Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 3301 to 3325 of 4942 results

3301. No Time for a Sermon

Hebrews 1:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Merry Christmas! Christmas Day is “No Time For A Sermon.” No, it is not that there is no time for a sermon because the choir sang so many beautiful Christmas songs. It is not because there is no time for a sermon because it took so long to seat the “Christmas crowd.” It is not because the critters in the “live” nativity scene got loose and ate all the Christmas cookies for coffee hour. The reason that on this Sunday, on Christmas Day, there is “no time for a sermon” is because on Christmas Day there is ...

3302. Acts 8:26 40

Acts 8:26-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The content of Luke’s second volume of work — The Acts of the Apostles — is summed up in Acts 1:8: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Embracing and embodying that directive is the continuous theme of Acts. Today’s text is the first of three startling conversion stories that demonstrate just how all encompassing is this directive. The conversions of the Ethiopian eunuch (8:26‑40), Saul of Tarsus (9:1‑19), and Cornelius and his family (10:30‑48), ...

3303. Practicing the Presence

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

“Practice what you preach.” That old saw is usually trotted out when some high profile “holier‑than‑thou” type has their wings clipped and their reputation riddled with holes. Or a “sterling” character is revealed to have feet of crumbling clay. But there is one big problem with “practice what you preach.” It all depends on what it is you are “preaching.” When some convictions are put into action the results can be catastrophic or cruel, insidious or just plain evil. Mother Teresa practiced what she ...

3304. When Others Serve Your Head on a Platter

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

This summer saw the “resurrection” of an old tale of family rivalry and betrayal. The show that started an industry of prime time “soap operas” is back on the air. Do you know show I’m talking about? . . . . Dallas. The ever-evil “J.R.” Ewing and all his battling, back-biting, embittered family have returned, with new generations, all of whom are admirably carrying on the family tradition of unabated greed and hatred. Added to yet another season of “Kardashians” and the History channel’s presentation of “ ...

3305. Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

All across the US there are signs popping up in windows and outside homes: “99%.” It’s one of the oddest slogans to “catch on,” this proud proclamation that one is among the “99%.” What was meant as an isolation of the uber-wealthy, the “1%,” essentially has everyone else claiming “we’re all alike.” For a culture that has spent the last twenty years ultra-personalizing and customizing every facet of life (ring tones, web-sites, school curriculums, insurance plans), the boast to be “just like everyone else ...

3306. Aroma of Christ Church

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Have you ever been assaulted by a smell? Walking down the street, creeping out of a vent in the sidewalk; strolling along the mid-way of a carnival or fair, wafting its way from a kiosk — sometimes an odor will “hit you” and almost send you reeling. Sometimes that odor will even thrust your psyche back into another time and place. Maybe it’s the sweet smell of caramel apples. Maybe it’s the pungent punch of garlic and onion. Maybe it’s moldy and murky smell of a basement. Maybe it’s the seaweedy smell of ...

3307. Risk Takers

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

"Louise, can you and Pastor Hal come to Thanksgiving dinner at our house this Friday? I have this really, really big turkey, and I don't want a ton of leftovers," Tracy implored her friend. "Well, I'd love to, but we always invite a widower, Andy Vespa, each Thanksgiving. I don't want him to be by himself with his pork and beans. Of course, Steve and Vicki will be here, too," Louise replied. "Andy's always been a part of this family gathering." "I know Andrew! I visited his wife, Della, at the VA Hospital ...

3308. Repressive Religion

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

David E. Leininger

I wish it were not so, but it is. Religion can be horribly repressive sometimes. Indeed, our text certainly reflects it. The story opens with Jesus teaching in a synagogue where services were normally informal: primarily prayers, reading of scripture, comments, and offerings for the poor. Any man in attendance could read from scripture and then teach or preach if he were so inclined, and on this day apparently, Jesus was. He noticed a woman, identified in scripture as only "crippled" and "bent over" — some ...

3309. Proper 13

Psalm 107:1-9, 43, Hosea 11:1-11, Luke 12:13-21, Colossians 3:1-11

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: This is a good place to be this morning. The world goes on around us while we are in sanctuary. Here, together, we know that evil and good exist in our global village yet we choose to rest a while, giving our psyches and bodies a chance to be tranquil. People: Sometimes we feel like the philosopher in the biblical essay, “Ecclesiastes,” thinking that “everything is useless.” We work hard and have little to show for it. The sun rises and sets; the wind blows round and round; rivers ...

3310. A Road Straight to Your Heart

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Somewhere I read about a meeting of a group of software designers. They were using typical technical jargon to discuss a data exchange interface with a vendor. One engineer said the programming that had been ordered was delayed because the vendor was suffering from a “severe nonlinear waterfowl issue.” Curious, the team leader raised his eyebrows and asked, “What exactly is a severe nonlinear waterfowl issue?” The engineer replied, “They don’t have all their ducks in a row.” On this second Sunday of Advent ...

3311. On Not Giving Up

Galatians 6: 7-16

Sermon

April Yamasaki

A word of encouragement came from an unlikely source the other day in a television interview with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The former football player, wrestler, and now actor was asked about a low time in his life when he was very discouraged about his career and future. "How did you make your way back from that?" he was asked. The Rock replied, "You have to put yourself out there. You have to get out there and fail, and learn from your failures." What advice would you give to someone who is discouraged ...

3312. For All the Saints

Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

April Yamasaki

What picture comes into your mind when you think of a saint? Is it a portrait of a medieval saint with a golden halo? Or a cartoon character wearing a white robe and carrying a harp standing on a cloud? Is it a solemn picture of someone dressed all in black with a pinched look of long-suffering on his or her face? Do you automatically think to yourself, "It's hard to be a saint — but it's even harder to live with one"? In the New Testament, the word "saint" is used to describe the early Christians. It ...

3313. The Assurance of Things Hoped For

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

In the movie, Cast Away, Tom Hanks' character, Chuck, is stranded on a desert island in the Pacific Ocean. To keep himself company, he finds a volleyball that has washed up from the wreckage of the plane he had been flying in before becoming stranded. Chuck paints a face on the volleyball with his own blood and names him "Wilson." Wilson becomes Chuck's only companion while he remains on the island. He talks to and sometimes even for Wilson to keep himself company during the lonely months. After four years ...

3314. Living in Chains

2 Timothy 2:8-13

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. (2 Timothy 1:12). It was in 1965 that the Rolling Stones recorded the song, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." Even today, over fifty years later, we are still saying the same words and feeling the same emptiness of trying and trying, but getting no satisfaction. Commercials promise it with whiter teeth and fresher breath. Wall ...

3315. Sarah

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

Max Lucado, in his book, In the Eye of the Storm, writes about a woman named Sarah who was rich.1 Really rich! She inherited twenty million dollars plus had an additional income of $1,000 a day. That's a lot of money today. But in the late 1800s when Sarah lived, it was downright staggering. You can imagine that she was well-known, having come from the elite, upper crust of the New England coast. Well-known and powerful. Her name and money opened doors closed to most of us. Colleges wanted her scholarships ...

3316. All Roads Lead To Bethlehem

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Jesus came to save humans from being rat packs feeding on each other instead of sheep feeding with each other. This was never made so clear than in the recent “Black Friday” images of people stomping on each other and fighting it out, all done to the musical background of Christmas music. Our sentimental — yet always cynical — culture likes to start singing Christmas carols the moment Thanksgiving turkeys come out of the oven. But listen carefully: You’re hearing a lot more choruses of “Jingle Bells” and “ ...

