Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 301 to 325 of 4972 results

301. Strategic Planning

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... , eventually, due to circumstances other than Dianne’s efforts. Paramedics arrived within minutes to find Dianne dead beneath the bus. An investigation blamed the accident on “operator error.” (2) Now, if Dianne had stopped and thought it through, she would have known she could not stop this 15-ton bus with her own strength. The problem was she didn’t think. She simply reacted to the situation. This is the difference between reflecting and reacting. Many people live this way. They do not plan their ...

302. Some Things Ought Not to Happen

Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon

James L. Killen

... that is growing between the advantaged and the disadvantaged peoples of the world. What would happen if the whole world could stop living out the tragic drama of conflict between the outcasts and the chosen? What would happen if we could learn to ... conflict, it is hard to see anything in any way except from the perspective of the conflict. And, many of us have long since stopped living with any real consciousness of a higher power. But conversions can happen. Paul spoke of dying to sin and being raised to a ...

303. When Jacob Got a Vision

Genesis 29:15-28

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... Laban's present deception with him. Before the Laban encounter and his falling in love with Rachel, Jacob is on the road. He stops for the night. In the night, Jacob receives an amazing vision at a place called Bethel. Through the vision and experience of ... watch with my eyes. I would care to know less and know to care more. I'd take more hikes and fly more kites. I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play. I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars. I'd do more hugging and less tugging. I'd ...

304. Are You Trying to Prove Something?

Genesis 12:1-9

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... the future with courage. To trust grace is to believe that you are forgiven, right now, and that God loves you the way you are, right now, even if you don't feel loveable. Faith means that you trust that God loves you, so you can stop trying to be somebody, stop trying to prove something, stop trying to impress people, and be who you are as a child of God. That is what it means to live by grace. It means to be free to be who you are. In Paul's day, the good life was an achievable goal. It was ...

305. A Pilgrimage To Bethlehem

Matthew 3:1-12

Drama

Matthew Powell

... his shoes, packed his bag, and set off to follow Ivan. Storyteller 2: When he had gotten a little way from the village, he stopped to count his money and was surprised to find that he had only seventeen rubles left. Gregory: Well, it is no use trying to ... will miss each other completely and it will be worse. I had better go on. We will be sure to meet up when we both stop for the night. Storyteller 1: Ivan went on, asking everyone that he met whether they had seen a tall, bald man. Storyteller 2: No one had ...

306. Night Vision

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the sidelines were yelling at them: "Get back. It's going to blow. The flames are getting worse." But Jackson and Kinsey refused to stop trying to open the doors, and eventually got one open enough to pull out the bleeding driver from the vehicle. As soon as they ... Jackson's wife was a little upset that her 25-year-old husband had risked his life to save a stranger. "You don't even stop for an old lady with a flat tire," she said she told him. But when reporters visited Jackson at his home, both wife and ...

307. The Wussification of the Church

John 9:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a leisure-time read – like some summer beach novel. The church is just another, and not very recommended, option for spending time on a Sabbath morning. Is this church ready to stop being wusses? I have one suggestion about how we might begin to stop the wussification of the church. We didn't become wusses over night. And we're not going to stop being wusses over night. But we have to start somewhere. Here it is. It was passed on to me by David Lowes Watson. And I pass it on to you. Before every ...

308. A New Beginning

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few of the others who had been waiting for the rain to stop who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. I guess they needed washing, too. Do you need washing? Have you been living up to your baptism? Jesus made a new beginning when he was baptized by John in the Jordan. There was no ...

309. God Really Cares

Matthew 27:46

Sermon

James Merritt

... for man, the creature's sin. Thirty-three years earlier, when Jesus was born, the "stars were brightly shining," the moon was glistening, the angels were singing. But now the sun had closed its curtains, the angels had folded their wings, the stars had stopped their twinkling, the moon had gone into hiding. All of creation had gone into mourning. You see, when the first Adam sinned, it affected not only the creature, but all of creation. Because of sin, roses have thorns, gardens have weeds, women know the ...

310. Castaway

2 Corinthians 5:18-21

Sermon

James Merritt

... . Well, the dog got careless and fell overboard. The little boy became frantic and ran to the captain of the ship and said, "Sir, my little dog has fallen overboard. Will you stop the ship so that I can rescue him?" The captain indignantly said, "Son, this ship does not stop for a dog." The little boy said, "Well, sir, would you stop the boat to save a boy?" The captain said, "Well, of course, we would." Immediately the little boy jumped overboard, swam back to the dog, rescued the dog and then, of course ...

311. Strength through Diversity

James 2:1-17

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... passes by outside, yet, the dog on the outside does not bark at all? I guess that is the way it is with dogs." The woman continued saying, "I knew that the dog outside belonged to a neighbor, so I went outside and opened the gate. Almost instantly the barking stopped. There was some sniffing as they wanted to make sure of each other, but then the two dogs proceeded to ignore each other. I guess that is the way is it with dogs." She then continued in a reflective mode, "It seems that the way the dogs act is ...

312. This Little Light of Mine

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... the floor holding her stomach she was laughing so hard. The whole set was in shambles. In fact, says Rev. Adams, the only thing that didn’t go to pieces was that light bulb in the manger . . . it never stopped shining. (4) How appropriate. The light of Christ it never stops shining. Wars, pestilence, famine, good times and bad, that light continues to shine. Our grandparents saw its glow in the darkest hours of the depression. Our soldiers saw its glow even on distant battlefields. The light shines in the ...

313. Ashes for Remembering

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... about his wife's surgery. Then he remembered a prayer he had been taught as a child. "Our Father in heaven ..." he began. He stopped praying and realized how foolish he had been by living in this world as if that's all there is. He had built up treasures ... a puzzle that were scattered everywhere. He shouted over his shoulder, "Sorry, little girl. I'm sorry I bumped you." Then he stopped running. He turned and quietly walked back to the little girl. "Sorry," he repeated, bending down on one knee on the platform ...

