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 426 to 450 of 4937 results

426. Giving Up Control

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Ron Lavin

There are two stories in John 6:1-21 -- the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water during a storm on the Sea of Galilee. These two stories answer two important questions. First, when does 5 + 2 x 1 = 12? Mathematically, never. But in the story of the feeding of the 5,000, the multiplication formula works just like that: five loaves of barley bread, plus two small fish, times Jesus, the one man who is in control, equals twelve baskets of leftover bread. The key ingredient in that multiplication ...

427. Giving Comfort

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Once there was a Baptist minister and humorist named Grady Nutt. Grady could tell some of the most hilarious stories. One of Grady’s classic stories was of a seminary student who pastored a rural church on the weekends. Word came to this student preacher that a man in his church had died. Could he come and conduct the funeral? The young preacher had never done a funeral before, but after receiving counsel from one of his seminary professors about how to proceed, he drove out to the home of the man who had ...

428. Giving Up

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Lent started early this year. With the east coast up to its eyebrows in snow, the Lenten season was underway. I only learned recently that every year Fat Tuesday comes to an abrupt end at midnight. New Orleans police shut down the Mardi Gras festivities promptly at 12 am in reverence for Ash Wednesday. The stroke of midnight is the moment Bourbon Street revelers must give it up. We always think of “giving up” something for Lent. Some people give up meat. Others give up sweets, or alcohol, or television. If ...

429. Where The Lord Dwells

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Charles Curley

Life had settled down for David. The battles, the struggles, the rushing from one end of his land to another, trouble wherever he looked, these were all behind him, at least for the present. For, "the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him." (2 Samuel 7:1) In his unaccustomed leisure, David had time to build himself a house. A grand house. A house made of cedar. A house fit for a king. Then David, still having time on his hands, hada brilliant idea: he would build a house for God. "See now ...

430. Singing Along The Way

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

Ron Lavin

In the time of John the Baptist, most of the people were not getting the point. There was political corruption with Herod, religious corruption with Annas and Caiaphas, the high priests, and confusion among the general populace. It was the time right before the Messiah would appear, so John the Baptist and a small remnant of followers echoed prophetic words at the Jordan River. To the superficially interested who heard his preaching, John warned, "You brood of vipers (Luke 3:7, J B Phillips)." "You snakes ...

431. Practicing God’s Presence

Hebrews 10:11-25

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

In the early years of the sixteenth century, a young adventurer named Nicolas Herman left his parents' home near Loraine, France, to join the French army. Wounded in war, he returned home to recuperate and thus began a process of soul searching that led to Christian commitment. His quest for closeness to God first led him to life as a hermit. He found that unfulfilling, so he eventually joined a Carmelite monastery where he was assigned to menial duties in the kitchen. Kneading bread might truly seem an ...

432. Looking in All the Wrong Places

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

The song has long been relegated to the "Golden Oldies" category, but occasionally it can be heard on the airwaves. Long before one-name singers like Cher, Blondie, or Madonna made their mark in pop music, a little-known and even less-remembered singer named "Charlene" topped the charts. The song was addressed within the lyrics to the "frustrated mother" and "unappreciated wife" from the perspective of a woman who has been everywhere and "seen a thousand things a woman ain't s'posed to see." Yet for all ...

433. Life’s Three Guides on the Pilgrim Way

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Do you bring along a sandwich in your coat pocket when you are invited to dinner at a friend’s house? Of course not! Can you imagine inviting twenty people to a party, but only buying enough food to serve ten? Never! Would you send your child out into a snowstorm in a swimsuit? No way! As rude and self-centered and uncaring as we all can be, we still abide by some basics of good behavior. So why do we think God won’t? Jesus’ message in today’s gospel text chides his listeners for “worrying” — worrying ...

