Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 401 to 425 of 2561 results

401. Adam And Eve,The First People

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon Aid

Peter C. Garrison

Eve envies God's wisdom. Adam doesn't take God's word of warning as real. Basically, these people's problem is that they always want to be first, even before God. If you don't think this is a problem, then that's a problem. It's called "Original Sin." (Please read Genesis, Chapter 3) Adam And Eve Adam was first. There is a certain comfort in being second or third, next or last, in the middle or part of a crowd: One can hide or ask for help or consider alternatives or grow impatient or slink away unnoticed ...

402. Need Help Removing That Roadblock?

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Steve Burt

A middle-aged man lived in a small town. He was single and had lived there all his life. Employment opportunities were limited, so he plucked chickens, a job he'd always hated. He secretly longed to be an artist, a painter. The man prayed something might change to allow his dream of freedom to become realized -- freedom from poverty and freedom to create. He felt as if invisible chains bound the true person he suspected was inside him. One day a lawyer called from a nearby city and said the man was to ...

403. The Resurrection

John 20:10-18, John 20:1-9

Drama

Jerry Eckert

This was the first Easter I served as pastor at Emmaus Church in Milwaukee. There were no signs that my dramatized story sermons would work. While there were many wonderful people, there seemed little interest in doing creative things on Sunday mornings. My preaching routine was mostly thematic, occasionally going to the lectionary. My style is conversational but the pulpit was high and to one side in the front. It looked like a battlement hanging out over the slanting floor. There were seldom enough to ...

404. When Thomas Doubted

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

A German was the guest of a Frenchman who asked him how they distinguished between an optimist and a pessimist in Germany. “It is very simple,” replied the German. “The optimists are learning English and the pessimists are learning Russian!” Thomas would be learning Russian! One person has described a pessimist as someone who burns his bridges behind him and then crosses them before he gets to them. Another claims a pessimist is one who, of two evils, chooses them both! That may well describe Thomas. To ...

405. Reality Check

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Johnny Dean

Many of us have had them, those times when we felt like we were on top of the world, really happy, confident that we knew all the answers, could solve any problem that came up. Or we felt that we were really close to God, really in tune with God’s plan for us. In those moments we were excited and alive, and everything seemed new. The moment might have come at some exciting event in your life: graduation, baptism, your first kiss, your first day on your first job, your wedding, the birth of a child, even ...

406. Eternal Echo Of Easter - Part 2

Matthew 28:1-10

Drama

Esther R. Russ

PROVIDING MUSICAL BACKGROUND This program is most effective if all the narrations, dialogues, readings, and drama are given with background music. We used a combination of two types of musical background: (1) various record selections, which we recorded on a high-quality tape, and (2) live organ music. Taped Background In this area of the production, creativity can be unlimited. Simple music from records may be taped, or more complicated music that requires timing of appropriate words. For example, the ...

407. And On the Third Day...

John 2:1-11

Sermon

William G. Carter

The story of the wedding at Cana is one of the most famous stories in the Bible. It has been the basis of many sermons and numerous misinterpretations. In fact, there are so many good misinterpretations of the text, I am not sure which misinterpretation I like the best. I recall hearing a sermon based on this text. The preacher said, “In Cana, everybody was having a good time at the wedding banquet. There was a lot of music and dancing. It was a hot day. People got thirsty. They ran out of wine. Everybody ...

408. Meeting Jesus Along The Way

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

King Duncan

There is an 80-foot tall maple tree in Milford, Connecticut that hasn ™t changed much over the years. There are new leaves every spring, of course, and the leaves fall off every autumn. And there is the spot where a limb came off when Hurricane Gloria blew through in 1985. Other than that missing branch the tree on Hawley Avenue has looked the same for as long as anyone can remember. The spot where the limb was blown off caused quite a stir in the neighborhood sometime back. One of the residents, Claudia ...

