Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4276 to 4300 of 4999 results

Matthew 13:31-35

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

... ." Imagine that. A little seed smaller than a BB grows up to be a ten-foot high tree. How does that happen? (response) Can you name something else that's small but has a lot of power? (response) I have here in my hand a glass with some kind of drink. What kind of drink is it? (response) And in this hand I have a glass with what? (nothing) They should not be able to see the small amount of liquid bleach. Well, look again. Bring the glass down so they can see the contents. What is that? (response) Not very ...

4277. Changed Lives: Judas

Matthew 26:14-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... him as just another teacher. Maybe we have a key here to Judas’ betrayal. The next scene that is relevant to our theme for the day takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus has been praying in agony to his Father. Meanwhile his disciples are sleeping. Kind of like the modern-day church. Christ in agony over the state of the world. Meanwhile we sleep. Jesus returns to the disciples and says to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the ...

4278. Roll out the Green Carpet

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... lives and that breathes give praise to the Lord. Alleluia” (Psalm 150:6). As we wave our branches this morning, let us pray this Red Letter Prayer on the Green Carpet: Eternal God, in your love you create all things, and within your great purpose provide every kind of animal. May the whole of creation rejoice in you, and every creature experience the joy and wonder of the life for which you have made it. Give to all your people an attitude of care and consideration for animals, that we may honour you, the ...

4279. The Lost and Found Sheep

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

James W. Moore

... talker with all those promises… and he duped her and kept her coming back and little by little she swallowed it all, hook, line and sinker… and Jim, it breaks my heart, she went and joined that church (or whatever it is)… and she’s giving him all kinds of money.” Some weeks later Jane called me in a panic. “Jim, Helen fainted at work this morning. They called 9-1-1. The ambulance took her to the hospital. Her appendix was about to rupture. She’s in surgery now. I got her to the hospital as ...

4280. The Lost and Found Coin

Luke 15:8-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

... only smiled and said: “There are no other factors, my friend. There’s just one factor. His name is Jesus Christ.” For 37 of his 50 years, Seville had been lost in drugs, lost in crime, lost in addiction, lost in the sins so prevalent in that kind of existence… and then out of the blue, here came God looking for him in the missionary heart of a young woman minister who showed up one day in the Badlands of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Seville was lost… and then, thank God, he was found. That’s what ...

4281. The Lost and Found Coin

Luke 15:8-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

... Seville only smiled and said: "There are no other factors, my friend. There's just one factor. His name is Jesus Christ." For 37 of his 50 years, Seville had been lost in drugs, lost in crime, lost in addiction, lost in the sins so prevalent in that kind of existence… and then out of the blue, here came God looking for him in the missionary heart of a young woman minister who showed up one day in the Badlands of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Seville was lost… and then, thank God, he was found. That's what ...

4282. Choose Life

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

... dying, and if he were afraid of crossing over the river of death. I love his answer. Bishop Candler said: “No, I’m not afraid at all because my Father owns the land on both sides of the river.” That is confidence in God. Elizabeth Schwab had that kind of confidence in God, too. I first met Elizabeth in 1984. She was 12 years old at the time and already she was devoted to God, to our church and to prayer. Elizabeth excelled in everything she did. She excelled at Camp Mystic, at St. John’s School, at ...

4283. There's an Elephant in the Room and Her Name Is Katrina

Exodus 14:10-15

Sermon

James W. Moore

... did trust God to bring it out right. Some years ago, I was visiting one Sunday evening in an African-American church and I was so moved and impressed by the prayer of the minister. He was an older man… and he had evidently just recently gone through some kind of trouble. Although it was many years ago, I can still remember his prayer as if I heard it yesterday. Dear Lord, we thank you for being with us during this difficult time. When Moses and the children of Israel were caught at the Red Sea, you didn ...

