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Showing 4276 to 4300 of 4914 results

4276. Lent 4

1 Samuel 16:1-13, Psalm 43:1-5, Hosea 5:1-15, Hosea 6:1--7:16, Romans 8:1-17, Matthew 20:17-19, Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The clue to the theme for worship and preaching this Sunday comes more from the general theme of Lent than it does from any theological content of this Sunday. Before Vatican II, the Fourth Sunday in Lent was known as Laetare Sunday, the mid-point in Lent, and was known as "Refreshment Sunday;" The purpose of this Sunday was to gather strength for the final stages of the Lenten pilgrimage. Therefore, the Introit could declare, with one of the Songs of the Pilgrims, (Psalm 122, a Psalm of ...

4277. Proper 22 & Pentecost 20

Matthew 21:33-46, Philippians 4:2-9, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Numbers 27:12-23, Psalm 81:1-16, Isaiah 5:1-7

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Without the readings assigned to this day - and to this part of the cycle and season - the eschatological clue of the church year would be quite indistinct. The readings, particularly the Gospel for the Day, with its setting as one of Jesus' teachings during Holy Week, point beyond Jesus' suffering and death to the last things, when God shall hold everyone accountable for his/her deeds and life-style. Veteran preachers, who have journeyed through this portion of the church year in the past ...

4278. A Most Amazing Night

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

"But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2:19) The shadows are getting long in late afternoon as Joseph comes running into the house bursting with news: Caesar Augustus has ordered a census for the whole Roman Empire. Everyone will have to go to their family’s hometown to be counted and to pay a tax. For Joseph and Mary, this means travelling to Bethlehem. Mary wants to know more, but Joseph can’t answer her questions. The Romans are not in the habit of explaining themselves to ...

4279. Christmas 2

John 1:1-18

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: White Gospel: John 1:1-18 Theme: "God became human in order that man and woman, in their effort to be God, may not become monsters" (author unknown, revised) Pastoral Invitation to the Christmastide Celebration Suggestion: Begin with the statement which appears as the theme. You may want to add your own thoughts. Continue with this response between pastor and ministers: Pastor: At the beginning, God expressed self. That personal expression, that word was with God, and was God ... ...

4280. Easter 4

John 10:1-21

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: White Gospel: John 10:1-10 Theme: Life is short, but wide - The life abundant. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One pastor began this way: "It's still Easter; the Lord still is risen, and is alive among us. Do you recognize him, serve him, share him? If so, great; if not, it's not too late." Follow with this litany between pastor and ministers: Pastor: The Lord is risen! Ministers: Hurray! What wonderful things God has done for us and with us and through us! Pastor: Yes. We have ...

4281. Sovereignty: God’s Domain

Zephaniah 1:4-13

Sermon

Christian unity kneels before the awesomeness of the sovereignty of God. Sin, more often than we admit, pushes us in directions that exceed anything resembling a belief in human freedom of the will. It is only by his grace we begin to understand, in the Book of Revelation, "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (1:8) I have been brought to my knees by the God of all, who insisted he was before the beginning and after the ending, as we ...

4282. Jeopardy, by Jeremiah

Jeremiah 23:9-32

Sermon

Richard F. Bansemer

The sermon is based on the words of the prophet Jeremiah as recorded in the 23rd chapter, beginning with the 19th verse, in the book by his name: "Behold, the storm of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his mind. In the latter days you will understand it clearly." What can we do with an angry God? Occasionally on Sunday one of the many "angry God" ...

4283. Hiltgunt Margaret Zassenhaus

Deuteronomy 31:1-8

Sermon

Carroll Gunkel

One of the members of our congregation recently underwent eye surgery. When I visited her, she commented favorably on the gentleness, the compassion, and the concern of the surgeon who had performed the operation. She commented further on the number of people he helped and yet, at the same time, was never too busy to carefully explain what he would do in the course of surgery. Furthermore, the parishioner continued, every other month the surgeon went to Puerto Rico to work for one week in a free clinic. ...

4284. Lift High the Christ!

John 12:20-36

Sermon

George Bass

Suddenly, right here in the middle of September, it is Palm Sunday again, the beginning of the week that we call Holy Week or the Week of the Passion of Christ. That strange procession, which must have been first seen by the guards on the city wall as it moved toward Jerusalem, takes shape before our imaginations again. The central figure - Jesus - is seated upon "a colt of a donkey," and people throw palm branches in his path, shouting "Hosanna! Blessings on the King of Israel, who comes in the name of ...

4285. He Bore Our Sins

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

Every year during Lent, the role of Christ bearing his cross to Calvary is re-enacted in the village of Sartene, Corsica. This has been going on ever since the Middle Ages, and it always draws a big crowd of villagers and thousands of tourists who come for the occasion. Time magazine, when reporting on one of the more recent episodes, called it "one of the world’s most brutally powerful Holy Week processions." And the report was a graphic description of what happened: A grotesque lump of a man ... barefoot ...

4286. On Being a Beautiful Christian

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

To have courage without pugnacity, To have conviction without bigotry, To have charity without condescension, To have faith without credulity, To have meekness with power, and emotion with sanity, To have love for humanity without mere sentimentality - that is Christianity. (Charles Evans Hughes) Being a "beautiful Christian" is that second mile that a true experience of Christ produces in us. There are no "ugly Christians" not really. When I was a student at the Duke Divinity School the bells were just ...

4287. Genuine Imitations

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

In the fantastically successful movie, "The Empire Strikes Back," the viewers are invited to continue their involvement in the adventures of the heroes and villains of the first movie, "Star Wars." Once again we find ourselves engaged with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and the robots Artoo Detoo and See Threepio as they battle Darth Vader and the Dark Empire legions. One of the most fascinating new characters of "The Empire Strikes Back" is a strange little fellow named Yoda, who ...

