Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 351 to 375 of 1285 results

351. The Prodigal Son or The Merciful Father

Luke 15:1-7

Drama

Robert A. Lehmann

Theme: A parable of mercy and forgiveness Characters: Narrator Jesus The youngest son The Father, Four solo voices (Solo 2 doubles as the older son) Narrator: Dishonest tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus. Solo 1: Because Jesus was their friend? Solo 2: Well, they didn't have many friends; especially like Jesus. Narrator: They came, and the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, Solo 3: Because Jesus ...

352. The Role of the Father (Father's Day)

Matthew 7:7-12

Sermon

Brett Blair

... He, then how much more are we shaped by the actions of our fathers? The role of a father, to connect with his family, cannot be ignored. Ten years ago statistics showed that from 1960 to 1990 the percentage of children living apart from their biological fathers more than doubled from 17% to 36%. It was estimated that by the turn of the century 50% of all American children would go to bed at night without being able to speak to their father. So, here we are. At the turn of the century. How are we doing? The ...

353. The Two Fires

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... compelled to take up the message and work of Christ again. Without fanfare, the second fire of Christ’s spirit had done its work of change. If we have any gospel good news at all, it will not neglect to speak about this. So Christ is "fire" in a double sense. He is the fire of God’s judgment. He tells us that we are living dangerously, that without God we are part of no lasting future, and that we have no real present joys and satisfactions. Christ is also the warming fire of the transforming power of ...

354. The Spirit and the Truth

John 16:5-16

Sermon

George Bass

... persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - but as one God. How easy it is to rattle off the beginning of the Nicene Creed, "I believe in one God ..." How difficult it is to comprehend this mystery of three persons but only one God. Sounds a bit like religious double-talk, doesn’t it? But it isn’t. Part of God’s revelation is comprehensible, isn’t it? We do know God through his works of creation in our earth, the universe and solar system - in the very vastness of the mystery of space - don’t we? In ...

355. Lord, I Believe - Or Do I?

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

... of study, was suddenly laid low with diabetes. The promising career ahead would live within the shadow of the needle and the insulin and the gathering clouds that threaten the diabetic. Then, but one short month into his internship, he was double-whammied by tuberculosis, contracted in his susceptibility in a hospital ward. But the treatment for a diabetic tubercular patient resulted in what doctors called a miracle. Following his internship and residency, he was given a fellowship in chest medicine, and he ...

356. One Nation, Under Mercy

Sermon

... , or worse, it would have been contamination by this hated foreigner. Even though they had to find a common isolated area in which to spend the balance of their days, a common cave in which to sleep, I think that for this one Samaritan it was a double whammy. And when they came to Jesus, as he neared them, crying not "Unclean," but "Jesus, Master, have mercy," I visualize this lone Samaritan as tagging on behind. If the nine could hope for mercy, perhaps there might be mercy for him, too, if he could just ...

357. Life in the Sunbelt

Malachi 4:1-6

Sermon

... dressed, food and fresh clothing were given him, and he was invited to remain as long as he wished. Such an ending would have been in far greater conformity with Christian faith. God’s challenging message to us, then, through Malachi and Jesus, is a double-barrelled one. It is a challenge to maintain faith and hope, no matter how trying or desperate the circumstances of our lives. But it is more. It is a challenge to put our faith to work positively and creatively, whatever the circumstances in which we ...

358. Prayer

Matthew 13:24-30

Bulletin Aid

... to judge me too harshly. Yet I don't give others the same privileges! "I want what I want when I want it!" Instead of faulty memory, I see deliberate slights. Instead of mistakes, I see malice. Instead of charity, I respond in anger In judgment! Lord, forgive me my double standards - Expecting forgiveness Giving judgment. And teach me patience With myself And especially with others, As I wait expectantly for your Kingdom And for Jesus, my Lord. Amen

359. Beasts, Saints and Chaos

Daniel 7:1-14

Sermon

... temptation may determine how we weather it. If God is to help, he needs to remove the circumstances which cause the pain. Such action, and only such action, will mean that he is of any help. And that, of course, is one possibility. There is another: to pray for a double measure of strength to bear the load. The vision of the Daniel text is the latter: the vision of the sea of chaos, the four beasts ready to devour people. But it’s not the beasts, nor the chaos but the saints of the King who will reign for ...

