Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3051 to 3075 of 4997 results

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... relationship with men and women is not based on the fact that we offer something to God, but on the fact that God offers everything to us. God offers love to us not because we are good or great, but simply because God is love. That is the kind of God God is. The Advent is the supreme example of grace. The incarnation focuses in on a single point, a moment in history, on what God through grace has been doing always and everywhere. The incarnation becomes the essential clue to the interpretation of the whole ...

3052. The Demanding Crowd

Mark 1:29-34, Mark 1:35-39

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... at one time. We end up doing a lot of things, but there is no sense of fulfillment or accomplishment. We find ourselves on the edge of burnout. It has been pointed out that burnout is not the result of too much activity. It is the result of the wrong kind of activity. Instead of energizing us and building us up, it wears us down and saps our energy. Jesus needed time to get away and put things in perspective and to gain a clear understanding of God and God's purpose. If Jesus needed to do this, how much ...

3053. With Our Heads In The Clouds

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... of "hugging presence" when I go to bed at night, a mystery of embracing and of beauty and of "being loved" by a different species. I feel the same when I water them, a kind of reciprocal relationship. We are so far removed from the world of nature that people don't know the names of trees, plants, and birds anymore. They are nameless. When something loses its name, it loses its meaning for us. It could also lose our respect for its place in ...

3054. Moses's New Job

Exodus 4:18-31

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... circumcise Gershom. You weren't able to settle down until I finally did it. That was such a bad night! I'll never forget it. What kind of religion is it that so distorts a man's emotions that even his dreams become so awful? How can you be confident you are doing ... I had to go after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to move things along. And I did. Now it's your turn." "Can you give me some kind of miracle to use to show that You have some power in this situation?" I asked. "I'll give you two tricks. They may impress ...

3055. The Wisemen

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... . Our curiosity and desire for resolution of data before us draws us to search out that which is true and that which helps all others." Balthazar went on, "Our different fields of study pointed to the grave need for and the unique possibility of a new kind of leader, one who would not need force, fear, or death to stir humankind, one who would bring about a new era of life in which there would be peace, freedom, respect, honor, and all the other great qualities of which humanity is capable." "My colleagues ...

3056. In Praise Of God

Psalm 95:1-11

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... of noises are these? Are they rude noises?" Little heads shake negatively. "Are they noises that interrupt something else that is going on?" "Only if someone rings them at the wrong time," a wise little girl points out. "So, what kind of noises are they?" "Good noises!" "Fun noises!" "Could you say they were joyful noises?" I ask. The children nod agreement. "What are other joyful noises we make?" "Singing," comes an obvious response. "Praying," is offered as another. I realize the children are focusing ...

3057. Grapes And Donuts

John 6:1-15

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... to eat. I brought these grapes and this donut to try to help us understand something Jesus said. He was speaking to a big crowd of people and told them, 'I am the bread of heaven.' He wasn't talking about bread for physical hunger, but bread for this other kind of hunger, the hunger of the heart. "All of us have eaten part of the same donut this morning, haven't we?" The children nod agreement. "So, this single donut has become a part of all of us," I continue. "When Jesus said, 'I am the bread of heaven ...

3058. When Hope Is Gone

Luke 7:11-17

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... of a spider might it be?" I continue. "A tarantula!" two of the boys assure me. Certainly it is about the size of a tarantula. "It could be a tarantula," I agree. "But what other kind of spider could it be?" "A wolf spider," Rebecca suggests. "A garden spider," says Tommy. "A black spider," Joe offers. "Those are all good possibilities," I tell them. "But I'd like to explore the one Joe suggested -- the black spider. Besides the tarantula, do any of you know of ...

3059. Count On It!

Hebrews 11:1

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... , change. Holding up the walnut leaves I've brought, I ask the assembled children, "Does anyone know what kind of tree these are from?" "Eucalyptus," Jerry suggests with a broad grin. He's one of the older children ... meal off these leaves, doesn't it? And the edges of some of the leaves have been tattered and torn by the wind. These leaves look a bit worn out -- kind of like a favorite pair of jeans that you wear a lot. When you wear your clothes out, what do you do?" "Go get new ones," several young voices ...

