Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 376 to 400 of 1285 results

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

... Claude Debussy. Pete Maravich, the outstanding basketball player of modern times, died on January 5, 1988. While at LSU, he averaged forty-four points per game. No one defensive system in the Southeastern Conference could stop him. Some coaches devised complicated double-team defenses to shut him down. Others let him shoot at will and put pressure on the other four players. As a professional player, Maravich consistently knocked the bottom out of the basket. His dazzling rerformances sold tickets for big ...

377. Moving Mountains

Luke 17:1-10

Illustration

... built a new sanctuary on a piece of land willed to them by a church member. Ten days before the new church was to open, the local building inspector informed the pastor that the parking lot was inadequate for the size of the building. Until the church doubled the size of the parking lot, they would not be able to use the new sanctuary. Unfortunately, the church with its undersized lot had used every inch of their land except for the mountain against which it had been built. In order to build more parking ...

378. Epiphany 7

Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 5:38-42, 1 Corinthians 3:1-23, Leviticus 19:1-37

Sermon Aid

... " enters a church building and interrupts the worship service by en-gaging the pastor in a dialogue about what is going on in that place. At one point in the two-way discussion (dialogue sermons, wherein two people talk to each other, are really "double-monologue sermons," because the congregation has no active part in them; the people are spectators, as well they may be in a straight monologue type of pulpit address), the clown asks the pastor, "Who owns this place, anyway?" The pastor responds, "God does ...

379. Born One Of Us

Drama

... his temple) Got him right here. (Fearful, all the bravado gone) Look out the window. See anybody? Miriam: (Pulls drape and looks out) See anybody? The whole world is in Bethlehem tonight. Abner: Any soldiers? Miriam: (Excited) Here come some, marching double-time. Abner: (Sinks onto stool, folds his hands and prays rapidly, his eyes closed) Protect thy servant, Abner; protect thy servant, Abner; protect thy - Miriam: (A little disappointed) They’ve gone on past. (Abner heaves a big sigh of relief) Oh ...

380. A Most Amazing Night

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

... gifts. They give gold, a symbol of kingship and worldly riches. They give frankincense, a fragrance symbolizing inner riches and spirituality. And they give myrrh, which is also considered precious in the ancient world. But then again, maybe the gift of myrrh has a double meaning since myrrh is also used in the ancient world to embalm the bodies of the dead. Maybe the Wise Men warn Joseph and Mary that King Herod is already plotting to kill this baby. Maybe they speak earnestly about the danger this child ...

381. Lent 3

John 5:1-15

Bulletin Aid

Theme: Quenching spiritual thirst Exegetical note The central point of this multifaceted incident between Jesus and the Samaritan woman hinges on the double entendre in the phrase "living water." Water imagery for spirituality is practically universal (e.g., as in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism), but there was no doubt in the mind of John and the faith of the early Church that it was precisely (and only) Jesus, the Christ, who was the ...

382. Easter 2

Acts 2:14-41

Bulletin Aid

Theme: God's paths of life Exegetical note This selection recounts a portion of Peter's first kerygmatic "sermon" in Acts. The death and resurrection of Jesus are, of course, the double focus, the main point being that the latter has overcome the former. In the process, Luke has Peter quoting Psalm 16 to make clear that the resurrection means that God's love and power have proven to be stronger than the worst kind of human alienation, deatn and Hades, and ...

383. Proper 6

Psalm 46:1-11, Genesis 25:19-34

Bulletin Aid

... very good: Jacob is portrayed as greedy (albeit clever), and Esau as short-sighted (or downright stupid). Perhaps the best truly timeless lesson here is in the materialism that diverts both from righteousness: Jacob's lust for his brother's rightful double inheritance overcomes both fairness and brotherly love, while Esau's concern to meet immediate physical need (in this case, hunger) clouds his judgment about the future. Call to Worship Leader: God is our refuge! God is our strength! People: GOD IS ...

