Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3701 to 3725 of 5000 results

3701. LIFE! LIFE! ETERNAL LIFE!

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Sermon Aid

John W. Rilling

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. In PILGRIM’S PROGRESS, that wonderful tale symbolizing the Christian life, the first man we meet is a man who is "scared to death" because he was scared OF death. The thought of death and judgment became an obsession, so much so that he left his home, his wife and children, who, when they saw what he was up to "began to cry after him to return; but the man put his fingers in his ears, and ran on, crying, ‘ ...

3702. IN THE HOUR OF TRIAL

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon Aid

John W. Rilling

Among the ancient Norse legends one tells of the visit of Thor, the mighty thunder god, to the land of the giants where he found them playing games of skill and strength. Eagerly he accepted their invitation to try his own prowess. His first test was to empty a great two-handed drinking bowl filled with a strange green liquid. But hard as he tried he succeeded in making it recede only a little bit. He shook his head perplexed as he put down the great bowl. Perhaps we should give you something easier, said ...

3703. Blessed With Peace

John 14:15-31

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

This week two thoughts were foremost in my mind. One thought was quite normal for a preacher as well as a basic necessity. What shall I emphasize Sunday morning when I am using for my text the words of Jesus which he spoke on his last night upon earth to his disciples? "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you ..." The other thought was quite different. I remembered that 31 years ago last Wednesday I was ordained into the ministry at the fiftieth anniversary of Trinity Church. After my father gave ...

3704. Strengthened For Life

John 15:1-17

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

During these Lenten Sunday mornings we have been thinking together about some of the things which Jesus shared with his disciples on the last night of his earthly life. These teachings of our Lord are recorded for us in chapters 13 through 17 of John’s Gospel. If you will read these chapters carefully, you will find they contain everything that is most precious in our Christian heritage - every gift, every promise, every commandment, every warning, every spiritual resource that the living Christ gives to ...

3705. Advent 4: Let Us Go Over To Bethlehem And Find The Christ of Christmas

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

James W. Moore

This sermon is based on Luke 2:1-7: The Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful and costly tombs in the world. The colorful legends which surround the building of the Taj Mahal are all fascinating. But, there is one that haunts and disturbs. Shah-Jahan, the powerful Mogul emperor, was in grief. His favorite wife had died. He loved her deeply and he was devastated by her loss. He decided to honor her in a signal way. He would construct an incredible temple, the likes of which the world had never seen. The ...

3706. The First Christmas Tree

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

Children's Sermon

Edward G. Hunter

Object: Point to a Christmas tree that may be in the sanctuary, or bring a picture of a Christmas tree. Do you know who first thought of the Christmas tree? No one knows for certain, but tradition tells us that Saint Boniface, a Catholic missionary in Germany in the eighth century, may have been the first one to pick the evergreen as a Christmas tree. He did so because the needles were always green, year round, and it represented the eternity of God to him. He used bright papers and ribbons to place on the ...

3707. Humble Bond-servants of Christ

Galatians 5:1-15

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Praise to the Lord, our redeemer and Savior! Praise to Almighty God! People: For we were once lost and did not know true life, Leader: But in Christ we have been forgiven and washed clean before the Lord. People: Our debt is so large and we have so little, we are bond-servants to God. Leader: But we are bond-servants of love and honored members of the family of God. All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect O God, Your ways are truly not our ways. In the Cross, our instrument of ...

3708. Past / Future

Mark 1:35-39, Mark 1:29-34

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: Only Jesus can free us from our hurtful past. Summary: Leo, a young man in business, is liked and encouraged by his manager, but he has some hang-ups: his mother and father are still controlling him -- so much so that he can't relate to others. Playing Time: 4 minutes Setting: A business office Props: Two ropes Computer printout Costumes: Joel, Leo -- business suits Momma and Poppa -- casual Time: The present Cast: Joel -- the manager Leo -- works for Joel Momma Poppa JOEL: (ENTERS ALONG WITH LEO. ...

