Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 351 to 375 of 538 results

351. How Odd of God

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a small poem that is often quoted in Christian Bible studies that goes like this: How odd/ Of God/ To choose/ The Jews. Jews often use the word Goyim to refer to non-Jews. And so an unknown Jew with a biting wit responded to “How odd / Of God/ To choose/ The Jews” by writing these words: “Not odd / Of God / Goyim / Annoy 'im.” I cite these little bits of creative poetry strictly in fun. Our Jewish friends are generally delightful people, and they have contributed to the advance of civilization far ...

352. Nehemiah's Final Reforms

Nehemiah 13:1-31

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

Guidelines Established and Monitored: Was there anything else left to do after the grand finale of the wall dedication ceremony? Indeed there was, according to the editor. At the close of Ezra 1–6 the narrator recognized in the dedication of the rebuilt temple an opportunity to put into place normative guidelines that echoed the Torah concerning the regular staffing of the temple. Similarly here, the editor supplements the wall dedication story with the enactment of two guidelines that brought the ...

353. Jesus Is Anointed and Celebrates the Passover with His Disciples

Matthew 26:1-5, Matthew 26:6-13, Matthew 26:14-16, Matthew 26:17-30

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Matthew contrasts the Jewish leaders and Judas, who conspire against Jesus, and even the disciples, who continue to lack understanding about Jesus’ impending death, with an unnamed woman who anoints Jesus for his burial, pointing toward his missional death to bring covenant renewal through the forgiveness of sins. Understanding the Text Chapters 26–28 narrate the passion and resurrection of Jesus. After Jesus predicts his coming death again (26:2; also 16:21; 17:22–23; 20:17–19), Matthew narrates ...

354. Job Feels under Attack by God

Job 16:1-17:16

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: Job feels exhausted under God’s attack, but he still dares to hope for God’s justice. Understanding the Text In his rebuttal to Eliphaz in Job 16–17, Job begins by countering many of the charges made previously by his friends. He vigorously rejects their claims to possess knowledge that is superior to his, and he dismisses their arguments as irrelevant to his specific case. Job’s strong language indicates that he is indignant and disgusted with them (16:1–6). Job then addresses God directly, ...

355. Grace Is Not a Blue-eyed Blond

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I often wonder what goes through people’s minds when they hear certain words which we use in church. Words like “incarnation,” “redemption,” and “grace.” I have a hunch that a lot of people confuse incarnation with reincarnation, which is something totally different; and redemption is something one used to do with “green stamps.” As for “grace,” well, that is, indeed, a strange word. Some years ago a minister by the name of R. Lofton Hudson wrote of an experience he had during a conversation with a friend ...

356. Ezra Reads the Law

Neh 7:73b–8:18

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

Back to Basics: Nehemiah’s work of repopulating Jerusalem is put on hold until chapter 11. The editor has put chapters 8–10 together and placed them here in pursuit of a different but related agenda. This chapter presents the first two of a series of readings from the Torah. At first sight, the topic of the Torah seems irrelevant to Nehemiah’s practical measures. In fact this material develops chapter 1, where Nehemiah’s prayer traced Judah’s plight and Jerusalem’s sorry state back to breaking the Torah, ...

357. The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath

Revelation 16:1-21

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

16:1 Scholars have long pointed out the similarities between the first six trumpet judgments (Rev. 8:6–9:21) and the first six bowl judgments (16:1–14; cf. Beasley-Murray, Revelation, pp. 238–39); and we have called attention to the “hailstorm” that links the seventh trumpet to the seventh bowl. In one sense, John’s vision of bowl-plagues repeats and emphasizes the previous point: divine judgment intends to bring the nations to repent and to confess God as sovereign creator and ruling Lord. Their refusal ...

358. Expecting the Unexpected

Judges 4:1-24

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

Whoever started the tradition of referring to the various documents of the Bible as "books" probably meant well. However, it seems to me, this rather generic designation often obscures an important truth: namely, that the "books" are, in fact, an extremely diverse body of literature -- containing everything from laws to letters, and poetry to prophecy. Even a casual reader soon realizes that the so-called "Good Book" is actually an eclectic collection of pieces written over the course of centuries by God ...

359. Easter 6

John 14:15-31, Psalm 67:1-7, Acts 15:22-35, Joel 2:18-27, Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Had the title for this Sunday, Rogate, been continued in the churches, the readings might have been different and the Sunday would have at least two practical and related thrusts. One of these would be to continue the practice of some of the churches in the Northern Hemisphere, of blessing the fields, in the hope of avoiding natural disasters and anticipating a bountiful harvest. The other would extend the concern for farms and crops for this year to a care of the Earth Sunday as long as ...

360. Proper 4

Deuteronomy 11:1-32, Genesis 12:1-8, Matthew 7:15-23, Matthew 7:24-29, Romans 3:21-31, Psalm 31:1-24, Psalm 33:1-22

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE From this point until late in the Pentecost season, on Sundays there is only the general theological framework of the church year to provide biblical/theological clues for worship and preaching themes. Pentecost, as "the time of the church," is eschatological; the church worships and waits, learns and grows, and witnesses and works for the coming of the fullness of the kingdom in Jesus' promised return. On the Sundays of Pentecost, the church is counting time, not marking time, until the ...

361. A Song of Promise

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

In 1967 Shastokovitch, the Russian composer, wrote a symphony titled October. The work was to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. In East Germany that year the Protestant Church observed the 450th anniversary of the Reformation. However, the dominant theme in East Germany that year was “Roter Oktober,” “Red October,” because of the dominance of the Russian government. The people were to celebrate their release from the yoke of Russian tsars and the freedom they had ...

362. On The Road Again (emmaus)

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Willie Nelson sings it. I'm sure some others sing it, too, but not like Willie! Now I want you to know that I don't live in the world of country music -- nor do I live in the world of opera. What some people who live in the world of opera and look down their noses at country music don't know, or haven't admitted, is that the story-line of opera and country music is often the same. It's the story of love and loss, of pain and suffering, of shattered dreams and courageous perseverance. Consider this line ...

363. On the Road Again

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Blue eyes crying in the rain! Who knows where that sentence comes from? It’s from Psalm 14 verse…no, you know better. It’s from a haunting country ballad and no one sings it better than Willie Nelson. I’m not a country music buff but I like some of it – especially Willie. Recently I had to spend about three hours driving, and I tuned in to a good country music station. I recommend that experience, even though you may not like country music. It will contribute to your theological education. Now some of the ...

364. A Kingdom that Can Not Be Shaken

Hebrews 12:14-29

Sermon

King Duncan

Richard Slyhoff, a Pennsylvania man who lived in the late 1800s, never cared about God--at least, during his lifetime. But as he pondered his impending death, Slyhoff became convinced that he would have to face some form of eternal judgement. Did this fear cause him to repent and seek a relationship with God? No. Slyhoff had a better idea. He would hide from God instead. He dug his burial plot in the shadow of a large boulder. According to Slyhoff’s beliefs, a great earthquake would occur on the day of ...

365. Cha-cha-cha Christians: The Dance that Advances

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Theme: You were made to dance on the divine dance floor. Can you hear the divine music? This sermon is a call for Cha-Cha-Cha Christians. Exegesis On this Transfiguration Sunday the gospel lesson (Matthew 17:1-9) describes the event itself—-the mountaintop, the cloud, the disciples as witnesses, the presence of the prophets, the heavenly voice. The epistle text, however, demonstrates how the transfiguration event was understood and used by the first generation of Christian churches. The epistle of 2 Peter ...

366. Dusting Off Our Gratitude

Joel 2:21-27

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

In the Deep South there is a most unusual monument paying homage to, of all things, the boll weevil. Enterprise, Alabama, is known as "Weevil City" for this unusual tribute to a devastating pest. In its spoof news commentary, Comedy Central has featured this thirteen-foot statue of a woman holding a huge black weevil over her head. Once when vandals removed the weevil from the statue's arms, Comedy Central captioned the news segment reporting this event as "See No Weevil."1 Carl Sandburg and Brook Benton ...

367. Stepping Out on Faith

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

We are, for the most part, a nation of cautious people. You can see it in our politics, in our finances, and in most cases in how we live our lives. On July 7, 1993, a package was delivered to the claims office of the California State Automobile Association. The package consisted of a used Fruit Loops cereal box. Workers quickly became suspicious. Suppose it contained explosives? Security guards called the police, and about 400 office workers were evacuated from the building. The bomb squad soon arrived on ...

368. Aha! An Epiphany!

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a wonderful story about a young man who was dating a very attractive girl. One Sunday after church the two went for a picnic. The young man had made arrangements to rent a row boat. His plan was to row to a small island on their favorite lake and enjoy a lunch which he himself had prepared. Since he had been unaccustomed to making lunches, he had forgotten to pack a number of things. His attractive friend said, “It might be nice if we had some salt, ketchup and napkins.” Without hesitation the ...

369. God’s Salvation for the Individual and the International Manifestation of His Glory

Psalm 57:1-11

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Psalm 57 is a prayer psalm of the individual, but one that presents the individual’s need within the wider context of God’s glory with its cosmic revelation (v. 5 = v. 11) and international proclamation (vv. 9–10). Initially, the psalm appears to have several internal inconsistencies. How do we explain the transition from lament motifs in the first half (vv. 1–4) to hymnic motifs in the second (vv. 5–11)? How do we explain that the concerns of an individual seeking protection become overshadowed by ...

370. The God Who Comforts

Isaiah 40:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

A story came across my desk recently about a man who worked for the Post Office. This man’s job was to process all the mail that had illegible addresses. One day, a letter came to his desk addressed in shaky handwriting to God. He thought he should open it to see what it was about. He opened it and read these words: Dear God, I am a 93-year-old widow, living on a very small pension. Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had $100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension check. Next Sunday ...

371. The Victory Of Faith

1 John 5:1-12

Sermon

Mark J. Molldrem

Planes drop out of the sky, killing all passengers. Mini-dictators initiate programs of genocide against neighbors. Forces of nature storm across the landscape, leaving devastation in their path. Bizarre individual behavior leaves heads shaking, "How can anyone do such things?" Accidents at home and on the highway steal loved ones away. All this gives credence to the sardonic line of a poem, which begins, "It's a wonderful world to be born into, if you don't mind a touch of hell now and then." How do we ...

372. Easter 3

John 21:1-14, Acts 5:17-42, Acts 9:1-19a, Jeremiah 32:1-44, Revelation 5:1-14, Psalm 33:1-22, Psalm 30:1-12

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Compared with the traditional calendar of the church, the revised titles of the Sundays in the church year give only general clues to the theology of worship and preaching on the Sundays of Easter. At least, that is what is assumed to be true. Misericordia domini was the title of the Second Sunday after Easter - "Mercy Sunday" - which is now the Third Sunday of Easter. It was also Good Shepherd Sunday, because the traditional Gospel for the Day was John 10:11-16. That gospel and the name ...

373. Ephphatha...Be Opened

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

More than a generation of preachers at Princeton Seminary were schooled in their homiletical skills by Dr. Donald Macleod. Among the points Dr. Macleod would make during the semester was the importance of choosing a compelling sermon title. In fact, he asked students to give their sermon title before beginning each sermon. He used to tell of Mrs. O'Leary who would hop on the Fifth Avenue bus on Sunday morning in Manhattan and pass the great churches along that thoroughfare. As the bus would approach each ...

374. Family Reunion

Mark 3:31-35

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT FAMILY REUNIONS? My son-in-law calls them “Family Rebellions.” Have you ever visited in a home where they have a photograph on the wall of a family reunion, where 30 or more people, from infants to the aged, are squeezed into an 8 x 10 photograph and frozen on film for all time? The patriarch of the family is usually positioned smack dab in the middle of the first row and is easily identified by that “Gee-did-I-start-all-this” look on his face. Family reunions are funny things. You ...

375. Epiphany 5

Matthew 5:17-20, Matthew 5:13-16, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, Isaiah 58:1-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12) A comparison of proper and improper fasting. The passage, written by Trito-Isaiah in the sixth century B.C., deals with the returned exiles in Jerusalem where conditions were deplorable. In those days fasting was used to express great sorrow or supplication. This encourages many fasts, but God seemingly did nothing! Why not? What kind of fasting is acceptable to God? One type of fasting produces no divine results: ceremonial fasting without regard for human ...

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