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Showing 3176 to 3200 of 4490 results

3176. Week One Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Monday Week OneLeviticus 19:1-2, 11-18Matthew 25:31-46 Be Holy As Is God We all know that God is divine. This is how we define God. But how does one define divinity? One might say that divinity means omniscience and omnipotence. These are both proper descriptions, possibly even definitions of divinity, but how can a human relate to these things? We know so many things that are more powerful than we and so many people who are more intelligent than ourselves. Maybe we can imagine the divinity of God as all ...

3177. Flashing Lights

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

Robert Beringer

Flashing Lights There is a hunger in human hearts for an experience of God that transforms human life. Years ago, the shrill ring of the telephone awoke me in the night. It was a local doctor asking me to join him in the emergency room where a boy had been taken after a bad drug trip on LSD. The parents were frantic as the boy mumbled incoherently, describing bright flashing lights, beautiful colors, and a "presence" he felt must be God. As I stood there that night, I knew everyone in that room could feel ...

3178. Week Three Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Monday Week Three2 Kings 5:1-15Luke 4:24-30 Expectations -- What Should They Be? Expectations are one of the unavoidable realities of life. Although expectations will differ from person to person and from situation to situation, everyone has certain expectations. This is true in how we view events, material things, specific situations, and especially people. If we are honest, most of the time our expectations are high, especially when it comes to results desired and the usefulness and/or effectiveness of ...

3179. The Seven Last Words Of Pilate

Sermon

Thomas Long

Some stories in the Bible are so essentially visual that they almost demand that we act them out to understand them. Like the rest of the Bible, such stories are intended to be read and heard, of course, but they have the added quality of being vivid, pictorial, perhaps even theatrical, and they seem to release their full power only when they are seen in action. In order to grasp their truths, we are compelled to scramble up on a stage -- at least one constructed in our imagination -- to don a costume, to ...

3180. The Christian Journey IV: The Pool

Sermon

John N. Brittain

Psalm 114; Ezekiel 47:1-12; Acts 1:1-9; John 4:1-30 We have been thinking about the Christian Journey in terms of some biblical images for the past few weeks. The first image was the path. We saw that one of the earliest -- perhaps the earliest -- designation used to describe those who were devoted to Jesus was "followers of the way," in Greek hodos, a path, a road, a highway, but a term that soon enough came to mean a way of life. This image reminds us that commitment to Jesus Christ presupposes that we ...

3181.

Drama

Betty Lynn Schwab

Deuteronomy 8:6-10John 16:16-33 Minister: When the hour had come, Jesus sat at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you." Mother: (Lights candle) With every holy light we kindle, the world is brightened to a higher harmony! Child: Why is this Sunday different from all other Sundays? Reader 1: This is the Fifth Sunday of Lent, the Sunday in which we reflect on the fifth Passover symbol, remembering Jesus during his final Passover meal, ...

3182. Life

John 20:19-23

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: If we trust Jesus He is with us empowering us with the Holy Spirit just like the disciples when Jesus breathed on them. Summary: Peter, confronted with the death of a girl, relies on what Jesus taught him. A reader's theatre presentation. Playing Time: 9 minutes Place: A neutral reading area Props: Four stools Wine skin Four glasses Bread Costumes: Contemporary, casual Time: Storytelling time Cast: First Reader -- female, soprano Second Reader -- male, bass Third Reader -- female, alto Fourth Reader ...

3183. For I Have Chosen You!

Haggai 2:20-23

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

When I was a kid the night before Christmas was the longest night in the world. There were only one or two clocks in our house as a general rule, and eventually eight of us kids. To forestall endless repetition of the question "What time is it?" our parents loaned us one of the clocks, and many times we'd sleep in only one or two rooms, waiting together. Each in turn would wake, and quietly, so quietly, attempt to turn the luminescent dial towards ourselves, believing it possible that we would not rouse ...

3184. Jesus Prays for His Disciples

John 17:6-19

Sermon Aid

Wayne H. Keller

Liturgical Color: White Theme: Jesus Prays for His Disciples, Then, and Now. INVITATION TO WORSHIP Pastoral Invitation (Pastor and People) Pastor: In the name of the One who prayed for, and continues to pray for, his disciples, welcome to this last Sunday in Easter. I invite us to take one minute of silence to recall what we have learned this Easter season, and to recount new acts of obedience. Write them down; let them guide you as, next week, we move into the Season of Pentecost. The call of Christ is no ...

