prophet of Israel. Elisha was a faithful and devout disciple of Elijah. So loyal was he that he would not let Elijah out of his sight. Knowing that he was soon going to depart this world, Elijah asked Elisha what he could give him. Wisely Elisha asked for a double portion of his spirit. This was granted to Elisha, for when Elisha took Elijah's mantle, he used it to separate the waters of Jordan. The power and authority of Elijah's ...

2908. A Little Book Of Comfort

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Harold Warlick

The lectionary text for today is part of a larger unit that has sometimes been called "The Little Book of Comfort." Old Testament scholars view Jeremiah 30-31 as a collection of independent oracles inserted into the book of Jeremiah to introduce the hopeful chapter 32 where the prophet of doom evidences his faith in the ultimate redemption of God by purchasing a field at Anathoth.1 Certainly all of us need our little books of comfort. Life deals us its downs with its ups, its discomforts with its comforts ...

2909. The Strange Tactics Of God

2 Samuel 6:1-23

Sermon

Arthur H. Kolsti

Some of you will remember Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark, a film released several years ago but still showing up from time to time on cable and satellite television movie channels. Today we are going to trace a bit of the history of the ark as reported in 1 Samuel 4-6. We will not experience any of the dangers faced by Indiana Jones. We will encounter some marvelous Hebrew satire as well as some profound insight into the strange ways of God. But before starting I want to lift up two ...

2910. Jesus: The Ultimate Ordinary

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

Once again Jesus gives a curious, cryptic teaching that leaves us wondering. “I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.” These remarks are hard to interpret. Yet, as with all he says, we are inclined to believe they hold great value for us. Not long ago in a study group a man asked me if Jesus were “ordinary.” The question was unusual. On the spur of the moment I replied, “Of course, Jesus is ordinary.” His reply, “Jesus is the ultimate ordinary ...

2911. The Healing Of Simon Peter's Mother-In-Law

Mark 1:29-34

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

WHAT'S HAPPENING The Gospel called Mark wants to set a tone of direct action and quick response in this story. Mark shows an absence of dragging feet and suggests a sense of urgency. Jesus gets things done. From Mark's perspective, whatever happens around Jesus, the response is always immediate. "Immediately" is a favorite action word in the first chapter of Mark. After the baptism of Jesus, the Spirit immediately drives him out into the wilderness (Mark 1:12). When Jesus calls Simon and Andrew to be ...

2912. Fourth Sunday In Advent - Joy!

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Bulletin Aid

David M. Oliver

Introduction to this Service On this fourth Sunday of Advent, joy is theme of the service. Everyone is asked to bring a joyful spirit and a willingness to sing to the Lord. Not everyone feels what we commonly associate with joy. The holidays are difficult for some people. A meaning of joy that does not rely on pleasant circumstances is explored in this message. People may wonder what joy is, true joy, godly joy. We get a sense of the meaning of joy by hearing some contrasts. True joy is oftentimes quiet ...

2913. The Condition Of Mercy

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Donald Dotterer

Let us pray: Our Father and our God, on this day we give you thanks for all the blessings of our lives. In these moments, may we learn something about what it is for which we need to be most thankful. Lord, in these moments may we experience your mercy and your grace. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. A social psychologist by the name of David Myers has written a book titled The Pursuit of Happiness. The book has 59 pages of references and a 43-page bibliography. This large number of citations clearly ...

2914. Living The Alternatives

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

"Christ" is the Greek word for Messiah or King. To believe in Jesus Christ, therefore, is to affirm more than certain doctrinal statements about his divinity or the assurance of eternal life. To believe in Christ is to refuse to acknowledge anyone else in this life as King. It is to insist that the powers and principalities of this world do not have authority over us, even when they appear to be in charge. The New Testament writers boldly portray Jesus meeting the powers of this world head on in a showdown ...

2915. Proper 13

Mt 14:13-21 · Rom 8:31-39 · Ex 12:1-14 · Ps 143

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

The Miracle Of Feeding 5,000 A little lad was asked which was his favorite parable. He replied, "I like the one about the loafs and fishing." The kid may be confused whether the story of Jesus' feeding the 5,000 is a parable or a miracle. However, the miracle of multiplying is also a favorite of the gospel writers. This miracle of Jesus is the only one recorded by the four evangelists. In addition, there are two accounts of feeding the 4,000 which New Testament scholars consider to be different versions of ...

