Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3701 to 3725 of 4944 results

3701. The Way

John 14:1-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Waze. Google maps. Mapquest. Apple Maps. We love maps. Our navigations systems. Our GPS. GPS stands for “Global Positioning System.” 31 Global Satellites provide users with correct directional information 95% of the time anywhere on the surface of the earth. We depend upon those satellites to lead us in the right ways to go. All we need to do is plug into our navigation system of choice, follow the directions, and we arrive at our destination stress-free. Our navigation systems give us a sense of security ...

3702. Hidden Treasure

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Sermon

Lori Wagner

When I was young, my rural, Pennsylvania German grandparents owned a farm and two homes. They rented the “older” home where they had originally lived and continued to live in the “new” home a few houses down the road. While the new home had amazing “new” perks, such as a huge barn, garage, gas pump, and gardens, a huge kitchen for baking and cooking, and formal dining room and living room, the quaint, old farmhouse home still bore all of the fruit-bearing trees. Each year, the entire extended family would ...

3703. If There Isn’t Enough To Go Around

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

William G. Carter

Nobody could blame the disciples for their concern. It had been a long and exhausting day. People from all over the countryside had followed Jesus with their aches and pains. Rather than retreat or rest, the gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus sat there and saved all of them, one at a time. Meanwhile his twelve followers were overwhelmed by the need. It was getting late, and all they could see was a long line of needy people who would not go away. “Lord,” they said, “there isn’t enough food to go around ...

3704. Glimpses of Eternity

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Will Willimon

''Peter said to Jesus, 'Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah'...and they were afraid. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" At the beginning of Remembrance of Things Past, Marcel Proust remembers his childhood, not through conscious effort, but through revelation. As an adult, one day he casually bites into a madeleine, the little French cookie. And out of nowhere, the taste, the ...

3705. The Inverting Promise

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 · Genesis 25:21-34

Sermon

Will Willimon

We're at the beginning of a new school year. And here, at the beginning, I plan to preach a series of sermons from Genesis, the first Bible book, whose title means "the beginning." Such a series is risky at the beginning. For one thing, if you don't like the first sermon in the series, will you return for more? When I was a child, our preacher announced a series of sermons on The Lord's Prayer. First week his text was "Our." Next week it was "Father." Then "Who Art." On and on. By the fifteenth sermon in ...

3706. The Interpretation of the Dream

Daniel 7:15-28

Understanding Series

William Nelson

The Four Beastly Kingdoms and God’s Kingdom: Daniel 7 is centrally located in the book; it is also of central importance. It functions as a transitional unit, providing a hinge that connects the two halves of the work. Chapter 7 is tied to what precedes by its language: it is part of the Aramaic section, which runs from Daniel 2:4b through 7:28. It is also part of the chiastic structure of chapters 2–7 (see “Stage Three” under “Language Problem and Literary Development” in the Introduction), which have ...

3707. David's Mighty Men

2 Samuel 23:8-39

Teach the Text

Big Idea: Sin sometimes has devastating consequences: God’s justice must be satisfied. Understanding the Text The Structure and Function of 2 Samuel 21-24: These final chapters of 2 Samuel are an epilogue. They are arranged in a mirror structure, in which the elements in the second half of the literary unit thematically correspond to those of the first half, but in reverse order, creating a mirror effect:1 A Saul’s sin and its atonement: David as royal judge (21:1–14) B The mighty deeds of David’s men (21: ...

3708. Eyes Like a Hawk

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” (1 Samuel 16:7) “Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.” (Mark 8:25) “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” (Matthew 6:22) Your eyes are your soul’s window. The idea of our eyes betraying our innermost thoughts, emotions, and ...

3709. The Unknowing Evangelist

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

When I was young, I often tried to get out of practicing the piano. I had been taking lessons for a while and was slipping by each week with minimal practice time. My mother, trying to somehow nudge me into a better daily commitment, said more than once, “If this is what you can do without practicing, imagine what you could do if you did!” Unfortunately, her valiant entreaty did not work at the time. A few years later, however, I grew to love playing so much that the constant noise in the house drove her ...

