Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4351 to 4375 of 4944 results

4351. Handmade By God

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Children's Sermon

Marti Kramer Suddarth

Object: Card stock printed with scripture reference and verse, with the words “I formed you” underlined Have you ever had a really bad day? You wake up late. There’s no hot water left for your shower, and your favorite cereal is all gone, so you have to eat something you don’t like for breakfast. Halfway to school, you realize that when you were brushing your teeth, you missed a spot, and now you have to spend the rest of the day with morning breath. After you get to school, you discover that you forgot to ...

4352. There's Something about Con Men

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

There’s an old story that many of you may know about a young man in Montana who bought a horse from a farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the horse the next day. However when the next day arrived, the farmer reneged on his promise. “I’m afraid the horse has died,” he explained. The young man said, “Well, then give me my money back.” The farmer said, “Can’t do that. I spent it already.” The young man thought for a moment and said, “Ok, then, just bring me the dead horse.” The farmer asked, “What ...

4353. It's Just A Little Thing

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

One Sunday morning in a little church, the sermon just seemed to go on and on. Unlike me, the preacher kept circling the point but never quite getting there. One of the little boys in the service that day was getting more and more restless. Mom was having a hard time getting him to sit still. Finally, in a whisper loud enough for the whole congregation to hear, he said: "Mommy, if we give him the money now, will he let us go?" (1) That story is a good reminder that preachers need to follow the old KISS ...

4354. The Evangelist Has a Shady Past

John 4:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

After listening to a prominent evangelist on the radio, eight‑year-old Debbie asked her six‑year‑old brother David, “Do you know about Jesus?” Expecting a new slant on the old story, David replied, “No.” Sister said, “Sit still because this is really scary.” After explaining the gospel as only an eight‑year‑old could, she popped the question. “Now, David, when you die, do you want to go to heaven to be with Jesus, God, your Mommy and Daddy, and big sister, or do you want to go to the lake of fire to be ...

4355. The Scope of Love

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844) is the only non Italian sculptor commissioned to have one of his statues erected in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. He was not allowed to sign his “Monument to Pope Pius VII” because he was a Protestant; not Catholic. What Thorvaldsen is most known for, however, is his Christus carving known popularly as “The Resurrected Christ.” You can see it today in the cathedral of Denmark's magical city Copenhagen. Thorvaldsen wanted to create the greatest statue ...

4356. When Words Are Not Enough

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Once upon a time, a farmer who was a deacon in his country church was summoned to serve on a federal grand jury in a city. He was gone two weeks. First thing when he got back home, his wife asked him if he had attended church services while away. Of course he had. "Did you know any of the songs they sang?" his wife wanted to know. "No, I didn't," the farmer replied. "They didn't sing songs. All they sung was anthems." "Anthems?" she asked. "What on earth is anthems?" "Well, it's like this," the deacon ...

4357. It’s about Grace

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

When Bill Clinton was running for president, there was a phrase that drove his political campaign. It was invoked repeatedly so that no one in the campaign would lose sight of the core issue at stake. Do you remember what it was? "It's about the economy, stupid." Lest anyone get sidetracked on unrelated issues, the reminder was ever before them: "It's about the economy, stupid." As Christians who happen to also be Lutheran, there is a phrase that we could adopt that might help us clarify the core issue at ...

4358. Having a Good Name

Proverbs 1:20-33

Sermon

Donna Schaper

Proverbs is right: Having a good name is a terribly important thing. It is important in business, it is important in society, it is important at home, in a family. When we lose our good name, we have lost our trustworthiness. Sometimes it cannot be replaced. How do we know if we have a good name? What is the measurement? Is it the absence of gossip? Or the presence of trust? Is a good name something that we start out with only to find it comes up missing once we have done one or two things wrong? Or does a ...

