Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 401 to 425 of 4964 results

401. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

Bulletin Aid

Robert G. McCreight

... house of the Lord to pray for light. Light for ourselves, and light for all who are living in darkness. People: Remembering the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, may we be brought by the light through our darkness into the joy of new life and hope. The Lighting Of The Advent Candles Christmas Eve is precious in the eyes of the Lord and in our traditions as well. It is a time when we put aside resentinents and falsehood for at least one brief moment, and reflect upon the purity and promise of the ...

402. The Paradox of the Cross

Mark 15:33-41, Mark 15:21-32

Sermon

Robert Allen

... of Jesus Christ. We can go home again. There is nothing that stands between us and God, except the cross of Jesus Christ. We can go home again. II. The Paradox Of The Cross Is That It Was A Tragic And Cruel Thing, But The Cross Helps Us See Hope. Look at the cross in its stark horror. What happened there was tragic and cruel. It was an act of barbarism which clearly shows what we are capable of doing to another. Jesus' religious leaders had rejected him as a traitor. The soldiers had spit on him. Pilate had ...

403. Proper 26

Ruth 4:1-12

Bulletin Aid

... . People: We don't expect life to treat us as special; but we do need God to lift us up when we feel cast down. Pastor: Life becomes what we let it become. If we let it become a gift of God, we will be refreshed with new hope. People: Our hope is in God, whom we believe is in our midst to make life a source of joy. Collect Loving God, who turns discouragement into hope, and despair into joy: Bless us with your presence; that we may see each day as a gift of your love, and live in thanksgiving for the ...

404. The Promise of the Savior King

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

... respond violently to each other. There will be no fear in the earth. The just social order established by the reign of the righteous will produce Shalom in the earth! No member of the house of David ever fulfilled the dreams and hopes of this oracle. Each disappointment pushed this hope into the future again and again. In fact, we today still await the fulfillment, in final form, of this vision of a ruler whose reign will create a just social order and peace on the earth. And yet this vision, this dream ...

405. And Then The End

Matthew 24:1-35

Sermon

... not the gospel’s vision of the end itself. Nor should this surprise us. "Eschatologies have to start more from fears than from hopes; in our alienation, we hope mostly for what we lack."1 Precisely because we know the worst of times, we ache for and yearn for God’s Best ... great and promised feast." Precisely because we know at the depth of our being what "love grown cold" is, we embrace the hope-engendering promise of a love that never ends. So it is in our text: the litany of horrors is rehearsed not to ...

406. Promise or Threat?

Matthew 24:1-35

Sermon

... tremble, the love of Christ shall ultimately triumph over all evil and sin. So we stand our ground in the face of affliction. Of course we live in the last days. We always have and always will, but that’s meant to be a sign of hope, not fear. And that same hope infuses the present age with purpose and gives life abundant to all who believe. Take heed that no one leads you astray with false prophesies and threats about signs of the end. Our Lord has given us a promise, not a threat. And the promise is ...

407. Repairing Your Broken Dreams

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... , our lives would claim an unbelievable power and freedom. To believe in that goodness. To believe in the power of your own life through God. That's the first step in repairing a broken dream. 1. As used by Charles L. Allen in The Miracle of Hope (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1983), pp. 16-17. 2. See John Howard Yoder, The Politics of Jesus (Grand Rapids, Minnesota: William B. Eerdmans, 1972), p. 61. 3. Ernest A. Fitzgerald, How To Be A Successful Failure (New York: Atheneum, 1978), pp. 6 ...

408. BE EASTER PEOPLE

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... will he find us? Will we be acting like people who have been touched by the meaning of the cross and the empty tomb? Therefore, let us continue to draw near to the Lord with a true heart and a confident faith. We hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering. We consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. We do not neglect to worship but encourage one another. In sum, we will all be Easter people.

409. Paul Today

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon Aid

T. A. Kantonen

... , nor conceited, nor rude, never selfish, not quick to take offense. John keeps no score of wrongs; he does not gloat over other men’s sins, but delights in the truth. There is nothing John cannot face, there is no limit to his faith, his hope, and his endurance." Obviously we have here a transcendent ideal rather than an empirical fact, although a saint like John XXIII came close to fitting the description. Paul himself would say, "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press ...

410. Just A Whisper

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... is one of the wonderful things about Christmas; that we can once again tune the receptors of the spirit to the love of God. It is the message of Christmas that we need to be able to hear in the midst of our tragedies and trials, our struggles and shattered hopes. And if we can claim the gift of God’s love in those difficult times, then we really know what Christmas is all about. Nevertheless it is important for us to remember that Jesus, the sign of God’s love, does not banish our problems, but he does ...

411. A WALL OF ROCK AND THE EVERYBODY GAP

Drama

William McKee Aber

... substance to what I say. As a follower of the way, I am involved in life because Jesus was involved. I do not desire to blend into the crowd, apathetic and anonymous; rather I wish to embrace life and live! I see a vision of new men filled with compassion, hope and joy - a vision of men living a life of celebrationi Certainly Christ clebrated life and he calls us to be fellow celebrants with him. I am here, on my own turf, as you put it, Wormwood, also for two reasons. I believe man is going to explore the ...

