Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3826 to 3850 of 4936 results

3826. A Shepherd Returns

Luke 2:8-20

Drama

Edward G. Hunter

A Dramatic Monologue An elderly shepherd, one of the original group who heard the angelic announcement that first Christmas Eve, speaks to his son, also a shepherd, outside the cave where Jesus was born: "My son, here in this humble stable is his birthplace. I remember the night as if it were yesterday - though it is now 50, nay, 51 years ago! I have come here each year at this time. Something draws me here. Had you seen and heard what I did, you, too, would be drawn here. Look! Others have come now. Every ...

3827. Six Nails of the Cross II: The Nail of Infidelity

Matthew 26:47-56

Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Friendship is an ancient virtue, highly valued among believers. The writer of Proverbs said, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born of adversity." The desire of everyone is to make each friend a brother or sister, and, while there is little hope of attaining this ideal, the failure to make an attempt is wastefulness and shame. To call someone our brother or sister is to put into words what our Lord desires in action. There is a story about the conversation held one day between the body and the ...

3828. Save Us From the World-Savers

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Carl Jech

Now his elder son ... was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father. "Lo, these many years I have served you ..." (Luke 15:25a, 28-29a) Garrison Keillor likes to describe his fictional town of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, as having been founded by "Unitarian missionaries who came to convert the Indians through the use of interpretive dance." To appreciate the subtle humor of this remark we need to be aware that Unitarian Universalists generally don't believe ...

3829. Windows Of Wonder

Sermon

James Angell

I feel life is so small unless it has windows into other worlds.- Bertrand Russell "Windows On The World" is the name of a classy restaurant atop the World Trade Tower in New York. It has tall panels of windows, and it is one of the best places - especially around sunset - to see what the Apple looks like from 60 or 70 stories up. "Windows" is also a metaphor in preaching that describes the role illustrations play in making sermons concrete, powerful, and memorable. They let the light in. Through them we ...

3830. Arise, O Church of God, Arise!

Sermon

"The eleven disciples went to the hill in Galilee where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him they worshiped him, even though some of them doubted. Jesus draw near and said to them: "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, then, to all people everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, to the end of the age." ( ...

3831. A Good Picture of Bad People

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

He also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be a steward.’ And the steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me ...

3832. Practicing and Preaching

Acts 7:54--8:1a

Sermon

This morning's First Lesson from Acts is about a man who could have made the Bible's Guinness Book of Records twice. We remember St. Stephen as the first Christian to be martyred for his faith. He was an outgoing man whose eagerness to tell others of Christ got him in trouble with the Jewish authorities. They had him killed. Just as importantly Stephen was the first Christian deacon. Actually Stephen wasn't expected to be preaching Christ at all. His job was as an administrator, not a pastor. Of more ...

3833. The God Who Doesn’t Give Up

Hosea 11:1-11

Sermon

"How can I give you up, O Ephraim!" (v. 8) Prayer: Dear Father, we cannot fool you or pretend to be something we’re not; you know us too well. Open our minds and our understanding to know you as best we can, and to grow in appreciation of your great mercy. Amen "I’ve given him a chance three times now. Three times he let me down. I’m not going to be generous any more. I’ve had it. I don’t want to get burned again." This was Douglas, a man usually willing to go the second mile. He was known for his good ...

3834. The Bodily Glorification of God

John 1:29-34

Sermon

Glorify God with your body. Glorify God with your body. Glorify God with your body. What did Saint Paul mean when he said, "Glorify God with your body"? I suppose Saint Paul had a lot of time to think about things like that because, after all, Saint Paul spent a lot of time in jail. When you spend a lot of time in jail, you have some time to think about some things like glorifying God with your body. This is hard for us to hear because we know how to glorify the body, but we do not know how to glorify God ...

3835. Proper 11 & Pentecost 11

Isaiah 44:6-23, Psalm 103:1-22, Psalm 86:1-17, Exodus 3:1-22, Romans 8:18-27, Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The eschatological framework of the church year is strengthened on this Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, not by the character or content of the church year, but by the Gospel for the Day. With its parable of the wheat and the weeds, plus exegetically subtle support in the first reading (Isaiah 44 - "Let them tell us what is yet to be" and the second reading, Romans 8:27 - "... the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God"), the Gospel for the Day points to the end of time ...

3836. Pentecost 24

Mal 1:6-14, Lev 2:1-16, Mic 3:1-12, Am 5:18-27, Ru 4:1-1, 1Th 2:1-16, 4:13-5:11, Mt 23 and 25:1-13

Sermon Aid

CSS

THEOLOGICAL CLUE If a congregation happened to be following the readings listed in Lutheran Worship, the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod's revision of the Roman Ordo and the LBW lectionary, the people would have caught the eschatological clue last Sunday; the Lutheran Worship lectionary follows the older Lutheran practice of abandoning the numerical progression of the Sundays in Pentecost and assigning the same three sets of readings - always eschatological - for the last three Sundays of Pentecost. The ...

3837. Leadership: the Moses Model

Numbers 27:12-23

Sermon

Christian unity cries out for leadership! Regardless of our affiliation, even if we place ourselves in the broad families of Roman Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox, leadership is a must to fulfill Christ’s call to be One. It can be many things and, in fact, be different for different situations. However, there are certain elements which seem to be present nearly all of the time. Interestingly, we look into the rich Judeo/Christian tradition and discover the needed blueprint. We look to the Old Testament ...

