Sermon and Worship Resources

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Habakkuk 1:5-11

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... rather than the rule) into a fighting force. The Babylonians are very different; Yahweh can use them as they are. In Habakkuk, as can be the case in the Psalms, while the move from one person speaking to another is sometimes marked (as at 2:2), sometimes it is not marked, and apparently people were expected to figure out for themselves what was happening. While this can be difficult, this shift in verse 5 is quite clear (cf. 1:12). The plural imperative verbs in verse 5a, look and watch, indicate that ...

2977. The Lord Will Appear

Zechariah 9:14-17

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... roar as with wine. The blessing of wine to make the heart glad will reverse the poverty of Haggai 1:6. It will be a mark of God’s goodness (see also v. 17). The OT does, of course, warn of the danger of wine (Prov. 20:1). At the temple ... same root, nes, means “standard, flag.” Perhaps one should picture colorful flags fluttering in the wind and catching the sunlight. A standard could mark a route for traveling or indicate the presence of an army as in Psalm 60:4, the only other occurrence of the verb ( ...

2978. What He Said!

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... First Lesson (Jeremiah 23:1-6) today the prophet Jeremiah places that comparison in the mouth of "the Lord, the God of Israel." Saint Mark in today's gospel places the same figure of speech in the mouth of the Son of this Lord, the God of Israel. ... the people of God. God promises to gather the scattered sheep and to raise up shepherds who will do a good job of shepherding. In Mark Jesus sees God's task is not yet finished because the people of God were still "like sheep without a shepherd." Clearly, it is ...

2979. Beloved

Mark 7:24-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... a created world in which we play one part, our entire worldview changes. Today’s scripture, as transcribed by both Mark and Matthew, Jesus once again has trouble getting his points across to disciples whose mindset is firmly nestled into Jewish ... She replies, “Lord, even the puppies under the Master’s table eat of the children’s crumbs.” Jesus replies “Good answer!” in Mark’s gospel. In Matthew’s he commends her for her “great faith,” a comment he never gives his own disciples. At that, ...

2980. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

Mark 9:30-37 · Proverbs 31:10-31 · Psalm 1

Sermon

Thomas C. Willadsen

... priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again. Mark 10:32-34 (NRSV). In two chapters of Mark’s gospel, Jesus told his disciples in plain, concrete language that he was going to be tortured, killed, and would rise after three days. He did not speak metaphorically or with hidden meaning or intention. He told the inner circle, his session ...

2981. Words

John 1:(1-9), 10-18

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has gotten ahead of me because he was there before I was.’” When I hear these words from John’s gospel, one thought goes through my mind. “Huh? What did he say?” Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us stories about shepherds, angels, and wise men, and then John says something like, “This is the one who comes after me and has gone ahead of me because he was already there before I was.” What in the world was John doing here? Did he ...

2982. For Someone Who Led a Happy and a Virtuous Life

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 · Matthew 25:31-46 · 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

... individuals in the insurance business. And I daresay that Mass Mutual wouldn’t be the company it is today if not for the mark he left on almost every facet of the insurance operation. In Marty’s scrapbook, there would be a picture of Canisius College ... of impeccable honesty and integrity and conscientiousness, a man of great taste and good humor and a wonderful temperament, a man who left his mark in so many different places and in so many different ways, a man of whom it was an honor to claim as a friend ...

2983. For Someone Who Will Be Terribly Missed

Job 19:23-27 · John 12:23-26 · John 14:1-6 · Acts 1:21-26

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

... , of the great care which Pat provided his family. Think if you will of how he gave of himself for the sake of others, the way he gave of himself to this parish. The pews you are sitting in, the windows in the classrooms above us all bear Patrick’s mark. Think as well of how he gave of himself for the kids he taught, going so far as to run for the school board to help better their education. (We won’t mention how he exploited his kids to make that happen with Christine and Susan holding up signs that ...

2984. Allowing God To Do A New Thing

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... , whatever disappointment we have experienced, God can do a new thing in our lives. God alone can provide the healing and the renewal that will sustain our spirits. In today's passage of scripture, the journey of the people of Israel through the desert was marked by many signs and wonders. The most compelling image in this biblical account is the gift of water. In the deliverance of God's people from Egypt, God provided for the people in dramatic fashion. God provided water for their thirst and God provided ...

2985. A Living Memorial

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... something that is more experiential in nature and, thus, life-changing. In God's judgment of Egypt, God did not kill all people. Some were spared. The Israelites were given an intricate formula for choosing a lamb and then drawing blood from that lamb with which to mark their doorposts. In this way they signified that they were God's people. The message of grace is clear in this text: "It is the Lord's passover ... The blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where you are; and when I see the blood ...

2986. A Faith That Overcomes

Acts 9:32-43

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... from God. In fact, Peter patterned his healing after a healing Jesus performed. Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus who had died. Jesus also put the mourners out. He took the little girl by the hand and said, "Talitha cumi," which means, "Little girl, arise" (Mark 5:41). In today's passage, Peter put the mourners out and he said, "Tabitha, cumi," meaning, "Tabitha, arise." There is only a one-letter difference in the two accounts. We, too, would do well to pattern our ministry after that of Jesus. This ...

2987. Holy Wisdom From On High!

Proverbs 8:1-36

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... rest of the class seemed relieved that the obvious had been stated, and no one else had anything to say. "I'm surprised at you," the teacher told the class. "I did the same exercise yesterday with a group of kindergartners and they thought of 50 different things the chalk mark could be: an owl's eye, a cigar butt, the top of a telephone pole, a star, a pebble, a squashed bug, a rotten egg, a bird's eye, and so on." The older students had learned how to find a right answer, but had lost the ability to look ...

