Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 3526 to 3550 of 4963 results

3526. Out of Prision

Philippians 1:1-11

Bulletin Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

... us overflows. Know that God’s presence also comes as knowledge and insight that equip us for determining what is best. Come, let us worship our hopeful God. Collect Grace-filled God, who is our strongest defender, we trust in you. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Under the burden of what imprisons us, we forget that you, O God, began a good work in your creation of us. We overlook your intention to carry that good work to ...

3527. Two Blessings for an Unwed Mother

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

William G. Carter

... exemplar of those who doubt. We see in Peter’s denial of Jesus our own weakness and in his reinstatement hope for ourselves. We openly celebrate another Mary (the sister of Martha) for her attentiveness to Jesus’ teaching, and we similarly ... wonders out there in the universe somewhere, but that God is able to perform wonders right here — among you and me. It’s the hope that was voiced in the prayer of Phillips Brooks: O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin and enter ...

3528. Home for the Holidays

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

William G. Carter

... was no longer the home she knew. The next morning she opened the refrigerator looking for soda water, suddenly remembering her parents would never think to buy it. The cupboard had no bagels or croissants, and the only available jam was full of sugar. Hoping for a caffeine lift, she found only decaffeinated coffee, so she boiled some water for tea. She was singing along to the radio when her mother walked into the kitchen. “You used to listen to such nice music,” her mother said innocently enough. As ...

3529. Splashed with the Spirit

Luke 3:21-38, Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

William G. Carter

... was a pre-Christian baptism. The water intends to wash away the dirt from your soul, to clean up every act. This baptism tells people to get ready, in case the Messiah should ever come. The other kind of baptism is Christian baptism, which is done not in the hope of a Messiah, but with the assurance the Messiah has come. So it is baptism done in the name of Jesus. This baptism is done with water, because Jesus was baptized with water. But it is also done with the Holy Spirit, which comes as a gift from God ...

3530. And On the Third Day...

John 2:1-11

Sermon

William G. Carter

... continued.” “After all,” claimed the preacher, “Jesus loves a good party.” Now that’s something most of us want to believe. It is good to think the Lord intends to bless our human celebrations. We hope for the coming day where there will be a wedding feast of the Lamb that never draws to a close. But as pleasant as the hope can be, it has nothing to do with this text. There’s no hint at Cana that Jesus is a party animal. If anything, he comes across as a stern figure who was annoyed to be ...

3531. Divide and Destroy

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... will sing the carols of joy. We will light the candles on the Advent wreath. We will remember those who have labored with us on life’s journey. All will not be perfect. The suffering and loneliness of this world will be very much with us. But, we hope, our partnership in that which began before our birth and continues beyond our death will remind us that Christmas is, indeed, a joy to be embraced instead of a problem to be solved. So be it. 1. F. W. Boreham, The Blue Flame (New York: Abingdon Press, 1930 ...

3532. Having to Stay When You Want Out

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... Christ (vv. 12-13). The grace appears in the nativity of our Lord. It stays with us as a teacher. It will return to us in glory. Titus rediscovered his Savior there in Crete. The past manifestation of God in Jesus of Nazareth and the future manifestation of God in hope and glory marked the boundaries of God’s plan of salvation. Today we celebrate the day of the birth of our Lord. The good news is the fact that our Lord stayed after the birth and will come to us again. So be it. 1. Beryl Cohon, Out of the ...

3533. The Scattering of Lesser Figures

Acts 8:9-25

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... most. It’s the hands that hold the violin.”3 In this image-conscious world you and I need to pause every now and then and reflect on the God who inspires our faith and is the reason for the existence of our churches, our Bibles, and our hope for eternal life. The Holy Spirit moves through people at God’s discretion. There is no formula that can be evoked to get it. It is a divine gift. Some commentators4 focus on today’s text and maintain that it means the church should rebuke and exclude “those ...

