Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2976 to 3000 of 4943 results

2976. Graciousness and Grumbling

Matthew 20:1-15

Sermon

Will Willimon

Well, religion has suddenly become the burning concern of politicians. I can't remember when religion has been so important in a presidential campaign. It wasn't long ago that John Kennedy had to explain why, although he was a Catholic, his religion would not hinder him from being a good president. And a very short time ago, Jimmy Carter stood before the voters and admitted that, although he was a faithful Baptist, he would perform his presidential duties as if he were nothing at all -- or something like ...

2977. A Trick Resurrection

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Richard Hasler

In Louisiana, a woman lies buried beneath a grove of 150-year-old oak trees in the cemetery of an Episcopal Church. Only one word is carved on her tombstone: “Waiting.” This person who died may be waiting for the resurrection of the dead, but the Sadducees who raised this question in the conversation with Jesus certainly did not believe in the resurrection. They were only trying to use a trick question about the resurrection to force Jesus into an impossible reply. In order to understand the Sadducees’ ...

2978. Secret Swerve

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

A secret is like a dance you do in the dark. It’s cautious with its steps, limber in its quiet strength, and loyal to its passion. It swerves past danger and leans into adventure, all the while sidestepping to keep safe from detection. For a time, it avoids the revealing the light it knows but cannot reveal. Yet it looks forward to the coming dawn when the beauty and force of its power breaks free. Mary and Joseph shared a secret –a powerful secret that would change the world. She carried within her dark ...

2979. When You Are Weary

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

One of the amazing facts about the human race is how alike we all are. We share most of the same hopes and dreams, likes and dislikes. Even in a world of almost 8 billion people, there are certain universal things that most people agree on. To prove this, I’m going to read a series of statements. If you agree that a statement is true in your life, raise your hand. Here’s the first one: I’m a really good singer in the shower or in my car. Here’s the second: My pet understands me when I talk to it. Or: my ...

2980. “POW!”

Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20

Sermon

John B. Jamison

Let’s remember the story together. It was a quiet night. We leaned our backs against the tree and tried to relax our aching muscles. It had been another busy day. We started the morning up on the hillside where the grass was deep, but as afternoon came and it got hotter, we led the sheep down into the valley where it was cooler and they could drink from the stream. That’s when the young one got caught in the current and we had to pull it out with our shepherd’s crook. Again. As the sun started to set, we ...

2981. AAA=A

John 6:35, 41-51

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Jesus, the incarnate God, the substance of the Father come down from Heaven to teach, to feed, and to save.” It was hard for Jesus’ own disciples to believe, let alone those who knew his family, grew up with him, taught beside him, saw him as a fellow rabbi and Jew. Now Jesus begins to say some pretty unbelievable things, at least unbelievable to the rational mind, the Jewish mind, anyone’s mind! As we traverse through about 5 weeks of clips in this grand dialogue about Jesus as the Bread of Life, we ...

2982. 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. (Try to draw on the paper.) ...

2983. Brainstorms

Sermon

John R. Bodo

1. Hosea While only the first three chapters of the Book of Hosea are clearly autobiographical, his prophecies furnish a great deal of additional information about him. The story of Hosea and Gomer, of course, presents a tantalizing and ultimately insoluble puzzle. Did Hosea seek out a prostitute in order to dramatize his message? Did he marry a "good girl" who deceived him and eventually became a prostitute? Did he ... and so on? The Four R's. Hosea, a man of God, acts very much like God toward the ...

2984. Watch Out! He's Coming!

Mark 13:33

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: The pose of someone on a ship keeping watch, with binoculars. Good morning, boys and girls. Today is the first day of Advent and that means it is the first day of a new year. Did you know that in the church we don't wait for January 1st to begin a new year? We start with the first Sunday in Advent. (Let them answer.) That's right, we start all over again and begin by looking forward to the coming of Jesus. This morning we are looking forward to the time when Jesus will return and that means we ...

2985. God’s Love and Ours

1 John 4:7-21, 1 John 5:1-12

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

God’s Love and Our Love There is little agreement among those who have made a serious study of 1 John as to how to divide 1 John 4:7–5:4, but most have understood 4:7–12 to center around God’s love for us and, in response, our love for one another. It is likely that the opponents of the Elder had stressed their love for God (cf. 4:10, 20), their devotion, piety, and mystical spirituality (cf. 1:6, 8, 10; 2:4, 6, 9; 3:18; 4:1). But the Elder thinks that it is God’s love for human beings which is ...

2986. Faith in the Son of God

1 John 5:1-12, 1 John 4:7-21

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

2987. Which Way To Jesus?

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

Great commotion was created in the holy city of Jerusalem at the time of the Feast of the Passover. On that occasion worshippers came from all over the Mediterranean world to fulfill their obligations at the Temple. A carnival atmosphere filled the precincts of the Temple with the commercial traffic that was created with the sale of animals for sacrifice and the exchange of foreign currency. Today the Holy Gospel takes us to the city during the festival. We are not in the court of the Temple but somewhere ...

2988. 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 ...

2989. Called! Cleansed! Sent

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

Today's lesson is about the majesty and mystery of God. It is about our creatureliness and God's might. It is about that which is holy, grave, dreadful, incalculable, incomprehensible, unspeakable, tremendous, awesome. It is about something which we hardly have any sense of in our age. Just take that last adjective, awesome. It has been reduced to a description of a slam dunk or a video performance. We have lost a sense of awe and dread before the holy. We can see by our treatment of nature that we have ...

