Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3251 to 3275 of 4986 results

3251. Feasting and Fasting for Lent (Part I)

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... of faith and mission for God. He remembered hearing about a special man named Clarence Jordan who had started a mission project in Georgia called "The Koinonia Farms". Linda and Millard decided as they began the process of rebuilding their marriage to stay there for a month. Then something clicked inside Millard. He received a vision of building suitable, affordable housing to replace the shanties and old shacks of the people in the rural area trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty and despair. You know ...

3252. Feasting and Fasting for Lent (Part IV)

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... , we have plans to plan a planning session. At least, that is what we are planning to do. "Good people. Lots of ideas. Plenty of good intentions. Budgets. Meetings. Words. Promises. But while all this is going on, the door remains locked and the story stays a secret." (1) Perhaps some of you remember the United States Congressman, Mickey LeLand of California, who died on August 7, 1990, when the plane he was riding in crashed in the African countryside. He was on a mission of mercy to help alleviate world ...

3253. When "Well Done" Is Rare

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... five minutes longer than the other person and got the job done." Somehow, when Mother Theresa arrives at heaven''s door, I believe that the words echoing from Our Lord''s lips will be "Well Done." She has used his simple gift of compassion and stayed on the job when others ran away. She was committed. Jesus is not looking for cautious Christians but COMMITTED CHRISTIANS. The cross is not a reflection of one who was cautious but rather COMMITTED. Second, this servant buried the very resource he had to work ...

3254. Thanksgiving: Where Are You Looking for It?

Psalm 103:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... replies, "I LIED." Thanksgiving reminds us of the interdependence of person with person. Our need for one another. No person is an island. This is no lie. This is Biblical doctrine. The people who first celebrated it were people who had to struggle just to stay alive. When they landed here on the coast of New England at the beginning of a long and harsh winter, they had a very difficult time. When they celebrated that first Thanksgiving in 1621, they had almost nothing. And yet they celebrated as if they ...

3255. A Fantastic Feast

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... refugee from Paris, France who shows up on a stormy, rainy night in the year 1870. The woman named, "Babette," is grateful and thankful for the community that has sheltered her, but she is curious at the lack of joy and celebration. In exchange for a place to stay and food to eat, Babette agrees to take care of the aging sisters. Babette lives and shares in the life of the community for many years. Then one day, Babette learns that a friend who has purchased a lottery ticket every year in her name since she ...

3256. Preparing for Something Big

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... a child. That is when my family opened our gifts. The closer it got to Christmas, the more excited I became. On December 24, my enthusiasm reached its zenith. In the early evening was the Sunday School Christmas program. We children were allowed to stay up late so we could attend the midnight candlelight service. I still remember how difficult it was for me to fall asleep that night. Multiply that sense of anticipation by a thousand and you will have merely scratched the surface of the sense of anticipation ...

3257. God Is Now Here

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... spoken. We have no choice." Because the town was crowded with other travelers, the bed and breakfast inns were filled. Picture a "no vacancy" sign on every window. It was only because a charitable innkeeper realized how pregnant Mary actually was that they were given a place to stay. That is why Mary's baby was born in a manger. A child was born. It was that simple. Yet that birth was different. The angels' message was to the point: The baby was the Son of God! The mighty God of time and eternity was coming ...

3258. A Vision and a Voice

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... to botch things up! Unfortunately, this is where Christians begin to quibble among themselves. Some say we've got to be old enough to understand what we're doing before the promise can be given to us. Others say that we can lose the promise if we don't stay on the straight and narrow. Folks, such arguments put the focus in the wrong place. I am convinced that when we come face-to-face with a love that accepts us the way we are with no strings whatsoever attached, we cannot help but respond with the kind of ...

3259. The Wideness in God's Mercy

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... center of your soul, you will want to respond! You won't be able to contain yourself. It doesn't make any difference whether that touch has been physical or spiritual, the results are the same. My prayer for all of us this morning is that God will help us stay open to the touch of Jesus. I pray that we will have the trust and courage of that leper to seek out that touch even when we don't feel worthy to receive it. I pray that we would have compassion for those whom others label as unacceptable and seek ...

3260. Your Sins Are Forgiven

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... today. But I found myself wondering if we have put them in the same order that Jesus put them. In the past two generations we have worked hard to meet the physical needs of people. We have developed a network of places where the homeless can stay during the cold months of the year. We have set up food pantries in almost every community so that the hungry can be fed. We have established advocacy networks to work with government and have fought for the civil rights of those in society who are disenfranchised ...

3261. Presented to the Lord

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

King Duncan

It is fortunate that New Year’s Day rarely falls on a Sunday. Many who stayed up last night to greet the New Year are in no condition to worship today. [Though I understand that a few could be heard this morning moaning, “Oh God . . . Oh God . . . Oh God . . . “] And then, of course there is football, the real religion of many in our land. New Year’ ...

3262. Follow That Star

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... s a good place to be.” (3) Carl Perkins made a choice not to follow the star of fame with the same intensity as some of his contemporaries. He felt that his star was at home. Sometimes that is a wise choice to make. Still, if we all chose to stay at home, the world would come to a grinding halt. The three Magi were men of action. And they were men of determination. Theirs might have seemed to be a foolish adventure at times--following this star they had seen in the East. But they persevered until the star ...

3263. God Help the Fish

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... a new life is fear of how those closest to us will react. If we do change, our relationships will inevitably be affected. Other people are involved. We have responsibilities. If we change, how will our spouse react? How about our friends? It’s easier to stay in our comfort zone if we feel that others will regard us negatively if we seek to change. However, probably the greatest fear we have about beginning a new life is that we will backslide. Isn’t that true? What if we don’t succeed with our ...

