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 3626 to 3650 of 4943 results

3626. We Need Another Miracle

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... all present the story of Jesus in terms of miracles. Mark has this story, Matthew and Luke begin with the miracle of Jesus’ birth, John starts Jesus off with the changing of the water into wine at the wedding in Cana. And the miracles continue throughout the accounts. Do you believe in miracles? My dictionary defines a miracle as “an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.”[4] I would emphasize the ...

3627. A Child of God

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Sermon

Ronald Love

... , to the communion supper. The idea is that in the communion the body and blood of Christ, the bread and wine, coexist in union with each other. Luther illustrated this by the analogy of the iron put into the fire whereby both fire and iron are united, yet each continues unchanged. For Paul it was not who was most right, but who is most loving. For Paul it was not to be exclusive in one’s doctrine, but to be inclusive. For Paul it was not to be belligerent, but it was to be conciliatory. In our lectionary ...

3628. The Rainbow

Genesis 9:8-17

Eulogy

George Reed

... ’S] physical presence is no longer with us but he/she is with us in all our memories of being together. Let us remember [NAME] and celebrate the ways in which he/she continues to be a rainbow for us. [Reflections on the life of the deceased] We will miss the physical presence of [NAME] but we know that the joy of this rainbow will continue in the presence of God for all eternity and that someday we will again enjoy the fullness of that blessing. But we do not need to wait until then to celebrate and share ...

3629. Comfort My People

Isaiah 40:1-8

Eulogy

George Reed

... many sources. Sometimes it is the direct consequence of poor decisions that we ourselves have made. We allow our anger to get the best of us and we quit our job when we have no prospects for another one. We disregard all the advice of health professionals and continue practices that put our health and even our lives at risk. We choose to look out only for ourselves and soon those we loved have been pushed out of our lives. Sometimes we are just at the end of a chain of consequences that we had nothing to ...

3630. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Eulogy

George Reed

... but, instead, grew and reached out to others. Reflections on how [NAME] shared love beyond family. You may then include things that they loved doing, as well. We want to celebrate today that life of love but we need to do more than that for we need to continue it. For when we are patient and kind we will not only be honoring the memory of [NAME] but we will be sharing her/his love and spirit with others. When we refrain from being envious or boastful, arrogant or rude then [NAME] will live on in and ...

3631. Jews and Christians: All in the Family

Romans 15:4-13

Sermon

Will Willimon

... done. I tried to tell him that those fundamentalists would probably listen to me less than they would listen to him. But he was upset about their Christian dogmatism and, to him, offensive tactics. I said that I, as a Christian, was embarrassed too. He continued, saying how inappropriate it was, on the Duke campus, for people to be pushing their religion. I disagreed. “Wait a minute,” I said. “You are talking as if you are a minority negotiating with the majority. There are about as many Jews on this ...

3632. Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?

John 10:11-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... end up enabling wolves or becoming wolves themselves, disguised in sheep’s wool. Throughout scripture, we see sheep who are innocent at heart smitten with leaders who lead them astray with their own selfish motives. How frustrating it must have been for God to see his people continually misled, misled, or misused by those who took oaths to take care of them. It’s no wonder, God makes his own oath, as told by the prophet Ezekiel. Listen to what God vows to do: The Lord GOD says, “I myself will be their ...

3633. Prophets and the Powerful

1 Kings 21:1-3, 17-21

Sermon

Will Willimon

... through your neighborhood.” “The government in Praetoria is only too willing to hold negotiations with you people -- as long as you agree to some basic terms first.” Beware of powerful people who are both powerful and polite, the story seems to say. The story continues. Naboth, the recipient of the King's generosity, is not polite at all. He is impudent, uppity, assertive. “The LORD forbid that I should give you what my fathers gave me,” he says. Look at this nobody! Who does he think he is? The ...

3634.