2990. An Awesome Homecoming

Sermon

Tony Everett

Many people enjoy jogging early in the morning, when the mist still clings to the trees and tall grass that line the roadside. Cardinals and Carolina wrens have just begun singing their wake-up calls to the sun. A family of deer gathers at the edge of the woods lining the pasture. God is in heaven and all is right with the world. Not today. Two hundred yards ahead, on the only road leading home, looms a huge, dark, teeming mass of something alive and menacing, stretching from one side of the road to the ...

2991. Proper 25

Psalm 65:1-13, Luke 18:9-14, Joel 2:28-32, 2 Timothy 4:9-18, 2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

TWO MEN PRAYING The parable about two men praying would have shocked the people to whom Jesus told it. He drew upon two well-known and widely accepted stereotypes. First is the Pharisee, who was generally regarded as the epitome of the religious person. Most Jewish families would have been proud to have their son grow up to be a Pharisee. The second was a publican. He was the epitome of the sinner. He was regarded as a traitor because he worked for the Roman occupying government. Most tax collectors were ...

2992. Let Me Explain: A Sermon By Judas Iscariot

Matthew 26:1-5

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

For 2,000 years my name has been slandered by people who really don't understand me, especially by some preachers. But your kind pastor said that you were an understanding congregation. I've come here today to tell you about myself and about the reasons I did what I did. You will give me a fair hearing, won't you? My name is Judas Iscariot. Let me begin by telling you a little about my background. As you know I am a Jew. You have probably read some things about my ancestors: Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, ...

2993. Till Death Do Us -- Unite

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

Praise be to the Death Conqueror! God had done miraculous things for the widow and her family through the Prophet Elijah. Enough flour and oil to live on through a drought. Then this widow's son became sick. He eventually died. "Why, O prophet, have you let this happen?" she asked. But God wasn't done bestowing miracles on this family. Elijah, harboring the same question for God, stretched himself on the boy three times -- and he became a fence-climbing, dog-chasing son again! A second widow had heard ...

2994. The Essence of Spirituality

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Our scripture for today comes from the first words of the first book of the Bible. We probably best know it as the seven-day account of creation. By way of orientation, let us remember that this is Holy Writ and not an article from The Journal Of The American Academy Of Science. As such it embodies a statement of our faith. While science has its place in our lives, this is not it. Frankly, science has a very narrow boundary on what it accepts as truth. It can describe the facts very well, but seldom, if ...

2995. Demon-Possessed Child

Matthew 15:1-20, Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

First Point Of Action After the miracle of walking on the water (see Cycle A, Miracle 8), Jesus leaves the land of Gennesaret and goes to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Second Point Of Action A Canaanite woman from that region comes out and shouts at Jesus for mercy because a demon torments her daughter. Third Point Of Action Jesus ignores her. Fourth Point Of Action When the disciples urge Jesus to send the persistent woman away, Jesus tells them God sent him only to save the lost sheep of the house of ...

2996. The Assumption Of Discipline

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

John N. Brittain

You don't need to be told that we live in a superficial society. We (at least men) surf the channels on the television, catching a glimpse of multiple shows without really watching any one in depth. Increasing numbers of us are doing the same with the internet, confusing access to multiple sources of information for comprehension of it. We are obsessed with physical appearance, creating a massive cosmetic surgery industry while many Americans lack basic health care. It used to be a joke when Billy Crystal' ...

2997. A Cultural Breakthrough

Acts 16:6-10

Sermon

Rodney Thomas Smothe

At first glance this story seems a bit out of place. Perhaps some background of the events leading up to this text would be helpful. Paul and Barnabas along with the other disciples had gathered in Antioch to encourage and strengthen one another prior to continuing their journeys. Prior to Paul's departure, he and Barnabas had a sharp disagreement over who should continue on the journey. Barnabas wanted to take John, also known as Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise, because John had deserted ...

2998. The Spirit Of The Lord Is Upon Us

Drama

Karren Boehr

Theme: God's Spirit Through The Ages (Based on Ezekiel 37 and Joel 2:23-29) This intense drama takes the dry bones vision of the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37 and ties it with the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. Scripturally based, this drama is meant to add depth and meaning to the church's celebration of Pentecost and/or Baptism. Setting: The graveyard of bones which the prophet Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 37. It is now centuries later Characters: THE PROPHET EZEKIEL: A man who speaks with conviction and ...

2999. The Season Of The Holy Spirit

Mark 10:17-31

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

Theme: The Rich Young Man, His and the Disciples' Surprise. When we read the story, do we put ourselves in his place; or rather, do we complain that we are a part of the world's poor? THE COMMUNITY GATHERS TO CELEBRATE Pastoral and Congregational Invitation (Pastor and Ministers) P: Is everybody happy? Joyful? Victorious? Hilarious? If not, why not? We live on the A.D. side of the resurrection, not the B.C. side. Therefore, we know that the battle is won. Christ has defeated sin, death, the grave. We may ...

3000. On Getting Out Of The Way

Luke 3:1-20, Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

Americans are fascinated with being the best. Young people in warpaint and costume are regularly seen running up and down the sidelines at sporting events, index fingers thrust in the air, shouting, "We're number one! We're number one!" Who, after all, wants to be less than the best? But wait a minute! I know people who love to sing, but won't utter a note because they don't sound like Pavoratti. I admire the chap who said, "Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly." There is a place in this world for ...

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