Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4226 to 4250 of 4944 results

4226. To Be Perfectly One

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Allan J. Weenink

One of the most meaningful experiences of my life took place in the Philippines. In the remote village of Lubuagan, high in the mountain provinces of northern Luzon, is a small mission school of some 250 students. The school and its sister church are on the main highway to Manila, which at this point is a narrow, treacherous dirt road, built on a mountain ledge. This little town literally clings to the mountains. It is half surrounded by graded rice terraces which give the impression of a thousand ...

4227. The Most Misunderstood Gift

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

There is no doubt - the most misunderstood God of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit. There is also no doubt - the most misunderstood gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of speaking in tongues. Nearly every Christian has already chosen his "side" regarding the speaking in tongues. Few people are neutral on the subject - most are either "anti-tongues" or "pro-tongues." Not everybody even wants to hear the pros and cons. They remind you of the woman who said to her husband, during a discussion: "Don’t confuse me ...

4228. EPISODE 6: THE SIXTH WEEK IN LENT

Drama

Robert Clausen

EPISODE 6: THE SIXTH WEEK IN LENT MARY MARTHA MARY MAGDALENE CAPTAIN JUDAS SOLDIER JESUS PETER JOHN THOMAS [MARY and MARTHA are together. MARY MAGDALENE enters.] MARTHA: Mary Magdalene...! MARY MAGDALENE: Oh, Martha. I’m so glad to find you home ... and Mary. MARY: Come in, Mary Magdalene. Are you all right? MARY MAGDALENE: No ... MARY: Why, what’s the matter? MARY MAGDALENE: I can’t explain it. MARTHA: Try to tell us. MARY MAGDALENE: I should be happy after today ... the crowds, the cheering, the ...

4229. Night Fighters

Sermon

James Bjorge

Night can be beautiful when dreams of sugar plums dance through your head. When worries have wandered away and left you relaxed, the descending darkness comes like a billowy blanket of down. God has washed behind your years and you feel clean and content as you slip into the freshly washed sheets for a long winter’s nap. No doubt about it, night can be nice. But it is not always that cozy and comfortable. Night can be blacker than a hundred midnights in a southern swamp. Anxiety, fear and pain become like ...

4230. Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

1 Kings 18:16-46

Sermon

Don Yocom

"And he (Elijah) repaired the altar of the Lord ..." (1 Kings 18:30) The biblical setting for this message is a showdown as to who really is God. It is a contest between 450 prophets of Baal and the God of the prophet Elijah. God, through His messenger, the prophet, had informed the king that no rain would fall of the land because of the wickedness and idolatry of King Ahab and his wicked Queen, Jezebel. For more than two years, no rain had fallen, and the country was in a severe drought. How would we feel ...

4231. Loud and Clear

Luke 8:14-15

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Radio, cowbell, gun with caps, some pots and pans, and any other object that makes noise Isn't this a great day today and isn't it fun to be in God's house, learning the things that God wants us to learn? Sure it is. Now today, we are going to have an experiment. How many of you like experiments? Good. First, I'll need a volunteer. Oh, you'll be fine. You have a nice voice. Do you think that if everyone was very quiet you could say something that the last person in the church could understand? You ...

4232. Mending Broken Relationships

Matthew 5:23-24

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Scotch tape; a piece of colored paper that can be torn easily Good morning, boys and girls, and a happy middle of July. It sure is strange how the days pass so quickly and there are so many things to do before school starts again. Makes us wonder if we’ll get them all done. Most of the time we have fun, although every once in a while I hear noises that make me think boys and girls aren’t having such a good time. When I hear screaming and yelling and name-calling, I think that something else is ...

4233. Three-Dimensional Christianity

James 1:19-27

Sermon

Michael J. Anton

Most of us have probably either heard it or said it about a fellow Christian: "Boy, he really knows his Bible." Sometimes an extra line is added, "He knows the Bible better than most preachers." I suppose that extra line could make pastors a bit defensive, sort of like "them’s fightin’ words." But on this National Bible Sunday there is something much more important than arguing over who may know the Bible the best. Because there is something more important than simply knowing Bible facts or being able to ...

