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 3651 to 3675 of 4977 results

3651. Easter Vigil

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Romans 6:1-14, Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... . Moreover, we are no longer left wondering how the stone was moved from the mouth of the tomb (as we were in Mark); for, in Matthew, the angel moves the stone. Furthermore, Matthew refers to happenings that make the awesome nature of this scene quite clear (as if the physical appearance of the angel would not inspire awe), telling of the earthquake that occurred when the angel descended (the second such rumbling—see 27:51) and of the utter terror of the guards at the tomb (themselves a new element ...

3652. Epiphany 3

Psalm 27:1-14, Isaiah 9:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Matthew 4:12-17, Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... 's faith in God, and vv. 4-9 as an expression of the psalmist's desire to live in communion with God. If we split the psalm in this way, then the final line in v. 3 stands out as providing transition. The line translates from the Hebrew quite literally as, "in this I am trusting." Significance. The final line in v. 3 is translated in the NRSV, "yet I will be confident." This translation ties the line to the preceding one, which creates contrast in v. 3 between a military host encamping for the purpose of ...

3653. Epiphany 6

Mt 5:21-37 · 1 Cor 3:1-9 · Ps 119 · Dt 30:15-20

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... after all, it certainly makes no sense to think that we can wander around doing whatever we like just because we are Christian. The old word for that was antinomianism, and the Church has frowned upon it. Christians have to try harder. That struggle makes them quite visible, so they will stand out from the rest of the world because of their ability to conform to these "kingdom standards." This sense of the law, carried to an extreme, can result in absurd situations. For example, one group of Amish that uses ...

3654. Lent 4

Jn 9:1-41 · Eph 5:8-14 · Ps 23 · 1 Sam 16:1-13

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... in Christology, but the story has rich implication for the way that Christians perceive their lives. Ephesians 5:8-14 - "Practical Words on Christian Life" Setting. Ephesians is shaped like a normal Pauline letter, but upon examination one finds this writing to be quite different from the other letters attributed to Paul in the New Testament. There is a salutation in 1:1-2 and a lofty doxological statement in 1:3-14 where one would expect a thanksgiving-prayer report. The remainder of chapter 1 and ...

3655. Pentecost

John 20:19-23, Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13, Psalm 104:1-35, Numbers 11:4-35

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... of Acts. In Acts 1 we moved from Easter up to Pentecost, seeing the risen Lord present among the disciples, instructing them, and promising the coming of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2 narrates the fulfillment of Jesus' promise, and it shows us quite dramatically what the disciples do as a result of being anointed with the Spirit—they are transformed from being mere eyewitnesses to being genuine ministers of the word. The remainder of Acts, beginning in Acts 3, tells how certain faithful disciples continue ...

3656. Proper 12

Genesis 29:15-30, Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52, Romans 8:28-39, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... of the love of God, not so much teaching as preaching—speaking more for inspiration than didactic purposes. Thus we may put perfectly logical questions to this passage that the text cannot possibly answer. Paul's point in the subsequent section (vv. 31-39) is quite simple: God's love has grasped believers in such a way that there is absolutely no one and nothing that can come between God and the believers. Paul introduces a wide range of images of cosmic power in these verses: death, life, angels, rulers ...

3657. Proper 13

Psalm 17:1-15, Romans 9:1-29, Matthew 14:13-21, Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... of God in relation to humanity, especially Israel. The verses of the lesson open this section with very personal remarks from Paul. Structure. These five verses more-or-less unwind in an unsystematic manner. Paul begins this new section of the letter rather abruptly and quite enigmatically in vv. 1-2 by speaking of the deep anguish he experiences. Then, he states the cause for the distress in v. 3. In turn, vv. 4-5 list some of the prerogatives that the Israelites had experienced, the last of which was that ...

