Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 4226 to 4250 of 4914 results

4226. Look, The Morning Star

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Richard Hasler

In the early morning hour Owen Rodericks prepares to take his first ride as a coal miner deep into the dark ground beneath him. The cage suddenly shoots to the surface with a jerk. The gate opens and in seconds he is jammed in with ten other men. A bell rings, and the cage plunges over 300 feet into the mine. Gasping for breath, Owen leaves the cage and staggers along through the darkness. His miner's lamp attached to his cap is the only light penetrating the darkness all around him. In these narrow ...

4227. Week Three Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Monday Week Three2 Kings 5:1-15Luke 4:24-30 Expectations -- What Should They Be? Expectations are one of the unavoidable realities of life. Although expectations will differ from person to person and from situation to situation, everyone has certain expectations. This is true in how we view events, material things, specific situations, and especially people. If we are honest, most of the time our expectations are high, especially when it comes to results desired and the usefulness and/or effectiveness of ...

4228. Sowers Of The Seed

Psalm 119:1-176, Romans 8:1-17, Genesis 25:19-34, Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

This parable is titled "The Sower." That puts the emphasis on the person who preaches or teaches the word. Yet the parable does not do much in the way of describing the characteristics of the sower. In this particular instance one would suppose that Jesus implies that he is the sower. If we choose to emphasize this aspect of the parable, then we might concentrate on the question of how the contemporary sower corresponds to Jesus as the one who proclaims the message. We might also call this parable "The ...

4229. Toward A More Sensuous Christianity

Sermon

John A. Stroman

In using the word "sensuous," I am not using the word in a carnal or bestial sense, but rather in a sensory sense. The experience of the Holy Spirit is sensuous in the sense that it is stimulating, inspiring, exciting and at times emotional. The apostle reminds us, "For the kingdom of God is ... joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). When electricity was first introduced some Frenchmen wanted to know how fast electricity moves, so the abbot of a large monastery volunteered his monks for an experiment. ...

4230. How Not To Throw A Party

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

Alex Gondola

When I prepare a sermon, I usually begin by reading the assigned Bible passage for that day, often in several translations. Then I free associate, writing down, as fast as I can, my thoughts about the passage as they come. Next I consult commentaries, the writings of learned Bible scholars, about the verses in question. I did all those things as groundwork for today's sermon. But, I also consulted Emily Post. Not the actual Emily Post, the Baltimore-born socialite who used to summer on Martha's Vineyard. ...

4231. Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Rodney Thomas Smothe

"I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert" (Isaiah 43:19). What a bold proclamation! Much of the book of Isaiah is devoted to stern warnings and the coming judgment of God. In this 43rd chapter the tone changes from judgment to redemption and restoration of Israel. Was this redemption earned because of the behavior of Israel? No, it was a response from God because of God's covenant relationship with his chosen ...

4232. Moving At The Speed Of Light: At The Jordan

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

Peter had long practiced a religion which required the separation of Jews and Gentiles, and following Christ's ascension Peter continued to be a practicing Jew. Through the example of Christ, Peter began to think differently about those who were considered ritually unclean and unacceptable to God. Earlier in Acts 10, Peter has been staying in Joppa in the home of one who practiced an "unclean" profession, Simon the Tanner. From there he receives the call from God to travel to Ceasarea to the home of ...

4233. Epiphany 3

Lk 4:14-21 · 1 Cor 12:12-31a · Isa 61:1-6 · Neh 8:1-10 · Ps 19

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the returned Exiles. The book of Nehemiah tells the story of the return of the Exiles under Governor Nehemiah during the reign of Artaxerxes. Under Nehemiah the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt and various reforms were introduced. He is known for his relationship with Yahweh and his frequent prayers. Today's pericope tells us of the gathering of the people for the reading of the Mosaic law by Ezra, the priest and scribe. ...

4234. Lent 3

Luke 13:1-9, Psalm 63:1-11

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

CALL TO WORSHIP (Responsively) Seek the Eternal One who may be found. Call upon God while the Spirit is near; forsake wicked ways, and unrighteous thoughts; return to the Eternal One, who will have mercy on you, and to our God, who will abundantly pardon. PRAYER OF CONFESSION Holy God, how exalted are your ways! Holy Savior, how sinless is your life! Holy Spirit, how pure is your nature! Whatever progress we have made along the road of righteousness we are far behind the advance of your Son Jesus. Continue ...

4235. The Poor In Spirit

Sermon

John A. Terry

Matthew 5:1-12 When Jesus spoke these words, he had sat down with his disciples. These are not generic "words to live by" that get published in the Sunday magazine section. These are words Jesus spoke particularly to the disciples. That is why they went up the mountain to be alone. The word translated as "blessed" is commonly translated today as "happy." Robert Schuller wrote a book titled The Be Happy Attitudes. There is a joy the word implies. The problem with the word "happy" is that it is rooted in the ...

4236. Those Who Mourn

Sermon

John A. Terry

Isaiah 40:1-5Matthew 5:1-12 I believe we have developed a greater understanding of the meaning and means of mourning. In 1969, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross published her classic book titled On Death and Dying. In it she identified five basic stages in the grieving process: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Personally and professionally, I have found these helpful categories in recognizing where I am in my grieving and where others are in theirs. I have also found it to be true that getting ...

4237. Evergreen Wreath And Faded Leaf

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

Harold Warlick

The occasion was a joyous one as the young bride and groom settled into their seats at the head table at the Country Club. Like most wedding rehearsal dinners, the environment was heightened by candles, flowers, special music, expensive clothes, and family and friends who had not seen each other in years. Most likely many would not embrace one another again until the next family wedding or a funeral shivered its way to the forefront. All the proper symbols of hope were present in the room: the greenery, ...

