Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4176 to 4200 of 4946 results

4176. Revolutionary Rules For Living

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

Author Bob Welch observed that in Les Miserables that the uprising that Victor Hugo observed occurred in June, 1832 as a small Parisian insurrection that lasted only a short time. It was more of a street riot with a tragic outcome. Quoting Hugo, Welch said that the uprising was a defiance against the royalist government of France as a reaction to three problems of the day. First it was a defiance of man by the exploitation of his labor. Second, it was in opposition of the ruination of women by starvation ...

4177. The Unlocked Brain

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Look at the image. Tell me what you see. Our brains are amazing vehicles for informing us of the world around us, but they can also limit us and impede us when we believe that what we see defines everything that’s real and true or that what we see defines the entirety of the universe. Can we truly know based on only our sensory experience? Or is there something more, another kind of knowing, that lies outside of our empirical knowledge? Christians believe there is. In fact, most people believe there is, ...

4178. Rejoice: Hints Of Heaven Are Here On Earth!

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Heaven: Have you ever wondered what it’s like? The majority of Americans (72% of us in 2014) believe in heaven, according to a Pew Research poll. Our second lesson from the book of Revelation has some insightful, comforting and refreshing clues. They will shatter our misconceptions as well. What do you think of heaven? It does not seem to be a very exciting or fun place to be, does it? Oh it seems like a nice place. What could be better than to live in the presence of God? But on the whole, it seems like ...

4179. If It Had Been a Snake

John 1:29-42

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Have you ever been looking for something and discovered it was right in front of you? In the South there’s an old saying about missing something that is in plain view: If it had been a snake, it would have bit you. You shake your head and feel like a fool. But this experience of missing what is obvious is so common that it is even the subject of psychological studies. Alejandro Lleras is a professor of psychology who studies what he calls “inattentional blindness,” or the ability to miss something obvious ...

4180. Out of the Darkness

Matthew 5:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Does anybody else have a tough time with winter darkness at this time of year? We’re still six weeks away from the start of spring, and most of the U.S. is experiencing short days and long nights. Medical studies show that people have less initiative and are more likely to get the blues during the darker winter months. It seems that most of us don’t function well without light. There’s a small town called Rjukan (roo-KAN) in Norway that is located in a valley between two mountains. For six months of the ...

4181. In the Wilderness

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

April Yamasaki

In Hannah Hurnard’s classic allegory, Hinds’ Feet on High Places, little Much-Afraid leaves her home in the Valley to journey to the High Places at the invitation of the Great Shepherd. In the High Places she would finally be delivered from all her fears, her crooked feet made straight, and she would be transformed into Grace and Glory. As she travels, she passes through lovely meadows filled with flowers, over paths where she must clamber over sharp rocks, uphill, downhill, and through the wilderness. ...

4182. Singing the Lord's Song

1 John 3:16-24

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A father took his little girl to Church for the very first time. After the service he asked her if she liked it. She replied, "I liked the music, but the commercial was too long." I promise that this mornings commercial won't be very long. We are celebrating Heritage Sunday. As Methodists part of our heritage is music. So this morning, I would like to take Wesley's directions for singing and interpret them for everyday life through this passage from John's first letter. In 3:18 John writes: "Little ...

4183. The Mud Room

John 9:1-41

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Homes built particularly in rural areas and on farms in the early part of the 20th century often had within them, usually coming in from the back or side door of the house, a special room called a “mud room.” Has anyone here seen a mud room? Perhaps some of you had one in your homes at some point? A mud room had pretty much one single purpose: it was a place for “messiness.” Farmers coming in out of the fields, work-folk coming in from a hard day’s labor in mines, rivers, farms, or creeks, would shed their ...

4184. When You Are Weary

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

One of the amazing facts about the human race is how alike we all are. We share most of the same hopes and dreams, likes and dislikes. Even in a world of almost 8 billion people, there are certain universal things that most people agree on. To prove this, I’m going to read a series of statements. If you agree that a statement is true in your life, raise your hand. Here’s the first one: I’m a really good singer in the shower or in my car. Here’s the second: My pet understands me when I talk to it. Or: my ...

4185. I Have Been Gifted!

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Sermon

Ronald Love

In December 2019, Grace Fellowship United Methodist Church voted to leave its affiliation with the United Methodist Church and partner with the Free Methodist Church. For several years the controversy surrounding the religious issues dealing with the status of homosexuals in the congregation has severely damaged the denomination. A number of individuals have become outspoken activists, promoting varying positions on this dispute. This has consumed a considerable amount of time, energy, and money of the UMC ...

4186. The Inverting Promise

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 · Genesis 25:21-34

Sermon

Will Willimon

We're at the beginning of a new school year. And here, at the beginning, I plan to preach a series of sermons from Genesis, the first Bible book, whose title means "the beginning." Such a series is risky at the beginning. For one thing, if you don't like the first sermon in the series, will you return for more? When I was a child, our preacher announced a series of sermons on The Lord's Prayer. First week his text was "Our." Next week it was "Father." Then "Who Art." On and on. By the fifteenth sermon in ...

4187. Heroines of the Faith

Mark 1:29.39

Sermon

David E. Leininger

I am certain that you Bible scholars have experienced the same phenomenon as I have, namely, that you can read the same passage over and over and over again and find something that strikes you anew each time. Scripture does not change, of course, but we change. It is that old saying about not being able to step into the same river twice. That is my experience with this pericope. In years past, I would have noted the Lord’s healing ministry, the way the word spread through the people about this wonder- ...

