Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3326 to 3350 of 4944 results

3326. Call Waiting

John 1:29-42

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

Chaim Potok was an intensely religious man; a Jew who explored the dimensions of faith in our lives. From an early age, Potok knew he wanted to be a writer. But his mother wasn't so sure. When he went away to college she said, "Son, now I know you want to be a writer. But I want you to think about brain surgery. You'll keep a lot of people from dying. And you'll make a lot of money." To which Potok responded, "No, Mama, I want to be a writer." But, "No," is not what Mama wanted to hear. So, every vacation ...

3327. ASAP

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Last month one of the "My Turn" articles in Time magazine featured the experience of a dad bringing his daughter back home from her first year away at college. It was a west-to-east coast journey, made over the course of a few long days of driving. Father and daughter held long conversations. The dad navigated, picking main routes, by-passes, restaurants, and over-night stops. The daughter drove, chose all the music, and chatted with her other girlfriends. But Dad never left the house on the east coast. ...

3328. A Case for Living Together

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

I did a little Googling recently. I put in the question "Why do they hate US?" and I came up with 21,000 links. One Web site is dedicated to answering this question "Why do they hate US?" By going country by country and giving specific reasons why people in that country would hate US so. In my lifetime, it seems like the United States has gone from being talked about by the rest of the world as "The Ugly American" to "Ugly America." After World War II, the US took a combination of capitalism, a new ...

3329. Easter 6

Psalm 66:1-20, Acts 17:16-34, 1 Peter 3:8-22, John 14:15-31

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

TEXTS FROM ACTS AND PSALMS If there is logic to the selection or combination of these texts, it is not readily discernible, even by stretching one's imagination. The sermon-speech by Paul in Acts works out a kind of "crisis-theology," which insists that necessary changes are currently demanded by the work of God in Jesus Christ. The psalm is a profound expression of piety, filled with vivid imagery and recalling the goodness of God both to Israel and to the psalmist. Acts 17:22-31 - "The Changing of the ...

3330. When Mountains Are Not Moved

Mark 11:20-25 (26)

Sermon

James McCormick

I read the story in the newspaper. Over a period of two years, a young man wrote over 700 love letters to his sweetheart, each one proposing marriage. His persistence finally brought results. She married the mailman who delivered all the letters! Life is often like that, isn’t it? We want something so badly we can taste it. We dream about it, we pray for it, we work to get it, but it doesn’t come. We all know the disappointment of that, don’t we? The disappointment of dreams unfulfilled…of prayers ...

3331. A Not So Simple Story of Demons and Pigs

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

"This is a strange story," declares J.M. Creed. "Fantastic and grotesque," adds Joseph Fitzmyer. "Unsophisticated, with enough preposterous material to invite the scorn of the skeptic," concludes J. Pesch. These men are all esteemed New Testament scholars. Their statements refer to the story I just read (Luke 8:26-39). If you want a more local opinion, take it from the lady who edits the church page. In response to hearing the title of this morning's sermon, she simply said: "Yuk." But it is a good story. ...

3332. Building Your Home on the Rock

Matthew 7:24-27

Sermon

James Merritt

One of the most amazing true stories I have ever heard in my life, is of a builder who developed a subdivision of ritzy exclusive homes somewhere up in Canada. These homes sold, years ago, for over $200,000 a piece. On the outside it was a beautiful looking subdivision. But then winter came, snow fell, the winds began to blow, the rain began to come. All of a sudden, first one house, and then another, began literally to collapse and simply sink into holes. For a while they could not figure it out. But then ...

3333. The Love Triangle: Man-Woman-God

Psalm 127:1-5

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Many years ago, my wife Gloria and I decided to take dancing lessons at the local Arthur Murray studio. We knew a few dances already but we wanted to add to our repertoire. So, we took lessons one night per week for about six weeks. Quickly we discovered that we needed some place to practice our lessons, especially the foxtrot and the waltz. Our home did not have a room large enough for that purpose. Then we thought about a large classroom at our church. It had plenty of space. So, following our lessons, ...