412. Faith As Healing Energy

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... American Cancer Society, I have spoken to several groups of cancer patients. For the most part, I find that these threatened people are growing in faith and love. They are an encouragement to me. They care for one another; they are aware of God; and they have hope for life here and life hereafter. In fact, they probably have a sense of wholeness beyond that of their neighbors. One thing I say to them is, "Don’t ask, ‘Why?’ It cannot be fully answered. We do not, yet, see the whole picture. Your real ...

413. The Lord Has Saved His People

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

... springs of life are clogged with people who seem not at all the holy people of God, but for whom a holy, chosen people is the last thing that they want to be. They seem busy with their own agenda, indolent in service, indifferent in their faith and hope and love. Yet I Believe Yet I believe! The gospel is a call to faith. It is an affirmation in the face of everything that seems to contradict it that "the Lord has saved his people." It needs no support or proof in giant social action programs, ecumenical ...

414. The Good News of Easter

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Brett Blair

... rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband's chest. There in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, and that that life was best represented by Jesus who died on the cross, and that the same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband. You see, she knew that death was not the final word. Even though she ...

415. His Resurrection

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

Sermon

Brett Blair

416. It's A Wonderful Life

Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... during the Christmas break at school. On Christmas Day they ate Spam and crackers and drank Pepsi. Don says it was wonderful! (5) Why? Because they were with their Dad. Nothing else meant as much. That is the way believers feel in the presence of Jesus. His coming means hope for the hopeless, help for the hurting, and unutterable joy for those who call him Lord. And that is what Christmas is all about. Christ has come to our world in the form of a tiny babe. No wonder we sing, "Joy to the world, the Lord is ...

417. In The Valley Of Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth." It is by the Word of the Lord that we live and move and have our being. Our hope is in the word of the Lord. THAT IS WHY THE SCRIPTURES ARE SO IMPORTANT TO OUR LIVES. I say that even though I realize ... Particularly when we are in the valley of dry bones. We need the written Word of the Lord. It will give us comfort and strength. Our hope is in the Word of the Lord. That is why the Scriptures are so important to our lives. THAT IS ALSO WHY WORSHIP IS SO IMPORTANT ...

418. For Future Generations

Psalm 22:1-31

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... thought about it for a minute, and then she said: “I must’ve got it from Daddy... because Mommy still has her hair!” We all hope they get something from us. And even if we’re single, or even if we’ve never had children of our own, there’s something ... Let them see life An open door. You may skip some other things— but give them roots and give them wings! That’s what we hope our children will get from the education that we have to give them, don’t we? Roots in the past and wings for the future ...

419. The Defining Moment (A Sermon for New Year's)

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... above. It was established by human minds. There is no real reason why one day on the calendar should bear more significance than any other day of the year. Yet still we invest the changing of the year with a great deal of meaning. It is a time of hope, of planning, of vision-casting, to use a business buzzword. And, of course, it is a time for resolutions. Ready or not, it is time to set yourself on a course of self-improvement. I like a list of resolutions prepared by the Rev. Walter Schoedel. He calls ...

420. An Empty Cup

Job 23:1--24:25

Sermon

King Duncan

... is not its goal; Dust thou art, to dust returneth, Was not spoken of the soul. Friends, there will come a time when all of us will stand before God with an empty cup. But remember those words: Only an empty cup can be filled. If we will not lose hope, but trust fully and completely in God's love for us, God will take our empty cup and fill it to overflowing. 1. Pamela Grim, M.D. Just Here Trying To Save a Few Lives (New York: Warner Books, 2000), pp. 15-16. 2. Dennis and Barbara Rainey, Moments Together ...

421. Living with the End in Mind

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Sermon

King Duncan

... writing these words to the Thessalonians to give them a definitive description of the nature of eternity, but to encourage them. Paul writes, “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” That’s all that matters to St. Paul, and that is what he wants to communicate to his friends. And that is ...

422. To Who Can We Go?

John 6:60-71

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... our world, says John, God has sent a Light. That Light is Jesus Christ, and though it is surrounded by darkness, the darkness has never succeeded in overcoming it. During the darkest days of the Second World War the King of England made a radio broadcast to bring hope to the hearts of his suffering people as they began a New Year fraught with danger. He quoted the words of a heretofore little-known poet named Minnie Louise Haskins: I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, “Give me a light that ...

423. How Do You Explain the Resurrection?

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... was until I fell in love!” This is life with a capital “L.” Jesus said in John. 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” The word “life” which Jesus uses here is a hopeful word. (Greek: zoe, which is used in the New Testament to refer to a special quality of life, a life which God has in Himself and which God gave to the Incarnate Son, which the Son manifested to the world, and which He promised to all who put their ...

424. In The Kingdom Now

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... 21 of our scripture lesson, Christ is able to subdue all things unto himself. With that fact clearly in our minds, and with the hope of the coming of our Savior, we can live resolutely and with courage we can stand fast in the Lord. I heard a funny ... altogether for our conclusion. “Nothing worth doing is ever completed in our lifetime,” Niebhur said, “therefore, we must be saved by hope. Nothing true or beautiful makes sense in any context of history; therefore, we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do ...

425. From Russia With Love

Acts 3:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... lessons there that you and I need to learn. And some challenges there that we need to grapple with. If I had to describe the Russian people in one word, I would say this. They are a people without joy because they have no hope. They are a people without joy because they have no hope. Someone put it this way. An entire nation lost its smile. And that's true. An entire nation lost its smile. How I pray that there will be enough Christians in Russia with the love of Jesus so vitally and vividly alive in their ...

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