Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3151 to 3175 of 4963 results

3151. Christmas 1

Isaiah 63:7--64:12, Colossians 3:1-17, Colossians 3:18-4:1, Galatians 3:15-25, Hebrews 2:5-18, Matthew 2:13-18, Matthew 2:19-23

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... in terms of child pornography, child abuse by parents and adults, and incest. It is a rough and tough world with tyrants, murderers, and molesters. 3. Died (v. 19). The holy family stayed in Egypt until Herod "died." Rulers come and go, but God remains. When ruthless dictators straddle the earth, the day is coming when they are no more. Where are those who frightened and cursed the earth in the twentieth century - Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and Tojo? "This too shall pass" - things will get better if we have ...

3152. Epiphany 5

Matthew 5:17-20, Matthew 5:13-16, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, Isaiah 58:1-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... . He dare not be a phony or a hypocrite. Does the average Christian know who he is that he may be and do what he is? Outline: Christian, be what you are. a. What you are: salt, light - vv. 3, 14. Salt and light are different from the world. b. Remain what you are - v. 13. 1. If salt loses its saltiness, it is like the world. A Christian has a quality of life the world does not have. 2. Light is different from darkness; if the light goes out, it becomes darkness. c. Express what you are - v. 16. To ...

3153. Lent 1

Genesis 2:4-25, Genesis 3:1-24, Romans 5:12-21, Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... of sin. What is sin? According to this lesson, sin is yielding to temptation. It is disobedience to God's will: Adam and Eve were told not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Moreover, sin is pride - wishing to be God, not willing to remain human. "I" is the center of sin. Lesson 2: Romans 5:12-19 1. The corporateness of humanity. Paul teaches that through one man, sin came to all people. Thus, sin and death are universal. Since our first parents, no one, except Jesus, was able to live a ...

3154. Easter

Acts 10:23b-48, Colossians 3:1-17, John 20:1-9, John 20:10-18

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... came to the tomb early on Easter day. When she saw the stone at the grave was not in place, she ran to tell Peter and John that Jesus' body was stolen. The two raced to the tomb and found it empty. After the two disciples returned home, Mary Magdalene remained at the tomb. Jesus came to her but she did not recognize him until he said, "Mary." Then in her return to the disciples she had the good news, not only that the tomb was empty, but that she had seen the Lord. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS Gospel: John 20:1 ...

3155. Easter 7

John 17:1-11, Acts 1:6-14, 1 Peter 4:12-19; 5:6-11, Psalm 68

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... Pentecost, which comes next Spring is to mean anything, the congregation needs to prepare for a renewed outpouring of the Spirit through prayer. 3. Post Ascension. One can take a stance that the ascension has taken place, and it was observed last Thursday. Then the sermon will deal with the remaining church. This will take us to the Gospel lesson, where Jesus prays for his disciples left in the world, and to Lesson 2, which deals with the persecution of disciples by a pagan world.

3156. Proper 13

Matthew 14:13-21, Romans 8:28-39, Romans 9:1-29, Nehemiah 9:1-37, Isaiah 55:1-13, Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... and herds, was on his way back to his parents' home. When he learned that Esau with 400 men were coming to him, Jacob was scared that Esau was coming to kill him. To appease Esau, he sent gifts in advance and then his servants, wives, and children. He remained at the end of the procession. Jacob spent the night in prayer as he wrestled with a man until he received a blessing. Lesson 1: Isaiah 55:1-3 (RC) God calls the hungry and thirsty to come to him for spiritual food and drink. Lesson 1: Nehemiah 9 ...

3157. Proper 20

Exodus 16:1-36, Isaiah 55:1-13, Jonah 3:1-10, Jonah 4:1-11, Philippians 1:12-30, Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... released. In the light of his possible execution, he writes that he is in a state of tension: to continue to live or to die. To do the latter would be better, for then he would be with Christ. However, it would be better for the church if he would remain on earth. Then he could visit his people again in Philippi. But, when he comes or not, they are to live lives worthy of the gospel. Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16 Parable of the laborers in the vineyard. Jesus teaches what the kingdom is like. The parable does not ...

