Sermon and Worship Resources

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Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

... with a suitable supply, for he was an operator and got things done. The phrase, "Thomas, why don’t you use a little common sense?" still rings in my ear. What is common sense? I have spent much energy and thought on the question; but, the subject is not simple and direct. It is slippery and elusive. What seems to be common sense at first glance is not so upon reflection. Common sense today can become arrant nonsense tomorrow. In these years I have come to feel that two conditions help determine what ...

377. Proper 16

2 Samuel 23:1-7, Ephesians 5:22-33, John 6:25-59, John 6:60-71

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... Christian marriage Exegetical Note At first glance this passage sounds extraordinarily "backward" in the modern age. Read in its entirety, however, the words sound remarkably progressive. For the exhortation for wives to be subject to their husbands appears outweighed by the opening injunction for mutual subjection, the later demand on husbands to love their wives "as their own bodies," and the overall comparison of marriage with Christ and the church, which suggests self-sacrifice as a dimension of "manly ...

378. THE NEIGHBORHOOD GAP

Sermon

William McKee Aber

... cncerned about gaps - who meets us in the midst of our separation, and who may enable us to bridge the gaps that exist. Today we come to one of the most difficult of all - the neighborhood gap. When, a couple of months ago, I asked for some suggestions about subjects for sermons, one letter (which I feel summarizes the thoughts of a great many people) said this: "when you live in a neighborhood such as ours, we would like to know, - how to tell your kids they won’t go to hell if they don’t share their ...

379. The Call of the Trumpet

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

George Bass

... of starvation and a taste of that suffering our Lord shared with all of us whenever he fasted. When James S. Stewart included "suffering" in his well-known collection of sermons, The Strong Name, he had to preach four sermons to cover the subject of suffering and human trouble. He comments: There are so many forms of trouble in this world - physical, mental, emotional, spiritual; and the challenge which they severally and collectively present to faith is so radical, that one craves passionately to be able ...

380. Childs of Center Point

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

... CHILDS: It’s just that when things get so divisive and controversial it sometimes doesn’t seem safe to get into them. Remember, Jesus got crucified after cleansing the temple. And Saint Paul got beat up and left for dead every time he brought up the subject of the Messiah when preaching to Jews. BILL CHILDS: So are you saying that Jesus and Saint Paul shouldn’t have talked about either of those topics? EVIE CHILDS: Well ... no ... but ... BILL CHILDS: But it’s going to get costly if you do. Right ...

381. The Whip of War

John 2:12-25

Sermon

Brett Blair

... . The Bible not only tells us about God it tells us about mankind, and therefore it addresses the most significant events in human history. We are currently in such a time, and because we are at war it is appropriate for us this morning to take a look at the subject of war and what the Bible has to say. Let me start by asking you a question. Do you think that God is for war or against war? If you think God is for war then you must contend with Jesus’ words: Blessed are the peacemakers for theirs is the ...

382. Heal the Sick; Cast Out the Demons

Matthew 10:5-8

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... head; but you can keep them from building a nest in your head." When we don’t stop temptations early, they make their home in our minds and become demons. People are subject to the divisive invasion of demons. So are institutions. All institutions - educational, business, political, and religious are subject to the invasion of demons. Depersonalization sets in. Rules become more important than people. Ambition triumphs over service. Greed towers over human need. The Tower of Babel grows taller and taller ...

383. True Freedom

John 8:31-41

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... a Christian is to accept this priceless gift with all its privileges and responsibilities. It is to accept a new life under a new Lord in the service of love. In the words of Luther, "A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all." And in the words of Paul, "But now you have been set free from sin and are the slaves of God; as a result your life is fully dedicated to him, and at the last you will have eternal life" (Romans 6 ...

384. The Shadow Ascending

John 21:15-25

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... he serves in ministry with Native American and rural populations while continuing doctoral studies in clinical psychology. "The Shadow Ascending" is a two-part sermon series. Alcoholism is the subject of Denial By Any Other Name. A Lack of Feeding in the American Dream deals with the painful and confusing subject of suicide, outlining some dynamics involved with the process and a Christian perspective for understanding and responding. Today is drug and alcohol concerns Sunday in the United Methodist Church ...

385. The Courage to Be Me

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... Me: The fears of doubt, self-disclosure, and failure. There is a sense in which vitality in human life is a product of the tension between fear and faith. If all were certain, then our concept of faith would lose its meaning. But each of us is subject to the mysteries of the unknown, the limitations of our finite perspective, and the necessity of moving ahead. Thus, by our nature, we are creatures of both fear and faith. Let us consider how our Christian faith may speak to us in the private battle ground of ...

386. Living Free

Haggai 2:1-9

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... . Back in the sixteenth century Dr. King’s insights were more or less endorsed by his namesake, Martin Luther. Of course Luther emphasized our freedom. The Christian, he claimed, is “lord of all, subject to none.” But he also asserted that “a Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”5 Living free (in Christ) involves service to God and our neighbors. Maybe the problem with American society today is that Christians have not been exercising their freedom in service, not ...

387. The Second Touch for the Out of Touch

1 Kings 19:1-18

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... . There is a mental drain to preaching that is best understood by those who are called to do it regularly. Someone described it as delivering a new paper on the same subject once every seven days. Winston Churchill said, “Any man who believes he can hold the attention of the same audience week after week while he speaks to the same subject is a fool!” He was right in one sense, for even the Bible calls it “the foolishness of preaching” (1 Corinthians 1:21). Yet, the same Bible also says that it ...

