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 4326 to 4350 of 4489 results

4326. A Humbling Beginning

Illustration

Staff

Jay Leno, one time host of "The Tonight Show," set his sights early on a career in comedy. In fact, in 1972, when Leno was still a struggling comedian, he had written in his diary, "Hope to host ''The Tonight Show.''" In 1986, he got his big break. Johnny Carson chose Jay as a guest host on the show. Jay remembers that day with perfect clarity. In his biography Leading With My Chin, he says he was all puffed up with pride and importance as he drove to the studio. He gave his name to the security guard at ...

4327. The Game of Life

Illustration

Richard Cardinal Cushing

Dear God, help me be a good sport in this game of life. I don't ask for an easy place in the line-up. Put me anywhere you need me. I only ask that I can give you one hundred percent of all I have. If the hard drives seem to come my way, I thank you for the compliment. Help me remember that you never send a player more trouble than he can handle. Help me, Oh Lord, to accept the bad breaks as part of the game. And may I always play the game on the square, no matter what the others do. Help me study The Book ...

4328. Mark 1:29-39

Mark 1:29-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

From the moment he walks onto the scene of Mark’s gospel, there is a pendulum swing movement between the public and private Jesus. A public baptism and the Spirit’s pronouncement are “immediately” followed by Jesus’ private sojourn in the wilderness. Back from that solitary temptation Jesus embarks upon his public proclamation of the kingdom of God and his up-front teaching in the synagogues. The first “healing” act Jesus performs, an exorcism, is in that public forum, with the unclean spirit identifying ...

4329. Hit Me with Your Best Shot

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

Harry Houdini (1874-1926) was an expert at sleight of hand, a skeptic when it came to the spiritualists and other psychic phonies of his day, but he was best known for his ability to escape from what seemed to be impossible situations. Straitjackets, chains, ropes, jail cells, strange devices such as a milk pail filled with water — he managed to escape from one situation after another in full view of his audience. What did him in, however, was the blow he never saw coming. While reclining on a couch ...

4330. Veni, Spiritus Sanctus, Veni

John 14:8-17 (25-27)

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

On this Pentecost Sunday, as we celebrate the birthday of the church, I want to teach you a simple and yet potentially powerful prayer. It goes like this ... "Veni, Spiritus Sanctus, Veni," or as the Germans would say it, "Komm Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott." In English it is simply, "Come, Holy Spirit, come." There is no prayer in German, Greek, English, Swahilli, or Latin more powerful than this — "Veni, Spiritus Sanctus, Veni." This prayer opens us to the Holy Spirit, who comes, fills, and leads our lives ...

4331. Routines

Mark 7:1-23

Illustration

Mickey Anders

While on vacation in Daytona Beach one summer, a family quickly fell into a regular daily routine. The first thing on the agenda every morning was a power-walk on the beach. They usually walked as fast as they could on the firm beach the mile or more to the pier, where they then enjoyed a nice breakfast at Crabby Joe's place. Then they completed their daily exercise as they hiked back with the morning sun beginning to warm the day. Then after all the day's activities of shopping, swimming, sailing, and ...

4332. How Many of Us Does It Take to Screw in a Light Bulb?

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

Someone once asked the profound question, “How many [Presbyterians] does it take to change a light bulb?” * The correct answer is, of course, “Change the light bulb? Why, my grandfather donated that light bulb!” (1) Well, [Presbyterians] are not the only ones who have trouble with change. Anytime change takes place in any institution, particularly the church, there is resistance. Pastor Pete Kontra tells about a small-town church in upstate New York. They’d had a rector in that church for over thirty-five ...

4333. Divine Dynamite

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

"You will receive power ..." (Acts 1:8). Here was a ragtag bunch of people with no power, no position, no influence, no clout, being given the promise of their risen Lord that things were about to change for them. Not in the way that they might have wished, to be sure. After all, the power they were about to get was not political (even though that is what they wanted) — there was no promise of an earthly kingdom. Just divine power. And we celebrate the coming of that power every year on Pentecost, the day ...

