Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3001 to 3025 of 4972 results

3001. The Eighth Son

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

... quickly gathered around the bearded prophet. He announced that the reason he had come to town was to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. He asked Jesse and his sons to first come forward and offer their sacrifices. This was a ruse. His real reason for stopping in Bethlehem was to anoint Israel’s next King. Jesse’s first son passed before Samuel and was not anointed. Samuel had stayed his own gnarled fingers from pouring the sacred horn’s myrrh and cinnamon mixture on the brawny lad. All seven of the boys ...

3002. Getting Even

2 Samuel 13:1-22

Sermon

... Mogen David. Amnon fell to the knives of his assassins, while the rest of David’s sons fled from the bloody feast. They reasoned that, if Absalom had struck Amnon down, then perhaps they might be next. Absalom wanted no rivals for the throne and nothing would stop his juggernaut drive to power. Absalom’s later life would prove that he who lives by the sword dies by the sword. He had forgotten that revenge is a scimitar sharp two-edged blade. It cuts our enemy down, but like a boomerang it brings us down ...

3003. Blue, The Color of Eternity

Romans 6:1-14

Sermon

... , and I would love to see the Parthenon in person, too ..." His voice trailed off. Without speaking, the angel got up, went over to the large map on the wall. He took his pencil and found the Mediterranean Sea; he touched Rome. Jesus’ heart stopped for a moment ... then moved east to Corinth and Athens ... the Lord held his breath. The pencil continued to move east, then south. The angel seemed to be having a little trouble finding the place he was looking for. Then he spotted Jerusalem; holding the ...

3004. Gold, The Color of Wealth and Riches

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

... give it up. We are to be Christians, believers in Christ and his love first and foremost. Some time ago, a man handed me a card with the question on it, "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" That makes me stop and think. Are we Christians in our day-to-day living? Are we putting our treasures in heaven? Are we taking a stand against evil and for the right, or are we compromising so well with the world that it is impossible to tell a Christian from a non ...

3005. The Attitude of Readiness

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

Russell F. Anderson

At the time of this writing, the tornado season has commenced. Several communities have been devastated by the devil twisters. Nothing can stop them, but if you know they are heading your way you can, at least, save your life, together with those you love. Several people have lost their lives because they weren't prepared. Tornados can be tracked on Doppler radar. If warning is issued, heard and heeded, it can save ...

3006. Good Morning, Jerusalem!

Drama

... Friday, it has been a routine Passover week.... Parts of the city were shaken early this morning by an earth tremor, but no serious damage has been reported. On the political scene, Caiaphas, the High Priest, proposed last Thursday that the Temple tax be raised.... (Stop, and pick up another piece of paper, as if it had just been handed to the announcer. Look over the paper quickly, and then say:) I have just received a bulletin that the grave of one of the criminals executed last Friday at Skull Hill has ...

3007. The Rest of the Christmas Story

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

... debt to make it a good season for the merchants. "Will it be a good Christmas year?" Wall Street and chambers of commerce and credit card companies all want to know. Most of all, Christmas is noisy. The cry of mammon's babble never stops. In fact, it gets louder each year as the "talk-fast-and-scream" school of advertising takes over the airwaves. Christmas reduced to sales and Santa is joyless and exhausting. The spirit is crushed under the dead weight of worldliness. Many people, even many Christians ...

3008. A Most Amazing Night

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

... and swaddling clothes, strips of cloth to wrap around a newborn baby. The journey to Bethlehem is a long, slow walk of ninety miles, up and down the rugged hillside. Mary rides the donkey and Joseph walks beside her, making sure the animal does not stumble. They stop when Mary needs to rest. With her swollen womb nearly ready to deliver, Mary feels every bounce, every rock or rut in the donkey’s path, as they go to keep their date with Caesar. The trip takes many days. The daytime sun is warm, but the ...

3009. Some Assembly Required

Malachi 2:17--3:5

Sermon

... Luke 2:35) Who "also" will be pierced? Simeon is saying that a sword will pierce Jesus’ side! His words point beyond the romantic manger scene to the Cross. He looks beyond Bethlehem to Calvary. A lot of people walking the streets of Jerusalem that day must have stopped to admire the baby Jesus, to stroke His chin and call Him cute. Babies are so warm and appealing, so unassuming and vulnerable. They can’t challenge us; they only depend on us and respond to our love. It’s easy to love a baby, and it ...

