Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2976 to 3000 of 4997 results

1 John 3:11-24

Sermon

David O. Bales

... saving others' lives ... Loving God, you have given us the example of your Son Jesus Christ, who loves us when we are not lovable to others, who loves us perfectly in word and speech and in truth and action. May the power of his resurrection lead us into his kind of life, as we join in his habit of saving others. In his name we pray. Amen. Discussion Questions Text: 1 John 3:18 1. What immediate responses do you have to the story? 2. If you could have a conversation with one of the characters in this story ...

2977. The Compelling Call

Drama

Karren Boehr

... false prophet's attempts at turning the proconsul from the faith. By the Spirit's leading, I simply looked at Elymas -- that's what his name means and said (Dramatically), "You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun." It happened just as the ...

2978. That Heavenly Call

Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38

Drama

Karren Boehr

... ! You barge into my office with a blaze of light -- by the way, how do you do that? --in that strange garb, pretending to be some kind of heavenly host and tell me I'm going to bear the Son of the Highest? (Pauses and shakes her head) I've got to get ... he do that? The radiance was so bright, yet it didn't hurt my eyes. And a halo; he actually had a halo, the kind ancient Jewish manuscripts often describe when they talk about ... angels. (Pensively) What if he was speaking the truth? What if I am the virgin ...

2979. A Drink Of Water

John 4:39-42, John 4:27-38, John 4:1-26

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... give it away. WOMAN: No one gives water away. STRANGER: You just did. I was thirsty. You gave me some water. WOMAN: (PAUSE) Right! STRANGER: No, really. WOMAN: (PAUSE) Right! STRANGER: And you could live forever. WOMAN: Well, I'm game. I could use some of that kind of water. Sounds pretty good to me. STRANGER: Well? WOMAN: Well, what? Hey, what are you talking about? Are you going to show me the brochure on the water softener or what? STRANGER: May I come over to your house tonight and talk to you and your ...

2980. Yes, It Becomes Unclean

Haggai 2:11-17

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... . The best way for God to explain this is to ask the priests a couple of questions through Haggai. The first question is: "If one carries consecrated meat in the fold of one's garment, and the fold touches bread, or stew, or wine, or oil, or any kind of food, does it become holy?" The answer the priests give is a simple no. Haggai is asking yes or no questions because he is building a case. He doesn't want comment from his listeners. He wants to lead them somewhere with their consent. Sanctity, Haggai is ...

2981. Getting Ready for The Coming Messiah

Mark 1:1-8

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... Lord's Prayer. (As another alternative, sing Malotte's version of the Lord's Prayer.) Response (Use the following chorus if you speak the prayer. Never put two pieces of music together.) "For Your Loving Kindness": "For your gracious blessing, for your wondrous Word, For your loving kindness, we give thanks, O Lord." Community Response Message with the Children of All Ages: If you have a "celebrity" in the congregation or community, introduce him/her with a special introduction. Tell all sorts of ...

2982. The Vine and the Branches

John 15:1-17

Sermon Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... for our being one/many of the branches. TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR OURSELVES Acts of Confession Review verse 2. This passage contains a warning, as well as the necessity of pruning. Ask, what, in your life, might cause you to be severed from the vine; what kind of behavior has become your obsession, your god, your reason for God's severing you from the vine? (Two minutes of silence; write down your response.) In this era when everything goes, and God always forgives us no matter what, we easily forget that ...

2983. Epiphany 8

Mark 2:18-22, Mark 2:13-17

Sermon Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... congregation if any of them have ever fasted. Most of us run for the refrigerator as soon as we experience any kind of hunger pang. Let them know about Jesus' response. He had to live with their trying to "nail" him his whole life. (Again, I remind us that ... we need not "nail down" every message with some kind of a moral; leave it to the Spirit.) Reading of the Scripture This passage is ideal for two easy dramas. For number one, ...