384. Epiphany 8

Matthew 5:21-26, Matthew 5:27-30, Matthew 5:31-32, Matthew 5:33-37, Matthew 5:38-42, Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon Aid

... him who loved us. Pastor: Praise God! Ministers: We all praise God! (source unknown) Act of Recognizing our Humanness and Receiving New Life Suggestion: Develop the confession around ways that we seek to serve two masters which lead to anxiety. Define anxiety as "double-mindedness, dividing the mind." How do we do that? You may want to list several, as for example, through unhealthy liasons, or trying to do too much, or concentrating on making more and more money until we have "enough." Give the people time ...

385. A Glory Revealed by Abiding

John 8:31-41

Sermon

... just big enough for a monkey’s hand to pass through. The basket is baited with some "monkey delight" and tied to an appropriate tree. The hungry animal reaches in, puts his fist around the bait, and then tries to remove his hand. But he can't! With his fist doubled up, there is not enough room for the bit of food and the monkey’s hand. He has to either drop the food or remain trapped. He steadfastly hangs on and becomes easy pickings for hunters. He got what he wanted - but at a cost he did not expect ...

386. A Glory Revealed as Eternal Life

John 5:16-30

Sermon

... "God gave us up" to the consequences of our rebellion. We are "free" from God, to be sure. But freedom from God only results in slavery to the tyranny of Death and all his works: not only natural or violent death, but also malice, deceit, covetousness, "double-speak," gossip, and, more recently, "dis-information" and the like. All these are the works of darkness and death; all these can and do cause death in our own bodies and souls, as well as in the people around us. When we find ourselves wanting to ...

387. A Glory Revealed in Truth and Faithfulness

John 19:28-37

Sermon

... with two distinct or overlapping meanings. The Greek word used means "to fulfill," to fill the meaning of God’s revelation thoroughly. But it also means "to finish, to complete, to bring a matter to its final goal or end." We’re going to let this double meaning of the Greek word be our guide: First, we’ll see how Jesus’ death gave the Old Testament scriptures their literal and deepest meaning. Secondly, we’ll see how Jesus’ death brought God’s will to its final goal. First, Jesus gave the Old ...

388. The Fashioning of Christians

Ezekiel 36:1-38

Sermon

... tie. The second story comes from my ministry at a country parish in Northern Indiana. I had been there for several weeks when I noticed that an elderly couple, who were regular attenders, invariably wore the same outfits. The gentleman always wore a 1940s suit (double-breasted, wide lapels, stripes) along with button suspenders and a wide, flowery tie. The wife always wore a purple hat with a feather, and a magenta, wool suit, also right out of the 1940s. Rain or shine, hot or cold, that’s what they wore ...

389. Kingdoms In Conflict

Daniel 2:24-49

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... " means? It means to "cut open." Jesus’ side was cut open by a Roman spear, and it was all for us. "Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee; let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which flowed, be of sin the double cure; save from wrath and make me pure." Christ the Rock is the only way of salvation, and his Kingdom owns the future. There may be some tough times ahead for the Kingdom, but it will prevail. Handel’s "Messiah", quoting Revelation 11:15 declares, "The kingdoms of ...

390. Turn Out the Lights! The Party's Over!

Daniel 5:1-31

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... doesn’t work. We have the testimony of that great theologian Garth Brooks who says, "I’ve got friends in low places, where the whiskey burns and the beer chases my blues away." It chases the blues just for a few hours; then they return with double fury. Do you remember John Belushi of Saturday Night Live? He was the original party animal. But the alcohol and drugs became progressively less effective at chasing the blues away. He died of an overdose, looking for joy in all the wrong places. Now don’t ...

391. Is Jesus Still in the Healing Business?

Luke 4:38-44, Luke 4:31-37

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... of all, Calvary is person centered. Everyone is on a first-name basis. Doctors and nurses are selected carefully and encouraged to get involved with the patients, to really care about them. Calvary’s statistics are impressive. 50 percent of the patients double their anticipated life span. 15 percent are discharged. Some of the patients discover at Calvary for the first time people who really care. Calvary’s secret is love. Most people will keep on struggling against fierce odds if they know that even ...