434. Orderly Worship

1 Corinthians 14:26-40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

In a series of instructions, Paul now spells out the practical consequences of all his teaching in this section (14:26–40). When the church gathers, “everyone” is to make the contribution that the Spirit inspires. Their ministries must be organized by their common commitment to structure the service of worship so as to promote the “strengthening of the church” (14:26). Thus, if those who have the ability to speak in tongues feel inspired to contribute, they must not be allowed to dominate the service. “Two ...

435. For The Love of God is Giving

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

The widow Jesus points out in today's passage is considerably different than one I read about in newspaper article a number of years ago. It seems that in Indianapolis, a wealthy widow was found dead in her home. The police discovered over 5 million dollars in cash stuffed in trash cans, shoe boxes, drawers, tool boxes, paper bags, the pockets of clothing and even in a vacuum cleaner bag. Most of the money was in $100 bills. Two million of the money was found in a trash can next to the widow's bed. Mrs. ...

436. Great Reasons for Great Giving

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

Newspapers a few years ago carried a funny though sad story about a man in Florida who sued his pastor and his church for fraud. He claimed the pastor had said God would make him rich if he gave 10-percent of his income to the church. When it didn''t happen, the man sued. History repeated itself just recently. Another man, A. B. Cash of Burkesville, Kentucky, filed suit to retrieve offerings he put in the collection plate at a local church. According to Gannet News Service, Cash charged that the Living ...

437. The Christmas Song

Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

James Garrett

The business side of Christmas -- the commercialism -- doesn’t bother me as it does some. There are those who think the spiritual import of Christmas may be forgotten. There’s no danger of that. The spiritual significance of Christmas is so dominant that many who are ordinarily indifferent go out of their way to find a religious service. That is part of the miracle of Christmas. Personally, the exchange of gifts, the decorations in our homes, and the adding of color to drab streets is not a contradiction ...

438. Gifts of Lent V: A Soldier Gives His Wine

Matthew 27:45-56

Drama

Donald Neidigk

Dramatic Monologue My name is Saint Longinus. The ancient traditions of the church say I was martyred in the service of Jesus. I was just Longinus then. You'll remember me for a number of things I did on that Friday of Holy Week: commanding the execution squad, giving Jesus a drink of cheap wine as he hung on the cross dying, confessing that he was the Son of God, and finally piercing him with my lance to ensure that he was dead. And you wonder why I'm called Saint Longinus? I understand your confusion. I ...

439. Holy Believing

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Donald Macleod

"Truly, truly, Isay to you, he who believes has eternal life." (v. 47) No one wants to die. Yet, who among us would like to live forever? This is our paradox. This is our dilemma. To die means the end of what we are and have; it signifies also the cessation of whatever yet we had hoped to be. But wouldn't living forever be equally undesireable? For it holds out endlessness and sameness, like Shakespeare's "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow ..." Such would not be much even of a respite from sheer ...

440. Coping with Fear, Worry, and Anxiety

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

If you do not worry, if you have never worried, if you do not plan to worry, do not read this chapter; it will be a waste of time. But if a dark cloud of worry overshadows your life, read this chapter carefully; the shadow can be dispelled. We live in an age of anxiety. The image is the image of fear - not the image of faith. We respond to the old Scotch litany: "From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggety beasties. And things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!" It seems that we expect the ...

441. You Are What You Eat

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

Rick McCracken-Bennett

The Pharisees were grumbling -- doesn't it seem like they were always grumbling? Of all the things they could be concerned about, they were upset that Jesus' disciples weren't washing their hands before they ate. As I read this passage over earlier in the week I could hear my mom asking me and my brother and sisters before a meal, "Did you wash your hands?" This was an appropriate question for parents trying to teach their children good hygiene. But, at first glance, a strange concern for a religious ...

442. With Peace for the Fearful

John 20:19-31

Sermon

April Yamasaki

In 1841, Edgar Allen Poe published one of the first locked-room murder mysteries, and since then many authors have offered variations on the theme. A single door stands locked from the inside, and must be forced open. The room has no chimney for escape to the roof, no false walls to a secret passage, no trap door. The only window remains bolted from the inside. Yet the poor man or woman lies dead on the floor, obviously the victim of foul play. In print, on stage and screen, a locked-room mystery centers ...

443. John Prepares the Way

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

Seven of the Lectionary B pericopes from Mark's Gospel come from the first chapter of Mark! Several of these pericopes overlap each other. Where there is overlapping you may wish to consult other sections of this work for additional comments. For the Baptism of our Lord Sunday, for example, the appointed text is Mark 1:4-11, which overlaps with the final four verses of the pericope for the Second Sunday in Advent. The title or heading of Mark's Gospel is stated simply: "The beginning of the good news of ...

444. When Is It Tolerable to Be Intolerant?

Mark 9:38-50

Sermon

Donald Macleod

John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his reward. "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be ...

445. I Cried All the Way Home

John 16:17-33

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice." (John 16:22) "Parting is such sweet sorrow" is a common saying. When parting comes for us, we may have our doubts about the "sweet" part, but we are sure of the "sorrow." It is sorrow for the one leaving. A certain man and woman were deeply in love, but they lived a thousand miles apart. Because of their work, they got to visit each other only at three-week intervals. They took turns flying to each other. After one such visit ...

446. Man Of Sorrows

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Larry Powell

The fourth Servant Song of Isaiah, included in our text, preaches itself. Remarkably, it provides the prophecy, biography, and epilogue of Jesus of Nazareth. We will not engage here in the arguments of higher criticism which raise sophisticated questions as to whether Isaiah was speaking of an actual person, or of Israel as a whole, or of one yet to come. We consign those arguments to the scholars whose devotion to research leads them to search out those kinds of things. We shall proceed, rather, under the ...

447. Three Ways to Know a Saint

Sermon

King Duncan

The Rev. Miles Brandon of The Episcopal Student Center, Austin, TX notes that our culture is captivated with making lists. It all started in 1955 when Edgar Smith of Fortune suggested that the magazine publish a list of the largest U.S. companies. At that very moment, the Fortune 500 was born. Today Fortune not only prints up the 500 list, but “The Forty Richest People Under 40,” “The Fifty Most Powerful Women in Business,” “The 100 Best Companies to Work For,” “The 25 Most Powerful Lobbyists in Washington ...

448. The Unshakable Foundation

Hebrews 7:23-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

On Top Sail Island, North Carolina, stands the ruins of a dream in a shell of a house. Before the hurricane, both the house and owner had proudly stood on the oceanfront daring the challenges of wind and wave. Six years before, John (not his real name) had left his wife of eleven years in search of something he could not define — something that would make his life complete and happy. He wanted adventure and fun; he wanted big-boy-toys. He wanted a beautiful home and a beautiful wife, and he was willing to ...

449. Jesus Teaches at the Feast

John 7:14-24

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The unity of 7:14–8:59 becomes apparent once it is recognized that 8:1–11 is the record of a separate incident and not an original part of John’s Gospel. Only by ignoring these verses and moving from 7:52 to 8:12 without a break can the reader sense how closely chapters 7 and 8 go together. Jesus’ temple ministry is presented in the form of one long discourse, even though it is probably assumed to have been given over a period of several days during the Feast of Tabernacles, and even though the material ...

450. The Cup of the Lord's Wrath

Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Four Wake-up Calls and a Departure Call: In 50:4 the subject suddenly changes again—in two senses. The grammatical subject is once again a human “I” rather than a divine “I,” and the thematic subject is the pressure upon this human “I.” In both respects the passage parallels 49:1–6, and it will emerge that 50:4–52:12 forms a sequence parallel to 49:1–50:4, analogous to double sequences we have noted earlier in chapters 40–55. The arrangement of sections is not as tightly parallel as in earlier instances, ...

Showing results