Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3326 to 3350 of 4997 results

Ephesians 3:4-6

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... lily-white suburbs and neighborhoods where they deal with such problems by ignoring them. They didn't know that at the time they were raising their statistics of "success" in their own eyes, they were also raising a generation of young people who would reject this kind of "Establishment" church in all of its glory and strength and wealth. We were raising youth, white and black and brown and yellow and red, who would ask: "But what is the church doing to carry out the mandates of the gospel of Jesus Christ ...

3327. What Makes Us Human?

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... modern beat, not a bunch of funeral dirges. And all of these robes and candles and vestments, it looks like you're putting on some kind of a show. I think that worship should be as simple as possible. I don't dig all of that stuff." Well, certainly the man ... God. The language is often that of the streets. God is addressed as "you." The whole performance exudes a cozy, palsy-walsy kind of atmosphere. I always shudder a bit when someone says as they leave the church, "That was an impressive Service." If they ...

3328. Natural Or Supernatural?

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... Law and theProphets: Moses, bringer of the Ten Commandments; Elijah the first of the great prophets. The Law, the prophecy, and between them in radiant light, the gospel in human form in the person of the Christ, the only-begotten Son of God. Peter was in a kind of stunned trance, and finally, he whispers, "It is good, Lord, that we are here. Let's stay here. Let's build three shrines, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah, and let us just stay here and worship." Yes, this was Peter speaking ...

3329. The Call of the Disciples - James, A Fisher of Men

Matthew 4:23-25, Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17

Drama

Thomas Blowers

... for the first catch. Had we been busy as they were, I might not have looked off down the shoreline as I did. But net mending is the kind of work that allows you to stare off into space once in a while. When my eyes glanced down the shore of the lake I saw the stranger ... just a bunch of very ordinary men and so when he began to tell us who he was and who we were when he began telling us what kind of mission he was on and that we were to share in that mission we often took what he told us and used it to our own ...

3330. Take Up Your Cross

Luke 8:1-15

Sermon

Robert V. Dodd

... through Samaria. ""Through Samaria!" all the disciples shouted. That's unfriendly territory. Jews like us aren't welcomed there. There are people in Samaria who don't believe the way we do. There are people who don't see things the way we do. There are all kinds of foreigners, people whose customs are strange to us, in Samaria. That is the land of our enemies. Can't we go the long way around and avoid all of the trouble?" Now, of course, this is a highly exaggerated account of the beginning of the fourth ...

3331. Waiting for Jesus

Romans 13:11b

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... light that we are able to see. Now I want to tell you why I did this little experiment. People make the same kind of mistakes about other people and themselves that our two friends made here this morning. People make judgments about each other without ever ... take when the noise gets too loud and so forth. Pill, pills, pills. Worry, worry, worry. How many of you worry like that? It seems kind of silly, doesn't it? But that is the way it is with many people. They may not take that many pills, but they worry ...

3332. Roadblocks to Jesus

2 Corinthians 6:3

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... just as the highway workmen do when they are working on the road ahead. That means nobody can get through. Sometimes though, it is not a sawhorse with a sign on it that keeps people from getting to God's altar and knowing Jesus better. Sometimes it is a different kind of obstacle or roadblock. Let me show you what I mean. [Take away the sawhorse and keep the sign, then select one of the children to come up and stand in the same place that the sawhorse stood.] Now we are going to pretend that Jimmy is the ...

3333. Hos We Use Our Tongues

1 Peter 3:10

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... is. That tongue can help you do all sorts of things. If you are not careful it can get you into trouble. Sometimes we say things that we are sorry for and wish that we had not said, and then we kind of get angry at our tongues. But our tongues also help us to pray and sing and say kind things. With our tongues we can say, "I love you" or we can say "God bless our mothers and fathers." A tongue is important, and a tongue in our mouth is the most important tongue of all. So remember when you ...

