Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4026 to 4050 of 4511 results

Sermon

It was a ghastly scene. All the faces looked the same, all the bodies had the same blob-like shapelessness, there was no color (only a kind of gray), and whenever there was movement it was uniform ... very uniform ... reminiscent of what we know today as the prisoner’s shuffle. There was no variation ... no difference ... no anything. Just a huge, uniform nothingness. The air was hot, stale, and ...

4027. In Defense of the One-Talent Servant

Sermon

A sermon in drama Narrator: For the next few minutes imagine that this sanctuary is a courtroom, and we are met to witness the trial of the one-talent servant. Usual courtroom rules and procedures have been altered and, in some cases, suspended altogether. Still, our aim is to hear the truth. We have heard the familiar story of the one-talent servant in the reading of today’s Gospel. It is a par...

4028. Who? Me? What? You?

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship Praise God for being God, you people. Consider the glorious works of the Almighty. Take nothing for granted. Work hard while it is light. Look forward to the return of the Master. Come now to praise! Collect We thank you, God, for the trust you have placed in us. It is not your will that we should bury our talents, but that we should take chances, risking failure and success, so t...

4029. Parable of the Three Stewards

Bulletin Aid

Call to Worship Pastor: God has entrusted us with the gift of life: life which is responsible to Christ our Lord. People: Every day we live is a day which cannot be relived. We must do our best while it is ours. Pastor: The gift is from God. But he expects us to invest ourselves in it, that life may become more rewarding. People: May God help us be faithful with our stewardship, as we invest our l...

4030. Parable of the Talents

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all the lands! People: Serve the Lord with gladness! Sing with joy unto the Lord! Leader: Know the Lord is God and we are every one God's creations. People: We are God's chosen servants each given special talents for service. Leader: Let us serve the Lord with joy and lift our voices in praise! All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect...

4031. The New Covenant in the Old

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

4032. Preserving vs. Promoting the Gospel

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Notes Exactly what Jesus' original intent was for this parable is uncertain, but the fearful, "protectionist" mentality of the third servant is universal and timeless: he timidly decides to protect what he has rather than to develop it, and because of his subsequent actions he is pronounced "wicked and lazy." This story could be applied to a myriad of cases, but its mostly likely referent h...

4033. Proper 28

Bulletin Aid

Theme: Preserving vs. promoting the gospel Exegetical note Exactly what Jesus' original intent was for this parable is uncertain, but the fearful, "protectionist" mentality of the third servant is universal and timeless: he timidly decides to protect what he has rather than to develop it, and because of his subsequent actions he is pronounced "wicked and lazy." This story could be applied to a my...

4034. The Parable of the Talents

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

The parable has given us a new meaning for talents. At the time of the parable it was a unit of measure for silver or gold. Now we have talent shows, talent searches, talent contests. The beauty pageants that came under attack from feminists for being sexist with their emphasis on bathing suit competitions have tried to shift to the talent of the women. Scholarships are offered as prizes so that t...

4035. Proper 28

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Judges 4:1-7 Deborah, a prophetess of Israel, promised victory to Barak. When the Israelites settled in Canaan, they were oppressed from time to time by indigenous nations. When the people cried to God for help, he sent a leader, known as a judge. In this instance the judge was Deborah who enlisted the help of Barak to defeat Sisera. Old Testament: Proverbs 31:10-13, 19...

4036. Proper 27 & Pentecost 25

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE It is in the gospels and the other readings assigned to this Sunday that one hears the message that the "end times" are coming and the Lord will return to usher in the fullness of the kingdom of God. This note culminates in Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday of Pentecost and of the Church year, too; it spills over into the first Sundays of Advent and the new church year. The...

4037. The Talents - A Parable of Stewardship

Drama

Robert A. Lehmann

Theme: A parable of stewardship Characters: Narrator Four solo voices (Solo 4 doubles as Servant 1, Solo 2 doubles as Servant 2, and Solo 1 doubles as Servant 3) Narrator: The Kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going into another country, who called his servants together and loaned them money to invest for him while he was gone. Solo 1: He called them because they belong...

4038. The Parable Of The Talents

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

Suggestions: Use as an anthem. Tell in storytelling fashion. Speakers: 1 older man as storyteller 1 middle-aged man 3 younger men Key: 1 = main storyteller 2, 3 and 4 = men given talents 5 = master 1: "For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 2: to one he gave five talents, 3: to another two, 4: to another one, 1: to each according t...

