Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3901 to 3925 of 4936 results

3901. Two Lives to Live

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

John B. Jamison

The crowds had found him again. Ever since Jesus had moved to Capernaum, more and more people heard about the things he was doing and had come to hear him, to be healed by him, or simply to be near him. Capernaum was not a large town, but was on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, just south of busy roads following the fertile crescent stretching all the way from Egypt in the south to Mesopotamia in the east. It was the interstate highway system of its day and it carried traffic from every land, with ...

3902. Begging For Mercy

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Drama

Pamela Urfer

Cast: Narrator Rich Man 1st Beggar (male) 2nd Beggar (female) 3rd Beggar (either, non-speaking part) Voiceover Length: 10 minutes The NARRATOR is seated on the middle stool of five. While he is speaking, the RICH MAN wanders on stage and takes the stool next to the NARRATOR. NARRATOR: (To the audience) Once upon a time there was a rich man. RICH MAN: (Interrupting) Not rich, really. Just comfortable. NARRATOR: (To the RICH MAN) Would you say "well-off"? RICH MAN: Well ... NARRATOR: (To audience) Once upon ...

3903. 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 ...

3904. Proper 22

Philippians 4:2-9, Philippians 3:1-11, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Isaiah 5:1-7, Exodus 20:1-21, Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: God's judgment on those who do not produce the fruits of righteousness. In the Isaiah text, God pronounces Israel an unfit fruit and votes to let it go fallow. In the Gospel parable of the Unfaithful Tenants, the Lord promises to take the kingdom away from Israel and give it to a nation producing the fruits of righteousness. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 God had, in his grace, freed the Hebrews from their slavery in Egypt and was leading them into the Promised Land. To govern ...

3905. Palm Sunday

Isaiah 50:1-11, Psalm 118:1-29, Philippians 2:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, John 2:12-25, Psalm 31:1-24, Mark 15:21-32

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

CALL TO WORSHIP Blessed in the name of the Anointed One are all who come; we bless you from the house of Christ. CALL TO WORSHIP If you saw him in the street, would you turn quickly away? Or would you welcome him, saying, "I put my trust in you. You are my God." PRAYER OF CONFESSION God of covenants, old and new, carved in stone and written in heart, we confess that we have broken our agreements with you as with others and need your forgiveness for our wrong doing. Forget our sins and continue your ...

3906. Proper 10

Lk 10:25-37 · Col 1:1-20 · 2 Ki 2:1, 6-14 · Deut 30:9-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY 2 Kings 2:1, 6-14 Elisha succeeds Elijah as prophet of Israel. We have just completed a series of Lessons on Elijah and now we start a series of four Lessons from 2 Kings on his successor, Elisha. This first in the series appropriately deals with the transfer from Elijah to Elisha as prophet of Israel. Elisha was a faithful and devout disciple of Elijah. So loyal was he that he would not let Elijah out of his sight. Knowing that he was soon going to depart this world, Elijah asked Elisha what he ...

3907. He Ought to Stick Out!

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Charles L. Koester

"By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his own spirit." If you’re looking for a creative challenge, attempt explaining where Jesus is now to a group of young children. To explain God as Father and creator can be done through objects in nature. A child will comprehend the Creator through trees and flowers. The life our Lord lived on earth can be explained, too. It is tangible history. But try to explain, to a child, where Jesus is now, now that he took off into the ...

3908. In All Things Be Thankful

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Brett Blair

Back during the dark days of 1929, a group of ministers in the Northeast, all graduates of the Boston School of Theology, gathered to discuss how they should conduct their Thanksgiving Sunday services. Things were about as bad as they could get, with no sign of relief. The bread lines were depressingly long, the stock market had plummeted, and the term Great Depression seemed an apt description for the mood of the country. The ministers thought they should only lightly touch upon the subject of ...

