Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 4101 to 4125 of 4942 results

4101. Proper 23

Luke 17:11-19, Jeremiah 29:1-23, 2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 Jeremiah writes a letter to the exiles in Babylon. The first wave of deportees have arrived in Babylon. They are now held as hostages so that the remaining Jews in Jerusalem would obey and pay their taxes to Babylon. False prophets were among the exiles who were admonished to rebel. They predicted a downfall of Babylonia and a return to Jerusalem in the near future. In opposition to this Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles urging them to settle down for a stay ...

4102. Proper 8

Luke 9:57-62, Galatians 5:16-26, 2 Kings 2:1-18, Luke 9:51-56

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 Elisha succeeds Elijah as prophet of Israel. Elisha was a faithful and devout disciple of Elijah. So loyal was he that he would not let Elijah out of his sight. Knowing that he was soon going to depart this world, Elijah asked Elisha what he could give him. Wisely Elisha asked for a double portion of his spirit. This was granted to Elisha, for when Elisha took Elijah's mantle, he used it to separate the waters of Jordan. The power and authority of Elijah's ...

4103. Advent 2

Isaiah 12:2-6, Zephaniah 3:14-20, Luke 3:7-18, Philippians 4:4-7

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

CALL TO WORSHIP Express gratitude to God, invoking God by name. Make God's deeds known in the world around, declaring the supremacy of the divine name. PRAYER OF CONFESSION God of peace, Prince of peace, Spirit of peace, your names are to be hallowed as supreme. Forgive us if we fail to give due honor to your name in our families and in our social life. In our society the name of Santa Claus sometimes obscures the name of the Christ Child, the hammering of elves drowns out the song of angels. The mission ...

4104. Epiphany 8

Luke 6:37-42

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

CALL TO WORSHIP Declare the love of our Sovereign every morning, the constancy of the Most High every night. Let us approach with music and the sounding of chords, for God is majestic in deed and in thought. PRAYER OF CONFESSION God of glory, God of humility, God of truth, how silly our wild blustering must seem to you. We are full of resentment against you in times of trouble and then certain of your absolute fairness and restraint. We are quick to speak and slow to think, quick to teach those we believe ...

4105. Proper 12

Luke 11:1-13, Colossians 2:6-23, Psalm 85:1-13, Hosea 1:1-2:1

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

CALL TO WORSHIP (responsively)Human as we are, let us intercede with Godfor ourselves and for our sinful world, that God will spare us from destruction and grant us time for repentance. PRAYER OF CONFESSION Listening God, Prayer-teacher, Prayer-prompter, we are often perfunctory in our prayers, casual, without expectation of response. We separate our petitions for forgiveness from the need to forgive others. We block the work of your Spirit within us, preventing the discipline that would change us and turn ...

4106. Proper 23

Luke 17:11-19, Psalm 66:1-20

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

Call to Worship Bless our God, good people. May the sound of our praise be heard by our God, who has kept us among the living, and has led us on our way. Prayer of Confession Universal God, we are continually tempted to localize you, to confine you to a certain place, to a particular time, to a past experience. Forgive the limitation by our faith that does not expect you where we are, in our present and in our future as in our past; through Jesus Christ our eternal leader, who is the same yesterday, today ...

4107. Proper 28

Luke 21:5-19 · 2 Thess 3:6-13 · Is 12:2-6 · Is 65:17-25

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

CALL TO WORSHIP Sing praises to the Eternal One, who has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal priesthood, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel and the church. PRAYER OF CONFESSION Your work, Eternal Engineer, is beyond our understanding and we do not know what it means for you to rest from your work. We confess that we are often reluctant to work. We lose the satisfaction that comes with rest after a job well done. We are too willing to let ...

4108. Proper 9

Psalm 30:1-12, Luke 10:1-24

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

Call to Worship (responsively) Sing praises to the Eternal as God's faithful ones. Give thanks to God's holy name, Whose anger is but for a moment; Whose favor is for a lifetime. Prayer of Confession God of justice and mercy, we complain about the harvest of our wild oats, and the sentence that is passed against our crimes. More often than not your mercy is greater than we deserve. We may not be as conspicuous as some in our misdeeds, but however subtle we are, we seek your pardon for greed and ...

