Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3351 to 3375 of 4490 results

3351. The Lord's Prayer: A Surplus of Meaning

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Some years ago a group of 25 Biblical scholars formed a group called, "The Jesus Seminar." About five years ago, they used a color code to vote on what words of The Lord''s Prayer they actually believed came directly from the lips of our Lord, Jesus Christ and not the editorial revisions of the Gospel writers, Matthew and Luke, and those who came after them. The color code was as follows: RED - direct words from Jesus PINK - not directly from Jesus, but close to what he might have said. GRAY - indirectly ...

3352. The Lord's Prayer: Forgive Us Our Trespasses

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Have you ever noticed that the great documents like this perfect pattern prayer, the Apostles'' Creed, the Nicene Creed, doctrinal statements of various church traditions, all affirm our need for forgiveness and God providing the means and methods by which we are forgiven? As we continue in our series on The Lord''s Prayer, I want to share with you why I believe this is the hardest petition for any of us to fulfill. To put it simply, it is difficult. To demonstrate how difficult it is to forgive, as soon ...

3353. Whose Servant Are You? (Part II)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Did you hear the story, from a month or so ago, about former President George Bush and the question of identity? According to one of the writers for the San Francisco Chronicle, President Bush, in his visit last month to Florida to survey the hurricane damage, evidently decided to get in a little campaigning, too. He visited a local nursing home and approached a little old lady sitting in a corner and asked, "Do you know who I am?" The woman said,"No, but if you go over to the desk, they''re usually able ...

3354. The Taming of the Tongue

James 3:1-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

A pious woman with a rather sharp tongue, who professed to be a Christian but gossiped like an old hen--approached the rector of her church in London. She complained that the white bands which he wore with his pulpit gown were altogether too long and that this annoyed her greatly. She wanted permission to shorten them and had come armed with a pair of scissors. The pastor agreed, handed over the bands, and the woman snipped away with her scissors and then handed the garments back to the rector. He said, " ...

3355. The Lord Is My Shepherd

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Today is the first Sunday in our summer schedule, and for the next seven Sundays when I am in the pulpit I want to focus on the timeless truths of what may be the most familiar and comforting passage in all of the Bible--the 23rd Psalm. I have often shared with other colleagues that it is so unfortunate that we only read and preach about this text at funeral services, which are most often offered in a funeral home. This tremendous writing has so much to say about life in the here and now. If we were to ...

3356. A New You or a New Year

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Most of us will not have the unique opportunity of Alfred Nobel who read his own obituary. It happened because of a mistaken identity. Alfred''s brother died, but the news media had confused the name and thought Alfred had died. As he read his own obituary, he was horrified to find that he was referred to as the "dynamite king." He was pictured as someone who had spent his life gathering a great fortune from the manufacture of weapons of destruction. When he invented dynamite, he thought it would be an ...

3357. Thanksgiving: Where Are You Looking for It?

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

Sermon

Eric Ritz

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2 Yes, it is that special time of year when the day of Thanksgiving is observed. Can''t you feel the great anticipation building here in the United States of America as we prepare for this day? NOT HARDLY! Well, most likely we think just what do I have to be thankful for? Granted, the Pilgrims had reasons to offer thanks to God, but not in this dog-eat-dog, selfish world. Thanksgiving? No, Preacher, please get real. As David Feddes ...

3358. Singing in the Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Dr. Tony Campolo of Eastern College once told a delightful story concerning his friend's daughter. This girl had an incredible outlook on life. Tony tells: A friend of mine has an adorable four-year-old daughter. She is bright and talkative. If tryouts were being held for a modern-day Shirley Temple, I think she would win hands down. One night there was a violent thunderstorm. The lightning flashed and the thunder rumbled. It was one of those terrifying storms that forces everyone to stop and tremble a bit ...

3359. To a Life Beyond

John 6:51-58, Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

The torches burned long into the night in the banquet hall. Their flickering light cast grotesque shadows across the huge table. Most of the seated revelers were slumped in their places sleeping off the effects of food and grog. There were a few murmured conversations, occasional outbursts of ribald laughter. Few but the king noticed when a tiny sparrow flew in the open window, pecked at a table scrap, circled the hall several times, then winged through another open window into the remaining night. The ...

3360. No Salt in the City?

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Last fall the phone rang in my study. It was a newspaper pollster doing a survey on church and society. His main question was, "What would your city be like without the church?" I was tempted to be funny in my reply. Like the cartoon that shows a pack of wolves howling at the moon. A wolf on the back row is looking worried and asks another fanged friend, "Do you think we're doing any good?" Sometimes I feel like that when the church seems to be ignored or irrelevant. Yet anytime one feels he is small and ...

3361. The Answer Waiting for a Question

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

A number of years ago some Christians placed bumper stickers on their vehicles stating, "Christ is the answer." After some time a wiseacre started displaying a sticker that read, "If Christ is the answer, what is the question?" Of course this made a hilarious impression on those who seem to have "three sneers for everything and three cheers for nothing." As we consider our text for today we discover God telling us that "Christ is the answer"; he is the eternal "yes" to all the promises of God, and the ...

3362. Confession And Supplication

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

The text for our message this morning comes from the 4th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Church at Philippi, the 4th chapter, the 4th through the 7th verses. Hear the word of the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord always. "Again I say, rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance, the Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the piece of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and your ...

3363. Why I Believe In Tithing

Malachi 3:6-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Let’s pray together. Come Holy Spirit, Heavenly dove, with all your quickening powers. Come shed abroad a Savior’s love, and that will quicken ours. I believe that preaching is not so much the preparing and the delivering of sermons, as it is the preparing and the delivering of oneself. I hope you know by now that there is nothing I take more seriously than my call to preach. And there is nothing I invest more time, energy, and spirit power in than the task of preaching from Sunday to Sunday. When I ...

