Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4051 to 4075 of 4946 results

4051. Do You Know Your Name?

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Passwords. Passwords. And more Passwords. Anyone here tired of passwords? Anyone here have a good way of remembering your passwords? Passwords are the open sesames to protected systems on the Internet. Want to pay for on eBay with PayPal? Password. Want to sign in to AOL, or Yahoo? Password. Want to micro-blog on Twitter? Password. Want to see your kids while you talk to them on Tokbox or Skype? Password. In fact, I can’t even get anything to come up on my computer unless I first give it a password. Every ...

4052. Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The parable of the prodigal son is perhaps the best-known and best-loved of all Jesus' parables. It is also best at generating seemingly infinite numbers of interpretations, understandings and themes. Start with the way we usually refer to the Luke 15:11-32 text: "The Prodigal Son." True, the behavior of the younger son plays a central role in this parable. But others have noted that an equally precise title for this tale might be "The Waiting Father," or "Joy and Repentance," or even "The Parable of the ...

4053. 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

As the Israelites struggled to establish themselves and their faith in the midst of the Promised Land, it was difficult for them to keep a clear distinction between developing Yahwistic monotheism and the animistic polytheism of the Canaanite's Ba'alism. The Hebrews' assertion that there was only one true God meant that Yahweh was a mobile God. Yahweh could come and get the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt, travel with them through the wilderness, and guide them into a new land. Ba'al worship was based on belief ...

4054. Philippians 4:4-7

Philippians 4:4-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

One reason Philippians is a pet epistle of the Christian community is the extremely personal nature of this letter. Paul's obvious closeness to this community ("I thank my God every time I remember you" [1:3]) gives a special quality of tenderness and concern to this correspondence. Even when there is a disagreement within this community (cf. 4:2-3), Paul's words of reprimand and counsel are both gentle and personal. It is evident Paul feels great love and a great sense of camaraderie between himself and ...

4055. A Demon Speaks Out in Church

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

Our lesson for today may be quite disturbing to some of us. It takes place in Capernaum. It was the Sabbath and Jesus was teaching in the synagogue. The people who heard him “were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.” Suddenly, however, there was an unexpected disturbance. A man began to cry out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are the Holy One of God!” I imagine the other ...

4056. Theology 101

Psalm 111:1-10

Sermon

Mike Ripski

I. Knowledge and Faith Once upon a time a man had car trouble near a monastery. He knocked on the door, and tells the monk, “My car broke down. Can I spend the night?” The Monks receive him with great hospitality. They feed him a wonderful dinner and even fix his car. They show the man to a guest room for the night. As the man is about to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound. It’s a sound like nothing he’s ever heard. It’s a sound that draws him toward it.. He can’t sleep, wondering where that sound is ...

4057. Epiphany 6

2 Kings 5:1-27, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, Mark 1:40-45

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Kings 5:1-14 Elisha was a prophet of Israel in the ninth century. He was known as a miracle worker among prophets. In the cleansing of Naaman, the Syrian general, Elisha is in the background that Yahweh might receive the glory. When Naaman humbles himself and obeys Elisha's directive to wash in the Jordan, he is healed. The passage brings to the forefront the superiority of Yahweh over the gods of Naaman and God's graciousness which is extended to Gentiles. Epistle: 1 ...

4058. Epiphany 8

Mark 2:18-22, 2 Corinthians 2:12--3:6, Psalm 103:1-22, Hosea 2:2-23

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Hosea 2:14-20 Hosea was an eighth century prophet in Israel (Northern Kingdom). At this time the popular religion was Baal, a sensuous religion involving infertility rites and cultic prostitution. Hosea used this analogy of sex and marriage to call Israel back to Yahweh. As Yahweh made a covenant at Sinai in the wilderness, Israel is invited to come again into a wilderness where there is no competition from false gods such as Baal to make a new covenant, a new marriage. This new ...

4059. Proper 23

Job 23:1--24:25, Hebrews 4:1-13, Hebrews 4:14-5:10, Mark 10:17-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Job 23:1-9, 16-17 In Job 23, Job responds to Eliphaz, one of Job's supposed friends and comforters. In this chapter Job longs for an experience with God to present his case to God. But, Job only experiences the absence of God. This absence terrifies Job and he wishes he could vanish in the darkness caused by God's absence. Epistle: Hebrews 4:12-16 In the first four chapters, the author of Hebrews demonstrates the superiority of Jesus over angels, Moses and Joshua. In Chapter 3 we ...

4060. Proper 6

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, Mark 4:30-34, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, Mark 4:26-29, 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 1 Samuel 15:34--16:13 The Lord rejected Saul as king because he disobeyed the divine order to wipe out the Amalekites. Saul kept some of the animals for a sacrifice. For this disobedience, Yahweh was sorry he made Saul king of Israel. Now Israel needed a new king, but where was he to be found? The Lord sends Samuel to the Jesse family where there were eight sons. Which of the eight should be king? When David was brought in from the fields, at once the Lord told Samuel to anoint ...

4061. Nobody Is Too Big to Fail. Nobody Is Too Small to Prevail.

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Titanic. Say the word, and everyone, everywhere knows the story. Whether you know the name because you saw the movie, or you know the name because you spent the bulk of your life in the twentieth century, you still know the name. “Titanic” means huge, gargantuan, immense. The word “Titanic,” which rhymes with “gigantic,” brings visions of unstoppable power, immovable force, impenetrable resistance. The “Titanic” really set the tone for the next hundred years, when 100 million people would be killed in the ...

4062. Lent 2

Genesis 12:1-8, Psalm 121:1-8, John 3:1-17, Romans 4:1-25

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter - Psalms 121:1-8 First Lesson - Abraham's response to God's election is readiness to leave the past behind and begin the journey of faith. Genesis 12:1-4a Second Lesson - To be children of Abraham is to know the salvation possible through faith in God's grace, not perfect obedience. Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 Gospel - Rebirth by the Spirit is as mysterious as the source of the winds. John 3:1-17 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you ...

4063. Developing a Glad Attitude

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

Clayton A. Lord

It always amazes me when I read about a sports figure who decides to hold out for more money. With salaries that are often in the millions, they feel underpaid unless they are at the next level. I heard one player say to a reporter on SportsCenter, "It's not about the money. It is about respect." A few moments later, the host of the show made the comment, "When they say it isn't about the money, it's always about the money." This attitude of grabbing all you can get is not limited to the world of sports. ...

4064. Sowing Eternal Seeds

Isaiah 55:10-13

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

Who among us has not been stunned by the splendor of a summer sunset, the sparkling spring waters of a mountain stream, brilliantly striking contrasts of autumn leaves twirling and spinning, or winter trees swaying gracefully against a cool, crisp sky? I believe the Native American population has much to teach us when it comes to care of and respect for God's majestic creation. Chief Seattle declares that even the dust under his feet responds lovingly to his footsteps because it is the ashes of his ...

4065. Priceless

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

The Island of Rodriguez in the Pacific Ocean, not that far from Zanzibar, has mainly managed to stay out of the notice of history, if history is the record of slaughter and disease. But thanks to extraordinary events far, far away it managed to impinge itself on human history on at least one occasion. On August 27 of 1883, James Wallis, chief of police on RodriguezIsland, not far from Zanzibar, wrote: "Several times during the night (26-27) reports were heard coming from the eastward, like the distant roar ...

4066. Thanks for Receiving Thanksgiving

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

This wonderful chapter of Deuteronomy speaks to us on this Thanksgiving Day of the forms for the presentation of the abundance of a good harvest. The verses suggest that only those who are in communion with the giver can present the gift with a clean heart. It was the custom at the time of the telling of this story that each year, a basket containing firstfruits of the soil was to be brought to the central sanctuary and presented to God. The Bible tells us that firstfruits for the people described in ...

