Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3026 to 3050 of 4508 results

Sermon

Eric Ritz

I want to ask you a very important and penetrating question this morning to set the stage for our sermon today. Please answer it in the quietness of your own heart but with utter honesty. Do you have a forgiving spirit? Do you have a forgiving spirit? You could probably answer this question with both a yes and no. When it comes to the difficult subject of forgiveness, there are always limitations...

3027. Now Try Forgiveness

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Two famous movie stars died this past week: Robert Mitchum, then four days later, Jimmy Stewart. Mitchum was a big name in the movies, a superstar, and extraordinarily productive. He must have made over 200 movies. In one year, I think it was 1944, he made eighteen movies. But Jimmy Stewart was a different kind of actor. Jimmy Stewart was in the pantheon that is reserved for those we lift up to b...

3028. Now What Do We Do?

Sermon

Mark Trotter

3029. Don't Forget to Forgive

Sermon

James Merritt

I heard about a man that went to see his doctor because he was feeling absolutely terrible. The doctor gave him a careful examination, left the room to look at some tests, came back in with a very somber expression on his face, and said: "Sir, I don't know how to break the news to you, but you have rabies and you're going to die very soon." The man very calmly got out a piece of paper and began f...

3030. The Freedom in Forgiveness

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Forgiveness. Great word. Great concept. We believe in it. We love it. We live it. Right? Say AMEN! There was a man who loved dogs. He served as a speaker in various civic clubs to benefit the SPCA. He was known far and wide as a dog lover. One day his neighbor observed as he poured a new sidewalk from his house out to the street. About the time he smoothed out the last square foot of cement a lar...

3031. As Long As It Is Day!

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

French author Victor Hugo has a short story titled, "93." In the midst of this tale a ship at sea is caught in a terrific storm. Buffeted by the waves, the boat rocks to and fro, when suddenly the crew hears an awesome crashing sound below deck. They know what it is. A cannon they are carrying has broken loose and is smashing into the ship's sides with every list of the ship. Two brave sailors, at...

3032. LOST? Looking For Peace

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

There's an old story, and it's a groaner but I'm going tell it anyway. It's about three flies buzzing around a messy kitchen table where somebody had just made a bologna sandwich. The knife used to slice the bologna was covered with little particles of the meat and so was the cutting board. Two of the flies decided to work on the cutting board, while the third fly went to work on the knife. He sta...

3033. Proper 19

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Old Testament - Exodus 15:1b-11, 20-21 First Lesson - The Israelites get safely through the sea but the water returns to cover the pursuing Egyptian army. Exodus 14:19-31 Second Lesson - Paul admonishes the Romans to forego judgment of one another since in the end God will judge us all. Romans 14:1-12 Gospel - Jesus makes it clear that we are not to expect forgiveness from God if we can n...

3034. Proper 19, Pentecost 17, Ordinary Time 24

Bulletin Aid

Amy C. Schifrin

Prayer Of The Day Leader: Heavenly Father, to live out our faith in this world is no easy task, yet again and again you show us the way. We give you thanks that the depth of your forgiveness is beyond measure and we pray that by the power of your Spirit we might be made anew in your image, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. All: Amen. Intercessory Prayer After each petition: Leader: God of...

3035. How Do We Forgive?

Sermon

King Duncan

An elderly man wandering on a lonely beach found a magic lamp. Naturally he rubbed the lamp and a genie appeared. The genie told the old man he would grant him any wish. The man thought for a while and said, “My brother and I had a fight 20 years ago and we haven’t spoken since. My wish is that he would finally forgive me.” The genie clapped his hands, a bright light shot across the sky, and then...

3036. Forgiveness Is Not Innate

Illustration

Will Willimon

William Willimon writes: "The human animal is not supposed to be good at forgiveness. Forgiveness is not some innate, natural human emotion. Vengeance, retribution, violence, these are natural human qualities. It is natural for the human animal to defend itself, to snarl and crouch into a defensive position when attacked, to howl when wronged, to bite back when bitten. Forgiveness is not natural....

3037. Forgiven: Too Poor to Pay

Illustration

When the books of a certain Scottish doctor were examined after his death, it was found that a number of accounts were crossed through with a note: "Forgiven too poor to pay." But the physician's wife later decided that these accounts must be paid in full and she proceeded to sue for money. When the case came to court the judge asked but one question. Is this your husband's handwriting? When she r...

3038. Forgiveness Is a Chance for Rebirth

Illustration

Mark Trotter

At the Coventry Cathedral in England there is probably the most dramatic symbol of forgiveness. The old cathedral, you remember, was destroyed in the blitzkrieg, in the constant bombings in England. Only a shell of the old cathedral was left. They left it, and built the new cathedral right next to it, so that the entrance into the new is through the ruins of the old. You enter new life through for...

3039. Grace Chooses Love

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

Storyteller Bill Harley tells a simple story about a children's T-ball game he witnessed a few years ago. On one of the T-ball teams was a young girl named Tracy. Tracy ran with a limp. She couldn't hit the ball to save her life. But everyone cheered for her anyway. Finally, in her team's last game, Tracy did the unthinkable. She hit the ball. Tracy's coach began hollering for her to run the base...

3040. Twice Blessed

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

Though centuries old, Portia's words to Shylock still speak with the eloquence of God, "The quality of mercy is not strained, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed: it blesseth him that gives, and him that takes." Being "Twice Blessed" means not only embracing God's forgiveness, but it means becoming a forgiving child of God, too.

3041. Saved by Forgiveness

Illustration

David Augsburger

Since nothing we intend is ever faultless, and nothing we attempt ever without error, and nothing we achieve without some measure of finitude and fallibility we call humanness, we are saved by forgiveness.

3042. I’ll Need Another Book…

Illustration

Johnny Dean

And Jesus said to Peter, "Here's what I want you to do, Rocky. Go down to Wal-Mart and buy one of those big spiral notebooks they have on their back-to-school specials rack. Pick out a bright-colored one - red or yellow or orange - so you'll be able to keep up with it and know where it is at all times. Better buy some pencils, too - lots of pencils. Then, I want you to write down the name of every...

3043. God Stopped Keeping Score

Illustration

William J. Carl, III

For Toyohiko Kagawa it was the slums of Tokyo. For Dom Helder Camera, it's the slums of Brazil. For Mother Theresa it was the slums of Calcutta. For Jesus Christ it was all humanity mired down in the slum of its own sin on Calvary. As they taunted him and crucified him, I'm sure the disciples and others wondered why Jesus didn't retaliate. Whatever happened to good old divine retribution? Instead ...

3044. Forgiveness Is an Every Day Reality

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

Some while back I visited an online greeting card website to send an electronic anniversary card to some friends. As I was glancing through this website's menu of choices, I noticed they had a separate category of cards devoted to "Forgiveness." Since that is a pretty vital theological category, I naturally was drawn to check out those cards. Mostly they were humorous intended to be used for rela...

3045. That’s One of His Ten

Illustration

Mickey Anders

A grandmother was celebrating her 50th anniversary with guests. A granddaughter asked the secret to a long and happy marriage. The grandmother explained, "On my wedding day I decided to make a list of ten of my husband's faults which, for the sake of the marriage, I would overlook and forgive." A guest asked for some examples of those faults, to which the grandmother replied, "To tell you the trut...

3046. A Blessing or A Curse?

Illustration

Mickey Anders

There's a story of two shopkeepers who owned stores across the street from one another and who hated one another. One night the angel of the Lord came to the first shopkeeper and said: The Lord has sent me to you with the promise to grant one wish no matter how extravagant. There is only one catch: Whatever you receive, your rival shopkeeper will receive two-fold. The shopkeeper thought for a mome...

3047. Forgiveness Is for Heroes

Illustration

Edward F. Markquart

Sometimes people say that forgiveness is intended to speak to individuals but not to nations. I feel differently about this. I see the cycle of violence and revenge repeated between ethnic groups and nations. We clearly see this escalating cycle of violence and revenge between the Palestinians and the Israelis, between the nations of Pakistan and India, between the USA and Russia during the Cold W...

3048. Forgiveness Written in Stone

Illustration

Brett Blair & Stephen Felker

A story is told of two friends who were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand, "Today my best friends slapped me in the face." They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who h...

3049. Spite Houses

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

There once was a millionaire who owned a lot in an exclusive residential area of New York City. This particular lot presented a very unusual problem. The lot was five feet wide and about a hundred feet long. He couldn't do anything with such an odd sized lot, so he decided to sell it one of the neighbors on either side. But when he went to the neighbors, they didn't want to give him anything for ...

3050. Letting the Sun Shine In

Illustration

Stephen M. Crotts

Try this experiment when you get home today. Take a trash can lid and lay it on a healthy portion of your lawn. Leave it there for a week. Afterward, lift the lid and look under it. See the pale, sickly grass? See the roaches and worms nesting in the dark decay of the withered grass. That's what sin does to us! Put the lid back down on the grass. Does the grass have the power to remove the lid al...

Showing 3026 to 3050 of 4508 results

3026. Do You Have A Forgiving Spirit?

Sermon

Eric Ritz

3027. Now Try Forgiveness

Sermon

Mark Trotter

3028. Now What Do We Do?

Sermon

Mark Trotter

3029. Don't Forget to Forgive

Sermon

James Merritt

3030. The Freedom in Forgiveness

Sermon

David E. Leininger

3031. As Long As It Is Day!

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

3032. LOST? Looking For Peace

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

3033. Proper 19

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

3034. Proper 19, Pentecost 17, Ordinary Time 24

Bulletin Aid

Amy C. Schifrin

3035. How Do We Forgive?

Sermon

King Duncan

3036. Forgiveness Is Not Innate

Illustration

Will Willimon

3037. Forgiven: Too Poor to Pay

Illustration

3038. Forgiveness Is a Chance for Rebirth

Illustration

Mark Trotter

3039. Grace Chooses Love

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

3040. Twice Blessed

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

3041. Saved by Forgiveness

Illustration

David Augsburger

3042. I’ll Need Another Book…

Illustration

Johnny Dean

3043. God Stopped Keeping Score

Illustration

William J. Carl, III

3044. Forgiveness Is an Every Day Reality

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

3045. That’s One of His Ten

Illustration

Mickey Anders

3046. A Blessing or A Curse?

Illustration

Mickey Anders

3047. Forgiveness Is for Heroes

Illustration

Edward F. Markquart

3048. Forgiveness Written in Stone

Illustration

Brett Blair & Stephen Felker

3049. Spite Houses

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

3050. Letting the Sun Shine In

Illustration

Stephen M. Crotts

Showing 3026 to 3050 of 4508 results