4334. Easter 4

Psalm 23:1-6, John 10:22-30, Acts 9:36-43, Revelation 7:9-17

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: Ah, Sunday again. In some parts of the world this is lambing season. Of course, as we read today’s scriptures, it’s lambing season for us, too, for we recognize Jesus as the Good Shepherd, whose voice we know, and whom we choose to follow. People: God, Jesus, is our shepherd, we shall not want for anything! Our souls will be nourished with living water and good foods. When times are difficult, we have faith that God goes with us, giving us strength for each task. Prayer Of ...

4335. Finding Redemption in the Midst of Judgment

Malachi 2:17--3:5

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

A vase shatters, brushed by a careless elbow; a toy breaks, handled roughly by young fingers; and fabric rips, pulled by strong angry hands. Spills and rips take time to clean up, effort to repair, and money to replace, but far more costly are shattered relationships. Unfaithfulness, untruths, hateful words, and forsaken vows tear delicate personal bonds and inflict wounds not easily healed. Most tragic, however, is a broken relationship with God.1 Malachi understood all too well the tragedy of a broken ...

4336. But When God ...

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

April Yamasaki

In the early Christian church, there were no pulpits. It wasn't until the Middle Ages that pulpits were first introduced in churches and not until the Protestant Reformation of the 1500s and 1600s that the pulpit became a central symbol for the authority of scripture and the preaching of the word. But it hasn't always been that way. Instead, the very first Christian churches were house churches, where there were no pulpits, and everything was done face-to-face without a piece of furniture in between. The ...

4337. Heisman In The Hudson

Isaiah 43:16-21

Sermon

David J. Kalas

In December of every year, the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City awards the coveted Heisman Trophy. Voted on by over 800 media members, the Heisman is awarded to the most outstanding college football player during that season. Past recipients have included such notables as Roger Staubach, Marcus Allen, and Barry Sanders. It is a great honor, and it represents the broad and non-partisan recognition of a player's outstanding season. In the case of this particular young man, let us say that he has just ...

4338. Finding Fault With God

Jeremiah 2:4--3:5

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

It is never a pleasant prospect to deal with someone who has a complaint with you. As a new pastor, and a very young one at that, one of the things I struggled with most was the experience of conflict with members. I remember as if it were yesterday a significant misunderstanding that developed between the congregation's "matriarch" and me very early in my time there. I prayed about the difficulty we were having, and I knew that I needed to go to her home and ask for the opportunity to talk things out. I ...

4339. Galatians 1:11-24

Galatians 1:11-24

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Paul of Tarsus. He is the earliest witness we have to the life of Jesus. He is the author of the epistles that helped shape the church and change the course of history. His theology is the foundation upon which the bulwark of the Protestant Reformation was constructed. His testimony of a Damascus Road experience of the living Christ informed all the latter “saints” of the church. This legacy makes it hard to imagine Paul as someone who was trying to “break in” to the Christian circle of believers, as a ...

4340. The Keys to Effective Praying

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to begin with a true but incredible story. Back in September 1996 a man named Edouardo Sierra, a citizen of Spain, was on a business trip to Sweden. He was driving through the Swedish countryside when he came upon a Catholic church. He decided to stop in for a few moments to say a prayer. The church was empty except for a coffin with a body lying at rest inside it. Edouardo decided to take a few moments to stop and pray for the man who lay in the coffin. Then he signed a book of remembrance left by ...

4341. The Healing Power of Faith

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

There is an old, old story about a traveling evangelist who also advertised himself as a faith healer. In one of his crusade services he jumped on the platform and said, “I have faith that two people will be healed tonight. Where are you?” he asked. “Who would like to be healed?” A man ran down the aisle, named Harry. Asked what his ailment was, Harry said he had a lisp. He explained sadly, “I can’t talk wite.” He was instructed to go behind a curtain. Another man hobbled down on crutches. His name was ...

4342. Jesus’ Prayer: The Pause in the Battle

John 17:1-11

Sermon

David O. Bales

In 1936, near the beginning of the Spanish Civil War one horrible center of fighting was the Alcázar fortress near Toledo. In the middle of horrific fighting, however, every day the firing stopped twice in order to allow a blind beggar to tap his way on the street between the firing lines. We can imagine how welcome those few minutes were to the men on both sides. They probably hoped that the blind man walked slower to give them a few more seconds of peace. Then the reprieve ended and the slaughter again ...