3060. "Remember Me!"

Luke 24:13-35

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... stories he told and stories told about him. We have the community of the church. And, when you get just a bit older, you will remember Jesus as you take communion. "There is one other way in which we remember him too: through one another. Every time we do something kind for someone else, every time we remember a friend with a letter or a phone call, every time we offer someone a hug, or an encouraging word, or in some other way show our love, we are remembering Jesus. That's what I'd like you to think about ...

3061. The Peacemakers

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

John A. Terry

... to make peace with who and what we are. Within our souls we need to face the struggle between good and evil. There is a kind of civil war that rages within us. Saint Paul described it well when he said, "I do not understand my own actions. For I do ... the peace of God within ourselves to help us understand the peace of God within the world. There is a peace that is a kind of inner tranquillity. It is like the words of John Greenleaf Whittier's hymn: Drop thy still dews of quietness, Till all our strivings ...

3062. Pilate's Sign

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... him if he wanted to be king. Jesus asked Pilate, "Is that your opinion or just their accusation?" Pilate answered back that he didn't know. He wasn't from here. He asked Jesus what he had done. Jesus didn't deny he was king. He just wasn't the kind of king the leaders and Pilate thought. If he was, Jesus said, he'd have sent in armies to battle with the Romans. Pilate said, "You are a king then?" And Jesus told him his kingdom had to do with sharing truth about life and being. Pilate got exasperated. He ...

3063. Paul, The Great Missionary

Philippians 1:1-11

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... to you and yet you still find a way to be positive. In the midst of the strain of imprisonment, what holds you together? Paul: "Does your life in Christ make you strong? Does his love comfort you? Do you have fellowship with the Spirit? Do you feel kindness and compassion for one another? I urge you, then, make me completely happy by having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and being one in soul and body. Don't do anything from selfish ambition, or from a cheap desire to boast; but be humble toward ...

3064. Signs of the End of the Age

Mark 13:1-31, Mark 13:32-37

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... -6); by the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem (3:20-30); and by his own family (3:31-35). What is going on here? Will everyone reject the coming reign of God? The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-34) says NO! There are a variety of kinds of hearers of the good news. There are "path" hearers and "rocky ground" hearers and "thorn" hearers, to be sure, but there are also those who will bear fruit thirty, sixty and a hundredfold. The kingdom of God, after all, is like a seed scattered on the ground that ...

3065. Feeding the 5000

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... without reservation. Faith cannot be something that simply pre-exists as the good soil for the gospel. This seems to imply that faith is a kind of pre-existing human condition that we can produce by ourselves as we get ready to hear the gospel. It would be better to say ... people. Given the Old Testament stories that deal with feeding, it is probably not surprising that Mark uses this kind of story to symbolize that Jesus' ministry is, indeed, the "pentecost" of all humanity. There is mission in these stories ...

3066. Jesus' Ministry Beyond Galilee

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... Syrophoenician woman is an incredible symbol of the breaking down of false barriers for the sake of mission. Jesus breaks all kinds of barriers in this story. He breaks down geographical barriers by moving into Gentile lands. He breaks down ethnic barriers ... does in this story. The heavens have been opened and God is loose in the world in Jesus Christ breaking down all kinds of barriers! The Syrophoenician woman is desperate. Like other desperate people in Mark's story she throws herself at Jesus' feet. She ...

3067. Parables of Growing Seeds

Mark 4:30-34, Mark 4:26-29

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... lodged so deep in human hearts? Why do human relationships constantly fall apart? Why do I suffer? Add your own items to this list. We are tempted to reject Jesus in light of these and many other realities. In your sermon lift up at least four of these kinds of questions for your hearers. You can lift them up in brief story form or by simply citing them. After putting forth the first question on your list, simply tell the story in vv. 26-29. Tell it as proclamation. Tell it as the answer to the question ...

