Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4301 to 4325 of 4944 results

4301. Sermon Opener - Winning over Worry

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Winning over worry. Nice thought, eh? Of all the living things that God created, we human beings are the only ones that worry. And we worry about everything - gas prices, the stock market, taxes, jobs, marriages, parents worry about children, children worry about parents. You name it, somebody is worrying about it. The best selling non-fiction hardback books on Amazon.com usually reveal the subjects we worry about - health, change, relationships, and money. Jesus says we ought not to worry. Listen to him ...

4302. Getting a Grip on Fear

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

Black Bart was a professional thief whose very name struck fear as he terrorized the Wells Fargo stage line. From San Francisco to New York, his name became synonymous with the danger of the frontier. Between 1875 and 1883 he robbed 29 different stagecoach crews. Amazingly, Bart did it all without firing a shot. Because a hood hid his face, no victim ever saw his face. He never took a hostage and was never trailed by a sheriff. Instead, Black Bart used fear to paralyze his victims. His sinister presence ...

4303. Why You Should Be Afraid of Sin

Numbers 32:23

Sermon

James Merritt

I was fascinated to read recently about the boomerang. A boomerang is like two spinning airplane wings joined in the middle. It weighs about 12 ounces, it is somewhere between 12 and 30 inches long, and it is an incredible aerodynamic marvel to behold. When an expert throws a boomerang, it is released practically vertical to the ground. But because it is spinning so rapidly (typically about 10 revolutions per second) with the top blade moving through the air faster than the lower blade, there is more lift ...

4304. The Empire Strikes Back

Jude 1:14-15

Sermon

James Merritt

My sermon is not going to be anything like the movie with the same title. It is different in two very distinct ways. I am not going to be talking about Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Yoda, nor R2D2. Rather, I am going to be speaking about a real empire, the Kingdom of God, and the real Emperor, whose name is Jesus. Furthermore, in the movie “The Empire Strikes Back” the hero, Han Solo, is left carbon-frozen in need of being rescued. But when this empire strikes back, the ...

4305. A Time for Penance and a Time for Partridge

Ps 100, Col 2:1-7

Sermon

Coming home from the Royal Oak's Farmers' Market along about 9:30 yesterday morning, the lovely lady I live with was overheard to say: "Let's see, we've got brussels sprouts, new potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans for the casserole, shrimp for the appetizer….Becky said she would bring the dessert….I've got everything but the turkey. Unless, that is, you want me to get a ham." Which I don't. Although I'll concede that a ham might be easier than a turkey. I don't really think Kris wants a ham. And I know ...

4306. The Treasure Principles

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

The story is told of a man who, while walking on a beach, found a used magic lamp. He rubbed the lamp and the genie appeared, inviting him to make a wish. The man pondered for a moment and then had a great idea. He requested a copy of the stock page from the local newspaper, dated exactly one year into the future. With a puff of smoke, the genie disappeared and in his place was a copy of the stock page, dated exactly one year into the future. Gleefully, the man sat down to peruse his trophy. Now he could ...

4307. Gift of Positive Thinking

2 Corinthians 1:18-22

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

For generations the "power of positive thinking" has been touted throughout our land. It is among the most popular and utilized thoughts and themes we have ever known. Cutting across all strata of social and economic patterns it is generally a principle espoused. While the influence generated is obvious, secular and less than desirable ways of life have utilized it. It is frequently taken from a Christian basis and becomes a means to achieve ends that at a minimum are questionable. Of course, there are ...

4308. Prayer: A Way of Life

James 5:13-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Once there was a monastery in the woods that had fallen upon hard times. In the past it had been a thriving community that was well known and respected throughout the region, but over the last generation the monks had died one by one and there were no new vocations to replace them. Besides this, the monks did not seem to be as friendly to each other. Something just wasn't right. The Father Abbot was quite concerned about the future of his monastery, now consisting of himself and three brothers and, thus, ...

4309. Unacceptable

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

David T. Ball

Going off to college can be an unsettling experience for Christian students. Somewhere, sometime, college students are going to encounter, and many for the first time, the notion that there is no such thing as absolute truth. Truth with a capital “T.” We may wish that the situation could be otherwise. Parents may especially wish, after all they’ve invested in trying to instill positive values in their children, that the college experience would reinforce rather than undermine whatever they’ve been able to ...

4310. Final Instructions

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Ron Lavin

(Note: Suggestion for reading the lessons on Ascension Sunday: In order to get the proper historical flow you may want to read Acts 1:1-11 after reading the Gospel, Luke 24:44-53.) When you love someone, you try to fulfill their final deathbed directions. If your loved one has a last will and testament, you try to carry out the final instructions contained therein. In Acts 1:1-11 we have Jesus' last will and testament, his final teaching about the kingdom of God and his final instructions to the apostles ...

4311. Having the Last Word

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

The Wizard of Id comic strip characterizes a feisty little fellow as the despotic ruler of the Land of Id. In one strip, the king opens his mail and reads aloud, "This is to notify you that you have been chosen to be presiding king at the kings' conference this year." The king begins to jump up and down, excitedly proclaiming, "Hallelujah! I'm the king of kings! I'm the king of kings!" In the next frame a fiery bolt of lightning descends from on high. In the final frame, a charred and frizzled little king ...

