Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3851 to 3875 of 4936 results

3851. Desperate Times Call For...

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

This week marks the point in the year when most of us have wrapped up our summer vacation plans, and we’re getting back to our normal routines of work. Let’s all share a collective sigh as we say goodbye to summer vacation. I don’t know how much planning you put into your vacation. Some people like to go to the same places every year. Some people like to pack up and head out for a weekend, just to clear their heads. And some people spend hours, even weeks, obsessing over the perfect trip. But we all share ...

3852. Lord, Let My Heart Be Good Soil

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

The song “Lord, Let My Heart Be Good Soil”[1] by Handt Hanson, is a beautiful piece that suggests a deep sense of longing for something important. The melody, tone, and words all come together perfectly as an interpretation of the gospel reading for today. While it is tempting to want to move on immediately to what a story like the parable of the sower means that reaction is usually an attempt to distance ourselves from the personal impact of the story. The story is safer if we can intellectualize it and ...

3853. Marinating in the Spirit

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Lori Wagner

What soil does your spirit soak in? How do you nourish and ensure that your spirit is secure, peaceful, confident, and satisfied? In today’s day and age, your answer might probably be a default to “physical” or “emotional wellness.” Exercise each day. Eat a good diet. Do yoga. Meditate in nature. Accumulate sufficient wealth. Attain job security. Foster good relationships and reject toxic people. Take a bubble bath. Buy yourself something nice. Take a trip. Do something you love to do. I’m sure you’ve ...

3854. Practicing What We Preach

Matthew 23:1-12

Sermon

Albert G. Butzer III

The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. —Matthew 23:2-3 In today’s scripture from Matthew, Jesus accused the scribes and the Pharisees of hypocrisy. And he did not do it just once, but numerous times. Indeed, throughout Matthew’s gospel, Jesus spoke more often about “hypocrites” than he did about “prayer.” I was surprised to discover that! He spoke about hypocrisy twelve times ...

3855. A Tattoo for the Heart

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

(A meditation for Ash Wednesday) It’s an old story, but it bears repeating. An armed robber accosted a French priest on a dark, back street in Paris and demanded his wallet. As the priest opened his coat to reach for his wallet, the thief caught sight of his clerical collar and immediately apologized. “Never mind, Father,” he said. “I didn’t realize you were a priest. I’ll be on my way.” The priest was relieved, of course, and good-naturedly offered the man a cigar. “No, thank you, Father,” the robber said ...

3856. A Little Bit of Honey

Matthew 10:40-42

Sermon

Lori Wagner

A little bit of honey goes a long, long way. Who doesn’t love honey! It’s smooth, it’s sweet, and so, so good. The unlikely source? Bees! Furry little insects that swarm and sting. And yet, they make the sweetest nectar imaginable. For a long while, humans persecuted bees. We swatted them, sprayed them, wanted to eliminate them from our lives. They felt like unwanted pests. Now, we realize the harm we have put these insect communities through and the good they do within the eco-system of the world, not to ...

3857. John the Baptist and Mrs. Nolan

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Kelly LeDoux, Duluth, Minnesota tells about a time when she and her four-year-old son were putting out cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve and she accidentally dropped one of the cookies. “No problem,” she said, picking it up and dusting it off before placing it back on the plate. “You can’t do that,” argued her four-year-old son. “Don’t worry,” Mom said, “Santa will never know.” Her son shot her a look. “So he knows if I’ve been bad or good,” her son said, “but he doesn’t know the cookie fell on the floor ...

3858. How a Baby Changed the World

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

On Christmas Day 1988, a beautiful story by Karen Zautyk appeared in the New York Daily News titled “Remember, It is Love That Makes Us Rich.” The story tells about a place in Edinburgh, Scotland, called The Museum of Childhood. This museum is filled with childhood treasures of the upper classes such as elegant teddy bears, puppets, rocking horses . . . and cases and cases of dolls. “In one corner, however, in a solitary case is a worn raggedy doll, much the worse for wear . . . [A sign on it says,] `Doll ...

