Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3526 to 3550 of 4508 results

3526. Forgetting What the Voyage Is All About

Illustration

The story is told of the Lee Steamboat Company carrying a cargo of salt pork from New Orleans to Memphis. As they passed Natchez another boat attempted to pass her and the race was on. The Lee steamboat captain ordered full steam but it was insufficient to pass her smaller counterpart. Then the captain got an idea. He ordered that some of the salt pork they were carrying be thrown into the furnac...

3527. Ring Bear

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

The five year old nephew of the bride was chosen to be in charge of carrying the rings down the aisle. At the wedding rehearsal he was unusually unruly. He kept leaping out at people, baring his teeth at and then chasing the flower girls. He growled and snarled as he practiced going down the aisle. He brandished the pillow like a pistol. Finally his mother pulled him aside and demanded to know why...

3528. Everyone Is Invited

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

The writer Drew Duke recalled from her childhood her second grade Valentine's Day party. Several days earlier a big decorated box had been placed at the front of the room by the teacher. It had a slit in the top. Each student had been invited to bring valentines addressed to friends and to drop them into the box. Then on Valentine's Day, one student was designated by the teacher as the postman to ...

3529. Pushing Out What Helps

Illustration

George Johnson

There's an urban legend about a doctor who received a call late at night to come to the hospital. Someone was near death and needed a physician's attention or death was certain. The hospital was 30 miles away in another town. The doctor dressed and took off in his car. At a stoplight a man jumped into his car, pulled a gun, and told the doctor to get out. "I need your car. Get out," was all he sai...

3530. Squeezing God In

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

In her novel A Thousand Acres Jane Smiley shows readers a highly dysfunctional family which nevertheless attended church each Sunday. Yet this is how the novel's narrator sums up this religious practice: "We came to church to pay our respects, not to give thanks." When faith becomes a compartment of life instead of life's vibrant center, when you're just stopping off to put in your time or pay you...

3531. If It Were Up To Me

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

If it were up to me, I'd draw a thick black line underneath Matthew 22:10 and just end this parable right there. If I were allowed to edit the sacred text, I'd grab my little bottle of White-Out and paint over verses 11-14. Because up to that point this had been a fairly lovely parable of grace. Had the story concluded with verse 10, we'd be left with the happy portrait of a succulent feast being ...

3532. All Night Long

Illustration

Edward F. Markquart

Many years ago, a friend of mine from church pulled me out into the parking lot to listen to a tape in her car. Darlene Malmo wanted me to hear her favorite Lionel Ritchie song. There was this song about life being like a party, "all night long." She said, "I am going to party all night long with God." That is what being a Christian is. Some Christian say that it is not right to have such a mood ...

3533. Fully Present, Ready to Commit

Illustration

Keith Wagner

Several years ago a pastor did a wedding on the day of the Ohio State - Michigan game. In Ohio that is one of the major sporting events of the year. The wedding started about 30 minutes after the beginning of the game. The groomsmen were gathered around a television set in the lounge watching the game. The pastor had to interrupt them and hurry them into the sanctuary. There was a fairly large num...

3534. Excuses, Excuses

Illustration

Bruce Goettsche

Have you heard (or used) these excuses? We need our Sunday recreational times We have to work Sunday is the only time we have to spend with our family (and apparently we don't want to spend it in worship) Sunday is the only day we have to sleep in I would get up early to pray, but I have a busy day ahead and need my rest My spouse is not supportive of my faith I know I should read the Bible, but ...

3535. The Only Bible

Illustration

Rebecca Pippert

It is important to come to church with our hearts prepared. This young man named Bill had wild hair and wore a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and no shoes. He was brilliant, a bit esoteric, and very smart. He became a Christian while in college. Across the street from the university campus was a very conservative church, with many well-dressed and beautifully attired members. They wanted to deve...

3536. The Duty of Preparedness

Illustration

William Barclay

Jesus' story was not unfamiliar to his listeners. There was a story during Jesus' day that was told by the Rabbis and it went like this: There was king who invited his guest to a feast, without telling them the exact date and time; but he did tell them that they must wash, and anoint, and clothe themselves that they might be ready when the summons came. The wise prepared themselves at once, and t...

3537. Our Hope, Our Terror

Illustration

Barbara Brown Taylor

Several summers ago I spent three days on a barrier island where loggerhead turtles were laying their eggs. One night while the tide was out, I watched a huge female heave herself up on the beach to dig her nest and empty her eggs into it. Afraid of disturbing her, I left before she had finished. The next morning I returned to see if I could find the spot where her eggs lay hidden in the sand. Wha...

3538. Thankful for God’s Gifts

Illustration

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

Jenny Lind always spent a few minutes alone in her dressing room before a concert. Her maid, who locked the door and stood guard, has told what happened in those last moments of preparation. Miss Lind would stand in the middle of the floor, her shoulders back, and her head up, draw a deep breath, strike a clear, vibrant note, and hold it as long as her breath lasted. When the overtones had all die...

3539. Invitations

Illustration

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

The invitation that we receive from God to the feast is a happy one and one we should not overlook. A woman arrived late for a wedding. As she came rushing up to the door, an usher asked her for her invitation. "I have none," she snapped. "Are you a friend of the groom?" he asked. "Certainly not!" the woman replied, "I'm the bride's mother." You and I are invited to a wedding feast of joy, and we...

