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 4914 results

3526. Seeing Is Believing

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Our eyes are interesting organs. For most of us who can see, we comprehend our world much by what we see. Our sensory organs in effect make us living beings who experience our surroundings in certain ways that either please us or frighten us. The eyes in particular are the source of our longing. What we see, we want. What we see, we believe. In the Jewish tradition, the eyes are the first source of sin. They can betray us and lead us in wrong directions. They can create in us feelings of covetousness and ...

3527. The Wisdom of the Magi

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Wisdom is an interesting word. Wisdom is a kind of combinatory faculty of the human mind which uses knowledge, experience, comprehension, common sense, insight, intuition, the senses, perception, compassion, and understanding of signs and oracles, mysteries and miracles to discern what is true about something or a situation. For the wise, knowledge is not limited to facts and figures but can comprise all of the mysteries of the universe and beyond. A wise person assesses a situation or person and intuits, ...

3528. Facing Death

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

April Yamasaki

“That was a good funeral.” Before becoming a pastor, I wouldn’t have understood what she meant, but now I could agree with this senior member of my church. We had just said goodbye to one of our dear saints who had been an active volunteer in the church and community until she had fallen ill, who had remained on good terms with all of her family who surrounded her with love and care, who had been a woman of prayer and faithful to the end. At her funeral, we sang some of her favorite songs, read words of ...

3529. The Light from the Cliff

Matthew 5:13-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

[Read Revelation 21:9-23] Lake Superior is known as the most dangerous body of water in the world, particularly in November when vicious storms have sunk more than 350 ships, including the infamous Edmund Fitzgerald, whose 29 crewmen have never been found.The watery waves of the lake during the tempestuous November storms feel particularly maelstrom-like to sailors in the pitch black of night on the Great Lakes.They could neither navigate nor see through the thick darkness. As waves rose high above the ...

3530. When You Are Weary

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

One of the amazing facts about the human race is how alike we all are. We share most of the same hopes and dreams, likes and dislikes. Even in a world of almost 8 billion people, there are certain universal things that most people agree on. To prove this, I’m going to read a series of statements. If you agree that a statement is true in your life, raise your hand. Here’s the first one: I’m a really good singer in the shower or in my car. Here’s the second: My pet understands me when I talk to it. Or: my ...

3531. Stay—Tuned

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Everybody loves a good story. We begin our earliest understandings through stories. The Tortoise and the Hare, The Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Ugly Duckling. We learned lessons in behavior from stories like The Little Boy Who Cried ‘Wolf ’ and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The tradition of storytelling is as old as humanity itself. Ancient cultures have stories to tell younger generations about their heritage. Go to the earliest chapters of our scripture and see how our own cultural ...

3532. We Need Another Miracle

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Do you believe in miracles? Psychology Today reports of a study that surveyed almost 36,000 Americans, aged eighteen to seventy-plus- years-old, and found that 78% of people under the age of thirty believed in miracles versus 79% among those older than thirty (Pew Research Center, 2010). With respect to religious affiliation, 83% of those who were affiliated believed in miracles in contrast to 55% of respondents who were unaffiliated. Although people from all religions believe in miracles, over 80% of ...

3533. The Feast of Leviathan

Luke 24:36b-48

Sermon

Lori Wagner

The beauty of the scriptures is indisputable. But their revelatory substance, vast and deep in nature, contains a potency that is hard to describe. Every word is pregnant, every word infused with deep meaning, fascinating connections, but most of all, every word wields the power to point toward God and God’s truth in deeply powerful, transfiguring ways. Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances express a particular richness of this special metaphorical infusion. But they also pack a power punch of what it means ...

3534. All In God's Time

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon

Lori Wagner

In our contemporary society in which information lies immediately at our fingertips or even at our voice command and we can instantly communicate our wishes in a variety of ways, we humans have become more and more…impatient. This quickly leads to frustration that our needs and desires are not being met. Impatience then causes stress, often making us feel more…impatient. How do we break this unhealthy cycle? And it is unhealthy. Stress caused by impatience can cause a variety of emotional, mental, and ...

