Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3051 to 3075 of 4943 results

3051. Righteous Woman

Genesis 38:1-27

Sermon

Will Willimon

I have told you we were going to preach through the story of Joseph, right through from beginning to end. Genesis 37 to Genesis 50. Those of you who may have been following along in your Bibles know that I lied. We had a sermon on Genesis 37 (Joseph's coat and his dream) and then a sermon on Joseph in Egypt beginning with Genesis 39. What happened to Genesis 38? I have never preached on Genesis 38. To my knowledge, after a thorough search in the library, no one has ever preached on Genesis 38. Get ready. ...

3052. How Did I Get That Job?

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

Apparently, Jesus wasn’t crazy about the idea of helping people squabble over their possessions. Truth be told, Jesus didn’t seem to be all that crazy about having many possessions in the first place. I once heard someone say that Jesus spoke more about money and possessions than about any other single subject (except for hell). Frankly, I don’t know if that’s true or not. I’ve never counted. I suppose it’s like a lot of things. It depends upon how you count things and what words and phrases you interpret ...

3053. Will God Be With Us?

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Have you ever felt desperate for just a few minutes of time by yourself? We all need “alone time” occasionally to clear our head and relieve a little stress. So it is hard to imagine what it is like for prominent people, like the President of the United States, who never get a single moment alone. There are approximately 1,300 Secret Service agents who serve as the security detail for the President, the Vice President, and their family members. It is their job to ensure that our nation’s most powerful ...

3054. Hear, Hear

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

A woman went to see a divorce lawyer. Frantically she told him, "I must have a divorce from my husband immediately!" The lawyer asked, "Do you have any grounds?" "Yes, about five acres." "I mean, do you have a grudge?" the lawyer questioned. "No, just a carport." Then the lawyer asked, "Does he beat you up?" "No," the woman replied, "I get up before he does." Exasperated, the attorney demanded, "Madam, why do you want a divorce from your husband?" "Because it is impossible to communicate with that man!" ...

3055. Chapter IV

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

"Remember the sabbath day, to set it apart for holy purposes. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh (day) is a sabbath to the Lord your God. In it you will not do any work, you or your son, your daghter, your male servant or your female servant, or your beast of burden, or the resident alien who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh (day). Therefore, the Lord blessed the sabbath ...

3056. All Roads Lead To Bethlehem

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Jesus came to save humans from being rat packs feeding on each other instead of sheep feeding with each other. This was never made so clear than in the recent “Black Friday” images of people stomping on each other and fighting it out, all done to the musical background of Christmas music. Our sentimental — yet always cynical — culture likes to start singing Christmas carols the moment Thanksgiving turkeys come out of the oven. But listen carefully: You’re hearing a lot more choruses of “Jingle Bells” and “ ...

3057. Hill Climbing

Psalm 121:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Life can sometimes seem like an uphill climb, can’t it? Comedian Red Buttons once did a routine in which he told of a bare dinner table. He was a teen and his family was poor. Around the table stood his family dressed in overcoats because they couldn’t afford heat. There was his mother dividing the half-loaf of stale bread among a dozen kids, who swept up and ate the crumbs. “Then,” adds Red Buttons, “then came the Depression!” Buttons was exaggerating, of course. But it does seem sometimes that, when ...

3058. Now, It's Personal

Matthew 5:21-37

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

Thirty years ago I was serving on the staff of a large church as the minister of Christian Education and Youth Ministry. The Education Commission and the Youth Council were made up, mostly of parents who worked with me on the programs for youth and children — Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, those kinds of things. One year, for Vacation Bible School, we decided to set up a large tent — a really large one under which you could seat 100 or more people — on the parking lot and use it for our opening ...

3059. The Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

The parable has given us a new meaning for talents. At the time of the parable it was a unit of measure for silver or gold. Now we have talent shows, talent searches, talent contests. The beauty pageants that came under attack from feminists for being sexist with their emphasis on bathing suit competitions have tried to shift to the talent of the women. Scholarships are offered as prizes so that talented competitors may continue to develop their talents. Some people still put the emphasis on the monetary ...

3060. Children

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

Comment: Sometimes you can prepare a story sermon which reflects a lot of your own experience. And it becomes natural for you to play yourself while making the point of the sermon. The following reflected a lot of my experiences as a young father. Fortunately, my wife did not die, as does the wife of the main character here. But I was quite a disappointment to my colleagues because of how much part I took in household matters and child care. As of this writing, I am the wife my spouse always wanted! I ...

3061. The Unclean Spirit

Mark 1:21-28

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

This healing story is the first pronouncement story in Cycle B. The pronouncement formula presents a situation, builds to a climax, offers a solution and gives a statement of the issue. In the early church, this format made for easier recall of the story for oral retelling. While healing on the sabbath is mentioned in this miracle, the main issue is authority. In another Cycle B miracle for Epiphany 7, healing the paralytic (Miracle 4), Jesus observes rumblings and questions among the scribes (Mark 2:6) ...

3062. Vacillation - Pontius Pilate

Sermon

Ron Lavin

"... Suffered under Pontius Pilate ..." you say in your creed each Sunday. Millions of Christians speak my name every Sabbath and connect it with the suffering of Jesus Christ. They point their finger at me and speak my name along with Judas and Herod. Let me tell you my side of the story. Let me tell you about my suffering at the hands of Jesus of Nazareth. We Romans were the conquerors of Judea, but she refused to be conquered. I was the governor, but she refused to be governed. My appointment as ...

3063. Divine Liturgy, Divine Play, Divine Comedy

John 13:31-38

Sermon

Carl Jech

My dear children, I am only to be with you a little longer. You will seek me; (but) "Where I am going you cannot come." A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you. (John 13:33-34) Has it occurred to you that in those parts of the United States where it comes on at 11:30 p.m., "Saturday Night Live" is also Sunday Morning Live? It might be good if we could bring a little more of the humor of that show with us to church on Sunday mornings. The skits on Saturday Night ...