3540. A Fight Every Day

Illustration

Edward Snyder

A board member went to the Pastor for marital counseling. He had attended church for 25 years and was a respected leader in the church. "Pastor, I've got something awful to tell you. I've never told this to a soul, it is extremely difficult to tell you this now, but my wife and I have had a fight every day for the past 30 years of our marriage." The Pastor taken back didn't know what to say to th...

3541. Clothing and Spiritual Change

Illustration

Mickey Anders

Clothing is a common New Testament metaphor for spiritual change. Paul wrote in Romans, "Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature" (Rom 13:14). And in First Corinthians, "The perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:53). In Colossians, we read, "Therefore, as...

3542. The Invisible Robe of Righteousness

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“You are what you wear.” Job coaches taut this phrase continually to prospective job applicants, letting them know that “dressing for success” can make or break and interview. You need to show people not only who you are but what you’re capable of. What you wear expresses something about your character and your initiative. In fact, in 1997, Nancy Lublin founded the nonprofit “Dress for Success” ...

3543. All Are Invited, but…

Sermon

Albert G. Butzer III

Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.— Matthew 22:9 When you arrive at the church to attend a wedding, most often someone will hand you a program or a bulletin, which contains not only the order of the service but also the names of the wedding participants. It’s a helpful thing to have in hand, especially if you struggle to remember people’s name...

3544. Hand Me My Green Dress

Illustration

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...

3545. We Didn't Even Have a Horse

Illustration

King Duncan

Huey Long was a very colorful Louisiana politician who had hopes of running for the presidency in 1936. He began as an unschooled farm boy and ended up in the governor's mansion, one of the most popular politicians in the history of the state. Long was born in the central part of Louisiana, and when he first campaigned for governor, he was given some advice about the voters in the New Orleans area...

3546. Too Busy To Build Fires

Illustration

King Duncan

There is a good story from years ago about a top executive with a telegraph company who went on a trip. It was extremely cold outside when he arrived at the bus station, so he went into a local telegraph station hoping to get warmed up. When he got inside, however, it was cold. He noticed there was no fire in the fireplace. He said to the young telegraph operator, "Why don't you build a fire in th...

3547. Clothed with Jesus

Illustration

King Duncan

An amusing story appeared in the magazine, Today's Christian Woman. A woman took her four-year-old granddaughter, Amanda, to the doctor's office with a fever. The doctor looked in her ears and said, "Who's in there? Donald Duck?" She said, "No." He looked in her nose and said, "Who's in there? Mickey Mouse?" Again she said, "No." He put his stethoscope on her heart and said, "Who's in there? Barne...

3548. Excuses, Excuses

Illustration

King Duncan

The Toronto Star invited teachers to submit excuses they had received from their students. They received these examples: A student explaining why he was late: "I was kidnapped by aliens and interrogated for three hours." Another student, telling why he had failed to turn in his essay: "The bus driver read it and liked it so much he kept it to show to his passengers." Another: "I got mugged on t...

3549. You Are Supposed to Love Me

Illustration

King Duncan

Frederick William I ruled Prussia in the early eighteenth century. Frederick walked the streets of Berlin unattended, and when anyone displeased him, he did not hesitate to use his walking stick to thrash them. Berliners tried to keep their distance. One time, as Frederick William was pounding down the street, a citizen spied him but too late, and his attempt to slide quietly into a doorway proved...

3550. Symbols of Religion

Illustration

King Duncan

A first grade teacher gave her 6-year-olds an assignment. The next day they were to bring in a symbol of their religion. The next morning she called on Isaac, who stood up and said, "I am Jewish and this Star of David is the symbol of my religion." The teacher then called upon Mary, who stood up saying, "I am Catholic and this Rosary is a symbol of my religion." Next came Bobby. "I am [Presbyte...

Showing 3526 to 3550 of 4508 results

3526. Forgetting What the Voyage Is All About

Illustration

3527. Ring Bear

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

3528. Everyone Is Invited

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

3529. Pushing Out What Helps

Illustration

George Johnson

3530. Squeezing God In

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

3531. If It Were Up To Me

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

3532. All Night Long

Illustration

Edward F. Markquart

3533. Fully Present, Ready to Commit

Illustration

Keith Wagner

3534. Excuses, Excuses

Illustration

Bruce Goettsche

3535. The Only Bible

Illustration

Rebecca Pippert

3536. The Duty of Preparedness

Illustration

William Barclay

3537. Our Hope, Our Terror

Illustration

Barbara Brown Taylor

3538. Thankful for God’s Gifts

Illustration

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

3539. Invitations

Illustration

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

3540. A Fight Every Day

Illustration

Edward Snyder

3541. Clothing and Spiritual Change

Illustration

Mickey Anders

3542. The Invisible Robe of Righteousness

Sermon

Lori Wagner

3543. All Are Invited, but…

Sermon

Albert G. Butzer III

3544. Hand Me My Green Dress

Illustration

King Duncan

3545. We Didn't Even Have a Horse

Illustration

King Duncan

3546. Too Busy To Build Fires

Illustration

King Duncan

3547. Clothed with Jesus

Illustration

King Duncan

3548. Excuses, Excuses

Illustration

King Duncan

3549. You Are Supposed to Love Me

Illustration

King Duncan

3550. Symbols of Religion

Illustration

King Duncan

Showing 3526 to 3550 of 4508 results