Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2926 to 2950 of 2962 results

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... ourselves conforming to it. Re-defining what sin is. Accepting our distorted systems and distorted lives instead of standing fully in our identity and relationship as children of God. But Jesus assures us that God has a plan to restore creation to God’s original design. The kingdom of heaven is the culmination of God’s vision for and promise to humanity. That’s why it was Jesus’ favorite subject to teach and preach about. Notice that from the creation story in the Garden of Eden to the last images ...

2927. House of God

1 Kings 8:22-30

Sermon

Will Willimon

... of learning a laboratory is the pride and prize. There we may expect science to reign supreme. At others the stadium holds first place. There athletics dominate the campus. Here library, laboratory, and stadium all have their proper place, but integrated with them in the designer's dream is this place of prayer and praise. The chapel says to the world that here God has the preeminence and that all life should be lived under His shadow, within the sound of His voice, and under the influence of His beauty and ...

2928. Rest

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Sermon

William G. Carter

... Every one of us has an answer uniquely based on who they are, how they are growing, and how they are wondrously made. In my house, my wife picks up yarn and needles, and imagines a hat for a premature infant; although these days, she is just as likely to design and create a kitchen table or a backyard deck. It is an awesome thing to be married to a woman with a nail gun. Meanwhile I sit in my blue chair, juggling metaphors or scratching out a new jazz melody. All of us are wired differently. The lady up the ...

2929. A Good Name

Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9

Sermon

Will Willimon

... affirmation of character, a recognition that she is a "Character'' - a coherent, purposeful personality whose life is more than unrelated, knee jerk reactions to "one damn thing after another."' Ethics is not only heroic choice and decision -- that is a modem fiction designed further to fragment our lives, to deceive us into thinking that our real problem is in making right choices rather than in living right lives. For most of us, ethics is not so much what we decide but the little, unselfconscious way we ...

2930. Who Are These?

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Will Willimon

... named "Sheila." When asked about religion, Sheila says, "I consider myself religious, but I don't know when I've been to church. My religion is just my own little voice. I guess you could call my religion 'Sheilaism'." A religious journal designated Sheila as "The Theologian of the Eighties." Sheila is us. A Duke student noted recently that, on this campus as on nearly any other, it is as if religion is the one unmentionable activity. We talk about everything -- sex, politics, economics. But religion ...

2931. Stay—Tuned

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... earliest of the four that we find in the New Testament. There were other writings circulating in the early church before Mark appeared instructive materials concerning Christian behavior, and advice about dealing with those in the surrounding cultures — but none of them were designed to provide an overview of the life and ministry of Jesus. This one was breaking new ground. It begins with words that might be construed as either a title or simply a summary of what we are about to encounter. In the phrasing ...

2932. The Fearful Meeting

Genesis 32:1-20; 33:1-4, 12-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

... , the two caused such a commotion, Rebekah went into bad pre-partum depression. When she was delivered, the twins came out with Jacob clutching his brother's heel. They called the second twin Jacob, which sometimes meant "Grabber" and other times meant "Heel." Either designation fit Jacob. Mom loved Jacob, Dad loved Esau, says the story. (They were not model parents.) Jacob took advantage of Esau at a weak moment (most of Esau's moments were weak moments) and duped him out of his birthright. With Mom's help ...

2933. How About Some Applause for the Creator?

Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... donkey, headed for the tiny town of Bethlehem, where she was turned away from the only available inn. Forced to give birth in a lowly stable, then before she could return home, she found herself fleeing to Egypt with her husband Joseph to escape the murderous designs of King Herod. Life was not easy for the family of Jesus, but Love found a way. Love always does. As the author of the hymn reminds us, “Love came down at Christmas.” There is something about Christmas that brings out the best in people. At ...

