Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2951 to 2975 of 4972 results

2951. The Advent Of Our Lord

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... be spared. On that day you shall not be put to shame because of all the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord -- the remnant of Israel (3:11-12). This is a much more modest hope than the one expressed in our text. A remnant of the people will be spared God ...

2952. Arise! Shine! For Your Light Has Come

Isaiah 60:1-22

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... for lite beer! It is just something to get us through the night, a little pleasure in a bottle, a little truth in a can. Give me a Bud Lite! It comes to us brightly packaged and with great promise. It can numb us, but without all the calories. It leaves us in the darkness. The people of Israel were in the darkness in the 5th century B.C.E. They had returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon with great hope. They were going to rebuild the city, its walls and its temple. They were going to restore Israel to ...

2953. The Silence Broken, The Bride Restored

Isaiah 62:1-12

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... 83:1). While there are no obvious laments in our text, they are hidden in the terms used for Israel in its lowliness, "forsaken" and "desolate" (v. 4). You can easily imagine the lament: "How long will you forsake us, O Lord? How long will you leave us desolate?" Lamenting is a sign of spiritual health, for it means that we are once again engaging God in a dialogue. Isaiah becomes more positive, however, by going beyond lament to reminders. The prophet takes the role of the recorder, the one who calls to ...

2954. Made New By Interior Design

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... be treated. This is God's finest gift. So, "watch -- for your anxiety is God's opportunity." During the Civil War, Mary Chestnut wrote a diary. She wrote it with great anxiety. As she witnessed Sherman's march to the sea, she wrote of a "solid column leaving not so much as a blade of grass behind; a howling wilderness, land laid waste, dust and ashes." This was her anxiety. But she failed to write about others' opportunity. If she were to have told all, she would have included the fact that "the slaves were ...

2955. Kneeling And Redirection

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... you folks." Garrison, seeking to be helpful at ten years of age, said, "Oh, I'd come. I'd be glad to come to your funeral." Reflecting on her outburst, Keillor concludes as he thinks back forty years: "Every tear that poor woman cried, we will cry also before we leave this world and give in to the one death we owe." A rabbinical student came to love one of his teachers so much that he finally told the rabbi, "I love you, Rabbi!" The reply was swift. "How can you love me unless you know what hurts me?" We ...

2956. Flatliners

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... their greed and put an end to their hatred and no longer nourish illusions.But they delight in the way things are and keep their hearts open, day and night.They are like trees planted near flowing rivers, which bear fruit when they are ready.Their leaves will not fall or wither.Everything they do, everything these people do will succeed, finally, if not immediately! And Jesus came down to the flats, leveled us all out, loved us the same, and saved us! May we be anxious to share this good news. Amen. "

2957. Advent Of Angels

Malachi 1:6-14

Sermon

Tony Everett

... that portrays what this is like. A devout Christian was living with his family in an area frequently inundated by flood waters. One day, after hours of relentless rain, an evacuation of the area was ordered. The man's wife and children were preparing to leave and urged him to come along. He refused, saying, "God will send an angel to rescue me." Soon the flooding started and his neighbors slogged through knee-deep water to beg him to evacuate. "God will send an angel to rescue me," he steadfastly replied ...

2958. Roots Near The River

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

Tony Everett

... of hope in his anxiety. Nothing he could do for himself would reduce his desperation. Now some psychological insights are definitely important for our mental well-being. However, without connection to the forgiving and redeeming mercy of the Lord, they can leave us empty, living an "almost-but-not-quite" existence. Something is still missing. This is the human condition Jeremiah address in today's Old Testament lesson. In the four verses of the chapter which precede our text, Jeremiah describes the self ...

2959. Nowhere To Run, Nowhere To Hide

1 Kings 9:1-9

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... at the River Jabbock" moments; our "Daniel in the Lions' Den" moments; our "Paul on the Damascus road" experiences and our "Elijah in the cave" moments, where we wrestle with the truth of who we are and what we have done. The realization of our deeds often leaves us feeling alone, despondent and depressed. In coming to the realization of truth, we may even feel that God has abandoned us and that there is really nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Elijah felt this way and we might feel this way. The truth is ...

