Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3101 to 3125 of 4972 results

3101. The Gospel According to Christ’s Enemies

John 11:1-16

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

... that the basis of our requests is not our love for him, but his love for us. Our love is frail and faltering, but his love is a love that loved us from the first, and loves us to the last. His love is like a mighty stream that never stops flowing and is always ready to flood into our lives and fill us with all we need. No Lever for Favors It should also be noted that Mary and Martha could have said, "Our brother Lazarus is sick." Mary had been a devoted student of Jesus. She had often sat ...

3102. In Debt Forever!

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... lifted it high over his head. With a final howl he brought the butt down on the skull of the Argyll, who sank limply to the ground and did not move. Although it was perfectly evident that he was dead, the guard continued to beat him and stopped only when exhausted. The men of the work detail picked up their comrade’s body, shouldered their tools, and marched back to camp. When the tools were counted again at the guardhouse, no shovel was missing. * That nameless Argyll soldier knew what it meant to deny ...

3103. One Thing

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... well-beloved youngest daughter married a young man who is a Jehovah’s Witness. The marriage was a shock and I totally disagree with my new son-in-law’s perspective upon religion. "But one thing I do" - with God’s help: I will not stop loving my daughter, nor will I turn my back upon her husband. When the General Conference of The United Methodist Church meets in Indianapolis, Indiana, in April, 1980, probably there will be some actions taken with which I totally disagree. "But one thing I do" - with ...

3104. What It Takes to Stay Christian

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... were firm and tough, I was in excellent health and knew it. As the months passed, changes have taken place. Partly because of my workaholic nature, partly because of too many bountiful fellowship suppers, and partly because of a mid-winter bout with the flu, I stopped running and exercising regularly. My weight now stands at 170 pounds, my muscles are flabby and out of tone, and there are days when I do not feel well and have to force myself to work. I sleep fitfully and some nights not at all. Although ...

3105. The Only Fact That Really Matters

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... to question: "Have you put yourself on the side of the right?" "I have not," the young Bushnell replied. He paused, and after a moment added: "But I will." Horace Bushnell knelt down and prayed. When he got up, he was a new man. He had stopped quibbling and arguing and playing religious chess. He had given his life to Jesus; Christ was his personal Savior. He went on to become one of America’s most famous preachers. He served the same church in Hartford, Connecticut, for almost half a century. On his ...

3106. A Liturgical Drama For Advent

Drama

Tom Eberle

... . Make safe the way that leads on high And close the path to misery. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. [Voices scattered throughout the congregation begin to shout.] One: Jew! Two: Arab! Three: Honkie! Four: Nigger! Light: [reaching altar, grabs candle] Stop that. Don’t you see what you are doing? One: He started it. Two: It was my land first. Three: He dragged us here from Africa. Four: He burned down our city. Light: Enough! Enough! I know all your histories. I know the injustices ...

3107. A SERMON DRAMA FOR CHRISTMASTIDE

Drama

Tom Eberle

... to ... Gabriel: [interrupting as a voice over the loud speaker system, but not visible to the congregation says.] Excuse me, did I hear someone mention my name? Female: Who are you? Male: What are you? Gabriel: I thought I heard someone talking about me, so I stopped to hear what you had to say. Female: Gabriel? Male: [turning to female] Have you ever hallucinated before? Gabriel: Where am I? Female: You’re at the [name your church and city] Gabriel: Just a minute. Let me look you up in my directory. Male ...

3108. A LITURGICAL DRAMA FOR LENT

Drama

Tom Eberle

... you have stepped through that colored glass you don’t want to return. Do you remember what you used to do when you would fall and cut yourself? Son: No. But I remember that red stuff you put on me would burn like crazy. Mother: But as soon as it stopped burning you would become fascinated with the red stain on your skin. And you would tell me that even though it stung, the next time you fell you wanted it put on your cut again. That’s how it is on the other side of the colored glass. Each time ...

