Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3801 to 3825 of 5000 results

3801. Blah, Blah, Blah

1 Timothy 3:1-16

Drama

Dave Marsh

Director's Notes: Every day we diligently read the paper, listen to the radio, and watch T.V. We fill our heads with so much stuff that ultimately doesn't matter. After a while, this stuff just sounds like blah, blah, blah. What if we put down the paper, turned down the radio, and shut off the TV? And what if we picked up the Bible instead? What good things would God get a chance to tell us? I've recorded the narration HERE if you wish to use it. Simply right click on the blue link, select 'Save Target As ...

3802. Knowing Each Other

Luke 13:31-35

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Several pens and enough name tags for all the children. Good morning, boys and girls! Today we're going to talk about knowing ourselves and other people. Would you all please write your name on the name tags? (Take several seconds and help write the names of those too young to write.) Now, how can we tell who we are? (Let them answer.) That's right, we look at each other's name tags. What are some other ways we know each other? (Wait for more answers.) We have identification bracelets, we carry our ...

3803. Prove It!

John 10:22-42

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Ordination certificate, diploma Good morning, boys and girls! Today I have a problem. A person I met last week asked me what I did, and I told him I was a pastor. Then he said, ``Prove it! Prove that you are a minister!'' I need some help. Would some of you tell me how I can prove that I am a pastor? (Let them make suggestions.) Good. I could invite him to our church to see me, or I could show him my robe, or better yet, if he wanted proof, I could show him my ordination certificate. It looks like ...

3804. Welcome to My House

John 14:15-31

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A house key. Good morning, boys and girls! Today I want to talk with you about your homes. Some of you live in apartments, some of you in houses, and some of you live in mobile homes. Your homes are happy places where your whole family spends most of its time. Homes are where we eat, sleep and pray. Our homes are where we go at the end of the day. How do you get into your homes? (Let them answer.) Right. We open the door and walk in, but first we have to unlock the door. I always carry this key ...

3805. We Interrupt This Service

John 1:1-18

Illustration

Brett Blair

It was question and answer time at the worship workshop. Pastor and Author Thomas Long had been speaking on the theme of worship all morning to a group of people gathered in a church fellowship hall in a suburban neighborhood in Indiana. Dressed in sweatshirts and jeans, they had given up a Saturday of golf and gardening to sip coffee and listen politely as he rambled through discussions of Vatican II, Calvin's view of the Lord's Supper, the pros and cons of children's sermons, the development of the ...

3806. What's Not to Love (A Drama about Humility)

Matthew 23:1-39

Drama

Dave Marsh

Director's Notes: In Matthew, Jesus rebukes the Pharasees for showing and proclaiming their good deeds in public rather than be rewarded by their Father in heaven in secret. For many Christians it's easy to do something good but hard to not want to be recognized for it. We need to realize that God delights in our faithfulness to Him and our kindness to others. If others notice the work, then praise God. If they don't then praise God for He notices and that's what really matters.... Cast: Brett Thurston: A ...

3807. A Man, A Woman, and the Test of Doom (A Drama about Marriage)

Drama

Dave Marsh

Director's Notes: Pastor Ray asked me to write a light-hearted drama for this weekend centering around marriage. As I thought about what I would write, I asked myself how the world tells you if you have a healthy marriage or not. I quickly scanned the Internet until I found what I was looking for - a marriage cyber-test. I pulled some questions from it and added my own for the drama. Amazing... if we would only go to God's word, we could find out exactly what He has to say about a healthy marriage... Note ...

3808. Wisdom Sold Separately

Drama

Dave Marsh

Director's Notes: The book of James says that if we ask God for wisdom, He will gladly give it. He will supply us with all the wisdom we need. The question is: Whether we know God or not, where do we go to find true wisdom? Universities, books, newspapers, the Bible, friends, the Internet, etc? God will speak to us in prayer and meditation through His Spirit (which whispers to our spirit), through other believers, through circumstances, and, obviously through the Bible. This drama focuses on our vain ...

