Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3701 to 3725 of 4935 results

3701. Made New By Getting Lost

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

For those of you who have come here feeling lost, I have good news for you. For those of you who have come here willing to get lost, I have even better news. The good news is "fear not." The God we worship specializes in finding lost people. The God we worship gives life the moment we lose ours for the sake of heavenly causes. Our text has two words that become backdrops for the entire season of Advent. Those words are "wilderness" and "about face." John comes out of the wilderness, the necessary passage ...

3702. His Suffering Servant

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

George Paul Mocko

Jesus and His Yuppies; War and Wrong and an Answer for That in a Coconut Shell; (About Painful Healing); Two Holocausts and How in Three Pictures We Can See How God Worked in Them; also How He Works With Us. Isaiah 53, one of the poems of the Suffering Servant - a strange text to be read here in the fall of the year when it really belongs in Lent, does it not? Surely it does. Why is it here? Those who worked out the lectionary, those stated lessons for each Lord's Day, did so with the Gospel lessons as the ...

3703. Paying For Our Sins

1 John 2:2

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Some money, dollar bills and some coins. Text: And he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours onlybut also for the sins of the whole world. Good morning, boys and girls. I want to share some ideas with you this morning, and I need your attention because they are very important ideas. There is a very big word used in the Bible to describe what Jesus did for us when he died on the cross. The word is "expiation." It is a word that is not used very often, and I do not expect you to remember it ...

3704. Death of a Nineteen-year-old

Philippians 4:2-9

Eulogy

Louis M. Pratt

A Strange Victory This sermon was for the family of a nineteen-year-old man and deals with the problem of young people dying. Death is seen as a friend when it comes to a loved one in the fulness of years, when the prospect is no longer for a full life but instead for a limited, and sometimes painful, existence. And so the Greeks spoke of a good life being capped by a "good" death, one that came with dignity, and peacefully, at the end of a long and useful life. Often we speak of how peacefully someone ...

3705. The Resurrection of the Body

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Dean Lueking

I am the Resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. (John 11:25) An Unsurpassed Word of Comfort Without question, these words of our Lord are unsurpassed in the comfort, assurance, and strength they bring to all who hear them in faith. To know that the blank, the ache, and the emptiness which death brings have been met and conquered by one who is equal to the task is the best news we can ever receive. If you know what it means to listen for a footstep that never ...

3706. Where Easter Begins

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Dean Lueking

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and ...

3707. Lent 5

Jn 8:1-11; 12:1-8 · Lk 20:9-19 · Isa 43:16-21 · Php 3:8-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Isaiah 43:16-21 Yahweh promises to do a new thing for his people in exile. The "new thing" (v. 19) Yahweh promises is a new exodus from bondage in Babylon. The "former things" (v. 18) refer to the exodus from Egypt. As in the first exodus, Yahweh will make a way through the wilderness and provide water as the people cross six hundred miles of desert from Babylon to Jerusalem. A third exodus is the sacrifice of Christ who redeemed us from the bondage of sin and who now provides food and water in ...

3708. The Glance of God

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

About four hundred years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the philosopher Aristotle walked in the Acropolis above Athens. The purpose of life, he said, was to develop one’s potential and live up to what was in the human soul, the mind, and the powers of reason. After him came the philosopher Zeno, a Cypriot, who taught that the aim of life was to avoid all feeling. Virtue stood in the middle, and no extremes of hot anger or cold contempt were to be allowed. His philosophy really caught people’s hearts ...

3709. Fifth Sunday of Easter

John 14:1-14, Acts 7:55-60, 1 Peter 2:2-10

Bulletin Aid

First Lesson: Acts 7:55-60 Theme: The stoning of Stephen Call to Worship Pastor: The message of Christ was proclaimed by the early church, even when persecution cost their lives. People: We remember the commitment of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, who gave his life for the cause of Christ. Pastor: We remember Stephen, also because he prayed tor his persecutors, among whom was Saul, who later became a great missionary. People: We praise God for the faith of the early Christians which produced a ...

3710. The Gift That Claims Our Response

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Some of the gifts we receive have a way of dramatically altering our lifestyles. Remember the day a well-meaning friend gave your children that cute little puppy? No household can just accept a new puppy and go on with life as usual. Certain changes are inevitable. Or to consider even more profound lifestyle changes, think of what happens when a baby is born into a family. Long gone are the nights of eight hours of uninterrupted sleep; soon the refrigerator is filled with jars of strained beets; and you ...

3711. Easter 3

Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:42-47, Isaiah 43:1-13, 1 Peter 1:13-2:3, Luke 24:13-35

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The Second Sunday after Easter used to be titled as Misericordia Domini ("the goodness of the Lord") and was known as Good Shepherd Sunday. Now it is listed as the Third Sunday of Easter, and Good Shepherd Sunday was moved to the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Years A, B, and C. Years A and B now feature the first appearances of Jesus, according to Luke 24; Year C employs John 21:1-14, which is the third appearance of Jesus after the resurrection. This is one way of extending the appearances of ...

3712. Proper 7 & Pentecost 5

Jeremiah 20:7-18, Psalm 69:1-36, Psalm 91:1-16, Genesis 28:10-22

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Only the name of this Sunday, the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, gives any theological clue from the church year; the church is moving eschatologically and continues to anticipate the last times and the return of Christ. The Pentecost cycle/season is roughly one-fifth completed today, so there's a long way to go, as well as a long time to wait for the eschaton. The business of the church continues to be proclaiming "the Lord's death" - in worship, preaching, witnessing, and working - until ...