3109. Must We Have All the Answers?

Gn 2:9 · Deut 30:19-20 · Job 52:5

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... forgiveness and not unending disdain is the way to life, and if we really believe that God requires that of us, it is ours to forgive today. We know that in the final analysis we live only by grace, and if we really believe that, it is ours to stop punishing ourselves today. We know that "nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God," and if we really believe that, it is ours to trust God today. We know that forbearance is preferable to intolerance, and if we really believe that, it is ...

3110. The Therapy of Song

1 Samuel 16:14-23, Exodus 15:1-21, Psalm 5:1-12

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... Evening Post, published several years ago, which featured a Norman Rockwell painting of a boy practicing his violin. In obvious pain, he stood before his music stand complete with ear muffs so he couldn’t hear the music he was creating and a time clock so he could stop just as soon as possible. That’s not the way we open ourselves to the therapy of song! It needs to be welcomed and its message sought; it asks only that we grant it the liberty of leading us. Many have enjoyed either the screen or stage ...

3111. The Witch of Endor

1 Samuel 28:1-25

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... with malignant powers, hence connotations of midnight revels, black cats, bats, evil spirits, living-dead, magic potions, witch Sabbats. Years ago a group of pastors made their way through the Congo. It was early morning, the season of winter rains. As the party stopped to cook breakfast at a waterfall, they noticed an old creature crouched under a ledge. Her body was covered with disease. She was starving. She was a witch put out of the tribe. Her husband and three sons had all died within months. It ...

3112. Manasseh

2 Kings 21:1-18

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... is the cold fact of death, and a bit of earth called a grave. As Paul put it, "... the wages of sin is death ..." But does the Christian gospel not say something at this point - about our attitude toward Manasseh himself? It does. It tells us to stop seeking revenge. We have made hell very hot at times, and it has often been a reverse masochism, a desire to see the wicked suffer, pay the pound of flesh in full. Have we forgotten Jesus’ words, "Father, forgive them ..."? The only place to leave Manasseh is ...

3113. Onesimus

Isaiah 43:1-13

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... . In time Paul died. More years passed. It is now well into the second century A.D., and persecution of Christians is reaching its height. Multitudes are put to torture and slow death. Ignatius, saintly bishop of Antioch was being taken to Rome to suffer martyrdom. The guard stopped on the long trip for a few day’s rest at Ephesus. Ignatius was shut up in prison to await the ship which would take him to the City of the Caesars - and death. Our scene is a dungeon, dark and musty. Ignatius sat at a table ...

3114. AWAKE, MY SOUL, AND SING!

Drama

Marcia Miller

... commanded you and, lo, I am with you alway even unto the end of the world. READER 1: The clear, dark December sky reflects the coldness of the temperature. A star appears, And then another, And yet another. In the hustling of Christmas shopping, I stop, look, wonder: WAS THERE REALLY A STAR OVER BETHLEHEM THAT VERY FIRST CHRISTMAS NIGHT? DOES THAT STAR STILL SHINE TONIGHT? WHICH ONE IS IT? As my friends build their dreams, Reaching for the stars, I hope that I can always reach for that Special star which ...

3115. THE GOOD SAMARITAN

Drama

Marcia Miller

... toward the JEW.] THE LEVITE: [He is startled at the sight of the man.] Don’t look. [He covers her eyes.] It’s some kind of a street beggar. [They quickly exit as the SAMARITAN enters.] THE SAMARITAN: It’s getting towards noon. The sun is so hot. I should stop for a brief rest but I’d like to keep on going until I get to Jericho. [He sees the JEW.] What’s this? A man! And he’s been hurt. Here, let me give you some of my water. [The JEW moans.] At least you aren’t dead. I ...

3116. Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

... do. But I like to think that once a person has truly looked into the eyes of Jesus nothing can ever really be the same. One of the best photographs from the WWII era is a photo of King George the VI inspecting a bombed out section of London. He stops to talk with a little boy, who is sloppily dressed and has his cap on crooked. The King is bending on one knee and looking directly into the face of the child, and even though it is a profile shot of the king you can see that his is a ...

