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Showing 401 to 425 of 4937 results

401. The Way of a Saint

Revelation 7:9-17 · Luke 6:20-31

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

The way of a saint has never been easy. In today’s lesson from Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is speaking to people who knew what it was to be rejected, persecuted, discriminated against, held down. And the interesting thing is that he calls them “blessed.” Listen to his words: Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate ...

402. A Holy Way for Us All

Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

This passage has many affinities with the prophecies of Second Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55), and it has often been attributed to him. But there are differences. In Isaiah 40:3, the “way” is for the Lord, here it is for the redeemed and ransomed (vv. 9-10). In Isaiah 51:11, the reference is to the return from Babylonian exile. Here in verse 10, that context is missing, and those who are returning to Zion are the members of Israel dispersed throughout the ancient Near East. Thus, this text is probably from a time ...

403. The Church on Main Street

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

James McCormick

During my years of ministry, church buildings have been located in a variety of places. There was Monterey Road, Clinton Boulevard, Culver Avenue, Gibbs Street, Duarte Road, Hardy Street. And in 1982, for the first time I became pastor of a church on Main Street. I’ve always thought that is where the church should be – not off on some side street somewhere - but on Main Street. Of course, you know, when I talk about Main Street, I am not talking primarily about geography. I am talking about ideas and ...

404. An Old Plan For New People

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Larry Powell

A mother dashed hurriedly into the nursery when she heard her five-year-old son howling. Much to her relief, she learned that his outburst resulted because his baby sister had been pulling his hair. "Never mind, darling," she comforted, "your little sister doesn’t know it hurts you when she pulls your hair." Within moments, the mother rushed back into the nursery, this time to check on the screaming baby girl. "What’s the matter with baby sister?" she anxiously asked the little boy. "Nothing much," he ...

405. The Way Up Is Down!

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

There once was a palace servant who longed more than anything else in life to be a knight. He yearned to represent his king and vowed within himself that if he ever had a chance to be a knight he would serve his king as the noblest knight who ever lived. His dream came true. His great day came. At his knighthood ceremony, the former servant, now a knight, made a special oath within himself. He vowed that from that day forward he would bow his knees and lift his arms in homage to no one but his king. As a ...

406. Don't Give Up Too Soon!

Acts 15:36-41

Sermon

Harold Warlick

These are very exciting times in which to live. Eastern Europeans in communist countries are enjoying freedoms they have waited for, for 30 years. Nelson Mandela is free after 27 years of being in prison in South Africa. Perhaps it's hard for us to comprehend the faith and the hope which sustained these people for so long. Why didn't they give up sooner? Why not just accept failure, quit, drop out, transfer somewhere else, hang it up? One of my joys in life was visiting the famous Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam ...

407. The Gift of Me

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Darrick Acre

There is a story in the Scriptures I would like to share with you before we close the service this morning. It is found in Luke 1:26-38. God sends the angel Gabriel to Mary. Gabriel says to her, “Greetings, you are highly favored! The Lord is with you . . . Don’t be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name, Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High.” Mary then responds, “How can this be? How can I ...

408. Giving and Receiving

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Tom Garrison

A wise person, according to Sam Keen, the author of Fire in the Belly, is one who knows what time it is in his or her life; that is, they have a sense of the appropriate which enables them to know what to do amid a baffling array of options. Keen tells of going one summer to visit relatives who lived in the tidewater area of Virginia, where there are many little bays adjoining the Atlantic Ocean. Some of the old-timers there warned him about the peculiar dangers of swimming in that area, particularly at ...

409. Giving Thanks Empowers

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Phyllis Faaborg Wolk

The lepers Jesus heals in our gospel lesson weren't always lepers. One of them might have been a carpenter, building homes and workplaces in his community. One of them may have been a fisherman, working hard day after day to provide food for his neighbors. In a better time, one of them could have been a teacher, another a farmer, another a priest. At one time, the leper from Samaria might have been a physician, with people coming to him every day for healing and health. But now, no one even cared to learn ...

410. Gifts of Lent III: A Family Gives Their Home

Luke 22:7-38

Drama

Donald Neidigk

Dramatic Monologue Are you bothering me? No, not at all. I come here often to reflect and pray. It's quiet in here, isn't it? Here the noise and bustle of the old city seem so far away. I was hoping you would come. Mary of Bethany said you might stop by. I see you had no trouble getting through the heavy oaken gate to the courtyard, and then up the staircase to this room. It hasn't always been that easy. There were times when that gate was locked against our enemies. Not that locking it would really have ...

411. Holy Believing

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Donald Macleod

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." They said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Jesus answered them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last ...

412. Give it Away

Mark 8:35

Children's Sermon

Object: Two bars of soap. One bar should be brand new and the other almost used up. Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to hear the story about two bars of soap. How many of you use soap? (Let them answer.) Very good. Almost everyone uses it. What do you like most about soap? (Let them answer.) That's right, it gets you clean. A bar of soap is a pretty wonderful thing. I suppose you know that the more it is used, the smaller it gets. The better the soap is, the faster it goes away. It isn't ...

413. Is It God's Will?

Hebrews 2:5-18

Sermon

Erskine White

For because He himself has suffered and been tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:18) A young woman is driving her car down the highway on a bright summer's day. She's got the radio turned up and the windows turned down; her long hair is flowing freely in the wind; it's one of those days when it feels just great to be alive. Suddenly, as she rounds a bend in the road, there is another car speeding towards her in the wrong lane. She tries to turn out of the way, but her car spins ...

