Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3651 to 3675 of 4972 results

3651. That All-Pervasive Snake

Genesis 2:4-25, Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Joann Hary

... woman was caught in adultery. The Law of Moses says she must be stoned." And Jesus said to the crowd, "Let that one among you who is without sin cast the first stone." And no one could even reach down to pick up a pebble. They all walked away, leaving her standing there with Jesus. And he said, "Where have they gone? Has no one condemned you? Then neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." I want to close with a rather strange story from The Upper Room Daily Devotional: Canadian Stanley Baldwin tells of ...

3652. When Drudgery Becomes Joy

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Joann Hary

... how you can be so merciful to those people who surely don't deserve it." And then there was Zacchaeus way up in the tree, who never would have dreamt for a minute that he was worthy of having Jesus come to his house. Or Peter, who finally said, "Just leave me alone, Jesus, for I am a sinful man!" But the secret of election as God's servants is that God chooses us. God chooses us, not because of what we can do for him, but because of what he can do with us and in us and through us ...

3653. Where is the Nearest Sycamore Tree?

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... the eye of a needle. But Luke tells us that for some reason, Jesus is taken with Zaccheus. Look at the way Jesus plays with Zaccheus. I can almost see the smile on Jesus’ face as he stands under that sycamore tree, looking up through the leaves, maybe calling Zaccheus’ name out playfully. "Zaccheus! Oh, Zaccheus! I know you’re up there! I see you, you little rascal you!" Even the "hurry up and come down" sounds playful, doesn’t it? Especially since Jesus is inviting himself to lunch! It sounds a ...

3654. When You Least Expect It...

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... our doubts, though all our indifference and insensitivity, right up to the moment when suddenly we know for certain that everything really IS in God’s hands, Jesus has been right there with us through it all. The Emmaus story is the story of a God who will not leave us alone, even when we are hurt and disappointed, even when it seems that the brightest and best in life has been destroyed. The death of Jesus could no more stop God from loving us than the night can keep the sun from coming up in the morning ...

3655. The Women

John 20:1-9

Drama

William Grimbol

... obsessed with the Law. It has become a net that traps us in detail after detail. NANCY: If rabbi could hear this. KAREN: Rabbi doesn't listen to women. PATTI: That is another thing. Christ does. He does listen to women. NANCY: That is it? I'm leaving. I am not listening to anymore of this blasphemy. (Exits.) DIANE: How could anyone with that big of a mouth be upset by somebody wanting to listen to her? CAROL: (Laughing) Then she might have to think for herself, and that might be asking for the impossible ...

3656. The Men

Drama

William Grimbol

... : Is he yours? JOHN: It wouldn't shock me if he was. ARNOLD: Me either. REED: I can't say. I know I respect him. I agree with his message. I believe we need his spiritual challenge. BILL: Maybe you should follow him then. REED: Maybe I should. (Stands to leave.) Maybe I should. (Exits.) BILL: He has always been a little radical. ARNOLD: Naive. JOHN: Exactly.

3657. The Children

Drama

William Grimbol

... 't give me any ideas. JULIE: He very well might be crucified. PETER: For what? JENA: For attacking our religious leaders, that is what. For having terrible friends. JULIE: For saying he is God. CHRIS: What if he is? KEITH: Yea, what if? JULIE: Boys. How silly. (Stands to leave) JENA: Let's go. I don't like the company of fools. (Both exit.) PETER: What snobs. CHRIS: Like their fathers. KEITH: They make me ill. Big "know-it-ails." I wish my mother would let me hear him ... see him. CHRIS: Me too. I'd love to ...

3658. The Youth

Drama

William Grimbol

... out your convictions ... if you love, even when it is risky ... if you really try to change the world ... DEAN: It will never change. MEGHAN: If I change myself it already has. It already has. DEAN: Big deal. MEGHAN: Yes. Big deal. I want to stand for something, leave something behind. I want people to know that I tried for something better. DEAN: How does Jesus fit into all of that? MEGHAN: I'm not sure. I intend to find out. DEAN: So you and Jesus are going to change the world? MEGHAN: Maybe. Maybe. DEAN ...

3659. The Elders

Drama

William Grimbol

... they will both have run off to join him and his motley crew. RUTH: Oh, just go for your walk. You never listen anyway. DAVID: (Exiting with NATHAN) Not to lies I don't. RUTH: (Now seated next to RACHEL) I do feel guilty. RACHEL: About their leaving? RUTH: No, about my fascination with him. They can walk until their feet bleed. RACHEL: (Laughing) Ruth! You are so stubborn. RUTH: Stubborn? No, just my own person. RACHEL: He does intrigue me, too. RUTH: I've heard him preach twice. RACHEL: You haven't. RUTH: I ...

3660. The Meaning of Life

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Brett Blair

... has been called, by many scholars, Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. [Pause] The Disciples are in the upper room, now. They have just finished the Passover meal and Jesus is thinking about his crucifixion which will occur within the next 24 hours. He knows he is about to leave his disciples alone in the world and he goes before God as a priest would, to intercede for them, to pray for them. Listen again to his prayer. I am lifting out a few key verses: "While I was with them, I protected them and kept them ...

3661. Episode 1: The Holy Spirit

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Brett Blair

... is the story of the Holy Spirit breathing a movement into the life of the disciples. Pentecost is in effect the church’s Episode I. Here’s what happened in the church’s Episode I: The disciples had gathered in Jerusalem. Jesus had instructed them not to leave Jerusalem…to wait for the gift that the Father had promised. So the disciples waited. It was now 50 days since Passover and it was the custom of the Jews to celebrate two things at this time: the first fruits of the Harvest and the giving of ...

