Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3476 to 3500 of 4508 results

3476. Have You Accepted Jesus' Invitation?

Sermon

George Johnson

This morning I want to talk to you about becoming a Christian - the invitation of Jesus to come and follow him. It is not my intention to judge who is or is not a Christian, or criticize anyone's experience of salvation, or to suggest that you are not already a member of God's family. My intention is rather to allow this text to speak clearly to us about Jesus' invitation. My purpose is to give vo...

3477. Going to a Wedding

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: We must be appropriately prepared for the great Kingdom party. Props: Outfits for various occasions. For example: A doctor’s outfit, construction worker, swimmer (flippers and a snorkel would be great), and tennis player (or other athletic outfit). The accessories to each outfit would add to the lesson. Adapt this according to your resources. Lesson: Good morning. (response) Have m...

3478. An Invitation to a Feast

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

Did you ever hear such a story? The Gospel for the day tells it: a man gave a marriage feast and no one showed. He sent his servants out and found everyone too busy. Some even treated his servants badly when they were invited. So he went out into the streets and dragged in anyone who would come, and finally the wedding reception was full. To those who heard the story from Jesus’ own mouth, there w...

3479. The Kingdom of God Is a Party

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

A few years ago that wonderfully creative Christian sociologist, Tony Campolo, traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii, for a speaking engagement. He flew all the way from Pennsylvania to Hawaii and had an awful case of jet lag. Therefore, at 3:00 AM, he was wide awake. Tony found a donut shop near his hotel. As he sat there sipping coffee and glancing at a newspaper, the door to the diner swung open and in...

3480. Is There Hope for the Hapless Wedding Guest?

Sermon

Darrick Acre

Strange parable. Great beginning; catastrophic ending. Yet I find myself drawn to the hapless wedding guest because nobody else is. The first sermon I ever heard in a Nazarene Church was when I was in high school. Pastor Roy Hoover preached on this wretched wedding guest. It so chilled me out that I didn’t go back for a year. I’ve never forgotten it. I’ve never heard one on it since! When preacher...

3481. Matthew 22:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The most binding human trait is the ability to tell a story. Our amazing brains can process information and then weave independent bits into a coherent whole — a story. In short, the human brain is hard-wired for story. The first “stories” humans learned to tell were hunting-gathering tales. Hunters read the signs of the creatures they were tracking. The best “story tellers” became the best hunter...

3482. The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

The Great Commandment: The parable of the wedding feast (vv. 1–14) is regularly considered to be an allegorical revision of an earlier more straightforward parable told by Jesus. Fenton lists as allegorical elements that strike the reader as strange and unnatural the killing of those who brought the invitation (v. 6), the destruction of the guests (v. 7), and the burning of a city while a meal is ...

3483. Are You Dressed For The Banquet?

Sermon

King Duncan

Television journalist Hugh Downs and his wife once attended a function in Washington. When the time came to return to New York, they discovered that their flight had been cancelled due to bad weather. Downs immediately called the front desk and was informed that they could catch a five o'clock train, which was leaving in 45 minutes. Mrs. Downs was showering, and to save time, Hugh hurriedly packed...

3484. At the Banquet...In Your Pajamas

Sermon

King Duncan

The Rev. John Thomas tells about a week he once spent at a Benedictine monastery with a group of other seminary students. At noon each day he and the other students joined the Benedictine monks, along with a number of people from the local community, to celebrate the Eucharist. One day Rev. Thomas watched a couple of retirement age make their way to receive the bread and the cup. The man wore a s...

3485. R.S.V.P.

Sermon

August 11 Dear Susan, It was good to hear from you again. We miss you around here, but it sounds like you’re settling in well in your new home and congregation. God’s blessings to you in your life and work there. Congratulations on being selected to serve as a youth advisor. The young people of that church are fortunate: I know you’ll do a good job with them. Let me know how it goes! Peace in ...

3486. Welcome to the Training Table!

Sermon

Much of the business of the human race has been conducted over the dinner table. There are several reasons for that. One of them is convenience: In the harried pace of life - and it was so in ancient times as often as it is today - mealtime, which everybody had to take time for anyway, became as convenient a time as any to communicate, to take care of things, to check signals, and generally to kee...

3487. The Gift That Claims Our Response

Sermon

Some of the gifts we receive have a way of dramatically altering our lifestyles. Remember the day a well-meaning friend gave your children that cute little puppy? No household can just accept a new puppy and go on with life as usual. Certain changes are inevitable. Or to consider even more profound lifestyle changes, think of what happens when a baby is born into a family. Long gone are the night...