2960. God Needs To Save This Family

Hosea 1:1-2:1

Sermon

James McLemore

... how I feel unless you have felt the same way. Hosea, I am giving you this experience so that you can feel my grief, and experience my pain, and know my hurt. Now you can tell my people how the Lord God feels when they grieve me and leave me to chase after other gods, and play the harlot with other nations." In our neighborhoods, in our cities, and in our homes, like Hosea, we are producing strange families. We are choosing husbands and wives like Hosea did: wives who do not remain faithful to their husbands ...

2961. Is This The Season To Seek Salvation

Jeremiah 8:4--9:26

Sermon

James McLemore

... wrote, "He is very present help in the time of trouble." But in Jeremiah chapter 8, something has gone wrong with the seasons. In verse 13, God tells Jeremiah, "There will be no grapes on the vine, there will be no figs on the trees, and their leaves will wither." In verse 20, we find out what is wrong: "The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved." There is something very special about the harvest. The harvest is the culmination of all the seasons that precede it, and the preparation ...

2962. Roosevelt's Life: After Tragedy

John 2:1-11

Illustration

Edmund Morrison

... , Roosevelt, seated on the floor of the Assembly, received a telegram informing him that his wife Alice had given birth to a baby girl late the night before. He received the congratulations of his colleagues but decided to finish work on legislative matters before leaving for home to be with his family. Several hours later he received another telegram telling him that his wife was very ill and so too his mother. He immediately left for the train station. The train seemed to move very slowly down the Hudson ...

2963. Disney and the Owl

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Illustration

John R. Steward

... So, he made up his mind that he would try to capture the bird and take it to the farmhouse and turn it into a pet. Walter Elias began his careful creep toward the owl. He was careful not to make too much noise by stepping on branches or leaves. The owl must have been in a deep sleep because he never heard Walter Elias walking toward it. Finally, Walter was standing right under the owl. He reached up and grabbed the owl by the legs. Immediately, the owl was awakened and came to life. Any thought that Walter ...

2964. Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:16-26

Illustration

John R. Steward

... the darkness spoke to them. The voice told them to stop right where they were. Then they were commanded to bend down and pick up the pebbles that were around them in the dry creek bed and put them in their pockets. After they did this they were told to leave and continue on their way and not to camp near the creek bed. The voice from the darkness continued to tell them that in the morning they would be both happy and sad. Being very frightened by all of this, they traveled through the night and did not stop ...

2965. Coffee Room

Luke 10:38-42

Illustration

John R. Steward

... . He knew what a Moor was. Could it be that something cruel and dangerous was behind those doors? Could it be some evil person who wanted to kill him? He simply sat there with his food growing cold wondering what it all meant. Then it was time to leave. He knew that he would have to go through those ominous doors. With all of his courage he went through those potentially evil doors and when he looked back he discovered that the words on the door now read, "Coffee Room." Apparently he had been reading the ...

2966. Entertaining Angels

Hebrews 13:2

Illustration

John R. Steward

... 's daughter. He eventually worked up enough courage to ask Farmer Taylor if he could marry the farmer's daughter. Worthy Taylor rejected the request because Jim did not have any money or any real future. So Jim decided to pack up his few belongings and leave. Thirty-five years passed. During those years Worthy Taylor did very well. His net worth had grown considerably. He was doing so well that he decided that he should build a new barn. During the process of tearing down the old barn Farmer Taylor was ...

2967. Taking Grace Seriously

Ephesian 1:18-20

Illustration

John R. Steward

... the throne, there was also a holy man dressed in a beggar's robe who would come to the king. The holy man would hand the king a piece of fruit which the king would receive and then hand over to one of his assistants. Then the holy man would leave without ever saying a word to the king. This went on for many months and even years. Then one day something happened that no one expected. No one knew that a monkey had gotten loose in the palace. When the holy man presented his gift of fruit to the king ...

