Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4101 to 4125 of 4936 results

4101. What Is God Doing In Our Bad Times?

Joel 2:18-27, Joel 2:28-32

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

When Frank and Karen got home from their Bible study at church, there were two messages waiting for them on their telephone answering machine. Both messages were bad news. One call was from Ted, one of Frank's friends at work. Ted had received tragic news about a death. The other call was from Paula, one of Karen's friends from her aerobics class. Paula had received tragic news from her doctor. Neither Ted nor Paula were actively involved in a church. In the past, Frank had invited Ted to church and Bible ...

4102. Uplifted By The Blues

Lamentations 1:1-22

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

Raymond looked down at the pages of the open Bible in front of him. What he saw was a rather eerie sight and it sent a slight shudder through his body. All the words on the pages were covered with blue marker. Six months earlier Ryamond himself had carefully highlighted every single word on these pages with a light blue marking pen. At the time that he had marked the pages he had no expectation of ever turning to those pages of his Bible again. Now, to his own amazement, he found that he had once again ...

4103. Two-and-a-Half Cheers For Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-2, Matthew 6:5-6, Matthew 6:16

Sermon

Thomas Long

It is difficult to find anyone who has a kind word to say about hypocrites. Nobody likes a hypocrite; no one wants to be around one; the last thing one would want to be called is a hypocrite. Hypocrites are, by definition, deceptive, two-faced and treacherous. If discovered, hypocritical politicians are defeated at the polls, hypocritical friends get dropped and hypocritical preachers lose the trusting ears of their congregations. It may well be that our age is particularly tough on hypocrisy. In some ways ...

4104. The Lenten Season

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

The Lenten season may not be the longest season in the church year, but it is one of the most important seasons, if not the most important season. It is a time for spiritual preparation through repentance and growth in faith for Easter. It is the time of the church year when the passion and death of the Savior come into focus. It begins with a special day of repentance, Ash Wednesday, and ends in the depth of sorrow and tragedy on Good Friday. The name of the season, Lent, does not reflect the mood or ...

4105. How Long Should We Stay?

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

Mountains were very important to Matthew. When Jesus was tempted to worship the devil in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world, it happened on a mountain. It was good enough for Luke to have Jesus preaching on a nice level place, but when Jesus preaches essentially the same sermon in Matthew he does so on a mountain. That's why we call it the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus went to the mountain to pray. And today we have this story of the transfiguration, which happened on a mountain. What is it about ...

4106. When Imagination Replaces Memory

Isaiah 42:18-25

Sermon

Harold Warlick

One of the fascinating aspects of being human is our ability to create time. We have memories and can literally sit in the present but remember and live in the past. On the other hand, we also have imaginations and can literally live in the future. We can sit here and imagine what we're going to do as soon as worship is over. Most of our problems in life don't come from our imaginations. They come from our memories. The past presents us with a paradox. On the one hand, a lot of good things have happened to ...

4107. Proper 20

Proverbs 31:10-31, Mark 9:30-37, James 3:13-18; 4:1-12

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: A warning against selfish ambition, which fractures community. Rather, Jesus teaches us to receive the kingdom like a child and find our joy in Christ-like service. COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Proverbs 31:10-31 (C) This description of a more than capable wife contrasts with the position of women in most of the societies of the Middle East. In many cultures women were almost considered property. In this description, she is able to purchase property on her own and she has her own business. Four traits seem ...

4108. Edges

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

"Life is a daring adventure or it is nothing." Helen Keller said that, a lady robbed of her sight, hearing, and ability to speak. She was saying that life is to be lived on the edge, or not at all. There is a difference between living on the edge and being what we call an "edgy" or irritable person. Jesus was on the edge at all times, and only once can I recall when he was edgy. That moment was when he went storming into the Temple, white-hot with rage, and made a whip and turned over tables. Matthew, Mark ...