3068. We Come to Jesus for Rest

Mark 6:30-44

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... Heal Me, Hands of Jesus Heal Us, Emmanuel, Hear Our Prayer I Heard the Voice of Jesus O Christ, the Healer Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us Serenity, The King of Love My Shepherd Is The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want Thy Loving Kindness Thy Word Is a Lamp Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus We Would See Jesus When Jesus the Healer Passed Through Galilee Reading the Scripture Since the two passages chosen for the Revised Common Lectionary reading do not flow together well, use these introductions to the readings ...

3069. Taking Christ's Side

Mark 9:38-41

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... come forward to kneel at the communion rail in prayer. (Be careful not to give people so much that the salt chokes them. They only need enough that allows the taste to linger in their mouths.) Drama and Movement Ask a few clowns in the congregation (the kind with greasepaint on their faces, not the jokers) to prepare a skit on verses 38-41. Clowns could have a lot of fun with the jealousy of the disciples. They become concerned that someone is working miracles in Christ's name but is not following their ...

3070. Love Language

Mark 5:41

Children's Sermon

... if I had a little child from the country that uses this language, they would be able to tell you what it said. (If you have someone in your congregation who reads Japanese, ask them to help you.) I don't know what it says. This one (hieroglyphics) was a kind of picture language used long, long ago in Egypt where Jesus lived as a baby and where Moses grew up. Can you read it? (Let them respond. Again, if you have someone who has studied it, let them help you.) I can't either. Our story today is about some ...

3071. At Home

Mark 6:1-6

Children's Sermon

... of learning habits and learning environments starts early in life and can be carefully nurtured by helping them to be questioning. It might be as simple as learning about the habits of a particular kind of insect or a constellation or a disease of someone in your congregation. There are all kinds of possibilities. This week pick something to learn with your child that they are interested in. Encourage the learning habits of developing wisdom. Teachers: The fear of many teachers is a certain amount of ...

3072. It Starts Small

Mark 4:30-34

Children's Sermon

... tiny part off another tree to make a cutting and it will grow into a tree. (Tell how large your seedling is likely to become.) That's kind of hard to believe. We can't see it grow, can we? (Let them respond.) If we sat all day and all night for several days ... is a woods or forest made of? (Let them respond.) It's all trees, and shrubs, and tall oak trees and pine trees and all kinds of growing things. Does anyone watch the trees in the forest grow? (Let them respond.) No, we don't sit around and watch trees ...

3073. Holy Arithmetic

John 6:1-15

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... caveat and ask what do these simple deeds achieve in the face of the demoralizing forces on every hand today - pornography, risque films, drugs, narcotics, and the whole smear? "There is a lad here with five barley loaves and two fish." (Barley bread was the cheapest kind and considered fit only for animals in those days; and, to be edible after hours under the hot sun, the rest of the snack had to be pickled fish.) But, in the hands of Jesus, these and our own simple gifts can be multiplied one hundredfold ...

3074. What’s Inside Comes Out!

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... the morning. If I should die before I wake I wouldn’t want him to find them like that.” The person who keeps in touch with the inner self throughout life with that kind of accountability is going to be happy. And that mother was blessed to witness the drama of good things coming from inside her little boy. God provides us all kinds of “help menus” for recycling the toxic wastes inside us: a quiet walk, a visit with a friend, a telephone call, a letter, an arrow prayer as you arise, as you lock your ...

3075. What’s a Sunday For?

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... food for the hungry, when you are not allowed to take care of your sick neighbor, you are immobilized. More than that, you are guilt-ridden. The Sabbath Commandment is not intended - to make you feel guilty - to take away your only day to sleep late - to be a kind of bogeyman, showing God as a policeman: God will get you ... if ... you do these things. Why do we humans take such a good thing, a rule God gave to free us up from our work-a-day-world, giving us the opportunity to rekindle our bonds with those ...

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