2916. Pie in The Sky

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Erskine White

[People] of Galilee, why do you stand looking at heaven? (Acts 1:11) When people are confused or afraid, when they feel that things are out of control, or when they feel helpless to overcome the problems which confront them, they often resort to "pie in the sky" religion. They look for Jesus to come and fix what they can't fix for themselves. They figure that one day, as if by magic, Jesus will make everything right for them in the "sweet bye and bye." That's a bit like what the disciples are doing in our ...

2917. God's Christmas Greeting

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

Robert Beringer

Christmas is the time of year for sending messages. That's why the postal service estimates some five billion Christmas cards and letters will be mailed in the next few weeks. By anyone's standard, that's a lot of money, time and trouble invested in sending a message of good news to friends and family. But messages are important, and for many of us, Christmas is the only time in the year when we hear from old and distant friends. Christmas is a time when God sends a message to the world as well, and these ...

2918. Death of a Nineteen-year-old

Philippians 4:2-9

Eulogy

Louis M. Pratt

A Strange Victory This sermon was for the family of a nineteen-year-old man and deals with the problem of young people dying. Death is seen as a friend when it comes to a loved one in the fulness of years, when the prospect is no longer for a full life but instead for a limited, and sometimes painful, existence. And so the Greeks spoke of a good life being capped by a "good" death, one that came with dignity, and peacefully, at the end of a long and useful life. Often we speak of how peacefully someone ...

2919. Dealing with the Devil

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Johnny Dean

I used to believe that children were born pure and innocent. Then I became a parent. Now I believe in original sin. When my oldest son was about three years old, I was outside doing some yard work one afternoon. I took Kevin outside to play while I trimmed the hedges. Holding his hand, I knelt down beside him so that we could look at each other face to face. Slowly and carefully I said, "Now, Kevin, you can play here in our front yard. You can go next door and play in your friend’s front yard. You can ride ...

2920. The Ultimate Question

Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

We have often heard it stated that a person's wisdom is measured, not by the questions that he answers, but by the questions that he asks. If I were to ask you what the ultimate question in life was, you might, because I am a clergyman or a theologian, reply that the most important question a person can ask is: "Does God really exist?" And you would have missed completely. We know, for instance, that if you ask that question of Americans, about ninety-five percent of them would affirm that there is a God ...

2921. Proper 13

Romans 8:31-39

Bulletin Aid

Second Lesson: Romans 8:31-39 Theme: Christ makes us victorious Call to Worship Pastor: God's love is a permanent gift which can never be taken from us. People: Jesus has made that love forever ours through his death on the cross. Pastor: There are still strong powers of evil in our world; but they cannot separate us from God's love. People: We are certain that God gives us victory over all these powers, keeping us in his love through Christ Jesus our Lord! Collect Almighty God, whose love in Christ can ...

2922. Second Lesson

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

We’re back on the hillside again, and Jesus is still talking to his disciples. The Beatitudes constitute a first lesson, which all hangs together when we look at them and reflect upon them. From the end of the Beatitudes through the next two and a half chapters of Matthew’s Gospel, we seem to have fragments from Jesus’ three-year teaching ministry that are strung together in didactic disarray. One wonders, since neither Mark nor John reports anything like the Sermon on the Mount, and although Luke does ...

2923. God’s Safety Net

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

D. Wayne Burkette

Political jargon over the last decade has given us a new understanding of an old term. The term is ‘safety net.’ My first recollection of a safety net was at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus when it was still performing under the big top. Who could forget those daring acrobats balanced on the trapeze or high wire and, under them, a net. When the act was finished they would fall gracefully from their lofty perch into the open arms of the net, a kind of tease, I suppose, a hint of the ...

2924. The Shortest Distance Is Not A Straight Line

Sermon

Harold Warlick

None of us relishes complications. We want issues to be simple. But now the freshmen are no longer freshmen - they've got four months under their belts in college. Rush week is over so some are now in fraternities and sororities. Faculty are complaining that second term has been just as rushed and frantic as the first. Dr. Warlick isn't new anymore. People are used to Wednesday nights instead of Sunday mornings as the time for worship. Attendance patterns and the reasons for them become more ambiguous. ...

2925. Ascension Day

Ephesians 1:15-23

Bulletin Aid

Theme: The immeasurable greatness of God's power Exegetical note Sandwiched (or perhaps "buried") in the hopelessly rambling prayer contained here (in a single sentence with a barrage of genitives!) is the assertion of "the immeasurable greatness" of God's power in believers, as evidenced in the resurrection and ascension of Christ Jesus, with whom and through whom God has shared that "greatness of power," to the benefit of the Church, Christ's body. Call to Worship (based on Psalm 47) Leader: Let us sing ...

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