4284. What's So Great about Going to Church

Isaiah 6:1-8

Sermon

James W. Moore

... seen or experienced a church like St. Luke’s. If he had… then I believe, with all my heart, that his views about the church would be totally different. You know, of course, that it happens not just to comedians but sadly, it happens to all kinds of people. They have a bad experience with some narrow rigid church (or no experience first-hand at all with any church)… and “They throw the baby out with the bath water.” But, the comedian’s comments do raise a significant question that we need to ...

4285. God Speaks and the Church Is Our Hearing Aid

Mark 4:1-9

Sermon

James W. Moore

... material in the book. Now, I have been doing television for over 30 years and in all that time. I had never ever used any kind of make-up… until last week! They brought in a make-up artist who had done Sharon Stone’s make-up for a movie she ... to the ministry. 2. To the church: my personal experience suggests something very important to us… that we should work at creating the warm kind of atmosphere whereby people can hear the voice of God. II. GOD SPEAKS A WORD OF LOVE TO US… AND THE CHURCH IS OUR ...

4286. What Christmas Gives to Us

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

James W. Moore

... a doubt We have no hostile feelings We merely crowd Him out.” There is a lady in our church(whose name many of you would recognize if I said it out loud) who is a saint if I have ever known one. She had had a lot of trouble, all kinds of difficulties, heart-aches and tragedies in her life. And I have admired her so much because I have been to her home in times of great joy and I have been there in times of great sorrow. And, she is always the same…poised, serene, confident… that beautiful smile ...

4287. Abundant Life

John 10:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... commentator has put it, “We have defined ourselves by what we have and what we use, not by who we are and the kind of people we might become.” (1) Comedian and social commentator George Carlin indicts us like this: “That’s all your house is ... it will mean someone good.” If that young man’s testimony doesn’t touch you, you are beyond hope. [He is an example of the kind of young person our church’s mission program is trying to reach.] He is working hard to reach his goals, for he, too, would like ...

4288. To Be a Christian

Acts 11:19-30

Sermon

James McCormick

... talking about all us sheep who belong to his flock. And that means we all belong together. Now, of course, there are many kinds of sheep in Jesus’ flock: big and small, old and young, black and white, insecure and adventurous, cooperative and unruly, sheep of a ... in fatherly pride, he concluded, “I always wanted her to be a respectable Christian…not a real one!” What kind of Christian are you? A respectable Christian, a conventional Christian, a “sort of” Christian, or a real Christian? Are you ...

4289. Why God Made Moms…

2 Timothy 1:5

Illustration

... and not some other mom? 1. We're related. 2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me. What kind of little girl was your mom? 1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff. 2. I don't know because ... she pays bills all day long. What would it take to make your Mom perfect? 1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery. 2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue. If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it ...

4290. Bright and Loud: What Do You Miss?

Matthew 6:25-34

Illustration

John Killinger

... to be a young person today. They talked of many things - their work, their fears, their ambitions. And then the moderator asked them: "What does it take to get your attention?" One young man was very direct: "Bright and loud," he said. "It's the kind of world we live in, and in that kind of world, that's what it takes." Bright and loud. Think about that response. It rules out a lot of things, doesn't it? He doesn't notice the different songs of the birds, or the color of wet bark, or the tiny stars that ...

4291. What's Holding You Together?

Matthew 7:21-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... that hold you together. But remember also: laminin is NOT a tortilla! Are you ready? Promise me you’ll remember that “laminin” is NOT a tortilla? (You MUST show a picture of this molecule in order to get this remarkable image to your congregation!) It is kind of spooky though, isn’t it? The molecule that holds your body together is in the exact shape of a cross. A longer horizontal beam, and a shorter vertical beam. I repeat: the cross-like shape of laminin is NOT “proof” that God loves you. The ...

4292. The Healing Power of Touch - Sermon Starter

Mark 5:21-43; Matt 9:1-8

Illustration

Brett Blair

... I will be healed." We smile at that and say: How innocent, how naive. She reached out from the crowd and touched the garment of Jesus. Immediately he stopped, bolted upright, and asked: "Who touched me?" The disciples were taken aback. Was this some kind of rhetorical question? Who touched you? Why master, look around, everyone is touching you. The New English version quotes their words as being: "What is the purpose in asking?" Jesus replied with one of the most mysterious lines in the Bible. He said: "I ...

