Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4376 to 4400 of 4964 results

4376. Living on the Edge

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... her job — one she has carried out with boundless compassion for over 45 years. Ruby was a model of caregiving at a time when some health care providers abandoned their posts.2 God is at work in our world. Just when you are about to give up all hope, there are subtle signs that God is at work, through people like you and me who are able to accomplish God's own purposes. What glimpse of the future is God giving us? Working together with God we can make that glimpse come true. If you look closely enough ...

4377. Forward March

Joshua 3:1-17

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... member was of equal importance in the body. Together they forged on ahead. There were roadblocks along the way involving traditional expectations of the pastor as well as some people's resistance to seeing themselves as ministers. The church continued to march forward hoping in time that some of the skeptics would change their minds when they saw the desired results. A new energy and enthusiasm was born in that small church.2 In what new direction is God leading us? New beginnings bring new opportunities to ...

4378. A Question of Loyalty

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... would have to do is retrace her steps and she would be fine. She was sure the trail would loop around. She continued for a while before realizing that she was well off the trail — in other words, lost. She climbed a steep wall, which used to be a waterfall, hoping to once again find the trail. "It's just you and me, Lord," she prayed. "You alone can get me out of this mess." Things went from bad to worse. She found herself on a small foot-and-a-half perch. She was horrified. It was then that Kathleen ...

4379. Are We There Yet?

James 5:7-10

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... , and purify your hearts, you double-minded ... Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:7-8, 10) So what we are about now, our growth in Christlikeness, the fruit which is growing, is important. But if the farmer had no hope for the rains, all the plowing and planting and weeding would be futile, and watching over the parched land would be foolish. The "early and late [rain]" is a standard Old Testament image of God's promised and continuing faithfulness (Jeremiah 5:24; Joel 2 ...

4380. A Little Theology at Christmas

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach." As people of the book, we do not need ghostly visitors to show us a glimpse of the future because, "We wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." As we celebrate the magnificent appearing of the grace of God in Jesus Christ, beginning with the startling appearance of a star over Bethlehem but blossoming into a glorious sunrise enlightening ...

4381. Showing Up

Ephesians 3:1-12

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... of all hierarchs of the Orthodox church, presided over the services. Bartholomew's visit to Tarpon Springs was one of the few visits to America by an ecumenical patriarch in history and says something about the scale of this event, drawing people from far and wide. I hope no one will be too disappointed that I don't intend to throw a gold cross anywhere today. It is interesting how this day has come to be a celebration of Greek Christians showing up in Florida, because it is a festival all about "showing up ...

4382. Small-Minded Christians in a Big World

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... of envisioning ourselves as "saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," we think in terms of our small group, its priorities and its opinions. We become small-minded Christians in a big world. I hope you know, for instance, that churches and synagogues account for more community service work in the US than all other agencies combined. This is why so many church groups have been so frustrated with FEMA's feeble response to Hurricane Katrina. It is not, as ...

4383. A Disconcerting Sight

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... dad did. He never forgot the stares of folks in the terminal as he took a walk in his pilot's uniform, wearing his pilot's sunglasses, apparently being led by a guide dog. I think all of us would agree that such a sight would give us pause. I hope it doesn't sound small minded to say that, even given the great technological advances in guiding aircraft by computers, I would probably not want to be a passenger on his plane! As much as everyone's mother may tell them not to judge a book by its cover, there ...

4384. Spiritual Judo

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

David O. Bales

... 't waste such a promising problem. Paul's letter to the Roman Christians takes us through the process of using our suffering. He writes, "... we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." This is Paul's experience of having access to God's grace. Our Christian faith works, even in ...

4385. Spiritual Resuscitation

Romans 8:6-11

Sermon

David O. Bales

... in here? I had a dear professor who said, "Do I love God? That's pretty frightening. Gives me goose pimples all over. I don't know if I can say I love God. But the longer I've been a Christian, the more interested I am in God." I hope in your marriage you are more and more interested in your spouse, and in your family, more and more interested in your children and grandchildren. If you're too embarrassed to admit that you're passionate about God, it's okay to say you're greatly interested. The Holy Spirit ...

4386. Oddballs for God

1 Peter 1:17-23

Sermon

David O. Bales

... to consider themselves in exile in the world in which they used to live as citizens. In any culture upon this planet Christians are exiles. This isn't our real home, and this physical world we exist in isn't the true source of our life, values, or hopes. We're heaven's colony at best, a group of God's aliens set in the middle of a hostile world, and we take our orders from somewhere beyond. Any loyalty we give to the world's insistent calls for our allegiance is provisional. If Christians feel all snuggly ...

4387. Yes, You

1 Peter 2:2-10

Sermon

David O. Bales

... : Headline: I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ITHeadline: I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT The congregation has recently raised $50,000 to help the Children's Community build their next dormitory. I hope that other congregations will do the same. The congregation has recently raised $50,000 to help the Children's Community build their next dormitory. I hope that other congregations will do the same. However, that isn't why I'm paying for this advertisement. I want to announce that I had nothing to do with the idea, the ...

4388. Righting Wrong

Romans 9:1-5

Sermon

Larry Lange

... families for the half-hour trip downtown to participate in programs with children who were not their schoolmates or friends. "Our church might be next," said those with fearful hearts. Jim saw hope in the new pastoral team who talked about discipleship and tithing and taking responsibility for the mission and ministry of the congregation. Jim saw hope that the church was changing and growing and becoming more than just a pretty place to stop by a couple times a year to hear a performance of the choir and ...