2988. Deep Depression Or High Hope?

1 Kings 9:1-9

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... for the best of reasons: "the joy that was set before him." Christ has the cure for your depression, for your hopelessness, for your despair. He wants to give you radiant joy and high hope. No other religion does what Christ does. However high the marks we may give other world religions, none of them score very high on joy and hope. Buddhism recommends the philosophical equivalent of slow suicide. Hinduism is too vague to be very joyful. Islam is too fierce to find anything very amusing. But the Westminster ...

2989. Then There Was One

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... cure. It was necessary for the priest to declare the leper healed so that the person could return to society and to a normal life. It seems to me that it takes some measure of faith for the lepers to begin their journey to the priests while the marks of leprosy are still on their bodies. We do not know how far they travel before someone begins to notice a dramatic change in their condition. Perhaps one feels a sensation like a cooling breeze on his parched skin. He looks at his hands. They are smooth and ...

2990. Walking On Our Hands

John 8:31-41

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... of grass, and he met the butterfly eyeball to eyeball as it skimmed along the ground.1 Kysar concludes that the Evangelist John walks on his hands because he has a different perspective on the story of Jesus than do the other Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the "Synoptic Gospels" because they "see together." They follow the same general outline of Jesus' story, and share much of the material with each other. John, on the other hand, rearranges the synoptic chronology. For example, he has the ...

2991. The Race

Luke 6:17-26, Luke 6:27-36

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... helper and friend, we can win the race of life. (MIDDLE RUNNER WINS AND ALL FREEZE) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2).

2992. The Spice of Death

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... in Joseph's lovely garden was irrelevant as far as contributing to our salvation, it was nonetheless very important from another point of view. It was an act certainly. It was all legal. Joseph had obtained an official permit for the burial rite. Mark mentions that Pilate did not grant this permit until he had been assured by an officer that Jesus was truly dead. Once that permit was granted, Joseph and Nicodemus proceeded with funeral arrangements which they had to hurry, because the Jewish Sabbath began ...

2993. Easter Understanding

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... then that at one point Jesus asked the disciples what the people were saying about him. The disciples had all kinds of answers. When Jesus asked them who they thought he was, Peter could give the quick reply that they believed Jesus was the Messiah (Mark 8:27-30). However, when Jesus was crucified they did not understand. Also, when Jesus came to them as the Risen Savior, they did not understand. All their speculation, all their talking, all their consorting with one another and with others did not help ...

2994. You Are My Witnesses

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... way as Mr. Mandela. We can go on rummaging through history for those individuals who left dramatic impact upon their society, people, or nations, but none will match the accomplishment of the One whom we honor on this day. The ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ marked his coronation as the King of kings and Lord of lords, by which he made it possible for all peoples to know the joys of God's kingdom. A Fulfillment The evangelist Luke, both in his gospel and the Book of Acts, indicates how our Lord prepared ...

2995. The Sending Plan (Alternate title: Our Human Predicament)

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... the gospel of repentance and forgiveness by casting out the demon of unbelief -- the one he himself faced in his hometown of Nazareth. Hearing Jesus' call, the twelve went out and spoke clearly. "They went out and preached that people should repent" (Mark 6:12), following Jesus' plan of salvation. The new sending plan was that believers should do what they saw Jesus do, call people to repentance. Metanoia is the Greek word which we translate repentance. It literally means "to turn around and head back ...

2996. When The Odds Are Against Us

1 Samuel 1:1-20

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

... her womb." This was indeed a situation of great odds against Hannah because in her day a woman's primary role was to bear children. It was the means by which a woman's status and worth were measured. Therefore, barrenness was a mark of disgrace. The odds against Hannah were compounded by the fact that Peninnah made Hannah's life miserable by ridiculing and taunting her because of the differences in their families. Likewise, the well-intentioned pity of Elkanah further compounded the odds against Hannah ...

2997. The Taught Can

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... wrote, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Are we aware of what time it is? There is a time to be taught and a time to do. Quite clearly for the disciples this was a time to be taught. Mark relates the call of some of the first disciples early in his book. He tells of the appointment of the twelve as apostles and tells of how Jesus sent them out two by two on a mission. But it is quite clear that Jesus regarded these days chiefly as classroom ...

2998. A Tale Of Two Cities

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... Israel. Just as in Micah there is a tension between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, so here also we have that tension. Here, however, we have a symbolic personage for the corruption of the sacred city, Herod. Herod stands for all the greed, manipulation, and fear which mark the powerbrokers of the world. We have two kings and two cities, Herod in Jerusalem and Jesus in Bethlehem. In Matthew's story, the characters who acquaint us with these two cities are the magi. When they receive the revelation that the king of ...

2999. Living By The Calendar Instead Of The Clock (New Year's)

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... ordinary time. It took me a long while to hear this truth from Mother Teresa: "There are no big deals anymore, just small things to be done with great love." Most of this coming year will be spent in ordinary time. We enter into the season on the church calendar marked as "ordinary time." What a good prophetic note for the new year: most of the good that will be done will be done in ordinary time, when no one is looking and no one will report it to the paper. Here comes the new year, full of ordinary time ...

3000. Tiny Town: Promised Power

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

Tony Everett

Country and western music tells stories of broken dreams and sad times. The mournful lyrics are often cries of hopelessness, helplessness, and insignificance in the overall scheme of things. Perhaps you are familiar with titles like these: "Every Time I Make My Mark, Somebody Paints The Wall"; "Here's A Quarter, Call Someone Who Cares"; "I'm Standing In The Middle Of The River And Dying Of Thirst"; "Why Don't Your Dog Bite Nobody But Me?"; "There's A Light At The End Of The Tunnel; Lord, I Hope It Ain't ...

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