3662. Not Your Favorite Father's Day Scripture

Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... fun. Bye, Ishmael. You be a good boy, now." I don’t know about you, but this story ranks just this side of the incident where God orders Abraham to sacrifice Isaac and Abraham is ready to do it. There are literally hundreds of pages the lectionary committee chose to leave out. Why didn’t this one get tossed on the cutting room floor? I don’t know. But here it is, and on Father’s Day, for crying out loud. And we just have to deal with it. It not a story we can lightly explain away, that Sarah was ...

3663. The Inaugural Address

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Brett Blair

... God, only material things. Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income; the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side; farmers find no markets for their produce; the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone. I AM certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address ...

3664. God Became Human

John 1:1-18

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

... . Is he this many? (response) Let’s ask the congregation to help us. Everyone hold up your fingers. Observing all the toes and fingers: Look at how many Jesus is. That’s old! Application: You see, he's older than the stars because he is God. Then he decided to leave heaven and come to earth and live with us. So you see...Jesus isn't just a little baby; He is God in heaven who was very old and became five years old. He became a little child and he lived as a little child. And he knew what it ...

3665. Good News Or Bad News?

Sermon

Rolf E. Aaseng

... occupy us in heaven. Of course we cannot say in any detail what life in heaven will be like. But the pictures given in the Bible indicate that worship - praise of God - is an important feature of heavenly life. Does the thought of an endless church service leave us cold? Then there must be something wrong with the way we worship. True worship cannot be boring. To be in God's presence is always exciting; it will always draw forth our praise. Thus the inhabitants of heaven are always giving God glory. How do ...

3666. How Soon Is "Soon"?

Sermon

Rolf E. Aaseng

... " with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates .... But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert ...

3667. Get Ready

Sermon

Rolf E. Aaseng

... . These will go with us into a new existence. So Paul advised, "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2). Like the Israelites, who ate the Passover meal while standing, dressed to travel, so they would be ready to leave Egypt as soon as the word was given, we are to be ready at any time to follow our leader to a new heaven and earth. For our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20); we are just pilgrims passing through this world (Hebrews 11:13). If our ...

3668. It Dawned on Me

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... Romans would have no place for a quitter. So, you see, there was no way out. Yet, one day this prophet named Jesus, about whom everyone was talking, passed by my tax booth, looked at me, and said, "Follow me." And I did. Why would a man leave everything ... job, family, home, security ... and follow Jesus? Because Jesus had the glance that knows. His eyes were great canyons of understanding and compassion. No one had ever looked at me like this man. No one. He should have condemned me. Instead he invited me ...

3669. St. Jim, Your Halo Is Tipped

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise." (Mark 10:33-35) He had said it before. Now he says it again. There is no mistake about it. The apostles know: "Our friend is going to suffer a horrible death. He is going to leave us." Ten apostles were lost in confused talk or quiet withdrawal and depression about what Jesus said. James and John reacted differently. They went forward to Jesus and tried to make a deal which would guarantee them places of honor. James, the elder of the brothers, led ...

3670. I Came Back -The Risen Young Man

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... city and the city of infamous crucifixions, was south of Nain. Mt. Tabor where the transfiguration took place was not far from my town. We lived in the western foothills of another mountain called Little Hermon. My story is one of human tragedy. My father had died, leaving my mother and me alone. I was young when he died. I loved the freedom of running through the hills at top speed with the wind rushing through my hair, but my mother was a widow, so I took on responsibilities to help feed our family of ...

3671. At the Foot of the Cross

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... appeared to be his mother and a young man approached the cross. I didn't quite hear what was said, but it was something about caring for one another. As they departed, it grew very dark, though it was only noon. Most of the spectators began to leave, but some lingered long enough to hear more from the mouth of this so-called prophet. "Eloi, eloi, Lama sabachthani," he cried with a voice so horrible that it defies description. "He calls Elijah," said one man. But I knew the awful truth. I knew enough Aramaic ...

3672. Praying With Tears in Your Eyes

Hebrews 1:1-14

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... cross was God's will. In our day we are hearing much about death and dying. How can we face death with courage and dignity? It is ultimately a matter of praying with tears. Why not tears? We, too, want to live. We enjoy life. We dread the unknown and leaving loved ones. I myself had to face up to this issue some years ago. Having a fear of heights, for many years I refused to travel by air. The time came when railroads were impractical for travel. I had a preaching mission in a distant state and found that ...

3673. The Christian's Tears of Failure

Matthew 26:69-75

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... curls. She was physically attractive in every way except she could not play with us, for she walked with a limp. When I asked her mother why our cousin limped, she explained that once her father whipped her so hard that her hip was dislocated, leaving one leg shorter than the other. Can you imagine the remorse her father must have had as he watched his beautiful daughter ever limping and handicapped? And it still goes on. We call it child abuse. Recently a government report informed us that about twenty ...

3674. Tears on Easter?

John 20:10-18

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... to an empty tomb - out of death came the victory of life. Colleen McCullough got the title of her best-selling book, Thorn Birds, from a legend about a bird that sings only once and more sweetly than any other bird on earth. From the time it leaves the nest, it looks for a thorn tree and does not rest until it is found. Singing among the savage branches, the bird impales itself upon the longest, sharpest thorn. Dying, it rises above its agony to outsing the lark and the nightingale. The world gets still ...

3675. WHAT IS MAN?

Sermon

Larry Powell

... "wonder drugs," more commonly referred to as "folk medicine" or "home remedies." Appalachian people revered the mountain plant, gingseng, as a universal cure-all for everything from indigestion to marital discord. Even today, mountain people grub for its roots to chew and twist its leaves into a time honored tea. Gingseng was, and is, the healing potion. Years ago, I was cutting right-of-way for the R.E.A. on a plantation in Mississippi County. A large sycamore tree had grown at an awkward angle across the ...

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