4389. Just a Crazy Story

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Larry Lange

... the sleepers out of his eyes, Zack found himself looking at the same Morgan Freeman guy who was in the movie. He had the mop and the bucket on wheels and everything. "And I was impressed that you were so quick to hope that I was with you when you heard my voice. I like that. Hope is important. And finally, Zachary, you have some very orthodox beliefs about me despite the fact that ostensibly, you want to have nothing to do with me." "Right," said Zack, "What I want is money...." "And babes," said God. "Yeah ...

4390. All in the Family

1 John 3:1-3

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... s family, if there are two parents, usually both work outside the home. Many families are blended, with children from previous relationships included. New Christians are given "a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:3). Being born again into the family of God is the source of hope and joy. We are called, named, and pronounced children of God, becoming members of one big family. In the Lord's Prayer, both of the words "Our" and "Father" indicate a relationship. We ...

4391. Legacies of Power

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... destroy, swift legs set new world records, but only the gospel has the power to redeem the lost. Only the message about the love of God visible in Christ can set the guilty free. Apart from proclaiming the magnificent power of God, there is no hope for keeping human arrogance and folly within bounds to save the foolish world or reckless individuals from self-destruction.1 The gospel of Christ embodies the greatest power on earth. Jesus' power is not the kind of power to which we are accustomed. Jesus' power ...

4392. Luke 14:1, 7-14

Luke 14:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... opponents were “watching him closely.” The verb “paratereo” is not neutral. It carries with it the inference of “hostile observation” (see Luke 6:7; 20:20; Acts 29:24). It seems that whatever else was on this banquet’s menu, these religious leaders were hoping to serve up roasted rabbi to the authorities. The lectionary text for this week skips the first incident at this dinner party, where Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath. That such a person was even present at this meal, posing a threat to ...

4393. A Man Named Useful

Philemon 1:8-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... a seed that’s been planted in your heart. You either hate and be angry or you forgive. I said I have to forgive.” (7) Paul sent a letter by way of a runaway slave. He was asking Philemon to give this man named Useful another chance. Did he? I hope so, and if there is someone to whom we need to give a second chance, I pray that we will be strong enough as well. 1. Oops, The Book of Blunders. 2. (Nashville, TN: Ideals Publications, 2006), p. 318. 3. http://www.stbarnabas‑sbnj.org/sermons/070304s.htm. 4 ...

4394. What’s In A Name?

Acts 11:19-30

Children's Sermon

Marti Kramer Suddarth

... so that they can look up the meanings of names and pick one with a meaning that they like. Around the time that the Pilgrims came to America, parents liked to name their daughters after characteristics that they hoped their daughters would develop. That’s why so many Pilgrims were named Charity, Hope, and Patience. Did you know that our last names mean something, too? Today, we usually take the same last name as our parents and many women still change their last names to their husbands’ last names when ...

4395. Heroes of Faith

Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... "girls" is something even more important. We all carry a mirror. And just like in Snow White, we look into that mirror and ask it, who we are. "Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest, bravest, smartest (you name it) of all?" When we look in that mirror, we hope to see a reflection of our heroes. We want to see with the eyes of the prophet and have the wisdom of Solomon, the faith of Abraham, the passion of Peter, the love of John, the list goes on. Unfortunately, what we see most of the time is the labels ...

4396. Living The Faith For Dummies

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... tower in sight, No bars. No "Can you hear me now?" Nothing. So, he sat in his cool car, which was now a hot car, dejected, hoping someone, anyone else would come along on this "so called" short cut. As luck would have it, he spotted the cloud of dust first. Coming ... there is so much crime. The disparity between the rich and the poor has widened to the point of there no longer being any hope for the poor. No wonder they look to drugs and alcohol. Not only does it numb for a moment, but both are quick ways ...

4397. LENT: The Passion of Christ: "Betrayed"

John 13:21-30; Matthew 26:14-16; 45-50

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... San Francisco and there carefully lettered on the pale green paint beside the mirror with a black pen, were the words: "Judas, come home; all is forgiven." He says he pondered that for a long time, wondering who it was who put the message there. Was it some father, hoping that a prodigal son would find his way into that obscure place and see the message and know that he was Judas, and realize that, despite the horror of what he had done to his father and his family, there was a way home? Or was it the boy ...

4398. LENT: The Passion of Christ: "Tempted"

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... what was expected of you. You knew your place in the scheme of things. And if you happened to forget, someone would help remind you. In this village, if you saw something you weren't supposed to, you learned to look the other way. If by chance your hopes had been disappointed, you learned never to ask for more. So through good times and bad, famine and heat, the villagers held fast to their traditions, until one winter day a sly wind blew in from the North. Chocolat is a movie told almost in a fairy tale ...

4399. Out Into The Deep Water

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Put out into the deep water" with Jesus, then everyday is a new day. Our God is a God of second chances and a God of hope. Our God is a God of endless Tomorrows through the promise of Eternal Life. But more importantly, that means that if we mess up, if ... time, if we've been on a losing streak that would make the worst NFL team in the world look like Super Bowl Champions, there's hope for us. Because with Jesus, when we "Put out into the deep water" with Jesus, we begin a brand new season, a brand new day. ...

4400. How's Your Serve?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... out his hand, and the young man tightly wrapped his fingers around it, squeezing a message of encouragement. The nurse brought a chair to the bedside and, all through the night, the young man sat there, holding the old man's hand, and offering gentle words of hope. The dying man said nothing. As dawn approached, the patient died. The young man gently placed on the bed the lifeless hand he had been holding. Then he went to notify the nurse. The nurse began to offer words of sympathy to the young man, but he ...

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