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Showing 3726 to 3750 of 4936 results

3726. On Not Knowing What to Say

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

It is said that a good secretary is one who often “covers” for the boss, and makes the boss look good when the boss does something stupid. Hence, St. Mark, the secretary to St. Peter, tells us that Peter’s dumb remarks on the occasion of Jesus’ transfiguration were caused by fear. But Mark’s report of this incident reinforces Peter’s reputation for only opening his mouth to change feet. As Halford Luccock says in the Interpreter’s Bible: “This was not a particularly bright remark of Peter’s and Mark ...

3727. Knight of the Woeful Countenance

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

In the musical play: “Man of La Mancha” there is a scene where the addled Don Quixote asks the innkeeper to dub him a knight so that he may ride forth to do battle with the forces of evil. The innkeeper, after trying to persuade the would-be knight of his foolishness, finally agrees to go along with his fantasy. But Don Quixote isn’t content. He says to the innkeeper: “It is customary to grant the new knight an added name. If Your Lordship could devise such a name for me....” The Innkeeper ponders awhile ...

3728. Nightline

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

The famous United Methodist Bishop of California named Gerald Kennedy once sent a pastoral letter to all the churches and pastors under his care. He told the story of seeing a very poorly dressed woman and her young daughter looking into one of the beautiful department store windows in the downtown area of a large city. In it was the manger scene, but here Mary was dressed as the Queen of Heaven with rich diamonds and other jewels in her dazzling crown. The little girl gazed for a while, and then turned to ...

3729. The Measure of Love

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

The historian, Will Durant, in his landmark series titled, THE STORY OF CIVILIZATION, has a volume called, "Caesar and Christ." Although Will Durant was not a Christian believer, he writes with great insight this about our Lord''s Ministry: "The revolution he sought was a far deeper one, without which reforms could only be superficial and transitory. If he could cleanse the human heart of selfish desires, cruelty, and lust, utopia would come of itself, and all those institutions that rise out of human ...

3730. Don't Fence Me In!

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

Goodspeed translates our text: "I may do anything I please but not everything I do is good for me. I may do anything I please but I am not going to let anything master me." So Saint Paul is saying, "I am free and yet I am not free; I rejoice in my freedom, and yet I recognize that there are limits to my freedom." With these inspired insights we come face to face with one of the most critical issues in our world -- and in your life and mine. How do we interpret and how do we exercise our freedom? This is an ...

3731. Sweet-Smelling Fragrance

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Harold Warlick

Realtors tell us that an empty house is difficult to sell. Regardless of its physical beauty, a home "shows" better when it is furnished. Sellers are advised to have the home cleaned, have a fire going in the fireplace, turn on lamps, have soft music playing in the background, and place fresh flowers on tables and cabinets. The aura and smells that are presented to the customer are important. In major shopping malls the smells of baked cookies are sometimes injected into the ventilation system to lure ...

3732. Yes! (Easter Sunday)

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. John Trent tells about a wedding video he once saw. The video was shot from the back of the church looking up the aisle toward the bride and groom. Because of the camera angle, you could see several members of the congregation. Suddenly, during the vows, a man jumped up from his pew and yelled, “Yes, Yes, Yes!” as he pumped his fist. Then he froze and slid down into his seat--and sheepishly took off his headphones. It turned out he had been listening to the Auburn-Alabama football game, and his ...

3733. Being Christ

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Our scripture lesson for the message is found in Paul’s letter to the Church at Ephesus. The 1st chapter, the 15th through the 23rd verses. This is the word of the Lord. “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of glory may give you a spirit of wisdom and a revelation in the knowledge of him. Having the eyes of your ...

3734. Pentecost: The Neglected Factor

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

The book of the Bible most closed to modern Christians, I believe, is the book of Acts. It is actually the record of the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of those who were left to carry on that first century after Jesus’ departure from the earthly scene. It is the account of the dynamic released in the world through men and women of prayer. Jesus promised, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you. And he told those scared followers to wait in Jerusalem for the promise. For John ...