2968. Proper 19

Psalm 14:1-7, 1 Timothy 1:12-20, Jeremiah 4:5-31, Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:1-7

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... torn loose as the woman was busy with her household duties, perhaps catching on something that tore it loose. In any event the responsibility rests clearly on the woman and not the coin. In the parable of the lost son, he deliberately, self-consciously decided to leave his home. He chose the kind of lifestyle that led to his loss. We don't know to what degree his father or brother's attitudes toward him may have contributed to his rebellion. In any event he could have chosen other ways to act and primary ...

2969. Proper 24

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40, 2 Timothy 3:10--4:8, Luke 18:1-8, Psalm 119:1-176

Bulletin Aid

William E. Keeney

... from Heilbronn, Germany, at the town of Weinsberg, is a place known as Weibertreu. It can be translated as "faithful wives." The story is told that the castle at the top of the hill was under siege. At one point the besiegers agreed that all the women could leave, but they could only take with them what they could carry on their backs. Every woman carried her husband down the hill on her back. Thus the men also gained their freedom. 6. Prayer and Illness. A recent study was carried out to see the effects of ...

2970. The Valley Of Judgment

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... , but it is never a substitute for God! Anyone who has ever been inside of a modern laboratory marvels at the technological wonders there. But none of this is God! The point is that while our science teaches us about the interrelatedness of facts and events, it often leaves no room for God, no room for judgment. It would have seen the locust plague of the prophet Joel's day in terms of biology rather than theology. But forgetting God is no new problem. It is at least as old as the Bible. That is why Joel ...

2971. Let Me Explain: A Sermon By Judas Iscariot

Matthew 26:1-5

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... during the time of Passover. "Perfect," I thought. "He is going to declare himself to be the Messiah, and the people will join him in driving out the tyrants." That's all I ever wanted. The people greeted Jesus with jubilant excitement. They spread palm branches and leaves out before him. Some called it his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. I was so excited I could hardly stand it! "Now," I thought, "now he is going to revolt." It started out so well, too. Jesus went into the temple with a whip and drove out ...

2972. Blessed Betrayal

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... often surfaces today. It shows up in statements or questions like these: "Why don't we do it my way?" or "Why fool around with this spiritual stuff when we should talk cold cash?" And the big one, "How much is this going to cost?" Now listen to the reply: Leave her alone, Jesus replied. It was meant that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. This answer is a rebuke to all of us who seem to value budgets more than ...

2973. Leveling the Landscape

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... are very demanding in their own way. They can reorganize our lives, but they are also weak and helpless, and we call most of the shots despite their protests. The baby Jesus is popular because he is soft and cuddly and safe. We like him that way. But he leaves the manger, and 30 years later, when he begins to preach, he brings the uncomfortable message the Baptist said he'd bring. We are not going to like what he says. He was not popular with the mountain folk in his day. But the valley folk, the poor ...

2974. What To Do With A Self-willed Child

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... boy is 12. It's about time he shows some responsibility. We give him all this freedom, but he just messes up," Joseph might have said. "But what if something has happened to him, Joseph? I'm so worried." That sounds like mothers I have known. Mary and Joseph leave the caravan and head back to the city. After consulting with the police and checking the hospitals, they go to the place he was last seen, the temple. Sure enough, there he is. What is he up to? In our undercroft we have a large copy of a famous ...

2975. Mary Ponders

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... take a name from a family member, the name he was given had been provided by the angel when he had told her of the coming pregnancy and birth. It was to be "Jesus." "Joshua," in the language of her people. "God is salvation," its meaning in every language. We leave the holy family in the temple, the baby crying from the pain of the ceremony, Joseph dizzy with the flood of events, and Mary pondering all these things in her heart.

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