Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3776 to 3800 of 3852 results

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... remains alive. We may not see them. We may not acknowledge them. But God does. Faith means that we can extend our minds to accept this, even though our brains have trouble wrapping around it. Recently, William Shatner took a space flight on a Blue Origin rocket flight organized by Jeff Bezos. On the Today Show Shatner (90) revealed the strange feeling he had looking down at the earth from space. He described feeling that the earth seemed so “fragile” in contrast to the vastness of space. When he stared ...

3777. Stop in the Name of Love

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... take the weight of our sins on his shoulders. He would take our place in the battle with our ultimate enemy, death. Jesus’ baptism was a practice run for his crucifixion and his death. Baptism is serious business. Back in the 1930s, actor Johnny Weissmuller originated the role of Tarzan, the man who grew up among the apes and swung through the jungle trees, beating his chest and filling the jungle with his signature Tarzan yell. But before Johnny starred in all those Tarzan movies and TV shows, he was a ...

3778. Out of the Darkness

Matthew 5:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... of Becca's hometown of Riverview, New Brunswick, said, “It touched our town, it touched our province, it touched the world.” Becca’s parents said reading the online posts about people’s good deeds gave her strength and encouragement. She outlived her doctor’s original prognosis, passing away at age 18. Becca’s father, Darren Schofield, posted to Facebook after her death, “You gave her hope that all the good and the bad of the past three years had a meaning, even at times when that was hard to ...

3779. Shiny Objects

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’” Why would the Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil? The original Greek word for “tempt” in this passage also has another meaning. It means “to test.” This time in the wilderness was a testing ground. It was essential to prepare Jesus for leadership. Many of us have a negative reaction to the word “test.” But there ...

3780. Into the Light

John 1:1-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... no wonder then that John, in Greek philosophical style, affirms the beginning of creation and the Creator himself with Light. Even from the time of Thales of Miletus in 585BC, the Greeks understood the power of light and strove to understand the origins of life. Greek philosophy was endlessly curious about living things and the created and animate world. In our scripture for today from John, we see him describing God as the “Source” of all created things. John calls this indescribable force the “logos ...

3781. The Way of the Lord

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... Teacher, one of the disciples might have washed Jesus’ feet. But how unseemly for the teacher and Lord of the group to wash everybody else’s feet! Peter protested even more strongly: “You will never wash my feet” (verse 8). The force of the original Greek language here is conveyed by the New Living Translation: “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus responded to Peter just as forcefully: “Unless I wash you, you will have no share with me” (verse 8). One day Peter would understand, but for ...

3782. The Ear of the Heart

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

... with the nature and work of Jesus, including the Incarnation, the Resurrection, and his human and divine nature. A Christological hymn is a “Hymn to Christ.” The doctrine embodied in these hymns is the cosmological role of Christ. Cosmology studies the origin and structure of the universe. The hymns are outlined in stages beginning with the preexistence of Jesus, his earthly ministry as one in the flesh, circling back to his ascension and enthronement. It is within this context that that the first ...

3783. When Darkness Covered the Land

Matthew 27:11-54

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... moment of global darkness on December 6” Posted by EarthSky Voices EarthSky.org, December 2, 2022. https://earthsky.org/earth/december-6-moment-of-global darkness/. Cited in Chartr newsletter December 7, 2022. Konstantin Bikos and Graham Jones originally published this article at Timeanddate.com on December 1, 2022. Reprinted here with permission. Edits by EarthSky. 2. Cited by David Guzik, Enduring Word Commentary, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/matthew-Today in the Word, Moody Bible Institute ...

3784. The Light from the Cliff

Matthew 5:13-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the way of God as the prophet Micah suggested, to develop an inclusive, loving kind of alternative community.[2] Since then, many subsequent political figures have usurped the phrase “city on a hill” to describe US America as a beacon to others. But Jesus’ original intent had not to do with a physical city, not Jerusalem, and definitely not a country. For Jesus is the Light. His Temple is not physical but spiritual. We are the living stones built upon his cornerstone. And He provides the Light. In a ...

3785. Leaving an Empty Chair

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” This is God’s original plan for the Church. This is what it looks like to be the Body of Christ in our daily lives and in our communities. This is our goal. What can we learn from these early believers that could transform us into community like this? The first insight ...

3786. What Fills Your Life Now?

Acts 7:55-60

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... Keaton’s Kindness Foundation is named after Luke and Holly Barrón’s oldest son, Keaton, who died of leukemia at the age of eight. Keaton started the Foundation with his friend, Kay, when he was in the hospital undergoing one of his treatments. It was originally a club with club dues of $1 (or whatever members could afford). They drew up a membership card with their motto and a Bible verse: “Just so, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly father ...

3787. The Power of One Passion and One Prayer

Acts 1:6-14

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... the Beatitudes. 2. “Why 15 Masterpieces Were Abandoned Before They Were Finished,” May 13, 2019, https://www.invaluable.com/blog/unfinished-masterpieces/. 3. “The curious staying power of the cliffhanger.” The New Yorker, 28 November 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliffhanger#cite_note-Dickens-3. 4. “The rules of improv can make you funnier. They can also make you more confident” by Oluwakemi Aladesuyi, Life Kit, November 29, 2022. https://www ...

3788. A Reminder of the Graciousness of God

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... in your city? Eddie Bueno was so hurt by the article that he sued the newspaper under a legal precedent called a “false light invasion of privacy.” This is similar to suing a person or organization for defamation of character. The jury in the original case sided with Eddie Bueno against the newspaper, awarding him $100,000. However, an appeals court overturned the case. (1) I wonder how Matthew, the tax collector, felt every time someone gossiped about him or looked down on him for his profession. He ...

