Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3926 to 3950 of 5000 results

3926. The First 30 Days

Illustration

Mary O

There is a website featured in Oprah magazine, First30Days.com. Ariane de Bonvoisin started the website with the idea that a journey of a thousand miles always starts with one step. The website notes that, "The exciting thing about change, in a strange way, is that it is guaranteed to happen, yet we all act as though it's a shock when it does. It's kind of a human paradox." This website is designed to provide support and community to those going through these guaranteed changes. Many of the topics this ...

3927. Planting the Seeds

Jn 1:1-18; Mt 11:1-19

Illustration

Brett Blair

There was a woman once who wanted peace in the world and peace in her heart, but she was very frustrated. The world seemed to be falling apart and her personal life wasn't that great either. One day she decided to go shopping, and she went to the mall and walked in to one of the stores. She was surprised to see Jesus behind the counter. She knew it was Jesus because he looked just like the paintings she'd seen in museums and in devotional books. Finally she got up her nerve and asked, "Excuse me, but are ...

3928. Entertaining Angels Unaware

John 1:1-18

Illustration

Mark Trotter

The Letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament reminds us of that incident, and counsels Christians to make hospitality a Christian virtue. "For you may be entertaining angels unaware." But more than that, you may be doing it to Christ, who said, "If you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me." Tom Long teaches at the seminary at Princeton. But for a while he lived in Atlanta, and attended a Presbyterian Church in downtown Atlanta. Like most downtown churches, it has to cope with the ...

3929. Living without Christ

John 1:1-18

Illustration

King Duncan

Fred Craddock once told a parable about a man who moved into a cottage equipped with a stove and simple furnishings. As the sharp edge of winter cut across the landscape, the cottage grew cold as did its occupant. He went out back and pulled a few boards off the house to kindle the fire. The fire was warm, but the house seemed as cold as before. More boards came off for a larger fire to warm the now even colder house, which in return required an even larger fire, demanding more boards. In a few days the ...

3930. The Light Shines in the Darkness

John 1:1-18

Illustration

King Duncan

Charlie Brown, Linus, and Lucy are lying on a hillside looking up at the clouds. Lucy says, "If you use your imagination you can see lots of things in the cloud formations. What do you think you see, Linus?" Linus replies, "Well, those clouds up there look to me like the map of the British Honduras on the Caribbean . . . .the cloud up there looks a little like the profile of Thomas Eakins, a famous painter and sculptor . . . And that group of clouds over there gives me the impressions of the stoning of ...

3931. Christmas Is about Finding

John 1:1-18

Illustration

I suppose when you get done slicing and dicing it, Advent is about seeking and Christmas is about finding. Which works, sequentially. But which doesn't always make sense, experientially. Because when you've lived as long as I have, things tend to get jumbled together. I've got 60 years of seekings and findings ... and losings ... and reseekings ... and refindings. Except, as I remember it, the surprise was on John, in that Jesus found him. I guess it's like that, sometimes. To those who wait for it long ...

3932. Back To Basics: The Three R's of Baptism - Sermon Starter

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

Brett Blair

Baptism is a powerful force in the life of a Christian for two reasons. It is something we share in common. Christians all over the world can say that they were baptized in Christ. You met a Catholic in Ireland. He was baptized. You met a Pentecostal in Nigeria. She was baptized. The second reason Baptism is a powerful force is that baptism takes us back to the basics. Now let me set these two ideas up for you with a couple of stories. You perhaps at one time or another have seen on TV the old black and ...

3933. The Promise of Baptism

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

James Mueller

When I baptized my three children I did a new generation kind of thing. We made a DVD for each of our kids so they can celebrate their baptism birthdays. They can see it, they can own it. We blow out the Baptism candle, we open a Baptism gift, and we celebrate the new life Jesus brings to them. They can trust in God's work. There's a lot we can do to make a child's baptism just as personal and memorable as an adult's. The one thing we shouldn't do is take this promise from our children. They need it and we ...

3934. God Help the Fish

Mark 1:4-11

Humor Illustration

King Duncan

Sam Houston was the first president of the Republic of Texas. It's said he was a rather nasty fellow with a checkered past. Later in life Houston made a commitment to Christ and was baptized in a river. The preacher said to him, "Sam, your sins are washed away." Houston replied, "God help the fish." Although most of us were not baptized as adults in a river, we can probably relate to this reply.