3909. Divide and Destroy

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Harold Warlick

One day at a city gate two women were arguing over a baby. King Solomon said, “Well, first take a sword, cut the baby into two equal pieces, and give each mother a half.” Of course, you could only divide the baby by destroying it. The most vital items in our faith are like that. You can only divide them by destroying them. They are entities, not quantities. The Holy Spirit is an entity. Each part belongs to every other part. The Bible itself is an entity; it is an organic whole. In our modern mindset, ...

3910. Who's Your Daddy?

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

(Father's Day) Comedian Johnny Carson said his son gave him a paper which read, "To the man who has inspired me with his fatherly wisdom." Carson said, "Son I didn't know you felt that way about me." His son said, "I don't, can you fax this to Bill Cosby?" Fathers have a hard times nowadays getting respect. Maybe there's a reason for that. Many Dads in our society disappear. And, sad to say, others stay around who perhaps should disappear. Actress Suzanne Sommers has earned a new reputation in the show biz ...

3911. Lord, What A Bountiful God!

John 6:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

An old prospector came into a saloon in frontier California and ordered a glass of milk with a shot of whiskey in it. While the bartender was fixing his drink, the old prospector wandered over to speak to some of his friends. Before he came back, a man came in wearing a black threadbare coat. He walked up to the bartender and timidly said, "Sir, I'm a poor traveling Methodist circuit rider. I've just made it across the desert. I'm bone dry. Could you let me have that foamy glass of milk I see you've just ...

3912. Sharing the Pain of Others

Matthew 26:14-27:66

Sermon

Richard Gribble

“Rags, rags! Give me your tired, dirty, and old rag and I will give you a fresh, clean, and new one. Rags, rags.” That was the cry to which I awoke one bright sunny Friday morning. I sprang from my bed and peered out my second-story apartment window. There he was: the Ragman of our town. He was 6’4" if he was an inch, youthful in appearance and strong of build. I had heard so much about him but never actually seen him. I threw on some clothes, bounded down the stairs, and ran out the front door of my ...

3913. The Kingdom Is Not K-Mart

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

James Merritt

Think about these words: dedication, devotion, discipleship, commitment, consecration, surrender, sacrifice. There are no blue-light specials on these virtues in the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not k-mart. I want you to get these two statements into your heart. Salvation is free, but discipleship is not cheap. You may be familiar with the term day-trader. A day-trader is a high-risk investor who jumps in and out of the stock market often many times a day to capitalize on small price changes. ...

3914. Hotline to Heaven

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

James Merritt

There was a minister in a certain church who would call the children down to the front of the church every Sunday and tell them a story. One time he brought a telephone to illustrate the idea of prayer. He said, "Now kids, you know how you talk to people on the telephone and you don't see them on the end of the other line, but you know they are there?" The children nodded their head yes. He said, "Well talking to God is like talking on the telephone. He's on the other end of the line even though you can't ...

3915. Show Me Your Baptismal Certificate

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

At your baptism, you are given an identity as a follower of Jesus. For the past thirty years or more, the church has tried to find its identity, not in baptism, but in leadership. Leadership is a function. Being a disciple is an identity. Let’s explore this morning why this confusion of categories is so important, and so debilitating to the body of Christ. “What’s in your wallet”? That is the take-away line for a credit card company that wants their card to be front and center in your wallet. Forget the ...

3916. Oh That Cookie Jar Goodness!

Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) Prop: If you can find one, a “lie detector” device could also serve as an interesting opening (in reference to the movie, “Meet the Parents”) Has anyone had one of those mothers or grandmothers….or maybe a father or grandfather who just seems to know your next move? You’re going for the cookie jar when you hear a voice clear from the other ...

3917. Rest

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Sermon

William G. Carter

I don’t know of a more inviting invitation: “Come to me and I will give you rest.” Jesus speaks to the woman who cannot sleep, to the child who is anxious, and to the man is bone-tired. Come ... rest. The invitation is gentle, not forceful. He speaks from a level place, a humble place. His invitation includes all: “all you,” or as they say in the South, “y’all.” There’s not a single person excluded. Everybody come, come and rest. What intrigues me is why so many people turn him down. Have you ever noticed ...