3334. Strong in Faith: A Little Dab'll Do Ya

1 Corinthians 16:13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

Have Faith: Everything changes. Some things never change. I grew up in the nostalgic days, the "Happy Days" of the 1950's. Our fathers, without a doubt the "Greatest Generation," returned from a world torn by war to build a new world out of their hopes and dreams. They began by giving birth to the largest generation in history, the Baby Boomers. Born in 1947, I was one of the first. It was a time of great vitality and optimism, a time of peace after the trauma of two world wars. And it was a time when a ...

3335. How to Play Fair in Foul Play

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

We have all felt the sting and bite of unjust treatment and criticism. Sometimes it feels like no matter what we do, we can't win. So why try? What's the use! The people who are criticizing you aren't out there on the road, spending their time and money in trying to do the right thing. They're just sitting around, holding meetings, and backbeating one another. How can the Christian play fair amid foul play? Sitting down in a civilized manner to determine just how brutal we may act during the uncivilized ...

3336. Paying Dues to God

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Our dues to God are paid when we return to God with interest what God has entrusted to us. Our 5-year-old, Thane, recently decided (somewhat out of the blue) that he was going to memorize the "Pledge of Allegiance" and recite it by heart. We dutifully repeated it over and over until he slowly memorized the words. Surprisingly, Thane didn't get stuck on some of the trickier words like "allegiance" or "republic" or even the often- mangled "indivisible." It was the final ending that kept stumping him. Again ...

3337. Third Time's a Charm

John 21:1-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It's not enough to say "I love you" once. We must say it over and over and over again. Both the speaker and the hearer don't understand the implications of the words "I love you" until they are said and heard over and over again. "Third time's a charm," we say to our passenger, smiling nervously as we try "one more time" to get the car to start on that snowy morning. "Third time's the charm" is the comfort we offer to a 5-year-old when the child timidly approaches the new two-wheeler after already ...

3338. How to Stay Spiritually Fresh

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

How can we stay spiritually fresh and alive and plugged into the power of the Spirit? We rely on being able to do some things automatically, without thinking our way through them. Some things like tying our shoelaces or riding a bike are the result of skills we have learned so well that our bodies perform them without fail. Other things like brushing our teeth or putting on the seat belt are habits we have developed so fully that we no longer realize we are doing them. But in other parts of our lives, we ...

3339. On Time

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Advent challenges us to develop and deepen our sense of timing. Timing is everything. Well, if not everything, then at least almost everything. An Italian priest, Giovanni Caselli, developed the first commercial fax system between Paris and Lyons in 1865. He called his mysterious invention the pantelegraph. But nobody got it. Nobody used it. Caselli was simply too far ahead of his time. So the pantelegraph sat about as an unused idea for the next century while it waited for the world to catch up. Think ...

3340. Acts 5:27-32

Acts 5:27-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Today's text describes a head-on encounter the religious authorities have with Jesus' followers. The Sanhedrin's frustration is becoming acute. They have tried threats, orders and imprisonment but the apostles keep showing up and keep preaching. This last time, they have really pushed the limit. They not only escape from a well-guarded jail cell, but instead of fleeing for their safety, they immediately continue preaching their message right in the middle of the temple courtyard. Perhaps one of the most ...

3341. Proper 7

2 Corinthians 6:3-13, 1 Samuel 17:1-58, Mark 4:35-41

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49 Two armies were facing each other in the Elah Valley. The Israelite army was led by King Saul. The other was the army of the Philistines. Three brothers of David were in Saul's army. David's father sent David to check on his brothers' welfare and to take them some food. During his visit, David heard Goliath the giant make his offer to fight anyone from the Israelite camp. David offered to fight the giant. Saul gave David his armor, but David ...

3342. Here I Am To Worship

John 4:24

Sermon

James Merritt

There is nothing that I enjoy more than a good debate. I don't mean an argument or a disagreement or a quarrel. I am talking about an honest debate where give and take or given and taken in the right spirit with each person trying to learn. At the same time, I would never ever want to debate anything with anybody who knows everything. Yet, that is exactly what we continue to read in the four gospels. Sometimes it was the Pharisees and sometime it was the Disciples. Here in John 4 there is a woman who is ...

