Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4401 to 4425 of 4972 results

4401. The Lord's Song in a Foreign Land

Psalm 137:1-9

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... lines, its sometimes simplistic patriotism and glib God-talk. You can summarize a lot of it by the theme: "My mom died, my dog died, my truck died and my wife left me." But the first time I heard Toby Keith's song in response to 9/11, it literally stopped me in my tracks. I really did feel like I was in a foreign land: Uncle Sam's got you on the top of his list, And the Statue of Liberty is raising her fist. It'll be hell with the ringin' of that bell; It's gonna feel like ...

4402. Where Earth and Heaven Meet

John 1:14

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... that was so flat. Late on a Sunday afternoon, before the service began, I walked outside the church, right into a downtown intersection in the heart of Lubbuck's business district. Traffic had pretty well thinned out, and as I started to cross the street, I stopped right in the middle of the intersection and realized I could see all the way to the horizon. And as I turned and looked in all four directions, I thought I could see where earth and heaven actually met. Of course, the great news of tonight ...

4403. Zechariah II: Thy Prayer is Heard

Luke 1:5-25

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... "space chums," those extraterrestrial visitors who are of course invisible to everyone except her. She is trying to explain the mystery of life and to help the space chums experience goose bumps. She decides to take them to a play and she says, "On the way to the play, we stopped to look at the stars. And as usual, I felt in awe. And then I felt even deeper in awe at this capacity we have to be in awe about something. Then I became even more awestruck at the thought that I was, in some small way, a part of ...

4404. Why Not Now?

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... in my life. Because of you, I am changed in ways that cannot be undone. Thank you all, and may God continue to bless this church. Well, when the Ethiopian heard the story, he responded, "What is to keep me from accepting Christ right here and now? What's to stop me from becoming a believer? What's to prevent me from being baptized and giving my life to Christ today? Why not now?" And that is the question I want to lift out of the story and lift up before us today: WHY NOT NOW? In a world which is ...

4405. The Church of Your Dreams

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... view. It's worth going to church, regardless of the quality of the sermon. Ned Edwards was the pastor when the church was built. During the summer the church opened, Ned said: This summer I have spent at least one or two hours every day guiding people who stop to see this wonderful church building. One man said to me, "With all this glass, the high ceiling and beautiful view, is this the church you always dreamed of?" I almost said "yes," but I knew it wasn't true. I said, "This is the church I dreamed ...

4406. The Revelation Code V: Cruisin' Toward the Dream

Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... -fated love, intrigue and some modest villainy. There is the powerful moment of sorrow when Claudio believes his beloved Hero is dead, and he weeps at her tomb. But then the bad guys are led away, Hero is found to be alive, Benedict and Beatrice stop their bickering and fall madly in love, and the movie ends with this glorious double wedding. The music rings, laughter fills the halls, and everyone dances for joy through the gardens of Tuscany with flower petals streaming down. That's John's final vision of ...

4407. Yet Alive....Are We?

Romans 12:1-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... a Methodist?" A Methodist is a person who has the love of God in his heart. Inscribed indelibly on the Methodist's heart is the truth that "he who loves God, loves his brother also." His heart is full of love for everyone. This love does not stop with the person's intimate acquaintances, but extends to all of mankind. Even those who hate Methodists receive love in return. Then one of Wesley's most familiar quotations: And so I beg you, let all true Christians remain united. Is your heart right as my heart ...

4408. A Matter Of The Heart

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... for comfort, actually. For my twin brother, Jim, the diagnosis came as a bit of a shock, though he says he should have seen the signs coming: ...on the morning he was jogging on the Tampa Bay boulevard and had to sit down at a bus stop because he couldn't catch his breath ...in the unusual heartbeat which he simply blamed on too much coffee ...finally, at the meeting with the cardiologist who said, "To the hospital immediately, don't pass go, don't collect $200!" And the diagnosis…cardiomyopathy, a hard ...

4409. Worship Like A Wesley

Philippians 4:4-9

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... earth abroad, the wonders of Christ's name."Actually, there was a common expression back then. When the weather was really bad, they would say: "It's so bad that no one is out except the crows and the Methodist preachers." Nothing could stop their passion to spread the Word and their willingness to break with tradition and create new ways of worship. There is no better example of this than the Methodist camp meeting of the 1800s. One historian called them the great "prolonged outdoor extravaganzas," perhaps ...

4410. Whose Side Are You On?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... windows. One rather stout lady became wedged in a pew and began to scream in terror. The young Duke student in the blue devil’s costume, embarrassed over the trouble he was causing, rushed toward her to help her. As she saw him advancing, she raised her hand and said, “Stop! Devil. Don’t you come any farther. I want you to know that I have been a member of this church for 25 years‑‑but I’ve been on your side all the time!” I want to ask you today, whose side are you on? Could Jesus say to any ...

4411. Resolving Fights

Matthew 18:15-20

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A referee’s whistle. Boys and girls, I have with me this whistle (blow on the whistle). This is the kind of whistle a referee would use to stop play in a ball game. I’ll bet sometimes your mother would like to have a whistle to blow if you have brothers or sisters in your home together not just because you’re noisy, but because brothers and sisters sometimes fight with each other. Do you know of any ...

4412. Thanksgiving and Thanksliving

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... way out! 3. A truly grateful person spontaneously desires to share. Ideally, in the hearts and minds of Christians is an unending flow of "great thanksgivings." This is seen so distinctly in the writings of the Apostle Paul. It seems as though he can't stop giving thanks, especially for what he has found in Jesus the Christ. He overflows with expressions that inspire us, as well as other readers for centuries. He does so, even though clouds of imprisonment and shipwreck hang over him. He is the "Apostle of ...