3735. The Eternal Question

Matthew 27:11-26

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I hope you know by now that I believe that all preaching should have about it a note of Paul, an invitation to become a part of that great fellowship, which is the fellowship of the church. But more than that, that intimate call to be related to Jesus Christ. While I hope that that’s a part of all my preaching, my preaching today is specifically to that end. A great text like this one we’ve read helps us to really come to grips with it, to rehearse it in our own life and get the scene in which it is set ...

3736. When You Pray

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

“Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.” It is the prayer of the Christian Church, prayed more often in public worship than any other prayer, and known personally by heart by more individuals than perhaps any other passage of Scripture. So, what will I do with a sermon on such a familiar text? I could take the easy way out and do as a young man who had come to a monastery and asked for admission to the order. “He told the abbot that he would accept any task, no matter how menial, if only he ...

3737. Big Fish

John 21:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

According to the book Ripley’s--Believe It or Not!, Thomas MacClure of Detroit, Michigan, has an interesting hobby. Mr. MacClure has developed a method for hypnotizing fish. Ripley’s doesn’t give any more details on the story than that. Thomas MacClure hypnotizes fish. There are so many unanswered questions to this story. How does one go about hypnotizing a fish? Do you wave your watch over a pond and declare, “You’re getting very sleepy, Mr. Catfish, you’re getting very sleepy.” And more importantly, WHY ...

3738. A Broken Vessel for Jesus

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Michael Milton

It was the ancient custom to anoint the feet of the honored rabbi. Jesus was likely anointed on many occasions, but two stand out. One is recorded in Luke 7:36-50 in the house of Simon the Pharisee. There, in a scene filled with pathos, a woman tenderly wipes Jesus’ feet with her tears. The other is our text for today. As we come to Mark 14, we come to plotting and betrayal. But sandwiched between this evil is the second story of anointing. It is the story of a broken vessel by a broken woman. It just may ...

3739. Family Tree

Genesis 3:1-7

Sermon

Bill Mosley

The fence between Heaven and Hell was falling apart. It was badly in need of repair. Saint Peter consulted his records and saw that by the terms of an ancient agreement, it was Satan's turn to fix the fence. So he gritted his teeth and sought an audience with the Prince of Darkness. He found him in the nether regions, cleaning his pitchfork. Peter did not sit down. The smell of brimstone was heavy in the hot air. "You need to fix the fence," he said. The devil twitched his red tail. He scratched behind a ...

3740. Now Stand Up Straight!

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Some of you give me books that you would like me to read, which I am very happy to do. It usually takes me some time to get to them, so sometimes I save them to take on planes with me. If it is near the summertime, I save them to take with me on my summer vacation. Sometimes, I am embarrassed to confess, by the time I get around to reading the book, I can't remember who it was who gave it to me. That has happened with enough frequency lately that I have thought of putting a table out on the patio, pile all ...

3741. On the Beach

John 21:15-25, John 21:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

On this third Sunday in the season of Easter, we look at yet another resurrection appearance, this one from the Gospel of John. The disciples are despondent. The world has collapsed around them. Their Lord has been crucified. I suppose that by the time this story takes place, which is at least a week after the Resurrection, we can assume that they have heard of the Resurrection, if they have not actually experienced the Resurrected Christ. Although we know that some did see him, if you think of the Upper ...

3742. Willibald Krautman's Trip To Heaven

Matthew 11:2-11

Drama

Matthew Powell

Cast Storyteller Willibald Krautman Saint Peter Wife (Storyteller sits or stands off to one side. Willibald stands at center. Wife sits facing away from the audience until she "enters." Saint Peter sits until his "entrance," when he stands on his chair) Storyteller: Willibald Krautman and Christmas - these two things belonged together like a door and its hinges, like a clock and its face, like a bell and its tower. The whole year long, Willibald Krautman thought about, dreamt about, and prepared things for ...

