Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 376 to 400 of 1354 results

376. The Needle’s Eye

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

... and often with biting humor. Here he uses the images of cutting off a hand, a foot, or plucking out an eye. The text begins with the disciples concerned with protecting their turf. All people have vested interests and will go to great lengths to defend themselves against encroaching threats. The disciples tell Jesus that they have found someone else working in his name; but, since the man was not one of them, hand-picked by Jesus, they told him to stop. Jesus responds with an unexpected twist. If the man ...

377. Everything Except God

Amos 5:1-17

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... bombed her home, obstructed her legal battles in court and told the young women themselves that she was nothing more than a “White Witch.” Miss Cameron was not deterred. She stood by her young women, went to court with them as their defender and when they were liberated she provided practical education and training. She is credited with rescuing more than 1,500 Chinese young women from the slave trade. Her concern continues today through Cameron House in Chinatown, as a community center serving families ...

378. The Road To Capernaum

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... to know the word unless you let the word live. You can know the Bible backward and forward, but unless you live it unless you allow it to become incarnational - it does no good. Henry David Thoreau said of the New Testament, "Most people favor it outwardly, defend it with bigotry and hardly ever read it." Even if we read it, that is not enough. We have to live it. I have a Bible collection which contains many different translations, versions and languages, 55 in all. I have 55 Bibles. But the most important ...

379. The Spontaneous Routine

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

... experience of and dependence upon the security of God's providential care. The secure spirit faces the challenges and dangers of life in the assurance of God's participating presence, so that there develops a "peace which this world cannot give," that "being defended from the fear of our enemies," we may "pass our time in rest and quietness." God is, after all, the one "from whom all holy desires, all good councils, and all just works do proceed." The biblical mandates and exhortations direct us to remember ...

380. Captive To The Word Of God

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

... control in Europe, the armies of Islam were knocking at the doors of the European states. After the Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453, they marched across Europe, even into the Balkans. The Vatican was called upon to coordinate the effort to defend Christendom and to finance it from a treasury already sorely strained to pay for the building of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome.1 Pressured by politics, the military threat of the Islamic armies, and an empty treasury, institutional survival ...

381. Can A Nation Repent?

2 Chronicles 34:14-33

Sermon

Erskine White

... to ban it. Teddy Roosevelt felt that this slogan was blasphemy, that we cheapen God's name when we use it on our money. He ordered new coins to be minted without the slogan, and guess what happened? All hell broke loose! The religious lobby - the defenders of national piety - preachers all over America attacked the President. "How dare he remove the Lord from our money! Doesn't he believe in God?" Fortunately, Congress came to God's rescue, and in a fit of righteous indignation, a law was passed. That's why ...

382. Palms By Day And Plots By Night

Sermon

Erskine White

... try to think about this today. Suppose you hit me, right here in the face. Then suppose I turned the other cheek to let you hit me again. Would you be able to do it? Would you be able to hit me again when I wasn't even trying to defend myself? Some people could, I suppose; but many people could not keep hitting me. If I turn the other cheek to you and you back down, then I have used my power to make you stop, and I have won the victory. I have defeated you without anger or violence ...

383. Checking The Vital Signs

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... , are alive. A woman devoted to Christ once adopted a peculiar method of shaming her Christian friends. She was found testifying to her faith before a wooden Indian in front of a cigar store. She was chided for the scene she created and then defended herself by saying: “I would rather be a real Christian and talk religion to a wooden Indian than a wooden Christian who never talked religion to anyone!” Perhaps the best vital sign of all is whether anyone has noticed the difference since Easter. One ...

384. Death of a Nineteen-year-old

Philippians 4:2-9

Eulogy

Louis M. Pratt

... all over his body. Job's friends came to offer him whatever comfort they could. They sat with him in silence for seven days. But, when Job began to complain that God was not treating him fairly, they could no longer keep silent, and they began to defend God. They heaped guilt on Job's shoulders, saying that God never allowed the innocent to suffer, that only Job was to blame for his suffering. This happens too many times. In the midst of terrible suffering, someone comes along and adds to the burdens of the ...

385. Peacemaker -- A Liturgy

Drama

Thomas A. Renquist

... the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord. C: Lord, have mercy. P: For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord. C: Lord, have mercy. P: Help, save, comfort and defend us, gracious Lord. C: Amen. The Hymn of Praise: (Tune: Amazing Grace; by Jose Rechlein) Amazing grace, the peace of God!O gift to hear the callTo bring our world the hope of Christ, The Spirit in us all. Great God of Peace, Creator God, Your living Word you give ...

386. Jerusalem: City for All Time

2 Samuel 5:1-5

Sermon

Donald Zelle

... the city is described in our reading. However, the key verse, verse eight, is not clear in the original language. In part it cannot be translated. The controversy over whether the attack should be directed against the water shaft of the city or the windpipe of the defenders is not yet settled. The reference to the blind and lame in verse eight seems to be an addition of a later editor. But that David conquered it around 1,000 B.C. is beyond dispute. His reasons for wanting the city are obvious. He had been ...

387. In The Valley

Eulogy

Joe Barone

... -17 A Scriptural Sermon ForOne Who Died Through Violence Sometimes we need the refuge of familiar Scripture. There's nothing more obscene than the wanton taking of a human life, and so, in the face of that obscenity, we look to Scripture. I'm not here to defend God or to address the question, "Why do such things happen?" They happen because of human sinfulness, and they grieve God. God's own Son died a violent death, and so have other faithful people through the ages. It's not explanations we look for, and ...