4109. Christmas 2

John 1:1-18, Psalm 147:1-20

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

Call to Worship Sing out your praises and say, God has saved his people. See how the Savior brings them from the end of the earth, The blind and lame among them, Women with child, and women in labor, a great company. Young men and old shall rejoice. Then shall the girl show her joy in the dance. God turns their mourning into gladness, And gives them joy to outdo their sorrow. Prayer of Confession All-glorious God, paternal, fraternal, maternal, though we have faith in Jesus Christ, and love towards your ...

4110. Prayers for Christmas 2

Isaiah 62:1-12, Psalm 97:1-12, Titus 3:1-11, Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

Call to Worship I have Good News for you: there is great joy coming to the whole people. Today in the city of David a deliverer has been born to you - the Messiah, the Christ. Prayer of Confession God of the gospel, whose glory brightens the night sky on Christmas eve, and the birth of whose Son in Bethlehem brings the dawn of a new day, hear our prayers for forgiveness and mercy. Pardon us if we have made idols of what are only symbols of the coming of Jesus, if traditional practice rather than the ...

4111. The Laughter Of Faith

Genesis 17:1-27, Genesis 18:1-15, Genesis 21:1-7

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

God called Sarah, too! We talk so much about God's call to Abraham that we can easily forget that God called Sarah as well. The story is told in Genesis 17. This old story begins with God's call to Abraham. It then moves to Sarah. "As for Sarah," God says, "she shall no longer be called Sarai but Sarah shall be her name." "I will bless her ..." God promises, "and she shall give rise to nations; kings of people shall come from her" (Genesis 17:16). We can only imagine the solemnity of the moment when God ...

4112. Lent 5

John 12:1-11

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Note While vv. 9-12 may have been a part of a true parable, the additional materials seem to make the whole an allegory. This allegory reflects the theology of the early church, out of which Luke's Gospel came. The allegory details the rejection and crucifixion of God's beloved son by the Israelites, his victory over death, and the establishment of the Living Christ as the Lord of lords. Liturgical Color Scarlet or purple Suggested Hymns My Song Is Love Unknown Christ The Life Of All The Living ...

4113. Proper 7

Luke 9:18-27

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Note The juxtaposition of Peter's confession (vv. 18-22) and Jesus' saying on discipleship (vv. 23-24) is unique to Luke, and is indicative of just how evitable he saw self-denial and self-sacrifice to be for the true follower of the Christ. His addition of the word "daily" to his Marcan source further shows that he saw (and wanted his Christian contemporaries to see) such suffering as an ongoing part of the church's mission. Liturgical Color Green Suggested Hymns Lord Of Our Life Let Me Be Yours ...

4114. Christmas 2

Luke 1:1-4

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Note The light-imagery that begins in v. 4 recurs throughout this Gospel (see 3:19, 9:39, 12:46), and the later references serve as commentary on this theme. Especially important for the evangelist is the Word's discerning or discriminating ability: It distinguishes the evil lovers of darkness from the good lovers of the light, only the latter of whom receive the life that the Light brings. Liturgical Color White Suggested Hymns Of The Father's Love Begotten Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent He Whom ...

4115. Light From And For The East

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Mark Radecke

Dear Robert, It was good to spend some time with you over Christmas break. I really enjoyed hearing about your semester in India, and am so glad you had that opportunity. We sometimes tend to pull our worlds in around us like a down comforter on a cold night. There is nothing like living in another country, immersing yourself in another culture, to expand your horizons. I have begun to work on a sermon for Epiphany. As I do, my mind keeps returning to your observations and questions about other world ...

4116. Praying To The Congregation

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Thomas Long

According to legend, a certain West Coast radio evangelist would customarily close his broadcasts by praying over the air, "O God, we ask that today you would touch the hearts of those in 'Radioland' to support this worldwide ministry. We pray that you would move them mightily to send offerings of love, and to send them to Post Office Box 345, Pasadena, California." Though he was particularly crass about it, this minister was actually committing a fairly common mistake in worship leadership -- praying to ...