2984. The Season Of The Holy Spirit

Mark 12:35-40

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... they are. Have a woman seated unobtrusively in a corner; have her bow her head during the drama. At the end of the drama, have her go forward to place her pennies in the offering plate. Point out to the children what Jesus said about both kinds of people. Reading the Scripture For added emphasis, read from The Cotton Patch Version by Clarence Jordan. Proclamation of the Good News Somewhere in the message, ask the congregation to write down the five things that mean the most to them, and then, to list their ...

2985. The Season Of The Holy Spirit

John 3:1-21

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... what you learned in church school and worship about God, Jesus, Holy Spirit. On more than one occasion, college students say to their campus pastor, "I don't believe in God anymore." If the pastor knows what he/she is doing, he/she will say, "That's interesting, what kind of a god is it in which you no longer believe?" (Maybe you have had a similar experience with a friend or relative.) Assure them that it's okay to doubt, and to question, and that no one has all of the answers. It's not helpful to raise ...

2986. Gifts of Lent IV: Simon Gives His Strength

Mark 15:1-15

Drama

Donald Neidigk

... I stayed to the bitter end. I even began to wonder if there was something else I could do for this man with the kind eyes. The day had started off sunny and full of hope. But now dark, threatening clouds had built up. There was thunder in the ... cross beam. He would die in my place, carrying my burden of sin that I might have life, and I had resented performing one small act of kindness. Yet even this sin Jesus carried to the cross. As I came to understand what Jesus did for me, the guilt I felt gave way to a ...

2987. Defining The Mission

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... had he not escaped. Why the anger? They had already defined him. He was their fair-haired boy. He was going to be one of them, take care of their needs, protect them, and put down all those who were not like them. His mission was to the right kind of people -- them. They had judged too quickly. He defined his mission in terms that were not only different than they had assumed, but downright scandalous! He had come not to pamper them, but to spend his life with the poor who would be the recipients of the ...

2988. Moving At The Speed Of Light: In Corinth Or Cana?

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

... among his peers. He was pleasant, cooperative, and a good team player. His encouraging half smile and subtle humor had a way of making you just feel good. This is why the community was rocked when at the end of middle school Rick was discovered to have a kind of cancer which is difficult to treat. "Often it can be sent into remission, sometimes for long periods, but it almost always comes back," the doctors told his parents. "We are making advances all the time in this. We will take it a day at a time, say ...

2989. Moving At The Speed Of Light: Unknown Apostles

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

... a police cruiser with two officers pulled up next to her inquiring if she needed help. "Well, you see, officer," she said, "I had such a commotion in the back seat that I knew it wouldn't be safe for me to continue driving." Picking up on the cue, the kindly officer glanced at the boys, at which time the four-year-old said, "Oh, we're sorry, officer. We'll never do it again. Please don't put us in jail!" Not surprisingly, things the next few weeks were calmer in the back seat. How many folks whose names we ...

2990. The Expectant Parents--And An Unexpected Baby

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... the highest ... and I'll huff and I'll puff and blow your house down!" That is not the power God sends. It is a different kind of power. We find this power in unexpected ways and in unexpected places for unexpected uses. It is the power of God which he sends upon ... we miss the peace of God. We miss it because we look for it in the wrong way in the wrong place for the wrong kind of peace. We find this peace of God in unexpected ways and in unexpected places for unexpected uses. It is the result of responding to ...

2991. Finding Faith In Unlikely People

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... sometimes say. Notice on the one hand this view holds religion to be mainly a crutch for the weak and cowardly. It serves as a kind of divine apron string behind which we can safely view the ordeals of the world. It sees faith as a sop for the superstitious, a ... two feet without psychological crutches and canes. But where do you find a man like that, one who lives without support of any kind? In the '60s it was popular to write of man come-of-age, the secular man, a sort of deified playboy, sophisticated, ...

2992. The Politics Of The Saints

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... in isolation from other people. When I sneeze, my neighbor catches cold. So the question becomes not will I be political, but what kind of politics will I practice? How will my words or my actions or my decisions affect the lives of other people around me ... of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus cannot get away from the fact that following Jesus means practicing a particular kind of politics -- the politics of love, of non-violence, of non-retaliation, of generosity, of mercy. And that brand of politics ...