3264. Time Out!

Mark 1:35-39

Sermon

King Duncan

... couldn’t find time to pray. So they began what they called The Coffeepot Experiment, in which an automatically timed percolator would aromatically wake them every morning at six. Feeling sleepily peaceful, they gave themselves fully to God in prayer. His peace then stayed with them all day. The best time for prayer, Catherine concluded, isn’t found. It’s made. (4) Did you catch that? You will never find time for prayer and reflection, you have to make time. The Coffeepot Experiment sounds like a great ...

3265. If You Are Willing

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... only one thing in return. Silence. But you can never tell what people are going to do. Mark tells us this man “went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result,” Mark explained, “Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.” This story reinforces what we said last week: Jesus’ primary mission was not to heal the sick. There simply were too many of them--and there was only one of him. His primary ...

3266. Things That Make Jesus Angry

John 2:12-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... York. A man stood up in that church and said, “I hope this is appropriate to ask. I was an abused child. I’m terrified of being an abusive father. I need help and prayer. “ Madeleine L’Engle knew then this was a church she could stay in. “Because people are willing to be vulnerable,” she says, “this church is very different. Sometimes it gets messy, but that’s okay. People are not afraid to ask questions. We’re able to admit we’re all broken, we’ve all made terrible mistakes, we’re ...

3267. When the Boat Begins to Sink

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... from his sleep. It is apparent from the calm expression on the face of Christ that this is the moment when he says, "Why are you afraid?" Fourteen figures are in the boat: the twelve disciples, Jesus, and Rembrandt himself. There he stands, clutching one of the stays, holding his head in terror. That is where the artist saw himself. And it is there that many of us find ourselves, with little hope and much fear, as the furious storms threaten to sweep us overboard also. It is to such persons as we are that ...

3268. You Are Free to Fail

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... that failure is unacceptable. They make it hard for us to live with failure when it happens. Some years ago there was a story about a student at the University of Michigan who, having failed his courses, climbed into the attic of a church and stayed there for many months. He didn't want his parents to know about his failure. At night he would come down into the church in Ann Arbor to get clothing from the church rummage sales and food from church supper leftovers. He suffered terribly from loneliness ...

3269. The Fox

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... bad blood between us for some time, and neither of us cared much for the other. But I think that Pilate saw a chance to use me. He discovered that Jesus was from Galilee, which was in my jurisdiction, so he had Jesus sent over to where I was staying, hoping that I would pass judgment, and thus relieve him of the obligation of imposing an unpalatable sentence. I was glad to have the opportunity to see this Jesus, for whom I had so long been searching, but I was certainly in no mood to get involved in making ...

3270. The Dangers of Being Religious

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... test of our character, of any church, is how it handles moral failure -- the imprisoned, AIDs victims, unwed mothers, liars. An emotionally troubled woman, struggling with alcohol abuse, says, "Most churches you go to when it's all okay. If things are bad you stay home. This church is different. Everybody comes here hurting and it's okay." O Lord, may it ever be! 23. Are you suspicious of new movements? The Pharisees watched Jesus cast out demons and said it was a sham (Matthew 9:34). Their attitude was ...

3271. Heart Transplant

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... it, we're not only set free from slavery to sin and death, we are counted as members of God's family, too! He knows the justice and mercy of God deep in his heart. When we receive it, we begin to know God that way, too! We don't stay our same old selves when we get a heart transplant in Baptism. We begin to be like Jesus. No, no, let me rephrase that. We're made part of his own Body when his heart is put in us. And he will never, ever reject us as foreign and dangerous ...

3272. Anxious Thanks

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung & staff

... to love us and care for us -- tomorrow. There have been articles written about the spiritual crisis people are facing in the aftermath of this pandemic, where many still haven't returned to church due to health concerns or because they got too comfortable just staying at home on Sunday morning. Many ask, as we often do when we face troubles, "Why is God letting this happen to us?" and they come up with explanations both simplistic and repellent. And under all these questions are others that were hard to ...

3273. Everybody Loves a Parade!

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... become involved -- genuinely involved -- in the things that really matter! Someone came to Horace Traubel and asked, "What can I do, just me?" Traubel answered, "What can I do? I can talk when others are silent. I can say, 'Persons,' when others say, 'Money.' I can stay up when others are asleep. I can keep working when others have stopped to play. I can give life big meanings when others give life small meanings. I can say, 'Love,' when others say, 'Hate.' I can say, 'Every man,' when others say, 'One man ...

3274. What a Resume!

2 Corinthians 2:12--3:6

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... sing: O master let me walk with thee, in lowly paths of service free; Tell me thy secret, help me bear, the strain of toil the fret of care. Help me the slow of heart to move, by some clear winning word of love; Teach me the wayward feet to stay, and guide them in the homeward way. In hope that sends a shining ray, far down the future's broadening way; In peace that only thou canst give, with thee, O Master, let me live.2 He has brought us up, set us up, and tuned us up. What a ...

3275. The Face that Launched a Thousand Lives

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... ). For those few dazzling moments, God's presence was not only felt, it was seen. What a moment! How we wish we were there! No wonder Peter wanted to remain on the mount. A little girl, who was afraid to go to sleep in the dark, wanted her mother to stay with her. Her mother told her God would be with her, so she did not need to be afraid. "Yes, I know, Mama," the girl said, "but I want someone with a face." The message of our text, the message of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany is just that. The gift ...

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