3534. A Note to Fearful Hearts

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... past whose recitation is supposed to make us feel better? Perhaps a fourth grade student said it best when she wrote to her teacher: “Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry, and … someone yells, ‘Shut up!’ ” If the resurrection is not real, then all our hopes in Christ do, indeed, leave us as people to be pitied more than all people. Instead of a final victory, we will resemble little children who incessantly cry out for a parent in the middle of the dark night with a fearful heart only to hear ...

3535. Your Sins Are Remembered No More! You Are Free!

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... Kingdom of Israel (by Assyria) and the Southern Kingdom of Judah (by the Babylonians). They had come to understand their present political plight as a consequence of their sin (Jeremiah 2; 25:1-14).1 When you are in a mess, when life is not turning out as you had hoped it would, and you feel that it is your fault, life can be a living hell. The memories of what you have done wrong to put yourself in the situation you are in do not die. They are brought to the fore daily. Perhaps you are still making those ...

3536. A Vision of Freedom

Isaiah 65:17-25

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... newness and this magnificent development. If we will but do it, we will bring about a new day of justice and brotherhood and peace. And that day the morning stars will sing together and the sons of God will shout for joy.8 With this vision of hope and freedom, a freedom for all linked with a peace that makes old enemies fellowship together, with this vision of Isaiah and Dr. King we can transform America. That vision will not let you and me be so comfortable with economic disparity or with the ethnic and ...

3537. "...Yet"

Jeremiah 4:5-31

Sermon

John W. Wurster

... , cared for these people, rescued them from slavery in Egypt, led them through the wilderness to an abundant land, gave them laws to order their life together. God provided for them in ways great and small, giving himself to them with an almost reckless abandon, hoping that they might abound in faith and love, that they might worship God with heart and soul and might, that they might love their neighbors even as they love themselves. But it didn’t happen. It just didn’t happen. God was faithful, but the ...

3538. He Commanded Us to Preach

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... came to set people free from all forms of bondage that keep them from actualizing potential and receiving salvation in order to live wholesome, productive, and spirit-filled lives. We have too much baggage, too much anger, too many painful memories of the past that dash our hope for the future. Too many things bind us and choke off the life of the spirit in us. We need to be set free from our sins of me-ism, racism, sexism, ageism, and other isms that bind and destroy our sense of community. Parents carry ...

3539. A Messenger of Promise

Malachi 2:17--3:5

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... for the forgiveness of sins. People needed to be immersed in the fact that they were totally undeserving sinners, but that they could also be bound to a forgiving God who wanted to give them hope. The Faith In The Change In these Advent days we are called to make the confession for which John called. We cannot hope to celebrate the Birth of our Lord at Bethlehem with any kind of meaning unless we understand that at our birth we were destined to be the children of wrath and condemnation. The days of ...

3540. The Promising Child

1 Samuel 2:12-26

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... of Method-ism,” because of her noted faith and executive abilities which she passed on to her sons John and Charles. Probably one of the best known mothers in America is Abraham Lincoln’s mother, because of his famous tribute to her, “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” However, we do not have to recite the lists of prominent historical figures to make the point that the high and the mighty are indebted for their success to good mothers. The story is repeated every day in the ...

3541. The Promise of Sight

Isaiah 60:1-22

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... tradition of two thousand years. That is what the prophet had to overcome. The people had to be reminded of what God had done for them throughout their history to understand that God could again save them. The Light In order to inspire his people with the hope that was theirs in the gracious God who had not abandoned them in the exile, Isaiah composed effective poems about the favored position of God’s people. He begins the poem before us, “Arise, shine; for your light has come and the glory of the Lord ...

3542. The Fruit of One's Doing

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... spirit of God to enjoy the privileges that God is willing to offer them — God’s loving providence and care. There definitely is hope for them to be able to cope with whatever trials or temptations come their way. The Problem The prophet explains that the reason ... cope with the pain and hardship that come their way. The prophet would remind us that we do not have to place our hope and trust in such ephemeral characters as the characters of funny papers or any other medium. The help God offers is for real ...

