Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4376 to 4400 of 4972 results

4376. Counting the Cost

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... ’s speech on discipleship. "He turned and said to them." The disciples did not have to look at Jesus’ back when he was speaking to them. He turned so that they could look up into his face. So it is today. He does not merely walk before us and leave us to struggle on our own to keep pace with him. He turns his face to us and lets us draw upon the resources of personal fellowship with him. And when we look into the face of Jesus, what would otherwise be impossible becomes possible. "Without me," he says ...

4377. The Word of the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... . The cross is an instrument of death. It belongs in the same category as the gallows, the electric chair, the gas chamber. But here is no attempt to kill swiftly and painlessly. To take a bruised body, stretch it on a wooden cross, drive in nails, leave it there to suffer - what infernal genius man can show in his inhumanity to man! We have made progress in many ways. We have the means for making life pleasant and comfortable, but when man’s heart remains unchanged, when selfishness, hate, and lust are ...

4378. Easter People

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... ." To Easter people the philosopher’s "perhaps" is "This is most certainly true." God does not lead us to an ever richer and fuller life only in the end to chuck us to rot in a hole in the ground. In the words of the poet Tennyson, "Thou wilt not leave us in the dust, Thou madest man, he knows not why. He thinks he was not made to die, And Thou hast made him, Thou art just." The righteous and loving God who put the craving for eternity into the hearts of his children does not mock our highest hope ...

4379. The Exalted Christ

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... man to walk in space, a conservative religious publication in our country published an editorial saying, "This Russian was not the first one to walk through space. This occurred two thousand years ago when Christ ascended to heaven." Such an interpretation of the Ascension leaves thinking modern men cold. Science has given us a view of the world quite different from the cozy little three-story universe of ancient times, according to which beneath our earth is an underworld of the dead, on top of it a flat ...

4380. How Life’s Pressures Affect Good Judgment

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Brett Blair

... I hardly know who I am any more. There are so many points of view in my congregation, I can't please them all. Everyone wants to capture me for his camp and get me to shape the church around his convictions. The pressure makes me want to leave the ministry." All of these persons have one thing in common. They are being pressured by other people. We all, at one time or another, experience people-pressure. The question is how will it effect our judgment? That is the question Herod faced. After making an oath ...

4381. A New Perspective

Deuteronomy 7:1-26

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... . This is called grace. God accepts us, even though we are unacceptable; he loves us even though we are unlovable. And that grace is fulfilled when we accept his acceptance, even though we are unacceptable; when we love his loving us, even though we are unlovable. This leaves us with the question of how. How does this happen? How does a person experience this shift of orientation? How does a person find a new frame of reference? How does a person fall in love? How does he become a believer? We don’t know ...

4382. The Gifts of the Left Hand

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... religion failed him. He may have enjoyed the order and the ardor of separating people into sheep and goats, but when the woman came in with her alabaster jar, it got his goat. And yet more deeply, Jesus accepted his "goat" side. He did not take the woman and leave in a huff, but taught Simon a riddle. He accepted Simon’s weak side and invited him to the completeness he was missing. And that’s what I hope our thinking about the left hand can do - invite us to pay attention to our weak side and look for ...

4383. Like Trees Walking

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... man to man and man to God. It was God who commanded that we love him and each other without reservation, and it was Jesus who showed us the way and it is the Holy Spirit who guides us when we are ready. What then can we do when we leave this church this morning to test our sight and take the first steps toward improving our ability to see and hence to feel, that we may pursue the Christian way and not avoid it? 1) Look at the person nearest you and see whether he or she looks like a ...

4384. The Flow of Life

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... her strength and grew in what were new and meaningful ways. No matter how much she wanted that growth, she could not force it. It came as she worked at it patiently, and as she allowed it to happen. As she left the hospital she decided to leave her discovery as a reminder to those who would follow, other patients as well as professional staff members. We all needed reminding that human growth does take time. In the New Testament passage we read, Jesus tells us not to be anxious. He is not saying that ...

4385. In Praise of Feeling Guilty

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... ’s morally good or bad." Cathy: "No ethics? No morals?" Walter: "There are no rules anymore, Cathy. You can’t worry about breaking rules because there aren’t any rules!" Cathy: "No rules." Walter: "No right. No wrong. No ethics. No morals. No rules." Cathy: "This leaves me with only one question, Walter. Where does all the guilt come from?" In looking at this, we will consider some questions: 1) How did it go out of style? 2) Cathy’s question: Where does all the guilt come from? 3) How do we defend ...

4386. The Shadow Ascending

John 21:15-25

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... most is to gain, through information or counseling, the integrity and self-respect to take care of herself first. She must see it is actually as non-moral to act in a way that enhances her husband’s idea that he can play god as it is to leave behind someone who seems ill and in need. All of this is very difficult for everyone concerned. It does not happen often. The merry-go-round continues to spin. Conclusion: What Can We All Learn? I would like to end by briefly summarizing the alcoholic predicament in ...

4387. A Lack of Feeding in the American Dream

Romans 6:1-14

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... Parkes says our understanding of the supplies provided by love relationships is still scanty, they are in a real sense the psychological equivalents of food and drink. People are necessary to people, and the loss of a loved husband, wife, or child leaves behind a gap, an emptiness. And the gap or lack of nourishment becomes filled in in part by feelings of loneliness, poverty, rolelessness, sexual frustration, and the absence of security that comes from not being able to share responsibilities with another ...

4388. The Courage to Be Me

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... you might be speaking the truth in love. But if this were the only kind of misunderstanding, many of us could be courageous in the face of it. Some misunderstanding can be handled by shaking the dust from our feet. But we cannot so easily leave behind those who are close to us - those whom we love. Stephen Neill, in his penetrating book, A Genuinely Human Existence, advises youth to rebel as courteously as possible, but if the cost of liberation from one’s family is misunderstanding, then this price must ...

4389. No Fifth Wheels in God’s Economy

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... said, "are made eunuchs, (that is, are quite able to function without direct sexual relationships) for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. He who is able to RECEIVE this, let him receive it." There is a lot more in the text I would like to explore, but I will leave it, simply noting that Jesus called singleness a gift. Paul uses that same word, "gift," in 1 Corinthians 7:7. "I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that. But ...

4390. Bringing the Gospel to Marriage

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... which the man could write against his wife. There was no such provision for the wife. Jesus’ response began,: "For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one. So they are no longer two but one. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder." Mark 10:5-9: Here Jesus is pointing up God’s creative ...

4391. The Family Was God’s Idea

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... crying out in wrath at his tormenters, looked down and saw his mother there and the anguish on her face, and said to John, his beloved disciple, "Behold thy mother." And to his mother, "Behold thy son," passing on to John the responsibility that he as a son was leaving. Jesus was clarifying the fact, I think, that the real tie that makes a family is not blood, but faith, the common love of God, of the truth, of ideals. To see this vindicated, I think we need only to look at the adopted child. Every once in ...

4392. Jerusalem, Emmaus and the Meaning of Life

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... . "Ought not the Christ to have suffered." "Ought not these men to have suffered?" Christ himself, his person, his life is so beautifully rich in its rhythms, its marked contrasts of hope, despair, and hope again. "Father, I do not want to die." "I will not leave you orphans ... I will send my spirit." Indeed his life was a journey into his identity, that he was the Christ, ordained by the Father - to live, to discover, and create, to tend as a shepherd, to preach with a two-edged sword, to fish, break ...

4393. Backsliding

John 6:60-71

Sermon

Brett Blair

... dreamed of winning but never did. Where did this boy learn such love and faithfulness to family? He learned it from his father who gave up his chance at Olympic gold for a woman he loved and a boy soon to be born. Jesus said, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. You are the Holy One of God.” To whom shall we go? Amen.

4394. Creeds or Deeds

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Brett Blair

... live according to the traditions of God and clean your hearts?” What mistake did these Pharisees make? What is Jesus trying to convey, not only to them, but to us as well. For you see, it is just as easy for us to fall into a good habit and leave behind a good heart. What is Jesus’ warning to us? I Jesus is warning us not to prefer creeds to deeds. I like the story about Queen Victoria who was at a diplomatic reception in London. The guest of honor was an African chieftain. All went well during the meal ...

4395. Preconceived Ideas

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Brett Blair

... . And whatever can be said of it, it’s not a new concept. When Jesus was in the Wilderness it was Satan who tempted him by saying: “Jump off this cliff.” Come on, be a hero Jesus. People love a good stunt; pull a miracle out of your bag to leave the people in awe. No, it’s not a new idea. But Jesus rejected it then as he does now. Secondly, others say that the Messiah is a judge. They believe that Jesus came into the world as condemner and convictor. Well, this is certainly not a new idea either ...

4396. The Measure of Greatness

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

Brett Blair

... desire to be great. We have a desire to be the best at what we do. To excel. No one wants to be no one. But what is it, that measure of greatness that will get us there? And how can we recognize it when we see it? Let’s leave this question for a few moments and look at or second point. II Greatness is never about self-promotion. One day Jesus is walking with his disciples and as they walk they talk among themselves. At the time they did not realize that he overheard them, but he clearly did ...

4397. Work Clothes

James 2:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

... . Leader: Faith wearing work clothes lives. People: So let our faith respond to the associate who has been unable to find work after downsizing. Leader: Faith wearing work clothes lives. People: So let our faith respond to the mother who finally dares to leave an abusive spouse. Leader: Faith wearing work clothes lives. People: So let our faith respond to the elder who is considering suicide. All: Let us put on the work clothes of our faith. Collect We gather together wearing fancy clothes and plain ones ...

4398. A Sad Heart

1 Samuel 1:1-20

Bulletin Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

... until we find the words to tell you what we need to say. Teach us to pray, God, trusting that you are listening with the same intensity as we are praying. Through the Spirit of Christ. Amen. Hymns "Prayer Is The Soul's Sincere Desire" "Sweet Hour Of Prayer" "I Leave All Things To God's Direction"

4399. Mary's Acceptance

Luke 1:26-38

Bulletin Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

... , with the nearness of God in an angel's words, Mary came to terms with her future. When she could say, "Here I am, God," the angel knew she would be all right and departed. We come to this place filled with questions of "How can this be?" We leave mysteriously heartened that it is all right to give ourselves over to God's plans for a future and a hope. Collect Lead us, Holy Parent, from questions to acceptance. Move us forward beyond fear to expectation as it dawns upon us that we are an important part of ...

4400. Called By A New Name

Isaiah 62:1-12, Isaiah 61:1-11

Bulletin Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

... let us renew our own sense of empowerment. As members of your spiritual family, let us carry forth the songs of Christmas into the silent chasms of human misunderstanding. For the sake of Jesus. Amen. Prayer of Confession In the midst of winter's constraints, embolden our hearts to leave behind what separates us from you and from each other, O God, so we might spring toward the right attitudes and the just actions of being part of your family. Amen. Hymns Christmas songs and hymns your congregation loves.

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