4293. The Love of a Father - Sermon Starter

Mt10:29-31

Illustration

King Duncan

... reduced to being another of the vassals. Today's father needs to be nurturing of his children, supportive of his wife, and yet at the same time provide the spiritual leadership of the home that the Bible accords to fathers. It is a rare man, a special kind of man, who can combine all three of these qualities. We salute Christian fathers this day. Your family needs you more than ever before. The most common image that Jesus used in describing God was that of "Father." It makes me think that Joseph must have ...

4294. The Iron, Silver, Golden, Platinum and Titanium Rules

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... words, the bar of “love” has been raised to infinite heights by the God’s sacrificial love on the cross. Forget the Sorokin “scale of love.” There is no measurement deep or wide or long or intense or pure enough to calculate that kind of love. Jesus changed the “rules of right behavior” forever. When humanity was first organizing into clans, then cultures, then civilizations, the best behavioral model we could come up with was the “Iron Rule.” Does anyone here know the definition of The ...

4295. Matthew 10:40-42

Matthew 10:1-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ones” have received over the centuries of Israel’s history. Imprisonment, rejection, banishment, abuse: all have historical precedents as “rewards” gained by those who spoke truth to power. Until now, throughout this mission discourse, Jesus has emphasized the kind of negative reception the disciples should expect: their message will cause both communal and familial discord and dissent. Nevertheless it is now a positive “reward” that is promised to those who receive or welcome the ones sent out ...

4296. Anyone Feeling Tired?

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” That’s encouraging, isn’t it? But what does it mean? Most of you can visualize the kind of yoke Jesus had in mind. It was a kind of crossbar with two U‑shaped pieces that encircled the necks of a pair of oxen. The easiest interpretation of this text is that when we are yoked to Jesus, he walks beside us andhelps us bear our burdens. We don’t have to bear the ...

4297. A Not So Simple Story of Demons and Pigs

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

... fetters he breaks in pieces. In other words, you are supposed to picture a "wild and crazy guy." Mark tells us that by day and by night, this man is constantly crying aloud and bruising himself with stones. In other words, he is self-destructive. He is the kind of person for whom we pad the walls. Luke adds that he neither wears clothes nor lives in a house. He loiters among the tombs. And since pagan tombs are places of ritual uncleanness for a Jew, we are talking about a man with an "unclean spirit," who ...

4298. The Thrill of Victory

2 Corinthians 2:14-15

Sermon

James Merritt

... to hide what was in their hearts, because it showed on their faces. They were so excited that people could just look at their faces and know they had discovered something very exciting and very wonderful. We need to have that kind of look on our face. We need to have that kind of joy in our heart. We need always and every place to be giving off the sweet smell of victory that others might know that thrill of being victorious in the Lord Jesus Christ. 1. Tim Folger, Sara Richardson, & Carl Zimmer Discover ...

4299. The Sin of Robin Hood

Exodus 20:15

Sermon

James Merritt

... respect they deserve. If you have broken the sixth commandment, you have stolen another person's life. If you have broken the seventh commandment, you have stolen another person's mate. When God said "You shall not steal" I believe he had in mind three specific kinds of stealing that we find in the Bible and in everyday life. Some is obvious, some is not so obvious, but all is deceptive and destructive. I. Selfish Stealing There are only three ways that you can come into any property of your own. Paul tells ...

4300. When God's Rule is Taken Out of the School

Job 21:22

Sermon

James Merritt

... who labor in our public school system, trying under extremely difficult circumstances to do the best they can to give our children the kind of education they deserve. At the same time, we do them and our children a disservice to keep our heads in the ... asked to name as many presidents, and as many alcoholic beverages as they could. On average, they knew 4.8 presidents, and 5.2 kinds of booze.14 Rather than make any other comment, I am simply going to quote a report entitled, A Nation at Risk, released by ...

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