3064. Proper 18

Lk 14:25-33 · Eze 33:1-11 · Phm 1-20 · Prov 9:8-12

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Ezekiel 33:1-11 The watchman saves his life by giving God's warning to the wicked in the hope that the wicked will repent and live. The setting for this pericope is the defense alarm system of Ezekiel's day. A watchman was posted on a hill to warn the city by blowing a trumpet when an enemy approached. This gave the people in the fields an opportunity to come into the walled city for protection. If the watchman failed to warn, he was responsible for the death of those killed by the invaders. On ...

3065. Three Small Steps in Our Journey of Faith

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

Brett Blair

One day the great Michelangelo attracted a crowd of spectators as he worked. One child in particular was fascinated by the sight of chips flying and the sound of mallet on chisel. The master was shaping a large block of white marble. Unable to contain her curiosity, the little girl inquired, "What are you making?" He replied, "There is an angel in there and I must set it free." Every Christian at their confirmation or conversion is handed a large cold white marble block called religion. We must then take ...

3066. The Devil Made Me Do It

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Have you ever gone to a restaurant, hung up your coat, and noticed a sign warning that the management is not responsible if it gets lost or stolen? Ever read the small print on your airplane ticket? The airline takes no responsibility for any delays or missed connections, and if your baggage is lost, they only have to pay an amount agreed upon at a convention they held in Warsaw in 1955. Park your car in some high-priced garage or lot, and a sign will tell you that management is not responsible for any ...

3067. Panic Room

John 20:19-23

Sermon

King Duncan

[While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.] The title of today’s sermon, “Panic Room,” has nothing to do with the IRS forms some of you still have at home, waiting to mail. Surely you have your papers in order. However, it is about fear. In 1947 ...

3068. Trust that Leads to Transformation

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

One of our best Christmas presents this past holiday was a dead looking, papery-coated lump stuck in a hand-made pottery bowl full of gravel. Our eight-year-old daughter Soren made the pottery base at school, filled it with crushed rocks, and the teacher stuck in the middle of this mess (sorry . . . this loveliness) a bulb. All we had to do, Soren instructed, was put this lump in the middle of the table, next to the windows, and add water. In fact, she said proudly as she held up her art-work, it would ...

3069. What's So Great about Going to Church

Isaiah 6:1-8

Sermon

James W. Moore

He is a comedian… and he was very, very funny,… but in recent months he has become very, very political. And now (in my opinion) he’s not so funny anymore… because now he considers himself an authority on everything that has to do with politics. Now, he considers himself the final word on everything that has to do with life in our country and in our world. He is brash and cocky. He is rigidly opinionated, closed-minded and even insulting towards anyone who disagrees with him. Now, let me hurry to say that ...

3070. Anyone Feeling Tired?

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Our lesson for today contains a verse that many of us need to take to heart. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus is describing many of us. He knows our situation. Tired. Stressed out. Battling fatigue. Our nerves on edge. We’re like an old Peanuts comic strip. It shows Linus holding on to his familiar blanket. The caption reads, “Only one yard of flannel stands between me and a nervous breakdown.” Some of you know what Linus is talking about. A ...

3071. The Truth about Trouble

2 Timothy 4:16-18

Sermon

James Merritt

I want to confess that I am a Tarzan movie buff. I love all of the old Tarzan movies, especially the ones with Johnny Weismuller. Even though I have seen every alligator he has ever killed, every elephant he has ever called, and every vine he has ever swung from, I never get tired of watching his movies. I guess that's why this story is both so funny and so meaningful to me. It seems as if Tarzan was not himself, and Jane was very worried. It was apparent that Tarzan was developing a problem, a very ...

3072. Why?

Job 3:11-12, 16, 20, 23

Sermon

James Merritt

Every generation for the last sixty years has had an event occur that they will never forget. It is a bookmark on the hard drive of their memory. The World War II generation, still living, remembers exactly where they were December 7, 1941, when they heard about Pearl Harbor. For my generation, the boomer generation, the singular event we remember occurred on November 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I still remember walking back from the library to my sixth grade class, where ...

3073. Where Are You From?

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

David T. Ball

Whenever we travel, we come into contact with new people. Often these interactions remain basic and simple, with us exchanging just the bare minimum of information necessary to complete our interaction, like when checking in for a flight. "Good morning, traveling to San Francisco today?" "Yes." "May I see your photo ID?" "Sure." "Any baggage to check?" "Yes, two pieces." "Two pieces." "Yes." "Okay, you're all set. Departure is from gate sixteen, and boarding begins in fifteen minutes." "Thank you." This ...

3074. Mark 6:14-29

Mark 6:14-29

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

People who think they are important, who think that they are important enough to have their names live on, repeat their names again and again. What am I talking about? Take former heavyweight champion and now indoor grill king, George Foreman. Foreman is also the father of five sons. He named all five “George.” Don’t ask, “Who comes when called?” Michael Jackson named both his sons “Prince Michael.” Michael’s older brother Jermaine Jackson named his daughter born in 2000 “Jermajesty.” But these recent ...

3075. Holy Extravagance

John 12:1-8

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

In our spiritual voyages, surprises — sometimes outlandishly — come to us. We scratch our heads and wonder if what we are experiencing is fact or fiction. It may or may not be a time of inspiration. However, it may be one of instruction, as we view it in retrospect. You and I are to remember that every occurrence may very well be a teaching event. Mary's act near the time of Jesus' crucifixion is a scene mostly outside of our expectations and predictions. It catches us off guard and the same may have been ...

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