3364. A Scream And A Laugh

Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

"My name is Asher Lev, the Asher Lev, about whom you have read in newspapers and magazines, about whom you talk so much at your dinner affairs and cocktail parties. The notorious and legendary Lev of the Brooklyn crucifixion." With those words, Chaim Potack begins his novel entitled My Name is Asher Lev. It's about a young boy whose extraordinary talent leads him away from his family and his faith into a painful maturity and a perilous success. Asher Lev longs to be a painter, and he pursues this longing ...

3365. Turn in an Account of Your Stewardship

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I’ve been thinking a lot about heaven lately. When you minister to the dying and the bereaved, you can’t help but think about what heaven is going to be like. In the midst of all my pondering, I was helped by, of all people, Dennis the Menace. Under a tree, obviously just enjoying life and reflecting, a friend says “I wonder what heaven is like?” In successive frames that conveys seriousness, satisfaction and conviction, Dennis responds, “Well...it probably looks like toy shop.”....Sounds like a carousel ...

3366. Saints in Shorts

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

David J. Kalas

Seven years ago, our family moved from southern Virginia to northeast Wisconsin. As you might expect, spring comes later here. Fall comes earlier. And winter is a much different experience in northeast Wisconsin than it was in southern Virginia. The same temperatures that seemed bone-chilling in Virginia are good reason to leave the mufflers and mittens at home in Wisconsin. Of course, many of the retired folks in my congregation here take their cue from the geese and fly south for the winter each year. ...

3367. The Waster

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Frank G. Honeycutt

We live in a world where the concept of fairness is nearly elevated to a level of worship. If you live or work with children on a regular basis then you will recognize that most squabbles erupt from this very old emotion of feeling somehow slighted or mistreated. He got a tablespoon more Moose Tracks ice cream than I did. No fair! Why does she get to stay up a half-hour later than I do? That's not fair! She got to sit in the front seat last time. It's not fair that I always have to sit in the back. Sally's ...

3368. Costly Extravagance

John 12:1-11

Sermon

Frank G. Honeycutt

"Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" Well, it's not a bad question. Judas may have been a thief and informant, he may have embezzled money from the common purse occasionally, he may have had other motives besides the high moral road he seems to project, and he probably really didn't give a fig for the poor. But isn't he basically right? Couldn't the pound of expensive perfume dumped on Jesus' feet have been used for a better purpose? I must admit that I ...

3369. The Nature of the Church and Christian Discipleship

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In my convocation address I shared with you the fact that I am preoccupied these days with the nature of the church – and the nature of Christian discipleship. Maybe my preoccupation with the church is triggered by the struggles going on in my own denomination – the United Methodist Church. The truth of the matter is, these struggles are going on in all mainline churches. Schism is a threat – I struggle with questions like when or does a person ever have enough reason to leave the church of which he is a ...

3370. A Prophet Among Them

Ezekiel 2:1-3:15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A couple of years ago I was smitten in my heart by a word I heard in the ordination service of the Free Methodist Church. It was verses 4 and 5 of Ezekiel 2. Listen to it: “The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them. ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’ And whether they listen – for they are a rebellious house – they will know that a prophet has been among them.” (NIV) Get the setting in mind. Ezekiel is sharing his personal story of God coming to him in a vision, and ...

3371. The Prize of the High Calling of God

Hebrews 11:1-40, Philippians 2:12-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I am intrigued by bumper stickers. Someone was smart. Since modern Americans spend so much of their time in cars, why not turn the bumper into a kind of chrome or, alas with modern cars, plastic bulletin boards. Thousands would get the messages as they come near the car in front of them. It was a brilliant idea. Religious folks have not missed this communication opportunity. So you have the traditional bumper sticker message: “Honk if you love Jesus”. And the more avant-garde, “In case of the rapture, this ...

3372. By Faith

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

King Duncan

Once upon a time, there lived a humble man who accepted everything that happened in life as an act of God. If something good happened, God did it. If something bad happened, that also was an act of God. Unfortunately, he was about the unluckiest man alive. Makes you wonder about his theology, doesn’t it? But never once did he complain. He got married and his wife ran away with his best friend. His daughter fell in with the wrong crowd and became addicted to drugs. His son was in a bad accident. He lost a ...

3373. A Place of Honor

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Edward Bowen tells about a minister in Scotland who was concerned that so many stray dogs were being put to sleep. So she invented a new breed of dog, complete with registration papers. She didn’t want any dogs tospend their lives being called mongrels. She determined that her puppies would be the first in a new breed, a breed she called the Newtonmore Haggishound. She now offers membership in that breed to other dogs. Apparently the only qualification to be a Newtonmore Haggishound is that you must be a ...

3374. Saved (Again)!

Exodus 14:19-31

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

Lawrence Henry was 88 years of age when he shared with his family the only sermon he ever preached. Lawrence was a farmer born in 1900 in the Coteau Hills of South Dakota. He received an eighth grade education, raised four children, and died in 1996. The sermon is titled, "Saved." Here are two key stories in Lawrence's own words: "Today I will use the word ˜saved' as the key word in some of the experiences I have encountered in my past 88 years. The word ˜saved' is a small word consisting of only five ...

3375. Worthy of God

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

Sermon

Rick Brand

It seems fair to say that the saints of the Lord have always shown us what it is to be worthy of God. It is why we remember them and rejoice for them. They have shown us what a life worthy of God might look like. To talk about the saints, we may talk about Kagawa in Japan, about Mother Teresa, about Bishop Tutu and Nelson Mandela, about D. T. Niles in India, and about Saint Patrick in Ireland. To know the stories of Dorothy Day in New York City and Oscar Romero in Latin America is to have examples of what ...

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