Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3026 to 3050 of 4914 results

3026. Jesus, The Mad Man

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

Erskine White

... they went out to seize Him, for they said, "He is beside Himself." (Mark 3:21) I'm not a big movie-goer and I hardly ever watch the same movie more than once, but there is one film I have seen five or six times, and I'd see it again if I could find it. Evidently, a lot of other people felt the same way about this film, because it ran in one big city movie theater every day for twelve years. The film is called "The King of Hearts," and it has to do with an insane asylum caught up in the middle of World ...

3027. Our Christian I.D.

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Given that you and I are reasonably good people, it probably does not amaze you to read that Jesus was able to overcome temptation. After all, like me, you've probably been able to do it yourself, many times. Admittedly, we have also caved in to temptation innumerable times, but for a person with Jesus' devotion and strength, eluding the tempter's entrapment must have been a piece of cake. That assumption is based on that belief that temptation is merely the urge to do something wrong. It is the desire to ...

3028. Victory Over Evil

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

Harold G. Skinner

Violent Death This meditation was given at the funeral service of a thirty-seven-year-old woman who was shot by her estranged husband and before her death, lay in the intensive care unit of the hospital for nearly seven months - most of the time in a coma. It is good to see this large crowd here. It shows your support for the family of __________ . Yet most of you, even as you reach out in support, are echoing the question of St. Paul in some form. Paul had great insight and sensitivity. He poses the ...

3029. Trial-and-Error or Grace

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

(This sermon was preached at the Windsor, N.J. United Methodist Church on the occasion of its 150th Anniversary.) Sometime ago I discovered that God wants us to be happy. Happiness, I already knew, is no simple matter. The Bible teaches much about it, but the Beatitudes, to me more than any other text strike to the heart of the working ground for true happiness. “Blessed are those who….” is translated into “Happy are those who….” Now, a great deal has been said and written about the Beatitudes. So I ...

3030. Robert Paul, You Were Right!

Daniel 7:1-14, Daniel 7:15-28

Sermon

Richard Hasler

Professor Robert Paul and his family had just returned to Hartford Seminary from a trip to the Rocky Mountains. As a doctoral student in church history studying with him I had always been stimulated by his lectures and seminars. Now, I was anxious to talk with him and with his gracious and perceptive wife, Eunice, to get their impressions of the trip. Paul, a native of England, was ecstatic about the natural beauty of America, but he also was appalled by the lack of appreciation for what he called “a sense ...

3031. Peacemaking - Active, Not Passive

Sermon

Alan Bacon Bond

Scripture Psalm 34:1-3, 11-14Romans 14:13-23Jeremiah 8:8-15Matthew 5:9; 10:34-39 Prokofiev's Symphonic Tale for Children, Peter and the Wolf, tells of Peter's escapade into the meadow, mistakenly leaving the gate open behind him. While he carries on a chat with his friend, the bird, the duck, unnoticed, escapes through the open gate and goes for a swim in the pond. The little bird and duck get to arguing, "What kind of bird are you if you can't swim?" And all the while the cat is stealthily sneaking up on ...

3032. T.G.I.F

John 1:43-51

Sermon

William Luoma

[A Message for Good Friday. Bulletin outline found below.] Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see. Early in his Galilean ministry, Jesus invited Philip to follow him. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth." Nathanael responded somewhat sarcastically, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip's simple answer was the challenge that is still given to ...

3033. An Easter-Life

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

What does Easter mean to you? In the secular world, it means fluffy bunnies, brightly colored eggs, hidden baskets, and lots of lush chocolate candy. If you are a child, there is nothing wrong with this. Easter is a happy day, and God loves to hear the laughter of little children; but, if you are an adult and this is all that Easter means to you, then there is something tragically missing in your faith-life. Interestingly enough, the word "Easter" appears nowhere in the Bible. The word "Easter" was ...

3034. Independence Day - The Mission of the Mighty

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Some time ago I was driving behind a car that bore a bumper sticker that admonished me: “Be a patriot! Support your government.” Well, I felt rather smug about it, because I had just sent in my income tax, and I felt that I was supporting my government pretty well. But that evening I happened to see on TV some show about America that ended with the playing of the National Anthem, and I found myself suddenly turning it off. The anthem never engenders a good feeling in me. But why? Am I not a patriot? Why, ...

3035. The Two Fires

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

There is something mysterious and provocative about fire. We don’t need fireplaces when we have central heating, but we have fireplaces anyway. We pay the utility company extra to have them; and we take much time and effort to haul and cut wood for burning. Our fascination with fire can’t be put into words, but watching a fire is as close to meaningful prayer as some of us get. The discovery of fire changed the life of primitive people. Fire made possible the change from a nomadic to a settled existence. ...

3036. Believing Is Seeing

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Dean Lueking

And Jesus said to him, "Thomas, do you believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." (John 20:29) Seeing is believing, we commonly say. But this text turns it around. Believing is seeing. On that memorable evening in Jerusalem, following the Lord’s resurrection by eight days, he appeared to the eleven disciples once again - this time with Thomas present. Remember how he invited Thomas to touch his wounded hands and side, and then spoke the words we hear on this ...

3037. Epiphany 1 - Baptism of Our Lord

Isaiah 42:1-9, Acts 10:23b-48, Matthew 3:13-17

Bulletin Aid

First Lesson Isaiah 42:1-9 Theme: God's Servant in whom he delights Call to Worship Pastor: God spoke through the prophet Isaiah describing his anointed servant with whom he was delighted. People: When we think of Jesus' baptism, we cannot help thinking he was anointed to fulfill that prophecy. Pastor: Jesus was certainly anointed with God's Spirit, and came as light to the nations. People: He gives deliverance, freedom, and salvation. He is all that humanity needs, and all that God would want his anointed ...