4234. Picking A Winner, Claiming A Treasure

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Bishop Ernest Fitzgerald tells about a slightly crooked Texan who was a big racer of horses. He took one of his prize thoroughbreds to London for an international race. The Texan was back in the stable area prior to the race feeding his horse some suspicious-looking little white pills. The Duke of Marlborough who also had a horse in the race, happened to see what the Texan was doing. "My good man," he said, "Don't you know that that is illegal. You cannot give a horse any performance-enhancing drugs. I ...

4235. Rules For Living

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Robert Allen

A couple of years ago, I was asked to serve on a panel to discuss the problems facing teenagers in our society. The panel included a school counselor, a Juvenile Judge, a drug counselor, a couple of other experts on teenage problems, and, I guess, I was the representative of the religious community. There were a variety of people in the audience, including the parents of several teenagers. During the question and answer period, there was one woman who acknowledged that she was at the symposium because her ...

4236. Blind Bartimaeus - Model For Healing

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

James W. Robinson

His name was Bartimaeus. He occupied the lowest rung on society’s ladder, a poor man of Bethany, who eked out a living begging at the side of the road. In his sightlessness, he was forced to depend on others to guide him to his place of business. He had never seen the smile on the lips of a child, the blush on a maiden’s cheeks, the love in his mother’s eyes. His eyes had never feasted on a sea of flowers in a field, a sky spilling over with stars, or the glorious glow of the setting sun. He had heard, but ...

4237. Christmas 1

Isaiah 61:1-11, Isaiah 62:1-12, Galatians 3:26--4:7, Luke 2:21-40

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Isaiah 61:10--62:3 Theme: A holy family, a wholesome future Exegetical Note The first part of this poetic text contains two loosely related metaphors, wedding and germination, which celebrate Jerusalem’s present and future salvation. Taken together, the two images suggest fertility and the promise inherent in a truly nurturing environment. Call to Worship Leader: Good Christian people, rejoice in God, and let the world know no end to our celebration! People: FOR, IN THE PERSON OF A CHILD, GOD ...

4238. I Affirm

Acts 27:13-26

Sermon

TEXT: "Wherefore, sirs, be of good courage, for I believe in God." Acts 27:25 There are two ways to interpret the extraordinary story of adventure at sea which is described in chapter 27 of Acts. We can look at the courage and the faith of Paul. He had been arrested after preaching for several years as a Christian evangel. When he was threatened with death he appealed as a Roman citizen for his trial to be held in the city of Rome which was his right as a citizen. Escorted by heavy guard, he was taken from ...

4239. God of the Weekday

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

You say that we are a sophisticated, civilized, and intellectually mature people, that certainly in the climb of human progress, we have risen above such primitive things as, for instance, superstition? Well, let us think again, dear friends. Whether we like it or not, the old superstitions persist, the old fetishes still cling to us, the old fantasies still control us. A case in point: I remember a public hearing on open housing in our city, and I was discussing the matter with the owner of large real ...

4240. He Ought to Stick Out!

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Charles L. Koester

"By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his own spirit." If you’re looking for a creative challenge, attempt explaining where Jesus is now to a group of young children. To explain God as Father and creator can be done through objects in nature. A child will comprehend the Creator through trees and flowers. The life our Lord lived on earth can be explained, too. It is tangible history. But try to explain, to a child, where Jesus is now, now that he took off into the ...

4241. Christmas: A Family Service

Drama

Ruthanne Cochran

Setting: A large Christmas Lrce is placed in the chancel, or on one side of the front of the sanctuary, with wrapped gifts placed beneath it. A large manger is placed in front of the altar, or communion table, with a large candle placed nearby or on the altar. The portion of the service presented by the family takes place around the tree. Participants: A family, or six selected persons to portray: A mother A father An older son An older daughter A sniall girl (aged 9 or 10) A small boy (aged 8 or 9) Youth ...