3935. A New Way of Living

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

Sarah Jo Sarchet

Sarah Jo Sarchet is a Presbyterian pastor in Chicago. A 10 year-old boy in her congregation named Cameron, walked into her office and said he needed to talk to her. Fresh from soccer practice, and wearing his Cincinnati Reds baseball cap, he had a request for her. "I'd like to be baptized," he said. "We were learning about Jesus' baptism in Sunday School. The teacher asked the class who was baptized, and all the other kids raised their hands. I want to be baptized too." Using her best pastoral care tone of ...

3936. If You Understand This Message...

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

Back when the telegraph was the fastest means of long-distance communication, there was a story, perhaps just a legend, about a young man who applied for a job as a Morse code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the address that was listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, noisy office. In the background a telegraph clacked away. A sign on the receptionist's counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office. The young man ...

3937. My Fellow Lepers

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

Jerome D. Cooper

Father Damien was a Belgian missionary in Hawaii. Hard place right? Back about 150 years ago, he began to plant churches on the island of Molokai. He planted several churches on the main part of the island, but there is another part that nobody ever went to, willingly. It's a small Peninsula that juts out north from the island and is separated from the rest of the Molokai by an almost sheer cliff 2,000-3,000 feet high. The only ways to get to that peninsula were to jump off the cliff or go by boat in the ...

3938. A Water Ritual for a New Year

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

Mark Trotter

Norman MacLean in his wonderful book, A River Runs through It, has this tremendous phrase: "I am haunted by waters." This Sunday in which we remember the Baptism of our Lord, is haunted by waters. Reminders and symbols, such as in the Prayer of Thanksgiving over the Water, which reminds us of all the ways that God created and recreated through water. I don't know why the Baptism of the Lord Sunday falls on this Sunday every year. It is an ancient custom going back probably over a thousand years. But I ...

3939. Baptism: No Need to Practice

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

I just read about a certain preacher, a recent seminary graduate, who was appointed to his very first congregation. He and his wife went to visit his family one Saturday afternoon for lunch. This preacher's mother sensed that her daughter-in-law was not all that happy, but not wanting to be one of those nosey, meddlesome mothers-in-law, she pretended not to notice. She figured it was just a lover's spat. But as her son and daughter-in-law left, everything was cleared up because she overheard her daughter- ...

3940. Something Good Can Come from Nazareth - Sermon Starter

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Brett Blair

I like the story of the young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, she received this letter from the college: "Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they ...

3941. Evangelical Attitude

John 1:43-51

Illustration

One day St. Francis of Assisi, invited a young monk to join him on a trip into town to preach. The young monk was so honored to get such an invitation from St. Francis that he quickly accepted. All day long he and St. Francis walked through the streets and byways, alleys and suburbs, and they rubbed shoulders with hundreds of people. At the end of the day, the two headed back home, however, not even once had St. Francis addressed a crowd, nor had he talked to anyone about the gospel. The young monk was ...

3942. Prayer Changes Things

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Mark Trotter

I remember a story about a woman who brought home a plaque that said, "Prayer changes things." She put it in her kitchen, above her sink. Her husband came home, and said, "Take that down, please." She said, "Why? Don't you believe in prayer?" He said, "Yes, but I don't believe in change." That is the problem with big, establishment-type institutions. But recently there has been, in fact, a rush to change, almost a panic on the part of some churches. There have been some changes around here, too. I hope ...

3943. 300,000 for Me; 140 for Jesus

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

Former President Jimmy Carter is not shy about sharing the Faith. He and wife Rosalynn have been on numerous faith-sharing missions in America and overseas. In his book "Living Faith," Jimmy Carter recounts a humbling experience. He says that when he was preparing to run for governor a second time, he was invited to speak to a Christian men's group about his activities as a Christian witness. In preparation for that talk, he took account of the witnessing he had done. He added up the times when he had ...

3944. How Is It Possible?

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Brett Blair

Churches have a mission statement; Not-For-Profits have a mission statement; even some businesses have a mission statement. Let me go on to add that individual people like you and me have a mission statement too. We all have a mission statement; we just may not recognize it as such. In his book "Remembering The Faith" Pastor Doug Brouwer recalls an email message he received from a young man from his congregation who was about to graduate from college. In the email, the graduating senior spelled out his ...

3945. The Man with Two Umbrellas

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

Now, let me close with the story of the man with two umbrellas. Dr. Gordon Targerson, a Baptist pastor in Worcester, Massachusetts, was crossing the Atlantic by ship some years ago. He noticed on several occasions a dark-skinned man sitting in a deck chair reading a Bible. One day Dr. Targerson sat down beside him and said, "Forgive my curiosity. I'm a Baptist minister. I notice you are a faithful Bible reader. I'd like to meet you." After introductions, the dark-skinned man said, "I am Filipino. I was ...