3789. The Power of the Stone

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... hands.] Stones. They fascinate us. We love to look at them. We assemble collections of them. We place them into museums of natural history. We chisel them. We wear them. We admire them. We love to identify their types and origins. Whole fields of science have been dedicated just to the study of rocks. Rocks even hold various meanings. Rock types, rock formations, surface rock, layered rocks, volcanic rocks, gemstones. Stone masonry, stone homes, stone wells, arrowheads, stepping-stones. Since the beginning ...

3790. When Everything That Matters Has Been Torn Away

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... ’ envy, Joseph’s day is about to end with two catastrophes and a period. They strip him of his fine robes and throw him into a dry cistern, then sell him to a passing caravan of Ishmaelites who were on their way to Egypt. Remember the origin story of the Ishmaelite people? When Abraham and Sarah got tired of waiting for God to provide them with a promised son, Sarah gave her handmaid, Hagar, to Abraham. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. Hagar seemed to think she had some advantage over Sarah, so Sarah ...

3791. Welcoming Jesus

Matthew 10:40-42

Sermon

William G. Carter

... church.” To translate: some of us have been here forever, and we greet the others who have been here forever, and some of us who are insiders have become friends. That’s a very different thing than creating space for somebody you do not know. Hospitality originates in an open heart. That is why it is difficult – if we do not know the stranger, we might grow fearful of the stranger. But to have an open heart, to welcome someone with an open heart, is to take a significant risk: that stranger might ...

3792. The Pearls of Hapsberg

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

... time to time. A while ago someone noticed the pearls were appearing dull, losing their luster and sheen. All sorts of authorities began to work on efforts to restore their shining glow, but all failed. Finally some authority suggested returning the pearls to their original salt water environment. It worked! The pearls of Hapsberg’s luster was restored. That’s a parable for us. Our true value is in our everyday environment. If we try to be something we aren’t, we will lose our identity. The glow and ...

3793. He Already Owned It

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

William Randolph Hurst, the famous newspaper owner and multimillionaire, once saw the print of a famous painting. He decided he wanted that painting. So he hired a detective to find the original. Several months and several thousand dollars later, the detective returned with some good news and some bad news. The good news was that he had found the painting. The bad news was that he had found it in one of Mr. Hurst’s own warehouses. Hurst already owned it. Most ...

3794. Hidden Treasure

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Sermon

Lori Wagner

When I was young, my rural, Pennsylvania German grandparents owned a farm and two homes. They rented the “older” home where they had originally lived and continued to live in the “new” home a few houses down the road. While the new home had amazing “new” perks, such as a huge barn, garage, gas pump, and gardens, a huge kitchen for baking and cooking, and formal dining room and living room, the quaint, old ...

3795. What Happens to Birds in the Winter?

Illustration

Staff

... killed a white stork. But when he picked up the bird he found it already had a 30-inch spear in its neck. Finding this interesting, the hunter brought his kill to the nearby University of Rostock, where scientists found the iron-tipped wood spear to be of Central African origin. This proved without a doubt the stork had migrated between Europe and Africa and led scientists down the right path to discover that birds migrate to warmer climates in the winter.

3796. The Contestant

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... with? Perhaps a number all wrapped up in one. All we know is that the moment Jesus steps into the boat, the winds cease, the waves still, and all is calm. Now, those who know how scripture is written (and acknowledge the way that it was originally told as an oral story) know that often “weather” is used as a metaphor to represent the inner turmoil or emotional feelings of the characters in the stories. Just as in the story of Jonah, Peter is experiencing inner fear, turmoil, chaos, and insecurity, and ...

3797. Love And Boundaries

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

William G. Carter

... , yet there may have been episodes along the way that began to put epithets and judgments into the air. We know from the New Testament that the earliest circles of Christian believers struggled too, particularly as the gospel moved beyond the original circle of Jewish followers of Jesus. The most significant debate in the New Testament was over the question of whether the church would admit Gentiles into the membership. The struggle was real, the change came slowly. Whether it was an Italian soldier ...

3798. Be Near, Ye Faithful

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sermon

Ronald Love

The origin of this well-known Christmas carol O Come, All Ye Faithful remains a mystery. For several hundred years it was maintained that it was written by a cleric in the Middle Ages. The earliest known manuscript of the hymn was discovered 1740. The discovery of the manuscript is attributed to ...

3799. Wherever The Messiah Is

Matthew 16:13-23

Sermon

William G. Carter

... loved. That’s good news. The Messiah is here, and it is Jesus. As someone has said, “The first task of a Messiah is to get people to stop looking for one.”[2] 1. Fred Craddock first said this so well, and so clearly. See his sermon “Hoping or Postponing,” originally recorded on the National Radio Pulpit in 1978. 2. Thanks, Fred Craddock. Op. cit.

3800. Keeper of the Keys

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... gospels. Jesus, who often uses the book of Isaiah to explain his messiahship and his conception of God’s “kingdom of heaven,” once again employs the prophet to grant his first-hand man, Peter, a special role in the time to come. In the original passage from Isaiah, God notes that the stewardship of Shebna (the palace administrator) over Jerusalem has led to their downfall. He has been disloyal to God. God therefore plans to depose Shebna from his office and instead place his own servant Eliakim in the ...

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