3809. Listen Up!

Drama

Dave Marsh

Director's Notes: Wow. A pretty normal drama. We are always too busy to listen - both to God and others. God's Word says that we need to be slow to listen. It's only then that we discover true fellowship. Cast: Emily: A mom at home, watching soaps and ignoring her daughter. April: Emily's daughter Props: A couch or two chairs put together A remote Setting: A family room (Setting: Emily and April’s house.) (LIGHTS UP CENTER STAGE on Emily who is intently watching her soap opera – handkerchiefs in hand. We ...

3810. Good News

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Brett Blair

The story is told of a Franciscan monk in Australia assigned to be the guide and "gofer" to Mother Teresa when she visited New South Wales. Thrilled and excited at the prospect of being so close to this great woman, he dreamed of how much he would learn from her and what they would talk about. But during her visit, he became frustrated. Although he was constantly near her, the friar never had the opportunity to say one word to Mother Teresa. There were always other people for her to meet. Finally, her tour ...

3811. His Resurrection

John 20:1-9, John 20:10-18

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 ...

3812. Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Brett Blair

It is difficult to find anyone who has a kind word to say about hypocrites. Nobody likes a hypocrite; no one wants to be around one; the last thing one would want to be called is a hypocrite. Hypocrites are, by definition, deceptive, two-faced and treacherous. If discovered, hypocritical politicians are defeated at the polls, hypocritical friends get dropped and hypocritical preachers lose the trusting ears of their congregations. It may well be that our age is particularly tough on hypocrisy. In some ways ...

3813. Neighbors Who Never Met

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Brett Blair

What parable would make a man with three doctoral degrees (one in medicine, one in theology, one in philosophy) leave civilization with all of its culture and amenities and depart for the jungles of darkest Africa? What parable could induce a man, who was recognized as one of the best concert organists in all of Europe, go to a place where there were no organs to play. What parable would so intensely motivate a man that he would give up a teaching position in Vienna, Austria to go and deal with people who ...

3814. The Christmas Promise: God With Us

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

James W. Moore

G. K. Chesterton, the noted British poet and theologian, was a brilliant man who could think deep thoughts and express them well. However, he was also extremely absent-minded, and over the years he became rather notorious for getting lost. He would just absolutely forget where he was supposed to be and what he was supposed to be doing. On one such occasion, he sent a telegram to his wife which carried these words: “Honey, seems I’m lost again. Presently, I am at Market Harborough. Where ought I to be?” As ...

3815. Jesus and Mary Magdalene

John 20:10-18

Sermon

James W. Moore

Then came Sunday morning, EASTER SUNDAY MORNING! While it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. She saw immediately that the stone had been rolled away from the cave’s entrance and that the grave was empty. Alarmed, Mary ran to find Simon Peter and John. Together, they ran back to the grave site and found it just as Mary had described it. The stone pushed back and the tomb empty. Peter and John turned back toward home, trying to sort out what on earth this could mean, but Mary, so crestfallen, ...

3816. Work (Labor Day)

Genesis 1:1 - 2:25

Sermon

David E. Leininger

A Christian Understanding of Work...an appropriate topic for a Labor Day weekend. If most Christians were asked for their understanding of work, they probably would say WE OUGHTA. Those words we just read from Genesis are clear in saying that, from the very beginning, God planned for us to work: work was a part of God's good creation. Martin Luther said, "God gives every bird its food, but he does not throw it into the nest." Our society can buy that. Kennan Wilson, the founder of the Holiday Inn chain ...

3817. Remembering 9/11

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

David E. Leininger

"This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD--a lasting ordinance." or as the King James has it, "You shall observe it as an ordinance forever." The establishment of the Passover, one of the most important of all Jewish festivals. And they HAVE observed it forever. Every year since, and down to our own day, Jewish families have gathered at the traditional Seder meal. The patriarch of the household asks the children, "What makes this ...

