Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 401 to 425 of 4914 results

401. Noise Is Anything That Corrupts the Integrity of a Message

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

Noise is anything that corrupts the integrity of a message. A message comes over the radio. Atmospheric conditions produce noise or faulty equipment causes interference, resulting in static. The message is corrupted. A message comes to us from the printed page. Mistakes, errors, typos, poor printing - all make it difficult for a reader to obtain the message as it was intended. It is corrupted. A message comes over the television. The wind blows very hard, the tube is wearing out, or the signal is poor - ...

402. The Lord Speaks Through People Of God

1 Kings 18:1-15, 1 Kings 18:16-46

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

Call To Worship Leader: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, oh, my soul! People: I will praise him as long as I live. Leader: Don't put your trust in human leaders; no human being can save you. People: When they die, they return to the dust; on that day all their plans come to an end. Leader: The Lord is king forever. Our God will reign for all time. Collect Merciful God, we thank you for your many blessings. So fill our lives with gratitude and love that we may be found worthy to speak for you when we ...

403. Ten Friends Drive Us to the Promise

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

"One day last spring, something memorable happened at Carleton University (in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, not to be confused with Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota). Thirty-one students in the same class turned in identical research papers. It was determined that the students had all accessed the same Internet website. If only one student had done it, the ruse might not have caught the professor's attention. But here's what else opened the instructor's eyes: the research paper's topic was â€˜ethics.' ...

404. The Power to Make a Difference

Acts 16:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. . . but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child." — That's what I want us to think about today. Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, sailed the seas of the Western Mediterranean preaching the gospel and establishing churches. He debated the finest philosophers in Athens and wrote a good portion of the New Testament. But one of Paul's finest ...

405. Playing One Hand

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Tom Garrison

In the beginning of any really significant human endeavor, be it a marriage or parenthood or a business venture, there is usually a high level of idealism and hope. We expect to do the thing we are beginning with great success. This was certainly true of Jesus' ministry. Who can read how he emerged out of Galilee saying, "The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, repent and believe the good news," and not sense the excitement and anticipation that was present in that act of beginning? And ...

406. Watch This!

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

The first verse of this chapter in Luke is fascinating all on its own. Luke indicated that Jesus was being “carefully watched.” It almost sounds like a spy novel. Better yet, it sounds like Big Brother keeping an eye on unwary citizens. Jesus, of course, knew all this was happening. He warned us to be alert, and I’m sure he was vigilant as well. As a congregation, we’ve gotten access to the demographics of our surrounding area. It’s amazing what we know about the people we call neighbors. We are located in ...

407. The Drawing Power Of Christ

John 12:32

Children's Sermon

Robert B. Lantz

Object: Toy magnet (Note: Be prepared with a magnet and several objects that will be attracted to it. Little metal figures would be very helpful!) Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have ever experimented with a magnet? Do you know what a magnet does? (Responses.) Do you understand how a magnet works? Well, without being too technical, a magnet is a piece of metal -- usually iron, steel, cobalt or nickel -- which has been charged with a magnetic field so that it attracts other particles of like ...

408. Living Witness to God's Power

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call to Worship Leader: Gather now together for worship, all who would serve the risen Christ! People: Christ is our salvation and worthy to be greatly praised. Leader: Christ has touched the lives and souls of many, restoring their hope. People: For in Christ we have the promise of eternity, so we fear not the world. Leader: Let our living witness be filled with joyful praise and song unto God. All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect Most loving and merciful God, through Your grace You have called ...

409. Behold Your God

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Michael J. Anton

People without a country. Fathers and mothers trying to hold their frustrated families together by telling and re-telling the ancient stories of the good old days in far-off Jerusalem, now lying in ruins, the smoke of her ashes still twisting to the sky. People trying to eke out the best existence possible under the thumb of their Babylonian overlords. Those are the people to whom these glorious and triumphant words of Isaiah were first shouted. If you were ever a prisoner of war, or if you were ever ...

410. Free to Be

Acts 4:23-31

Sermon

Michael J. Anton

INDEPENDENCE DAY For 197 years this country called America has attempted to provide the soil and the climate in which freedom and independence can grow. For almost two centuries the U. S. of A. has become a haven of refuge for immigrants seeking an escape from repression. Our country has been a mecca for persons interested in breathing the fresh air of freedom. This experiment in democracy, of course, has not yet completely succeeded. We still have the weeds of injustice. Repression and discrimination are ...

411. Never Underestimate The Power of a Cup of Cold Water

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Brett Blair

Now I would like to stop the world for just one minute and ask you to think back. Think back with me to the first century. Think about those 50 years after Jesus’ death and what it must been like for Jesus’ disciples. Before the last one died their efforts had brought 500,000 men women, and children into the ranks of the church. But what they had to suffer in order to accomplish this task is seldom discussed. We like the outcome of their discipleship but we don’t want to hear the cost of discipleship. So ...

412. Beyond Ambiguity

Isaiah 42:1-9

Illustration

Larry Powell

In the 1500s, there lived a "prophet" named Nostradamus who upheld the Copernican theory that the world is round and circles the sun more than one hundred years before Galileo was prosecuted for the same belief. He was also widely known as a healer, a dabbler in the occult, and predictor of events far into the future. A present day book, The Prophecies of Nostradamus, purports to show that he predicted such specific events as the assassination of John F. Kennnedy, Hitler’s rise to power, the Blockade of ...

413. The Awesome Power Of Believing

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

I am convinced that this can be the best year of your life if you will simply accept one principle: WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT YOU HAVE OR WHO YOU ARE. Can you accept that? The most important matter in your life is not what is happening to you, but what is happening in you. The story is told about a man on a train crew who was accidentally locked in a refrigerator box car. The rest of the crew did not notice that he was missing and went home for the night. When the man realized that he ...