4117. God Deep In The Flesh

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Marc Kolden

Our gospel reading today from Matthew 28 is both famous and familiar. Most of us have heard it many times. It is Jesus' "Great Commission" to the eleven disciples shortly after his resurrection. The disciples go to the mountaintop and the risen Christ comes to them in the midst of their doubts and astonishment and speaks those amazing words: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." What an incredible claim! But here, of course, the point is that it is the one to whom all authority has ...

4118. Greed - Putting Things In Their Proper Perspective

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

Mr. Jones had a job that gave him a comfortable income. He enjoyed fishing and motorhome camping. Every year or so he would buy a new combination fish and ski boat, not some little dinghy, but a really nice, fancy boat. Every couple of years Mr. Jones would buy a new motorhome camper. It was obvious that several other men in the neighborhood envied Mr. Jones and tried to keep up with his new toys. They too would buy and sell boats and campers. It was obvious that keeping up with Mr. Jones was a priority in ...

4119. The Lamb of God

John 1:29-34

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the ...

4120. Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." In her novel Come and Go, Molly Snow, Mary Ann Taylor-Hall gives an account of Carrie attempting to come to grips with the loss of her eight-year-old daughter, Molly Snow. Carrie is a fiddler, but in the wake of this tragic loss she says, "The music doesn't rise up in me right now."1 In the months that followed, Carrie listens to homespun wisdom and begins the first steps of coming to grips with the absence of Molly Snow and the presence of a deep ...

4121. How Much Sin Is Too Much?

Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

Of all the pressing questions of the day, a sign on one person's desk asks, "How much can I sin and still go to heaven?" The question seems amusing until we stop to think about it. Inherent in this question is a bold-faced confession that there is no interest at all in pursuing a life shaped wholly by the spirit of God, but at the same time we do not want to be so recklessly sacrilegious that we forfeit completely the rewards of the hereafter. The late Southern humorist Lewis Grizzard said thinking about ...

4122. Understanding The Holy Trinity

John 16:5-16

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

Christians of all denominations love to sing Reginald Heber's "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty ... God in three persons, blessed Trinity." All may like to sing it, but how many understand what they are singing about -- the blessed Trinity? We need to understand it because it is the central doctrine of the Christian faith, for all Christian teachings find their center in the Trinity. This one unique doctrine identifies Christianity from all other religions. Jews and Moslems see the Trinity as a ...

4123. Good News! You Are Going To Be Tortured

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Roger G. Talbott

Some of you may be familiar with the two-minute radio program, Ask Dr. Science. Dr. Science, as the initiated know, isn't a real doctor. He has a master's degree . . . in science! This disclaimer always runs at the end of the program, however. In the meantime, the announcer asks Dr. Science a question sent in by a listener like, "Why can I only see the stars at night?" Then Dr. Science answers the question in an annoying know-it-all voice that conveys the unspoken message: "This is a highly complex subject ...

4124. Advent 4

Mt 1:18-25 · Rom 1:1-7 · Isa 7:10-17 · Ps 80

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

THIS WEEK'S TEXT Revised Common: Is 7:10-16 · Rom 1:1-7 · Mt 1:18-25 Roman Catholic: Is 7:10-14 · Rom 1:1-7 · Mt 1:18-24 Episcopal: Is 7:10-17 · Rom 1:1-7 · Mt 1:18-25 Lutheran: Is 7:10-14 (15-17) · Rom 1:1-7 · Mt 1:18-25 Seasonal Theme: Attitude of Obedience Suggested Text For Preaching: Matthew 1:24 and Romans 1:5 COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Isaiah 7:10-17 This selection contains a verse (v. 14) that rings musically in the Christian's ear at Christmas. It speaks of a virgin (almah actually means young woman) ...

4125. Christ The King

Ephesians 1:15-23, 1 Corinthians 15:12-34, Ezekiel 34:1-31, Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Christ our king. In the Ezekiel lesson, God is the loving Shepherd-King of Israel, gathering the lost, comforting the injured. In the 1 Corinthians text, Christ triumphs over his enemies, especially the power of death. In the Gospel, Christ judges and separates those who are his sheep from those who are not. The key determinant consists of attitudes and actions toward the weak and needy ones. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 The people of Israel were destroyed. The nation was no ...

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