3535. At the Table

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

Bonnie Bates

In my faith tradition, Maundy Thursday usually involved a remembrance of the first communion service. Many of the churches I have been associated with have scheduled a light supper and following that supper, at small tables of six to eight attendees, bread is broken and the cup is shared, much as this passage from 1 Corinthians related. The commemoration is somewhat solemn often because we Christians forget that this offering of bread and cup was offered during a family celebration, a Passover feast, ...

3536. Stay Close

John 10:22-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

With whom do you feel “safe”? This seems like a simple question. But it can be a terribly complicated one for some. Many of us can answer that question. But for some, that question would be hard and difficult to answer. Not everyone feels safe in their lives. Not everyone has a parent or another person in their lives that consistently provides that feeling of safety. For many, to feel “safe” can feel like a priceless and rare dream, a precious gift always out of reach. On this Sunday that we often name the ...

3537. Who Are These, Robed in White?

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Will Willimon

In the Sixties, rebelling students donned special clothes - jeans, sandals, tie-dyed tee shirts - as sign of their rebellion. The early members of the contemporary Women's Movement say the clothing that women wore as a sign of women's oppression. Bras were burned. High heels were condemned. When a judge, in the British legal tradition, renders judgment, the judge puts on, not only a robe, but also a wig. What does this special dress symbolize? It covers the individuality of the judge, signifying that the ...

3538. A Tale Of Two Cities

Amos 7:1-9, Amos 7:10-17

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times ... It was an age of belief. It was an age of incredulity." Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, was highly vexed at the pronouncements of Amos, who warned of God's coming judgment on Jeroboam and the people of Israel. Amos was no extraordinary prophet. He lacked the sophistication, flamboyance, and eloquence of some high prophets, but he knew that God had called and anointed him to preach judgment to the people of Israel. Amos was not well connected ...

3539. Tying Up A Strong Man

Mark 3:20-30, 1 Samuel 8:1-22, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18, Mark 3:31-35, Psalm 138:1-8

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

Mark's gospel account very quickly gets into the conflict that will eventually culminate in the death of Jesus. Despite, or because of, Jesus' works which aroused wonder and amazement in the multitudes, opposition also arose. Any activity so extraordinary upset the status quo. His popularity threatened the authority and leadership of the official religion. They had to try to put it down before it got out of hand. Even the friends and family of Jesus were concerned about him. How often do people try to ...

3540. The Gospel According to Christ’s Enemies

John 11:1-16

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

John begins his story, "A man named Lazarus, who lived in Bethany." "Lazarus" means "God helps," and "Bethany," some scholars suggest, is a figurative play on the word that means "House of Affliction."1 Thus the plot of the story is prepared for us. God helps a man in a house of affliction. All of us dwell in that same house, and our affliction is that, like Lazarus, one day we will die. We will be struck down, carried out, and placed in a tomb. It will be sealed with a stone of sorrow. And the haunting ...

3541. The Authority of Jesus

Drama

Curt M. Joseph

Judas: So this is it. (The three look around the room. Judas continues in a sarcastic voice.) Yes, first class all the way. Matthew: Yes, it is a bit musty in here. It kind of reminds me of an old storeroom or attic. It will take quite a bit of cleaning to get this place in shape. Judas: (He throws his money bag on the table and a cloud of dust goes into the air.) That’s an understatement! I thought Peter and John were supposed to get everything ready. Where are they? Andrew: Peter told me that he, James, ...

3542. Called by Life ( I Am the Resurrection and the Life)

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Today we come to the greatest miracle and perhaps the greatest of all the "I am" statements found in the gospel of John. We have learned that Jesus is the Light of the world, the Door, and the Good Shepherd. We will learn today that Jesus alone has absolute power over life and death. Jesus is the Good Shepherd because his light shines in the darkest of circumstances, and can open any door--even the door of death. We remember how in our 7th grade earth science classes we learned that there are four things ...

