Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 3776 to 3800 of 4968 results

3776. Wednesday in Holy Week

John 13:18-30

Bulletin Aid

... bread from Jesus, raising the interesting possibility that the bread was not just an indication of Judas' prior intention out of malice, but indeed a symbol of Jesus' commissioning of a trusted one as the betrayer! Still, John clearly wants to contrast that role with that of the other "beloved" disciple, for whom betrayal would have been unthinkable. Call to Worship Leader: Rejoice, Christians, for our Christ is easy to love! People: JESUS ATTRACTED FOLLOWERS BY THE POWER OF HIS PERSON! Leader: But remember ...

3777. Easter 2

John 20:19-23

Bulletin Aid

... . For them, hearing (or, according to v. 31, reading!) had to be believing. Call to Worship Leader: Sisters and brothers, we gather to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ! People: WE MEET TO LEND OUR EARS TO HIS GOOD NEWS! Leader: Blessed be the first disciples, for whom seeing was believing! People: AND BLESSED ARE WE, TO KNOW OF THE RISEN CHRIST THROUGH THEIR TESTIMONY! Collect Most holy God, you have given us the testimony of scripture so that we who cannot see the risen Christ may believe through hearing ...

3778. Ascension Day

Luke 24:36-49

Bulletin Aid

... the divine power (identified in Acts as none other than the Spirit) that will support their efforts. Call to Worship Leader: Let us prepare ourselves to celebrate a great moment in the Church's life! People: FOR IT IS ASCENSION DAY, WHEN JESUS LEFT HIS DISCIPLES COMMISSIONED AS APOSTLES TO THE WORLD! Leader: His instructions to them are also ours to follow: to build the Reign of God! People: LET US AWAIT THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AS WE PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD! Collect Almighty God, you instructed the ...

3779. Proper 7

Matthew 10:1-42

Bulletin Aid

Theme: Grounds for Christian courage Exegetical note As a part of his parting commission to his disciples, Jesus urges them not to fear on three (rather loosely related) grounds: (1) that what has been hidden ( ... as a result. We have grown to like our possessions more than our professions, and our comforts more than our commissions as disciples of Christ Jesus. Forgive us, we pray, and adjust our values to conform to your demands rather than to the world's dictates or our desires. In the name of the Christ ...

3780. Proper 28

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Bulletin Aid

... Leader: Let the household of faith be glad! People: LET THE PEOPLE OF GOD REJOICE! Leader: For God's coming Reign is at hand! People: GOD'S SAVING RULE IS IN OUR MIDST! Collect God of promise and fulfillment, you have given us one another as fellow believers and disciples of the Christ. Help us to be truly supportive of each other: that, until your Reign comes in all its glory, we may live and work as a Church united by the hope we share. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen Prayer of Confession God of all ages, we ...

3781. A Glory Revealed by Abiding

John 8:31-41

Sermon

... anno Domini." He was liberated and freed. But he did not just stay there. He, like Lazarus, "rose, went forth, and followed" Christ. Jesus sets us free to follow him that we may remain free. Jesus said, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples." Here Jesus reveals to us his desire not only to free us when we first deceive him, but to see that we remain really free. The powers of sin, death, and the devil were indeed vanquished, defeated, and utterly overturned by Jesus’ great victory at the ...

3782. THE FINAL TRIUMPH

Drama

... my name? Then he said my name again, and I saw that it wasn’t the gardener at all, but the Lord, alive again! I reached out to embrace him, but he stepped back. "Touch me not," he said, "I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go tell the disciples that I am risen." (She pauses to savor the moment, then turns to Caiaphas.) So you see my Lords, he has beaten you! Even death can not hold him! You have lost as he said that you would! (Caiaphas starts toward her, but Annas stops him with a look.) ANNAS ...

