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 4401 to 4425 of 4986 results

4401. Singing with Lutherans

Humor Illustration

... are not Lutherans, ELCA is Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and LCMS is Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. When and where I grew up in Minnesota, intermarriage between the two was about as popular as Lutherans and Catholics marrying.) Lutherans feel guilty for not staying to clean up after their own wedding reception in the Fellowship Hall. Lutherans are willing to pay up to one dollar for a meal at church. Lutherans believe that it is OK to poke fun at themselves and never take themselves too seriously ...

4402. Mark 1:1-11

Mark 11:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Jerusalem. Jesus and his disciples approach Bethphage and Bethany, small villages some two miles outside of the city. Jesus directs two unnamed disciples to go into the village “opposite us” (“katenanti”). Since later Jesus appears to be staying in Bethany, this suggests that he is referring to Bethphage. Jesus’ instructions are highly detailed, clearly indicating that he has a specific plan and requirements for his final entrance into Jerusalem. Commentators argue over whether Jesus’ knowledge ...

4403. Will You Be an April Fool for Christ?

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

4404. The Pastoral Search Report

John 10:11-18

Illustration

James Kegel

... CEO type and fascinating preacher. Short on tact. So long-winded he has been known to preach all night. JESUS: Popular at times, but once his church grew to 5000 he managed to offend them all and his church dwindled to 12 people. Seldom stays in one place every long. And of course, he is single. JUDAS: His references are solid. A steady plodder and good money manager. Conservative and well-connected with the community and religious leaders. This is the candidate we recommend to the congregation..."

4405. Tough Love

Illustration

King Duncan

... again until the calf finally stands on its wobbly legs. And then what does the mother giraffe do? She kicks it off its feet! Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. "In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with the herd and avoid becoming a meal for lions, hyenas, leopards, and wild hunting dogs. The best way a mother giraffe has of ensuring that her calf lives is for her to teach it to ‘get up quickly and get with it.'" It makes me glad I'm not ...

4406. It's Not Easy Being a Court Reporter

Humor Illustration

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place. ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning? WITNESS: He said , 'Where am I, Cathy?' ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you? WITNESS: My name is Susan! ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at ...

4407. A Dog's Purpose

Illustration

Staff

... way I try and live. He said,' 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?'' The Six-year-old continued, ''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'' Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

4408. Luke 24:44-53

Luke 24:36-49

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... some tension as Jesus offers his last words. Jesus pledges that he is “sending” (“apostello”) that which the father has “promised” — the Holy Spirit. But it is a “not yet” event. This promise is joined to a final directive to the disciples — that they “stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” In other words, Jesus promises that a tremendous power is to be bestowed upon them, but for now these “witnesses” are to sit tight and do nothing but wait ...

4409. When A Clown Was Just Right

Mark 3:20-35

Illustration

William G. Carter

... . He kept going. He found the room, knocked on the door, and entered the room where a young girl in a hospital bed lay surrounded by her family. "We called for a minister, not a clown," said the father. The child replied, "He's better than a minister. Can he stay?" No one dared to deny her request. Bill sat on the edge of the hospital bed. He sang songs. He told Bible stories. He cradled the little girl in his arms until the end. When the last moment came, she made a final request. "Would you come to my ...

4410. The Awesome Power of a Mustard Seed (Father's Day)

Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... the Wooden Clogs.” This film portrays the plight of Italian peasants at the close of the nineteenth century. In one scene the village priest is shown talking with the parents of a 5-year-old boy. They are quite poor. The boy’s father wants the boy to stay at home, work around the farm and help support the family. The priest tells him the family must send the boy to school since God has given the boy the gift of intelligence. He explains that the potential of the whole world is wrapped up in that fuzzy ...

4411. Tied to the Shore

Mark 4:35-41

Illustration

Brian Stoffregen

Often, the alternative to risking the dangerous, stormy crossing, is to stay tied up on the shore. Unfortunately, that is the picture of many churches--a peaceful, restful club house on the shore rather than a boat following Jesus' command to take the fearful risk to cross the lake. We are often more willing to be safe than to answer Jesus' call ...

4412. Beneath the Three Trees

Mark 5:21-43

Illustration

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... the second day, they are beginning to lose heart when, near sunset, they see in the distance three very tall cottonwood trees. They rush toward the trees and see a little house. An old Mexican comes out of the house, greets them kindly, and asks them to stay the night. Inside the little house the man's young wife is stirring porridge by the fire. Her young son is beside her playing with a pet lamb. The family shares their supper with the priests, then gives them sheepskins to use for sleeping on the floor ...

4413. Adopted

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... chose you. We looked and searched and out of all the children we saw, we chose you. That’s how much we loved you from the first time we laid eyes on you.” It’s a special thing to be adopted. It’s like one young mother who stayed with her parents for several days after the birth of their first child. One afternoon she remarked to her mother that it was surprising that her baby had dark hair since both she and her husband are fair. Without thinking, her mother answered, “Well, your daddy has black ...

4414. Historical Background

Mark 6:14-29

Illustration

Scott Hozee

... Gaius Caligula banished Herod and Herodias to Gaul for the rest of their lives). As has too often been the case in history, the powers that be are content to regard religion as a kind of hobby that seems to satisfy certain needs people have. And so long as it stays in the realm of "hobby," religion and the people who practice it are left alone. But when the religious start to stray out of that designated realm, that's when things get ugly fast.