3543. Claim the Promise

John 14:5-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

The pages of the Old and the New Testament are punctuated with promises – all sorts of promises: God’s offer of life and meaning to us. The New Testament is especially packed with promises – many of those promises from Jesus Himself. Listen to Him: “Because I live you will live also. I will never leave you nor forsake you. I am come that…. Come unto me all of you that labor and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest…You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you.” One of the most fantastic ...

3544. Further on Up the Road

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Sermon

Rick Brand

As best I can remember it, the comment came as part of a discussion about the media frenzy immediately following the capture of the two suspected snipers in the Washington, D.C. area. It had troubled some of the participants in the discussion that before these suspects had even gotten charged, before these presumed innocent until proven guilty people had even had a jury trial, there was this zeal on the part of every talk show to get the trial in the place where the death penalty was most severe. Then ...

3545. Jesus’ Authority to Perform Miracles

Matthew 8:18-22, Matthew 8:23-27, Matthew 8:28-34, Matthew 9:1-8

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Matthew encourages his readers to trust and follow Jesus wholeheartedly, as he shows Jesus’ power and authority to be greater than sin, the demonic, and even nature. Understanding the Text Matthew continues in this passage to emphasize themes of Jesus’ authority—here over sin (9:1–8), the demonic (8:28–34), and nature (8:23–27)—and faith as the appropriate discipleship response to Jesus (9:21–22; cf. 8:26). The call to follow Jesus wholeheartedly is issued in 8:18–22, picking up the call stories ...

3546. Which Door Should I Take?

John 10:7-9

Sermon

James Merritt

Whether you read or not, I am going to recommend a book to you that I want to warn you ahead of time if you read the first page you will stay up and not go to bed until you have finished it. It is at the same time, one of the most simulating, gripping, inspiring and yet depressing books that I have ever read in my life. The book is 102 Minutes: The Untold Story Of The Fight To Survive Inside The Twin Towers. It is the unbelievably, up close, moment by moment account of the heroic struggle for life inside ...

3547. Extreme Measures

1 Kings 21:1-29

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

The tragedy of Naboth is a lesson in the lengths some leaders will go to have their way and maintain power. Theft of property, conspiracy, and assassination are a few of the diabolical machinations employed by some leaders to maintain control over their subjects. In our text today we find that Jezebel has plotted the death of a man named Naboth because he refused to give up his land to King Ahab so that the king might have a vegetable garden. The crimes of grand theft and murder over such a paltry thing as ...

3548. Answers To Life's Three Critical Questions

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

Darden K. Caylor, a pastor in Cedar Rapids, IA, says that the day he decided to become a minister is still clearly etched in his brain. He was sitting at his Grandma Rula's house when he heard a voice speak to him from a distance. At first it was muffled, but then it became clearer. It said, "You should become a minister." Caylor couldn't believe it. Was this divine intervention? Was God really speaking to him? Did God really want him to become a minister? He was so shocked he couldn't move. The voice ...

3549. Equipping the Whole People of God: Penultimate Questions

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Some of you have known me long enough to know that one of my favorite theologians is Charles Schultz, the artist who gave us the wonderful Peanuts cartoons. In one of my favorite cartoons, Lucy comes storming into the room and demands that Linus change TV channels and then threatens him with her fist if he doesn’t. “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus. “These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually they are nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a ...

3550. Fear of Missing Out

Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Robert Valentine once compared Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft as presidents. He said, “The difference was that when you left Teddy Roosevelt’s presence you were ready to eat bricks for lunch, and when you left Taft you felt what’s the use.” (Felix Frankfurter, Felix Frankfurter Reminisces [1960], 85.) We’re hoping that when you leave church this morning, you’re ready to eat bricks for lunch. But I hope you have something more wholesome. Remember as a kid . . . you didn't want to go to bed while ...

Showing results