3117. Living Water for a Thirst Soul - Sermon Starter

John 4:1-42

Illustration

Brett Blair

... Jews all agree that this is the place where the story took place. It was noonday at Sychar. The disciples went on into the village, we are told, to buy food. Someone has suggested that they were seeking out the stores that gave the clergy discount. Jesus stopped at the well on the outskirts for a brief respite from the sun's blistering rays. When a woman of the village walked up Jesus addressed her: "Woman, give me a drink." The rest of this sermons answers the following question in three points: How can we ...

3118. Don't Be Afraid of the Future

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... the first Easter morning. She wanted nothing more than to go back to the good old days, to pretend that the terrible crucifixion had never happened. When the risen Christ confronted her, she fell to her knees and clutched his feet, almost pleading with him to stop this crazy chain of events. She thought: perhaps the past few days were all a dreadful nightmare. Can we wake up now and go back to the good old days when Jesus taught by the Sea of Galilee, performed healing miracles, and fellowshipped with his ...

3119. Why Did God Allow That To Happen?

John 9:1-41

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... His love. And, no matter how bad something may be, He promises that if we share it with Him in faith, He will make it produce some good. Those are God's promises. But as for the answer to the question "why," it won’t be given. Therefore, stop looking for it. Instead, Jesus would have us switch to a different question, a better question, a more faithful question. It is this one: What good can this tragedy produce? In the case of the blind man, Jesus answered this second question rather than the first one ...

3120. Sunday's A' Comin'

John 11:1-45

Illustration

Ronald Lavin

Tony Campolo tells the story of a black Baptist preacher in the inner city of Philadelphia who preached a sermon Tony says he'll never forget. Tony preached first. He was "hot," so "hot" he says, that he even stopped and listened to himself. He sat down and said to his pastor: "Now see if you can top that one!" "Son," said the black pastor, "you ain't seen nothin' yet." For an hour and a half the pastor repeated these words over and over again: "It's Friday, but ...

3121. The Man Who Died For Me

John 11:1-57

Illustration

Ronald Lavin

... the rescue net, and just as he did, the house collapsed and he was burned to death. The scene is 20 years later at a graveside. A 20-year-old woman is sobbing softly. Before her, at the head of this grave, is the statue of a fireman. A man stopping by asks respectfully, "Was that your father?" She replies, "No." "Was that your brother?" "No," she says. "That's the man who died for me."

3122. Can a Christian Go to Hell?

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... "Perhaps God would rather hear the cries of the ungodly then the hallelujahs of the pious." Though we are pious and say our prayers, though we go regularly to church and sing our alleluias, though we faithfully place even a tithe on the offering plate, and stop there without any effort being made to put faith into practice, God cannot stand us. He is hurt and offended and grieved no end. He detests make-believe and artificiality. You will recall that Cain’s prayers were not heard because his heart at the ...

3123. It Takes Two to Preach!

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... me? I am king, not you." Softly Joan responds, "They do come to you, but you do not hear them. When the Angelus rings, you cross yourself and have done with it; but if you prayed from your heart, and listened to the thrilling bells in the air after they stop ringing, you would hear the voices as well as I do." We do hear what we want to hear. If we have the Spirit, we will hear spiritual truth with understanding. Preach by Responding As a worshiper you, too, can preach, but do you? You do not if you are ...

3124. Holy Tares!

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... , but gather the wheat into my barn.’ " [Matthew 13:24-30] One night David Brinkley closed the NBC news telecast by telling of a Swedish pastor who pronounced the Benediction after which a man stood up and addressed the pastor, "If you don’t stop running after my wife, I’m going to thrash you." A pastor running after another man’s wife? In St. Petersburg, Florida, self-appointed evangelist, John Cook, was arrested twice in one month, once for drunken driving and the other time for strong-arm robbery ...

3125. Food for Faith

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... or twenty minutes - each day to spend in the presence of Christ, the Bread of Life. You ask, "What do I do for the period? Look at the wall? Daydream?" No, you take your Bible and read a passage until you have found something that speaks to you. Now stop and reflect on what you read. Is God saying anything to you in this passage? Any command to obey? Any promise to claim? Any example to follow? Any sin to avoid? Any prayer to echo? This is called reflection or meditation. You get quiet and still. You focus ...

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