Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3026 to 3050 of 5000 results

3026. No Need For Weeping Anymore

John 20:10-18

Sermon

Erskine White

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" (John 20:15) Sometimes we forget. We focus so much on the joy and celebration of this day, on the bright flowers and festive music, that sometimes we forget; the first sound heard on that first Easter Sunday was the sound of weeping. It was Mary Magdalene's weeping. Tears of hopelessness poured out of her in loud wailing and moaning; her body convulsed in grief and her sobbing pierced the quiet of the early morning stillness. We often overlook the fact that ...

3027. The Kindergarten Kingdom

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

Erskine White

Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child shall not enter it. (Mark 10:15) If I had preached on this text just six years ago, I would have extolled the virtues and sung the praises of children. Jesus said that we must be like children to receive the kingdom of God and I would have preached a sermon on how wonderful kids are. I would have waxed eloquent on how Jesus blessed the children and how children bless our lives every day with their innate goodness, charm and ...

3028. A Chosen Race?

John 14:1-4, John 14:5-14

Sermon

Erskine White

I spent some time recently with a number of clergymen and clergywomen from various churches, the scribes and Pharisees of our day. It was a Bible study session and we happened to be discussing the very same passage from John which is the text for this sermon. Do not misunderstand me. I do not consider myself superior in any way to the ministers I will tell you about. For all I know, they may have gifts and skills far beyond my own - I am utterly sincere in saying that. But I will let stand what I have ...

3029. What About The Holy Spirit?

John 15:18--16:4

Sermon

Erskine White

But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth ... (John 15:26) Many of the pentecostal and charismatic churches place entirely too much emphasis on the Holy Spirit. In fact, the Holy Spirit seems the only part of the triune God some of these churches pay attention to. In their worship, their preaching and their faith, they nearly abandon God the Father and Christ the Son in favor of the Spirit, to the point where Christian faith is reduced to a mere matter ...

3030. The Nearness Of A Faraway God

Isaiah 40:12-18

Sermon

Erskine White

To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with Him? (Isaiah 40:18) O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder,Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,Thy power throughout the universe displayed,Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,How great Thou art, How great Thou art!(Stuart K. Hine) The man who wrote that gospel song stretched his mind and expanded his vision until he had at least some conception of the majesty of God. He used words like ...

3031. A Perfect Prayer

Sermon

Erskine White

Romans 8:26-27 Give thy servant therefore an understanding mind, that I may discern between good and evil. (1 Kings 3:9) Most of us would admit without too much prodding that we are not perfect, that we are a frustrating blend of good and evil. Oh, I've known a few Christians who think they are without sin because they are saved, but these are people who don't understand themselves or the Scriptures. For the rest of us, I think we'd all confess that we are flawed and fallible, imperfect at best. But what ...

3032. Who Do You say He Is?

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon

Erskine White

And Jesus asked them, "But who do you say I am?" (Mark 8:29) You have to like Peter, the burly fisherman who became Christ's leading disciple and the rock upon which Jesus built His church (Matthew 16:18). Peter failed greatly many times. Many times, he showed his confusion and lack of understanding about the message and ministry of Jesus. He especially failed on the night Jesus was arrested, when he denied three times that he knew his Lord and ran away to save his own skin. Even so, you have to like Peter ...

3033. A Thankful Heart

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Erskine White

Then one of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice ... giving Him thanks. (Luke 17:15-16) If you ever doubted the importance of saying "thank you" to someone when a "thank you" is due, consider the story which is our text for this sermon. Luke tells us that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem and as He passed near Galilee and Samaria, He was met by ten lepers. They called out to Him, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Jesus sent them on to the priests and as they went ...

3034. Wedding: The Crisis of Marriage

Sermon Aid

John M. Braaten

(Name) and (name), I rejoice with you today, and I know your families are pleased, too - glad that you are making this leap of faith into marriage. Life has not been easy on either of you, but you have come today to publicly make a statement of hope and optimism because of your mutual love. It's exciting, not only for you, but for us all. This event is going to create some jarring changes in your lives, and you will experience more than a little stress. You might even call it a crisis. Now I know we ...