4238. Doing The Right Thing

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

A well-known businessman in this community was recently asked to do something for the United Methodist Church, something inconvenient and expensive. It would require him to make available for a period of several months some facilities which he used in his business. Frankly, when it was decided to ask this man's help no one was very optimistic about a favorable response. For one thing, the man is a leading Catholic layman. He would have nothing at all to gain by agreeing to the request. At the very least, ...

4239. Liberating Truth

John 8:31-41

Sermon

William G. Carter

During the 1960s, Sherwood Schwartz wrote and produced a number of hit television shows. One of the most popular shows was Gilligan's Island, a comedy about a handful of pleasure cruise passengers who found themselves shipwrecked on a desert island. Every episode featured the castaways of the S.S. Minnow facing a wacky new adventure. The show was an immediate hit of the 1964 season. Each week, a lot of otherwise thoughtful, intelligent television viewers tuned in to hear the Skipper say, "Gilligan, drop ...

4240. The Poor In Spirit

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

John A. Terry

When Jesus spoke these words, he had sat down with his disciples. These are not generic "words to live by" that get published in the Sunday magazine section. These are words Jesus spoke particularly to the disciples. That is why they went up the mountain to be alone. The word translated as "blessed" is commonly translated today as "happy." Robert Schuller wrote a book titled The Be Happy Attitudes. There is a joy the word implies. The problem with the word "happy" is that it is rooted in the old English ...

4241. Those Who Mourn

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

John A. Terry

I believe we have developed a greater understanding of the meaning and means of mourning. In 1969, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross published her classic book titled On Death and Dying. In it she identified five basic stages in the grieving process: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Personally and professionally, I have found these helpful categories in recognizing where I am in my grieving and where others are in theirs. I have also found it to be true that getting stuck in any one of the first ...

4242. How Can We Restore the Christian Home?

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Donald Macleod

And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away." But Jesus said to them, "For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' ...

4243. David's Turn From Wisdom

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Sue Anne Steffey Morrow

Above my desk at home is a single pine shelf that holds a row of books, books which through the years have meant a whole world to me. You may have such a collection of such treasures, too, volumes by favorite writers of poetry, prose, narrative, non-fiction. Some of my books are so old that the covers are frayed and the pages yellowing. There is a volume I read for the first time last summer that is crisp and clean. Some have markers to note a beloved section or a poem I'd like to find with dispatch. Some ...

4244. Path To A New Life

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

The city darkness is very different from the hillside darkness. Out on the hillside, where the shepherds work, the darkness gently settles upon the landscape. It is a quiet dusk that melds into deeper shadows and finally, after so long a stretch of time, becomes the dark in which the stars are the only light. But in the city, the darkness comes as if some giant curtain was suddenly pulled tight, blocking out all illumination. It was in that darkness that Ely slowly made his way home through the maze of ...

4245. The M And M Factor

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

Caleb was probably the laziest boy in the whole village. At least that was his reputation, although no one had ever done scientific study on the question. Caleb could sit in one position - usually, shaded by a tree and upon a matting of soft grass - for hours. He could sit there and watch the clouds move across the sky from daybreak to sunset. Actually, he was never out of bed at day break so the statement was more for effect than truth! This day Caleb had chosen to escape his field chores by hiding away ...

4246. There's A Man Going Around Taking Names

John 1:19-28

Sermon

Thomas Long

There is an old black gospel song from the American South, most often sung to the driving beat of a blues guitar, which includes the following lyrics: There's a man going around taking names. There's a man going around taking names. He took my father's name,And he left my heart in pain. There's a man going around taking names. There's a man going around taking names. He took my mother's name,And he left my heart in pain. There's a man going around taking names. There's a man going around taking names. He ...

4247. The Victory Of Faith

1 John 5:1-12

Sermon

Mark J. Molldrem

Planes drop out of the sky, killing all passengers. Mini-dictators initiate programs of genocide against neighbors. Forces of nature storm across the landscape, leaving devastation in their path. Bizarre individual behavior leaves heads shaking, "How can anyone do such things?" Accidents at home and on the highway steal loved ones away. All this gives credence to the sardonic line of a poem, which begins, "It's a wonderful world to be born into, if you don't mind a touch of hell now and then." How do we ...

4248. Lo, I Am With You Always

Matthew 11:29; 28:20

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To help understand how Jesus influences our lives. Materials: A ping pong ball or any type of small light plastic ball. A vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment and the ability to reverse the air flow so that the air is blown out rather than sucked in. Special Preparation: Practice this procedure before you attempt to do it before other people. Be sure the air is flowing out of the tube. Hold the hose of the vacuum cleaner in an upright position so that the air is blowing straight up. Place the ...

4249. Kingdom Etiquette

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

This parable of Jesus is often treated as a call for humility. When invited out for dinner, stand aside and let others be seated first. If that is its purpose it seems to be much ado about very little. But to interpret his words as a teaching on self effacement is to miss the point of the parable. Jesus told parables to describe the kingdom of God not to give lessons in social etiquette. Here, Jesus apparently used the occasion of his sabbath's dinner invitation to tell yet another parable about the ...

4250. A Letter From Paul

Sermon

Erskine White

So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13) The sermon which follows is an imaginary letter received from the apostle Paul, written to the church in America. It seeks to put a much-loved and all-too-familiar text into a new (though thoroughly Biblical) context. If the language of this letter falls short of the inspiration and glory of the original, please blame the preacher who stands before you and not the apostle in whose name he writes. The letter ...

Showing results