Psalm 80:1-19

Teach the Text

Craig C. Broyles

... -ark, namely “Yahweh of hosts” (NIV “LORD God Almighty,” vv. 4, 7, 14, 19; cf. 1 Sam. 4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2). In the language of the old tribal alliance, he is called upon to renew his warrior strength to bring about salvation. The psalm continues in petition with a refrain (v. 3) that is repeated with slight variation in verses 7, 19 (cf. v. 14). This refrain establishes the psalm’s structure. The imperative, restore us, contains what may be an intentional ambiguity. It can mean “cause us to (re)turn ...

3635.

Psalm 99:1-9

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... shake,” “Let them praise . . . ,” “you have established equity . . . ,” and v. 8). 99:1–3 Like Psalms 93 and 97, this psalm of Yahweh’s kingship opens with the acclamation, The LORD reigns. The phrase, he sits enthroned between the cherubim, is actually a continuation of the full name that was invoked over the cherubim-ark: “the LORD of hosts who is enthroned between the cherubim” (lit., 2 Sam. 6:2; cf. 1 Sam. 4:4). Thus, this title and perhaps the symbol of the cherubim-ark itself face ...

3636. Zion's New Name

Isaiah 62:1-12

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... is to be so. The Preacher joins in such debate in the meeting of the heavenly cabinet and refuses to be similarly quiet until receiving a satisfactory response—in action and not merely in word. As NEB recognizes, the prayer does not end at verse 1. The till continues its force, implicitly, through verses 2–5. There is nothing novel in the content of verses 1–5. We have heard it all before. What is new is its being turned into a prayer that Yahweh is going to have to answer in order to get any rest ...

3637. The Interpretation of the Vision

Daniel 8:15-27

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... entail the end of history, time, and the world. Regardless, based on chapters 2 and 7, the author of Daniel was expecting the dramatic in-breaking of God’s kingdom once Antiochus IV was destroyed. Yet he also believed that history and the world would continue eternally under the rule of God. Eschatology (one’s view of the end time) developed over the centuries. The prophets looked for a limited end within time, after which God would act again to bring salvation. For example, Amos saw the end of Israel ...

3638. Schadenfreude

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... what is right, erring on the side of love, living justly rather than imposing justice. Now, this one’s important. Let’s hear that again. “Living justly rather than imposing justice.” It’s important, because it’s one of the principles in the Bible that we continually confuse and bend to our own advantage. And here’s where Schadenfreude easily creeps in. The prophet Micah tells us we must do what? Let’s look at that passage for a moment in Micah 6:8: You mortals, the LORD has told you what is ...

3639. Do You Believe in Miracles?

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... now in utter disillusionment over our “existential” dilemma, we have given up on trying at all. Yet what we do know and recognize is that a church that cannot reproduce, like any crop or animal, will eventually die out. Everything that expects to grow and flourish must continue to reproduce. So what do we do? Do we simply sit back and wait out our demise? Or do we go back to the scripture, listen to what Jesus is telling us, and begin our process over again in a different more faithful way? Can we begin ...

3640. Kingdom Mystery

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

David Coffin

... Then in some mysterious way, the seeds sprout and grow. The sower does not know how. The good news for churches and communities of faith such as ours is that somehow and in some way, God’s kingdom is growing in our midst, regardless of our efforts. God’s kingdom continues to take shape. Later in the text, the kingdom of God is similar to a mustard seed, “It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and ...

3641. Gathered Around Jesus

Mark 6:30-34; 53-56

Sermon

David Coffin

... Christian Soldiers.” As this might relate to Mark’s gospel in Mark 16:6-7, the man in the empty tomb told the women to tell the disciples to meet Jesus at Galilee. New ministry could begin there. Today’s gospel lesson begins at Mark 6:30-34 and continues at 6:53-56. The sick, hungry, and needy people did not go away. However, Jesus and his disciples did go onto a boat and travel to other areas. It is not unreasonable to believe that they took time to rest a while. Then they resumed their ministry. For ...

