Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 276 to 300 of 1089 results

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Heather Sugden

... looks like. They also display a lifetime of faith — of gifts that were given and received, relationships and friendships between giver and recipient. Each scene tells a story — not only the story of the first Christmas echoing through the centuries, but of the artist who created the scene in their own eyes. The scenes tell the story of what my family looked like at different stages, too. More elaborate and intricate figurines indicate fewer young children were around to grab and break the pieces; more ...

277. In Pursuit Of The Promise

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... the culture. As a part of their indoctrination, the group was told that they would encounter street children in Guatemala City and the street children should be ignored. They certainly were not to give the children any money. The children were con artists who would never learn respect and self-sufficiency if rich Americans always gave them money. Besides Americans always gave them too much and the children often used the money for alcohol or drugs. The group had actually encountered some street children on ...

278. When It's Hard To Give Thanks

Joel 2:18-27

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) was the first black artist to acquire an international reputation in this century. He remains well known today in museum and academic circles, although his name is not familiar to a more general audience. One of his most popular paintings is titled The Thankful Poor. It is a painting which features an elderly father and ...

279. 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

... upset that she had lost it but greatly relieved that an honest person had found it and took the trouble to see that she got it back. She told the story several times to different friends who rejoiced that she had recovered it. 2. Lost Cameras. An artist owned three cameras and some equipment such as an expensive telephoto lens. On a trip returning from Arizona to Ohio he and his wife stopped at several motels. They took everything out of the car at night. In Tennessee he suddenly realized he did not have ...

280. God's Most Unmistakable Message

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... I have in my library books by writers such as Faulkner, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and others. I could work at copying their styles, but I will never be a Faulkner or a Hemingway. Their example alone is not enough to change me. You see, all great artists and writers have one thing in common -- they are dedicated to their tasks with such devotion that they put the rest of us to shame. They have something inside them which motivates and drives them on to accomplish extraordinary things. They might inspire us, but ...

281. How Good News Spreads!

1 Kings 8:22-61

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... . A commission to co-author the latest Russian classic! But, alas, there was no risen Tolstoy, no voice of commission. Only silence broken by the shrill November winter winds sweeping across the Soviet plains. And to this day I remain an uncommissioned artist. There is in my life and yours, however, a genuine commissioning that, if you think about it, far outshines any other possible call to art. It is the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. "Go," God commissions in Matthew. "Go therefore and make disciples ...

282. Do You See What I See?

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... it to everyone's attention by exclaiming, "Do you see what I see?" In my church secretary's office there hangs a modernistic picture composed of a maze of colors and shapes. I know these sophisticated, modern, and abstract pictures are supposed to contain some profound artistic or philosophical message, but I have never been able to figure it out. It just looks like a jumbled mass of confusion. If there is a message there, I am blind to it. One day while I was standing in the office, waiting for the copier ...

283. Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory!

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... moon, if telescopes can see billions of miles into outer space then where is heaven?" In Sunday school she had heard the story of Jesus' ascension, and his rising up into the skies, disappearing in the clouds, and going to heaven. She had seen artists' imaginative paintings of heaven with angels relaxing in the clouds, fluttering their wings, adjusting their halos, and playing their harps. If that heaven is "up" there, why hasn't it been discovered? I still remember, when I was in grade school in the late ...

284. Famous Last Words

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

William L. Self

... leader for another two hundred years. This period of their history reflects their need for leadership. Our need today is for leaders who fit the profile outlined by Moses. The church needs leaders -- not power holders, not hype artists, not influence peddlers or manipulative demagogues. In the eighteenth century, Europe desperately needed spiritual leadership. Revolution was raging in France, and England was in moral decay. God supplied the needed leadership in George Whitfield and John and Charles ...

285. Something Old, Something New

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... how fast things change. I can remember when I was a teenager how excited I was to purchase a used 8-track tape player to play my favorite music. No sooner had I reveled in that than I needed a cassette recorder to enjoy the newest artists because everything was changing to that format. Today tapes seem so noisy and cumbersome compared to the compact discs that are available. And I know there is newer technology out there that will someday replace my nicely stacked CDs. And all this while two crates of ...

286. Held In His Arms

Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you." As the two began to talk, the soldier told of how the man's son had told everyone of his, not to mention his father's, love of fine art. "I am an artist," said the soldier, "and I want to give you this." As the old man unwrapped the package, the paper gave way to reveal a portrait of the man's son. Though the world would never consider it the work of a genius, the painting featured the young man's face ...

287. Remembering Who We Are

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Sermon

Robert P. Hines

... are people who have experienced the saving power of God in our lives. It reminds us that we are called to be people who live by faith, not by the assurance of a barn filled to overflowing with grain and corn. This kind of faith is what enables the trapeze artist to leave one trapeze bar and reach for another being swung his or her way. It is to leave the security of one place in order to take hold of something else. To give in this way, with our first fruits, is to show God the honor and glory that ...

288. The Chain Of Command

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Alexander H. Wales

... Jesus could do it. There were too many people around who believed that he had a special relationship with God, too many to ignore. You see, I'm a simple man when you get right down to it. You either have power or you don't. People who are con artists always have some people who have their doubts. But I never met anyone who had met Jesus who didn't believe that he had some special relationship with God. That's why I knew he could heal Gaius. He could and he did! I thank God for sending Jesus my ...