3710. All the Pretty Horses

Luke 12:13-21, Luke 12:1-12, 1 Kings 3:16-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Storing up! When we hear that parable that Jesus told, we immediately think of silos and cornfields and harvest and grain. And that’s exactly the metaphor Jesus uses to describe “storing up” to the man in the crowd who approached him about help to get his deserved portion of inheritance. But it’s too easy merely to say, don’t put your security into money but into God. “Be on guard against all kinds of greed!” warned Jesus. “This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you ...

3711. Ascension

Acts 1:1-11, Mark 16:1-20, Luke 24:50-53, Luke 24:36-49

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

It is a great day when a hero returns to his people. We Americans put on a gala reception with a ticker tape parade usually in Manhattan. Hundreds of thousands gather to see the procession of victory. They cheer. The bands play. Banners wave in the wind. Spontaneous shouts are heard blocks away. The hero may be a Charles Lindbergh, a Dwight Eisenhower, a Neil Armstrong, a Pope or a Nelson Mandela. It is a great day of welcome, festivity and victory. But, the greatest day of all occurred not on earth but in ...

3712. Growing in God's Freedom

John 8:31-41

Sermon

"So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." Brothers and Sisters in Christ, after worship, a little boy told the pastor: "When I grow up, I'm going to give you some money." "Well, thank you," the pastor replied, "but why?" "Because my daddy says you're one of the poorest preachers we've ever had."1 With the risk of this story in mind, I am pleased, nevertheless, to bring you the fifth sermon in a series of six, dealing with the spiritual needs of Americans as discovered by George Gallup, Jr. ...

3713. Temptation of the Palms

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

A couple of years ago a popular slang expression came out that said: “Give it up.” To show you that like someone who is being introduced or a piece of music that’s about to be played, the person making the introduction will indubitably instruct you to “Give it up for..." And you applaud. You scream and yell and jump up and down. You do whatever it takes to show that you really are excited to see this person or hear this particular song. Go ahead; give it up. If that phrase was around a couple of thousand ...

3714. Table Manners

John 2:12-25

Sermon

Craig MacCreary

Perhaps it is the oddity that I am writing this on the Monday before Thanksgiving or it is my proclivity to identify food with each passing holiday that, as I approach these texts, I find myself thinking of another text from Psalm 23: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Fourth of July and I am dreaming dreams of sugar plum fairies, turkey legs, chocolate bunnies, and barbecues. This is definitely a job hazard for clergy. Most congregations revel ...

3715. Fasting: Foolish or Fruitful?

Matthew 6:16-18

Sermon

Today, fasting is a lost practice. Since Vatican II, Catholics do not require fasting. Except for Episcopahans and Lutherans, most Protestants do not know what fasting is. And very few Lutherans and Episcopalians take fasting seriously. Yet, fasting has always been a part of religious devotion, both Christian and non-Christian. For instance, the Bible takes fasting for granted. In looking for a text commending fasting, I could not find one. Fasting is assumed. Jesus took for granted that people would fast ...

3716. At Cross Purposes

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

This morning we're inundated with all kinds of crosses. Big crosses, little crosses, old crosses, new crosses. Obviously, the message for today has something to do with the cross. But then doesn't every message we hear? And isn't the cross central to our everyday life? Look at the cross. The Cross it is such a contradiction. It is both a thing of beauty and at the same time, the ugliest instrument of horror and pain ever created. The root words "crucis" and "crucio" from which we get the words cross and ...

3717. On the Ropes: Round 1 - Doubting God

Habakkuk 1:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

On Saturday, March 25, 1911 at 4:40 p.m.—just ten minutes before closing— a fire broke out on the top floors of the ten story Asch building in New York. 145 of the 500 employed there died that day, trapped in the building by locked doors and collapsed escape ladders, or jumping to their deaths from the eighth and ninth stories. The investigation of the tragedy resulted in rules like fire exits and sprinkler systems that have since saved many lives. But that did not save the lives of people’s sons, ...