3185. Moving At The Speed Of Light: On The Mountain

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

Peter went to the mountain with Jesus. And what happened there was of such magnitude that decades after the resurrection, it still was of bedrock importance to Peter's witness for Christ. We know the story. Peter and James and John went with Jesus up to a high place, apart from the others. And while they were there Jesus' appearance before them changed. They saw him stand with Moses and Elijah. As Matthew describes, "His face shown like the sun, and his garments became white as light." Peter offered to ...

3186. The Hope Of A Girl-- And The Hope Of The World

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

Years ago in a small European town a visitor noticed that on one of the streets when the citizens of the town walked by a certain wall they would nod and make the sign of the cross. As he stood there and watched he observed that they all did this. He became curious about the practice and began to ask around. But no one could tell him what it meant. Finally, he obtained permission to investigate the wall. He began to chip away layers of paint and dirt. He discovered underneath them a beautiful mural of Mary ...

3187. You Can Be Beautiful

Hosea 14:1-9

Sermon

Michael B. Brown

Following a morning as guest preacher at a large suburban church, I was approached by a member whom I had spotted during the second morning service. He had been sitting on the very front pew. A large man, he left hardly any room for other persons on the short pew near the chancel. He was not poorly dressed but did present a generally disheveled look, as if appearance were at the bottom of his list of personal priorities. All smiles, he approached me with a hug and the following greeting: "Hey brother! All ...

3188. Proper 17

Hebrews 13:1-25, Jeremiah 2:1-3:5, Luke 14:1-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Jeremiah 2:4-13 Yahweh protests Judah's faithlessness. Jeremiah takes no credit for what he says to his nation: "Hear the word of the Lord." In this passage Yahweh asks why they have deserted him for gods that were no gods. Why did the nation desert him after he was so very good to the nation in leading them through the wilderness for a land of plenty? Priests, rulers and prophets turned against God, and therefore Jeremiah was shocked. The people of God are guilty of two sins: ...

3189. Proper 7

1 Ki 19:1-18 · Lk 8:26-39 · Gal 3:23-29

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7), 8-15a Threatened by Jezebel, Elijah flees for his life and is fed by an angel on his way to Mount Horeb. To understand this pericope, we need to get the background in chapter 18. On Mount Carmel, Elijah calls down fire from heaven to prove that Yahweh is the only true God. This is followed by his slaughter of the 450 prophets of Baal supported by King Ahab and Queen Jezebel who sends a messenger to Elijah to tell him that within 24 hours she will have his ...

3190. Alleluia, He Is Risen!

Matthew 25:1-13

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Canticle: Christ Is Risen or Pascha Nostrum Music: He Is Risen, He Is Risen The liturgy for the dead, the Burial Office, for which we have come here today, is an Easter liturgy. And since we are in the midst of the Great Fifty Days of the Easter season, it is doubly an Easter liturgy. Therefore, we call today a celebration: a celebration of Jesus' resurrection, and the celebration of the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life for those who trust in him. Early in the nineteenth century, ...

3191. Death In The Midst Of Birth

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Canticle: Nunc Dimittis There is probably no more difficult a time to mourn the loss of a loved one and join in the burial prayers than this. The twelve days of Christmas are for celebration, festivity, lightheartedness, merriment; a time to celebrate birth and God's love in sending Jesus to us. But for us this year, the twelve days of Christmas mean sorrow, loss, grief, and death. In the season of birth, we are in the season of death. I'd like to share two personal memories with you, because they both ...

3192. And Then Came The Angel

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

If we cannot relate to Joseph and appreciate his situation, then our lives are simple, easy lives indeed. Now, by relating to Joseph or understanding what he endured, I don't mean to suggest that we all either have been engaged or married to someone impregnated by the Holy Spirit. Even in our frantic search for ways to explain how such a thing might have happened, we probably didn't think of blaming the Holy Spirit! We relate to Joseph and appreciate his struggle in a different way, a much more practical ...

3193. Baptism In Three Movements

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

There are two very different ways to think about baptism. The first approach recognizes the time of baptism as a saving moment in which the person being baptized accepts the love and forgiveness of God. The person then considers herself "saved." She may grow in the faith through the years, but nothing which she will experience after her baptism will be as important as her baptism. She always will be able to recall her baptism as the time when her life changed. The second approach wouldn't disagree with any ...

