Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3876 to 3900 of 4977 results

3876. A Star-Cross Christmas

James 5:7-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . We eventually learned that not all those Christmas wishes could be fulfilled. The shining presents under the shimmering tree eventually became the Christmas morning reality of a few treasured items along with a lot of unwanted stuff. Ultimately, things could never quite measure up to our wishes. Humanity's Christmas wish-list is found throughout the Old Testament. The voices of prophets and kings and common folk cry out to God for divine gifts that will bring fulfillment. Abraham calls out for offspring ...

3877. Is Your Christmas Spirit a Controlled Substance?

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... like the “Roly poly nativity” set for sale in the latest catalogue that just arrived: the holy family, three kings, angels, shepherds, and stable animals all rendered as round, rolly ceramic balls. True “Christmas spirit” is something quite different. True “Christmas spirit” isn’t nearly as “acceptable” as the feel-good fuzziness that permeates commercialized Christmas. So what is the true, not commercialized, non-consumerist “Christmas spirit?” The “Christmas spirit” is a “free ...

3878. Waiting - Sermon Starter

John 1:1-18

Illustration

Brett Blair

... not swift. I, like you, accept most of our no—wait approach to life, with the exception of instant potatoes, which are intolerable. But the truth is that, though we do not like waiting, waiting is a part of living. We must wait for payday, a break, quitting time, and for the mailman. When you do your Christmas shopping, you had certainly better be prepared to wait in a line to get checked out, wait to get a parking place, and wait through at least four red lights before making a left hand turn on Poplar ...

3879. The Inside Results

John 1:1-28

Illustration

King Duncan

Dr. Maxwell Maltz has gained quite notable fame through his popular self-help book entitled "Psycho-Cybernetics." The theory of psycho-cybernetics is based on Dr. Maltz's work as a plastic surgeon. Listen as he describes how he became interested in the human personality: "One day many years ago a woman in her mid-twenties ...

3880. Mission Impossible

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... viewers a new "Mission: Impossible" story, moviegoers flocked to see it. Yes, it was full of in-your-face special effects, nail-biting cliffhangers, and nonstop action. But for those of us who remembered the old 1960s "Mission: Impossible" show, something was not quite right. That jazzy theme music was back, but something else was missing. Actually, the fatal mistake of the movie was that something, some one, was there: a big name, a big star, a superhero named Tom Cruise. The strength of the old "Mission ...

3881. The Hand, the Lamb and the Dove

John 3:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the Trinity that you might wish to use with your people. Remember playing with mercury when you were in grade school? Mercury is an unusual metal because it remains in liquid form at room temperature. This makes it both highly useful and potentially quite dangerous. In elementary school there was a period of time when some of us started bringing small pill bottles to school with a few drops of liquid mercury swimming around in the bottom. During the duller parts of class, we would empty the contents ...

3882. Had-To

James 1:17-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... it was the flowering of technological gee-whiz gadgetry that worked to change the face and pace of society. Basically, people are not "shocked" by technological advances as much as they are intrigued by them. People love to "play." Is there anything quite so enchanting as a new electronic "toy"? Ever wonder why "science fiction" stories and movies are so wildly popular? It's not because the alien worlds our imaginations envision are so weirdly different or unexpected. The "Star Trek" genre thrives because ...

3883. A Concert of Prayer

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Drama

Leonard Sweet

... stand-in part. The director setting up the shot called him over: "Who are you?" he asked. The young actor obligingly gave his name. "I don't want your name. What character are you playing?" The actor hemmed and hawed and then confessed he wasn't quite sure. Finally, the exasperated director shouted back, "You'd better call central casting and find out who you are!" (Thanks to J. Walter Cross of Brandeton, Florida, for this story.) Do you really know who you are? One of life's biggest assignments is to come ...