4359. The Final Dong

Illustration

Staff

Corrie ten Boom told of not being able to forget a wrong that had been done to her. She had forgiven the person, but she kept rehashing the incident and so couldn't sleep. Finally Corrie cried out to God for help in putting the problem to rest. "His help came in the form of a kindly Lutheran pastor," Corrie wrote, "to whom I confessed my failure after two sleepless weeks." "Up in the church tower," he said, nodding out the window, "is a bell which is rung by pulling on a rope. But you know what? After the ...

4360. Alabama Humor for Tennesseans

Humor Illustration

A Knoxville sports writer wrote this column before a Tennessee/Alabama game. It's all in fun. You could substitute the name of your favorite rival. I hope Alabama readers will forgive me for including it those that can read, anyway. You know the best thing to come out of Alabama? Interstate 59. We got word this week that Tide coach will dress only 18 players for today's game. The rest can dress themselves. When you run across an Alabamian today, don't tell him you know why it takes two Alabamians to eat a ...

4361. Kids' Advice On Love

Humor Illustration

Questions concerning love and wisdom were posed to a group of children, ages five to ten. Their answers were remarkably astute and very enlightening, once again proving that all we need to know we probably learned in Kindergarten. WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE? On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date. (Mike, 10) Many daters just eat pork chops and french fries and talk about love. (Craig, 9) Lovers will just be staring at ...

4362. Camelot – The Time Will Come Again

Mark 13:24-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

In my den is a framed needlework which says one word - Camelot. It was a gift from a dear friend many years ago who knew how much I loved that Broadway play (and eventually movie) - wonderful story, marvelous characters, tremendous music. In short there's simply not A more congenial spot For happ'ly ever aftering Than here in Camelot. The story comes from a book by T. H. White called The Once and Future King and is based on the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Two themes are woven ...

4363. Stop Carrying the Anvil

Mk 6:1-13

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

My friend, and mentor, the great Quaker Douglas V. Steer, tells a story that comes out of Maine. A short in stature young blacksmith in a small town fell in love with a tall local girl, but he was so short that he was too bashful to tell her. One day she came into the smithy to call for a tea kettle that he had fixed for her and she had thanked him so nicely that he suddenly found courage to ask her to marry him. She consented and he got up on the anvil and put his arms around her and sealed it with a kiss ...

4364. A Tale of Two Sisters

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

David E. Leininger

With a title like "A Tale Of Two Sisters," this should open with something like, "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." But it was neither. It was unusual, to be sure, even a little exciting. After all, these were the days of an itinerant rabbi called Jesus of Nazareth who was attracting quite a bit of attention. At some point previous — we are never told when, where, or how — these two sisters, Mary and Martha, along with their brother, Lazarus, had been introduced to Jesus. They must have ...

4365. Religion and Politics

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Religion and politics - in years past we were told those were two subjects that were not good for pleasant conversation. In the church, many of us grew up hearing that religion and politics should be kept strictly apart - "separation of church and state," after all. But in recent years, we have been treated to regular helpings of both from every point on the partisan spectrum. There are regular references to personal faith by candidates on the right and left. The relationship between religion and politics ...

4366. Epiphany

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14, Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12, Ephesians 3:1-12

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: I’m so glad we’re here together! Today’s the day we want to be wise and know just where to locate God. People: This is Epiphany, the day when we are magi and bring our best gifts to God. Leader: God quite clearly is here — People: in each of us! Leader: We have hopes that when the stars shine just right, we will find the baby who grows up to be our teacher and guide. People: We will search like the ancient men and women until we find some tangible evidence of God being at home with ...

4367. Reformation Day

Psalm 46:1-11, Jeremiah 31:31-34, John 8:31-41, Romans 3:19-28

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: It’s Sunday again! As before, we gather here because we believe that truth sets us free. We are followers of Jesus and children of God. People: In Christ, we are set free from the power of sin. Leader: The Holy One promises to write divine law in our hearts and to be our God. People: We will be forgiven and freed from guilt. Leader: This is cause for rejoicing! Let us sing beautiful words, praising God! Thanksgiving Prayer Living God — what a day! Autumn is everywhere! And we are ...