3658. Proper 14

Genesis 37:1-11, Matthew 14:22-36, Romans 9:30--10:21, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... story is filled with ironies. It begins in v. 14 with Jacob requesting that Joseph seek the shalom (peace) of his brothers, who are out tending the sheep. (The NRSV translates this verse, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers" but the Hebrew quite literally reads, "Go now see the peace of your brothers.") The repetition of this motif from v. 4 prepares the reader for anything but peace on this trip. The brothers hatch a plot to kill him, but then a rather confusing scenario develops in which Joseph ...

3659. Proper 15

Genesis 45:1-28, Matthew 15:21-28, Romans 11:1-10, Romans 11:25-32, Psalm 133:1-3

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... and faithful, so that present Jewish rejection of the gospel is not a sign of God's rejection of the Jews, but the result of God's working through the Jews, using them, to accomplish the salvation of the Gentiles. Paul's logic is peculiar, but quite clear. God acts freely with the authority of the Creator over creation (including human creatures). Presently God's wrath is upon some while God's mercy rests on others. Yet, the Jewish condition of unbelief is not a permanent state. It is the result of God ...

3660. Proper 17

Exodus 3:1-22, Matthew 16:21-28, Romans 12:9-21, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... 's faith Jesus had promised him the authority to do the hard work of ministry. This well-informed and authorized disciple heard his master—the Christ, the Son of the living God—talking about his Passion, and Jesus' words completely threw him. Peter acted quite logically: he rebuked Jesus. Whatever he said, Peter's words were strong; for the verb translated "to rebuke" is the same word used throughout the Gospel in reference to Jesus' rebuking demons. Yet it is Jesus, not Peter, who had the final say in ...

3661. Proper 18

Psalm 149:1-9, Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 18:15-20, Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... is merely a rulebook, but when we come across teaching as sane and sound as this, we should be eager to comply. Think of disasters you have known or heard about in the life of congregations and ask yourself whether things would not have turned out quite differently if Jesus' directions had been carefully followed. Jesus' words set forth a means of dealing with disagreements that blends and balances love and justice. The call to live as the God who pursues and rejoices over the finding of the lost is not a ...

3662. Proper 21

Exodus 17:1-7, Matthew 21:23-27, Matthew 21:28-32, Philippians 2:1-11, Psalm 78:1-72

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... no religion at all. Rigid, self-righteous piety can thwart genuine devotion. PROPER 21: THE CELEBRATION It is interesting to note that the first two lessons today are repetitions from Lent. Then they were used to comment upon the Paschal mystery in some quite specific way: In Exodus we were anticipating the waters of baptism; in Philippians we we mining the mystery of the cross. The reappearance of these lessons can serve to remind us that each Sunday is a remembrance of the Easter proclamation and hence ...

3663. Proper 22

Exodus 20:1-21, Matthew 21:33-46, Philippians 3:1-11, Psalm 19:1-14

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... credentials. In response, Paul recites his own qualifications. Many bad sermons, frequently well off the interpretive mark, have been preached on vv. 4-11. Notice that Paul is neither guilty nor disillusioned as he looks back on his life in Judaism; indeed, he was quite content and can refer to his former accomplishments as "gain." But now he is changed, and the gain is "loss" (you don't call getting rid of a bad thing "a loss"). Why? Because of Christ. Paul speaks here from the retrospective outlook of ...

3664. Transfiguration

Psalm 2:1-12, Matthew 17:1-13, 2 Peter 1:12-21, Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... the unit by describing how Moses actually entered the presence of God at the summit of the mountain on the seventh day. Exodus 24:12-18 has strong links to the creation story with the separation of six days from a special seventh day. Indeed, the links are quite intentional because priestly writers wish for us to see how our worship of God is not like the rest of our weekly activities, precisely because God is with us in a special way in the sanctuary. In the creation story of Genesis 1, note how the climax ...

3665. Trinity Sunday

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Matthew 28:16-20, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Psalm 8:1-9

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... have set your glory above the heavens.") This fact is then what prompts the wonder and awe of the psalmist concerning the position of humans in the larger drama of God's creation. NEW TESTAMENT TEXTS The lectionary brings together two quite distinct passages in the lessons for this Sunday. But at a glance anyone can see that these texts were selected because they contain Trinitarian language in seemingly polished formal statements. Either lesson or both lessons provide(s) scriptural precedent for reflection ...

3666. What Is Eternal Life?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... gone. But Kruger says he knows why he survived. "I think God was holding my leg, teaching me that I hadn't been doing everything he wanted me to do," he said. There is an old saying that declares, “Nothing concentrates the mind quite like a hanging at dawn” (Often attributed to Samuel Johnson). In other words, when faced with the very real possibility of death, our typical multi-tasking, “scatter brain” consciousness both “zooms in” and “zones out.” We “zoom in” to a finely tuned focus ...

3667. That First Longing

John 4:5-42

Illustration

Robert Bachelder

... , if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise. The longings which arise in us when we first fall in love, or first think of some foreign country, or first take up some subject that excites us, are longings which no marriage, no travel, no learning can really satisfy. I am not now speaking ...

3668. Changed Lives: The Man Born Blind from Birth

John 9:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... as accidental? Do you see them as something you deserve because of your hard work? Or do you see them as a gift from God? Rev. Dr. Lewis Smedes tells about a health crisis he experienced sometime back. He had not slept well that night and was not feeling quite right in the morning. His wife came in and found him lying on the kitchen floor, belly up, his face a battleship gray, eyes wide open but not looking at anything. She did all the things she had learned in first aid class, and then called an ambulance ...

3669. A Personal Experience (Good Friday drama)

John 19:28-37

Drama

Russell N. Gallimore

... it. I shook my head “No!” but he pointed insistently. Reluctantly, I responded as he had indicated, leaving behind the secure ranks of being a spectator to be pressed into an unwanted participator’s role! The timber was heavy. The street was beginning to grow quite steep. I felt resentment at having been plucked from the crowd and forced against my will to shoulder a stranger’s burden. What an insult for a visitor to this city! What a dishonor for me, an honorable man. But here was I, following in ...

3670. Daylight Lasts Longer

John 11:1-45

Illustration

Thomas Long

A couple in Arkansas had given their six-year-old son strict instructions to come home from playing every afternoon no later than 5 p.m. He was allowed to play with his friends, but his parents were quite serious about his curfew. If not home by 5 p.m., they'd begin to worry and call around the neighborhood to find out where he was. The boy knew this, though, and was careful to arrive every day on time. One March Monday, however, the day after Daylight Saving ...

3671. Changed Lives: Judas

Matthew 26:14-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... Surely there was more to Judas’ betrayal than just money. The next scene in our narrative shifts to a house where Jesus and his disciples are celebrating Passover. While they are eating, Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” This was quite a bombshell to drop on the disciples. “One of you will betray me.” The disciples were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?” Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me ...

3672. When Tragedy Strikes

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

James W. Moore

... the 8:30 service, then go to Youth Sunday School at 9:45, and then come back to the sanctuary to serve as an acolyte in the 11:00 service, and then be here on Sunday afternoon and evening for choir practice an youth fellowship. He was without question quite simply one of the finest young men I have ever known. Last Sunday, January 16, a little after noon our time, Jerry died as a result of a skiing accident in Breckenridge, Colorado. He was 15 years old. His family, his friends, and all of us who knew Jerry ...

3673. The Lost and Found Coin

Luke 15:8-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

... suggests that there were two possible reasons why the woman was so eager and anxious to find the coin. For one thing, the single coin does not sound like much money to us, but it was more than a day’s wage back then and most of the people were quite poor. But, then, also Barclay points out that: “There may have been a much more romantic reason. The mark of a married woman was a head-dress made of ten silver coins linked together by a silver chain. For years maybe a girl would scrape and save to amass ...

3674. The Lost and Found Coin

Luke 15:8-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

... suggests that there were two possible reasons why the woman was so eager and anxious to find the coin. For one thing, the single coin does not sound like much money to us, but it was more than a day's wage back then and most of the people were quite poor. But, then, also Barclay points out that: "There may have been a much more romantic reason. The mark of a married woman was a head-dress made of ten silver coins linked together by a silver chain. For years maybe a girl would scrape and save to amass her ...

3675. The Lost and Found Son

Luke 15:11-24

Sermon

James W. Moore

... Prepare the fatted calf… and let us eat and make merry for this my son was dead and now he is alive again. He was lost and now he is found.” And so, they had a great party and lived happily ever after. End of story? No! Not quite… because the Prodigal has an Elder Brother. The Elder Brother was doing what all elder brothers ought to do… he was in the field, dutifully at work… doing the chores. When he heard music at the house, he asked: “What’s going on? A servant answered: “Your brother ...

Showing results

Showing 3651 to 3675 of 4977 results

3651. Easter Vigil

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Romans 6:1-14, Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3652. Epiphany 3

Psalm 27:1-14, Isaiah 9:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Matthew 4:12-17, Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3653. Epiphany 6

Mt 5:21-37 · 1 Cor 3:1-9 · Ps 119 · Dt 30:15-20

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3654. Lent 4

Jn 9:1-41 · Eph 5:8-14 · Ps 23 · 1 Sam 16:1-13

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3655. Pentecost

John 20:19-23, Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13, Psalm 104:1-35, Numbers 11:4-35

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3656. Proper 12

Genesis 29:15-30, Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52, Romans 8:28-39, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3657. Proper 13

Psalm 17:1-15, Romans 9:1-29, Matthew 14:13-21, Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3658. Proper 14

Genesis 37:1-11, Matthew 14:22-36, Romans 9:30--10:21, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3659. Proper 15

Genesis 45:1-28, Matthew 15:21-28, Romans 11:1-10, Romans 11:25-32, Psalm 133:1-3

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3660. Proper 17

Exodus 3:1-22, Matthew 16:21-28, Romans 12:9-21, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3661. Proper 18

Psalm 149:1-9, Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 18:15-20, Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3662. Proper 21

Exodus 17:1-7, Matthew 21:23-27, Matthew 21:28-32, Philippians 2:1-11, Psalm 78:1-72

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3663. Proper 22

Exodus 20:1-21, Matthew 21:33-46, Philippians 3:1-11, Psalm 19:1-14

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3664. Transfiguration

Psalm 2:1-12, Matthew 17:1-13, 2 Peter 1:12-21, Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3665. Trinity Sunday

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Matthew 28:16-20, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Psalm 8:1-9

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

3666. What Is Eternal Life?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

3667. That First Longing

John 4:5-42

Illustration

Robert Bachelder

3668. Changed Lives: The Man Born Blind from Birth

John 9:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

3669. A Personal Experience (Good Friday drama)

John 19:28-37

Drama

Russell N. Gallimore

3670. Daylight Lasts Longer

John 11:1-45

Illustration

Thomas Long

3671. Changed Lives: Judas

Matthew 26:14-16

Sermon

King Duncan

3672. When Tragedy Strikes

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

James W. Moore

3673. The Lost and Found Coin

Luke 15:8-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

3674. The Lost and Found Coin

Luke 15:8-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

... suggests that there were two possible reasons why the woman was so eager and anxious to find the coin. For one thing, the single coin does not sound like much money to us, but it was more than a day's wage back then and most of the people were quite poor. But, then, also Barclay points out that: "There may have been a much more romantic reason. The mark of a married woman was a head-dress made of ten silver coins linked together by a silver chain. For years maybe a girl would scrape and save to amass her ...

3675. The Lost and Found Son

Luke 15:11-24

Sermon

James W. Moore

Showing results