3884. Welcome or Warning?

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ivy carefully trained up a trellis adds beauty and value to your home. Fungus and lichens are just mushy, mossy undergrowth. But as the necessary soil for the rare and delicate calypso orchid, they are a rich growing medium. In nature, you can never quite tell what might issue from a weed. The same is true in the garden of humanity as well. In 1995, the Christian Booksellers Association had their annual meeting in Denver, Colorado. This was no small-time gathering. The efforts of these Christian booksellers ...

3885. What Gift Do You Have For Us?

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... poor, gift-searching parents. Why else would our airports be filled with exorbitantly expensive stuffed animals, designer felt-tip marker sets, thousands of tiny-sized T-shirts and replicas of every Disney creature ever imagined. You will also note that all these shops are doing quite well. The unfortunate side effect of this gift-giving syndrome is not just the huge dent it makes in you wallet at the end of every business trip. There is also the fact that now, whenever you finally drag in the door of your ...

3886. Was Jesus the First Buster?

Matthew 21:23-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ." There is no generation with more to worry about than this one. The "Buster" generation those Boomer children born between 1965 and 1983 has grown to young adulthood in the shadow of their demographically dominant parents. But "Busters" have an identity quite apart from their Boomer parents. These Boomer offspring are the first generation in history defined in large measure by divorce, daycare, debt and diversity. The impact of each one of those "D's" continues to carve out the niche-character of this ...

3887. Just Showing Up Doesn't Get the Job Done

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... else's image? Anglican Bishop Rowan Williams states that "the vocation of creatures is to exist as themselves, to be bearers of their names, answering to the Word that gives each its distinctive identity. The act of creation can be seen as quite simply this the vocation of things to be themselves, distinctive, spare and strange. God does not first create and then differentiate a great multitude of roles within creation: In one act he creates a multiple, noisy jostling and diverse reality"(Rowan Williams ...

3888. The Resolution to End All Resolutions

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... on God's business may put an unexpected crimp in the family business. "Business-as-usual" may not be the way God does business. And the world and the church find that unnerving. The ultimate New Year's resolution does not challenge us to cut fat grams, or quit smoking or get to aerobics class twice a week. The ultimate resolution a Christian can make is to live in the light of divine intentions, not human inventions. The New Year's resolution to end all resolutions is to live under the umbrella of God's ...

3889. Be an Energizer Bunny

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , and going, and going.... One hundred or even just 50 years ago, congregational singing sounded much different than it does today. While we would recognize many of the tunes and titles of the favorite hymns being sung, the sound of these songs was quite different. Every congregation no matter how large or how small sang in four-part harmony. Soprano, alto, tenor and bass lines blended together to create a rich, layered sound in each hymn. Male and female voices took off on different tangents, echoed each ...

3890. Who Are You?

Hebrews 12:18-29

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... down roots. Perhaps this is part of the reason it has become so important for all of us to claim ourselves as "hyphenated-Americans" these days. Ironically, since for most of us our moving about occurs within the continental United States, we are quite likely to identify "where we come from" as the one place we have never been: Asian-Americans, African Americans, European-Americans, Latino- Americans. As Christians, we can claim as our heritage a rich lineage of relations who will never disown us. Our ...

3891. The Five Adjectives of a Noun Christian

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . What exactly is a "Christian?" What does that word really mean? It is time to make Christianity Christian again. Bruce Larson tells of the guide who was hired by some hunters to take them into the backwoods of Maine. After some days, they became hopelessly lost and quite naturally began to doubt the competence of their guide. "You said you were the best guide in Maine," they reminded him. "I am," he said, "but I think we're in Canada now." You are no longer a "guide" when you yourself are lost. You are no ...

3892. What Jesus Wants for Christmas (Part 2)

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... nevertheless, saw you.... He knew when you'd been bad or good. And I had been bad. Her mother called, pleading. Her father encouraged; her sister howled. But she would not come down.... Santa actually was a neighbor, Miss White, whom Annie Dillard liked. One time, quite by accident, Miss White was showing her how a magnifying glass focuses the rays of the sun and trained the spot on Annie Dillard's hand until it started to burn, and she ran home crying. Years later, she wrote: "Even now, I wonder: If I meet ...

