Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3726 to 3750 of 5000 results

3726. When A Grain Of Wheat Falls

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Brett Blair

Years ago, when the Betty Crocker Company first began selling their cake mixes, they offered a product which only needed water. All you had to do was add water to the mix which came in the box, and you would get a perfect, delicious cake every time. It bombed. No one bought it and the company couldn’t understand why, so they commissioned a study which brought back a surprising answer. It seemed that people weren’t buying the cake mix because it was too easy. They didn’t want to be totally excluded from the ...

3727. When The Cheering Stopped

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Brett Blair

Some years ago a book was written by a noted American historian entitled “When The Cheering Stopped.” It was the story of President Woodrow Wilson and the events leading up to and following WWI. When that war was over Wilson was an international hero, There was a great spirit of optimism abroad, and people actually believed that the last war had been fought and the world had been made safe for democracy. On his first visit to Paris after the war Wilson was greeted by cheering mobs. He was actually more ...

3728. The Chief Miracle of Christmas

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Daniel G. Mueller

Three little boys were playing together one day. In the course of their play they began to speak about their fathers. Actually, they began to brag about their fathers, each trying to make his father bigger and better than any other father in the whole world. They bragged about a number of things until they came, finally, to brag about the most important thing of all (in their eyes): how much money their fathers made. The first little boy, whose father was a lawyer, boasted, "My Daddy makes so much money ...

3729. Memories

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Daniel G. Mueller

Hidden away in just about every family’s photo album is a cute little picture of a baby’s buns. Along with all the other photos of baby’s first haircut, first birthday, first bike ride, and the like, there’s also that one picture, that infamous photo showing off baby’s buns. Parents love to have at least one such photo; but the individual whose anatomy is so displayed grows up living in fearful dread that one day his girlfriend or her boyfriend will actually see that awful picture. It’s fun to look through ...

3730. A God Pleasing Savior and God Pleasing People

Malachi 1:1-5

Sermon

Daniel G. Mueller

One of the basic rules of interpersonal relationships is that you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can never please all the people all the time. There is a children’s story that illustrates how totally useless it is even to try always to please everyone. The story tells about a father, his son, and their donkey. As their journey began, the father led the donkey and the boy rode. But because some people criticized the boy for being lazy, he got down from the donkey and let his father ...

3731. Who Does He Think He Is?

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

Daniel G. Mueller

"Who in the world does he think he is?" was the question buzzing around in the threatened little minds of the scribes in our Gospel lesson. Jesus had just spoken forgiveness of sins to a man and he had said it as if he really meant it! The scribes immediately took offense. "Only God can do that!" they said to themselves. "Who does he think he is, anyway?" As our Lord carried out his ministry of healing, teaching, forgiving, and loving, that came more and more to be the question about him. The people were ...

3732. "I Don’t Hate Any More!"

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

A. E. Housman, in a brief verse, uncovers the awfulness of hate: I see In many an eye that measures me The mortal sickness of a mind Too unhappy to be kind. Undone with misery, all they can Is to hate their fellow man; And till they drop need must still they Look at you and wish you ill. That is a plague I would hope to escape. E. Stanley Jones shares his keen insight into the self-destruction of hate. He reminds us that "a rattlesnake, if cornered, will sometimes become so angry it will bite itself. That ...

3733. Christ and Healing

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

Jesus’ ministry was one of healing. He said, "I came to minister to the sick and not the well." He never refused or failed to heal anyone who came to him in need. There is no doubt about it: Christ constantly performed miracles of healing. His miracles were all tied in with love and forgiveness and produced whole persons in a new relationship with God and with life. J. B. Phillips, in one of his last books, shares his own understanding of the miracles of Jesus. He says that these miracles are revealed ...

3734. Service

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (v. 45) James and John came to Jesus asking for preferment! It is a situation as old as the institutional church. I know, for I am heart and soul in the institutional church; I love it. I believe in the church. I readily accept the statement, "The Church is of God, and will be preserved to the end of time ..." At the same time, I see - as do you - the imperfections in the church, and these imperfections ...

3735. Enduring

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"But he who endures to the end will be saved." (v. 13) We regard this chapter as the Little Apocalypse - a section that refers to the conclusion of history, similar to what we read in Daniel and Revelation. It is a grim piece, uncomfortable, unsettling. It may have been written as a warning of the impending fall of Jerusalem, which indeed took place in A.D. 70. Why would this passage be incorporated in Mark? Why not omit such jarring predictions? In truth, most of us do not care to be troubled about ...

3736. A King - A Kingdom

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world ..." (v.37) Who is this Jesus? Shakespeare said, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."1 In Revelation we are told Jesus is "King of kings and Lord of lords" (19:16). Still we ask, "Who is he?" One of the essential, significant elements of our Christian faith is the concept of the Kingdom of God. We pray daily, "Thy kingdom come." As disciples we live in light of that kingdom as a reality. Indeed ...

3737. The Marriage of Adam and Eve

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

This is how it started! It happened long ago and far away, in a place called Eden (Eden Prairie to the southwest of Minneapolis bears no resemblance to it), that the masculine and feminine were joined together as complement (not compliment) for each other ... that the man became a husband and the woman became a wife ... that the differences between the sexes formed a blend of unity and love. This is how it started! The ceremony was unique, performed amid the most unusual circumstances: no bridal gown, no ...

3738. And He Shall Reign

Jeremiah 23:1-8

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

Just one more word we need to say and one more thing we need to do on this last Sunday of another year with Christ. We said it last year and the year before, and we will say it next year and the year beyond, and we will say it when the morning of his glory dawns and every knee will bend with us before his throne: Christ is King! lie shall reign forever! While the Ronald Reagans and the Walter Mondales and the Yuri Andropovs and the Fidel Castros and the Yassar Arafats flash momentarily like meteorites ...