3642. Soul Hunger

John 6:24-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... meaning resonates with what Jesus is describing in our scripture for today. Jesus had just gotten through feeding about 10,000 people (men, women, and children) on the bank of a hillside, and now he sought some respite from the crowd following him. But they continued to seek and find him. But for what reason? Jesus stops in our scripture for today and confronts those following him, telling them that they are not seeking him for the right reasons. They aren’t interested in learning more about who he is and ...

3643. You Sent Who?

Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... than an army. Pilate was the head of the judicial system and held the power to inflict capital punishment when he wanted to use it. He was responsible for collecting taxes, disbursing funds, and minting money. While he allowed the local religious court, the Sanhedrin, to continue in their role, he made sure that they kept him in the loop and did their part to keep the Jewish people under control and not let them stir up any trouble for him. Pilate’s role of governor was officially under the rule of the ...

3644. Living Bread

John 6:51-58

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... -giving, kingdom-building, spiritual “muscle” bread! Jesus bread. For he is the primary and eternal Source. All of you have probably at one time or another had the experience of making or watching being made “sourdough.” The sourdough starter contains enzymes, which when passed on, continue to create the same bread on and on for as long as it’s passed on. So it is with the Kingdom of Heaven. In our scripture for today, Jesus tells us that he will give his own flesh in sacrifice for us. Because of ...

3645. When the Rules Change

7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

David Coffin

... Their adult child was now living back home for the foreseeable future. Again, the rules have changed. A university-educated state employee had been in his position for over twenty years. He thought that his retirement pension program was secure and could continue working for the state for another ten years. The bombshell announcement occurred when the state was in financial trouble. All state employee pension programs were under water. The state would no longer be able to honor the commitments made to their ...

3646. Faces at a Funeral

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... , beautiful death somehow bound heaven to earth, God to humanity, eternity to time. We are not forgotten. For the one who thought us into being has become fully a traveler with us. He lived our life — he died our death — and we cannot be forgotten. The Funerals Continue So we go on with our own lives and deaths. My memories of my great-grandmother Bolt are very vague. I was a young lad when my parents took my older sister and me to see her at a retirement home in Willmar, Minnesota. I can remember ...

3647. What If It's ALL True?

John 20:1-18 · Matthew 28:10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... that love walked among us in the person of Jesus? What if that love embraced the ultimate sacrifice of death for our sake? What if that love was able to transcend the finality and power of death and live again to live forever? What if that love continues to live and walk among us today, two thousand years after that death-melting resurrection? What if it is ALL TRUE? But you say “Prove It!” Show me the “proof” that it’s true! How do you “prove” if it’s true? In April 2002, 100 philosophers ...

3648. Pressing On In Faith

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sermon

Bonnie Bates

... by the theology of my faith community and faith leaders. My faith in God didn’t waver, but my understanding of God as loving and grace-filled didn’t seem to be reflected in that community or what I was hearing from the pulpit. In spite of that, I continued to worship, sing in worship, pray, and read scripture. Yet my heart was hungry. I knew there was more for me to do, learn, and be. As I further explored what being faithful meant to me, I found a church home in the United Church of Christ. With its ...

3649. At the Table

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

Bonnie Bates

... be offering his body and blood for us? What depth of love was that? How could I be worthy of that sacrifice, that much redemption and love? Recently, a contemporary Christian song has been recorded that speaks to our sense of unworthiness and Christ’s continuing invitation. It’s by the Sidewalk Prophets and titled “Come to the Table.” The lyrics are online and you may look them up. It talks about finding grace, especially when we need it the most. Clearly those lyrics remind us each that nothing can ...

3650. Going Home ― Part Two: Then And Now

Luke 4:21-30

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... , and saw that her containers still had meal and oil for her family’s food. God came to the aid of the widow from the town of Zarephath, in the land of the enemy, while the people in the land of Israel continued to starve. The second story is about a time after Ahab’s son became king and continued doing many of the same things his father had done. The prophet Elisha was doing God’s work, but the king and many others in Israel did not believe in him. There was a man called Naaman, who was the commander ...

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