289. Ya Can't Make Me

Luke 9:57-62, Luke 9:51-56

Sermon

Alexander H. Wales

... them, even if it was in the church. I am sure you remember a time in your life when some parent or other adult warned you about dealing with people you don't know. Whether it was some transient begging for coins on a city street, or some con artist offering you an opportunity to win big money at a game of chance at a carnival, or some individual handing out some kind of tracts on a street corner, somebody probably told you to keep your distance and save your money. There was a father and his family heading ...

290. Close Quarters With A King

Jeremiah 23:1-8

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

... the world. He was seated on a golden throne and he was crowned with an ornate crown. Susan knew that the Bible talked about Christ as a king, but as she looked up at the figure before her she thought it was odd that she had never before seen an artistic portrayal of Christ in the role of a king. She became aware that in her mind she had almost always envisioned Jesus as a shepherd or a teacher or a servant or maybe a healer. A young child in the tour group spoke Susan's thoughts out loud. He said ...

291. The Silent Language

Isaiah 55:8

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

... fish in the house, this might be a cover for a fish bowl, to keep the goldfish in and the cat out. If you like to garden, you might see this as a protection for a table top upon which a flower pot might be placed. If you were an artist, this could be a surface upon which to mix some colors if you were painting with oil paint. This piece of glass is a very simple object and yet it can have different meanings to just as many different people. I find that very interesting. We can learn something about ...

292. Awake, Christ Is Coming

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... for the picture. "Now," the president snapped back. The finished painting has Roosevelt standing at the foot of the stairs, his hand on the newel post. An outstanding picture has caught the dynamic qualities of this man of action. Was the president trying to tell the artist, "Moments come and go ... Here is the time, seize it, do your best"? Now, in the beginning of the Advent season, is the time to return to the present. Our Lord wants to break into our lives and help us as we struggle with our problems ...

293. You Can Be Articulate

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

Michael B. Brown

... who stopped Christ on his way to Jerusalem. To be a powerful communicator of truth does not require having to wow great crowds with our words. More often it means winning one person at a time with our faith. I heard a Christian recording artist on the radio recently talking about the most important influences in his life. He knows and has worked with all the most prominent Christian preachers, lecturers, authors and performers in the nation. But he said above and beyond them all, the single most profound ...

294. Follow The Man With The Plan

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... , bookish and shy man, one who hardly fits the picture of a secret agent. Nonetheless, this Harvard-educated writer left New York City in 1940 to begin a life of intrigue in France worthy of a Le Carre novel. His mission was to rescue artists, writers and musicians whose lives were in jeopardy because of Hitler's hatred of the Jews. Fry was successful in liberating 2,500 refugees from the threat of the gas chambers including historian Hannah Arendt, painter Marc Chagall, surrealist Max Ernst and numerous ...

295. Doing What You Were Meant To Do

Jeremiah 29:11

Children's Sermon

Teresa L. Major

Concept: Don't let anything keep you from doing what you were meant to do. Preparation: Felt-tip marker, white paper, and clear tape. Put a piece of clear tape over the writing tip of a felt-tip marker. I'm not much of an artist, but I'm going to draw you a picture this morning. (Begin drawing on the paper -- of course, nothing happens because the ink can't flow.) Something is wrong. I've got paper and I've got a marker, but the marker is not working correctly. Let's try again. ( ...

296. Be Charitable In Your Judgment

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... wrote to a close personal friend whose art was being exhibited at the Royal Academy. He regretted that he could not speak more favorably of his friend's oil painting, but he added, "I hope this will make no difference to our friendship." By return post came the artist's reply: "Dear Ruskin, Next time I meet you, I shall knock you down; but I hope it will make no difference in our friendship."2 Our words have great power to encourage or discourage others, to build up people or tear them down. We tend to ...

297. Good Guys And Bad Guys Alike

Genesis 37:1-11, 12-36

Sermon

Steve Burt

... Joseph and his brothers. We usually identify with Joseph, don't we? Today let's try to understand the position of the father and the brothers. Joseph was Jacob's eleventh son, Dad's pet. Maybe he whined a lot to get his needs met, was a con artist. One day Dad gave him a fabulous coat, better than anything the others got. That burned their buns. The text says "they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him." Now remember, we're identifying not with Joseph but with the brothers this time. Young Joseph ...

298. But You Can't Get Water Out Of A Rock!

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

Steve Burt

... . 1. Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures Of A Reluctant Messiah (New York: Dell, 1977), p. 100. 2. Steve Burt, in a sermon preached September 4, 1994, at the United Church of Stonington, Connecticut. 3. Piero Ferrucci, Inevitable Grace (Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1990). 4. Found in Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way (New York: Putnam's, 1992), p. 177.

299. Yes, But How?

Sermon

Lee Griess

... tree to grow tall as an oak or be fragrant as a cedar. He is only asking it to be what it is, to do what it ought: produce figs. You and I have differing gifts. Some have wonderful singing voices. Others have graceful bodies. Some are artists, others are good with numbers, and others still are good with people. Each of us has our own unique gifts. And the miracle that happens is that through repentance and forgiveness, those gifts are released for the good of God and others around us. When we acknowledge ...

300. Getting Out Of Our Own Way

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Roger G. Talbott

... completely define herself as wife and mother anymore. That doesn't mean she stops loving them. It just means that she isn't going to see herself as confined to those two roles anymore. Maybe she is going to get a job or go back to school or become an artist. She wants to find out who she is by letting go of thinking of herself as only a wife and a mother. Her family starts to argue with her. "You can't do that. We need you." They may not actually say it. They may be outwardly supportive, but they ...

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