4039. The Parable Of Big Business

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: In the Kingdom of God increased responsibility necessitates increased faithfulness. Summary: The boss delegates responsibilities before he leaves and each of his assistants handles the responsibility according to his level of faith and obedience. The first two people receive praise for their efforts when the boss returns, but the last person receives no praise because he wasted his time. ...

4040. Fifty Dollars

Children's Sermon

Shirley Jennings

Object: Fifty one-dollar bills, a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a child’s sweater, an offering envelope, an offering plate. Lesson: How we spend our money is important. I have $50 here in my hand. If I gave you this $50 and told you I wanted you to do something good with it, what would you do? (Let them offer answers.) One good thing to do is buy food. You could buy peanut butter and b...

4041. Ultimate Thanksgiving

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A check book and, if possible, a picture of an Orangutan. Good morning, boys and girls. If I were to take my check book and write you a large check, would you be grateful to me? You would really appreciate it, wouldn't you? I read recently about a hotel chain that donated money for the upkeep of Madu, an orangutan in captivity in Penang, Malaysia. The hotel chain sent their public relat...

4042. Reaching Our Full Potential

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: a kitchen timer Good morning, boys and girls. Can anyone tell me what this thing is? It's a kitchen timer. Do you have one of these in your kitchen at home? What do we use a kitchen timer for? That's right, we set the timer to let us know how long we should cook our food. If something is supposed to cook for 20 minutes, we set the timer for twenty minutes. (Set timer) See, the timer is co...

4043. God's Bankers

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A bank savings book. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have ever been to a bank? (Let them answer.) Almost all of you. What do you do at a bank? (Let them answer.) You put money in the bank and you take money out of the bank. Banks are very important places because they not only protect our money and keep it safe but they also do a lot of other things to help people.One of the...

4044. Sandwiches

Children's Sermon

Mark A. Hultquist

Object: Two slices of bread and a variety of sandwich bags and wrap. This morning we are going to discuss sandwiches. I would guess a lot of you eat sandwiches for lunch most days of the week. What are your favorite kinds of sandwiches? (Allow time for answers.) How many of you like the crust on or off your sandwiches? What about the heel on the loaf of bread? Do you like that or not? And how man...

4045. The Opportunity of a Lifetime

Sermon

James Merritt

Country singer Darryl Worley once wrote a song about meeting the girl of his dreams and proposing to her. I couldn't help but think of my wife Teresa and my feelings for her when I listened to the song it goes like this: Big brown eyes, soft red lips I'm thinkin' I could get use to this This could be the opportunity of a lifetime My heart melts when you whisper my name I've got a feeling if you'...

4046. Jesus Saves, We're Called To Invest

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A few years ago I read that EmoryUniversity had posted the new tuition rates on a bulletin board in the administration building. Every department and every school had a significant increase, except for one. Because Candler School of Theology was so heavily endowed, their tuition stayed the same. Someone noticed the significant difference between the school of theology and the rest of the departmen...

4047. Use It or Lose It

Sermon

James Merritt

(Following video clip of Brewster's millions) That indeed is a great and unique story—having to spend $30 million in 30 days in order to get $300 million. Now can you imagine having to spend $30 million in 30 days? I know most men are sitting there thinking to themselves: For my wife that would be no problem. At first you may think that this is just pure Hollywood. But, quite frankly, that clip is...

4048. Stepping Out on Faith

Sermon

King Duncan

We are, for the most part, a nation of cautious people. You can see it in our politics, in our finances, and in most cases in how we live our lives. On July 7, 1993, a package was delivered to the claims office of the California State Automobile Association. The package consisted of a used Fruit Loops cereal box. Workers quickly became suspicious. Suppose it contained explosives? Security guards ...

4049. It's Time to Go to Work

Sermon

James Merritt

Do you ever get tired? If the answer is yes, you may have a good reason for it as the following story illustrates: Somewhere in the world there is a country with a population of 220 million. 84 million are over 60 years of age, which leaves 136 million to do the work. People under 20 years of age total 95 million, which leaves 41 million to do the work. There are 22 million employed by the gover...

4050. God, The Venture Capitalist?

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Epistemology is the study of knowledge. How does one know anything? How can I know what is true? One means of knowledge is reason. Two plus two equals four is an equation of reasonability. The Bible says, "The wisdom from above is ... open to reason" (James 3:17). The discipline of apologetics is the use of reason to defend the faith. Experience is a second means of knowledge. I know fire burns ...

Showing 4026 to 4050 of 4511 results