Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3551 to 3575 of 4977 results

3551. This Is the Day

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... a word he says, because he doesn't speak English." Well the man went on his trip. He returned to the barber for another haircut. The barber asked, "How was your trip?" He said, "London was great. It was the most exciting city. Prices were really quite reasonable. Paris was a beautiful city, very hospitable, everyone was kind to us. And Rome was the perfect climax to our trip. Everything was wonderful. We went to the Vatican, and even had an audience with the Pope. There weren't any crowds there at all ...

3552. What's The Use?

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... you are asked to believe when you believe in the Resurrection of our Lord. Madeleine L'Engel describes it again. She said that it was a while before she could return to that quiet spot where the icon was destroyed. But when she did, she discovered something quite wonderful. The tree that held the icon had absorbed the wound, and it continued to grow. You could hardly see now where that gunshot had gone. She wrote this. I now affirm my faith in the promise of the Resurrection. Not only of Jesus Christ, but ...

3553. Where Can I Find the Church?

Acts 2:1-8; 4:32-37

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... seat. He said, "Are you a priest?" I said, "Yes." I had to reach over and open the door for him, he was just frozen there in the car. I drove back to church feeling good. Things like that don't happen to me very often. I get bawled out quite often because of the faults of the Church. I usually don't say anything. But it is not often that I have an opportunity to answer so satisfactorily as I did that day. But he is right. You know that, don't you? He's right. The critics of the ...

3554. While You Are Waiting

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... God." They have the endurance of long-distance runners. I suspect in long-distance running that endurance is only in part a matter of physical training. It is also a matter of character, what we would call spiritual discipline, keeping on when you want to quit, hanging in there, expecting that hardship and deprivation are just part of the course, enduring it. That's what makes a successful long-distance runner. And it is what characterizes those people who learn to wait on God. They can run and not be weary ...

3555. You Can't Win them All

Matthew 10:2-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... in our day are those preach Christian faith as if it were some simple formula for success. Some of the most popular self-improvement books, I notice, on sale in the bookstores picture Jesus as dispensing advice on how to make it big in this world. Which is quite a trick, since if there was one thing that was consistent in Jesus' teaching it was to give away everything that you have to the poor, take up a cross, and follow me. That is not the kind of advice that you frame and put on the wall. Jesus ...

3556. You Have Outwitted Me

Hosea 11:1-9

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... brought him back. Ayer wrote about that experience. He said he saw a red light and had become aware that the light was responsible for the governance of the universe. We know that as a near-death experience, or an out-of-the body experience. It is quite common. It is when the spirit packs up, thinks it going now to another life. Then the doctors get the patient's heart going again, and the spirit comes back into the body. After such an experience, the testimony is universal: I could see things clearly. I ...

3557. The Tree That Didn't Get Trimmed

Romans 11:33-34

Drama

Matthew Powell

... farmer's wife began bringing out wet garments Farmer's Wife: to dry and freshen in the clean, bright air. Storyteller 1: The very first thing that hung near the top of the Christmas pole was Tree: a cluster of children's stockings! Storyteller 2: That isn't quite the end of the story, as the old fir trees whisper it in the breeze. Storyteller 1: The tree that didn't get trimmed was so cheerful - Tree: watching the stockings and other colorful clothes that plumbed out in the wind just as though waiting to be ...

3558. Willibald Krautman's Trip To Heaven

Matthew 11:2-11

Drama

Matthew Powell

... Impatiently) That's the end of my patience. Now, go where you belong. Storyteller: Saint Peter, saying this, went back into heaven and slammed the door shut. (Saint Peter slams his book shut.) At last, Willibald realized fully the gravity of his situation. He knocked quite humbly and begged to be allowed in. Willibald: (Knocking softly on the side of his book) Please, please let me in. I beg you. Storyteller: But no one answered. He pulled on the bell rope, but it didn't make a sound. Inside everything was ...

3559. The Burglar's Christmas

Luke 15:22-24

Drama

Matthew Powell

... ones I've forgotten. Don't you worry about me. You go along and get your free lunch. I think I had a fight in Longtin's place once. I'd better not show myself there again. (Young Man exits) Narrator 1: He was miserable enough to want to be quite alone. He wanted to think about himself. He had avoided this final reckoning with himself for a year now. He had laughed it off and drunk it off. Will: Hunger is a powerful incentive to introspection. It is a tragic hour, that hour when we are finally driven to ...

3560. Advent 4

Isaiah 7:1-25, Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... in the flesh. This is the mystery and majesty of Christmas. Lesson 2: Romans 1:1-7 1. Servant (v. 1). In Greek the word for "servant" is doulos, meaning "slave." A follower of Christ is more than a servant who may work for wages and who is free to quit at any time. A slave has no such freedom. A slave is not his own person but is owned by the master's purchase. A Christian is a slave bought by the precious blood of Christ. A slave gets no wages except the reward of the master's "well done ...

3561. Proper 7

Matthew 10:1-42, Romans 6:1-14, Romans 5:12-21, Jeremiah 20:7-18, Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... is denounced by his friends, his enemies are waiting to get revenge, the people refuse to accept his messages. Answering God's call to be a faithful witness and disciple does not guarantee honor, acceptance, or well-being. 2. Driven (v. 4). Here is one who wants to quit but cannot. He decides not to preach but he finds himself driven to keep going. It is like a fire in his bones that must be expressed or explode! He is driven by an inner voice. The love of Christ, faith of God, the sense of obedience, impel ...

