Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3951 to 3975 of 4511 results

Sermon

It was a dark scene but a busy one. The natural light of day had long since given way to the artificial light of night, but activity seemed to be everywhere. Religious services had just ended throughout the city, and ushers were returning the rubberwheeled collection baskets to their appointed resting place at the end of a long aisle. Still more ushers were busy at another task - pulling paper tap...

3952. Proper 27

Bulletin Aid

Call to Worship Pastor: God offers the blessing and joy of his kingdom to all who will come to him. People: The invitation is given; but we must prepare ourselves to be ready for his kingdom if we are to be included. Pastor: We make ourselves ready through repentance, expecting the fulfillment of his kingdom. People: We do not know when that will be, but we desire to be ready at all times. Collec...

3953. Be Prepared for Christ's Return

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: We are each one messengers sent to tell the world of God's love. People: We are each one called to share the news of God's mercy and grace. Leader: For indeed each of us has fallen short and chosen our own ways. People: Yet Christ will return one day and we are each called to be prepared. Leader: Then let us proclaim to all the world, the glory of God is at hand. All: Bless...

3954. No Time for Napping

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (Ephesians 5:14) Collect Tell us in a parable, or tell us plainly. Write it in large words, Lord, that we might read while moving fast, or speak to us quietly in the still of the long night. We want to hear your holy word today. We want to understand. May we comprehend with the help of your Spirit. Amen. (reminisc...

3955. Be Prepared

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call to Worship Leader: We are each one messengers sent to tell the world of God's love. People: We are each one called to share the news of God's mercy and grace. Leader: For indeed each of us has fallen short and chosen our own ways. People: Yet Christ will return one day and we are each called to be prepared. Leader: Then let us proclaim to all the world, the glory of God is at hand. All: Bless...

3956. Prayer

Bulletin Aid

Am I wise or foolish? Most of the time I think I'm pretty wise! I try to make good decisions. I try to be prepared for most things Do preventative maintenance Plan for retirement or emergencies Live - as well as drive - defensively And Usually Things work out pretty well. But sometimes I look foolish... Even to myself! I make a bad investment I buy a "lemon" I put my foot in my mouth - At least o...

3957. Proper 27

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Living in readiness and anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25 Joshua is now an old man and so he gathers the tribes of Israel together at Shechem to renew the covenant. In the first part of the passage, Joshua recounts the origin of the covenant which the Lord initiated with Abraham. The second portion of the passage calls for a respo...

3958. Prepared Or Not?

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

Weddings are wonderful! That is an expression you may hear frequently at the announcement of such an event. A lot of planning and expense usually go into making the event a special and joyous time. In our culture family and friends will travel long distances to be present at the ceremony. Almost every culture has extensive traditions and customs surrounding a wedding. They underscore the importanc...

3959. Proper 27

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Green Gospel: Matthew 25:1-30 Theme: Wise and foolish maidens and the parable of the talents. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One pastor began this way: "We cannot love God whom we have not seen unless we love our fellow humans whom we do see. Love doesn't necessarily mean like. Love means that we seek the same for the other that we have received for ourselves. There is...

3960. Proper 27

Bulletin Aid

Theme: Parousia and preparedness Exegetical note On the lips of Jesus this parable was probably about the coming Reign of God and the urgency of preparedness. But for Matthew it is about the delay of the parousia experienced by the Church of his own day (some half-century later), which by the twentieth century looks more like a non-occurrence. The challenge today, then, is to interpret meaningful...

3961. No Honeymoon

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: We are living as if there are no consequences to our actions. We are unprepared for Christ's return. Summary: Sandra and Ralph have been living together with the intention of marriage someday. But Ralph finds another woman and has left Sandra. Sandra convinces him to go to see their pastor, Rev. Anton, to see if he can help them get back together. Playing Time: 5 minutes Setting: Rev. An...

3962. The Ten Virgins

Drama

Robert A. Lehmann

Theme: A parable of the Kingdom of heaven Characters: Narrator Jesus Four solo voices Narrator: There are always people who are unprepared; not ready for work, for meals, for events they just seem to "put things off" naturally. That may be acceptable when dealing with earthly matters but when it concerns heavenly matters, if is tragic. Jesus said: Jesus: The Kingdom of heaven can be illustrated...

3963. Parable Of The Ten Bridesmaids

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

Suggestions: Use as an anthem. Speakers: 2 older women 1 young man 2 young women Key: 1 = narrator 2 = voice in the night 3 = a foolish bridesmaid 4 = a wise bridesmaid 5 = bridegroom 1: "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no o...