3343. History Hangs in the Balance

Luke 23:1-49

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

One would be hard pressed to find a historical event with so many ramifications equal to these words from Saint Luke's Gospel. In fact, for the devout Christian there is no other! It is a moment when the universe seems to come to a standstill and the angels watch in troubled awe. You and I observe from afar, indeed, a great distance. Unless we figuratively or literally read the passage on our knees, we are not apt to catch this sublime, serious moment. Yes, and our appreciation may very well remain at ...

3344. The Gospel Is Unchained

2 Timothy 2:8-13

Sermon

Donna Schaper

I went to the store to buy a new pair of blue jeans. The clerk asked if I wanted slim fit, easy fit, or relaxed fit, regular or faded, stone washed or acid washed, button fly or regular fly ... and that's when I started to sputter. Can't I just have a pair of blue jeans, size fourteen? Then I went to the grocery store and found 85 varieties of crackers, 285 kinds of cookies, and thirteen different kinds of raspberry jelly. Can't I just get a cookie and a cracker and a bottle of jelly any more? I am in ...

3345. The Possible Dream

Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

Sibling rivalry. It's the pits. It has been around as long as there have been siblings around. Beginning with Cain and Abel, we see one brother disgruntled because God likes the other brother's sacrificial offering better. We remember, too, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Rachel and Leah, the prodigal son and his older brother. Life is not fair. Sibling rivalry, and there's a fight. For every kid who is doing a lot of hitting, there is usually a kid who is doing a lot of provoking. There's no such thing ...

3346. Every Day God Encourages

Acts 4:36-37; 11:22-24

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

There was a young musician whose first major concert was poorly received by the critics. The famous Finish composer Jean Sibelius, happened to be a friend of this young man and consoled him by patting him on the shoulder and saying, "Remember, son, there is no city in the world where they have erected a statue to a critic." (1) We've talked about how Every Day God Empowers Us, Equips Us and Enables Us. Today we're going to talk about how Every Day God Encourages us. Like that young musician who Sibelius ...

3347. Digging Deeper

Philippians 3:12-16

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Three students were discussing various versions of the Bible. One said, "I like the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. It is easier to read than the older versions." A second student said, "I like the Message. It's easy to read and it's pithy and to the point. I can use it in my daily prayer." The third student surprised them all and said, "I like my mother's version the best. She translated the Bible into action I can use in my daily life." I really like that. Somebody once said, "You may be the ...

3348. Your Face Gives You Away

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome to worship on this Valentine’s Day, 2010. That’s a reminder to the husbands in the congregation, just in case you forgot. According to one source, it is easy TO TELL YOU FORGOT VALENTINE’S DAY. Here are some dead giveaways: The kids tell you that Mom “went to bed early” and “locked the door” . . . while you were taking out the trash. Hallmark calls, offering discounts on apology cards. You wake up with a florist’s ad stapled to your forehead. (1) Just a friendly warning. And I also need to say ...

3349. Resurrected Following (Series: Living on the Resurrection Side of Life)

John 10:1-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A famous actor was the guest of honor at a social gathering. As people gathered around, they asked the actor to recite excerpts from various literary works. He obliged and did so brilliantly. Finally, an elderly pastor asked the author to recite the 23rd Psalm. The actor hesitated at first and then agreed on one condition. The pastor would return the favor. The actor’s recitation was brilliant and eloquent. People responded to the actor with lengthy applause. The pastor’s rendition was feeble and frail. ...

3350. Resurrected Glory (Series: Living on the Resurrection Side of Life)

John 17:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

William Barclay says “It was in their death that the great ones found their glory.” I’ve been thinking about that statement, and I believe it is true. Abraham Lincoln had his enemies in his lifetime, but even those who had criticized him saw his greatness when he died. Joan of Arc was burned as a witch and a heretic by the English. But some people left the scene saying “We are all lost because we have burned a saint.” Martin Luther King, Jr. was ridiculed as a radical, a rabble-rouser, and a dangerous ...

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