2934. More Than Just Image

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... cynical world, Jesus is our example and our hope. And this Sunday is set aside to remind us that one day Jesus will establish God’s Kingdom on the earth. So as we examine this passage from Ezekiel 34, I want us to see God’s original design for leadership. We can’t understand the value of godly leadership until we contrast it with ungodly leadership. We can’t understand or appreciate the blessing of knowing Jesus as our King until we compare him to every human leader in history. And then we see how ...

2935. Wrapped in a Cloud

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... be swaddled – wrapped and swaddled not just in a blanket but in a cloud. In our lingo, we have a saying: “she has her head in the clouds.” For us it means, someone is a dreamer, his or her mind and thoughts are elsewhere. We designate that person most often as impractical, blissfully ignorant, unaware of the practicalities of life, imaginative and disconnected with the world. Usually, when we say this about someone, we don’t mean it as a compliment. But perhaps we should. For those who encounter God ...

2936. I Am Somebody!

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the Feast of the Three Kings on January 6th — Epiphany (which for many has become the Feast of Taking Down the Decorations!). Today I want to suggest that there is one more holiday we should be observing — this day, the one the liturgical calendar designates to remember the Baptism of the Lord. If the witness of scripture is to be taken seriously, this day must be even more important than those others. After all, only Matthew and Luke record anything about Jesus’ birth, but all four gospels report his ...

2937. Nothing Special Friday

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

Mary Austin

... are going to the bank, to exercise, to shop for groceries. People are going to work and coming home. They are getting coffee, standing in line for a bagel, and chopping food for dinner. They’re typing away, writing emails, developing code, designing buildings. Other people are giving or receiving medical tests, taking chemo and radiation, sitting through the hours of dialysis. All over, there’s nothing special about today. And, it turns out, there’s nothing special about Jesus, either. We’re here ...

2938. The Lord Is With Us

Luke 1:26-38, 2 Samuel 7:1-17, Romans 16:1-27

Sermon

Will Willimon

... , not with lofty ideals and grand abstractions but with historical particulars. Intellectuals want God to be the unmoved mover or the ground of all being, and here is some farmer on his knees praying for rain so that his soybeans won't fail. We design a definition of the atonement as the liberation of all humanity through a more just and equitable economic community, then comes some fanatic who wants to be washed in the blood of the lamb. Oh, we erect elaborate defenses against the scandal of particularity ...

2939. On Rendering to God and to Caesar

Mark 12:13-17, Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon

Will Willimon

... of mail the whole week. This meant that the Methodist church received no mailings from the conference office in Bismarck. For the first time in its life the little congregation knew not whether the second Sunday in January had been designated as “United Nations Sunday,” “World Brotherhood Sunday,” or “Festival of the Christian Home Sunday.” They had no bulletin inserts to hand out. The preacher had no snappy sermon starter suggestions. They were in a horrible state for Methodists -- no cause ...

2940.

Psalm 76:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... . Yahweh’s deliverance of Jerusalem from Assyrian invasion in 701 B.C. may be a case in point (Isa. 36–37). 76:1–3 The psalm begins with Judah’s special knowledge of Yahweh. His name, or self-revelation, is great in Israel. The terms chosen to designate Yahweh’s dwelling in Zion point to the antiquity of the tradition. The term for Jerusalem is Salem, its pre-Israelite name (Gen. 14:18). The term for his tent (Hb. sōk), meaning “hut,” may allude to the ancient tabernacle (27:5; cf. 2 Sam. 11 ...

2941.

Psalm 100:1-5

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... claimants to deity, is God. The rest of the verse unpacks the significance of this. The claim, it is he who made us, can refer to God’s roles as creator of humankind and as creator of a covenant people (cf. Isa. 43:1, 15; 44:2). The designations, his people and the sheep of his pasture (cf. 23:1), point particularly to the latter role. These phrases, among others, are closely paralleled in Psalm 95, where both divine roles are in view: he is both cosmic Creator and “our God” in particular (vv. 3–7 ...

2942.