3317. Luke 21:25-36

Luke 21:5-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Store Christmas decorations and TV commercials and online specials have been pushing Christmas since those Jack-o-lanterns were still flickering. But for the church, the official preparation time for Christmas starts this Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent. Thus it might seem strange that the gospel text for this week has Jesus speaking about events and images that sound “end-of-the world” scary instead of “beginning of Christmastime” festive. But for Christians Advent isn’t just about preparing for a 12- ...

3318. Restarting Joy - Rejoice

Isaiah 55:10-13

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

Joy does not depend on the external events of life. Adversity may hit us with gale-like force, but the joy in our hearts will be determined by the will of our souls. Joy is a choice! In his book, Laugh Again, written in 1991, author Charles Swindoll relates that he was on the Dallas Theological Seminary's Board of Regents as they interviewed the first woman faculty member. Her name was Lucy Mabery. Swindoll chronicles the incredible journey of Professor Mabery on her ride to being a faculty member at ...

3319. A Marriage Made In Heaven

Hosea 1:2-10

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

This is wedding season, and with the privilege of presiding at the weddings of many couples over the years, I have had the opportunity to hear how these people came to meet one another. Lately, internet dating networks have yielded more and more lasting relationships, but the majority of couples have met through the intervention of friends or family. Once in a while a couple will meet in church, and once in a great while one or the other of them will say something like, "The Lord led me to _____________ ...

3320. In the Service

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Anyone here remember what they used to call places where you put gas in your car? They weren’t called “gas stations,” or “fueling centers,” but “service stations.” When you pulled in, someone (or sometimes even more than one) raced out to greet you, ask what you needed, and proceeded to fill your gas tank with fuel. While you sat, warm and comfy in your car, the “service station” attendant washed your windows, checked your oil, even checked your tire pressure. After filling up the tank they took your ...

3321. 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Does anyone doubt we live in a celebrity-crazed culture? Remember the “balloon boy,” whose seemingly frantic parents claimed their child had been playing with a huge mylar flying saucer-shaped balloon when it suddenly whisked aloft and sailed away with him. After hours of live TV coverage and the efforts of dozens of rescue responders, the balloon was found to be empty, even of hot air, and the little boy was found hiding out in his garage — stashed there by his parents so they could get “famous” for a few ...

3322. Kintsugi Vessels

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Anyone here love “antiques?” How about “Antiques Road Show?” Did you know it’s been around for 36 years, since 1977? [This would be a good time to facilitate a short time of interaction with the congregation over their favorite “antiques,” their favorite shows dealing with “antiques,” what the difference is between “antiques” and “collectives,” etc.] “Antiques” and “collectibles” have value because they have survived intact for a long period of time. With the exception of those few things that are made of ...

3323. Luke 2: 22-40, Luke 4:21-30

Luke 2:21-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

One of the more popular online search sites is “Ancestry.com” – a genealogy site designed to enable people to research their family trees. With the ever-increasing stockpile of electronic information online, it is becoming easier and easier to find out more about our ancestors than just their names and dates of birth and death. Where they lived, what they did, whom they knew, is suddenly at our fingertips, giving a truer, more flesh-and-blood picture of our ancestral family. While both Matthew and Luke ...

3324. Face to Face

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The 2010 drama film “The Social Network” portrayed many interesting features of Mark Zuckerberg’s development of his online creation. But they missed a big one: the name he chose for his baby “Facebook.” Let’s face it: humans are obsessed with the unique, defining nature of our faces. The arrangement of our eyes, nose, mouth, chin, cheeks, forehead, never ceases to amaze and fascinate us. More than 5000 distinguishable facial expressions have been identified, and that is probably just a start on the human ...

3325. A New Kind of Authority

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

King Duncan

Former President George H. W. Bush, the elder Bush, was speaking to an appreciative audience some years back, immediately after leaving office. He explained what it was like to go from being Vice President for eight years and President for four years, to being a private citizen. “The first day I woke up,” he said, “I reached over to push the button to get somebody to bring me some coffee, but there was no button, and there was nobody to bring any coffee.” Then he added, “Barbara said, ‘Get out of bed and ...

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