3946. The Attitude Change

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Staff

Bruce Larson tells this story in his book, "Faith for the Journey." Once there was a successful factory that made drills. One day the owner told his corporate officials that he was going to retire and that he had chosen his son as his successor. At the next board meeting the son asked his four vice presidents, "What are your goals for the company for the next five to ten years?" One vice-president replied, "Well sir, we're looking at new sizes and shapes for different drills." The son then dropped his ...

3947. What Did You Do On Earth?

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Brett Blair

The late Dr. Paul Quillian was the beloved pastor of First Methodist Church of Houston, Texas. In his fifteen years of ministry the church grew from 2500 to 6000. An effort that he called a labor of love. Not many knew that Dr. Quillian as a young man had little thought of ministry and was working in Pine Bluff Arkansas at a bottling plant when his minister paid him a call. His pastor started with the question, "How old are you?" "Thirty." Quillian's preacher then said, "When you stand finally before the ...

3948. I Love Baskin' Robins

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Brett Blair

I have hunch that we have felt pretty good about letting people find their own way to God. You hear it said in families. We don't want to impose upon our children our religion, these parents say, we want them to find their own way. There is only one conclusion to this path, heartache and sorrow for the missed opportunities. Two robins were sitting in a tree. "I'm really hungry," said the first one. "Me too," said the second one. "Let's fly down and find some lunch." They flew to the ground and found a nice ...

3949. When Did You Become a Christian

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Donald Deffner

Paul Tournier was a famous Swiss physician and a dedicated Christian author of many insightful books. After he had written his first book, he returned to his medical school to visit his favorite old professor. Granted an afternoon of the venerable man's time, Tournier read a large portion of his new book to his teacher. As he completed his reading, he looked up to find tears in the old man's eyes. "Oh, Paul," said the professor, "That's a wonderful book. Everyone of us Christians should read it." Tournier ...

3950. From Cynicism to Faith

John 1:43-51

Illustration

G. Curtis Jones

Malcolm Muggeridge, with a Fabian Socialist upbringing, once an atheist, a career journalist, at one time hearty drinker and womanizer, at age seventy-nine surrendered his will to the Lord. This gadfly of British letters, an eloquent peddler of words, gathered up his contradictions and beliefs in November 1982, marched down to a small chapel in Hurst Green, Sussex, and, with his wife, became a member of the Catholic Church. His decision to convert was inspired in part by the life and witness of Mother ...

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Antonyms: deficient, imperfect

Showing 3926 to 3950 of 5000 results

3926. The First 30 Days

Illustration

Mary O

3927. Planting the Seeds

Jn 1:1-18; Mt 11:1-19

Illustration

Brett Blair

3928. Entertaining Angels Unaware

John 1:1-18

Illustration

Mark Trotter

3929. Living without Christ

John 1:1-18

Illustration

King Duncan

3930. The Light Shines in the Darkness

John 1:1-18

Illustration

King Duncan

3931. Christmas Is about Finding

John 1:1-18

Illustration

3932. Back To Basics: The Three R's of Baptism - Sermon Starter

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

Brett Blair

3933. The Promise of Baptism

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

James Mueller

3934. God Help the Fish

Mark 1:4-11

Humor Illustration

King Duncan

3935. A New Way of Living

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

Sarah Jo Sarchet

3936. If You Understand This Message...

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

3937. My Fellow Lepers

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

Jerome D. Cooper

3938. A Water Ritual for a New Year

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

Mark Trotter

3939. Baptism: No Need to Practice

Mark 1:4-11

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

3940. Something Good Can Come from Nazareth - Sermon Starter

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Brett Blair

3941. Evangelical Attitude

John 1:43-51

Illustration

3942. Prayer Changes Things

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Mark Trotter

3943. 300,000 for Me; 140 for Jesus

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

3944. How Is It Possible?

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Brett Blair

3945. The Man with Two Umbrellas

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

3946. The Attitude Change

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Staff

3947. What Did You Do On Earth?

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Brett Blair

3948. I Love Baskin' Robins

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Brett Blair

3949. When Did You Become a Christian

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Donald Deffner

3950. From Cynicism to Faith

John 1:43-51

Illustration

G. Curtis Jones

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