4242. Commanded By Example

John 13:31-38

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

In a book titled, Life Looks Up, Charles Templeton said the history of this world has been changed by events which took place in two small upper rooms. These rooms are separated not only by thousands of miles, but by nearly thousands of years. Yet the events which took place within those walls have changed the course of human history more than any other events mankind has ever known. The first "upper room" is a drab flat over a dingy laundry in a poor district in London. Through the dirty, curtainless ...

4243. Strengthened For Life

John 15:1-17

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

During these Lenten Sunday mornings we have been thinking together about some of the things which Jesus shared with his disciples on the last night of his earthly life. These teachings of our Lord are recorded for us in chapters 13 through 17 of John’s Gospel. If you will read these chapters carefully, you will find they contain everything that is most precious in our Christian heritage - every gift, every promise, every commandment, every warning, every spiritual resource that the living Christ gives to ...

4244. Getting Ready

Mark 13:24-37

Sermon

Brett Blair

It is hard for us to understand Jesus' delay in his coming. God's time clock is certainly out of sync with ours as Little Jimmy learned one day as he was laying on a hill in the middle of a meadow on a warm spring day. Puffy white clouds rolled by and he pondered their shape. Soon, he began to think about God. "God? Are you really there?" Jimmy said out loud. To his astonishment a voice came from the clouds. "Yes, Jimmy? What can I do for you?" Seizing the opportunity, Jimmy asked, "God? What is a million ...

4245. Back in the Swing

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction Because the David story ascends the height of human aspiration and plumbs the depths of human anguish, it has outlived the political circumstances from which it came. The prophet Nathan’s final prediction was to come true. David and Bathsheba’s son, conceived out of wedlock, died in infancy. It is clear that the child was very precious to David. It became sick, and ... David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the ground. - 2 Samuel 12:16 ...

4246. God’s Plan for Leaves

Ezekiel 17:1-24

Children's Sermon

Shirley Jennings

Object: Leaves. Lesson: God’s plan for leaves shows us he cares about us. What’s the color you see the most as you look around this park? Green is the color I was thinking about, especially the green leaves on the trees. Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be a leaf on a tree? Well, let’s think about it for a minute. First, of all, you’d be up in the air a long way, like being in a tree house. Have you ever been in a tree house? Part of the fun of a tree house is being up so high above ...

4247. What God Wants Us To Do

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Richard Patt

"So [the people] asked [Jesus]: ‘What can we do in order to do what God wants us to do?’ " (v. 28, TEV,) What a far-ranging question this is! It’s an all-embracing theme we have to discuss here: "What God wants us to do." Obviously it is impossible for us to use these fifteen minutes or so and come up with a comprehensive answer to this question. Think, for instance, of the rainbow-like nature of our congregation’s members. One of you here today is a successful retired businessman. Your children are grown ...

4248. And It Came To Pass

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." (v. 31) Here is the existential consummation of history. This is the frame of reference within which the early church lived and breathed. In the end it was the parousia, the event of Christ coming in glory. Things of earth would pass away. This would be the final reckoning, the ultimate judgment. I always thought, as have most Anglo-Saxons, that the powerful Spiritual ran, "My Lord, what a morning, when the stars begin to fall." It was not ...

4249. The Priesthood of All Believers

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

"We are all priests." These are the words of Martin Luther. But he did not invent this revolutionary idea. He discovered it in the Bible. When the Bible says, "You are a royal priesthood" and "He made us to be priests," it is not speaking about ordination but about every Christian man and woman. In rediscovering the gospel, Luther also rediscovered the principal means by which the gospel operates, the priesthood of all believers. What does it mean to be a priest? It means to be consecrated to serve. That ...

4250. The Courage to Be Me

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." There is a certain courage to be who we are built into the dynamics of Christian faith and grace. DONALD C. HOUTS (see biographical note preceding Smart, Wise, and Foolish) relates this courage to three common debilitating fears in his sermon The Courage to Be Me: The fears of doubt, self-disclosure, and failure. There is a sense in which vitality in human life is a product of the tension between fear and faith. If all were certain, then our concept ...

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