Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3201 to 3225 of 5000 results

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Thomas Long

... Hebrew slaves. Suddenly the once dry gap in the sea is invaded by a violent wall of water, foam filling the nostrils of horses, their eyes white with fear. Horsemen are thrown from their mounts. Charioteers are swept away by the swirling torrent. Then a death-marked stillness settles on the surface of the sea. Immense! Or again, the vision in the Book of Revelation of the saints in heaven gathered in a multitude greater than the eye can see, an ocean of faces and white robes larger than the mind can measure ...

3202. They Also Serve Who Wait

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Thomas Long

... barely alive by the sheer force of his will. "When God saved me from Hitler," he said, "I promised that in any country I come I will do something for God." The synagogue, like the tenements which fill the neighborhood in which it stands, is marked by peeling paint, deteriorating floors, and falling plaster. Morris, himself, is feeling the wearing effects of the passing days. "I'm broken down like this shul," he confesses. In the days before the war, Morris had been a promising young medical student, but now ...

3203. Easter 4

Psalm 23:1-6, Acts 4:1-22, 1 John 3:11-24, John 10:1-21

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... sheep and raises the shepherd. Ezekiel 34 -- Israel's false shepherds contrasted with God as the true shepherd. Micah 2:12 -- God's assurance that he will gather a remnant as sheep into a fold. Matthew 10:16 -- Disciples are sent like sheep amidst wolves. Mark 14:27 -- Jesus sees the disciples scattered like sheep when the shepherd is struck. John 21:15-19 -- The straying sheep return to the shepherd. 1 Peter 2:25 -- The straying sheep return to the shepherd. CONTENT Precis (John 10:11-18) Jesus makes one ...

3204. Eating Living Bread

John 6:25-59

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... have the words of institution for the Eucharist. The reading for today has echoes of the words of institution more clearly than anywhere else in John's gospel account. Context of Related Scriptures For accounts of the words of institution of the Lord's Supper in the synoptic gospels, see Mark 14:22-25; Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 22:17-21. See also 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Genesis 2:23-24 -- The woman is flesh of the man's flesh and the two become one flesh. Joel 2:28 -- The Lord will pour his spirit on all flesh ...

3205. Let's Have A Fruitful Christmas Season

Drama

May Dembowski

... feel sorry for the kids at this time of year. They get so excited, and mothers are screaming. I marvel that they come away with any good memories at all. MAY: I finally figured out how to make memorable and happy times for my kids. For one thing, I marked the dates right on the calendar for cookie-baking and such and counted these as real appointments ... letting nothing get in the way. MARCY: I just can't imagine having fun making cookies with a bunch of kids. Cleaning up the mess is hardly worth it. I don ...

3206. Lent 4

John 3:1-21, Numbers 21:4-9, Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... God we know in Jesus Christ claims the whole world as his own. Broadcasting this good news provides the church's reason for being. The test of true love (v. 16). "God so loved ... that he gave ...." How does one know that he or she is really loved? What marks love as authentic? The giving of self. God gave himself to us in Jesus Christ; he held nothing back. Such giving is costly and so many people in our culture have substituted things material for self. It's easier to give your kid ten bucks than to spare ...

3207. Proper 12

John 6:16-24, John 6:1-15, 2 Samuel 11:1-27, Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... version of the institution of the Eucharist, which was deleted from his passion account. This is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. Verses 16-21 contain John's version of Jesus coming to his sea-tossed disciples via walking on the water. Gospel: Mark 6:45-52 (E) After feeding the five thousand, Jesus dismisses the people, puts his disciples into a boat, and retreats to a hilltop to pray. From this vantage point, he views his boatload of disciples struggling against the wind. He walks toward them ...

3208. Proper 13

Ephesians 4:1-16, 2 Samuel 12:1-31, John 6:25-59

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... for what you have done wrong?" David pronounced judgment on himself, albeit unwittingly (vv. 5-6). It's kind of a rule of life, the Lord judges us by the ruler we have used to judge others. No fifth amendment rights before the Supreme Court. When Mark Fuhrman was called back to court and asked if he had spoken certain racial slurs, he replied: "I assert my fifth amendment rights." The constitution says that we don't have to incriminate ourselves. David didn't assert any fifth amendment rights when he stood ...