3158. Lessons for Year A Proper 27

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... of Canaan. Now they face a new day. Will they continue to serve God? 2. Choose (v. 15). On the basis of the evidence of God's past dealings with Israel and in the light of a new era in a new land, will the people decide to remain loyal to Yahweh? Before Abraham's call, their ancestors worshiped pagan gods. Now they are living among a people with false gods. The day of decision has arrived. Joshua lets the people make the decision. Regardless of what they decide, he announced that he has chosen to serve ...

3159. Proper 28

Judges 4:1-24, Matthew 25:14-30, Zephaniah 1:4-13, Zephaniah 1:14--2:3

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... the exact date of Jesus' return. Paul reminded them that no exact day can be determined, for Jesus will come suddenly and unexpectedly as a thief comes in the night. Since they are children of the day (righteousness) and not of the night (wickedness), they are to remain sober and awake. To be ready for the Parousia and to be equipped to do battle against evil, they are to be equipped with faith, hope, and love. Paul comforts and assures them that God has not destined them to wrath, but to salvation so that ...

3160. Proper 15

John 6:25-59, 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... the seventh century. The Sinai covenant is applied to a new age. The book consists of Moses' farewell address to people who are about to enter Canaan. They are warned of coming temptation, the possibility of forgetting their God, and are urged to remain faithful to the covenant. Today's lection is taken from Moses' second address. The people are reminded of Yahweh's leadership during the forty years of wandering, his protection from snakes and scorpions, and his supplying food and drink. As a result, they ...

3161. The Rest of the Story

Matthew 2:19-23, Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... their own theories and symbolic explanations of the dream, while waiting for the experts to respond. But the response of the panel was unexpected. Instead of analyzing the dream, Jung's grandson asked the audience to stand. And then, he invited them to remain standing in silence. As one analyst explained, "... there is in life a suffering so unspeakable, a vulnerability so extreme that it goes far beyond ... explanations and even beyond healing. In the face of such suffering all we can do is bear witness so ...

3162. God's Delight

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... you, I will uphold you, I will put my Spirit upon you. And, when you embody my power through servanthood, then you will become my delight." There has been much talk and worry recently about the evolving role of the United States - the one remaining superpower in the world. In this post-Cold War period, when fanaticism and nationalism are causing violent outbursts all over the globe, just what should be the military and political role of our country? Should we have gone into Somalia? Were we wrong to invade ...

3163. Call Waiting

John 1:29-42

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... , not in a geographical place, not in an architectural place, but in a spiritual place. "Where do you stay, where do you abide, where do you rest your spirit and your body?" they ask. "And can we come and stay, can we come and abide, can we come and remain with you?" To which Jesus responds immediately, "Come. Come and see. Come and be. Come and abide with me. It's not important what you do. Just come and see - and then the doing will follow. Like water from a fountain. Like waves billowing out of the depth ...

3164. The Offense of Grace

Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... positively instead of negatively, to stop playing the role of victim, and to start living a life of proactive discipleship. Martin Luther King, Jr., once wrote: Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done. It means, rather, that the evil act no longer remains as a barrier to the relationship ... We must recognize that the evil deed of the enemy neighbor, the thing that hurts, never quite expresses all that he is. An element of goodness may be found even in our worst enemy.2 King concludes that ...

3165. Visions and Voices

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... by the heat of the invisible flame ... until the vacuum sucked the feeble light out of her. A darkness so pure it glistened, then out of the darkness ... nova.... More luminous than any sun ... all that was her ceased to exist. Only what was God remained.2 Unfortunately for Sister John, there is a complication. Along with her visions come excruciating headaches, which demolish her for days at a time, making her unavailable for the work of the cloister and causing her to be a great burden to the other nuns ...

3166. Transformed in Christ

John 3:1-17

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... and fervor our relationship with God. The Pauline author reminds us vividly: "If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself" (1 Timothy 2:11-13). Transformation is, in essence, the process of turning the dirty laundry of our lives into something that is clean and useful. This idea is illustrated in an apocryphal but nonetheless instructive story of the ...