4312. Body Sculpting and Self Shaping

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

As a society, we are obsessed with our external images. As Christians we should recognize that our energies need to focus on how we can allow Christ to shape and mold us into new beings. The two texts focused on for this week approach the question of self image from two different but related perspectives. The text from Mark tells the story of an exorcism, a dramatic but not unbelievable or unheard of event in the first century A.D. Today we think that the type of demon exorcism Jesus practiced in Capernaum ...

4313. Miss Manners and Mr. Goodwrench

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Thankfully, most of us do not deal on a daily basis with the most profound issues of morality and ethics. What we do face every day, however, are small matters of manners (should I keep my word? should I honor my commitments.) Caught up in the big newsmaking issues (murder, abortion, war) of ethics, these small matters sometimes go by the wayside. The church needs to be aware that its role is as the one "hosting the Host," and act accordingly. Post-modern society moves at an incredible pace. It bombards ...

4314. Help Wanted: Only Shunammites Need Apply

2 Kings 4:8-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It is time to bring back the early Christian tradition of hospitality as expressed in the "Shunammite household." While the story of the Shunammite woman might be an unfamiliar one today, she served as an important symbol among evangelical Christians in the 19th century. In American religious history, there was a tradition known as "Shunammite households" which played a crucial role in the development of frontier faith communities. In the days when itinerancy meant moving on every few hours, not every few ...

4315. Welcome Home, Joseph

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Joseph is probably the most misunderstood participant in the Christmas drama. Like comedian Rodney Dangerfield, Joseph might righteously complain, "I don''t get no respect!" This week we pay Joseph some of the respect he surely deserves, for without his gifts of hospitality, acceptance and love, the story of Christmas would have no beginning. And with these gifts, Joseph is a model for all who are called by God to serve in supportive roles. The women's movement has surely succeeded in making biblical ...

4316. Teamwork Works!

Judges 4:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

We don't need to charge the barricades in our lives all by ourselves. One of Leo Lionni's simple yet appealing collage-illustrated children's books tell the story of a little minnow-sized fish named Swimmy. Swimmy is just like all the other fish swimming in the large minnow school, except that while they are all reddish-gold, he is pure black. The school of little fish swims along peacefully until any larger predator fish comes along. Then whoosh all the little fish, including Swimmy, scatter. Swimmy ...

4317. On Being a Hot-Fudge-Sunday Church

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

There is an old Southern gospel song "There Ain't No Middle Ground." It is time the church gave up trying to find safety in big middles and risked ministry on the edges. In 1890, a Wisconsin merchant named Smithson came up with a creative way to cope with his Sunday afternoon shortages of ice cream. With no Sunday deliveries but with crowds of people with a welcome day off wanting ice cream, he thought of a way to stretch his supply. He began cutting back on the amount of ice cream he scooped and added ...

4318. The Dailyness of Healing Measures

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Thank God for the daily gift of health - physical and spiritual health - and for the surgeries and healing measures that keep us well. Last fall there was a much-publicized "shootout at the ratings corral" between two highly touted new doctor shows. In their mysterious wisdom, the network executives decided to face "E.R." and "Chicago Hope" off against each other. After opening night, though, the battle was all over. "Chicago Hope" lay bleeding on the floor, while "E.R." rode off as the hero. "E.R." ...

4319. Dream Reality

Matthew 2:19-23, Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a world that dreams nightmares, let's begin the new year with some God-powered, God-sized daydreams. In Native American culture there is a talisman called a "dream catcher." Actually, they've recently become quite popular as pieces of jewelry and folk art. A dream catcher looks like a simplistic version of a spider's web, adorned with a few decorative feathers and beads. According to legend, parents are to hang a dream catcher over their newborn's cradle - the "web" then catches only the child's good ...

4320. Acts 10:44-48

Acts 10:44-48

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Luke's book of Acts has spent a long time building up to the astonishing events related in this week's text. Beginning with Philip's encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch, progressing through the conversion of a Gentile soldier, Paul's conversion, and Cornelius' and Peter's dreams, Luke's recitation of events has gradually widened the circle of believers. In this week's installment the circle is completed with the consummation of the mission to the Gentiles. As usual the Holy Spirit's timing is impeccable. ...

4321. Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The remaining disciples must now take action to restore their ranks to a full complement of twelve. Luke makes sure that we know this is not an unintended development. In verses 16-20 Peter re-tells the tale of Judas' betrayal and ultimate fate through the eyes of scripture which "had to be fulfilled." "Proof-from-prophecy" is one of Luke's favorite ways of validating events surrounding the newly emerging church. The Christian community in no way belittles its Jewish heritage in Luke's tradition. It is the ...

4322. Acts 9:1-20

Acts 9:1-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Acts 9:1-20 recounts one of the church's all-time favorite stories: how Saul of Tarsus, perhaps the most vehement persecutor of Jesus' followers, was transformed into Paul the apostle, the Lord's own voice to the Gentiles. The famous Damascus Road theophany has been held up to all generations of the church as one of the most stirring and miraculous transformations ever recorded. Luke's sense of drama and gift for storytelling skillfully places this first of three accounts of Saul's conversion as a ...

4323. Acts 10:44-48

Acts 10:44-48

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

4324. Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

4325. Acts 9:1-20

Acts 9:1-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet