Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4351 to 4375 of 5000 results

4351. Spirit Power

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

In 1926, a wealthy Toronto lawyer named Charles Vance Millar died, leaving behind him a will that amused and electrified the citizens of his Canadian province. Millar, a bachelor with a wicked sense of humor, stated clearly that he intended his last will and testament to be an “uncommon and capricious” document. Because he had no close heirs to inherit his fortune, he divided his money and properties in a way that amused him and aggravated his newly chosen heirs. Here are just a few examples of his strange ...

4352. Guidance for a Time of Chaos

John 16:5-16

Sermon

King Duncan

Author Dennis Rainey tells about an exercise he leads each year with his sixth grade Sunday School class. He divides the class into three groups. These groups then compete in putting together a jigsaw puzzle. As these 12-year-olds scatter into three circles on the floor, he explains that there is only one rule in the competition: to put together the puzzle without talking. The contents of puzzle number one are deposited on the floor and Group One immediately goes to work. The group promptly sets up the box ...

4353. Thank God for Dads

Galatians 2:11-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome on this Father’s Day, 2007. It’s not easy being a father. I heard about a man who said that he was warned that, as his three daughters became old enough to date, he’d disapprove of every young man who took them out. When the time came, though, he was pleased that this prediction was wrong. Each boy was pleasant and well mannered. Talking to one of his daughters one day, he said that he liked all the young men she and her sisters brought home. “You know, Dad,” she replied, “we don’t show you ...

4354. Night Moves

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The hymn we have just sung, "Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown," is based on the Old Testament lesson read for us this morning. It was written by Charles Wesley, the brother of John Wesley. Charles Wesley was a prolific writer of hymns. He wrote more than 6,000 hymns. He put the great affirmations of our Christian belief, and particularly those that John Wesley felt were important, and put them into hymns. Other Christian traditions recite their faith with a creed. The Methodists have always sung their faith ...

4355. How Moses Handled Stress

Numbers 11:4-35

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I once saw a list of professions ranked according to the degree of stress that can be found in that vocation. I looked for "minister." It wasn't there. I assumed there must be a mistake, so I looked under "clergy." It wasn't there, either. I looked under "pastor," and "priest." Not there. Later somebody told me that, as a matter of fact, ministry is considered one of the least stressful vocations. Which meant that all the worrying I've done for the last thirty years was for nothing. The fact of the matter ...

4356. Lighten Up

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I have selected the hymn you have just sung to bring back memories of Sunday School. Imagine this image: a little girl in a white Sunday School dress, in a church pageant, holding a little candle, singing, "This Little Light of Mine." That is the image that most of us, I imagine, have in mind when we think of this hymn, "This Little Light of Mine." It is so sentimental, and cute, even. Which is the danger of using diminutives like "little,"...."This Little Light of Mine." It is like "dear" or "sweet." It ...

4357. Victory at Sea

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The lesson for this morning is from the Book of Exodus, perhaps one of the best known incidents in that book, the crossing of the Red Sea. Even if you haven't been to Sunday School, or read the Bible, if you have been to Universal Studios in Hollywood, then you have seen this miracle reenacted every day, several times a day. Probably more people know about the crossing of the Red Sea from Universal Studios than the Bible. It is particularly appropriate that this be the lesson on a baptism Sunday, because ...

4358. Only One Thing Is Needed

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

Once upon a time, many years ago, there lived a king who had a beautiful daughter. This princess had many offers of marriage, but she couldn’t make up her mind. A romantic girl, she wanted a man who would love her more than he loved anything else. Finally, she devised a way to test the love of her suitors. An announcement was made and sent throughout the kingdom that on a certain day, there would be a race. The winner of the race would marry the princess. The race was open to every man in the kingdom, ...

4359. A Cloud of Witness

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

It was baseball season in a small Pennsylvania town. If you know anything about Little League baseball, you know it is also a time when little boys’ hearts and egos are on the line. A certain ten-year-old had ridden the bench most of the season. But in the championship game, his coach finally called him up to bat. The little boy’s whole extended family had turned out for this very special game. His parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, second cousins--they were all there, cheering and ...

4360. A Place of Honor

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Edward Bowen tells about a minister in Scotland who was concerned that so many stray dogs were being put to sleep. So she invented a new breed of dog, complete with registration papers. She didn’t want any dogs tospend their lives being called mongrels. She determined that her puppies would be the first in a new breed, a breed she called the Newtonmore Haggishound. She now offers membership in that breed to other dogs. Apparently the only qualification to be a Newtonmore Haggishound is that you must be a ...

4361. Strategic Planning

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

King Duncan

"Suppose you were on a nonstop flight to Asia,” says the motivational speaker, “and heard this announcement: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We’re traveling west across the Pacific Ocean. In a few hours, you will be able to look down and see land. When that happens, we are going to start looking for a big city with an airport. If we find one before our fuel runs out, we will land. Then we will figure out where we are and decide where we want to go next. In the meantime folks, just sit ...

4362. Warning To The Clueless Enthusiasts

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Jesus said, "Whoever comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple" (v. 26). Let's admit it. Jesus made some strange comments. This scripture for today remembers one of those times. Must we really hate our mother and father in order to be Christian? I thought Christians were to promote family values. Must we really hate our own lives in order to be faithful? Doesn't the Bible promote the abundance of life? Is ...