4109. Pentecost Communion Meditation: Monologue Of A Saint

Acts 2:42-47, Acts 2:14-41

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

Theme: The Holy Spirit has, through the years, drawn us to Christ, that He might make us saints and family. Setting: Like Abraham, I set out on a journey. After twenty years teaching in a United Methodist Church college setting, I grew restless, but still did not know what to do with the rest of my life. For one year, I took a part-time appointment, a two-church circuit, 65 miles from my home in Lakeland, Florida. I had no idea whether I was up to the task of returning to the pastorate. How does one ...

4110. Poolside Blessing: Monologue of a Paralytic

John 5:2-16

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

Theme: We sometimes follow routines that are a substitute for a living. Instead of having a life of our own, we give up and become passive. In fact, that passivity can be a deceptive and manipulative style of control. Jesus' question to the paralytic by the pool was, "Do you want to be healed?" Do you want to get a life, or is life as you now live it a means of avoidance and control that you find too comfortable to give up? Setting for the Sermon Monologue: The scripture is a lectionary reading. How does ...

4111. Trust and Believe

Mark 10:13-16

Children's Sermon

Object: the children themselves. Lesson: "Whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it." Boys and girls, how many of you are eager to grow up? (Let them tell you.) Why would you like to be older than you are now? (They will offer a galaxy of reasons.) Sometimes it seems as though it would be better if we could be different from what we are already. Maybe we would like to be older. Some of us (believe it or not) would like to be younger. Or we may want to be more famous. Or ...

4112. The Majesty Of God's Love

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Today we celebrate Jesus' ascension into heaven. Our gospel lesson from Matthew does not directly speak of our Lord's ascension, but it does provide some clues regarding its significance. It has to do with Jesus' great commission ("to make disciples of all nations [Matthew 28:19])" and its relationship to the Trinity. Somehow Jesus' ascension represents an internal divine commitment by God that he will not quit until everyone is wrapped up in his love. Here is the story. According to Matthew's version, on ...

4113. Are You Born Again?

John 3:1-15

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

It was late, almost bedtime, when the Jewish leader came to Jesus' residence. Into Jesus' presence came Nicodemus, one of the best-known Jewish professors in all of Israel (a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin). Nicodemus finally reached the short ruddy-faced leader of the disciples, and he said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him (John 3:2)." However, Jesus then said something very strange. It really amounted to a put- ...

4114. Christmas Eve at the Candy Cane Inn

Drama

Edward Long

Drama 2 Cast of Characters NARRATOR: Sets scenes and takes care of transitions. EFFECTS TECHNICIAN: In charge of recorded or live effects. THE APPLE FAMILY: Family stranded by a snowstorm at the Candy Cane Inn; Mr. Apple has been out of work and Mrs. Apple has been ill. HENRY APPLE: An unemployed engineer in his late 30's; normally a confident, happy person, he is in a bad way at this Christmas Eve. FREDA APPLE: A quiet, tense woman who attempts to keep the family functioning in a difficult time for them. ...

4115. There's Blindness, and There's Blindness

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

Sermon

Johnny Dean

John Killinger tells the story of a man who visited one day in a classroom for visually impaired children. Troubled by what he saw, the man remarked, insensitively, "It must be terrible to go through life without eyes." One little girl quickly responded, "It’s not half as bad as having two good eyes but still not being able to see." Her point was well made. There is physical blindness, and there is another, even more tragic form of blindness that affects the spirit. Both forms of blindness are present in ...

4116. Coming on the Clouds of Glory

Matthew 26:47-56

Drama

Joe Barone

"Then the high priest tore his robes, and said, 'He has uttered blasphemy. Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy.' " That's what the scripture says. Have you ever wondered what it must have been like to be the high priest Caiaphas, the one to whom Jesus was brought from the Garden of Gethsemane? Here's one way he might have seen these events. Dramatic Monologue: The High Priest, Caiaphas There's no question in my mind that I was right. You might expect me to be sorry that we ...