3209. Advent 3

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28, Isaiah 61:1-11, John 1:19-28, John 1:1-18

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... sent representatives to ascertain John's identity. "Who are you?" they asked. "Are you the Christ?" "No." "Are you Elijah?" (He was expected to precede the Messiah.) "No." Jesus sees the answer differently because he clearly identifies John as the Elijah figure (Matthew 11:14; Mark 9:13). Evidently John is unconscious of his crucial role. "Are you the Messiah?" "No." "Are you a prophet?" "I am not!" John defines himself more in terms of who he is not rather than who he is. When he does identify himself, it ...

3210. Christ The King

John 18:28-40, 2 Samuel 23:1-7, Daniel 7:1-14, Revelation 1:1-3, Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... . Some renounced their new-found faith, under pressure. The word from John is a message of hope. The first part of the message is that "the end is near" (v. 3). Just hang in there a while longer, Christ was coming soon. The end of their earthly suffering would mark the beginning of Christ's reign. The second part of John's message: "Never fear, Christ is here." He doesn't say this in so many words but speaks of how much Christ loves us (present tense) by freeing us from our sins through his blood (v. 6). It ...

3211. Easter 4

John 10:1-21, Acts 4:1-22, 1 John 3:11-24

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... down his life for us (v. 16). Therefore, we also should lay down our lives for one another and share our goods with those in need. John sums up God's commands in two phrases: to believe in Jesus Christ and to love one another (v. 23). These are the marks of obedience. Epistle: 1 John 3:1-8 (See Easter 3) Gospel: John 10:11-18 Jesus is the Good Shepherd who truly cares for his sheep. Those who are hired to tend the sheep flee in the face of danger, but not the Good Shepherd, who stands ready to ...

3212. Easter 6

John 15:18--16:4, Acts 10:23b-48, 1 John 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... was explaining the gospel, the Holy Spirit came down on all the believers, including, for the first time, Gentiles. Since God had favored the Gentiles with the Holy Spirit, Peter's party could not refuse them water baptism in the name of Jesus. This marks the beginning of the universalizing of the church, transforming it from a sectarian to a truly catholic religion. The Roman Catholic lectionary also includes the greeting of Peter and Cornelius (vv. 24-25) and the beginning of Peter's sermon (vv. 34-35 ...

3213. Easter 7

John 17:6-19, Acts 1:12-26, 1 John 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... for those who would hold office in Christ's church. Epistle: 1 John 5:9-16 God on the witness stand (vv. 9-11). The O.J. Simpson trial brought before the world the importance of having credible witnesses. The officer who investigated the crime scene, Mark Fuhrman, originally testified that he had not used the word "Nigger" during the past ten years. Later, tapes of him using the "N" word with other racist remarks cast a thick shadow on his credibility as a witness. John asserts that God's testimony remains ...

3214. The Good, The Bad, And The Justified

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... ; and all people can be saved to the uttermost." It is that latter that Wesley particularly emphasized. He called it "going on to perfection." He didn't mean a sinless kind of moral perfection, not a perfection in knowledge, but a perfection in love. The single identifying mark of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives is love. Do we love God and do we love one another? That's the test of our sanctification. Wesley was always deeply disturbed when he saw Christians who were more like the Pharisee than the tax ...

3215. Out On A Limb

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... a thoroughly scary experience, though perhaps later, as a mature disciple, he may have wondered why it ever seemed risky or frightening at all. Luke, alone, tells us this story. He places it in the context of his account of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem. Following Mark's gospel, one of his main sources, he relates the story of Jesus' healing of a blind man near the city of Jericho. But then he adds this story about Jesus' encounter with a man named Zacchaeus. Jesus is just passing through Jericho, Luke tells ...

3216. The Lord Will Return

Isaiah 61:1-11

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

... a oneness with You which we could not earn on our own. Reach into our hearts and help us celebrate Your love which knows no boundaries. In Christ we pray. Amen. Prayer Of Confession O God, too often we have tried to believe Your love was like ours, marked by conditions and limitations as we judge who is good enough or worthy to hear Your Gospel. Forgive us, Lord, for You have warned us that as we reject even the least of Your children we reject You. Open our hearts, Lord, that we might openly seek out and ...