314. Tested, for God’s Sake

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Mike Ripski

... tired of people asking me what I’m going to do when I graduate. I tell them I’m going to be a doctor. That pleases them and they stop asking.” In the desert wilderness, Jesus is alone. He fasts. He wants the hunger of his body to join the hunger of his soul for God and God’s ... are God’s truth but aren’t. What assumptions need to be tested and found wanting? I can’t stop smoking. I can’t control my temper. I can’t start exercising. I can’t change. I can’t live within my means. I can’t live ...

315. The Spin Zone

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

James Merritt

... capstone of a downward spiral that had been going on in David's life for two decades. I will show you in a moment what I mean. It is right here in this part of the story where you want to stop the tape and you want to scream at the top of your lungs, "David don't do this! Stop and think! Run! Take a cold shower." But David didn't see what we see now. He didn't see that this one night would cause four of his children to die. He didn't see that this one night would ...

316. No Need to Worry

John 10:11-18; 27-30

Sermon

James Merritt

... to land, "We are about to make our final approach?" Why can't he say, "We are about to make our semi-final approach?" Think about this - the flight attendant will say, "Stay seated until the airplane has reached a complete stop." What other kind of stop is there? Do you have fractional stops? Partial stops? I sometimes feel like I have PhD from the University of Anxiety. We all have worries. The question I want to ask you is, "What are you going to do about your worries?" If you think about it, you can ...

317. My Mission from God

John 17:18

Sermon

James Merritt

... ministry. That is how the church gives. All these purposes have something in common and that is - we will continue in some ways to fulfill each of those purposes for ever and ever in eternity. Worship doesn't stop in heaven. Fellowship doesn't stop in heaven. Discipleship doesn't stop in heaven. Ministry doesn't stop in heaven. Even after we die, we will continue to fulfill those purposes in our lives. The last purpose, the purpose we are going to talk about today is unique in this respect - it can only be ...

318. Like a Good Neighbor – Jesus Is There

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

James Merritt

... down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked and passed by on the other side." (vv. 31-32) Now the two people that you would have thought that would have stopped for sure to help this man would have been the priest and the Levite, because they were the religious crowd. The priest represented the man in the pulpit; the Levite represented the man in the pew. As a matter of fact, since they were just coming from Jerusalem ...

319. Don’t Sweat the Big Stuff

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

James Merritt

... that a dense fog extensive enough to cover seven city blocks, 100 feet deep, is composed of one 8 ounce glass of water divided into 60,000 million droplets. Now think about that. One 8 ounce glass of water, spread out, can stop an airport in its tracks. Worry is just like fog. Just a little bit can stop you dead in your tracks. That's why worry is so fruitless. A third grade teacher was trying to teach her class on how to use fractions, and she looked at a little boy on the front row and said, "Billy, what ...

320. A Clear and Present Danger

Nehemiah 5:1-19

Sermon

James Merritt

... is wrong. Is there no fear of God left in you? Don't you care what the nations around here or our enemies think of you? I and my brothers and the people working for me have also loaned them money. But this gouging them with interest has to stop. Give them back their foreclosed fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes right now. And forgive your claims on their money, grain, new wine, and olive oil." They said, "We'll give it all back. We won't make any more demands on them. We will do everything you say ...

321. New Creations in Christ

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... it shined. In winter, he longed for the summer and in summer for the fall. All-in-all the old man was miserable. One day he stopped at a fruit stand, but things there were no better. He found some of the fruit was too ripe and the rest was not ripe enough. ... eyes," thought the old man as he walked away. "I have never used glasses; my vision has never been sharper." A week later, he again stopped at the fruit stand. The fruit seller had the fruit he didn't want and did not have the fruit he wanted. As he was ...

322. Journey To The Heart Of Christmas

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... curtsying) We’re only poor merchants at the end of a long trip. We don’t have much left, but whatever we have is yours. Hamid: Anything you may have is fine. And thanks for your kindness. We are in a bit of a hurry, though. See, the star has stopped and we are anxious to complete our journey. Miriam: Which star? Is it that big bright one that’s been in the eastern sky since the baby was born? Hamid: (excitedly) You know about the baby? Tell us, where is he now? Miriam: Well, I don’t really know. I ...

323. Because God Said So, That’s Why!

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... . (As the Shepherds talk, the Angel Choir enters and stands across the platform.) Shepherd 1: Look, she brought friends. Shepherd 2: I think we better get out of here. (Shepherds stand up as if to run. Lead Angel steps forward and grabs one of the Shepherd’s arms to stop him.) Lead Angel: Please don’t be scared. We’re not going to hurt you. Shepherd 3: Who are you? Shepherd 4: Are you going to take our sheep? Lead Angel: We didn’t come here to take your sheep. We came to bring good news. Shepherd 5 ...

324. Seeing God In The Ordinary: Friends

John 11:1-45

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet, and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop, because he can't possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before. He was dying on the inside because he knew when ... the girls found out, they would never speak to him again as long as he lives. That little boy believed his heart is going to stop, so he put his head down and prayed this prayer: "Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I' ...

325. A Chance To Hear

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . What Are You Listening For A. A number of years a go I heard a story about a Native American, a Cherokee, who was in downtown New York walking with a friend who lived in New York City. As they were walking along all of a sudden the native American stopped and said, "I hear a cricket." His friend replied, "Oh, you're crazy." "No, I hear a cricket. I do! I'm sure of it," he said. The New Yorker said "It's noon. There are people everywhere headed to lunch, cars are honking, taxis squealing, there's all the ...

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