3783. Sunrise Surprise

Drama

... my Father. Mary ... (She looks up at him)I need you to do something for me. Mary Yes, Master ... anything you ask. Jesus I need for you to quickly go to my disciples and tell them that I rose from the dead. Mary Yes, Master. You’re alive! It’s too wonderful to be true! Jesus Quickly, Mary ... please do as I say. Tell my disciples that I am alive. And, Mary: Peter is hurting so much ... be sure to tell Peter! (Motions for her to be going) Mary (Backing slowly away) You’re alive! You’re alive! Jesus ...

3784. A Zealot’s Greatest Battle

Drama

... (Coming from side of stage) Simon, I’m glad I found you! It’s Jesus ... he’s alive again? Peter and John have already been to the tomb, and it’s true ... his grave is empty! Simon (Still in shock) Peter and John found the tomb empty? (Other disciples come in from all sides) Judas, Not Iscariot Some of the women saw an angel sitting on the large stone that blocked his tomb. Simon What is this? You say he is alive? (Beginning to get excited) Andrew Mary Magdalene saw him and even talked to him. She ...

3785. When Old Nick Met Nicodemus

Drama

... could do. I feel as though I failed him so much, while he was alive. Nicodemus Now don’t start that again! You only did what you thought was best. You were sure that being a secret disciple could be of more help to his cause than openly confessing him. Joseph of Arimathea No, that’s not the only reason I remained a secret disciple. I was a coward! I was fearful for my position. I was a failure to him when he needed me so desperately! Nicodemus What do you mean? You stood with me, in support of Jesus in ...

3786. The Sent Sitter

Acts 2:1-21

Children's Sermon

... ’t left. They may have gone away, but they’ve left the house, your room, the ice cream, the games, everything you need to take care of you. And they’ve left you the sitter, too, to be sure you are cared for. So when Jesus left, he left his disciples, the church, the water of baptism, the bread and wine of his supper, the words he taught, and even a "sitter," that sitter we call the Holy Spirit, or the Comforter. Jesus is gone away to God. But in all these ways, by the sitter he sent, the Holy Spirit ...

3787. Loyalty: Imperative Ingredient

Ruth 1:1-22

Sermon

... or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Our first loyalty is to him; all else is secondary. If we both believe and practice this, it follows that the unity of his disciples is a cross to carry which, at times, may become very heavy. To serve him with no strings attached is to live with him and die with him. The crucifixion cannot be separated from the resurrection or vice versa. LOYALTY IS NOT AN OPTION in Christian unity. As the ...

3788. Acceptance: The Keynote

Ruth 2:1-23

Sermon

... descended on the Church. The Christian God therefore, is not the ‘unknown God’ venerated by philosophers, but a living God who reveals himself and acts." It is through and with this third person of the Trinity we are enabled to allow other disciples see us, "warts and all." What comes as a surprise, and even amazement, is the contribution each of the numerous parts of the Body could make. We have lived too many years - generations and centuries - internalizing our faith between perimeters embarrassingly ...

3789. Faithful People in a Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Because Isaiah the prophet declared, "When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned." (Isaiah 43:02) Jesus always shows up when his children dare to take some heat for his glory. Here is the fourth and final life-lesson: After the Fiery Furnace, A Disciple is Better. An athlete is better after he or she has been in some high-pressure games. A soldier is better after he has endured combat. A Christian is better after he or she has been through some fiery furnaces with Jesus. In that last little book ...

3790. From Beast to Believer

Daniel 4:28-37, Daniel 4:19-27, Daniel 4:1-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... is deceitful above all things and desperately corrupt. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:09) Today we encounter a king, the most powerful man on earth, who for seven years lived like an animal, and then by the grace of God discovered a new life as a disciple of the living God. We begin reading Daniel 4, verse 1. "King Nebuchadnezzar to the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world: may you prosper greatly." So this is a letter from the king of Babylon. (We will call him "Neb ...

