Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4276 to 4300 of 4936 results

4276. Pay Attention To The Inside

Luke 11:37-54

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A few years ago, a barber's supply association had a convention in Chicago. As a publicity stunt they went out to skid row and found a man living in the gutter, filthy dirty and filthy drunk. They brought him back to the convention center and cleaned him up. They shampooed and shaved him. They washed him with a new kind of soap they were trying to sell. They put cologne on him, bought him a new suit, shirt, tie and shoes - - and then they proclaimed to all the world: "This is what our barber supplies can ...

4277. The Dividing Line

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

King Duncan

Ladies, can you remember where you were when your husband first proposed to you? Men, where were you when you first found out that you and your wife were going to be parents? What were you doing on the day that Dr. King was assassinated, or Elvis died, or the Challenger shuttle blew up? What about when you heard that you'd gotten that job promotion? Can you recall where you were when you got the best news of your life? Or the worst? The most ordinary surroundings can seem suddenly memorable at a time like ...

4278. Epiphany:The Joy of Fulfillment

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

I've read some books where it seemed the author had no purpose in writing. When that's the case, I'm glad if I can discover it early, so I don't invest too much time in a meaningless search. In some instances, however, I've been slow to recognize the problem, perhaps because I've been looking so earnestly for the author's point that I didn't realize he was without one. No such charge can be made against Luke, the Greek physician who gave us the Gospel which bears his name. He knew why he was writing, and ...

4279. Grace for a Complaining People

Exodus 16:2-15

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

Bob Hope died in 2003 at age 100. Before Bob died, his wife Dolores asked him where he wanted to be buried. And Bob, in his usual comedic style, answered, "Surprise me!" One night when Bob was in his prime he reported his activity for the day. "Today," he said, "my heart beat 103,369 times. My blood traveled 168 miles. I breathed 23,040 times. I inhaled 438 cubic feet of air. I ate three and a quarter pounds of food and drank two pounds of liquid. I perspired one and a half pints. I gave off 85 degrees of ...

4280. Strong Medicine

Judges 4:1-7

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

We get only a sip from the book of Judges. A sip may be all we want; a big gulp of the book might be more than we could take. So, the lectionary committee measures out a small spoonful of this book, seven verses, and gives us a sip once every three years. The committee must be afraid that all of the blood and gore would turn our stomachs and all of the sex would distract us. So, the bottle marked "Judges" has a sticker from the committee that reads, "Caution, do not exceed recommended dosage." For our part ...

4281. What If It Is True?

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Well here we are already, the fourth Sunday in Advent. Christmas is just a few days away now. If you have noticed the sequence of lessons read here in church during these four weeks, they begin the first Sunday with longing, and expectation, and the hope that God will send a savior, a Messiah. Each week we move closer to that event that we as Christians believe is the event in which God kept that promise to send a savior, the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem. It was here at Bethlehem, we believe, that God ...

4282. Epiphany 7

Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 5:33-37, 1 Corinthians 3:1-23, Leviticus 19:1-37

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18 Yahweh commands the people to be holy and to love one's neighbor. Leviticus emphasized the holiness of God. What he is by nature, his followers are to be the same. To have God is to be godly. What is God like? He is holy, generous, honest, truthful, and above all, is love. Accordingly, a godly person loves his neighbor as one loves himself. Epistle: 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23 The only foundation for God's temple is Christ. Previously Paul used agriculture ...

4283. Proper 13

Matthew 14:13-21, Romans 8:28-39, Romans 9:1-29, Nehemiah 9:1-37, Isaiah 55:1-13, Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Genesis 32:22-31 (C) Jacob wrestles with an angel. Jacob, with his family and herds, was on his way back to his parents' home. When he learned that Esau with 400 men were coming to him, Jacob was scared that Esau was coming to kill him. To appease Esau, he sent gifts in advance and then his servants, wives, and children. He remained at the end of the procession. Jacob spent the night in prayer as he wrestled with a man until he received a blessing. Lesson 1: Isaiah 55:1-3 (RC) God ...

4284. In the Darkness of Uncertainty, There Is the Light of Wonder

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

William Sloane Coffin, Jr., was, for several years, the pastor at Riverside Church in New York City. In his autobiography, he told of going back to France and visiting some of the places where he had been in World War II. One of those places was the town of Sainte-Mère-Eglise. The 82nd Airborn Division had dropped into that town. While there for his visit, the mayor showed William around. They went inside the village church. The mayor pointed to a beautiful stained-glass window that depicted the 82nd ...

4285. The Choice for God or the World

John 10:1-10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Once upon a time, a great and loving king ruled over a vast territory. There was something very strange about this kingdom, however. Everything was the same. The people ate the same food, drank the same drink, wore the same clothes, and lived in the same type of homes. The people even did all the same work. There was another oddity about this place. Everything was gray - the food, the drink, the clothes, the houses; there were no other colors. One day, a majestic and very beautiful bird flew from the west ...

4286. Go to Heaven?

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Judgment day was the preacher's theme, and he thundered about God's wrath, sin and the day of judgment. A seven-year-old boy listened closely, tugged at his father's sleeve, and asked, "Will they call school off?" He was asking, "What's in it for me?" Judgment day is on Christ's mind here in Matthew 25:31 and following verses. He is describing that fateful day soon "when the Son of Man comes in his glory" (v. 31). All the angels will be with him. Jesus will sit on a throne (v. 31). And before him will be ...

4287. The Man in the Tree

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

There is something odd about the sight of a grown man up in a tree. The Reuters news service carried a story sometime back about a Polish man who climbed a tree to avoid a taxi fare which totaled just a few dollars. Pursued by the irate taxi driver, the passenger climbed a tall tree, jumped from branch to branch and hurled bananas from a shopping bag at a crowd which soon gathered at the scene. More than a dozen firefighters were called in and spread out an air-bag under the tree as a police psychologist ...

4288. Let Familiarity Breed Contentment

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Have you ever taken a new puppy for its first walk in the park? It takes forever. Not only because the pup is clueless about that leash-thing pulling at its neck. Not only because the pup has no understanding of the words you keep shouting at it. But mainly because to the puppy every single thing before its eyes, ears, and (mostly) nose, is brand new and endlessly enticing. A clump of grass is a tickly, delicious torment. A sprinkler head an eternal enigma. A blowing leaf a scuttling strangeness to be ...

4289. Building Bridges While Getting Shot at from Both Shores

Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

[This sermon seeks to address what's going on in the world right now both with priestly sensitivity and with prophetic strength. If you want to make it more pointed, more linear, you might want to build it around the major themes that are subtly introduced in the narrative: 1. The world is a violent place, and getting more violent; 2. Christians shouldn't be surprised, since we have a doctrine of sin that warns us that our estrangement from God will have ghastly consequences; 3. Christians have always been ...

4290. Proper 9

Psalm 45:1-17, Romans 7:7-25, Matthew 11:25-30, Matthew 11:1-19, Genesis 24:1-67

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Genesis 24 is the story of how the servant of Abraham searches for a wife for Isaac in Mesopotamia and finds Rebekah. Psalm 45:10-17 is the second half of a Marriage Song that focuses on the bride. Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 - "A Story with Many Heroes" Setting. In many ways the testing of Abraham in Genesis 22 (the lectionary lesson for last week) concludes the Abrahamic cycle of stories in Genesis even though his death is not recorded until Genesis 25. The story of Abraham began ...

4291. The Lost and Found Son

Luke 15:11-24

Sermon

James W. Moore

We have a young man in our church family who is in the military. He is now on his second tour of duty in Iraq. Every now and then I drive down the street where his mom and dad live here in Houston… and I’m always touched to see that they have yellow ribbons on all of the trees in the front yard. The “yellow ribbon” is a dramatic part of our culture now. It means: - “We love you!” - “We miss you!” - “You are wanted and treasured and welcome here!” - “Please hurry home!” … The yellow ribbon is a powerful and ...