4288. A LITURGICAL DRAMA FOR PENTECOST

Drama

Tom Eberle

Pentecost The Pentecost season accounts for approximately one-half of the church year. Because of its length, this portion of the liturgical calendar loses the conciseness of the other festival seasons. In one sense, though, the length of the Pentecost season is appropriate. Pentecost is the time of the church, living under the New Covenant. For approximately six months, then, the attention of the church is directed toward the living out of this new relationship. The church seeks to demonstrate the full ...

4289. It Takes Two to Preach!

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Pentecost VIII That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil but when the sun rose ...

4290. In the Spirit's Tether

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Allan J. Weenink

To be in the Spirit’s tether means that we are joined with one another in a unique way, because all of us are bound by a loyalty and love that is greater than any one of us individually. There is a beautiful Communion anthem which describes the evolving process. Draw us in the Spirit’s tether; for when humbly in thy name, two or three are met together, Thou art in the midst of them: Alleluya! TOUCH WE NOW THY GARMENT’S HEM. As the brethren used to gather in the name of Christ to sup, then with thanks to ...

4291. Being Set Free

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

Today’s Gospel promises us freedom, if we will truly be disciples of Christ. In fact, Jesus promises that if we will learn, know, and follow the truth, we will be set free. Remember, however, first we must become disciples. Jesus tells us that to be a real disciple is to accept what he says about how great God is and how terrible sin is, and what the real meaning of life is. When we do this, we are starting to take the role of discipleship. In order to be a disciple, we are told to remain in the word. The ...

4292. Thorns and Roses

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Around the turn of the century a young man named Clarence took his girlfriend on a summer outing. They took a picnic lunch out to a picturesque island in the middle of a small lake. She wore a long dress with about a dozen petticoats. He was dressed in a suit with a high collar. Clarence rowed them out to the island, dragged the boat into shore, and spread their picnic supplies beneath a shade tree. So hypnotized was he by her beauty that he hardly noticed the hot sun and perspiration on his brow. Softly ...

4293. A Reason For All To Be Thankful

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

One must be very careful with a Thanksgiving sermon. In the first place, not everyone feels thankful; and those who do are not thankful for the same things. In fact, one person's cause for thanksgiving could be another person's cause for gloom. I could illustrate that in the political realm, but I better not. I could illustrate that from the world of sports, but I don't think I need to. Some people are thankful for their jobs, while others despise their jobs but don't know where to find other employment. ...

4294. The Beauty of a Childlike Faith

Matthew 18:1-9

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

An eight-year-old boy was away at summer camp for the first time. His parents did not receive a card from him for a whole week. So, they telephoned to check on him. Frankly, they were a bit disappointed to discover that he hadn't really missed them at all. He was just very busy having a wonderful time. His mother asked, "Have any of the other kids gotten homesick?" He replied, "Just the ones who have dogs back home." Children will almost always tell it just like they see it. The candor and ...

4295. Decaffeinated Christianity

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

There is an old legend about a pig and a chicken who were walking through a poverty stricken area. Full of compassion the chicken said, "These people need a good breakfast. Let's give them some ham and eggs." The pig replied, "Wait a minute. For you to provide eggs would require only compassion. For me to supply ham would require total commitment." Both compassion and total commitment are essential to the Christian lifestyle. Jesus said, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and ...

4296. A Personal God in an Impersonal World

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

The late Bishop Gerald Kennedy used to tell a story about a census taker who was going door to door. He knocked on the door of a small, unpretentious house and was met at the door by a weary mother. "Lady," he said, "I want to know how many there are in this family." "Well," she said, "There's Johnny, Matilda, Reginald, Charles..." "No, no," he interrupted, "I don't want their names, just their number." with much indignation, she replied, "They ain't got no numbers. They all got names." When God Almighty ...

4297. Fear

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Brett Blair

In the story of creation found in the Book of Genesis, we read where Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit, something which had been specifically denied them. Knowing that God is searching for them, they attempt to hide. It is a scene perhaps reminiscent of many of our childhoods when we had done something that we were not supposed to and we literally hid from our searching parents. Finally God finds them, as we know that He will, for, after all, where can we go to hide from God? God asks them ...

4298. Mary - Weeping Woman or Bold Believer

John 20:10-18

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

In the name of Jesus Christ, who is indeed the Resurrection and the Life, dear friends: During the past six weeks of Lent, some of you know that I have been preaching in the Wednesday services from the point of view of one who was there, at the scene of the suffering and death of Jesus. This morning again I wish to speak to you in a first-person style, taking the part of one who was there, Mary Magdalene. Please listen, then to what I say, not as a sermon by a pastor, but as a message from a woman who knew ...

4299. Peter Becomes the Rock

Drama

G. Franklin Gray

Cast Narrator Peter Mary of Magdalene John Jesus Nine other disciples Costumes Contemporary dress is recommended for entire cast. For contrast Jesus wears white clothing. Properties Needed Fishing net Short sword about 24 inches long with broad blade tapering from 2 1/2 inches to a sharp point, painted gold. Lights and microphones as needed. The play is designed for presentation in a sanctuary with no scenery. Choir O Come and Mourn McGlohan Narrator Jesus has been crucified and it is now the third day ...

4300. A Man With Lips on Fire

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

God’s chosen nation - through which he would send the world’s Redeemer - had been brought to a pinnacle of earthly glory by King David. When his son, Solomon, assumed the throne, he consolidated David’s gains and led Israel to a power and a prominence, a prosperity and a prestige, unequalled in the world of his day. The Queen of Sheba, who had been told of the wealth of Solomon’s court, could not believe it. She was not convinced. She came to see for herself. Her verdict: "The half has never yet been told ...

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