3035. Wedding: The Bondage of Marriage

Sermon Aid

John M. Braaten

(Name) and (name), if you were like 99.99% of engaged couples contemplating their wedding day, it was exciting. But in the future, as you look back, you might find yourself asking why you looked forward to this moment. You might agree with the poet Keats, who suggested in his ode (poem), "On a Grecian Urn," that anticipation provides greater enjoyment than participation. The truth is, many look back on their wedding day with feelings which range all the way from wistful nostalgia to bitter cynicism and ...

3036. Let Your Light Shine

2 Corinthians 4:6

Children's Sermon

Object: a flashlight Good morning, boys and girls. I brought a flashlight with me this morning. What do you do with a flashlight? (Let them answer.) Have you ever been in the dark and needed a flashlight to see where you were? (Let them answer.) I want to tell you a story about some children your age who needed a flashlight. Once there were some friends who decided to go on a hike out in the country. Before they went on their hike they made certain that they had all the things they needed. They took snacks ...

3037. Lead A Worthy Life

Ephesians 4:1-3

Children's Sermon

Object: package of instant drink mix Good morning, boys and girls. I brought this package of instant drink mix with me this morning. This flavor is (name the flavor). It's one of my favorite flavors. What flavors of this do you like to drink? (Let them answer.) Have you ever had a summer party with friends in your backyard where you mixed up a package like this? Sometimes you might even have brought some stuffed animals along and some dolls and served them some of the drink. I want to tell you a story ...

3038. Put On God's Armor

Ephesians 6:17

Children's Sermon

Object: a baseball cap Good morning, boys and girls. I brought a baseball cap of my favorite team with me this morning. (Show the cap.) How many of you like this team? (Let them answer.) What are your favorite baseball teams? (Let them answer.) I want to tell you a story about some friends who loved to play baseball. Are any of you in (the name may vary from community to community) T-ball/Pee Wee/Little League this summer? These friends weren't in a league. They just played often in their backyard. Each of ...

3039. Sharing God's Gift

John 3:1-21

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Sharing this week's Gospel theme at Sunday School. Teachers: This week, and in following weeks, you can help your students to both acknowledge God's gift to them, and to share that gift with others. Begin your class today with a discussion based on today's Gospel. Ask your students to list some of the gifts that God gives them each day (such as food, clothing, loving parents and friends, etc.) See if they can decide for themselves what God's greatest gift to his people might be. (If your students do not ...

3040. The Measure Of A Deed

Ephesians 2:10

Children's Sermon

Object: a ruler and a yardstick Good morning, boys and girls. I brought some measuring tools today. We're going to measure some things today. Let's start with a Bible. (Measure it with the ruler and show how long it is.) It's _____ inches long. Let's measure this candle. (Walk up to a candle and measure it.) This candle is ____ tall. Let's see how tall some of you are. (Choose a couple children and try to measure them with the ruler.) Uh, oh, it only goes up to their knees. I guess I'll have to use a ...

3041. The Good Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Children's Sermon

Object: a shepherd's staff or a picture of it Good morning, boys and girls. I brought this long stick to show you. Do you know what it is? (Let them respond.) No, it's not a walking stick. It's called a staff. Shepherds use this. Some of them have a hook, but not all do. Some are just a straight pole or stick about five feet long. Do you know what a shepherd is? (Let them answer.) A shepherd is a person who takes care of sheep. It can be a man or a woman. The shepherd carries this staff for several reasons ...

3042. Singing In The Rain

John 12:24

Children's Sermon

Object:a shower cap Good morning, boys and girls. Would someone like to wear this? (Choose someone to put on the shower cap.) Are any of you old enough to take a shower all by yourself? (Wait for show of hands.) Do you ever wear a shower cap like this so your hair doesn't get wet? (Wait for show of hands.) I brought this shower cap because it reminds me of something a lot of people do while they are in the shower. Do you know what it is? (Let them respond.) Some of you probably do it, too. It's singing in ...

3043. Start Small

James 3:18

Children's Sermon

Object: some apple seeds and a ripe apple. Boys and girls, how many of you have ever heard the story of Johnny Appleseed? (Look for some volunteers to tell you.) Johnny Appleseed was a strange sort of man who wandered around in the wilderness of Pennsylvania and Ohio and Indiana, sometimes going barefoot, sometimes wearing a metal pot with a handle on it for a hat, and carrying a bag full of these. (Show them the apple seeds.) All across the countryside, where he saw farmers planting their crops, Johnny ...