3167. Through the Lens of God

John 4:5-42

Sermon

Richard Gribble

One day a man told a story which touched the hearts of all. He began, "I was a timid, frail, lost, and lonely six-year-old child when I first arrived at the farm in Georgia. I would have remained that way had it not been for an extraordinary woman. She lived on the farm in a small two-room cabin where her parents resided when they were slaves. To any outsider she simply appeared as any other African-American on the farm, but to those who knew her, she ...

3168. Sharing the Pain of Others

Matthew 26:14-27:66

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... old man, only one arm came through. As I watched I could not believe what I saw. The Ragman continued on. The Ragman, bleeding, crying, stumbling, and with one arm continued to push his basketful of rags. At the outskirts of town he found the local dump. With the remaining strength he possessed he pushed his basket through the gate and up the hill. There in the middle of the garbage dump he lay down to sleep and as he slept he died. From a distance I found safe haven in the front seat of an old abandoned ...

3169. Reevaluating Our Mission for Christ

John 17:1-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . We can also take solace in the words of the Pauline author of the Pastoral Epistles: "If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself" (2 Timothy 2:11-13). Our journey of Lent and now Easter is rapidly drawing to a close. Next week's celebration of Pentecost beckons us today to take stock of our lives and ask the difficult question - have I done my best to ...

3170. Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired?

Matthew 9:35-10:8

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." Living The Promise! Jesus sent the disciples out with a sense of urgency to bring about healing of soul and body alike. The harvest is still plentiful and the need for willing workers remains. Realize that God is still sending his people out to hurting people everywhere ... and that he may be sending you to a healing ministry or a preaching of the Good News in the places and with the people you know the best. Suggested Prayer We give ...

3171. Try This on For Size!

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... look at our homes. Here we find divorce destroying thousands of homes a day. Marriages that began as optimistically as a running romance end in hate or indifference and two quitters. It would seem that we are not too easy to live with. Other homes that manage to remain intact display no real zest or creativity or pizzazz! The mother and father both work so they can give their family the best, so they can have all the "extras." But they come home at the end of the working day tired and ill. There is a loss ...

3172. The Garden Is Doing Fine?

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... rocky soil. Seed falls on this ground, springs to life, but since it has no depth of soil for roots, it withers away in the heat of summer. You've seen, no doubt, a bonsai plant. A cedar tree is planted in a small bowl. It grows but remains dwarfed because the gardener clips its taproot. So many come limping into the church hurt, divorced, bitter, broke, confused, and, hearing the gospel, jump for it with all the eagerness of a drowning man grabbing for a life rope tossed his way. And for a few months they ...

3173. As Long As It Is Day!

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... clear that the terrible consequence of being in debt was debtor's prison. Why, when a bill became past due and one couldn't pay, the creditor had the right to seize you and throw you into the rat infested, dark of a dungeon. And there you remained until you paid every cent or died. You've been in debt, haven't you? Remember the fear, the worry? Things get bleak, don't they? One holds his head down and avoids all eye contact. Frustration compounds fatigue and leaves you drained. God is saying that unforgiven ...

3174. God, The Venture Capitalist?

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... his! But to you he has entrusted a sum. And now he has strategically placed your life where you can express his love by your kindness in Christ-centered ministry. So, if all ownership is God's and faithful management is ours, then one final truth yet remains in the text. And that is ... Accountability Is Coming The text tells us the businessman returned and called in each of his employees to see what they'd done with his venture capital, and the reward for work well done was more work. But the punishment ...

3175. Praying Through

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... and the sender's identity cannot be determined. There the letter is opened and its contents examined for clues to the sender's identity. If the return address cannot be determined the letter is destroyed. It never reaches its destination, and any requests made by the writer remain unanswered. How about you? Do you feel like your prayers end up in some kind of dead letter department? Do you feel like your prayers never reach God? If you do, then this text is for you! Here in Jesus Christ's own words we are ...

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