3918. The Parables About Response

Mark 4:30-34, Mark 4:26-29

Sermon

Ron Lavin

The kingdom of God is described in many different ways in the Bible. In Mark 4, the kingdom of God is described in terms of small seeds quietly planted by a farmer. The seeds can grow to great size, like a mustard plant which in ancient Israel became one of the largest of bushes. Small beginnings can have great endings. Before looking further at this slow but potentially great growth in Mark 4:26-34, it helps to look at the context of our text, the passage before the two parables of the slow growing seeds ...

3919. Advent 1

Luke 21:5-38, 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Jeremiah 33:1-26, Psalm 25:1-22

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

The Sprouting Fig Tree The season of Advent prepares us for the coming of the birth of Christ. While our celebration is usually associated with expectation, hope, and joy, the events themselves have an underlying tone of tragedy and sorrow. Tragedy and sorrow are most explicit in the account of the slaughter of the innocent children at Herod's orders in his attempt to eliminate a potential rival to his throne. A less evident underlying theme of sorrow is the injustice existing in the world when babies have ...

3920. Arc Of The Covenant

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

James Gilmour was a missionary to Mongolia and was asked to treat some wounded soldiers. He was not a doctor, but he did know how to give first aid. He dressed the wounds of two of the men, but the third had a badly broken thigh bone. Gilmour didn't know what to do, so he knelt by the man and prayed for help, knowing that God would answer. As he pondered what to do next, a crowd of beggars came by asking for money. Though preoccupied with the wounded men, his heart went out to the needy paupers. Hurriedly ...

3921. Knowing The Voice

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Thomas Long

The dinner party had gone well. It was the kind of evening when good food was matched by rich conversation and warm cheer. As the dishes were being cleared and cream was being stirred into after-dinner coffee, the conversation took a more serious turn. The guest of honor was a church leader from central Europe, the Soviet Union had come apart only months before, and the table was filled with eager questions. How had the church in his country fared during the long Soviet frost? What changes were occurring ...

3922. Words, Words, Words

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Thomas Long

One doesn't have to search very far in our culture to realize that we live in an age that doesn't trust words very much. We use words by the bushel, in fact we are the age that does "word processing." Even so, we don't trust words; we build scaffolding out of them, but we don't put our weight on it. We know that words can be slippery, weasel things, used to conceal, to deceive, to distort. Words are cheap; people can hide behind words. When a politician gives a speech, what do we say? Promises, promises. ...

3923. Jesus Heals Many

Mark 1:35-39, Mark 1:29-34

Sermon Aid

Wayne H. Keller

Liturgical Color: Green Theme: Jesus Heals Many; Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place; Jesus Preaches Throughout Galilee. THE COMMUNITY GATHERS Pastoral Invitation In the name of the living God, welcome. With what expectations do you come today? (Give the people thirty seconds to identify their expectations, silently.) Mark Twain said, "Blessed are those who expect nothing; for they will not be disappointed;" and I say, "Blessed are those who come, not as observers, but as participants -- responsible to God, ...

3924. Advent 3

Lk 3:7-18 · Phil 4:4-7 · Zeph 3:14-20 · Isa 12:2-6

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Zephaniah 3:14-20 Rejoice, for Yahweh will restore his people to their homeland. This is the only use of Zephaniah in the three-year Lectionary. Zephaniah lived during the reign of Josiah in the seventh century, prior to the Babylonian captivity. Our pericope is considered an addition by an unknown author of the Deutero-Isaiah period. The passage gives good news of salvation to those in exile: a return to Jerusalem, victory over enemies, Yahweh in their midst, and renown among the ...

3925. Epiphany

Matthew 2:1-12, Isaiah 60:1-22, Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

PREACHING POSSIBILITIES Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12 1. The sermon might focus on the wise men. Why are they called "wise"? As in the Gospel lesson for the day, the wise men were more than men who studied the stars. History has called them wise men because they made a quest for God. Today, men are wise if they seek God in Christ. The foolish seek other gods power, prestige, possessions. In addition, wise men follow guidance. They saw a result of humble acceptance of guidance, they reached the Christ-child. ...

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