388. The Fruit of One's Doing

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... of the day that children are innocent. One painting featuring a group admiring one child was believed to have been inspired by one of the nativity scenes of the Holy Child. One striking painting of a parent and child focused on a father and son. The subjects were Cassatt’s brother and nephew. The resemblance between father and son arrest the attention of the viewer. The eyes of both father and son penetrate the same way. Their features are most similar, suggesting that the son will grow to be a clone of ...

389. Good Medicine

Proverbs 10:1-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... Jesus who said, "I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly."(7) One more prescription: Two women were discussing their pastors. One woman said, "My pastor is so good he can talk on any subject for an hour." The other woman responded, "That's nothing. My pastor can talk for an hour without any subject at all."(8) Enough! "A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Amen? Amen! 1. Psalm 2:4 2. Bruce Naylor, via Ecunet, "Sermonshop 1999 04 04," #41, 3/29/99 ...

390. Integrity

Song of Songs 2:1-17

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... of the most delightful forces in human experience. There are no snide innuendos, no crude jokes. Why? Listen to an Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple: "The reason for not joking about sex is exactly the same as for not joking about the Holy Communion. It is not that the subject is nasty, but that it is sacred, and to joke about it is profanity."(9) Handle it with care. As with all of our life, because we do not want to just talk the talk, but we want to walk the walk, we will handle it with...what's ...

391. Religion and Politics

Isaiah 1:1-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... in 2004, we are being treated to regular helpings of both from every point on the partisan spectrum. There are regular references to personal faith by candidates on the right and left. The press has taken note of the phenomenon and has written extensively on the subject. TIME magazine did a cover story on "The Faith Factor"(1) and asked "Just how devout do Americans want their president to be? The answer is proving to be a major reason why the 2004 campaign is so divisive." A recent poll indicates that 59 ...

392. Giving Dangerously

Malachi 3:6-18

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... dog. As Rover sauntered back to the curb with his catch, the cat said, "You didn't sound like a dog; you sounded like a cat." To which the dog replied, "In this neighborhood, you've got to be bilingual." Because this is a sensitive subject, the same applies to speaking about money in the church. We are approaching a hectic season, a time of year that forces us to confront questions about money. Consecration Sunday, then appeals geared to Thanksgiving and Christmas - we are deluged with opportunities to get ...

393. The Lord's Prayer: Hallowed Be Thy Name

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... considered as above the sphere of the ordinary, One who is supremely different. We say we recognize that difference, and we celebrate it before we ever get into any other subject. We are also making a confession. We confess that sometimes God is not held in appropriate reverence. After all, if God were, there would be no necessity to bring the subject up. Then, we are making a request. We are asking the Lord to let the "hallowedness," the “Different-ness,” be made real in our own lives. And this element ...

394. The Healing Touch

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... God's most gracious act will be to let life mercifully end. Those decisions are not ours; rather they are rightfully in the hands of a caring and loving God. There is much to learn about our ministry of healing because the subject has been so neglected for so long. Of course, we can study the subject to death and use our incompleted work as an excuse for inaction (or we might be very Presbyterian and turn it over to a committee). No. If the church is to regain its healing touch, the church has to, as the ...

395. Jesus and Divorce

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." I wonder what the Lord would say if he came back today and spoke on the same subject? I suspect that, considering the current situation, he would say the same thing all over again, and particularly if he were as concerned with the protection of women, for that, after all, was the force of his words in the first place. We say "You've come a ...

396. Temptation

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... . Half of that group accepted the undeserved money. In the next scenario, the cashier counted out the money on her desk, then asked, "Is that right?" The question made it necessary to tell a lie to get the undeserved $2.00. Forty percent did. In the final scenario, subjects were told a graduate student was paying for the test, and the cashier asked if the payment was right. So there was a victim to hurt and a lie required. Still 20 percent took the extra $2.00. Bersoff said in all cases, it was the same $2 ...

397. Would a Loving God Really Let Anyone Go to Hell?

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... and punishment which ONLY God can give. Aionios indicates quality, not quantity. Does that mean that there is a possibility that everyone will eventually be saved? Our tradition wants to say ABSOLUTELY NOT. But the scripture seems to speak with two minds on the subject. There are places where it seems to indicate YES,(11) and there are other places where it indicates NO. And if scripture is not crystal clear, we had best not be making any absolute statements. However, if we take seriously the freedom of ...

398. Prayers That Work

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... his usual parting command to the dog. "Stay!" he ordered loudly, to an apparently empty car. "Stay!" An elderly man was watching the performance with amused interest. Grinning, he suggested, "Why don't you just try putting on the emergency brake?" (1) Our subject today is prayer. To the mind of the unbeliever, watching someone pray is the equal of watching someone say "Stay," to their automobile fully expecting it to obey. To the unbeliever prayer is an exercise in futility. But to the believer, prayer is ...

399. Who Could Forget That?

Mark 14:32-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... sermon. It has not always been so. In older books of sermons you will find many references to the blood of Christ. And certainly the Scriptures talk about his blood. So, why shouldn't we? Besides, I found a fascinating bit of information recently about this very subject. Tthe shedding of Christ's blood reconciles us to God. If a shepherd were to find an ewe who had given birth to a lifeless lamb and a lamb whose mother died in labor, you would think the shepherd could put the pair together so that they may ...

400. Forever Hopeful

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... God who is at work bringing order out of chaos, joy out of pain, character out of conflict. "For the creation waits with eager longing," writes St. Paul, "for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God." (RSV) St. Paul paints a magnificent picture of a world in which hope is ...

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