4368. Obedience: Our Gift to Jesus

Hebrews 10:5-10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

One day a man went to his son's bedroom and found him sitting on his bed with a whole stack of comic books around him. The father said to his son, "Matthew, where did you get the comic books?" Matthew responded, "I took them out of the library." "You took them out of the library? You mean you stole them from the library?" The boy responded, "Yes." The father called the library and said he was going to march his son immediately down with the comic books to apologize and to restore all he had stolen. After ...

4369. Just-Say-The-Word Disciples

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

How many of you here this morning came from “the wrong side of the tracks?” [Draw out some stories about being from “the wrong side”] Did the “wrong side of town” have a name? [I was born on a street known as “Hungry Hill”] Guess what? Every one of us here has come from the “wrong side of the tracks” at one time or other. Whether you grew up on a swanky estate, a ritzy mansion, a standard suburban “splanch” (split level ranch), a shanty in the woods or a slum in the city, you were on the “wrong side of the ...

4370. Putting the World Back Together

John 20:1-9

Sermon

David O. Bales

It’s too soon after the murder to mention the names of the people involved; so, the following names are changed. In a small town, Janice, a young grade school teacher, had tried to break off a dating relationship with a young man. The young man had serious mental illness. He shot and killed Janice; then committed suicide. Her parents, Jack and Maxine, were friends with the young man’s parents. In the midst of their grief Jack and Maxine got in their car and drove to call on his parents. No matter the ...

4371. Getting out of the Doldrums

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The classic children’s book, The Phantom Tollbooth (1961), tells the story of a young boy named Milo. One dull, rainy afternoon Milo receives the anonymous gift of a cardboard fold-and-cut tollbooth. Bored Milo builds the tollbooth and “drives through” it with his toy car. Immediately Milo disappears from his room and finds himself traveling along a strange road in a new land. But despite this miraculous relocation, as the road continues on and on, and the countryside rolls by and by, Milo begins to grow ...

4372. Be A Good Virus

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Neither “fish nor fowl.” “Lukewarm.” “Wishy-washy.” “Spineless.” “Mediocre.” These are not good character references. These are descriptions of people who have no personal convictions, no compelling passions, no “take-it-to-the-front-line” faithfulness. Instead, like liquid gelatin, those who have no backbone pour themselves into whatever mold is put before to them for the simplest, easiest gain. The apostle Paul was definitely not a “lukewarm” or “wishy-washy” kind of guy. In fact, he warned the church at ...

4373. One Thing

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

James Merritt

I believe that every year that God gives us on this earth is to be a year where we are as productive as we can be for His work and as pleasing as we can be for His glory. The longer you live the more you realize just how fleeting these years are and just how important it is to maximize the potential of each year for being what we ought to be and doing what we ought to do. Every year at least half of us in this will do something that in the beginning will be very exhilarating, but in the end very ...

4374. Turning Pity-Parties into Praise-Parties

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

After World War II the world entered a grey combat zone known as the “Cold War.” The two most powerful nations on earth, the US and the USSR, stood face to face, toe to toe, and seriously considered nuking each other. Thousands of nuclear warheads were armed and aimed by both nations, targeting each other’s homelands, in a strategy known by the acronym MAD: Mutual Assured Destruction. President Truman even had to fire General Douglas MacArthur because of his insistence that we use nuclear weapons against ...

4375. The Three Shower Gifts

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

What’s in a name? Well, in Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare thought that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But in San Quentin Live, Johnny Cash sang a ballad that showed how one guy’s life was completely skewed because he was a “Boy Named Sue.” Sometimes names really do matter. “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” “Blessed be the Name of the Lord.” In the Western Church we call this Sunday the “Second Sunday After Christmas.” The day after tomorrow, January 6, will be “Epiphany,” the official ...

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