Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 3826 to 3850 of 4946 results

3826. No Excuse

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

But the leader of the synagogue, indignant be- cause Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” Luke 13:14 When my brother, Brian’s kids were little, he used to coach football. Well, coaching may be too strong a word. These were nine and ten-year-olds and Brian used to say that what the league called coaching was really more like herding cats. The team practiced twice a week ...

3827. A Faith That Overcomes

Acts 9:32-43

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

I have always liked the children's story Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. In the story a little boy named Alexander has an absolutely rotten day. The story relates all of the traumatic experiences Alexander faces: waking up with gum in his hair, finding no prize in his box of cereal, having no dessert at lunch, going to the dentist and having a cavity, having lima beans for dinner, getting soap in his eyes from his bath, and having his pet cat choose to sleep with his brother. ...

3828. Which Way To Jesus?

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

Great commotion was created in the holy city of Jerusalem at the time of the Feast of the Passover. On that occasion worshippers came from all over the Mediterranean world to fulfill their obligations at the Temple. A carnival atmosphere filled the precincts of the Temple with the commercial traffic that was created with the sale of animals for sacrifice and the exchange of foreign currency. Today the Holy Gospel takes us to the city during the festival. We are not in the court of the Temple but somewhere ...

3829. The Advocate

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

The Holy Spirit is called "your Advocate" in the New English Bible translation of John 15:26. Other translations may be helpful in understanding the meaning of the Holy Spirit. The King James Version uses the term "The Comforter." The Revised Standard Version and the New International Version use the term "The Counselor." The Phillips translation and the Barclay translation call the Holy Spirit "The Helper." I like the title "The Advocate" best of all. This term "The Adovcate" includes comforting, ...

3830. No Box Seats In The Kingdom

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

William G. Carter

Historically speaking, the church has usually painted a pretty picture of the twelve original disciples of Jesus. All except Judas have been considered saints. Pious people have named churches after them, often referring to the first disciples as the rocks upon which Christ has built his church. Yet anybody who hears the Gospel of Mark's stories about the disciples gets a different picture of who they were and what they wanted. Sure, the disciples walked the road with Jesus. They listened as he taught. ...

3831. People With Power To Forgive

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

Jesus began his earthly ministry preaching, teaching, healing and forgiving sins. And now at the end of his earthly ministry in his post-resurrection appearance to his disciples, Jesus is passing on to his disciples the ministry of preaching, teaching, healing and forgiving sins. Through the gift of the Holy spirit they are to be empowered to continue the work he inaugurated. We often overlook in the gospels the connection between forgiveness and healing -- healing that is both physical and spiritual. ...

3832. A New Kingdom Coming

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

A lot of people don't believe it -- but there's a new kingdom coming. Often, like a phoenix bird, it arises out of the ashes of the old. As a young sapling is germinated by forest fire, so the new kingdom is sprouted in the desolation of despair. Like tundra flowers and crab grass the new kingdom has irresistible life impulses and grows anywhere. There is a new kingdom coming. You may wonder where it is -- this new kingdom. You may look for advance press releases, television bulletins, screaming headlines ...

3833. An Awesome Homecoming

Sermon

Tony Everett

Many people enjoy jogging early in the morning, when the mist still clings to the trees and tall grass that line the roadside. Cardinals and Carolina wrens have just begun singing their wake-up calls to the sun. A family of deer gathers at the edge of the woods lining the pasture. God is in heaven and all is right with the world. Not today. Two hundred yards ahead, on the only road leading home, looms a huge, dark, teeming mass of something alive and menacing, stretching from one side of the road to the ...

3834. Possession Is Nine-tenths Of The Law

Daniel 7:1-14, Daniel 7:15-28

Sermon

Robert P. Hines

The book of Daniel belongs to that strange genre of biblical literature we call "apocalyptic." To the modern ear it sounds very different, and its language is somewhat bizarre. Some interpreters have tried to use this literature to predict with certainty the future, but some find this to be an inappropriate use of scripture. Apocalyptic literature is much easier to understand, and more helpful to us in our daily living, if we avoid trying to use it as a detailed outline of future events and simply try to ...

3835. An Unfamiliar Place For God

Jeremiah 29:1-23

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

They looked over their shoulders one final time to see what was left of their city and their homes. The prisoners searched the rubble with their eyes hoping to find a familiar sight. They longed to see something familiar that might bring comfort to their unsettled hearts and minds. But when the smoke from the fires cleared enough for them to see, they saw only empty spaces where their houses had stood. They felt anger toward the soldiers who had replaced their homes with sky, but their anger turned to ...

3836. You Can Be Articulate

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

Michael B. Brown

A quick look at any medical journal reveals thousands of phobias that afflict people ... not discomforts or unpleasantries, but full-blown, pulse-raising, sweat-inducing, emotionally debilitating phobias. They come in all shapes and sizes. We find arachnaphobia (the fear of spiders) and musophobia (the fear of mice). There are claustrophobia (the fear of confined spaces with no visible exit) and hydrophobia (the fear of water which prevents anyone from knowing the joys of swimming in summer or deep sea ...

3837. Divine Naivet

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

If you ask a child for his favorite Christmas carol, you'd better be ready! He just might say, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." Well, you do know it, don't you? You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry Better not pout I'm telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town. He's making a list, checking it twice, Gonna find out who's naughty or nice Santa Claus is coming to town. He knows when you've been sleepin' He knows when you're awake He knows when you've been bad or good So be good for goodness sake. ...