392. For Christ’s Sake, What’s Going On?

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Michael L. Sherer

... someone else once pointed out to me that Satan isn’t all that anxious to go after unchurched folk. They’re halfway in his pen already. Satan wants a trophy worth displaying. If he can get someone in the church to play the role of double agent, then he’s got a fox inside the henhouse. If he can bring chaos to an entire believing congregation, he’s accomplished something! From the start, the Christian Church knew this could happen. Matthew’s Gospel in particular takes steps to anticipate community ...

393. A King Worth Having

Zechariah 9:9-13

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... the River to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your captives free from the waterless pit. Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double. Life demands a leader. Every person and every group of persons needs someone in charge. A country needs a king or prime minister or president. An athletic team must have a captain; an army, a general; a ship, a pilot; a business, a manager. Each person needs ...

394. Sick Of A Sick Society

Jeremiah 14:1--15:21

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... of learning is that it cannot guarantee or produce character. Horace Mann, father of public schools, claimed that schools would close our prisons. But have they? In spite of all our schools, we have 400,000 in 800 prisons. Since 1970, our prison population has doubled, and the current cry is for more prisons to relieve crowded conditions in our jails. Theodore Roosevelt once said that if you take a boy who broke into a railroad boxcar and sent him to college, one day he would steal the whole railroad. We ...

395. Christian The King

Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... this power. Their last enemy is death which ends their power, wealth, and prestige. In Vienna there is a crypt under a Capuchin church. In this crypt are buried 140 kings, queens, princes, and princesses. Each sarcophagus is sculptured in steel. The largest is a double tomb for Maria Theresa and her husband. On each sarcophagus was carved a cross and the king’s or queen’s crown. On each corner of one sarcophagus was a skull wearing a crown. The message was clear: Death was king! Even kings are conquered ...

396. Eternal Echo Of Easter - Part 1

Matthew 28:1-10

Drama

Esther R. Russ

... Eternal Echo of Easter 1. CANDLELIGHT CEREMONY - Choir There is TOTAL darkness; the organ begins to play "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross." The front cross is lighted. After the organist plays through one stanza, the choir walks into the sanctuary from the back, double or single file down center aisle, each person carrying a lighted candle. At the end of pews they separate to the left and right, each keeping in step with his opposite partner. Each member lights a candle(s) on the candlelabra, and takes his ...

397. Binding Up the Fractured World

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Hubert Beck

... tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." We must remember, though, that the laws of the time were extremely harsh ... so much so that this is a softening of a far harsher code of law! The tenor of the time was to give back more than you got, to repay double for what was done to you. The law of Israel says a resounding "no!" to such mentality. One may indeed punish evil-doers, but not merely out of vengeance. You should not do more to him than he did to you in order to gain revenge. "You shall do to ...

398. BE A DARKNESS DISPELLER

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... to produce - produce the light of Christ in our words and deeds. We are called by Christ to servanthood, to sacrifice, into ministry. Such ministry is fed and coordinated in the local parish. If each Christian took seriously the Lord’s Word, our ministry and effectiveness as darkness dispellers would double, perhaps even triple. With the help of God, let’s turn on our lights ... full strength.

399. I Knew You’d Come

John 6:16-24

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

... Save me, Lord!" he cried out. And at once Jesus reached out and grabbed him. What a parable this is of the frailty of human faith. So many of us view faith exclusively from its human side. We interpret it as determination. Where you set your jaw and double up your fists and say, "I can do it." Now this is an admirable virtue in many areas of life, but in the realm of faith, it is appallingly inadequate. This view of faith is frequently promoted by the "Imitation of Christ" theology. Our Lord is presented as ...

400. A Daughter of Jacob

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

... and Mark, other interpretations are suggested. It becomes, for example, an account of a woman who got more from the Kingdom of God than she bargained for. The woman came to Jesus asking for one miracle and she got two. This is really a double miracle, for the daughter was exorcised of her demonic possession and received a new life, and the mother, through her experience with Christ, found a new life as well. This interpretation of the miracle places the mother as the main character of the account. The ...

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