3818. God Cares About Justice!

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

The Gallup organization regularly conducts polls to determine the religious beliefs and practices of modern Americans. Despite new attitudes about morality, fluctuations in church membership, higher levels of education, and so on, there have been remarkably few changes in responses in recent years. The polls generally show that about 95% of us believe in a God of some sort. People may call God by different names, if indeed they believe that God is callable at all, but they do believe that a God exists. In ...

3819. The Ten Commandments #6: No Murder

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

["This is the word of the Lord..."] And the word of the sheriff...and the police chief...and the governor...and the president...and MOTHER. EVERYBODY! "You shall not murder," (and, by the way, "murder" IS a more accurate translation of the commandment from the Hebrew than simply "kill" - the word means "violent, unauthorized" killing). No problem with that. And that is why there is such national revulsion at the horrible death of Matthew Shepherd in Wyoming. No matter what anyone thinks of his sexual ...

3820. Super Sunday

Deuteronomy 5:1-33

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Super Sunday. Super Bowl this afternoon. Are you going to watch? Most of us will, even those who have little interest in football. The Super Bowl, as an annual spectacle, has transcended its own sport and becomes the focus of national attention beyond reason. Churches recognize the impact. In bulletins across America today are no doubt a zillion sermon titles similar to the one in our own. On PresbyNet last week was the description of one of last year's services on Super Bowl Sunday. The ushers were ...

3821. Blessed Be The Title That Binds

Deuteronomy 14:22-29

Sermon

David E. Leininger

The TITHE. You do know what that is, right? You would be surprised how many do not. Lots of folks think the tithe is simply what you give to the church, no matter what amount - a dollar, two dollars, a hundred - no matter what proportion of income the amount represents. And that is why, according to the Gallup folks, 17% of church members say they tithe. Unfortunately, lots of those good people are wrong. The word tithe comes from the Old English and simply means one-tenth. A tithe is one-tenth of ...

3822. Remember!

Deuteronomy 31:30--32:47

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Oft in the stilly night, Ere slumber's chain has bound me, Fond memory brings the light Of other days around me.(1) Memories...we like them...and we need them. And as those words of Thomas Moore remind us, we are comforted and instructed by them. That is why a day such as this is a GOOD day. I have WONDERFUL memories of Oakdale. I remember our first night together - a covered dish dinner, our Erin just one week old (and now a sophomore in high school), and Emily Beamguard insisting that I sing. I remember ...

3823. Be Careful What You Wish For, You Just Might Get It!

1 Samuel 8:1-22

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Graduation. Big time. Congratulations on a job WELL... DONE - the emphasis for parents is on WELL, but we know the emphasis for you graduates is on DONE. I appreciated what the President said to the graduates Friday at Chelsea's commencement: "I ask you at the beginning to indulge your folks if we seem a little sad or we act a little weird. You see, today we are remembering your first day in school, and all the triumphs and travails between then and now...Though we have raised you for this moment of ...

3824. Dealing with Depression

1 Kings 19:9-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

One of the reasons I love the Bible is that it is not afraid of the truth, even the sometimes sordid truth about its heroes. Abraham was a liar. Jacob was a thief. Moses had a murderous temper. King David was an adulterer. Heroes of the faith, everyone of them, but the Bible refuses to gloss over their shortcomings. It shows them "warts and all." We find another "wart" in our lesson from I Kings - one of the greatest of the prophets - Elijah. To briefly recount the background of the story, three years ...

3825. Remembering Charlie

Job 38:1--41:34

Sermon

David E. Leininger

The story of Job is familiar to all of us - a man whose world was spinning merrily along with everything falling into place suddenly confronted with one misery after another... disaster, death, disease, despair. In some of the most moving poetry ever written, chapter after chapter attempts to deal with the age-old question of why, so often, life is so unfair. People still wrestle with the issue. Did you happen to catch the season finale of "The West Wing" last week?(1) Great show! The scene was the ...

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