3791. Leading a Friend to Jesus

Luke 5:27-32, Luke 5:17-26

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... get up, pick up his mat, and go home, he did so. The crowd was amazed and praised God. But the critics were unimpressed; all they could see was Jesus presuming to be God. The other story, beginning in verse 27, features the richest of Jesus’ disciples—Matthew, but called here by his other name-Levi. Levi had a franchise to collect taxes for the Roman Empire. His was a plum of a district. His tollbooth was on a primary trade route running from the Mediterranean coast to Damascus, Syria. Just suppose you ...

3792. The First Council

Acts 15:1-21

Sermon Aid

CSS

... on accepting Gentiles into the church. "Why are you now going to test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?" demanded Peter. Barnabas and Paul then made their presentations, testifying to the ... surname Barsabbas. This surname appears also among the followers of Jesus who were considered for election as the twelfth disciple after the decease of Judas Iscariot. The Joseph Barsabbas mentioned there (1:22) could have been an older brother ...

3793. Revival at Corinth

Acts 18:1-17

Sermon Aid

CSS

... everywhere. As Christians, they were mightily used by the Lord in at least three cities - Rome, Corinth, and Ephesus. While they were at Ephesus, an eloquent and learned Jew from Alexandria came to the city and spoke boldly in the synagogue. He was Apollos, a disciple of John the Baptizer, who repeated John’s warnings and prophecies about the coming of the Messiah. Aquila and Priscilla heard him gladly and took him in hand in order to explain to him more detail about the life and work of Jesus. It was ...

3794. Drunk and Disorderly

Acts 2:14-41

Illustration

John T. Seamonds

... before reeling from that blow, but when he reached home, he began to meditate on the policeman’s words. Suddenly it came to him that those were the very same charges brought against the early disciples on the Day of Pentecost. The crowd said, "These men are drunk with wine." Later on, the disciples were dragged before the rulers of the city and were charged with being disorderly. "These men have turned the world upside down," shouted their accusers. And then, in his inimitable way, Dr. Luccock commented ...

3795. Which Way?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

... . The world is not put back together, brokenness is not repaired, diseased humanity will not be healed with strongarm tactics. God interprets his disciples and their future not with boxing gloves but with a cross. That’s lunatic! Well that, at least, is how it looked to ... all of this to say that being Christian, taking up a cross and following, turns people into "softies"? Does becoming a disciple mean becoming Mr. Easy Touch? Does taking up a cross mean being taken to the cleaners by our enemies? Of course ...

3796. Faith isn’t Easy - But it Works!

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... trusting the promise. He was a pilgrim and a sojourner, achieving the fulfillment of the promise in part, but only a step at a time. It must have been a good life, as life always is when we obey the commands of God - but far from an easy one. Christian disciples are known as followers of "the Way." "The Way" is the way of Jesus: the way of persecution, the way of the cross, the way of suffering, even the way of death. We follow the promises of a God who ever leads us. He directs our path in his Kingdom ...

3797. Bitter-Sweet Recollections

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... middle of the day, and the sun hid its face from the agony which lasted from the sixth to the ninth hour of that fateful, black, good Friday. And don’t forget the MENTAL SUFFERING. Think how lonely he was. One of his disciples betrayed him with a kiss. Another disciple denied him with a curse. The others forsook him and fled. No wonder the prophet said of him: "He trod the winepress alone." (Isaiah 63:3) And with the shame, and the physical suffering, and the mental torture, there was the awful SPIRITUAL ...

3798. Are There Two Baptisms?

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... , the Savior of the world. He is ever the Agent of our conversion. We cannot earn the Spirit, we cannot work ourselves into a high emotional pitch to receive him, we can’t buy him (Simon the Sorcerer once tried that and was soundly rebuked by the disciples). The Spirit comes normally through the channel of the Word of God. He comes to us in the Word and Sacraments. Paul said, "Take the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." Word and Spirit are inseparable. When Jesus was baptized of John in the ...

3799. The Triune God

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." (RSV) Perhaps you are familiar with the ...

3800. Sinners Anonymous

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him. And as he sat at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not ...

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