3859. Who The Heck Is Melchizedek?

Hebrews 5:5-10

Sermon

John B. Jamison

There were five kings; joined together to fight for their independence. There was King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the King of Bela. For the past twelve years, those kings had served the King of Elam, Chedorlaomer. They each ruled their own countries, but they each paid Chedorlaomer for the privilege to do it. Not any longer — the five kings brought their armies together in the Valley of Siddim near the Dead Sea and prepared to fight for their ...

3860. I Love You — If You Know What I Mean

1 John 3:16-24

Sermon

John B. Jamison

The young couple sat together and they gazed into each other’s eyes. One leaned toward the other, but the other hesitated and leaned away. “But, I love you,” the first spoke, “C’mon, it’s okay; you know I love you.” The parent looked into the child’s eyes and said, “You understand that I did that because I love you?” The child held their swollen cheek and tried to nod. “And because I love you so much, it is my responsibility to teach you the difference between right and wrong.” The child tried to nod again ...

3861. Gathered Around Jesus

Mark 6:30-34; 53-56

Sermon

David Coffin

There are both perks and problems for a congregation that is located near a military base. As the families of military personnel are constantly in a state of flux due to assignments and deployments, there are constant rotations of the local population. One particular congregation that worships with less than one hundred people per Sunday was fortunate enough to have three families move into their worship community. This enhanced the ministry of the congregation both in terms of financial giving, volunteers ...

3862. Maybe Today....

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

John B. Jamison

“Maybe today.” He stood at the window and watched the morning sun climb over the mountain. He lowered his eyes to shield them from the glare of the sunlight shining against the streets and buildings. It was a bright and beautiful morning, but all he felt was darkness. It was the same darkness he had felt last night as he tried to sleep. It was the same darkness he felt every day now, the same one that they all felt every day now. He raised his eyes to the window again. “Maybe today,” he said. He stepped ...

3863. Breathe

John 6:56-69

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Today, we’re going to take some time to “breathe.” Let’s everyone take a nice, deep breath. Breathe in that fresh, crisp air around you. Breathe out the stale, stagnant air within you. Let’s take a moment and take a few breaths. Feel your stress and anxiety melt away. Feel your worries recede and that Holy Spirit sense of peace fill you up. Now, we are ready for worship. Stress, as we’ve probably all experienced at one time or another, remains one ofthe greatest challenges to our mental, physical, and ...

3864. "Crown Him Lord of all!"

Sermon

William Luoma

According to the three-year ecumenical lectionary, developed in recent years, the Sunday before Easter is primarily known as the Sunday of the Passion, instead of Palm Sunday. The procession with palm branches is still recommended, but the emphasis of the day has shifted to the Passion of Christ, as seen in the suggested lengthy Gospel readings appointed. In this worship service, however, we have chosen to lift up the Palm Sunday theme, and to focus on the kingship of Christ and his triumphal entry into ...

3865. Praise God For Adversity

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

Praise fills the pages of the Bible and dominates our hymnals; but, it is often difficult to find it in us as Christians. Praise is not easy to define. Most Bible dictionaries include it under the general classification of prayer, and it is frequently associated with the act of thanksgiving. In our First Lesson today, the author of Second Isaiah presents praise as the only response that a faithful people can make; because there is nothing else that God requires or desires. God is about to do a great deed. ...

3866. Proper 6

Matthew 9:35-38

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Green Gospel: Matthew 9:35-10:8 Theme: The cycle of giving and receiving. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One pastor began this way: "Good morning to the corporate celebration of the community of faith, hope, love. When worship is truly corporate, it is a celebration of the wholeness of life. We view life, not from B.C., but rather from A.D. Therefore, we rejoice, not because Jesus had to suffer, but because he won the victory over life and death. So, let's worship as if he were ...

3867. Beaten And Bloody, But Fortunate Nonetheless

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

"Why me, Lord? What did I ever do to deserve such treatment? My head's hurting so bad. They even took my clothes. And look at the blood. God, if somebody doesn't come soon, I could bleed to death . . . Is that it, Lord? Is this how my life is going to end? Beaten and bloody, lying naked by the side of the road? What about my family? Who will look after them? What about my wife? I may not deserve to live, but surely she doesn't deserve to be a widow. I have no brothers to look after her. How will she eat? ...