4292. Remember God

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Sermon

James W. Moore

Her name was Mary Lou. His name was Tom. There were both in their 80’s and they were celebrating their 60th Wedding Anniversary. A news reporter was there to cover the big event and he asked this question: “Mr. Tom, so many marriages are failing today… and yet here you and your wife are celebrating 60 years together. How did you do it? What is your secret?” Mr. Tom didn’t even have to think for a minute how to answer that question. Without a moment of hesitation, Mr. Tom said with a warm smile: “Well, the ...

4293. The Play's Playbook for the Game of Life

1 Peter 4:12-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It is known simply as “The Play.” “The Play” is the name of the greatest game of football ever played--anywhere, anytime. Can anyone here this morning tell me who played in “The Play?” Right: California vs. Stanford. Can anyone tell me the year of “The Play.?” Right: 1982. Can anyone tell me what was so special about “The Play?” Right: With 53 seconds left in the game, Stanford was down 17-19, stuck in their own backfield. It was fourth down, 17 yards to go. But miraculously the Stanford QB (anyone? . . . ...

4294. Walking on the Water

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever been afraid? So afraid that you were almost paralyzed? So afraid, that words stuck in your throat and you wanted to scream, but you could not. Pastor John Ortberg wrote a book sometime back titled, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of The Boat. In it he tells a wonderful story about a ride he and his wife once took in a hot-air balloon. The balloon party consisted of the Ortbergs, the pilot and another couple. Ortberg had always assumed that the baskets hanging below hot-air ...

4295. Joy to the World!

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

Sometimes something comes across the Internet that simply has to be shared, even on Christmas Eve. This item was obviously authored by a woman. Her claim is that all the reindeer that pull Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve have to be females. Think about it for a moment. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year. However male reindeer lose their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid‑December. Female ...

4296. Momentous Moment

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

David T. Ball

When visiting another church one time, a thought occurred to me as I waited in my pew for communion to be served. It was during the Advent season, and the service had warmed us with words of hope and light. It was also the first Sunday of the month, which in that church meant communion Sunday. As the service shifted from Advent to communion, it struck me that, you know, we do this fairly often. Celebrate communion, that is. Once a month. We celebrate Christmas and Easter only once a year. Advent and Lent ...

4297. The Monster Under Megan's Bed

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

A child saved the day for Jesus. Could it be that our children save the day for us? Is it time for us to sit at the feet of our children? Meet a 5-year-old girl named Megan. Like many kids her age for generations before her, Megan was terrified of a monster that lived under her bed. What to do? But unlike any previous generation before her, Megan did something about the monster under her bed. She sat down at her computer and used a software package for children to tell her story about how scary the monster ...

4298. Epiphany 3

Jonah 3:1-10, 1 Corinthians 7:1-40, Mark 1:1-8, Mark 1:9-13, Mark 1:14-20

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Jonah refuses to obey God's command to preach to Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrians. After Jonah repents and is vomited out of a large fish, Jonah obeys and preaches judgment to Nineveh. The coming disaster causes the government and people to repent. Thereupon God decides not to condemn the city. Jonah reflects the nationalistic concept of God in the post-exilic period. Yahweh is not the God only of Israel but of the world. Judgment motivates repentance, ...

4299. Proper 10

2 Samuel 6:1-23, Ephesians 1:1-14, Mark 6:14-29

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 David is situated in Jerusalem with his government and he defeated the Philistines. It is time for David to make his capital also the religious center of the nation. With his people he arranges to bring the ark of the covenant which is 10 miles away in Kirjath-jearim. On the way the oxen stumble. To prevent the ark from falling from the new cart, Uzzah steadies the ark and is killed by God. David becomes angry with Yahweh for killing Uzzah, and in fear of ...

4300. Proper 23

Job 23:1--24:25, Hebrews 4:1-13, Hebrews 4:14-5:10, Mark 10:17-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Job 23:1-9, 16-17 In Job 23, Job responds to Eliphaz, one of Job's supposed friends and comforters. In this chapter Job longs for an experience with God to present his case to God. But, Job only experiences the absence of God. This absence terrifies Job and he wishes he could vanish in the darkness caused by God's absence. Epistle: Hebrews 4:12-16 In the first four chapters, the author of Hebrews demonstrates the superiority of Jesus over angels, Moses and Joshua. In Chapter 3 we ...

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