Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4451 to 4475 of 4972 results

4451. Being Good ... for Nothing

Job 23:1-9, 16-17

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... worked her way up to store manager. Devoting herself totally to the company, she believed that it was only a matter of time until she became district manager. Danielle's dreams were coming true, until one day life became a nightmare. The area manager stopped by her store and talked with her using words such as "restructuring, downsizing, and streamlining." Danielle was let go, and became very depressed. Because she had not been accustomed to calling on God, she had no idea even how to begin. Then there are ...

4452. From Silence to Sight

Job 42:1-6, Job 42:7-17

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... t seem to unload that Old Maid card, no matter what you do. The game of life goes on in spite of crooked dealers and stacked decks. Although we may not be responsible for the cards in our hand, we are accountable for the way we play them. We must stop complaining about our bad hand and play the game, trusting God, who promises that each believer will have a winning hand in the end.1 God does not cause us to suffer, but is right there suffering with us. Instead of, "How can God let evil happen to good people ...

4453. Tasting the Gruel of Love

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... to be buried in his town. Saunders knew that Oswald’s mother was a Lutheran, so he worked the phones and arranged for two Lutheran ministers he knew to conduct the service. Everything was put in place and, when the day arrived, Saunders stopped by the cemetery to observe. “When he got there, Saunders discovered that the ministers had backed out; they objected to the open-air ceremony, fearing they would be exposed to potential snipers. The small, forlorn, and impoverished Oswald family asked Saunders to ...

4454. Defining Love

Matthew 22:34-46

Illustration

Frank G. Adams

... left him alone all day." Tommy, age 6, says: "Love is like a little old man and a little old woman who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Bobby, age 5, says: "Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Jenny, age 7, says: "There are two kinds of love. God's love. Our love. But God makes both kinds." That last answer is worthy of a philosopher. Maybe we should listen to children more than we do. They see the world around them with clear ...

4455. Taking Christ’s Love into the World

Matthew 22:34-40

Illustration

King Duncan

... boy however was more receptive. He went on to college. Eventually he went to medical school and became a surgeon, an eye surgeon. The late Bishop Everett Palmer wrote of this surgeon, "I wonder if he ever performs one of those delicate operations without stopping to think of that night in the YMCA and of a young man, who later became Bishop Donald Tippet of the San Francisco area, whose confidence changed his life." There is something life changing about that kind of love. Who could help but be touched ...

4456. Hope in a Dark Spot

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

In the novel and movie The Shawshank Redemption, a lifelong convict nicknamed Red, keeps telling his fellow prisoner, Andy, to stop talking about hope since in prison, hope is a dangerous thing. It's better to live without hope than to have a hope that will torment you by virtue of it's not being fulfilled. But then at one point in the story Andy barricades himself in the warden's ...

4457. Love Is Something You Learn

Mt 22:34-46

Illustration

King Duncan

... tender little hands and said almost in a whisper, "Mommy, I'm in your eyes." He had seen his own reflection in his mother's eyes, and this strangely affected him. Mother and son stayed in that same position for several long moments as the rocking stopped and the room grew quiet. "And I'm in yours," his mother said. Then he leaned his head against her contentedly, and she resumed rocking and singing. Occasionally, in the days that followed, Boyd would check to see if his discovery was lasting. "Am I still ...

4458. The First Duty of Love Is to Listen

1 Cor 13

Illustration

Edmund L. Hoener

... studying things like relationships or some other area of life, then we are prone to putting most of our energy into having the answers, and then, maybe giving advice. But listening requires making a personal connection to someone else. Listening requires opening ourselves and stopping long enough to really see and hear what's going on within us, and around us. Listening requires us to shelve our answers. When we refuse to listen, we put all our energies into remaking the world in our own image. But when we ...

4459. Our Greatest Enemy

Illustration

Richard Rohr

The greatest enemy of faith is not doubt; the greatest enemy of faith is fear. Most of the world is controlled by fear, petty and big. Petty fears control people; great fears control nations. We could feed all the people in this world if we would stop building arms, but we are afraid. In the Beatitudes (Sermon on the Mount) Jesus said, "Those of you who make peace will he happy. You will be God's own." Yet even Christians are preoccupied with fear and protecting ourselves because we don't believe what ...

4460. Somebody Should Have Helped

Matthew 25:14-30

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

The worst nightmare of every mother happened to a Memphis woman a few years ago. A woman named Anita was stopped for a traffic light at the corner of Highland and Southern. Suddenly a stranger opened the passenger door of her car, grabbed her 2-month- old baby, and ran. Anita's instincts took over. She slammed that car into park, jumped out, and ran after the man. A terrified mother ...

4461. Surprised Saints

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... coal that is spilled on the tracks when the early morning train runs through town.” “But there hasn’t been a steam locomotive using coal on these tracks for years,” replied the new resident. “That’s right,” said the store owner. “When the steam train stopped running, old Mr. Simpson who runs the hardware store was concerned that the Widow Jacobs would no longer have coal to heat and cook with. He knew she was too proud to take charity, so he decided to get up early every morning, take a bag ...

4462. Why Do You Wear that Battered Cloak?

Matthew 25:31-46

Illustration

Don Schwager

When a young 4th century Roman soldier and seeker of the Christian faith by the name of Martin of Tours met an unclothed man begging for alms in the freezing cold, he stopped and cut his coat in two and gave half to the stranger. That night he dreamt he saw the heavenly court with Jesus robed in a torn cloak. One of the angels present asked, "Master, why do you wear that battered cloak?" Jesus replied, "My servant Martin gave it to ...

4463. You Must Watch!

Mark 13:32-37

Illustration

Mickey Anders

... bundles of the cut corn, and placing each bundle on one of the bands left by the boys. The fourth worker, following the others, was making each bundle into a sheaf by twisting the band tightly round it and tucking in the end. At half-past ten, they stopped for a lunch break. They sat down and opened their lunch packets which contained sandwiches of home-fed cold bacon. The boy looked at his food as it lay open on a cloth. He had been converted the night before at a chapel meeting, so he clasped his ...

4464. Above the Noise

Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-6; Matthew 3:1-12

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

... The defiant figure held up another sign which said simply, "NOISE." That experience reminds of a Salvation Army lassie who was informed by a policeman that a local ordinance would prevent her from ringing her bells to invite contributions. But such a crude law could not stop such an inventive woman. The next day she did a brisker business than ever as she waved one sign and then another in the air. The signs said "ding" and "dong." There is so much noise in the world, especially in these days that lead up ...

4465. In the Wrong Place?

Mark 1:1-8

Illustration

King Duncan

... invited to preach at a nearby country church he had never been to before. As he set out he was uncertain which road to take since most rural roads are not clearly marked and the directions he had been given left something to be desired. He stopped to ask directions along the way. The person he asked tried, but mistakenly steered him down the wrong road. The morning was pleasant and although the road seemed a little longer than the pastor had expected, he cheerfully continued on his way. Finally he arrived ...

4466. Heresies of the Heart

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the truth. The notion that "all's well that means well" has got to be put to rest. All's well that does well. Remember the nursery rhyme "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall"? That was his first mistake. That is the mistake of too many Christians. We must stop sitting on walls and meaning well. We've got to get off the wall and begin doing well. "That's just the way I am." Well - should you be? God requires more than sincerism. Sometimes open heart surgery is required to rid ourselves of these heresies of the heart ...

4467. Miss Manners and Mr. Goodwrench

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and fork properly, yes, but it's more important to know how to talk to someone whose child is in prison for dealing drugs. It's helpful if you have the reputation for being an expert on protocol, but it's even more helpful if you are able to stop a person from being falsely maligned. It's attractive for you to dress appropriately for social functions, but it's even more attractive for you to make someone who feels really down to feel up again." (9-10) For to be truly present to another person is more than ...

4468. Seeing the Elephant/Hearing the Owl

2 Samuel 18:24-33

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 's soldiers defeated King Porus' elephant-borne troops in the IndusValley. Gerald Conti,"Seeing the Elephant,"Civil War Times Illustrated, (33 June 1984), 19. Today some of our "elephants" and "owls" are not quite so dramatically physical, but they are just as capable of stopping us dead in our tracks. How many people struggling to make their lives better have been trapped by the irony that you can't get a job without experience and yet you can't get experience without a job? How many addicts (to alcohol ...

4469. Are You a Crazy Dog?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in most countries, and suspects that it ought to be the other way around, as it almost is in Italy" (27). "Upside-down thinking is like brainstorming. It is easy to think of violent objections to every idea. It is easy but unwise. It is unwise because that will stop the idea in its tracks, before it has had a chance to stretch itself to get nudged into shape and, perhaps, to speak other and better ideas. It is easy to listen to a new idea and say 'Why?' It is more exciting to listen and say, 'Why not ...

4470. When You Think You're Finished, That's When God Starts

Jeremiah 31:7-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... -help groups is any indication, it appears that we have become fascinated by and fixated on defining and exposing the weakened, painful, crippled portions of our lives. We have self-help groups for overeaters and anorexics, for abusers and the abused, for those who cannot stop going to the mall and for those who can no longer make themselves go out of the house (agoraphobia). In short, there are literally thousands of groups eager to help us identify the pain that smarts most in our lives whether it be the ...

4471. Tweed Jackets, Sweat Pants and Wet Suits

Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the next morning." This is what happens when we exclusively wear inherited clothing and not clothing that is fitted to our time and clime. A growing soul and a complex world demand that we sometimes change our spiritual clothes. "Let us then stop discussion of the rudiments of Christianity," Hebrews 6:1 says. "Instead let us advance towards maturity."Or, in modern parlance, "For heaven's sake, grow up!" Sweat Pants: The sweat pants period of faith illustrates the believers' attempt to exercise their faith ...

4472. Gutsy Joy

Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 5-6, 8-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... inadequacy. As obedient, worshipful, worthy human beings they are clearly half-empty. The conflictive forces of daily life are always threatening to drain away ever more of their integrity and faithfulness. But this is only half the message. The interpretation cannot stop here. Nehemiah and Ezra step in, overriding the Levites' topical translation and interpretation to direct the people's attention to the greater truth that stands behind God's law. The bigger picture is of a day made holy by the Lord ...

4473. Aged to Perfection - The Third Age

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . But to wish aging on someone is not a curse, it is a blessing. Youth may be a gift of nature, but age is a mark of art. We do everything we can to escape the reality of life, of aging, and to fool ourselves that we can stop the process, or even reverse it. An alternative title to this sermon comes from a poem by Leona Will Caldwell, of Lakeland, Florida. It is entitled "May It Happen to You:" Old age is cherished in ancient castle, antique furniture, heirloom silver, weathered covered bridges, aged Swiss ...

4474. Unum Humanum

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... faith is faith in everything, and therefore, faith in nothing. One of the most powerful Jungian images is of the one family tree where we all finally unite. But the one tree without the many dissimilar branches is but a stump. It is time we stopped trying to make people just like we are and started encouraging them to be just like God made them. We must celebrate differences, not just sameness. When the jailor from our story in Acts 16 responded to the witness of oneness so powerfully performed by ...

4475. No Excuses

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... grace and plunging into the responsibilities of discipleship will only result in making us more capable of dealing with family crises that come our way. The road of discipleship is not littered with dumpsites for our family responsibilities, but rather punctuated with pit stops to refresh us and renew our love and commitment to those who depend on us. The final inquirer after discipleship also dredges up his family as an excuse to buy time before taking any decisive action. In the case of this man, however ...

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Showing 4451 to 4475 of 4972 results

4451. Being Good ... for Nothing

Job 23:1-9, 16-17

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

4452. From Silence to Sight

Job 42:1-6, Job 42:7-17

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

4453. Tasting the Gruel of Love

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

King Duncan

4454. Defining Love

Matthew 22:34-46

Illustration

Frank G. Adams

4455. Taking Christ’s Love into the World

Matthew 22:34-40

Illustration

King Duncan

4456. Hope in a Dark Spot

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

4457. Love Is Something You Learn

Mt 22:34-46

Illustration

King Duncan

4458. The First Duty of Love Is to Listen

1 Cor 13

Illustration

Edmund L. Hoener

4459. Our Greatest Enemy

Illustration

Richard Rohr

4460. Somebody Should Have Helped

Matthew 25:14-30

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

4461. Surprised Saints

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

King Duncan

4462. Why Do You Wear that Battered Cloak?

Matthew 25:31-46

Illustration

Don Schwager

4463. You Must Watch!

Mark 13:32-37

Illustration

Mickey Anders

4464. Above the Noise

Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-6; Matthew 3:1-12

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

4465. In the Wrong Place?

Mark 1:1-8

Illustration

King Duncan

4466. Heresies of the Heart

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

4467. Miss Manners and Mr. Goodwrench

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

4468. Seeing the Elephant/Hearing the Owl

2 Samuel 18:24-33

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

4469. Are You a Crazy Dog?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

4470. When You Think You're Finished, That's When God Starts

Jeremiah 31:7-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

4471. Tweed Jackets, Sweat Pants and Wet Suits

Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

4472. Gutsy Joy

Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 5-6, 8-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

4473. Aged to Perfection - The Third Age

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

4474. Unum Humanum

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

4475. No Excuses

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

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