3543. The Fruit of the Word

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... If there were still others who had relinquished all thoughts about God, the prophet would revive their dead faith into a living hope. All those whom the prophet addressed would be asking for evidences to which they could point that the words of the prophet ... that the word of God never returns to God empty. Our faith is not a guess as to how things will be. Our faith is not an idle hope. Our faith is based on the certainty of that word which assures us that God is at work among us. The next time you are out in ...

3544. Exchanging Our Eschatological Heritage

Luke 21:5-38

Illustration

William G. Carter

... Neill Hamilton, who taught at Drew University for many years, once observed how people in our time lose hope for the future. It happens whenever we let our culture call the shots on how the world is ... changed in the death and resurrection of Jesus, that the same Christ is coming to judge the world and give birth to a new creation. And so, people lose hope. As Hamilton puts it: This substitution of an image of nuclear holocaust for the coming of Christ is a parable of what happens to Christians when they cease ...

3545. Yeah, Merry Christmas

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Drama

Dave Marsh

... up at 4:00am. Dad: Doesn’t matter. I just wanted to let you know that. Mom: You tell me every year dear. Dad: I know. It’s a tradition. Kids: Look! Santa ate the cookies we put out! And drank all 5 glasses of milk! Hope he doesn’t explode! Dad: (holding stomach) I hope so too. (Mom elbows him). Kids: Can we open presents now? Can we? Can we? Mom: Yes, yes. Bring them over here and let’s sort them. Dad: Yeah, I’ll just sit over here and recover. (Mom glares at him) (They sort the presents. The ...

3546. What's Your Line?

Drama

Dave Marsh

... : Hey. (Hey) Greg: Hey. (Hey) John: How you doin? (Not that I really care) Greg: Okay. (like you care) Greg: How you doin? (yawn) John: Okay. (Whatever) John: What do you think of the concert? (man, he’s dressed pretty weird) Greg: It’s pretty cool (Hope he doesn’t want to hug me) Greg: You? (Did his mom buy him those clothes?) John: Yeah, pretty cool. (I wish they’d play "Freebird") John: I pretty much like any kind of rock. (Backstreet Boys, ‘N sync, Brittney Spears) Greg: Yeah, me too. (Prodigy ...

3547. Come, Let Us Worship

Luke 4:14-30

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... because this was the way that he was brought up. There were a lot of customs in the days of Jesus that were different from the way that we live today, but this is one of the things that has not changed and we hope it never does. Someone brought you to church this morning and I hope that will happen every Sunday. If you come every Sunday, and it is part of your life, then you will be like Jesus when you grow up, and you will come on your own to worship God the Father. I know you know what ...

3548. Good News

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Brett Blair

... that you can no longer fool all the people even some of the time. By noontime today, you will be out of here. By tomorrow you will be history. By Saturday, you will be toast. That's a fact - no exceptions, no extensions." "Nevertheless, there is reason to hope," Doctor Gomes promised. "The future is God's gift to you. God will not let you stumble or fall. God has not brought you this far to this place to ABANDON you or leave you here alone and afraid. The God of Israel never stumbles, never sleeps, never ...

3549. The Healing Power of the Resurrection

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

... s a beautiful story out of history that speaks to this. Ignace Paderewski rose to prominence as Poland’s most famous pianist and Prime Minister. During his long and illustrious career, Paderewski scheduled a concert in a small out-of-the-way village in hopes of cultivating the arts in Poland. A young mother bought tickets for the Paderewski performance. Her young son was taking piano at the time – just a beginner. She brought him along to encourage him in his piano training. When the night arrived, they ...

3550. Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Brett Blair

... the local inn, the hungry threesome were treated to a sumptuous meal. When the meal was done, however, the innkeeper approached the "rabbi" and spoke with great sorrow. "Rebbe, you must pray for my son," he said. "He is dying and the doctors have given up hope. But the Holy One, blessed be his name, may respond to your prayers." The counterfeit rabbi looked desperately to his friends for help. They motioned for him to go with the innkeeper to his son's bedside. They had begun this hypocritical ruse, and now ...

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