3709. The Need for A Community of Healing

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

A friend of mine came home alive. For many long weeks there was real fear he would not come home at all. A week or so prior to Thanksgiving he entered the hospital with an emergency illness. After a few days, however, it became apparent something far more serious was wrong. Doctors were baffled. More specialists were called in who eventually diagnosed his malady -- a serious one indeed. Appropriate drugs and medications were administered, but his condition worsened. New specialists were summoned, new tests ...

3710. Report of a Secret Meeting

John 3:1-21

Sermon

George Bass

Nicodemus should have stayed home and gone to bed early that night long ago, but instead he secretly made his way to where Jesus was staying in Jerusalem and became a part of whatever was happening there. Something prompted him to address Jesus as "Teacher" a divinely appointed teacher who worked miracles in the name of God. Only one sent by God could do the things that Jesus did, according to Nicodemus. And he was right, of course. But what he said immediately prompted a retort from Jesus: "Unless a man ...

3711. The Terrible Tree

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

George Bass

Jesus had to die, according to the religious leaders of Jerusalem, because his continued existence posed a serious threat to their system of religious beliefs and worship in their God’s holy Temple. And now, just before the beginning of the Passover, they were rid of him once and for all. On the orders of the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, Jesus was marched out of the city, forced to carry his own cross, and brutally nailed to it, after which it was thrust into the ground so that anyone passing that way ...

3712. Blow The Trumpet In Zion

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Larry Powell

Is there a word which falls upon the human consciousness with a more resounding "thud" than the word "Repent"? "Oh no," you say. "It is the theme of the prophets, the touchstone of the gospel, and the initial requirement for entrance into the kingdom." That is true, but it is also true that the inherent dynamic of "Repent," one of the foremost action words in the vocabulary of humankind, has been neutralized by a generation no longer arrested by its appeal. A concrete sign in the shape of a cross stands ...

3713. Advent: Lament, Repent

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

Richard L. Eslinger

Israel had much to lament. It was a season for lamentation. The results of God’s anger were everywhere. The destruction is easy to catalog: Holy cities, become a wasteland. Zion, become a wilderness. Jerusalem, a desolation. That "holy and beautiful house," The Temple, burned by fire. "And all our pleasant places have become ruins." Living in the midst of this wasteland called for an incredible patience before the Lord - waiting for deliverance, waiting for return, waiting for restoration. This patience ...

3714. Marduk? or Yahweh?

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Richard L. Eslinger

The prophets had been right. All along, they had proclaimed that it would end up this way. If Israel would not turn to the Lord, would not repent and live justly, an awful judgment would come. The smashing fist would be Nebuchadnezzar, King of the conquering Babylonians. But within the blow of this withering attack was the wrath of Israel’s own God. And now the prophesied judgment was upon them. Resistance had been futile, the Holy City was overcome, and the people taken off into exile. Signs of that holy ...

3715. How To Be Used By God

1 Samuel 16:14-23

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction David was one of the greatest military commanders and statesmen in history. He established a dynasty that was destined to last for more than 400 years. The story of David’s early career is interwoven with the events of Saul’s reign (1 Samuel 13:31). His fascinating rise to leadership from the obscurity of a shepherd’s life makes for astounding reading. He appeared as a harp player in the king’s court. He had a marvelous victory over the giant Goliath and some gallant exploits among the ...

3716. Feeling Good

Philippians 4:2-9

Children's Sermon

Shirley Jennings

Theme: Filling our minds with things that are good can help us forget those things that are not so good. Props: A sheet of paper on a clipboard and a felt-tip marking pen. I have a piece of paper and a marking pen that I’m going to use while we talk today. We’re going to think about some good things and some not-so-good things. In the Bible it says, "... fill your minds with those things that are good ... (Philippians 4:8, TEV). I want you to tell me if the things I’m going to mention are good or not so ...