388. Recollections of Abdul, Camel Boy for An Eastern Potentate

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Drama

Robert A. Morgan

... my growing up. But sooner or later, the pendulum swings, and in my father's case, the pendulum became a sword, a sword that took off his head and ravaged our home. It all happened so fast not one of us children got back in time to save or defend anything. And we were probably lucky. That is probably what saved our lives! In any case, it was all gone -position, money, home, father himself. I was just fortunate to find work with someone who is not involved in politics. No one will ever bother Casper. He goes ...

389. Strangers at the Manger

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

... measures such as immunization and medication. The estimated cost of this life-saving endeavor would be about 2.5 billion dollars over the ten-year period. Every day of the year, 2.5 billion dollars is spent on armaments around the world. We continue to defend our empires and sacrifice the innocent on the altar of the proud. And, by the way, UNICEF’s estimate has proven to be very conservative. Many more than 100 million children did die in the decade of the 90’s, most from malnutrition and related ...

390. Why Did Jesus Do That?

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Johnny Dean

If there’s one thing we Americans value above everything else, it’s freedom. We cherish, guard and exercise our freedom, and woe be unto those who threaten it in any way. We’re even willing to go to war to defend freedom, whether it’s ours or someone else’s. We are the world’s self-appointed watchdogs of freedom. But Jesus says there’s a higher value than freedom. The first words the writer of the Gospel of Matthew has Jesus speak are not about freedom, but about obedience to ...

391. Are You the One?

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... performing miraculous feats. But life had gone on for John, and he had been very busy himself. He had his own work to do, his own mission to carry out. And now he had been arrested and thrown into prison. He had no money to hire a slick lawyer to defend him in court and no hope of parole any time soon, if Herod let him out at all. After all, John had said some pretty harsh things about Herod in public, and now he found himself at the mercy of this ruler he had publicly criticized. He must have feared ...

392. How Much Is Enough?

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Johnny Dean

I will defend to the death my theory that the most perfect food, the one item that provides nourishment for body, mind, and spirit is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread. I have felt that way for as long as I can remember. When I’m feeling a little ...

393. The Women

John 20:1-9

Drama

William Grimbol

... . New ways of seeing life. Maybe we all need such a dramatic and drastic change. SHIRLEE: That same sermon has been preached before, for centuries. PATTI: That does not matter. He lives it. For whatever reason, he made me want to live it. Why do I have to defend that to you, to anyone? Don't you believe that his kind of message needs desparately to be heard these days? SHIRLEE: Well, yes, I guess it does. I guess ... I mean certainly we always need to be reminded of our priorities being focused on love, our ...

394. The Men

Drama

William Grimbol

... . BILL: He doesn't want faith in Yahweh. He doesn't want a centered faith in God's will. He wants faith in him. He wants faith centered in his will. ARNOLD: He does claim to be the Messiah. That sure goes beyond being a prophet. REED: I don't defend that. I don't know. JOHN: Do you mean he might be ... in your mind. REED: Yes, he might. BILL: You aren't just an idealist, you're an unfaithful fool. ARNOLD: You are not a Jew. REED: Maybe I'm not your kind of Jew, but I do feel ...

395. The Family of Judas

Drama

William Grimbol

... have ... he was such an interesting person. He was so bright, and he was always making all of us think. Conversation at dinner whenever he was around was just so marvelous ... even if he did get father mad almost always, and then mother would step in to defend Judas. Mother adored Judas. She always tried to be fair, to never let us feel that he was her favorite, but he was. She just loved his spirit ... in fact, I think half the time mother secretly wished she could be doing everything Judas was. I think ...

396. There's Blindness, and There's Blindness

John 9:13-34, John 9:1-12

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... . I have received the benefit of a seminary education. I believe in the need for proper distinction and careful definition. I don’t believe people should have to check their brains at the door in order to receive the benefits of the church. I am a staunch defender of the Mainline Protestant way of doing church. And I don’t like it when clergy are portrayed as the bad guys in stories like the one we are looking at today. But the story says there are two types of blindness. One is physical, tragic, but ...

397. The Clanking of Coins

Matthew 27:1-10

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... his hand, we take matters into our own hands and assume that his way is our own. Our whole society is built around the philosophy that we can get what we want so long as we have the money to pay for it. We do not need to defend that statement or back up that philosophy, for it is obvious when we measure our homes, automobiles, clothing, vacations, social standing, and on and on. The Christian faith tells me, and I believe it, that there are a host of things that money cannot buy. Peace of mind, assurance ...

398. The Dynamics of Doubt

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... made on the basis of research into the nature of things. Doubts often come from our wounds. When Thomas was wounded by the sudden turn of events that first Holy Week, when he grieved over the loss of his best friend, he defended himself against further hurt by falling into what was for him a familiar pattern, a skeptical outlook. When Jesus confronted the wounded Thomas, he showed him his wounds. The resolution of doubts is not an intellectual exercise in mathematical or philosophical propositions ...

399. A Night of Farewell - Peter

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... blood. The mysterious silence of these heavy minutes. The same prayer, over and over. We hid behind the mask of sleep. We were too exhausted to pray. He had to wake us three times. "Up and quick. They are upon us. The traitor." "Where are the weapons? Defend yourselves, men." There was a shell of a man leading the soldiers. "Friend, what are you doing here?" Judas - "Hail master ..." and he kissed him. "Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" Jesus' heart was heavy with pity. "Whom do you seek?" "Jesus ...

400. The Christian's Tears of Failure

Matthew 26:69-75

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... as Christians. Tears, for one thing, usually come at the time when we fully comprehend and realize that we have failed as Christians to be loyal to Christ. This was the case with Peter. There were no tears while he was warming himself at the courtyard fire and defending himself against the maid's accusations. Only when he heard the cock crow and only when Jesus turned and looked at him with an "I told you so" glance, did Peter realize that he failed to be loyal by denying that he even knew Jesus, let alone ...

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