360. To Thank Is To ...

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Sermon

... have given God his share, then we free to do with the rest as we please," the common thinking runs. In truth there is no such thing as "God’s share" or "my share." There is only God’s. Whether the funds feed the poor or buy me a double dip, chocolate mint ice cream sugar cone, the funds remain God’s. The few moments funds are in my hands doesn’t change that. There’s a fierce kind of scriptural logic about that. "For we brought nothing into this world and we certainly shall carry nothing out." When ...

361. God in a Glimpse

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

... no container except a bedpan. This will have to do, they decided. So they filled it with gas from the man's car and waved goodbye as he drove away. As the nuns were emptying the bedpan into their gas tank, a trucker drove by. He slowed down, did a double take, and rolled down his window. As he passed he shouted, "Now that's faith." Our Lord had a different idea of what faith is. We find him talking about it in the Gospel read several weeks ago when Thomas refused to believe in the resurrection unless he saw ...

362. Who Is Worth More?

Luke 18:9-14

Children's Sermon

... way to where I was going I could hear them talking -- I should say I heard Harley talking. Harley said, "Oh, Dimmy, I don't know why you hang around. You're not worth anything. What can anyone buy for a dime? You can't buy a Sunday newspaper, a double dip ice cream cone, a chocolate sundae, or take someone to a movie. Dimmy, you are hardly worth anything. Now take me. I'm worth 50 cents and I can buy several comic books, a strawberry soda, a ride on a pony -- maybe even two; why I can do anything ...

363. Proper 8

Lk 9:51-62 · Gal 5:1, 13-25 · 1 Ki 19:15-21

Sermon Aid

... " A true Christian has a one-track mind, one purpose in life, one task, one devotion: Jesus Christ. 2. For What are You Living? (9:51-56). Need: People today lack a purpose in life. They are committed to no one nor to anything. This results in double-mindedness, shiftlessness, drifting here and there, inconstancy. They have not made up their minds what they are to do with their lives. A genuine Christian is not one of these. He follows the example of Christ in our text. He knows where he is going, what he ...

364. Proper 23

Lk 17:11-19 · 2 Tim 2:8-15 · 2 Ki 5:14-17 · Mic 1:2, 2:1-10 · Ru 1:1-19a

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... is grateful. A. Recognize your blessings - v. 15: "When he saw that he was healed." B. Return to thank Jesus - vv. 15, 16: "Turned back ... giving him thanks." C. Realize your unworthiness - v. 16: "He fell on his face at Jesus' feet." 2. A Double Miracle. 17:19 "Rise and go your way: your faith has made you well." Need: This miracle of cleansing leprosy may not touch many people today, because the disease is just about eradicated. Yet, people with terminal diseases long for a miraculous cure. Few people ...

365. Proper 26

Lk 19:1-10 · 2 Thes 1:5-12 · Ex 34:5-9 · Hag 2:1-9

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... allow Christ to enter your life. On the other hand, "salvation" means human response in terms of repentance. This was demonstrated when Zacchaeus promised to give half of his wealth to the poor to restore fourfold any money he took from people. He offered to give double the amount required by Law. Lesson 1: Haggai 2:1-9 1. Nothing (v. 3). Look at the situation, Haggai says to the returned exiles. What do you see? Do you remember what the temple was before the Babylonians burned it? And this is God's house ...

366. Christmas 2

Jn 1:1-18 · Eph 1:3-6, 15-18 · Isa 61:10--62:3 · Jer 31:7-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... . The redemption of our souls - Christ died for our sins C. The reason for living - dedicated, grateful service to God 2. Predestined for Destiny! 1:4-5. Need: We usually think of Presbyterians as believers in predestination. Neither we nor they hold to a double predestination: some to heaven, others to hell. In this passage we have a type of predestination all can accept with joy. Paul says we are predestined for a destiny with God. It is not a predestination to condemnation but to salvation. The hitch, of ...