3743. A New Beginning

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

When it comes to the subject of baptism, our Baptist friends seem to have all the fun. That is, the very nature of baptism of adults by immersion lends itself to loads of good humor. For example, there is a story of a seven-year-old son of a Baptist minister who decided to baptize his two cats. He chose the bathtub for this rite. One of the cats was a tiny kitten. It was dunked before it realized what had happened. But the older tom cat wanted no part of this strange ceremony. As the boy brought the cat ...

3744. Proper 8

Matthew 10:1-42, Romans 6:15-23, Psalm 13:1-6, Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The Old Testament texts for this Sunday are about divine testing. Genesis 22:1-14 is the story of how God tested Abraham in commanding the sacrifice of Isaac, while Psalm 13 is a lament that provides liturgical language for how we approach God during times of testing. Genesis 22:1-14 - "To Fear God Is to See God" Setting. The story of Genesis 22 is sinister. God's command for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac in the opening verse is outrageous, and, even though the narrative progresses to a ...

3745. Changed Lives - Mary Magdalene

John 20:10-18

Sermon

King Duncan

A pastor went to a nursing home to offer communion to the residents. This was not one of those upscale places called a retirement center. This facility was for the poor and its residents were mostly in various stages of dementia. When the pastor arrived she was told by a volunteer, who was wheeling patients into the room, that since it was late afternoon, everyone’s medication seemed to be wearing off. Some would sleep through the service as usual, but for the most part, her little congregation would be on ...

3746. Magnanimity: The Essential Spirit of the Christian

Philippians 4:4-7

Sermon

James W. Moore

Someone once said: “You can call me anything, if you let me define the terms.” This morning, I want us to define the term “Magnanimity”…because it was such an important word to the Apostle Paul… and such a key characteristic in the life of Jesus. Writing a long time ago to the Philippian Christians, Paul called the spirit of magnanimity the essential spirit of the Christian. He told the Philippians that a Christian should be characterized by his or her magnanimity… and that the spirit of magnanimity should ...

3747. Don't Worry, The Light Is Still Burning

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

“Don’t worry, the light is still burning.” Is there any more reassuring line than that one: “Don’t worry, the light is still burning.” But the light that is still burning is not beckoning you back from the window of your home, sweet home. The light that is still burning is in a fire station in Livermore, California. “Don’t worry, the light is still burning” is the headline that greets visitors to the homepage of this one light bulb. WWW.centennialbulb.org is the web site dedicated to keeping track of the ...

3748. It's Not How You Start But How You Finish That Counts

Ephesians 4:1, 11-16

Sermon

James Merritt

The name Carl Lewis is synonymous with gold. In the 1984 Olympics he won four gold medals in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the long jump, and the 4X times X 100 meter relay. The only other person ever to do that in history was Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In 1988 Lewis won two more Olympic gold medals; in 1992 he won another two gold medals; in 1996 he won another gold medal, for a grand total of nine. In 1991 he set a new world record in the 100 meter dash, covering it in 9.86 seconds. Now, ...

3749. Dirty Dreams and Slick Schemers

Jude 1:8-11

Sermon

James Merritt

I'm sure all of us have had dreams that are extremely strange. I have found that dreams basically fall into three categories. Some dreams can be very delightful. The next time you ladies look at your sewing machine you might remember that it was the result of a dream. As Elias Howe was working on the development of the first sewing machine, he had one problem. He could not see in his mind where to locate the eye of the needle. He was running out of money and about to shut down his invention, when one night ...

3750. The Way Over Is Under

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

It was known as the Roaring Twenties. It was a time very much like to the Soaring Nineties. Morals were being turned upside down. The Stock Market was rocketing to new heights. "Let the good times roll" was the national motto. Perhaps the biggest name of the decade was a man named Babe Ruth. He had single-handedly put baseball on the map and made it the national pastime. The major league owners realized they needed a Commissioner to oversee the game of baseball and preserve its integrity. In 1921 they ...

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