409. Time to Pull the Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

King Duncan

In Saint Louis a few years ago a woman noticed a few bees buzzing around the attic of her home. Since there were only a few, she made no effort to deal with them. Over the summer the bees continued to fly in and out the attic vent while the woman remained unconcerned, unaware of the growing city of bees that was taking up residence just above her ceiling. The whole attic became a hive, and the ceiling of the second-floor bedroom finally caved in under the weight of hundreds of pounds of honey and thousands ...

410. The God Who Must Be Pursued

Matthew 7:7-12

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

Arnold Palmer once played a series of exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia. The king was so impressed that he proposed, in good Middle Eastern fashion, to honor his guest with a gift. Palmer resisted, "It really isn't necessary, Your Highness. I'm honored to have been invited." And, in good Middle Eastern fashion, his highness persisted, "I would be deeply upset," replied the king, "if you would not allow me to give you a gift." Palmer thought for a moment, "All right. How about a golf club? That would be a ...

411. On the Beach

John 21:15-25, John 21:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

On this third Sunday in the season of Easter, we look at yet another resurrection appearance, this one from the Gospel of John. The disciples are despondent. The world has collapsed around them. Their Lord has been crucified. I suppose that by the time this story takes place, which is at least a week after the Resurrection, we can assume that they have heard of the Resurrection, if they have not actually experienced the Resurrected Christ. Although we know that some did see him, if you think of the Upper ...

412. Workaholics Anonymous

Genesis 2:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

Are you a workaholic? See how many of these questions you answered yes to: Do you get more excited about your work than about family or anything else? Are there times when you can charge through work and other times when you can't get anything done? Do you take with you to bed, on weekends, on vacation? Is work the activity you enjoy most and talk about most? Do you work more than 40 hours a week? Do you turn your hobbies into money making ventures? Do you take complete responsibility for the outcome of ...

413. Updating Some Ancient Laws

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Several years ago on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post, there was a painting by Norman Rockwell showing a woman buying her Thanksgiving turkey. The turkey was lying on the scales, and the butcher was standing back of the counter, apron pulled tight over his fat stomach, a pencil tucked behind his ear. The customer, a lovely lady of about 60, stood watching the weighing in. Each of them had a pleased look as if each knew a secret joke. There’s nothing unusual about a butcher and a customer watching as ...

414. Table Manners

John 2:12-25

Sermon

Craig MacCreary

Perhaps it is the oddity that I am writing this on the Monday before Thanksgiving or it is my proclivity to identify food with each passing holiday that, as I approach these texts, I find myself thinking of another text from Psalm 23: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Fourth of July and I am dreaming dreams of sugar plum fairies, turkey legs, chocolate bunnies, and barbecues. This is definitely a job hazard for clergy. Most congregations revel ...

415. Jesus’s Manifesto

Luke 4:14-30

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: Back in Nazareth, Jesus sets out on his mission of deliverance, but his own townspeople in Nazareth reject him because of his vision for the salvation of all people everywhere, which includes the Gentiles. Understanding the Text Jesus’s return from the wilderness area marks the beginning of his public ministry, which will be focused in his home province of Galilee until he sets off for Jerusalem in 9:51. Mark and Matthew record a single visit to Nazareth, which they place later in their ...

416. True North

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Sha Jahan was the emperor of India during the 1600s. When he lost his wife he was devastated. In fact, his grief was so great that he decided to build a grand temple that would serve as her tomb. Her coffin was placed in the center of a large piece of land and a big temple was built around it. The emperor was determined to build a magnificent resting place for his wife. However, as the weeks turned into months the emperor’s grief was overshadowed by his passion for the project. He was obsessed with the ...

417. The Accent Of Heaven

John 13:31-35

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

She opened our eyes to the way that civilizations unfold and develop. Cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead became the talk of society with her study, Coming of Age in Samoa. For decades she toured the world, explaining what she had observed as children were born, how they were raised, what families and groups did to reinforce certain behaviors, what happened to non-conformists, what marriage looked like, and how people aged and died. When Ms. Mead was speaking at a university, one student asked her what ...