4188. Marketplace Christianity

John 2:13-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Do you employ a “market mentality” or a “relational mentality”? What does this mean? Put simply, a market mentality sees things in terms of transactions and commodities, resources, and dispensability. A relational mentality however sees things in terms of developing partnerships, relationships, long-term collaborations that benefit both parties and share a vision. The former can easily fluctuate. The latter, however, requires time and effort to develop and cultivates trust, loyalty, and commitment over ...

4189. Do You Believe in Miracles?

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

Lori Wagner

[Optional beginning: Have the congregation share about the men who have left an imprint on their lives. Fathers, dads, also learn from their children. What have you learned? We all live in covenant together, and a covenant relationship is one in which we all learn, grow, and take responsibility for a role.] Do you believe in miracles? How do you define a miracle? Sometimes, in our culture, we’ve come to disregard “miracles,” because we’ve set the bar so high for what “wows” us and “pows” us that we end up ...

4190. Don't Worry, Be Peaceful

Philippians 4:4-7

Sermon

Scott Bryte & Kimberly Miller van Driel

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. We just want to know what comes next. We just want to know how things will turn out. Will we be safe? Will it be okay? What will the new baby be like? ...

4191. Scandal

Luke 22:14-23:56

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

While Don Richardson was a student at Prairie Bible Institute in the 1950s, his heart burned in anticipation of bringing the good news about Jesus to an unreached tribe. He and Carol found their prayers answered in 1962 as they sailed out of Vancouver harbor toward Netherlands New Guinea. Before long, they were deposited by a missionary plane among the Sawi people, a group of tribes living in the trees of the interior rain forest. The jungle floor was too damp for permanent dwellings, so the Sawi helped ...

4192. The Grey Zone

John 21:1-19

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Are you friends? Or are you in a committed relationship? How do you know? This appears to be one of the most common dilemmas in 21st century relationships. The internet is filled with “influencers” trying to help people navigate this strange new sea called “online dating,” in which many “fish” do not necessarily guarantee a great “catch.” Today, resistance to defining the “status” of a relationship abounds among those dealing with online dating apps, fast-paced, ambivalent social media, time constraints, ...

4193. Glowing Network

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

During World War II, many members of the Lutheran church in Germany lost their faith because Hitler seduced them into ways of living that kept them from practicing their faith. But there was one man whom Hitler could not compromise. His name was Martin Niemöller. During World War I, Niemöller had been a great hero in the German military but when the Second World War came, he refused to bow to the authorities. He was marching to a different drumbeat. And march he did. When Hitler could not make him change ...

4194. Motives Matter

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Why do we do the things we do? Psychology offers us a group of standard motivations, such as survival, pleasure, autonomy, purpose/meaning, love/connection, reputation/respect, success, and power/control. The darker side of human motivation, particularly when our drives go unchecked, can include competition, envy, lack of empathy, materialism, power, control, validation, and personal gain. The way human beings express these motivations can vary according to our innate biology, our learned behaviors, and ...

4195. God Is Like...Fire

Malachi 3:1-4 · Luke 3:1-6, 9,16-17

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

What is God like? We’ve been exploring that question, each time with a different image for an answer. So far, we’ve thought about how God is like the words “I Am,” how God is like a potter and how God is like bread. Today we turn to an image that is probably more familiar than any other for most Christians ― God as parent. The religion of the Hebrews was not the first to regard God as father. Do you remember your Greek mythology, where Zeus was the father of the gods? And though we have no written records ...

4196. Expanding The Boundaries

Ruth 3:1-18

Sermon

John A. Stroman

The Book of Ruth is a family story. It is an old story, possibly over three thousand years old. It is a story about a family in trouble. Let me briefly summarize the story. Elimelech flees with his wife and two sons from the famine in Israel and heads for Moab because they heard that things were better there. In desperation they move to Moab, an out-of-the-way sort of place. You would have to be desperate, really hungry to move your family to Moab. Soon after their arrival Naomi's husband dies and she is ...

4197. Failure Is Not Final

Hosea 2:2-23

Sermon

William L. Self

We are offered wonderful news from the Bible on this eighth Sunday of Epiphany. God has a way of bringing us the very personal lives of his chosen people. We are God's chosen whether we fit the profile of the clergy or as laity -- or, as my family would say, normal people. The story told in Hosea is one of great personal pain and suffering and brokenheartedness on the part of this prophet of God. His beloved wife Gomer leaves his home and hearth for a life of infidelity. She pursues other lovers but soon ...

4198. Working In The Family Business

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

How everyone loves a newborn baby! We cannot help but turn when we hear the distinctive cry of a very new person. And when we see new babies, we almost always go over for a look, even if we don't talk to the parents. It's instinctive, really -- an inborn guarantee that this tiny infant, dependent for its every need on the goodwill of those around it, will get what it needs. So when the baby cries, mothers who are nursing find that their bodies automatically "let down" the milk, and even if they wanted not ...

4199. The Risky Business of Faith

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Sometime between 1900 and 1500 years before the birth of Christ, a nomadic family, living on the socio-economic fringe of Mesopotamia and headed by a fellow named Abraham migrated from the fertile crescent of the Tigris-Euphrates River valley south through Palestine, eventually settling in the region of the Negeb desert. From one perspective, it was rather unspectacular. As Christians, however, we consider this one of history's most pivotal events. We believe that through a call issued to Abraham and his ...

4200. Veiled Glimpses of God's Glory

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

I've read that in one of Von Schlegel's avant-garde plays, the curtain rises to show the dimly-lit interior of a theater. There on the stage sit a group of people waiting for a curtain to rise. A ripple of amused laughter washes across the auditorium at the obvious irony of watching actors engage in the very activity which had occupied the audience only moments earlier. However, when this second curtain is lifted, it displays still another group sitting in front of yet another curtain. People begin to grow ...

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