3010. Proper 7

Genesis 28:10-22

Bulletin Aid

... merciful God, we confess that we have allowed the secularism of modern life to filter you out of our minds, so that we live for the most part without any sense of your presence or power in the world; and we know in our hearts, whenever we stop to think about it, that our lives are faulty and flat, superficial and sad as a result. Forgive us, we pray, and sensitize us once again to the reality of your continuing being and constant abiding in Creation, shaping lives and steering events by the subtle movements ...

3011. Christmas 1

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon Aid

... of Who we are Whose We Are The Joy and Challenge of Being Christian in God's Way This Christmastide Season, Pastoral Invitation One pastor began this way: For several weeks, we have been hearing and saying "Merry Christmas." We probably stopped doing that the day after Christmas. For many, Christmas is anything but "merry" and some have come today with feelings of sadness, which lead to loneliness, feelings of frustration, which lead to anger, feelings of puzzlement, which lead to confusion, feelings ...

3012. Epiphany 4

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

... ." Give the people a few minutes to identify, silently, what they have substituted for happiness. Follow this with a prayer of confession. For the assurance of pardon, incorporate these two quotes: (1) "The secret of happiness (joy) lies in knowing where to stop ..." (author unknown) and (2) "Human goals are honor, integrity, truth, beauty and goodness; and if joy comes while we seek these, so be it." (paraphrased by W. B. J. Martin in Presbyterian Outlook.) After several moments of silence, you may want to ...

3013. Proper 9

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon Aid

... those especially courageous, ask them to write their thoughts on paper. (Give them at least three minutes to do so.) You may want to pray following the silence. Then to introduce the assurance, you may choose to use Scott Peck's idea of love, which is to stop rescuing others and begin nurturing them so growth can take place. Perhaps you will want to ask the congregation to share how it does this. You may want to ask two or three people to be prepared to do this. (Although I have previously suggested this ...

3014. All Saints' Day

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

... Alexander the Great conquered the known world of his day. Having done so, he wept, saying, "There are no more worlds to conquer." (original source, unknown) Stewardship Challenge Consider this: Build on the stewardship of joy. The Readers Digest once stated, "If only we would stop trying to be happy, we would have a pretty good time." How would you go about putting your joy in the offering plate this morning? Charge to the Congregation Try this: The natives of Nigeria say, "To be happy is to be sweet inside ...

3015. A Glory Revealed to Faith Alone

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

... had failed to arrive - presumably because of the storm. He labored unimpressively to expound the text, "Look to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth." (Isaiah 45:22) In the middle of his discourse, which Spurgeon described as "really awful," the preacher suddenly stopped. I will let Spurgeon describe what happened next in his own words: Just fixing his eyes on me, as if he knew all my heart, he said, "Young man, you look very miserable." Well, I did; but I had not been accustomed to have remarks made ...

3016. Bloody Hands, Troubled Soul

Mark 14:12-26

Drama

... in Galilee, Jesus was asked to come to the house of a man named Jairus, whose daughter was sick. Because he was an important leader at the synagogue, the whole town was curious, and followed along hoping to see another miracle. As we were walking, suddenly Jesus stops. "Who touched me?" he said. "What do you mean, who touched you?" we said, "The crowd is all around us, jostling and pushing to be next to you?" But Jesus would not go any farther, and insisted on finding who had touched him. And then a woman ...

3017. Hail! Your King!

Mark 15:1-15

Drama

... ) He bleeds all over. Oh, why am I here? I never had anything to do with him. Why aren’t his disciples here? Why am I the one following him up this God-forsaken hill? This is not how I expected to spend the Passover! Please ... the people are spitting! Stop it! I’m not the guilty one. (Pause) Now they make fun of me, too! I didn’t do anything! I hate this, Ugh, this beam is heavy. It grows heavier by the second. But even heavier is the loneliness. It’s so disgraceful and ... lonely to be here ... so ...