414. Proper 15

Genesis 45:1-28, Matthew 15:21-28, Romans 11:1-10, Romans 11:25-32, Psalm 133:1-3

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS In Genesis 45, Joseph provides his brothers with a theological interpretation of the events that have befallen him, while Psalm 133 celebrates kinship. Genesis 45:4-20 - "The Power of the Promise" Setting. Scholars have long since noted how different in character the Joseph stories are from the other ancestral stories. The sharpest point of contrast is the absence of God as a central character in the Joseph stories. God does not appear as a visitor at mealtime, does not talk directly to ...

415. Our Ultimate Destination

Revelation 21:1-6a

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

On U.S. Route 40 just west of New Concord, Ohio, stands an S-shaped bridge spanning a creek on the old National Road. Standing uphill from that bridge a traveler can simultaneously observe five historic transportation links that helped to build a nation: •The original trail blazed by Ebenezer Zane, also known as "Zane's Trace." •The brick roadbed of the old "National Road" that followed. •The train tracks of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, which nearly made that early highway obsolete. •U.S. Route 40, built ...

416. Planning Your Way Out

John 6:35, 41-51

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

A television news magazine told of a young, adventuresome man, full of life, flown into the desolate north country of Alaska in order that he might find himself among the natural beauty and mysteries there. He prepared for months. He carried sophisticated photographic equipment and more than 1,400 pounds of provisions. He packed boxes of notebooks, in which he intended to record his experiences. Record them he did. His carefully detailed notes describe his sense of wonder at the spectacular beauty of the ...

417. What Does Jesus Expect of Us?

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Donald Macleod

And Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others one of the prophets." And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." And he charged them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the ...

418. Man, Give Me Some Bread: I Want To Make Sense Out Of My Life

John 6:25-59

Sermon

King Duncan

"Life is truly a ride," says comedian Jerry Seinfeld. "We're all strapped in, and no one can stop it. As you make each passage from youth to adulthood to maturity, sometimes you put your arms up and scream, sometimes you just hang on to that bar in front of you. But the ride is the thing. I think the most you can hope for at the end of life is that your hair's messed, you're out of breath, and you didn't throw up." With equal wit, Cynthia Kraman asks, "What If the Hokey Pokey IS REALLY what it's all about ...

419. Who Do You Think He Is?

John 6:51-58

Sermon

Rick McCracken-Bennett

A number of years ago a priest, who happened to be a woman, moved to a more conservative diocese after her husband, who also was a priest, died. I knew Mary (not her real name). She was a wonderful priest, loved by her congregation. We were all sad to see her leave our area. After she got settled she scheduled an appointment with the local bishop. After a little polite chitchat she began the conversation by telling him when she had been ordained, who ordained her, where she had served as a priest, and what ...

420. Badger or Bonobo?

Mark 9:38-50

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Have you ever had a run-in with a badger? If you have, you’ll know to avoid doing it again! Badgers can be snarly, vicious, and terribly aggressive, especially if you’ve come too close to their burrow or nest. If one passes on the road in front of you, give it a wide berth. Otherwise, you may be running for your life. With sharp teeth and a feisty attitude, the badger is a naturally aggressive animal with few natural enemies. One horrifying report from Lancaster, UK reports a two-day rampage by a badger ...

421. He Shepherds Us!

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

Andrew Young, former delegate to the United Nations and former mayor of Atlanta, finally published the book he claims he should have written ten years ago. The book, The Way Out of No Way, contains Young's observations about how real change occurs. He notes that changes for the better do not happen simply because we teach people how to work better or harder. Reforms take place when people exert their spirituality to achieve change. In his aristoc_esermonsratic and very intelligent manner, Mr. Young uses ...

422. The Way Over Is Under

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

It was known as the Roaring Twenties. It was a time very much like to the Soaring Nineties. Morals were being turned upside down. The Stock Market was rocketing to new heights. "Let the good times roll" was the national motto. Perhaps the biggest name of the decade was a man named Babe Ruth. He had single-handedly put baseball on the map and made it the national pastime. The major league owners realized they needed a Commissioner to oversee the game of baseball and preserve its integrity. In 1921 they ...

423. Where Is Love?

Hebrews 9:1-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

Several years ago, a fellow named Lionel Bart wrote a hit song, "Where Is Love," for the Broadway musical Oliver. Based on the Charles Dickens classic, Oliver Twist, the musical tells the story of an orphaned child struggling to survive the cruelties of the streets of England amidst the Industrial Age. No one seems to care, except those trying to use him for profit. "Where is he, whom I close my eyes to see?" Oliver sings. "Will I ever know the sweet ‘Hello,' that's meant for only me? Where is love?" Few ...

424. Small Ways Every Day

Mark 4:26-34

Illustration

Martha Sterne

I hate to bring up The Ten Commandments when I'm preaching on the Gospel of Mark, but…remember that they are very rarely Cecil B. de Mille, big-screen, neon-sign events. They really aren't. They are small choices made on small days, over and over and over again. Such as choosing to remember that God made us for freedom and gave us as a gift, not a punishment, rules to live by. Small things such as remembering God made us, so we don't make God. Such as remembering that we had better not put God's name on ...

425. Am I Eating Manna or Bread from Heaven?

John 6:35, 41-51

Sermon

Rick McCracken-Bennett

When I was very young, being reared in another denomination, my mother and I, for reasons I cannot remember, were at church together without the rest of the family. In my memory it was evening; also for reasons I cannot remember. What I do recall is that my mother had a very traumatic experience at that service of Holy Eucharist. We were seated in back instead of in our customary pew halfway up on the left side of the sanctuary and so were among the last to receive communion. We followed the instructions ...

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