3488. The Invitation’s in the Mail

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship One: On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. All: And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. One: Then the Lord God will wipe away t...

3489. Prayer

Bulletin Aid

It's nice to be invited! Gratifying Confirming our friendship Our worthiness. Of course, invitations have obligations attached - To reply promptly To dress appropriately To bring a gift And they sometimes have ulterior motives! Political or business overtones - Social obligations - or ambitions! Invitations differ - And so do my responses! An invitation to the wedding of a friend Is one thing ...

3490. Proper 23

Bulletin Aid

Call to Worship Pastor: Jesus speaks to us through his church, inviting us into God's kingdom. People: We are in the church because we want to be in God's kingdom. Pastor: We may be in the church, yet fail to accept Christ's invitation into God's kingdom if our faith does not lead to action. People: May our response to Christ be a personal commitment in which our faith and life enable God's kingdo...

3491. Even Greater

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship One: Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Two: Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Three: You turn us back to dust, and say, "Turn back, you mortals." One and Three: For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the nigh...

3492. Proper 23

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Exodus 32:1-14 The Israelites worship a golden bull. Thinking Moses had deserted them as well as Yahweh, the people persuaded Aaron to make a golden bull out of their jewelry for worship. It is a return to an Egyptian god, Amon-Re, represented by a bull. Yahweh was so angry at their desertion of him, that he threatened to destroy them. Upon Moses' intercession, their pli...

3493. Proper 23

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Green Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14 Theme: Many are called; few are chosen. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration Try this: "During banquets, we celebrate. We may have difficulty during corporate worship, because we think of the sanctuary as a protection from life, rather than as an involvement in life. "We are here to celebrate the Presence of God in all of life, in all of the wo...

3494. Proper 23

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Notes Matthew has spliced together two originally independent parables (vv. 1-10 and 11-14) and allegorized them to speak to his contemporary situation. The original point of the first of these is that the coming Reign of God is to be populated by a motley assortment of outsiders -- in this parable, "street people" --rather than the respectable, invited, but finally unworthy ones (probably ...

3495. The King's Wedding Feast

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

Context of the Lectionary The First Lesson. (Exodus 32:1-14) The passage recounts the experience of the people of Israel in the wilderness when Moses had gone up the mountain of Sinai. They assumed that he was not returning. They appealed to Aaron for a god to lead them. He got from the people all the gold of their jewelry and from that produced the golden calf. The people proceeded with an orgy ...

3496. The Wedding Feast

Drama

Robert A. Lehmann

Theme: A parable of the Kingdom of heaven Characters: Narrator a king Three solo voices (or a narrator and four solo voices). Narrator: And again Jesus spoke to them in parables. Solo 1: He told them a story. Solo 2: A story with a message. Solo 3: A story with an inner meaning. Narrator: And Jesus said to them: The Kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for hi...

3497. Many Are Called

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: How does God feel about those who reject His Son? Summary: A mother and father are wondering what to do because they planned a birthday party for their daughter and the children that were invited didn't come. A parable. Playing Time: 3 minutes Setting: Sheila and Ron's home Props: None Costumes: Contemporary, casual Time: The present Cast: Sheila -- mother of birthday girl Ron -- her...

3498. We Must Always Be Ready for Jesus

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A bridal veil, catcher’s mask, hockey stick, fireman’s hat Good morning, boys and girls. You certainly look fine this morning. How many of you wear special clothes to church and school? Many of you, almost all of you. Does your mother tell you to change your clothes when you get home from church? She does? Sometimes it seems kind of funny that we wear certain clothes to certain places, d...

3499. An Invitation

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: An impressive invitation. Try to plan at least part of your service, if not the whole thing, for the children that day to make this point. Good morning, boys and girls. I have a great surprise for you today. How many of you think that church is just for big people? (Let them answer.) Don't you think that Sunday School is for kids, and church is for mom and dad and all of the other big peo...

3500. Invited To A Feast

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: envelope that is addressed, a postage stamp (don't put stamp on envelope yet) Good morning, boys and girls. I want you to pretend with me for a moment. Let's pretend I'm going to have a really big party, and I wanted to invite you. How would I send you the invitation? That's right, I'd mail you the letter. Okay, here's my envelope, and I've got your address on it, and I'm all ready to sen...

Showing 3476 to 3500 of 4508 results