3718. The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Understanding Series

William Nelson

The Gold Image and the Blazing Furnace: There are a couple of loose links between chapter 2 and chapter 3. First, when the astrologers (Chaldeans) accuse the three friends, they refer to them as “some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon” (3:12), alluding to their promotion in chapter 2 (2:49). Secondly, the term “image” generally connects chapter 2 to chapter 3. First, Nebuchadnezzar sees an image (2:31; NIV “statue”); then he erects one (3:1). It is unlikely, as some have ...

3719. The Week

Mark 14:1-15:47

Sermon

John Jamison

[Note to the preacher: This message is not presented as a sermon with an introduction, three points, and a conclusion, though you are welcome to rewrite it that way if you wish. My goal for this message is to invite my listeners to experience the events of Jesus’ week, more as he and his disciples experienced them. This message takes us to the arrest in the orchard of Gethsemane. The messages for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday will complete the journey. My goal was not to explain the ...

3720. A World Without Easter

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Sermon

James Merritt

Dr. Billy Graham once told Time magazine, "If I were an enemy of Christianity, I would aim right at the Resurrection, because that is the heart of Christianity." Well Dr. Graham knew what he was talking about because more and more theologians, those who admit to be liberal, and even some who claim to be conservative, are taking dead aim at the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The founder of the infamous Jesus seminar, Dr. Robert Funk, told Time magazine as well, "The tales of entombment and ...

3721. One of the Family

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I read about a preacher whose daughter keeps a daily notebook. On one page she had drawn a picture of her father and written carefully his name and address. When asked why, she explained. She had been watching a movie about amnesia. And then she said, "If I ever forget who I am, I want everybody to know who I belong to." Belonging is very important. And knowing who we belong is even more important. This morning the author of the letter to the Hebrews talks about Belonging and our relationship with God. Let ...

3722. Mending Fences

Luke 16:1-15, Luke 16:16-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) It’s almost Halloween, the time of costumes, candy corn, and above all, creepy movies. One of the movies that made a life-long impact with me came out at Halloween in 1990 --Joel Schumacher's horror-thriller, “Flatliners.” “Flatliners” followed the lives of four young medical students, who manually induced “near-death” experiences in order to find out what lay beyond the grave. What they found was ...

3723. Fasting In A Fast-food World

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

If I told you that I have a sure-fire, effortless plan whereby you can lose 25 pounds, with no exercise, and no money, would I have your attention? I thought so. You can't pick up a Woman's Day magazine, Good Housekeeping, McCalls, Red-book, Ladies' Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, Reader's Digest, or even the National Enquirer without finding at least one article on how to lose weight. It's a multi-million dollar business in America. And, if you are overweight, you probably need to lose some fat to be more ...

3724. Endorsing The Future

Sermon

Harold Warlick

One of the first things you do when you move to a new place is establish a checking account with a local bank. We can all tell stories of inexperienced people and their checking account problems. I remember a student who wrote check after check, only to discover he had no money left in his account. In exasperation he explained to the teller, "But I still have some checks left." My sister-in-law, during her first semester in college, receiveda notice from the bank that she was $27.60 overdrawn in heraccount ...

3725. Rag Doll #37

Drama

Edward Long

Production Notes Simple props are used. A flashlight may suffice for illuminating the scenes as the Rag Dolls appear. The Rag Dolls' costumes may be made by tacking small squares of cloth over blue jeans, etc. Blush or rouge may be used on cheeks to give the appearance of a simple, rag doll. Cast of Characters NARRATOR MR. McKENZIE: A shopkeeper in his late 60s. Beginning to be a little stoop-shouldered. Wears glasses. MRS. McKENZIE: Helps in the shop and makes the dolls. GERALD: Young man about sixteen. ...

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