3194. Good News! You Are Going To Be Tortured

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Roger G. Talbott

Some of you may be familiar with the two-minute radio program, Ask Dr. Science. Dr. Science, as the initiated know, isn't a real doctor. He has a master's degree . . . in science! This disclaimer always runs at the end of the program, however. In the meantime, the announcer asks Dr. Science a question sent in by a listener like, "Why can I only see the stars at night?" Then Dr. Science answers the question in an annoying know-it-all voice that conveys the unspoken message: "This is a highly complex subject ...

3195. Advent 4

Mt 1:18-25 · Rom 1:1-7 · Isa 7:10-17 · Ps 80

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

THIS WEEK'S TEXT Revised Common: Is 7:10-16 · Rom 1:1-7 · Mt 1:18-25 Roman Catholic: Is 7:10-14 · Rom 1:1-7 · Mt 1:18-24 Episcopal: Is 7:10-17 · Rom 1:1-7 · Mt 1:18-25 Lutheran: Is 7:10-14 (15-17) · Rom 1:1-7 · Mt 1:18-25 Seasonal Theme: Attitude of Obedience Suggested Text For Preaching: Matthew 1:24 and Romans 1:5 COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Isaiah 7:10-17 This selection contains a verse (v. 14) that rings musically in the Christian's ear at Christmas. It speaks of a virgin (almah actually means young woman) ...

3196. Baptism of The Lord

Mt 3:13-17 ·Acts 10:34-48 · Is 42:1-9

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

THIS WEEK'S TEXT Revised Common: Is 42:1-9 · Acts 10:34-43 · Mt 3:13-17 Roman Catholic: Is 42:1-4, 6-7 · Acts 10:34-38 · Mt 3:13-17 Episcopal: Is 42:1-9 · Acts 10:34-38 · Mt 3:13-17 Lutheran: Is 42:1-7 · Acts 10:34-38 · Mt 3:13-17 Seasonal Theme: The Holy Spirit is prominently featured in the Epiphany Season pericopes. The Spirit does not act in isolation but works to create and sustain the spiritual community. Each week we will examine a different aspect of the Spirit's presence in Christian community. ...

3197. Easter 6

Acts 8:9-25, 1 Peter 3:8-22, Acts 17:16-34, John 14:15-31

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Making God known. In the First Lesson, Acts 17:22-31, Paul witnesses to the cultured pagans on the Areopagus. Referring to a statue to an unknown god, he declares that unknown God is revealed in Christ. In the Second Lesson, 1 Peter 3:15-22, Peter encourages the beleaguered Christians to make Christ known through their words and actions. In the Gospel, Christ promises that he will make himself known to the disciples through the Holy Spirit. COMMENTARY Epistle: Acts 17:22-31 Peter alters his approach ...

3198. Proper 5

Genesis 12:1-8, Hosea 5:1-15, Hosea 6:1-6, Matthew 9:9-13, Matthew 9:18-26, Romans 4:1-25

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: The call. The book of Hosea is one long plea for the people to turn their hearts to God. The Genesis 12 text and the Second Lesson present the call of Abraham. The Gospel lifts up the call of Matthew, a tax collector regarded as a notorious sinner. When criticized for dining with sinners, Jesus responds: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Genesis 12:1-9 (C) God calls Abraham to leave his homeland and go to the country that God had promised him. God pledged Abraham ...

3199. A Little Book Of Comfort

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Harold Warlick

The lectionary text for today is part of a larger unit that has sometimes been called "The Little Book of Comfort." Old Testament scholars view Jeremiah 30-31 as a collection of independent oracles inserted into the book of Jeremiah to introduce the hopeful chapter 32 where the prophet of doom evidences his faith in the ultimate redemption of God by purchasing a field at Anathoth.1 Certainly all of us need our little books of comfort. Life deals us its downs with its ups, its discomforts with its comforts ...

3200. It Is Blessed To Receive

Sermon

William G. Carter

Matthew 6:25-33 (C) Thanksgiving DayLuke 17:11-19 (L) In the small town of Mapleville, the ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve service was poorly attended. Once it was a popular event for the whole town, gathering people from a variety of denominations and faiths. In recent years, attendance had faded to a faithful few. Most of those who came in any given year were members of the host congregation. What began as a spirited occasion that brought together a variety of clergy, choirs, and congregations had shrunk in ...

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