3044. Work-glove People

Mark 9:35

Children's Sermon

Object: a pair of white gloves and a pair of heavy-duty work gloves. (As the children gather, put on the white gloves.) Boys and girls, I'm wearing white gloves today. Have you ever seen anybody wear white gloves? When do they do it? (Talk about it.) That's right. We wear white gloves when we want to get dressed up or look fancy. Sometimes we see pictures of people who are wearing white gloves and have a fancy tuxedo on, and are wearing a top hat and carrying a cane. These people are looking very elegant ...

3045. Epiphany 4

Psalm 71:1-24, 1 Corinthians 14:1-25, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Jeremiah 1:1-19, Luke 4:14-30

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The birth story, with the visit of the magi, and the baptism of our Lord, at the beginning of the season, and the Transfiguration story, at the conclusion of Epiphany in many lectionaries, combine to enclose the other Sundays of Epiphany in a period of time when the manifestation/ministry of Jesus are celebrated in worship and preaching. Each Sunday, some aspect of Jesus' Epiphany in his teaching and/or his miraculous works/signs is put before the people of God to confirm the faith of ...

3046. Easter 5

John 13:31-38, Revelation 21:1-27, Revelation 19:1-10, Acts 14:8-20, Leviticus 19:1-37, Acts 14:21-28, Psalm 145:1-21

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The Fourth Sunday after Easter, in the classic lectionary, carried the title of Cantate Sunday, from the introit, which began "O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvelous things, alleluia (Psalm 98)." In parts of the church, it became known as Church Music Sunday, an occasion for special musical presentations, choir concerts, and the general promotion of the church music. This was not all bad, except that the singing of the "new Easter song" sometimes got lost in the ...

3047. Ascension

Acts 1:1-11, Psalm 110:1-7, Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 24:36-49, Luke 24:50-53, 2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE As the church year developed, the ascension was celebrated as part of the Easter event, and not as a separate festival. Luke's account of the ascension provided the "40th day" location of the festival within the calendar of the church; it became known as the Quadragesima, matching, in that respect, the other Quadragesima, Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Ascension Day was also known as Holy Thursday, in some ancient calendars. (There is no evidence of a post-Easter sexagesima or ...

3048. Easter 7

John 17:20-26, Psalm 47:1-9, Acts 7:54--8:1a, Acts 16:6-10, Acts 16:16-40, 1 Samuel 12:1-25, Revelation 22:7-21

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE This Sunday might very well be called "Consolidation Sunday," because it is known now as the Seventh Sunday of Easter, rather Exaudi, the Sunday after the Ascension of our Lord. Whereas, Exaudi had a mini-season of a week's duration with Pentecost as its octave, the Seventh Sunday is deliberately incorporated into the great 50 days of Easter. In effect, it "completes" the Easter season, which is brought to a dramatic closure on the festival of Pentecost. The "Christ is risen! He is risen, ...

3049. Proper 13

Luke 12:13-21, Psalm 49:1-20, Ecclesiastes 2:17-26, 2 Kings 13:10-25, Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Liturgical purists might call this "skin them alive" Sunday, according to the long-standing tradition that St. Bartholomew, whose day may be celebrated near this Sunday, depending on the lectionary followed and calendar year, was actually skinned while alive. Of course, that is only conjecture and the truth is that no one knows for certain when he died, or how, or where. In iconography, St. Bartholomew is represented by a skinning knife and a book, and sometimes he is pictured holding a ...

3050. Proper 16

Luke 13:22-30, Isaiah 28:1-29, Isaiah 66:1-24, Jeremiah 28:1-17, Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Depending on the lectionary being followed and the calendar of this particular year, Holy Cross Day will soon be celebrated. It's a festival that is relatively new to many Protestants, but quite familiar to Roman Catholics. To celebrate the cross and the crucifixion of Christ in August or September seems like a liturgical anachronism; Jesus' passion and death are remembered annually in the spring of the year, along with Easter, of course. But Holy Cross day comes at a propitious time in ...

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