3018. My God, My God, ... Why?

Mark 15:33-41

Drama

... . So when this Galilean was brought in on charges of being "King of the Jews," the men sort of took out their frustrations on him. They dressed him up like a pretend Jewish king, robe, scepter, crown and all ... and then proceeded to beat the ... (Stops himself) I’ll admit I joined in on the ‘entertainment.’ Look, I just follow orders. And it’s not unusual to rough prisoners up a little or make sport of them. Sometimes they deserve it, believe me. With Jesus, however, it was more than that ... like ...

3019. The Fashioning of Christians

Ezekiel 36:1-38

Sermon

... is as vivid as any other. Symbols, of course, stand for something. They are not the thing itself, but a sign of the thing. Whenever we confuse the religious sign with the thing that it signifies, we run into trouble, just like the driver who so admires a stop sign that he runs right through it. The logic of symbols tells us that what Christians wear (or don’t wear) is not really the important thing. What’s really important is what’s going on underneath the symbols. And what is going on - or should be ...

3020. A Zealot’s Greatest Battle

Drama

... guy can call himself lucky, too. I was just a fraction of a second from destroying him! Sure looks like that traitor, Levi. Say ... look at me. (Begins laughing and pounding Simon on the back) Lucky Barabbas! I should have died on that cross! I just wanted to stop by and look at it ... and thank my lucky stars. Simon You are fortunate, Barabbas! I hope you realize a very great man died for you! Barabbas That’s what I hear. A religious fanatic who was very popular with the people. By the way, I’ve heard ...

3021. Who's the Judge?

Luke 6:37-42

Drama

... spoken quickly and aggressively, almost overlapping one another. Those who are speaking are on the attack and must sound that way. 1: [Enters quietly. Suddenly three people from the audience jump up and begin to close in on 1] 2: Don’t do that! 3: Don’t say that! 4: Stop that! 2: Who do you think you are? 3: What right do you have ... 4: You can’t get away with that! 2: That’s hardly proper. 3: Don’t just stand there. 4: Stand still! 2: Wait your turn. 3: Be aggressive! 4: Speak up. 2: Not unless ...

3022. O COME YE!

Drama

A person enters; very proper and correct. Stands very straight and tall, in the manner of an orator before the audience, and speaks to them in a commanding voice. 1: O come all ye faithful. [Stops and waits, but nothing happens] Joyful and triumphant! [Looks around, a little bit upset because nothing is happening. Speaks louder] O come ye! [Still nothing. Getting flustered. Speaks again, still louder] O come ye! [Looks around. Is silent for a while. Cannot figure out what to do. Decides to give ...

3023. REJOICE!

Drama

The End of the Church Year 1: [A prophet, standing on a street corner] Rejoice! Rejoice! [People walk by him, not paying any attention, but he continues to shout] Rejoice! Rejoice! [Finally, a woman walks by and stops. She watches the prophet for a moment, then asks] 2: What did you say? 1: Rejoice! Rejoice! 2: Oh, O.K. What are we rejoicing about? 1: The end of the world is at hand. 2: The end of the world? 1: Yes. 2: And that’s supposed to make ...

3024. HEAR OUR PRAYER, O LORD

Drama

... close. In a circle around the person] Hear our prayer, O Lord. Person: Hear our prayer, O Lord. Tape: Hear my prayer, O Lord. My prayer! I’m important, too! Group: Hear our prayer, O Lord. Tape: My prayer! My prayer! My prayer! Group: Hear our prayer - Person: My prayer! [Stops. Afraid, but must continue] Hear my prayer, O Lord! Hear my prayer, all of you. Can’t you listen to me, too - can’t you try? Group: [Pause; look at the person; bow their heads - very quietly] Hear our prayers, O Lord!

3025. Faithful People in a Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... desperately for the men and women in harm’s way. Saddam Hussein of Iraq was convinced that he was so powerful that he could snatch up tiny Kuwait and no one would dare do anything about it. In fact, he warned that if any nation tried to stop him, there would be "the mother of all battles." Thankfully, it turned out to be not even the daughter of all battles. Saddam Hussein’s enlarged ego affected his judgment, costing the Iraqi people severely. It is interesting that Saddam often refers to himself as a ...

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