4067. Rehearsal for Christmas Eve

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

Characters (in order of appearance) Director Lead Angel Stage Manager Angel Choir Youth Choir Mary Clark Shepherd 2 Narrator Shepherd 3 Shepherds King 1 Angels King 2 Lead Shepherd King 3 Young Shepherd Props Clipboards with paper Script Doll Manger Gifts for Baby Jesus from Wise Men Notes This is a “play within a play,” which tells the story of one youthful actor’s search for the real meaning of Christmas, and how he finds it at a Christmas pageant rehearsal. Because it is set in a church auditorium at an ...

4068. Putting Ourselves in the Picture

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is an old adage which has God saying, take what you will, take it and pay for it. That brings us immediately into the heart of our theme this morning. There is a price, a price for everything. We began our discussion of this theme in the sermon last Sunday, and if you were here you may recall that we used this first scripture lesson that we read today for that sermon last Sunday. And to get on board with the theme, let’s review it. In this lesson, Jesus gives us three parables – many parables really ...

4069. Joshua People Obey and Serve

Joshua 1:6-8, 24:14-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Last week we began a series titled The Joshua Principles. And the first Principle was Joshua People Always Look Forward With Hope. We talked about how Hope is based on Trust and Trust is based on Faith and the implications that has in our daily lives and in the life and future of the Church. Today the Joshua Principle I want to look at is "Joshua People Obey and Serve." I think this falls right in step with where we left off last week. You see Faith in God builds Trust which builds Hope. When we Trust God ...

4070. Follow Your Calling (Series: An Invitation to Christian Discipleship)

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Back in the 1980’s, popular author Stephen Covey said the key to managing life is distinguishing between the urgent and the important. Urgent matters clamor for our attention. Important matters shape our lives. Before cell phones and Blackberries became a part of our anatomy, Covey warned that a phone call most likely will feel urgent, but it may not be very important. On the other hand, a call from God is both urgent and important. Two critically important questions every person must ask and keep on ...

4071. Hope That Hangs In There

Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

For the first time in more than 100 years much of the Southeastern United States last summer reached the most severe category of drought, creating an emergency so severe that even Atlanta came within 90 days of running out of water. The little town of Omre, Tennessee, was hauling water on fire trucks from Alabama and limited water availability to three hours a day. Christian artist Michael W. Smith and the mayor of Atlanta pleaded for people to hold prayer meetings asking God for rain. I don’t know for ...

4072. Who Will Cast the First Stone?

John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is a down home story about a small town veterinarian who had invented an instrument with which, he boasted, even a child could administer a capsule to a horse, no matter how unruly or reluctant the horse might be. One summer the vet went to county fair to demonstrate his new invention. They couldn’t find anyone who would permit his horse to be a part of the experiment, but they did find a mule, and soon a crowd had gathered to watch. Undaunted, the veterinarian inserted a long glass tube into the ...

4073. Led by the Spirit, Tempted by the Devil

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A woman had a weakness for beautiful clothes. She was unable to resist the temptation…to the point of outrageous, extravagant spending. She and her husband had worked on it, and he thought she was doing better. Every time she was drawn to a clothing boutique or a display in a department store window, she would talk to herself, “Don’t do it…don’t do it…remember how much you owe…you don’t need it…you’ve worn the last dress only once…you owe a fortune still…remember how John feels about it…don’t do it…get the ...

4074. How Can This Be?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

It has been said the best thing about Christianity is that no one could have guessed it! That the Omnipotent became an embryo, the Infinite an infant, the Almighty, a tiny child nursing at his mother's breast, is more than our small minds can comprehend. So the biggest challenge of Christmas is not busyness but belief. Will we let our mundane minds dance with mystery? Will the wonder of it all take precedent over the weariness of it all? Will the good news of great joy that Christ the Savior is born leap ...

4075. What Can Christians Learn from Hindus?

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

When I announced this series of sermons on World Religions, I quickly realized that I knew little, if anything, about the great religions of the world. These Sunday deadlines have pushed me into extensive research. I've read books, listened to tapes, and interviewed anybody I could find who could enlighten me. One of my interviews was with Bob Waldschmidt, a member of this congregation who has studied comparative religions extensively in his own search for faith. Bob came to my office with a wealth of ...

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