2993. You Meant Evil; God Meant Good

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... of the Joseph story; but do we remember the beginning? It all started with a dream! Young Joseph was the favorite son of his father, the son of his old age. He was the one with the luxurious coat from his father. Joseph was too good to be true, the kind brothers can hardly abide. He was also a bit of a snitch. He brought an ill report of his brothers to his father. Then Joseph had a dream. They were binding sheaves grain in a field, and his stood up tall and proud, while the sheaves of his brothers bowed ...

2994. Grapes Of Wrath Or Grace?

1 Kings 21:1-29

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... don't want you to be hurt, so I won't allow you to do it." That is no foe, but a loving parent of the best kind. But how like Ahab we are. As sinners we stumble along in darkness and mistake the face of friend for foe. How good, actually, of God ... . It is the unfailing love of God which will not leave us alone in our sinfulness. Paul said, "Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4b). God gives us the gospel and a Bible with words of warning and judgment -- and we ...

2995. Silly Love Songs

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... asked her out on a date to hear a bluegrass band. "Oh, that's really sweet of you Larry, but Mark and I are already busy next Saturday," she replied. Larry was really looking forward to going out with Margaret. "I bumbled around and came out with some kind of line about, 'Maybe some other time,' but to tell you the truth I was really disappointed," Larry said. To make matters worse, Larry says, "I have tried two more times to get a date with Margaret and she's been busy both times." There is something about ...

2996. You Can Be Beautiful

Hosea 14:1-9

Sermon

Michael B. Brown

... message is always the same, and everyone knows it before they attend. He simply reminds us all what life can be like if we simply learn to love one another. He talks about forgiveness and kindness, laughter and listening skills, helpfulness and hugs. He is really big on hugs. He trots out all kinds of statistics about animals that die when they are not petted and children whose mental development is impaired when they are never hugged and adults who suffer from depression because no one ever touches them ...

2997. Easter 6

Jn 14:15-31; Acts 15:22-29, 16:6-15; Rev 21:22--22:5

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... often blighted with decay. Violence is on the streets. Pornography and prostitution flourish. People have fled to the suburbs. The old cities are ghettos of poverty, racism, and degradation. In the text John is given a vision of a perfect city, the kind of city God wants for all people. It is this kind of city Christian people should be working to bring into gradual reality. Outline: God's perfect city is a. A city of light vv. 23-24. b. A city of saints v. 27. c. A city of life v. 22:2. WORSHIP RESOURCES ...

2998. Epiphany 5

1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Isaiah 6:1-13, Luke 5:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... toiled all night." v. 5. d. Pull the fish in "They came and filled both the boats." v. 7. 2. It takes faith to be a disciple (5:1-11). Need: To be a disciple of Jesus calls for faith. What kind of faith is necessary? Do I have this faith to be a modern disciple? In Peter we see the kind of faith one must have to be a disciple of Jesus. The need for this sermon is in the fact that many of us are part-time disciples or faithless disciples. Even though we are church members, we may never ...

2999. Lent 2

Philippians 3:12-4:1, Genesis 15:1-18, Luke 13:31-35, Jeremiah 26:1-24

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... live? People want and need an example to follow. At the Last Supper when Jesus washed the Disciples' feet, he said, "I have given you an example." The people in the pew look up to the person in the pulpit as an example. Children look to parents as the kind of people they should become. 2. Tears (v. 18). Tears express deep emotion. They show how deeply we feel about the thing that brings tears. Some are afraid of expressing emotion in the church. To have tears is for some a sign of weakness or of being out ...

3000. Lent 5

John 7:45--8:11, Luke 20:9-19, John 12:1-11, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Philippians 3:1-11, Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... 12:1-8 1. God's Future Plans For Us. Need: What about the future? Will there be a future in our nuclear world? What does God have in mind for our future? Is there a need for this sermon? Is there a need for hope? In our kind of world threatened with cosmic annihilation, people are needing assurance of hope. Today's Lessons tell us what God has in mind for our future. Outline: What God sees in our future – a. Deliverance from the bondage of sin Lesson 1. b. Assurance of deliverance through Jesus' death ...

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