3713. From Beast to Believer

Daniel 4:28-37, Daniel 4:19-27, Daniel 4:1-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

The front page of yesterday’s Commercial Appeal showed us yet another example of a person acting like an animal. A man wielding a machete entered an elementary school in Felton, Pennsylvania, and injured three women and six children. Lest we get a superiority complex, we should remember that all of us have the capacity to act like animals. Jeremiah the prophet indicted us all when he declared, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately corrupt. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:09) Today ...

3714. It Isn’t Fair!

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Every parent who has raised more than one child at the same time has heard the cry - whether justified or not - that one is getting special treatment over the others, or that one is being slighted to the advantage of everyone else. While the parent may or may not agree with the child’s assessment of the current situation (in fact, the youngster may not be discriminated against at all!), he or she will invariably agree on one thing, no child should be singled out for treatment benefiting them to the others ...

3715. Who Are God’s People?

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

And they set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain. And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my possession among all ...

3716. Solomon’s Search

2 Chronicles 1:1-17

Sermon

Richard F. Bansemer

The sermon is based on the question asked of Solomon by God in the seventh verse of the first chapter of 2 Chronicles: "In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, ‘Ask what I shall give you.’ " Imagine yourself alone at night in your own home. Your wife or the husband is gone for the evening, visiting with family in another city. All the kids are elsewhere. It’s been a strange kind of night for you. You watched a little television but found it silly to watch by yourself. You started into a ...

3717. He Bore Our Sins

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

Every year during Lent, the role of Christ bearing his cross to Calvary is re-enacted in the village of Sartene, Corsica. This has been going on ever since the Middle Ages, and it always draws a big crowd of villagers and thousands of tourists who come for the occasion. Time magazine, when reporting on one of the more recent episodes, called it "one of the world’s most brutally powerful Holy Week processions." And the report was a graphic description of what happened: A grotesque lump of a man ... barefoot ...

3718. Overcoming Self

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

Some children were choosing up sides for a game of cowboys and Indians. The first boy who was chosen by the captain of the Indian side came up and whispered to him, "Choose Cory next - he’s so great at dying!" So Cory was chosen. As the game progressed you could see what the boy meant, for when the cowboys threw a bead on Cory and shot him, he let out a moan - no blood-curdling scream, no over-acting - just a moan. He staggered forward and pitched over on his face, twitching once or twice before he went ...

3719. Journey To The Cross V: Jesus and Simon Peter

Mark 14:66-72

Sermon

James W. Moore

One day some years ago, I was with a group of people when suddenly they began to gossip. They were attacking a friend of mine. They were spreading ugly, vicious rumors about him. They were crucifying my friend with harsh, cruel words. I started to say something to defend my friend. I wanted to say something to stop the verbal abuse but I didn’t know those people very well… so I kept my silence. But, later as I walked to my car, I was kicking myself. I was feeling sad and ashamed that I hadn’t seized the ...

3720. Jesus and the Beggar

Luke 18:35-43

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A cup or bag or something that a beggar might use for begging. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have ever seen a beggar? Do you know what a beggar looks like or what a beggar does? [Let them answer.] That’s right, he begs for money or food or clothing. Some of them do this because it is the only way that they can live. They may be hurt or sick or have something else wrong with them so they cannot work, so they must beg. Have you ever thought of how the beggar must hold his cup or bag? ...

3721. When We Mourn

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

Did you ever wish you could have been in on the heart to heart talks that Jesus had with that little band of twelve? In our Gospel for this All Saints’ Sunday, we have what are called "Beatitudes" from the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew has a habit of collecting together all the sayings of Jesus on a particular subject and putting them together in his Gospel. Most scholars agree that this sermon on the mount is Matthew’s collection and distillation and summary of Jesus’ consistent teaching to his disciples. ...

3722. EPISODE 5: THE FIFTH WEEK IN LENT

Drama

Robert Clausen

EPISODE 5: THE FIFTH WEEK IN LENT BISHOP GOVERNOR CAPTAIN JUDAS THOMAS MARY MAGDALENE JESUS JOHN PETER [The BISHOP and the GOVERNOR are together.] BISHOP: I thank you, Governor, for taking time to see me. GOVERNOR: My pleasure, Bishop. What’s on your mind? BISHOP: I bring you some information. GOVERNOR: Indeed. What kind? BISHOP: It pertains to the peace and welfare of the state. I’m sure you will be interested. GOVERNOR: It’s very possible. What’s it all about? BISHOP: It has to do with a religious ...

3723. Freedom Can Be Frightening

Leviticus 25:8-55

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

In November of 1751, the Provincial Assembly of the Colony of Pennsylvania ordered a bell for its new State House. The order directed that the new bell should have a biblical quotation inscribed around it, as the specifications read, "in large and well-formed letters," and the quotation that was prescribed was verse 10 of chapter 25 of Leviticus. These words: "Proclaim liberty throughout the land, and unto all the inhabitants thereof." Surely it was appropriate that this bell, with its challenging ...

3724. We Are More Than Laborers - Labor Day

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15, Ecclesiastes 5:8--6:12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

On this Labor Day weekend, I think it appropriate to tell an old story about a man named Smith. He died and then regained consciousness in the next world. He looked out over a vast expanse of pleasant country. After resting comfortably for a while in a delightful spot, he called out, “Is anybody around here?” An attendant, dressed in white, appeared and said gravely, “What do you want?” Smith asked, “What can I have?” The attendant replied, “You can have anything you want.” Smith named some of his favorite ...

3725. Suffering

John 19:28-37

Sermon

Burton F. Blair

After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty." A jar of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. John 19:28-29 Late Thursday evening, after sharing the Passover meal together, Jesus took several of the disciples with him to the Mount of Olives, commonly called "Gethsemane." Jesus said to the disciples with him, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here and ...

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