3838. Bitter-Sweet Recollections

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

"The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away. I gave my back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set my face ...

3839. Jesus Gives Us Tomorrow!

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

Now when he had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven." And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:50-51) The ...

3840. Telling the Right Story

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

George Bass

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "Thou are my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased." The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him. Now after John was arrested ...

3841. An Invitation to a Feast

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

Did you ever hear such a story? The Gospel for the day tells it: a man gave a marriage feast and no one showed. He sent his servants out and found everyone too busy. Some even treated his servants badly when they were invited. So he went out into the streets and dragged in anyone who would come, and finally the wedding reception was full. To those who heard the story from Jesus’ own mouth, there was special meaning: The guests who had been invited and didn’t come were the Jewish people. They had been ...

3842. The Embalmed Come Alive

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

I was amused, if a bit sadly amused, at the cartoon that I saw in an issue of The Lutheran magazine. It shows a man leaping up from his pew in the middle of a worshiping congregation. He is waving his arms in the air. His mouth is open with a shout of joy and glee. And beside him, his wife is frantically trying to pull him back into his seat, and she is saying: "Okay, so you feel the Spirit, but not here in this Worship Service." That’s about the way it is with us, isn’t it, the main line denominations ...

3843. The Words We Speak

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Chuck Swindoll in his book, "Flying Closer to the Flame," tells about a married couple who attended a seminar taught by a male demagogue. I refer to that type of man who uses scripture improperly to make husbands domestic autocrats and to turn wives into lowly doormats. Well, the husband just loved everything this man said! But his wife sat there fuming. When they left the meeting that night, the husband felt drunk with fresh power as he climbed into the car. While driving home he said rather pompously, " ...

3844. Unwrapping Presents ... and People

Sermon

James Bjorge

A profusion of gifts stacked neatly under a green tree is one of the visions of Christmas. To young and old alike the fancy wrappings keep the real gifts hidden from the eyes of the would-be-beholders. If only the gifts could jump forth from the wrappings they would be free for us to enjoy! However that burst of freedom must wait until the signal is given; whether it be on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day morning. Then they are unwrapped, unbound, set loose. And what a grand time it is when that which is ...

3845. The Voices Of Christmas

Drama

Jerry Nordstrom

Cast PATIENT - Resident of a nursing home (male) HOMEMAKER - Food-happy matron (female) SHOPPER - Wealthy, materialistic socialite (female) SPORTSMAN - Young ski enthusiast (male) MERCHANT - Toy store owner (male) TRADITIONALIST - Sentimental Swedish-American grandma (female) CORPORATION MAN - Heavy-drinking party-goer (male) *CHILD - Greedy little girl (female) WORKING WIFE - Frazzled victim of the Christmas rush (female) *May be read, in character, by an adult. Presentation time: about half an hour Using ...

3846. What To Give The God Who Has Everything

Psalm 50:1-23

Sermon

Erskine White

"Make thanksgiving your sacrifice to God ..." (v. 14) With Thanksgiving near and Christmas not far behind, I wonder if any of you have people who are very difficult to shop for, people for whom it is very difficult to decide what to give. The two hardest people on my shopping list were always my grandparents. Especially as the years went by, I found myself asking, "What do you give to people who already have everything?" New sweaters or potholders or neckties didn’t mean very much, since they were already ...

3847. People Are Different, People Are The Same

Drama

Marge Passamaneck

CHARACTERS NARRATOR TONY - elementary-school-age youngster DAVID - elementary-school-age youngster SUSAN - elementary-school-age youngster MR. STEIN - David’s father MRS. STEIN - David’s mother MR. JACKSON - Tony and Susan’s father MRS. JACKSON - Tony and Susan’s mother PLAYING TIME 30 minutes NOTE: Historically, the menorah was a candlestick having seven branches and was used in the ancient temple at Jerusalem. As used during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, the menorah is a candlestick with eight ...

3848. Will the Real Prophets Please Speak Up?

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

Richard L. Eslinger

There was a time in Israel when no prophets spoke for God. During those long years after the Exile, prophecy seemed dead. There were no prophets and none were expected. All the people could do was to look back for comfort to the times when God had sent an Amos, an Hosea, an Ezekiel. Those were the good old days, when the word of the Lord was heard in the land. But now they were gone ... and the long wait for the messenger of the Lord had begun. Our problem is quite different, it seems. We may be living in ...

3849. Childs of Center Point

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me ..." Philippians 4:11-13 Participants enter and take their places in the chancel. As they come forward, the congregation sings the hymn "O God of Mercy." When the hymn is completed, the drama begins. LECTOR: "... I have learned to be satisfied with what I have. I know what it is to be in need, and what it is to have more than enough. I have learned this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have ...

3850. "I Don’t Hate Any More!"

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

A. E. Housman, in a brief verse, uncovers the awfulness of hate: I see In many an eye that measures me The mortal sickness of a mind Too unhappy to be kind. Undone with misery, all they can Is to hate their fellow man; And till they drop need must still they Look at you and wish you ill. That is a plague I would hope to escape. E. Stanley Jones shares his keen insight into the self-destruction of hate. He reminds us that "a rattlesnake, if cornered, will sometimes become so angry it will bite itself. That ...

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