4415. Walls, Walls, Everywhere Walls

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... pastor writes, “My congregation was relieved of coping with Jimmy. I however, was deeply shaken. The church, where people like Jimmy should have been welcome, was no different from anywhere else. Serious questions were raised in that church about telling Jimmy to stay away. And what if others like him began to attend?” This pastor continues, “Didn’t Jesus come to be among the Jimmies? Didn’t Jesus extend hospitality to people who were otherwise outsiders? Didn’t he heal when he wasn’t supposed ...

4416. Thinking Metaphorically

John 6:25-59

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

... the storms of life," well, you'd be taken aback. Then again, if you met someone who constantly spouted self-referential metaphors, you'd have to wonder about him or her. We expect people to denote themselves by saying things like, "I am a plumber" or "I'm a stay-at-home Dad." But our eyes would widen if someone said, "I am the oil that lubes my company's machine" or "I am the antibody that shields my family from the virus of secularism." This is not a terribly typical mode of discourse. Yet Jesus, with some ...

4417. Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ”), he also pairs that emotion with another imperative: “Do not sin.” He further curtails that anger by placing a time limit on its existence with the proverbial “Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Carefully nursed anger, anger that stays the night, anger that takes up residence in the heart, offers a potential place (“topos”) for the devil to take up residence. The sacred space that is the community of faith must avoid offering the powers of darkness any foothold within their midst ...

4418. Don’t Burn The Cookies!

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... to shop! We have our "list" and feel relief in checking off each item: Christmas cards, buying and wrapping gifts, decorating the house, inviting friends over for dessert, attending company dinners, dashing through the snow! But remember, "Keep watch! Be careful! Be prepared, stay focused ... don't let those cookies burn!" In other words, "Don't burn yourself out rushing around like a reindeer with his head cut off!" The countdown to Christ's return began the day of his birth. An infant born in a Bethlehem ...

4419. Go, Johnny, Go, Go, Go!

Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... the one John told us would come — the Lamb of God, the Messiah — the Christ. John baptized him yesterday, and when we saw him today and heard what John said about him, we left John and followed him. He invited us to the place where he was staying. Simon, we spent the whole day with him. There's no question in my mind — the one they call Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah! Come and see for yourself." And he brought his brother to Jesus. But Andrew didn't have to do any introductions. Jesus simply ...

4420. Christmas Grass and Easter Tinsel

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... ? Just think of a jokester swapping traffic signs, making a stop a go and a go a stop. Whoa! What an impact that would have on drivers and vehicles. Our Christmas gospel tells us that when Joseph and Mary arrived at Bethlehem they could not find a place to stay. Someone must have had compassion on them, for we assume Mary gave birth in a stable. How do we know this is true? Check the story out in the Bible. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ...

4421. Tradition Can Be Changed

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... journey out the caravan stopped to strike camp. It was unusual for Jesus not to be there to help. They began to search for him, "Jesus, our son, Jesus, have you seen him?" He was nowhere to be found. The realization then hit them that he must have stayed behind in Jerusalem. "Why would he do that without telling us? Didn't he know we'd be worried?" Mary asked Joseph as they hurried back to the city to retrieve him. Nathan's parents' journey to the mall had been abruptly interrupted with the disappearance ...

4422. Love Walked Across the Field

Luke 4:14-21

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... parents. They loved Jimmy so much. They wanted him to know God loved him, too. Every Sunday they took him to church. One afternoon their pastor came to visit and said, 'Jimmy is very disruptive in church. Wouldn't it be better for everyone if Jimmy stayed home on Sunday mornings?' he suggested. Jimmy was being rejected because he just didn't fit in. After that visit, my parents stopped going to church. "That pastor left a few years later, and the church called another. As the new pastor was looking over the ...

4423. Bridge Builders

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... trees woven together. Before crossing it, the driver and his three companions got out of the car to inspect the bridge, perhaps too gracious a name for what stood before them. Since the bridge looked like it would not support the weight of the car, Deo was to stay with the vehicle, and the other three would walk the half mile to the pastor's house. As the trio turned to cross the bridge, they noticed an African waving at them. They waved back but didn't stop. As they neared the pastor's house they heard ...

4424. Hit Me with Your Best Shot

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... . In a way it doesn't seem fair. Jesus had shown he could be obedient even when it didn't suit his wishes. He seems to have been surprised, for instance, when at the age of twelve his folks had been so worried about the fact he'd stayed behind to discuss the scriptures with the priests in the temple rather than follow them home after Passover. But follow them home he did. The obedience of Jesus is also seen in his baptism. The humility he shows in descending into the water is rewarded with a pronouncement ...

4425. Low-Carb Christians

John 21:1-19

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... today's passage, the disciples seem to be still struggling, despite the overwhelmingly wonderful experience of the resurrection. Just as we can't get stuck in fad diets and we need to learn how to eat in the real world, so in our spiritual lives we can't stay on the mountaintop but have to learn how to cherish Jesus in our everyday lives. The disciples have gone back to work and work isn't going well. After coming up empty all night they must be exhausted, and that's when this stranger tries to tell them ...

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