3562. Proper 9

Gen 24:1-67, Zech 9:9-13, Rom 7:7-25; 8:1-17, Mt 11:1-19, 25-30

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... can be thankful by giving God the credit and glory. 2. Also (v. 46). Rebecca was a girl who went the second mile in helping people. The test of character was not only her willingness to give the servant a drink but also his ten camels. This was quite a task for a woman to carry this much water from a spring. Generosity and hospitality are marks of a sterling character. Jesus once asked, "What do you do more than others?" 3. Worshiped (v. 48). This was no ordinary servant of Abraham. He also was a servant ...

3563. Proper 21

Exodus 17:1-7, Ezekiel 18:1-32, Philippians 2:1-11, Philippians 2:12-18, Matthew 21:23-27, Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... obeys God. b. The way to a new heart. 1. God's creation: "Create in me a clean heart, O God." 2. The Spirit's work: "You must be born anew." Epistle: Philippians 2:1-13 1. You Can Have A United Church (2:1-5). Need: It is quite self-evident that almost every church needs to be united in harmony and peace. It is an exceptional church that does not have cliques and power structures competing with each other. The average pastor is constantly walking on eggs in trying to keep all parties happy and cooperative ...

3564. Vital Vulnerability

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

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... , then, the Christian story is dead. God chooses to become like us so that we can become like God. The most amazing and distressing consequence of this whole crazy night is that God needs us. God cannot be God without us. Quite simply, without us, this newborn baby God cannot survive. As any parent sitting in this sanctuary knows, vulnerable babies drastically change our lives. They disturb, they delight, and ultimately they demand. Sleep is disrupted forever, anxiety develops angles never before imagined ...

3565. Transformed in Christ

John 3:1-17

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... is necessary to be transformed. The symbolism of being born again of water and spirit is certainly an illusion for John's readers to Christian baptism, but for Nicodemus the confusion is purposeful for it allows Jesus to clearly state his teaching. Jesus, quite clearly, is speaking of the need to be transformed not in any physical way, but in heart and mind. For Nicodemus, the transformation is his understanding of the significance and truth of Jesus' message. In one of the most popular verses that many ...

3566. Through the Lens of God

John 4:5-42

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . She asked the Lord for a sign when he was ready. "A creek ran through the farm and Maum Jean, who had never heard of hydrotherapy, said there was strength in running water. She made her grandsons carry me down to a sandy bank where I could splash around quite well. I used crutches and often buckled on the clumsy braces I wore. Still, night after night, Maum Jean continued the massaging and prayers. "Then one morning when I was twelve she told me she had a surprise for me. She led me out into the yard and ...

3567. Jesus Cures Our Spiritual Blindness

John 9:1-41

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... the lamplighter was a good example of the genuine Christian. His way was clearly marked by the lights he lit and the lights he kept burning - even though he may not be seen or known. A woman involved in a weekly Bible study made a significant discovery quite accidentally in her basement. One day she noticed that some potatoes had sprouted in the darkest corner of the room. At first she could not figure out how they had received any light to grow. Then she noticed that she had hung a copper kettle from a ...

3568. Enduring the Trials of Faith

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... children, whom he calls the "Clowns of God," have made the message crystal clear. Months later, in a remote mountain villa, Jean Marie joins his new-found friends, the Clowns of God, to celebrate the Christmas feast. To this isolated place, Mr. Atha comes quite unexpectedly. Jean Marie has endured the great trial of faith and discovered Jesus, who has returned to claim the world. Morris West's epic tale describes how one man was challenged to look beyond the obvious in order to find the presence of God ...

3569. Defeat Transformed into Victory

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Richard Gribble

3570. God Never Gives Up on Anyone

John 14:15-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... once per week when he was allowed the privilege of a shower. Even his meals were slipped through a special opening in his cell door. God had a plan for Robert Stroud; God have not given up on him. The manifestation of God's plan began quite innocently one day when a small bird came and perched on the windowsill of Stroud's cell which looked out onto the Kansas countryside. Over time, the bird came back, and with more time still, one bird turned into many birds. Stroud received permission to house these ...

3571. Completing The Master's Work

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... completed their master's work. Giacomo Puccini was one of the greatest composers of opera who ever lived. His great and glorious music, written for and performed in the great opera houses of the world has delighted people for more than a century. It was quite common to hear people along the streets of any great city whistling or humming one of the many popular melodies from such great works as Tosca, La Boheme, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, and Gianni Schicchi. Toward the end of his life, Puccini took on ...

3572. Reevaluating Our Mission for Christ

John 17:1-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... I am gone, I expect you to use your gift wisely and well, so that upon my return I will find our village more happy and prosperous than it is today." He embraced his sons and then left on his journey. For a few months, things went quite well in the village, but then came the cold winter with its snow, winds, and assorted problems. First, the buds on the olive trees shrank and cracked and it would, therefore, be a long time before the trees would recover. The village, because of the extremely long winter ...

3573. What Is Success?

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... low of 35 years. Today the average life span for an American citizen is 72 years. Yet, in all of this history of longevity, one finds that length of years has very little to do with a person's success. Indeed, some of the most successful persons died quite young! Shubert, Mozart, Shelley, John the Baptizer, and Jesus Christ all died in their thirties. Peter Marshall put it well when he wrote, "The measure of a life is not its duration, but its donation." Width If success isn't to be found in length of life ...

3574. Try This on For Size!

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... and ask him for help. This is why in the text for today Jesus asks only those to come to him who admit they are tired. He did not say, "Come to me all who are self-sufficient." He did not say, "Come to me all who are getting along quite well without me." He asks only that those come who recognize their need. He says, "Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Who does he want to come? "All who labor and are heavy laden!" Do you fit into this category ...

3575. The Garden Is Doing Fine?

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Remember the nursery rhyme about little contrary Mary? It asks the question, "Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" This parable of Jesus asks the church the same question. It's all about seed and four different soils that receive it. It's a parable of how different people respond to the gospel. Stolen Seed Jesus said, "A sower went out to sow ...

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