418. A Sermon About Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

A responsible pastor must have a theology of prayer that goes beyond churchy axioms, pious clichés, pop theology, and Bible verses proof texted from the King James Bible. An authentic theology of prayer must offer hope in the promise that God answers prayer, but it must also be prepared to respond to the questions of those whose prayers “availeth not.” We must be, at once, ready to celebrate with those whose cancer went into remission and to weep with those whose cancer didn’t, when both persons’ prayers ...

419. Great Joy

Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

This is a sensuous season, a season of smells, sights, sounds… ...chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose; yuletide carols being sung by a choir and folks dressed up like Eskimos... Jingling bells and sleigh bells and silver bells, a mother's deep prayer and a baby's low cry. It's a season for the senses. Isaiah the prophet turns poet when he tries to picture the promise of God's salvation, the hope of God's redemption, the joy of God's good news, and new life in our midst. But ...

420. A Faith that Leaves a Legacy

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

King Duncan

What would you like to have as your epitaph some day? Have you ever given that any thought? What will people say about you after you’re gone? It’s always interesting to me to read some of the humorous inscriptions that have appeared on tombstones in days gone past. For example, here is one that should have been edited: Here lies Col. Brown . . . Shot in battle by an enemy soldier. “Well Done Thou Good and Faithful Servant.” A tombstone in Girard, Pennsylvania carries an epitaph that probably would be the ...

421. Jesus' Ministry Beyond Galilee

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

Both of the Markan stories appointed for this week take place in the land of the Gentiles. We have pointed out this Gentile ministry of Jesus in earlier chapters. His Gentile ministry will come to a climax in chapter 8 with the feeding of the Gentile multitude. Today's story of the healing of the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman is an incredible symbol of the breaking down of false barriers for the sake of mission. Jesus breaks all kinds of barriers in this story. He breaks down geographical barriers by ...

422. The Ten Commandments #4: The Sabbath

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Let me tell you a story.(1) It seems a young Martian was studying comparative anthropology and, in preparation for a doctoral dissertation which was long overdue, made a quick flight down to earth in his flying saucer to check on the habits of the residents of the planet. He could not get too close or make any prolonged inspection because his work had to be submitted in just a few days, so time was of the essence. He had made a fortunate choice of days and locations - a fine summer Sunday over the United ...

423. Pentecost -- A Wild, Weird, Wonderful Day

Sermon

John A. Stroman

The happenings on the day of Pentecost seemed so bizarre with the sound of a rushing mighty wind, tongues of fire resting on the participants, and the speaking in other languages, that it caused the onlookers to conclude, "They are filled with new wine." In other words, "They are drunk!" Peter observed that they were confusing inspiration with inebriation so he declared, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you ...

424. Sunday Dinner

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Alex Gondola

Remember Sunday when you were growing up? Maybe a lot of your families were like mine. Sunday was a special day. Sunday dinner was a special meal. It was almost always the best meal of the week. Mom put a roast of something (roast chicken, pork, lamb, beef) in the oven to cook all morning. Then the family went off to church. When we returned around noon, the roast whatever was still cooking. But the aroma pervaded the house. And we three children couldn't wait to eat! Around one o'clock, when my sisters ...

425. Uncovering Cover-Ups

John 15:18--16:4

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

For some it is ancient history. For others it is as fresh as yesterday. I speak of 1972 when the word "cover-up" came into our consciousness in a big way -- the cover-up by then President Richard Nixon regarding the Watergate scandal. Assured of a landslide victory in his election for a second term, Richard Nixon, overborne with anxiety, apparently felt that was not enough. So he authorized the so-called "Watergate Plumbers," headed by G. Gordon Liddy, to break into the Democratic Headquarters in the posh ...

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