367. Epiphany 7

Lk 6:27-38 · 1 Cor 15:45-49 · 1 Sam 26:1-25 · Gen 45:3-11, 15

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... of all human emotions. We need desperately to get this impulse under control, and to see how and why Jesus, in the "Sermon on the Plain" (see today's gospel) stressed the opposite: forgive your enemies. Outline: A. We can do our worst 1. All of us are double-minded: good and evil tug for control inside. 2. Our best instincts don't always rule when opportunity arises. 3. David had reason to hate Saul, who had persecuted him; he had a chance to kill him quickly and cleanly. 4. Sooner or later someone else's ...

368. The Importance of Forgiving Others

Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

... losing the war on violence?" That’s a question that is being seriously asked. It must be faced head on in our times. It has been said that "Everybody knows that society is getting more and more violent, and that individual acts of violence have almost doubled in ten years, crime has been described as 'a growth industry' " by one law officer. Christians, it is being said more and more, must participate in the restoration of a sick society, not merely by calling for legal measures to counter crime, but by ...

369. A Protecting Grace

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Glenn L. Borreson

... right out and tell "the horrible truth." She warns others to "watch out" when they are with her. The blaster is the opposite. This person goes to anyone, including the one he should, but the words come with the gentleness of an explosion from a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun. This is the person who insists that "truth is hard to take, yes, truth is often cruel." And if you've ever had to pick yourself off the pavement after such an encounter, you are obligated to agree, "Yes, that truth is cruel." Yet ...

370. Christmas Vision

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

... be in the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1-3, RSV) Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:1-2, RSV) Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement ...

371. The Call to Choose Life

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Sermon

... , Cardinal Speilman sent Father Maguire to Vietnam to serve with Catholic Relief Services in that war-torn country. While in Vietnam, Michael Maguire saw corruption first-hand. He experienced the use of religion for political purposes. He was exposed to the American double-think of the day. He became an outspoken critic and opponent of the U.S. effort in Vietnam. His overt opposition placed him in conflict with Cardinal Spellman and other members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in New York City. He had ...

372. God's Glory Manifest

Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon

... to the glory being manifested. But, at the same time, there is a repulsion that makes us want to move away, rooted in the strangeness and the terror of the manifestation of power. The manifestation of God in the divine glory has the same double-edged reality for ancient Israel. God reveals the divine presence in glory which is power, majesty, honor, and light. And Israel is both attracted to the mysterious, fascinating, and awesome revelation, as well as repelled, because here is the absolute otherness, the ...

373. Miracle In the Bethlehem Inn

Drama

... . They, like most people in town at that time, are there to be enrolled for the census. They arrive outside the inn. As they are talking, Aaron appears in the doorway. Scene II Inside the inn people are crowded around the large room which will double as a dining room/sleeping room for many. Marcus and Portia are there with their children, Claudia and Cornelius. They are rich, Gentile merchants who just happened to be passing through Bethlehem. Scene III The five children are gathered outside the inn on the ...

374. Talents and Trust

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

... 6000 pieces of silver! And we are told that the master gave to one servant five talents, to another two, and to another one each according to his ability. The first two go out and trade with the funds, do business with them, speculate a little and double their master’s money. But the one talent man knows his master to be a hard man, "Reaping where he had not sown." He was afraid and therefore decided to go by the book. After all, "rabbinic law says that whoever immediately buries property entrusted to him ...

375. Responding to Christ's Birth

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

... Christ. Good deeds are indeed the gold of Christian life. Nor can Christians be fed for their journey without prayer. Prayer is that resource which helps us to practice the presence of Christ in every relationship of our lives. Rufus M. Jones, in The Double Search, puts it this way: It is a primary truth of Christianity that God reaches us directly. No person is insulated. As oceans flood the inlets, as sunlight environs the plant, so God enfolds and enwreathes the finite spirit. There is this difference ...

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