3334. Jesus' Treasure Chest

Ephesians 3:16

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... of a treasure you could find in a church. This map is marked with the symbols that mean Christ. [When you have discovered the treasure chest you remark that the chest says Christ's Treasure on the outside.] I wonder what kind of treasure Jesus must have in this special box. What would you think that Jesus would want to give us from his treasure? Gold, silver, money, jewels and precious things are what men would put in such a chest, but what would Jesus want to give us? Some people think ...

3335. Oil and Vinegar

Isaiah 11:1-16, Isaiah 65:17-25

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

... do you like to put in your salad? (response) That sounds like a great salad. Now, what do you like to put on your salad? What kind of dressing? (response) I’ve brought one of my favorites but we are going to have to make it. Give one item to as many ... I want you to hold these and when I am ready give them to me. What does everyone have in their hand? (response) So what kind of dressing are we going to make? (response) Oil and vinegar. That’s right. Right now I need the oil. Does anyone know what oil ...

3336. The Bond Between Us

Luke 24:36-49

Illustration

Lee Griess

... sitting, he stopped, and, to everyone's surprise, slowly lowered himself to the floor, and the two of them sat there and worshiped together. Naturally, at first people were shocked -- but as they thought about it -- they were moved. For that was an example of the kind of love and acceptance they were called to offer one another in the Church. It was an example of the bond that Jesus has forged between us through his death and resurrection. As the Church of Jesus Christ, we are called to welcome one another ...

3337. Joy Comes With The Morning

Psalm 30:1-12

Bulletin Aid

Robert G. McCreight

... and I will remember their sin no more (Jeremiah 31:33-34). In penitence and faith, let us confess our sins to almighty God. Prayer of Confession (Unison)Have mercy on us, O God, in your loving-kindness. We have not loved you with a pure heart, nor have we loved our neighbor as ourselves. We have not done justice, loved kindness, or walked humbly with you, our God. Create in us a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a right spirit within us. Restore to us the joy of your salvation and sustain us forever with your ...

3338. Free From Worry

Luke 12:22-34, Luke 12:35-48

Illustration

... that the next day he sent flowers to the mechanic's wife and a certified letter stating that the man's mortgage had been paid in full. Trump refuses to confirm or deny the story or say exactly what he did for the Good Samaritan. "I don't do those kinds of things for publicity," he said. What a deal that would be, to have someone really rich taking care of you. If you knew that they had money and that they would gladly help you, you could be free from many a worry. You would have financial security. But that ...

3339. Lovers Never Ask, 'What's the Least I Can Do?'

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

Alvin Rueter

... may have seen millstones in museums. The ancients put their grain between two of them to grind it into flour. The bottom one was stationary. The top one had a handle on it on which two men would tug and shove. That gives you some idea of its size. Our kind and loving Jesus said that if anyone caused one of these little ones to sin, it would pay to have that rascal have such a millstone hung round his neck and be thrown into the sea. It’s a question whether by little ones he meant children only, or whether ...

3340. Faith Bridges the Gap

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

... Middle East, decreed that the treatment of a slave should be quite different than this. Antoine de St. Exupery, in Wind, Sand and Stars, tells how the Arabs treated their slaves toward the end of the "slave era" in Africa in the mid-1930s. The Arabs were kindly - in their own way - to slaves, even allowing slaves the comfort of their tents and a cup of their tea at the end of the day. But they retained them until they were too old to work any longer, then they released the slaves from their service. Antoine ...

3341. Lord, Teach Us to Pray

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

... end, wracked by pain and in the throes of death, he was able to pray, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" - and died. That’s the knowledge that must sustain our faith and hope in this time when the whole world’s existence is threatened by all kinds of forces, and especially by the threat of a nuclear holocaust. This is not the time to hang our heads in despair "as those who have no hope." Rather it is the time to face up to, talk about, and do what we can about poverty, hunger, injustice, the ...

