Sermon and Worship Resources

2951. Saints By Faith: Good to the Last Drop

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... if we mean holy, pure, miracle-worker, then of course, we aren't. But if by "saint" you mean those who know that we are loved by God beyond measure and seek to live out of that love, if you mean those who have named the name of Christ and bear that identity into the world, if you mean those who have been called to do God's work and who seek to follow Christ's way, then we are speaking of you and me, saints here and now. One of my current, contemporary, here-and-now saints is Jimmy Carter ...

2952. Ministry By Faith: Does She or Doesn't She?

I Corinthians 16:14, James 2:14-26

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend. Be clothed in Christ. Be filled with the Holy Spirit," and walk off without providing even a cup of soup...where does that get you? [2] He couples our call to "Have Faith" with the call to Bear Fruit, looking for the evidence of faith at work in and through us. Do we or don't we? If we say we "Have Faith," can it be seen in us? 1. The first distinguishing mark of faith at work in our lives is the coloring of love. When Jesus ...

2953. A Peculiar People

1 Peter 2:1-10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... who goes between God and the people. It is to be one who communicates the word of God to the world. It is to be commissioned with the task of carrying the caring ministry of Christ into the community, to be the ones who break the bread of reconciliation and bear the cup of Christ's mercy to those who are hurting and in need. And Peter's letter is not addressed to a set-apart class of ordained clergy, since none existed in the church at the time of his writing. I happen to believe in the role of the ...

2954. Bugles in the Afternoon

Philippians 2:1-11, Psalm 46:1-11

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... in Australia preached a sermon called "A Christmas Tsunami Lament." In it he said: Can we stand in the mud and debris of Banda Ache or Phuket and speak of one who is called Emmanuel, God with us? Where was God when the wave hit? Wasn't God right there, bearing the brunt of it? Wasn't God there clinging to his beloved child, only to be overwhelmed by the waves and have the child ripped from his arms? Wasn't God there as he was when the surging flood of hatred battered and smashed his own son to death on ...

2955. Where Earth and Heaven Meet

John 1:14

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... more powerful than darkness, than even death itself. When I looked up, the stars were demonstrating the truth: just enough light and glory to prick the human experience to let us know that God is there behind the darkness—more love, more glory that we can bear to look at now, but ready to receive us." [5] She says that night she experienced the new birth of Christ once again. Across the millennia of creation and from the far reaches of the cosmos, throughout time and space, the eternal Word comes to speak ...

2956. Zechariah II: Thy Prayer is Heard

Luke 1:5-25

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... by morning new mercies I see All I have needed, thy hand hath provided Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me. Well, you know the rest of the story. To everyone's surprise, when Zechariah reappears he is speechless, tongue-tied, dumb with the news that Elizabeth would bear a son, and they would call his name John. You know the rest of the story how God fulfills the promise and answers their deepest longings. You know the rest of the story how John prepares the way for the coming of the Christ and how the ...

2957. Barnabas Found the Way

Acts 4:35-5:16

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... : The road is long, with many a winding turn Which leads us to who knows where, who knows where; But I'm strong, strong enough to carry him. He ain't heavy, he's my brother. So on we go. His welfare is my concern. No burden is he to bear, we'll get there. For I know, he would not encumber me. He ain't heavy, he's my brother. If I'm laden at all, I'm laden with sadness That everyone's heart isn't filled with the gladness Of love for one another. It's a long ...

2958. Unlikely Election

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... millions of unlikely disciples whose story is never told, whose song is never sung, whose honor is never praised. But they are the ones who in the end make all the difference. Call Matthias the Patron Saint of the Unnamed Faithful, the unlikely, the unknown who bear the light of Christ into the world. Maybe you could say Matthias was the product of affirmative action, but as such, he is a reminder that the true vision of the church is not a high-profile roster of megastar preachers. Rather, it is the vision ...

2959. The Revelation Code V: Cruisin' Toward the Dream

Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... is now shot through with unquenchable hope, and with the final certainty of the glorious outcome of all its struggles. Then he says: Or to make it more personal, I may go down into the dark, but if I do, I am still in the hands of Him who bears the scepter of all the universe and everlastingly makes all things new, here and hereafter; and therefore, I am safe forever. [1] That's John's final vision…the vision of a wedding. The vision of Christ's final victory, God's kingdom come….One day…. 2. But ...

2960. The Revelation Code IV: The Fight at Frodo's Tower

Revelation 19:1-21

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... left of home For a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means Whereby the great human family can live in peace… Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, But of God. In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask That a general congress of women without limit of nationality, May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient And the earliest ...

2961. Searching: MySpace

Hebrews 11:8-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

I know I don't need to explain "MySpace" to graduates and Confirmands, but bear with me for the sake of the adults. "MySpace" is a website filled with over 70 million interactive, personal webpages and blogs. It's something like the old-fashioned personal pages in the newspaper (when news came on paper), but it's more like 70 million personal diaries, all hung ...

2962. Singing at the Table

Joel 2:21-29

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... give our children…the promise and hope of God's goodness and redemption. Return, and be glad. Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things. Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield. Be glad, O sons of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he has given the early rain, abundant rain, the early and the latter rain. I will restore to you the years which the swarming ...

2963. Worship and Wonder

John 1:1-14

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... a bright copper red, but decided against it. However, I am wearing my red bow and a penny, representing the commitment of our youth to the mission of fighting AIDS in Africa; and I am wearing a stole given to me by our mission team to Chile. It bears the name of the school where we are at work in ministry: Kusayapu. Together they represent the commitment of this church to equipping persons for mission and ministry in the name of Jesus Christ around the world. Well, I had a hard time deciding what to end ...