3964. Are You Ready for Jesus?

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Two bicycle tires, one flat and one hidden to be brought out at a special time Good morning, boys and girls. Did you know that this is the last Sunday in the year for the church calendar? That’s right. The church year always ends four weeks before Christmas and that gives us four weeks to get ready. We have to do a lot of things before Jesus is born into our world again. Isn’t that right?...

3965. Unprepared

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: a children's backpack, with items like books, permission slip, bag lunch or lunch money, etc. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you go to day-care or school each day? A lot of you do, don't you? What do you have to take with you to school each morning? (Wait for 3 or 4 answers) I packed this backpack with things I used to take to school when I was a kid. Here are a few books, some...

3966. Ready for the Game Warden

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A musical instrument Good morning, boys and girls: This morning we want to talk about preparation--being prepared for whatever may happen in life. Fritz Kreisler, a wonderful violinist, once said he did not have the slightest consciousness of what his fingers are doing when he plays. He concentrates on the ideal of the music that he hears in his head, and tries to come as near to that as...

3967. Be Prepared

Children's Sermon

Object: A pair of shoes and some shoe strings which have been broken and knotted several times; a coat without buttons. Good morning, boys and girls. Was it easy to come to church this morning? Were you prepared for church? Did you have all your clothes laid out, plenty of toothpaste for your toothbrush, and milk for your cereal? Well, if you had all of that, somebody at your house was well prepa...

3968. Being Prepared

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Matches, pen, camera. Lesson: And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast and the door was shut. Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to spend some time and talk about getting ready. We want to be prepared for the time Jesus talks about in the Bible. He says that Christians should always be ready for the new...

3969. Old And New

Children's Sermon

Mark A. Hultquist

Object: New school supplies (pens, pencils, erasers); similar supplies that are old and have seen better days. Don't you love the first day of school! To me that was always an exciting day - not only because of entering a new grade and seeing all my friends again after summer vacation, but also because that was the time of year when we received a new set of school supplies. Just look at all this ...

3970. Here Comes the Bridegroom

Sermon

James Merritt

As you well know you certainly cannot always believe everything you read in the papers. Some of the headlines in papers are absolutely astounding. These are actual headlines that actually ran in American newspapers. Experts say jet crashed because something went wrong. Police begin campaign to run down jay walkers. Crash probe decides plane was too close to ground Minors refuse to work after deat...

3971. What If the End Is Near?

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Someone handed me a note at the door of the church building a few Sundays ago. Here is what it said: Absolute knowledge I have none, But my aunt's washer woman's sister's son Heard a policeman on his beat Say to a laborer on the street That he had a letter just last week Written in finest classical Greek, From a Chinese coolie in Timbuktu Who said the Negroes in Cuba knew of a man in a Texas town...

3972. Ready for God’s Reign

Sermon

Chris Ewing

This parable has to be one of the least liked in the whole Bible. It speaks stern words to those who are not ready for the moment of truth — and it leaves uncomfortably vague just what "being ready" might entail. To understand what Matthew interprets Jesus to mean by readiness for the final judgment, we have to read his whole gospel, and in particular the final third of this chapter, that famous ...

3973. Always Ready

Sermon

David G. Rogne

Some literature students at the University of Chicago once asked Ernest Hemingway what hidden meanings were in his stories. He merely shrugged and said he didn't know of any and that they could make of his stories whatever they wanted. Biblical scholars seem to have a similar attitude toward the story Jesus told about ten bridesmaids who went out to meet a bridegroom. Five of the maidens neglecte...

3974. Life Is Yours

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

“If it bleeds, it leads.” Have you heard that before? “If it bleeds, it leads” has long been the mantra determining the biggest news stories on any given day. The more gory, gruesome, or grizzly a tale to tell, the better chance of it grabbing our attention and keeping us tuned in. Bad news, dour predictions, impending disaster, keep us riveted. As Samuel Johnson famously noted, “Nothing focuses ...

3975. While You Are Waiting

Sermon

Mark Trotter

One of the prominent themes of the Advent season is the theme of waiting. One of the favorite lessons about waiting is found in Jesus' Parable of the Bridesmaids, which was read as our New Testament lesson for this morning, and was echoed in the anthem performed by the Contemporary Singers, "Keep Your Lamps!" Jesus' parables are often based on customs that were familiar to the audience to which h...

Showing 3951 to 3975 of 4511 results