3868. Gospel Partners

Philippians 1:3-5

Sermon

James Merritt

There was a church secretary who took a most unusual phone call. The caller asked if he could speak to "the Head Hog." Well, she quickly defended the dignity of her pastor, and with an irate tone said, "I want you to know that our pastor is held in the very highest esteem around here, and we address him as Rev. H. C. Herald. Currently Rev. Herald is not available to speak with you." The man then responded, "Well, I am sorry. I just learned about your new building program and my CPA recommended that I ...

3869. Enough Foolishness!

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

King Duncan

Is there anyone in the room who has felt dumb in front of a computer? It’s happened to all of us at one time or another, I suspect. A technical support advisor received a call from a woman who had been told that her computer was infected by a virus! This alarmed her. She wanted to know how she could disinfect it. The tech advisor asked her what software she was using. She sounded a bit confused. What did he mean, software? After a few minutes on the phone, the tech support guy realized that she had ...

3870. Epilogue to the Law of the Temple: River, Land, City

Ezekiel 47:1-12, Ezekiel 47:13-23, Ezekiel 48:1-29, Ezekiel 48:30-35

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

47:1–12 With the vision of the river of life in verses 1–12, we return to Ezekiel’s original vision report. Although the insertion of material belonging to the Law of the Temple interrupted the original continuity between 44:1–2 and 47:1, the technique of resumptive repetition still signals the connection. The same Hebrew verb, shub (“return”) occurs in 44:1 (Heb. wayyasheb ʾoti, NIV “Then the man brought me back”) and 47:1 (Heb. wayeshibeni, NIV The man brought me back). The connection is also apparent ...

3871. Pop Verses!: Philippians 4:13

Philippians 4:13

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Good morning! It is great to see everyone. I am excited because I begin a new message series today! It’s called “Pop Verses!” meaning “popular’ verses of scripture. It was tough for me to whittle down this list to seven. There are several popular Bible verses. However, I think I picked the ones that most people are very familiar with. And some of these may be your most favorite of all. In this series we are going to take a closer look at these pop verses and the context in which they appear. We are going ...

3872. Living a Jesus Powered Life

Genesis 9:1-17, Genesis 6:1-8:22, Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands…” --Hebrews 4:1 The story of Noah is one of great depths, no pun intended. Actually, maybe it was intended! We all know it’s a covenant story, the story of yet another attempt God makes on establishing a lasting and binding relational covenant with God’s self and God’s people, those created in the image of God. But it’s also a story of relationship, love, bonding, and a brand-new start in a fresh, new place. A place without the turbulence of ...

3873. Trinity Sunday

Mt 28:16-20 · Jn 3:16-18 · Gen 1:1--2:4a · Ex 34:4-9 · 2 Cor 13:11-13 · Ps 8

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

THIS WEEK'S TEXT Revised Common: Genesis 1:1--2:4a · 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 · Matthew 28:16-20 Roman Catholic: Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9 · 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 · John 3:16-18 Episcopal: Genesis 1:1--2:3 · 2 Corinthians 13:(5-10) · Matthew 28:16-20 Lutheran: Genesis 1:1--2:3 or 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 · Matthew 28:16-20 · Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40 COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Genesis 1:1--2:4a This is the first of two creation accounts found in Genesis. God creates through the power of his word. This account suggests ...

3874. OK, God You Win!

Job 42:1-6

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Did you ever pick a fight with God? Did you ever get mad at God or argue with him about the way he was treating you? Did you ever say, “God, why did you forsake me?” or “Why did you allow a hurricane to devastate the earth, like Hugo that caused ten billion dollars damage in South Carolina?” or “Why do some wicked people prosper and some righteous people suffer?” or “Why do bad things happen to good folks?” Maybe you did not, but Job did! He was a good man who loved and feared God. The Bible describes him ...

3875. The Box

Drama

Cynthia Mercati Prigge

Cast of Characters: First Person* Second Person(Female) Third Person* *These parts may be played by either a man or a woman Time: The Present Place: A street corner Setting: A large cardboard box with a false back stands in the center of the playing area. A sign reading MAIN STREET may be hung for effect. Neither costumes nor props are required. [The FIRST PERSON, alone and forlorn, stands inside the box. The SECOND PERSON enters L, and starts briskly across the stage.] FIRST PERSON: Ma'am! [The SECOND ...

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