Psalm 110:1-7

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... some support from the priestly order of Melchizedek, which may point to David’s appointment of the line of “Zadok,” a name that derives from the same Hebrew root. It is perhaps significant that “the priests who have charge of the altar” are designated as “the sons of Zadok” in Ezekiel 40:46, etc. It names the order of Zadok, not the order of Aaron, as the priestly line. If, however, the Davidic king is addressed, the Davidic dynasty is here granted the more ancient, royal prerogatives of ...

2943.

Psalm 139:1-24

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... with reference to God. The interest reflected here is not to clear the speaker’s name before accusers and society but to establish his willingness to live in relationship with God and thus participate in his worship. The psalm was probably designed not as a special prayer for particular accused persons but as a regular prayer for the general population of Yahweh’s worshipers. (We should note that Ps. 104 focuses entirely on Yahweh’s creative work until its closing verse, which likewise expresses ...

2944.

Psalm 143:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... is no third party here, so this may be likened to a criminal case (further on this analogy, see C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms [London: Geoffrey Bles, 1958], pp. 15–22). Third, we need to consider the chief function of the designations “the righteous” and “the wicked” in the liturgies of temple entry (which include Ps. 26). Here worshipers were asked to confess their loyalty to Yahweh’s prescribed way of “the righteous.” Otherwise, they must be counted among “the wicked” who were ...

2945.

Psalm 149:1-9

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... rescues from “deceitful foreigners” (144:6–11) and thwarts and destroys “the wicked” (145:20; 146:9; 147:6, to list only references in Pss. 144–148), God’s people remind God to execute his justice and punishment on the peoples. Similarly, two psalms of Yahweh’s kingship, both also designated “a new song” in 96:1 and 98:1, sing of his “coming to judge the earth.”

2946. Body

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... himself to possess all-surpassing power, this power is not inherently Paul’s own; it is from God (v. 7b; cf. 6:7; 12:9; 12:12). 4:8–18 In this section, Paul elaborates on his “earthenware” apostolic experience by a series of antithetic statements designed to show that, despite the apostle’s suffering and dying, God is the source of power in his ministry. By the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus, God enables Paul to persevere in the midst of persecution; he makes Paul’s ministry of ...

2947. Zion's New Name

Isaiah 62:1-12

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... why you ought to have done so). In 59:21 the testimony related to Yahweh’s promise that the community would always have Yahweh’s word. Verse 1 of chapter 61 is a brisk introduction to the account of the prophet’s message that is designed to encourage people to take its good news seriously. In 61:10 the prophet again stands for the whole community. In 62:1 the testimony encourages the community by promising it that the prophet will faithfully fulfill the calling of intercessor until Yahweh implements ...

2948. Yada, Yada, Yada!

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... perhaps said it best in his painting of “God and Adam.” In one of his most famous paintings, called “The Creation” in the Sistine Chapel depicts God reaching a hand toward Adam, and Adam in his weakness, responding in need. We as human beings were designed to be in relationship. God created the entire world to be in relationship. It’s the way we thrive. It’s the way we breathe. In relationship with God, we live our best life and reach our best potential as human beings. It’s the way ...

2949. Beloved

Mark 7:24-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the strength of what binds us together as a “common” people, as a “common” creation! Jesus spends a lot of time in the passages we are reading right now to make sure we understand that all people are beloved of God –even those designated by the Jewish faithful as “gentiles.” He has just spent a great deal of time explaining to his disciples and the Pharisees that what makes someone “common” or koine (translated in our scriptures as defiled) has nothing to do with heritageor rule following ...

2950. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

Mark 9:30-37 · Proverbs 31:10-31 · Psalm 1

Sermon

Thomas C. Willadsen

... to the stories that people tell. When people repeat their stories, repeat your listening. Try to find out why this story is so important.” I used to visit a member of my church who would tell me what he did during World War II. He worked as an electrical engineer, designing equipment for planes. He had several patents to his credit and was quite proud of the work he had done in the war effort. But he also told me how hard he had tried to enlist in the army. One day he enlisted and the next day he was sent ...

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