4413. Taking the Long View

2 Peter 3:8-15a

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... does. Body 1. Our God is before the beginning and after the ending. As this soaks into our limited brains, we begin to have — at least — a clue to his bigness and our littleness. After all, aren't we supposed to do our measuring in starting and stopping points? To view life, especially cherished projects, in any other way is to ask for trouble. The boss sets goals and limits. We had better abide by them or, sooner or later, get fired. It really isn't going to help much to plead our case by maintaining ...

4414. Apostolic Instruction

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... in God's sight. The Christian life requires flesh-and-blood living. Anything less reduces it to propositions that give enjoyable moments of mental gymnastics but little in pulsating behavior that elevates the Christ. There is an enormous and crucial difference between Christianity that stops in attitude with Good Friday and one that celebrates the Resurrection and all that follows. Our dear Lord is the chef and Saint Paul is the waiter. Taste and see that is good! 3. It is in the give and take of living ...

4415. Secret Revealed

Romans 16:25-27

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... nature has a way of enjoying secrets and naturally wants exposures to occur. We are fascinated by the possibility of something or someone being revealed. In this case it is far more than fascinating. It is thrilling beyond adequate words to depict. History seems to stop! Our faith is deeply enriched by accepting and believing the revealed secret is for all of humankind. While it is "my gospel," as the apostle says, it is also a universal and one-of-a-kind happening that he simply attests to. But we would ...

4416. Precious and Privileged Children

Galatians 4:4-7

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... God-intoxicated. To be drunk with the Spirit of which Saint Paul is speaking is one of ecstasy, elation, and elevation. We learn in a sublime way that our spiritual success is, indeed, brought about by our full dependency. A man was asked why he couldn't stop weeping with joy. He said quickly that he had gotten too close to God and was now receiving the aftermath. Thomas Merton knew about this as he penned his many books. For some saints, every day is Pentecost. We have all heard at sometime or another that ...

4417. Plea for Discipline

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... slippage in our life in Christ. We have to be recuperated and refreshed but there are right and wholesome ways of this occurring. It can't be done by breaking the Ten Commandments, just to test their validity! Vacations are not vacations from God. We can't stop running the race and then take up where we left off two or three weeks earlier. When we do our observations of others and ourselves, don't we usually find the erosion is little by little? The monster who desires our soul is generally a timid little ...

4418. Parades and Crosses — The Challenge of Ministry

2 Corinthians 4:5-12

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... television commercial. In elementary school he was always liked by his teachers, although with his healthy, all boy personality, he steadfastly avoided giving any appearance of being a teacher's pet. He knew the turbulence of the teenage years, but that didn't stop him from excellence in that rare combination of athletics and academics. In a way, he was the kind of son every parent dreams of. He was bright, but not conceited; handsome, but not stuck on himself; well-groomed, but not fastidious; polite, but ...

4419. Are You a Taker or a Giver?

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... now to the children of affluence who were the focus of our attention at the beginning. Why to the children? Because the life of taking is typical of the childish life. The childish life is one that starts sucking at the breast and then never stops sucking at the resources of society and the economy without ever giving back. The childish life is insistent, demanding, highly expectant, self-centered, greedy, ready always to take and take and take with no sense of responsibility to give and give and give. The ...

4420. Modeling a Necessary Future

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... of a common humanity, united on a common planet for peace, productivity, and hope. The writer of the text calls upon the church to be the model of a necessary future, because we are all in this together, and not one of us gets out of here without a stop at the cemetery. I In modeling a necessary future, the church needs to continue to do as Christ did — to break down the walls of hostility between people. In Paul's day, the walls of hostility were very real between Jew and Gentile. In the eyes of many ...

4421. In Solidarity with Jesus

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... looked at the ragman somewhat with disdain. Yet, there was something in what he said or how he said it that attracted her. She took the bandage from her head and replaced it with the fresh one given her. As she placed the bandage on her head, the blood flow stopped. No longer was her face tortured with pain. When the ragman placed the old bandage on his head, he began to bleed in the same place the woman had been injured. His face took on the look of one in pain. I continued to wonder at what I saw. And ...

4422. Our Ultimate Destination

Revelation 21:1-6a

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... food, shelter, and human justice that any hope for a better world fades in the mists of despair and cynicism. Throughout life's journey it is the vision of our destination that determines our course and direction, and either prods us to keep moving onward or stops us in our tracks. If we can imagine nothing better than the temporary comforts of the inn, we will build our future there. If we fear the uncertainties and dangers lurking beyond the horizon, we will lodge amidst the safe and familiar. But, if we ...

4423. Our Prayers Are Our Thanksgiving

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... memorized these words as part of our morning classroom ritual in elementary school? Probably most folks gathered here. Some of us still recite this pledge within a civic group, or the volunteer fire department, or some other public gathering. On occasion, a few even stop to reflect upon what we are actually promising when we speak these words. Mostly, however, they are just part of our public life — a civic tie that binds. At least this was the case until the last couple years, anyway. Recently, the flag ...

4424. Nothing To Do With Me

Mark 1:21-28

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... pray in your name of glory. Amen. Prayer Of Confession What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God. Quit drawing me away from my pale passions, and from my meditations on mediocrities. Stop pulling me back from the edge of the cliff. Leave me alone, Lord, before you change me forever! Or else, have thine own way. Amen. Hymns Praise To The Lord, The Almighty Seek Ye First Have Thine Own Way

4425. We’ve Never Seen Anything Like This!

Mark 2:1-12

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... people we get along with. When it comes to our young adults, our seniors, our working people, our single parents, our teens, our toddlers, our gifted, our struggling, our challenged, our challengers, we're not sure. Amen, God! Work with those we admire, but not too often or we'll stop admiring them. Amen, God! Amen! Hymns We Gather Together Breathe Upon Us Holy Spirit God Be With You

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