414. A Revolution in Seven Verses

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

Mickey Anders

Walter Wink, in his book Engaging the Powers, suggests that Jesus' action represented a revolution happening in seven short verses. In this short story, Jesus tries to wake people up to the kind of life God wants for them. He often talks about the Kingdom of God where people have equal worth and all of life has dignity. But in the latter part of his ministry, he begins to act this out. In the midst of a highly patriarchal culture Jesus breaks at least six strict cultural rules: 1. Jesus speaks to the woman ...

415. When the Dragon Wins

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Cindy and Don, a daughter and father, were dining in a restaurant in Nairobi, Kenya. Cindy, a recent college graduate, had committed a year to teaching in a developing country before settling down to make the "big bucks" as a public school teacher in the United States. She had been in Kenya long enough to begin acclimating to some of the cultural differences. Don, on the other hand, was in the first day of a two-week visit. He was still overwhelmed by his surroundings. To him the flood of new experiences ...

416. Tranquil: The Blessed Village on a Hillside

John 6:25-59

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

I am going to tell you a story. Keep in mind that it is just a story. In fact, because it has elements of magical impossibility, it can even be called a fairy tale. As such, it begins with that familiar line common to all good stories and fairy tales. Once upon a time, there was a village named Tranquil. It was an enormously blessed place. Tranquil had no serious problems. There was no homelessness, no food kitchens for the hungry, no street crime, and no white-collar crime. The roads were without potholes ...

417. Mary and Martha: Nine to Five and Five to Nine

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

(A Dialogue Sermon) Man: Good morning! It's a pleasure to be here in the pulpit. But you may have noticed that I have someone in the lectern vying for equal time. Woman: Yes, indeed. This is a feminist age, you know — a time of equality between women and men, a time for women to catch up on centuries of lost time in subjugation and oppression. Man: That may be, but do you intend to regain all the lost time this morning? Woman: No, but at least I'd like to make some progress. Man: I don't blame you. ...

418. Don’t Be Deceived By Size, Affluence, or Power

Amos 6:1-7, Amos 6:8-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

In another woe oracle Amos laments at an Israelite funeral banquet (cf. Jer. 16:5–9) because the foremost people of the capital city of Samaria feel so secure and carefree in their present situation. He challenges them to go visit the cities of Kalneh, Gath, and Hamath to see if those kingdoms are bigger than Israel. Are they living with a false sense of security like the people in Samaria? Since these cities are smaller, they have no false sense of security; they are vigilant and try to put off the day of ...

419. Paying What's Due

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

David G. Rogne

In Joseph Heller's book Catch-22, an Air Force bombardier is desperately seeking relief from going out on the deadly missions he must fly each day. As he gets close to the number of missions that will allow him to be rotated, the number of missions needed for rotation keeps changing. He concludes that only a crazy person would keep flying those dangerous missions. He thinks he must be crazy, and therefore he should be sent home. His superiors agree with him that a crazy person should be sent home but only ...

420. Just Who Does This Guy Think He Is?

John 6:56-69

Sermon

Rick McCracken-Bennett

"I think he's speaking in metaphors," Stephen said. "I don't care if he's speaking in Chicago, he's getting downright spooky," replied Andrew, not one of the twelve. Jesus had been speaking for what seemed to be days to a crowd made up of his disciples, hundreds of them, as well as his twelve nearest and dearest disciples. Bread, bread, and bread... it was all he seemed to be talking about. It was enough to make a person hungry. They all knew stories about how God provided for his people who had escaped ...

421. More Than Enough

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

Forty percent of all the food that is produced in the United States is thrown away. That’s about twenty pounds per person per month, a total of about 33 million tons or $165 billion worth of edible, nutritious food per year. Discarded food is the second highest component of landfills in this country that as it decays, becomes a significant contributor to methane emissions.1 Worldwide, western, industrialized countries waste about 30% of all produced food, an annual total of about 220 million tons, an ...

422. Persistence And Prayer

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Richard Hasler

“Abraham Lincoln once told a story about a blacksmith who stuck an iron bar in the coals until it was red hot. Then on the anvil, he pulled at the iron intending to make a sword. He was dissatisfied with the end product and put it back into the hot coals determined this time to make a garden tool. Once again, he was not pleased with what he had; therefore he tried making a horse shoe. That too did not please his fancy. “As a last resort, he put the iron bar in the hot coals one more time. He removed it ...

423. A Trick Resurrection

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Richard Hasler

In Louisiana, a woman lies buried beneath a grove of 150-year-old oak trees in the cemetery of an Episcopal Church. Only one word is carved on her tombstone: “Waiting.” This person who died may be waiting for the resurrection of the dead, but the Sadducees who raised this question in the conversation with Jesus certainly did not believe in the resurrection. They were only trying to use a trick question about the resurrection to force Jesus into an impossible reply. In order to understand the Sadducees’ ...

424. Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

William G. Carter

One summer day, it was my turn to mow the yard. The dew had burned off, the grass was dry. I fired up the Briggs and Stratton, lowered the blade, and took it for a spin. The job took about 45 minutes and it was done. Yet as I circled the front yard for the first time, I realized my lawn is full of weeds. Now I knew there were a few. A weed-and-feed expedition earlier in the spring eliminated most of the dandelions. It seems other undesirables have invaded our plot of land. That is a big deal in the town ...

425. When the Rules Change

7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

David Coffin

A couple who lived in separate apartments fell in love and decided to get married. However, both of their parents informed them that they would have to finance their own wedding, reception and honeymoon. In the good old days in that community, it was one of the couples’ parents who carried much of the financial burden for weddings. The couple decided it was prudent to live together in one apartment, and use the money saved for their wedding plans. For the more traditional people in their church, this is ...

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