4363. Honest Abe

Genesis 12:1-4a

Sermon

Bill Mosley

There's an oft-told story about someone going to church to hear the new young preacher give his first sermon, and someone asks him, "How was the sermon?" And the person said, "Well, it was about faith and sin, but I don't know which he was for and which he was against." This is a sermon about faith, and I want it clear right up front that I'm for it, if it's honest faith. There are two definitions of faith. One is that faith is tenets, beliefs, doctrines. You can "belong to the Christian faith," or the " ...

4364. The Seeing Eye

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Bill Mosley

An airplane flying from San Francisco to Los Angeles had a 45-minute delay and everybody on board was ticked. Unexpectedly, they stopped in Sacramento on the way. The flight attendant explained there would be another delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft to stretch, they would reboard in thirty minutes. Everybody got off the plane except one gentleman who was blind. He had flown before, and his Seeing Eye dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of him throughout the entire ...

4365. Those Parentheses

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Bill Mosley

Your name is very important. Your name on a suitcase in an airport or bus station can eliminate an argument. Call someone a name and you can start an argument, and maybe a fight. A name written in a book at a bookstore can increase its value, if it's the autograph of the author. Sign a contract and it's your name that makes it legal. Your name is the sign of possession, of power, a part of you that signifies your character and identity, even when you are absent. A name packs meaning like a suitcase. The ...

4366. Fire in the Hold

Acts 2:14a, 22-32

Sermon

Bill Mosley

The great luxury liner was on fire, but no one knew it. Deep in the hold, near the engine room, hundreds of tons of coal were stored. Coal-powered ships used to carry the coal in a watered-down state. But this ship was new, and very big; bigger than any ship ever built, or had ever sailed. So even though the coal was watered for safety, the enormous amount meant that there were dry spots. A fire smoldered undiscovered deep in the coal supply, and when it was discovered, a fire-fighting crew was sent to ...

4367. My Laughin’ Place

Acts 2:14a, 36-41

Sermon

Bill Mosley

4368. A Voice from Beyond

Genesis 12:1-9

Sermon

James L. Killen

Down through the centuries, philosophers and theologians have come up with a number of classical "proofs for the existence of God." The truth is that these "proofs" are not likely to convince anyone who is determined not to believe in God. But they can be helpful guides to experiencing God for people who want to believe. Most of the proofs for the existence of God focus attention on the things that exist and the things that happen in the world around us and reason that there must be someone who is making ...

4369. Forgiveness and Reconciliation at Last!

Genesis 45:1-15

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

It happened to a rural Lake County, South Dakota, Lutheran church in August of 2000. Vandals attacked the fieldstone St. Peter Lutheran Church building with vengeance -- breaking windows, smashing light fixtures, flipping over the baptismal font, slashing a large "Jesus the Good Shepherd" painting, scribbling, and carving obscenities into the sanctuary walls and fixtures. The golden altar cross had been swung like a bat to gouge pews and walls. In the basement, kitchen dishes were broken and objects flung ...

4370. Ten Friends Drive Us to the Promise

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

"One day last spring, something memorable happened at Carleton University (in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, not to be confused with Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota). Thirty-one students in the same class turned in identical research papers. It was determined that the students had all accessed the same Internet website. If only one student had done it, the ruse might not have caught the professor's attention. But here's what else opened the instructor's eyes: the research paper's topic was â€˜ethics.' ...

4371. Filling Moses’ Shoes

Joshua 3:7-17

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

What will they do now? Moses has died, and nobody even knows where he has been buried. Moses is the one who led the people of Israel out of Egypt, and all along the way in the wilderness. Now he is dead, and what will happen next? Maybe Moses' burial place was kept a secret so that the people wouldn't hang around his grave wringing their hands over the loss of their leader. The people have no time for self-pity. They are still on the wrong side of the Jordan. The journey is not yet complete. They are on ...

4372. Writing the Law on Our Hearts

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

In his wonderful book, Open Secrets, Richard Lischer tells of a retired Lutheran pastor who came to visit him shortly after the elder man's wife had died. Throughout his whole ministry, he had prayed with countless people, providing a bridge between them and God. When it mattered the most though, he couldn't pray. When his wife was dying, he couldn't pray with her, as he had throughout their marriage. He didn't make a conscious decision not to pray with her, he just couldn't do it. He felt as though ...

4373. The Model of Success

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Some of you know that the church is involved inevitably in matters of business. In some churches, particularly smaller churches, the ministers take a very important role in administering the business side of the church. This church decided not to do that with its minister. Its business affairs are managed by the Board of Trustees and the Finance Committee. They have done a wonderful job, and I congratulate them. I am not allowed to manage the business affairs of the church, but I am still interested in ...

4374. What Are You Looking At?

Acts 1:1-11

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy. For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah. God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm. God is king ...

4375. It Ain’t Over ’Til It’s Over

John 17:1-11

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship One: Let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy. All: Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds - his name is the Lord - be exultant before him. One: Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. All: Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, Selah. One: O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens; listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. All: ...

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