3717. Let Us Remember Our Baptism

1 Peter 3:8-22

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Let us come together in this holy place to worship the Lord! People: And let us each remember the commitment we made before Christ. Leader: Let our hearts recall our Baptism and how our sins were washed away. People: For without the righteousness of Christ we have no place before God. Leader: Then let us raise our voices in loud acclamation for all to hear. All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect O God, we are so grateful that in Christ You have made us welcome before You. Use ...

3718. The Temple of the Lord

John 2:12-25

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Let all who seek the Lord come together in this house to worship! People: Let us keep our eyes on the cross and all that it calls us to be. Leader: Let us also see in the cross the price paid to show us God's love. People: Let us walk without fear and be willing to share God's love today. Leader: And let us give thanks and sing praise for God's mercy and grace. All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect O God, in the cross You moved us from believing that the temple building was ...

3719. The Whip of War

John 2:12-25

Sermon

Brett Blair

The subject of war can be found throughout the bible. And why is this? After all it is a holy book. The answer: The Bible is full of war because life is full of war. The Bible not only tells us about God it tells us about mankind, and therefore it addresses the most significant events in human history. We are currently in such a time, and because we are at war it is appropriate for us this morning to take a look at the subject of war and what the Bible has to say. Let me start by asking you a question. Do ...

3720. The Mystery of His Presence

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Richard Patt

"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (v. 52, TEV) In these times of world hunger, when many even within our own prosperous land find it difficult to put food on the table, we ought to be careful when complaining about our daily bread. But some of the "come-ons" that so-called quality restaurants advertise these days can irk any of us. The other evening my wife and I visited a local restaurant that had an attractive advertisement, claiming the "best of everything" in town. The meals were offered for ...

3721. Religion in Focus

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon

Richard Patt

"Tell me, who do people say I am?" (v. 27b) Every photographer knows the importance of having the camera lens in focus before triggering the shutter. You can set the right shutter speed. You can open the lens to its proper setting. But if that lens is not in focus, the picture will be worthless. Anyone who’s trying to sell something these days knows the importance of having an accurate focus on the market for which a product is intended. Whether you’re trying to sell soap or soft drinks, it’s necessary to ...

3722. Job - A Probe Into the Shadow World of Despair

Job 6:1-7:21

Sermon

In Robert Frost’s The Masque of Reason God tells the "Easy Answers Committee" that it is mistaken. This sermon does the same. Its probing, illuminating force conforms to the terrain of human experience. It conforms to the terrain of God’s experience in Emmanuel - God with us. Rich textual reference, literary allusions, carefully chosen language, experience common to all keep the listeners listening, the readers reading. An atheist is expected to ask the "Why?" of things. It’s part of the practicing atheist ...

3723. No Huggies

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

This preacher recognizes how crucial are the beginning moments of a sermon. If listening does not happen at this moment of high anticipation, there will often be little opportunity for hoping that listeners will still be listening when the "goodies" are passed out. The preacher makes us look at the text beyond the first superficial reading. Scholarship does what it is supposed to do for preaching: illuminate. Humor is present. "Why should the snake have all the good lines?" someone quipped. The humor grows ...

3724. Go ... Be the Church ... Do the Gospel

Sermon

The hearers’ level of expectation is especially high on given occasions, such as a congregational anniversary. The dangers for the sermon are many; the victories few. Through the skillful interweaving of congregational history, the Church’s history, biblical history, the history of persons, and a knowledge and sensitivity of worship - always with the hearers in mind - this sermon forges a victory for the hearers. The sermon focuses the hearers where the focus is to be - on the Lord of the Church and the ...

3725. A Christian's Duty in Time of War

Nehemiah 4:1-23

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

We gather for worship on a weekend that we will long remember as the beginning of the liberation of Iraq. We are concerned about our troops and the innocent people of Iraq. We Christians love peace; therefore, we automatically recoil against the death and suffering associated with war. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” But as a World War II veteran reminded me, “Somebody has to take care of the peacemakers while they are making peace.” That task has fallen upon the armed forces of the United ...

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