3838. Watch For The Lord

2 Peter 3:10a

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A flashlight, rope, screwdriver, bag. Text: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. Good morning, boys and girls. I want to show you what I have in this bag. (Take out each item and hold it up.) What kind of a person would need a bag like this? (Let them guess.) Well, a thief would probably need a bag full of tools like this. Why would a thief need a flashlight? (Let them guess.) Right. A thief usually comes at night, so he needs to be able to see where he is going. What would he use this ...

3839. The Good Cowboy

1 Peter 2:25

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Lesson: For you were going astray like sheep. Object: A cowboy hat Lesson: Good morning, boys and girls. Do you see what I have here? This is a cowboy hat, isn't it? Would one of you like to try it on? (Choose someone to try it on.) That looks pretty nice on him, doesn't it, boys and girls? How many of you know what cowboys do? (Let them answer.) Yes, cowboys do all of those things but the most important thing they do is take care of the cattle. Cowboys spend a lot of time on their horses, making sure the ...

3840. The Essence of Spirituality

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Our scripture for today comes from the first words of the first book of the Bible. We probably best know it as the seven-day account of creation. By way of orientation, let us remember that this is Holy Writ and not an article from The Journal Of The American Academy Of Science. As such it embodies a statement of our faith. While science has its place in our lives, this is not it. Frankly, science has a very narrow boundary on what it accepts as truth. It can describe the facts very well, but seldom, if ...

3841. Epiphany 5

Matthew 5:17-20, Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

Salt is very important to life. If a person lacks salt, the hunger for it is one of the strongest desires we have. Any farmer knows how cattle will find a salt block and lick it to maintain the proper balance in its body. Salt is so valuable that in some societies it has been used as a medium of exchange, a substitute for money. In the scripture, light is often used as a symbol for the existence of God. It is frequently used in a variety of ways throughout the Bible. In some cultures the sun was worshiped ...

3842. Demon-Possessed Child

Matthew 15:1-20, Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

First Point Of Action After the miracle of walking on the water (see Cycle A, Miracle 8), Jesus leaves the land of Gennesaret and goes to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Second Point Of Action A Canaanite woman from that region comes out and shouts at Jesus for mercy because a demon torments her daughter. Third Point Of Action Jesus ignores her. Fourth Point Of Action When the disciples urge Jesus to send the persistent woman away, Jesus tells them God sent him only to save the lost sheep of the house of ...

3843. Wedding: Faith, Hope, And Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

Listen to these words of encouragement from Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13 (TEV): Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail. Love is eternal... What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete -- as complete as God's knowledge of me. Meanwhile ...

3844. Ananias And Sapphira, Liars

Drama

Peter C. Garrison

Ananias and Sapphira's problem isn't so much that they had money and didn't give it to the church, but that they lied to God. Remember, money is not the root of all evil; the love of money is ... (Note: Verse 11 contains the first reference to the followers of Christ being called a "church' or ekklesia: the called out/chosen ones.) (Please read Acts 4:32--5:11) Ananias And Sapphira Ananias has just been carried out dead. Joseph of Cyprus (the Levite who sold his field and gave the proceeds to the church) ...

3845. Christmas Letters

Drama

Karren Boehr

Theme: Personal Letters To The Christ Child Appropriate for both Christmas and Advent. Staging for this play is very simple and requires little space, though placing characters on different levels would enhance the effect. A spotlight is suggested to highlight each character as each one speaks. These characters may also be effectively used individually, one for each Sunday in Advent. Setting: Stage with five stools; stools should be placed in various areas in front of the sanctuary. (Mary and Young Child ...

3846. The Spirit Of The Lord Is Upon Us

Drama

Karren Boehr

Theme: God's Spirit Through The Ages (Based on Ezekiel 37 and Joel 2:23-29) This intense drama takes the dry bones vision of the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37 and ties it with the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. Scripturally based, this drama is meant to add depth and meaning to the church's celebration of Pentecost and/or Baptism. Setting: The graveyard of bones which the prophet Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 37. It is now centuries later Characters: THE PROPHET EZEKIEL: A man who speaks with conviction and ...

3847. The Season Of The Holy Spirit

Mark 2:1-12

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

CELEBRATION THROUGH PRAISE Pastoral Invitation (Pastor and Ministers) Welcome, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the second Sunday in Pentecost, during which time we will consider the Lordship of our Sabbath/Sunday. Be ready for some surprises; for God also is the Author of Surprises. P: For what purpose have you come to worship today? M: We have come to allow the Risen Christ, through his Spirit, to challenge us intellectually, to receive his love for emotional strength, and to gain courage to choose to ...

3848. The Season Of The Nativity

Luke 2:21-40

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

Theme: Jesus presented in the temple; his parents marvelled; and Jesus "grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him." CELEBRATING WORSHIP Pastoral Invitation In the name of the newborn one, welcome to the ____ day of Christmas. If Christmas is now over for you, then it never began; for as W. J. Cameron has stated, "There has been only one Christmas (the rest are anniversaries) and it is not over yet." So, how will you celebrate Christmas in this worship hour? (One ...

3849. On Getting Out Of The Way

Luke 3:1-20, Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

Americans are fascinated with being the best. Young people in warpaint and costume are regularly seen running up and down the sidelines at sporting events, index fingers thrust in the air, shouting, "We're number one! We're number one!" Who, after all, wants to be less than the best? But wait a minute! I know people who love to sing, but won't utter a note because they don't sound like Pavoratti. I admire the chap who said, "Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly." There is a place in this world for ...

3850. Welcoming Christ

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

For his sixth grade year his family moved to the new community. They made careful preparations for the husky, freckle-faced redhead to fit in smoothly. They had meetings with teachers and principal, and practiced the route to the very school doors he would enter on the first day. "Right here will be lists of the classes with the teachers' names and students. Come to these doors and find your name on a list and go to that class." On the big day, all went as planned. Many students had gathered by the time he ...

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