3217. Made New By Getting Lost

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... never known that town without my father being alive to show me around those country roads with condos. This Advent is different. We get lost with too many open doors. I learned long ago that children at play are most secure when there are boundaries and clearly marked limits to where they can go. They play in that designated space with confidence and with joy. If you place the same children in an open field and tell them they can play everywhere, you will find them huddling in the middle and playing in a ...

3218. Edges

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... what we call an "edgy" or irritable person. Jesus was on the edge at all times, and only once can I recall when he was edgy. That moment was when he went storming into the Temple, white-hot with rage, and made a whip and turned over tables. Matthew, Mark, and Luke have this happening in his last week alive. John has him turning the tables at the beginning of his ministry, just after his first miracle. I don't care when it happened, I just know it happened that Jesus was edgy in the Temple. Why? Because the ...

3219. Getting The Face We Deserve

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... all the wrong places. God continues to reach out. Every once in a while, when we dare to be silent, the hand of God touches us in a mysterious way. The next time that happens to you, will you notice that hand and how it has been stung? Notice the marks. God still reaches out to us. He knows no other way than to keep coming to us in love rather than judgment. It is that scratched, stung, and still loving hand that changes us. May God bless us in the church and in our lives with each other as we ...

3220. Taking The Risk Out Of Dy(e)ing

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Lee Griess

... death trips you up or the grave stands in your way, and certainly not before you reach the empty tomb of Jesus. Stop and hear Jesus call your name. Remember the words we speak at baptism, saying, "Child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever." Stop and hear God calling you. Hear the words the Gospel writer Luke records the angels saying as they ask, "Why do you seek the Living God among dead things?" Why do you return to places of death? Why go back to ...

3221. Do Not Be Doubting But Believe!

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Lee Griess

... For him, life was still hopeless. His hopes had died with Jesus. For him, the future was still unsure. For he had yet to meet the Risen Lord, and because of that, doubt filled his heart. "Unless I see for myself, I will not believe. Unless I can feel the marks of the nails with my own fingers and touch the wound in his side with my own hands, I will not believe." Can you sense Thomas' misery? Can you hear his loneliness, his separation and pain? I think you can, because we have all felt it. We have all gone ...

3222. God Doesn't Ask A Fig Tree To Produce Bananas

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Lee Griess

... we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Whoever we are, whatever we do, we all share one thing in common and that is that we are sinful. Saint Augustine once wrote, "Whatever we are, we are not what we ought to be." Mark Twain, with his characteristic sense of humor, tells us how he understands that when he wrote, "Man was made at the end of the week, when God was tired." Repent, Jesus says, for that's the first step in the Christian life. Confess your sins before God and receive ...

3223. A Monolgue from Peter

Mark 8:27-30

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

Theme: Peter is like many of us who preach. He thinks he must talk, even when he has little to say. Setting: The lectionary reading was Mark 8. It was the Lenten season. What does it mean for Messiah to die? Peter wrestles with that eventuality in a manner that we Monday morning quarterbacks sometimes can't quite comprehend. Dramatic Monologue In the year 1988, the Democratic Convention opened with a bleached blonde, whose time on terra ...

3224. Number One Mother

Genesis 2:4-25

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

... . "That, too, is not so much a name as a description. Adam simply means "human being. "Since none of you were around back then, I thought I'd share with you some of my perceptions about the very first mother on this "Mother's Day. " About a century ago, Mark Twain, I'm sure with his tongue in his cheek, claimed he found, and translated from hieroglyphics, our diaries. You may find his version in books of Twain's short stories, very simply called The Diaries of Adam and Eve. So as I could talk to you today ...

3225. I Am Zacchaeus

Luke 19:1-10

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

... completed their desert wanderings. This beautiful garden of paradise was later given to Cleopatra by Anthony. I suppose you know that, too. When I was growing up, I used to pass the palace of Archalaus, Herod's son. His rose gardens perfumed the air. That was in marked contrast with the stench of the squatters' huts, where I grew up. I made a vow. Someday -- someday, I would work for Caesar -- the one who made it all possible for Herod and Archalaus. I, too, would be rich and powerful. That's all I dreamed ...

Showing results