3038. Shaped by the Future

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

Joe Pennel

For our children, Christmas is in the distant future; for adults, Christmas is just over the fence. For youngsters Christmas is a long journey; for grown-ups, it is just around the corner. When I was a child, I thought December was the longest month of the entire year. I would get a commercial calendar and "X" off the days, hoping that such "X's" would somehow hasten the coming of Christmas. The closer I got to Christmas, the farther away it seemed. Christmas Eve felt like the longest day of the entire ...

3039. Misunderstanding Jesus

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Once a minister was speaking of the difference between fact and fantasy. "That you are sitting here before me in this church is fact! That I am standing here in this pulpit speaking is fact!" Then he paused, and continued, "However to believe that anyone is really listening to me may be fantasy." You know, sometimes it is fun to be a preacher. After his return from church one Sunday a small boy said, "You know what, Mommie? I’m going to be a preacher when I grow up." "That’s fine," said his mother, "but ...

3040. Pentecost 27

Matthew 24:1-35

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Green Gospel: Matthew 24:1-14 Theme: Signs of the End. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One pastor began this way: "We are here to celebrate the presence and power of God; we prefer to celebrate God's comforting; we also, however, celebrate God's confronting. We can't have one without the other. We can't have the crown without the cross." You may want to continue with this litany between pastor and ministers: Pastor: You have heard it said that God is dead, or at least, absent. I ...

3041. A Glory Revealed in the Cross

John 8:12-30

Sermon

Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that ‘I Am.’ " - John 8:28 The contemporary German theologian, Jurgen Moltmann, wrote: Since I first studied theology, I have been concerned with the theology of the cross.... It is the basic theme of my theological thought. No doubt this goes back to the period of my first concern with questions concerning Christian faith and theology in real life, as a prisoner of war behind the barbed wire.... Shattered and broken, the survivors of ...

3042. "Good Friday People In An Easter World"

Mark 15:37-47, Mark 16:1-6

Sermon

Call To Worship Adapted In Part From 1 Corinthians 15 and Colossians 3 L: Christ is risen! R: The Lord is risen indeed! L: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. R: For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. L: If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above. R: When Christ who is our life appears, then we also will appear with him in glory. Prayer Of Confession We praise you, O God, for those who have not ...

3043. Jailbreak at Midnight

Acts 16:16-40

Sermon Aid

CSS

Twice Paul’s ministry brought him into direct confrontation with commercial interests. The first such incident took place at Philippi, the second at Ephesus. Both of these were Graeco-Roman cities with a materialistic western culture, different from that of the Orient. In the East there was a slower pace of life and a greater accommodation between religion and commerce. Jesus had often lashed out at the selfish rich and even physically drove the money changers from the temple without arousing the kind of ...

3044. Who Are God’s People?

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

And they set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain. And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my possession among all ...

3045. Not For Sale at Any Price

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it." [Matthew 13:45-46] Before you answer this question, think deeply for a minute. What is your most valuable possession? What is so valuable to you that if someone would want to buy it, you would say, "It’s not for sale at any price"? The person who answers like that is saying to the prospective buyer that the article is considered so valuable that ...

3046. Only the Wounded Can Serve

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon

Allan J. Weenink

When war casualty figures are announced, the list usually includes both the dead and wounded. For all practical purposes an injury is almost as useful as a fatality. The cold logic of such devilish grim business classes both in the same category ... loss of retaliatory potential. There is no place in this horror called war for the wounded. They have nothing more to offer to the immediate needs. They have been reduced from possibility to impotency. Thus, those who use statistics as part of strategy take ...

3047. God Is a Giver

Sermon

James Bjorge

In the beginning when God created all things he seemed to pause occasionally after sequences of creation and stand off and look it all over and then say, "That is good." Yes, it certainly was. But then God gave it to man. That was and is his nature ... to give. "For God so loved the world that he gave ... his only begotten Son ..." (John 3:16). And Paul says, "Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift" (2 Corinthians 9:15). God is a giver of gifts. Any man who has gotten to know God is very aware of this ...

3048. Picking A Winner, Claiming A Treasure

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Bishop Ernest Fitzgerald tells about a slightly crooked Texan who was a big racer of horses. He took one of his prize thoroughbreds to London for an international race. The Texan was back in the stable area prior to the race feeding his horse some suspicious-looking little white pills. The Duke of Marlborough who also had a horse in the race, happened to see what the Texan was doing. "My good man," he said, "Don't you know that that is illegal. You cannot give a horse any performance-enhancing drugs. I ...

3049. Restoring Our Sense of Priorities

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Donald Macleod

Whatever happened to the Ten Commandments? It is true, of course, that any one of them is trotted out on occasion to bolster an argument or to nail an offender with the rebuke, "Shame on you! Remember the Fourth (or Fifth or Sixth?) Commandment!" But what of the Ten Commandments as a whole? (The Decalogue, as biblical scholars and liturgists refer to it?) Rudyard Kipling, England’s poet laureate of a hundred years ago, sang in his rollicking poem, Mandalay: Ship me somewhere east of Suez, Where the best is ...

3050. Easter 2

Acts 4:32-37, 1 John 1:5--2:14, John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Acts 4:32-35 Theme: A shared faith means much in common Exegetical note Luke here portrays the earliest Christian community as strongly unified by their faith in the resurrection of Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. This spirit of unity spilled over naturally and spontaneously into a communal sharing of all goods, with the result that need within the community was eliminated by the disciples’ distribution of the shared wealth. Call to Worship Leader: The spirit of resurrection is a ...

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