3342. Time to Get Ready

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

... , we’re as badly off as those Jews who still await the coming of the Messiah, aren’t we? Nearly two thousand years have passed since he said he would come again, but he hasn’t been seen yet, has he? Time seems to have lulled us into a kind of spiritual sleep in which the second coming of Christ is simply a pleasant dream that might, or might not, come true - and increasing numbers of Christians wonder if Christ will ever fulfill his promise to his people. We’re a little bit like the people living in ...

3343. Are There Any Questions?

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

... or in municipals, we have questions. What are the percentages? Is this a growth fund or an income fund? What kind of history does the fund recite? But remember, please, there are no guarantees, regardless of how much in your interest ... younger years that had been fed to him by parents, and, of course, by me, his pastor. "I choked on it," he said, "and had to use a kind of Heimlich method to pop it from my throat." He added that in Christians he had known, he heard a lot about the difference their faith made, ...

3344. Christ Is King

John 12:12-19

Sermon

... happened? A man was dead and now he lives? And on the next day when they heard that he was coming into town to celebrate the Passover, they gathered in the streets with palms to meet him and to hail him as the king. We like that kind of king. Then John adds the usual commentary, "His disciples did not understand this at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered." I think we can be sympathetic toward the twelve disciples, for it can be said of us as well, "His disciples did not understand ...

3345. Our Splintered World

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

... a member somewhere "back home" but he wasn’t sure. Then he added "My wife is the churchgoer in our family." I asked him as kindly as I could, "As far as Christianity is concerned, whose side are you on?" He laughed and said, "I guess I’m not on anybody ... is not to condemn, but to invite - to tell in words and show in deeds what Jesus means to us; to tell and show with kindly conviction the strengthening power of our prayer and Bible study, and let the Holy Spirit use it as he will. A man came to church ...

3346. The Man Who Came to Dinner

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

... and we see it happening now. In the midst of our reciprocal arrangements he asks the uncomfortable question: What are we doing for those who cannot repay us? Some of us, like the Pharisees, would be hard put to answer. After all, who wants to eat with that kind of people? So, we do much of our "charity," our "benevolence" on an impersonal basis. Our Christian duty is done and we can forget it. He dropped a dollar in the plate And meekly raised his eyes, Glad that the weekly rent was paid For his mansion in ...

3347. Jesus and the Rascal

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

... a villain. What does it mean? To help us answer that we put the spotlight on three verses; but first, a bit of background. In Palestine there were absentee landlords who employed overseers to manage the property in their absence. The tenants paid their rents "in kind" - that is, with a portion of their produce; in this case, a hundred measures of oil, a hundred measures of wheat. Any thought that Jesus lived in an ivory tower, unaware of the hard and often sordid facts of life, is banished by this parable ...

3348. No Snap Courses

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

... the obligation of being a disciple of Jesus. The blessings follow that. In our discussions of the Christian life we tend to emphasize its joy, its peace of mind, its awareness of forgiveness. This is a stern warning that following Jesus is not simply being a kindly personality and joining a happiness cult. There is a joy, a sense of forgiveness, a peace of mind that comes from believing in Jesus as our personal Savior. There is a certain winsomeness as we see the Christian life in action - its patience, its ...

3349. Formula for Life

Amos 5:1-17

Sermon

... to win awards for being a hero. He was just a sensitive, caring type of human being. His only thought when he saw a young woman struggling in the icy water was to try to save her. His jumping in and pulling her to safety was an expression of the kind of person he was. The satisfaction of knowing that he had done what he could was a greater reward than all the medals and accolades that could be heaped upon him. To have failed to respond with the strength he possessed would have been to deny meaning in his ...

3350. Of Preachers and Preaching

Micah 1:8-16

Sermon

... the comforting and challenging good news of God’s love and redeeming grace. But who are the preachers? What kind of strange creatures are they? And what qualifies them for their special role? It did not take me long ... meaningful as possible. To this end let me pose some pointedly personal questions, the answers to which could be as important to you as to me. For example, what kind of preaching do you want to hear, or are you willing to listen to? Can I speak to you freely from my heart in the light of my ...

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