4343. Down in the Dungeon

Psalm 130:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Two men were walking along the edge of a steep cliff one night when one slipped and fell over. His companion crept to the edge. “Are you all right?” he shouted. “Yes,” came the answer from below. “Are you hurt?” the second man shouted back down. “No,” came the reply. “Well,” shouted the surprised man from above, “how far did you fall?” “I don’t know,” came the voice from below. “I haven’t hit the bottom yet.” Some of you will recognize the name Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He was, perhaps, the finest preacher ...

4344. It's All Good

Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon

James Merritt

It was Easter Sunday. The Children’s Bible study class was packed. The teacher had talked about Good Friday and Easter. After thinking that she had carefully explained what had happened that weekend she decided to see how much of the story the kids remembered. She said, “Would somebody like to tell me something they remember about either Good Friday or Easter? One little boy said, “The cross was very heavy and a man had to help Jesus carry it.” Another little boy said, “I remember it got dark as night and ...

4345. When the Golden Rule Isn't Enough - Mother's Day

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Today we honor our moms. Not everybody can be a mom, but everyone at some time in their life has had a mom, and at that time our mom was the most important person in our world. Some of us had moms who made great sacrifices in our behalf. We are profoundly grateful for that. So today we honor our moms. It’s not easy being a mom. Here are some examples of some mothers and things they could have said: Mona Lisa’s mother: “After all that money your father and I spent on braces, Mona, that’s the biggest smile ...

4346. A Small Town Is Blessed

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

King Duncan

Some of you grew up in a small town, so you can identify with some of those lists that begin with “You know you live in a small town when . . .” For example, “You know you live in a small town when . . .” City limits signs are both on the same post. Your car breaks down outside of town and news of it gets back to town before you do. Without thinking, you wave to all oncoming traffic. You know you live in a small town when the New Year’s baby is born in October. A “Night on the Town” takes only 11 minutes. ...

4347. Tranquil: The Blessed Village on a Hillside

John 6:25-59

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

I am going to tell you a story. Keep in mind that it is just a story. In fact, because it has elements of magical impossibility, it can even be called a fairy tale. As such, it begins with that familiar line common to all good stories and fairy tales. Once upon a time, there was a village named Tranquil. It was an enormously blessed place. Tranquil had no serious problems. There was no homelessness, no food kitchens for the hungry, no street crime, and no white-collar crime. The roads were without potholes ...

4348. The Freedom Fall

Illustration

Michael P. Green

When a man decides to exercise his freedom to break God’s laws, he is like a person who ascends to the top of a tall building and jumps off. For the first several stories he feels great. There are no restraints, no restrictions, no hang-ups. But suppose, ten stories from the ground, he realizes that a sudden stop awaits him and that he doesn’t want to endure its consequences. Can he reverse the falling process? Can you or he stop the fall? Of course not. Thus, in the final ten stories, our tragic character ...

4349. Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam

2 Chronicles 10:1--11:4

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

The Kings of Judah: With the narratives of David and Solomon (1 Chron. 11–29 and 2 Chron. 1–9, respectively) the Chronicler has thus far succeeded in establishing a very clear prototype of Israelite kingship. This kingship rests in the eternal promise made to David by Yahweh, the deity of Israel. And it finds its highest expression in the kingship of Solomon, who sits on Yahweh’s throne. Solomon established a cultic center by building the temple in Jerusalem, where both the tabernacle and ark of the ...

4350. Paul Arrested

Acts 21:27-36

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Though 21:18 sees the last of the “we passages” for the time being, the remainder of this chapter down to verse 29 may well be drawn from that source. But in verses 30 and following, Ehrhardt believes that he can discern a different style and, therefore, a different source. He thinks it unlikely that it came from any Jerusalem Christian. Probably, then, Luke “drew on notes of another member of the Pauline circle, mentioned in Acts 20:4, who was present in the temple at the time of the catastrophe [here to ...

Showing results