3739. The Good News of Easter

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Brett Blair

As I look around, I see great events playing out on the world stage: Democracy is being brought to regions of the world that never really understood the dignity of individual citizens or the joy of liberty. World health organizations are working around the clock to stem the tide of SARS a disease which if not fought might become another black plague. An unprecedented ability to communicate ideas and beliefs to any part of the world and to any person in the world is quickly becoming commonplace. And the ...

3740. The Reality Of The Resurrection

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Brett Blair

Here we are in the year 2003. It still fills me with a bit of awe that I witnessed the turn of the millennium. We are looking back this year and celebrating some amazing things that happened, things that seemed impossible in their day. There are three major celebrations. Perhaps you are aware of them: We are celebrating a centennial: 100 years ago few people thought it possible that man could fly. No one except the two sons of Rev. Milton Wright who at 10:35 on the morning of Dec. 17, 1903 made their first ...

3741. Love One Another

John 15:1-17

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Let us gather together all who would hear the word of the Lord! People: Let us carry to every nation the message of God's mercy and love. Leader: Let our lives bear witness that God's mercy and grace are real. People: For when we were each yet lost God sent the Christ to bring us home. Leader: Let us raise our voices in song and praise for God's healing love! All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect O God, You are the author of all love, and in You we have our redemption. Help ...

3742. Christ Is The Victory Over the World

1 John 5:1-12, 1 John 5:13-21

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Come, let us worship the Lord in song and praise! People: The Lord is our shepherd and no evil can stand against God. Leader: Who could be stronger than the Christ who died for our sins? People: No power in heaven or on earth can compare to our living Lord. Leader: Then let us celebrate and give praise, for the victory is Christ's. All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect Almighty and glorious God, the powers of the world have long challenged Your authority and Your power, but ...

3743. The Witness of God

1 John 5:13-21, 1 John 5:1-12

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Praise God, all who have received the promise of eternal life! People: Praise to the Lord, for we were once without life before Christ. Leader: In Christ we were washed of our sins and made whole before Almighty God. People: And we received the Lord's promise that in our faith is eternal life. Leader: Then let us celebrate and give thanks for God's wonderful mercy and grace. All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect O Lord, amid all of the horrible events that led up to the ...

3744. Chosen by Christ, Sanctified by God

John 17:6-19

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Lift up your hearts, for we are sent to give witness of our Lord! People: To tell of God's forgiveness and mercy and power. Leader: For we are not of the world, but sent to it as Christ was sent. People: Sent to bring hope and life where once was only darkness and despair. Leader: Let us lift our praises to God for Christ's true message of love. All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect O Lord, we are so honored to be members of Your Holy Church called to carry the Good News of ...

3745. Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

For years, the opening of "The Wide World of Sports" television program illustrated "the agony of defeat" with a painful ending to an attempted ski jump. The skier appeared in good form as he headed down the jump, but then, for no apparent reason, he tumbled head over heels off the side of the jump, bouncing off the supporting structure down to the snow below. What viewers didn't know was that he chose to fall rather than finish the jump. Why? As he explained later, the jump surface had become too fast, ...

3746. The Way It Works

Mark 6:1-6

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: How is our forgiveness related to Jesus? Summary: Three people discuss Jesus and the fact that he is telling people their sins are forgiven. How can anyone forgive sins? Who is Jesus and what right does he have to say these things? Playing Time: 3 minutes Setting: Your church Props: None Costumes: Peasant, of first century, Christian Time: The Time of Jesus Cast: Joel Nathan Daniel JOEL: (ENTERS ALONG WITH NATHAN AND DANIEL) Where did this man get these things? NATHAN: Jesus? DANIEL: You know who we ...

3747. Empowered to Proclaim the Kingdom

Mark 6:1-6

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: The Lord is our strength and our salvation! People: All the days of our lives we will trust in the Lord. Leader: Will we trust in the Lord when the storms come or when foes threaten? People: All the days of our lives we will trust in the Lord. Leader: Then let our voices declare God's glory for all the world to hear! All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect Almighty God, in Your wisdom You have called us to carry word of Your salvation to all who have the ears to hear. Give us ...

3748. Greatness

Mark 9:33-37

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: The kingdom of God is different than any other. To be first in the kingdom you must be servant of all. Summary: Peter, James, and John want to be great and they are arguing about their achievements. Jesus sets them straight. Playing Time: 3 minutes Setting: The Holy Land Props: A small black book Costumes: Peasant, first century Time: The Time of Christ Cast: Peter James John Jesus JAMES: (ENTERS CARRYING A SMALL BLACK BOOK) I've got the list right here. You'll see. PETER: (ENTERS) Throw that list ...

3749. Planting People

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Bulletin Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

Call to Worship Leader: As the prophet Nathan said to King David, I say to you, "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you." People: Do you mean to carry out my life hope, to become grounded, to become planted in my own place? Leader: I mean, have plans and dare to pursue them because God is with you. All: We give thanks to God who knows our hopes and is with us. Collect We remember, O God, that while we have hopes in mind, your presence and your promises to humankind encourage and sustain ...

3750. Strangers to Promise

Ephesians 2:11-22

Bulletin Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

Call to Worship Leader: We are without Christ when we are caught in the commotion of hostility. People: We are without Christ when we refuse the love of others. Leader: We are without Christ when we are so self-absorbed that we neglect loving others. People: We are without Christ when we separate ourselves from others and become as strangers. Collect Compassionate Creator, we would be makers of friendship rather than hostility. We would be with Christ as those who unite. We would be with Christ as ...

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