4117. The Impossibility of Neutrality

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Robert Allen

This last week I spent the better part of three days involved in interviews with the Board of Ministry. It was our responsibility to interview men and women in the United Methodist Church. Those being interviewed ranged from their mid-twenties up to a woman who was 68 years old and will be ordained as a deacon at annual conference. During the interviews, we examined the theological beliefs of the candidates. We listened to tapes of their sermons. We asked a lot of personal questions about their lives; ...

4118. Save Us From the World-Savers

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Carl Jech

Now his elder son ... was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father. "Lo, these many years I have served you ..." (Luke 15:25a, 28-29a) Garrison Keillor likes to describe his fictional town of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, as having been founded by "Unitarian missionaries who came to convert the Indians through the use of interpretive dance." To appreciate the subtle humor of this remark we need to be aware that Unitarian Universalists generally don't believe ...

4119. Becoming What You Are

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Carl Jech

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (John 14:26) If you have visited the Kremlin in Moscow, one of the things that probably sticks in your memory is the tomb of Lenin. I have heard visitors comment that the emphasis on tombs and monuments in the Soviet Union almost makes it seem as if the Soviet people worship cemeteries. In contrast to being entombed and put on display like a ...

4120. Windows Of Wonder

Sermon

James Angell

I feel life is so small unless it has windows into other worlds.- Bertrand Russell "Windows On The World" is the name of a classy restaurant atop the World Trade Tower in New York. It has tall panels of windows, and it is one of the best places - especially around sunset - to see what the Apple looks like from 60 or 70 stories up. "Windows" is also a metaphor in preaching that describes the role illustrations play in making sermons concrete, powerful, and memorable. They let the light in. Through them we ...

4121. Peter. Rock. Follower of Jesus.

Matthew 16:13-20

Drama

Thomas Blowers

Dramatic Monologue My name is Simon Bar-Jona. And for years I carried that name with pride. Simon-- a strong name, said my mother-- a dependable name, said my father-- a name you can be proud of, said friends and neighbors. "Your great-grandfather's name," everyone reminded me. And I was proud to carry his name as my own. Then one day Jesus began calling me "Peter" and the name stuck. Soon that's what everyone was calling me: Peter. Funny how nicknames get started. We called the old man down on the corner ...

4122. How Was Jesus' Death Different?

John 19:28-37, John 19:17-27

Sermon

So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. (John 19:17-18) Death is a common experience of life. All who lived in the past died. Every one of us now living will die sooner or later. Approximately five thousand Americans die every twenty-four hours. Almost two million deaths occur in our country every year. There are ...

4123. Loosed from the Pangs of Death

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Benjamin Franklin once said, "Nothing in this world is certain but death and taxes." This week we would not question the validity of what he said. The difference, however, is that April 15 and the time for paying our income taxes comes around once a year. Death comes only once in a lifetime to each of us as human beings. So we look at them and we deal with them differently. It seems to me that we also deal with death differently than we did when I was a child. Medical science was not as advanced then as it ...

4124. Let Christ Speak The Word

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Let us pray: Gracious and eternal God, today we come to you seeking to deepen our understanding of the ways in which you are present and working in our lives to heal us of our afflictions. May we in these moments receive the gift of wisdom. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. You may be familiar with the life story of Thomas Dooley, the Christian military doctor who devoted his life to serving sick and dying people living in Vietnam and Laos in the 1950s. When he died of cancer in 1961, the world considered his ...

4125. Who Is This?

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Let us pray: Gracious and eternal God, we come to you this day seeking to have your Holy Spirit lead us as we enter the week which is called "holy." May we in these moments deepen our faith and draw closer to Jesus as we reflect upon what he has done for us. In his precious name we pray. Amen. We have sung together "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" The words of this old and familiar hymn give us reason to pause and consider the meaning of Christ's sacrifice for us as he gave his all so that we ...

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