2964. Lost in Wonder, Love and Praise

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... a bright copper red, but decided against it. However, I am wearing my red bow and a penny, representing the commitment of our youth to the mission of fighting AIDS in Africa; and I am wearing a stole given to me by our mission team to Chile. It bears the name of the school where we are at work in ministry: Kusayapu. Together they represent the commitment of this church to equipping persons for mission and ministry in the name of Jesus Christ around the world. Well, I had a hard time deciding what to end ...

2965. Gifts: Standing on the Promises

Malachi 4:10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... a bright copper red, but decided against it. However, I am wearing my red bow and a penny, representing the commitment of our youth to the mission of fighting AIDS in Africa; and I am wearing a stole given to me by our mission team to Chile. It bears the name of the school where we are at work in ministry: Kusayapu. Together they represent the commitment of this church to equipping persons for mission and ministry in the name of Jesus Christ around the world. Well, I had a hard time deciding what to end ...

2966. Will The Real Saints Please Stand Up

Esther 4:1-17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... a bright copper red, but decided against it. However, I am wearing my red bow and a penny, representing the commitment of our youth to the mission of fighting AIDS in Africa; and I am wearing a stole given to me by our mission team to Chile. It bears the name of the school where we are at work in ministry: Kusayapu. Together they represent the commitment of this church to equipping persons for mission and ministry in the name of Jesus Christ around the world. Well, I had a hard time deciding what to end ...

2967. Gathered In, Sent Out

1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... a bright copper red, but decided against it. However, I am wearing my red bow and a penny, representing the commitment of our youth to the mission of fighting AIDS in Africa; and I am wearing a stole given to me by our mission team to Chile. It bears the name of the school where we are at work in ministry: Kusayapu. Together they represent the commitment of this church to equipping persons for mission and ministry in the name of Jesus Christ around the world. Well, I had a hard time deciding what to end ...

2968. Growing Up

1 Corinthians 13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... a bright copper red, but decided against it. However, I am wearing my red bow and a penny, representing the commitment of our youth to the mission of fighting AIDS in Africa; and I am wearing a stole given to me by our mission team to Chile. It bears the name of the school where we are at work in ministry: Kusayapu. Together they represent the commitment of this church to equipping persons for mission and ministry in the name of Jesus Christ around the world. Well, I had a hard time deciding what to end ...

2969. Called to be a Christian Community: Cracked Pots and Clay Jars

2 Corinthians 4: 1-18

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... a bright copper red, but decided against it. However, I am wearing my red bow and a penny, representing the commitment of our youth to the mission of fighting AIDS in Africa; and I am wearing a stole given to me by our mission team to Chile. It bears the name of the school where we are at work in ministry: Kusayapu. Together they represent the commitment of this church to equipping persons for mission and ministry in the name of Jesus Christ around the world. Well, I had a hard time deciding what to end ...

2970. Grasshopper Religion

Numbers 13:25-33, 14:1-10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... a bright copper red, but decided against it. However, I am wearing my red bow and a penny, representing the commitment of our youth to the mission of fighting AIDS in Africa; and I am wearing a stole given to me by our mission team to Chile. It bears the name of the school where we are at work in ministry: Kusayapu. Together they represent the commitment of this church to equipping persons for mission and ministry in the name of Jesus Christ around the world. Well, I had a hard time deciding what to end ...

2971. Praising God on an Oatmeal Box

2 Samuel 6:12-23

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... a bright copper red, but decided against it. However, I am wearing my red bow and a penny, representing the commitment of our youth to the mission of fighting AIDS in Africa; and I am wearing a stole given to me by our mission team to Chile. It bears the name of the school where we are at work in ministry: Kusayapu. Together they represent the commitment of this church to equipping persons for mission and ministry in the name of Jesus Christ around the world. Well, I had a hard time deciding what to end ...

2972. Worship Like A Wesley

Philippians 4:4-9

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... Wesley would have understood. He described the shared worship life of the community in a hymn: Jesus, united by thy grace and each to each endeared, with confidence we seek thy face and know our prayer is heard. Help us to help each other, Lord, each other's cross to bear; let all their friendly aid afford, and feel each other's care. [2] Well, that's what it means to worship like a Wesley. And that brings me to the text of the morning, in case you thought I forgot. It comes from St. Paul's letter to the ...

2973. Whose Side Are You On?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... test. You can grade yourself. Here’s the first question on the test: Is your faith sacrificial? That is, is your faith costing you something? There are many people today who are under the misconception that you can be a follower of Jesus without bearing a cross. We have become a rather apathetic people when it comes to our faith, haven’t we? Many of us are much more interested in following the stock market than following Jesus. Or following our favorite football team. Or following the crowd. We want ...

2974. A Day to Day Activity

Matthew 16: 21-28

Illustration

... activities and yet almost totally pagan in the day in, day out guts of our business lives and never realize it. Jesus did not say "Take up your cross and follow me to church on Sunday morning, then you can do whatever you like the rest of the week." Cross-bearing is a day-to-day activity for those who would follow Jesus.

2975. Taking the Long View

2 Peter 3:8-15a

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... come together to provide humankind's Savior. It is enough to give us a headache, isn't it? It is as though God refuses to allow what he has created to get in the way of his Son's entrance. So, Mary is utilized with her permission to conceive and bear a child in time and yet out of time for he is the second part of the Eternal Trinity. Regardless of the period in which we are born, live, and die, the long view soon catches up with us. We eventually recognize we are "dust and shall return to dust ...