3893. Dream Reality

Matthew 2:19-23, Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a world that dreams nightmares, let's begin the new year with some God-powered, God-sized daydreams. In Native American culture there is a talisman called a "dream catcher." Actually, they've recently become quite popular as pieces of jewelry and folk art. A dream catcher looks like a simplistic version of a spider's web, adorned with a few decorative feathers and beads. According to legend, parents are to hang a dream catcher over their newborn's cradle - the "web" then catches only the ...

3894. Luke 1:26-38

Luke 1:26-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... on the utter uniqueness of this child who is to come. The conception of John was miraculous in that Elizabeth’s barrenness was overcome. But the conception was still the result of simple human biology. The conception of this Jesus is to be quite different, revealing the absolute unique identity of this child. The Holy Spirit will “come upon” Mary, even as Luke later will describe that Spirit “coming upon” the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 1:8). It is a personal encounter with the “power of the ...

3895. Do You Know Your Name?

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of Jesus’ name. This is the name revealed by Gabriel to Mary when the angel made his annunciation to her. The name “Jesus,” Yehoshua in Hebrew, means “Yahweh saves.” The Hebrew rendering is “Joshua.” It is not an unusual name. It is, in fact, a quite common name. The most extraordinary birth in history comes wrapped in a very ordinary name. The One whose name is above every name (Phil.2:9) is given a common name. Did you ever wonder why New Years occurs 8 days after Christmas? On the eighth ...

3896. Making Christmas Last - Sermon Starter

Luke 2:21-40

Illustration

Brett Blair

... candy. In the background we see a table with a thoroughly picked turkey still sitting there. The caption on the cartoon reads simply: The morning after. Well, perhaps we feel a little that way. Perhaps we fell somewhat let down. If you feel that way it is quite understandable. Over the past weeks our emotions have been wound tighter than a toy doll. Our festivities have led up to near fever pitch. And then, suddenly, it is all over. Is it any wonder that it is somewhat of a let down. Psychiatrist even have ...

3897. New Beginnings

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... and I came into this world having enormous mental and physical potential, much of which is never realized. There is something more our text is saying to us, however. We also have enormous untapped spiritual potential. Now this is a concept that many of us will not quite grasp, but it is so vitally important. Notice, the text doesn’t say that Christ came into the world so that we can improve our I.Q. or that we will be able to run the 440 in record time. It says that whoever receives Christ and believes ...

3898. We Need a Revolution!

Illustration

King Duncan

... 's one resolution you've kept for at least one week. I heard about one poor fellow who decided to make only resolutions this year he could keep. He resolved to gain weight, to stop exercising, to read less and watch more TV, to procrastinate more, to quit giving money and time to charity, to not date any member of the cast of Baywatch, and to never make New Year's resolutions again. Maybe he's onto something. Why torture ourselves when we never keep those resolutions more than a week anyway? What we need ...

3899. John 10:11-18

John 10:11-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... from the flock. Jesus first identifies himself as the gate itself. By inference the sheep who pass in and out of the gate are safe, for they are attended by their own shepherd. The gate keeps out the "thieves and bandits" - in this context quite obviously the Pharisees who had just driven from the synagogue a man whom Jesus had healed. The thieves Jesus describes have no concern for the individual sheep. Their only concern is to perpetuate themselves, even if it means destroying others. The Pharisees cared ...

3900. 1 Samuel 16:1-13

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the sheep, keeping ordinary daily business going while his more spectacular siblings participate in the festivities. David, the youngest of Jesse's sons, is finally brought before Samuel. Despite the late admission that this young man is handsome, it is still quite evident that he is considered the least of the lot - just an average youthful shepherd. Nevertheless, the Lord now speaks to Samuel, revealing to the prophet that "this is the one" (verse 12). No longer obstinate, Samuel obediently anoints David ...

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