Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4476 to 4500 of 4934 results

4476. Faces of Failure: Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Don Tuttle

Her startup had great potential, but when the recession came it took her business down with it. He had studied long and hard, but when his grade was posted it had been all for naught. They had promised to love and cherish one another forever, but a dozen years and hundreds of arguments later a judge declared they were no longer husband and wife. Failure. We’ve all known it. It’s part of being human. Who among us doesn’t cringe at the memory of a failed friendship, plan, or project? And while our failures ...

4477. I Am the True Vine

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Brett Blair

It is fascinating to me that in our Southern Protestant religious culture, such a strong emphases is placed upon literal interpretation. Interestingly, Jesus so often did not speak literally, but figuratively. He spoke in allegories and images. He painted word pictures. Instead of literally coming out and saying what he meant, he so often would tell a story and let people draw their own conclusion. Indeed, these hidden messages of Jesus frequently frustrated his disciples. They wished that he would speak ...

4478. If the Stones Cried Out

Luke 19:28-40

Sermon

King Duncan

(With apologies to Mick Jagger) For most of his ministry, Jesus tried to hide his true identity. He often referred to himself as the Son of Man, and when others tried to worship him or spread the news of his miracles, he told them to keep silent. He didn’t want their praise or publicity. Not yet. His time had not yet come. But it’s time now. As he makes his way to Jerusalem, the time is at hand for him to reveal his mission. Jesus knows what’s waiting for him in Jerusalem. He knows he will be betrayed, ...

4479. Imagination

Luke 1:39-45, 46-55

Sermon

Will Willimon

Peter Gomes, Minister of memorial Church at Harvard, recently spoke of the Bible as "A book of the imagination" (The Good Book). Don't think of scripture primarily as rules, as lists of regulations. Think of the Bible as a book meant to speak, to stoke, to fuel the imagination. From what I see, imagination is in short supply these days. We modem folk tend toward mostly facts and figures. We're more in to statistics than symbols. We keep close to the solid stuff which we call "reality." Of course, when one ...

4480. It's Worth the Wait

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

There are certain human experiences that are universally annoying, but everyone has to experience them at some time. Like waiting in lines. And in our rushed and privileged society, it seems like we have less and less capacity for waiting. A woman tells of trying to get a table at a very popular and very busy restaurant. She approached the hostess and asked quite brusquely, “Will it be long?” The hostess kept writing in her hostess book, so the woman leaned closer and asked again a little more firmly, “ ...

4481. Nobody’s Too Good To Repent

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Historically, dating back to ancient times, the third Sunday in Lent was the time when candidates for baptism on Easter (the day when the ancient church performed all baptisms) were given careful scrutiny regarding how prepared they were to become followers of Jesus. In Latin it was called Occuli [Eyes] Sunday, because it was the Sunday that the church had its eye on those who were to be baptized.[1] If we want to keep in touch with this heritage, this is a Sunday, then, for us to reflect how we have been ...

4482. In The Presence Of Christ!

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (vv.23-26). The story of the institution of the Lord’s ...

4483. A Tattoo for the Heart

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

(A meditation for Ash Wednesday) It’s an old story, but it bears repeating. An armed robber accosted a French priest on a dark, back street in Paris and demanded his wallet. As the priest opened his coat to reach for his wallet, the thief caught sight of his clerical collar and immediately apologized. “Never mind, Father,” he said. “I didn’t realize you were a priest. I’ll be on my way.” The priest was relieved, of course, and good-naturedly offered the man a cigar. “No, thank you, Father,” the robber said ...

4484. Template for Reconciliation

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Steve Molin

Every pastor can tell a story of a church fight; some pastors have multiple volumes from which to choose. Arguments over the color of carpeting in the fellowship hall is a popular one; anything the youth director does is fair game for criticism, and whenever there is a question about the inappropriate handling of church finances, even the least active member of the congregation demands an explanation. These topics of conflict are not immaterial; any issue is an important issue for somebody. But these ...

4485. How About Some Applause for the Creator?

Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Author Fleming Rutledge tells about a time years ago when she was serving as pastor of a church in New York City. She says that during those days, she used to hang around with some people, “urbane literary types,” as she called them, “most of whom were somewhat disdainful of religion.” She remembers one man in particular. When he discovered that Rutledge was a pastor, he made a confession to her. He confessed very sheepishly that he had done something behind his wife’s back. Apparently, his wife had long ...

4486. Honor by Serving

Revelation 14:6-13

Eulogy

Richard F. Bansemer

Death of a Ggrateful Person The meditation text is Revelation 14:13: "And I heard a voice from heaven saying, write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!" Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. Our duty today is to look upon the completed life of ___________ and say:"Blessed."Some of you have already said it out loud, in words that mean the same thing. You said it when we agreed ...

4487. Becoming A Faithful Witness

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

A family decided to send a playpen to their friend who had just given birth to her fourth child. She responded by writing this thank-you note to them. "Thank you so much for the pen. It is wonderful. I sit in it every afternoon and read. The children can't get near me." Wouldn't it be nice if we could shelter ourselves from the relational challenges of life? Someone has written that, for twentieth century Americans, our lawns are our moats. All too often we do seek distance from others. That inclination ...

4488. Transforming Love

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

Edwin Markham's little poem has so much to say to us about the ability of love to transform. He drew a circle that shut me out -- Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle that took him in.1 One of the most amazing stories to come out of the Bible is the account of Saul's life. Through this story we see a leading opponent of the church being transformed into the church's greatest advocate. In today's passage of scripture, we encounter the conversion experience of ...

4489. Reward Time

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme\n The little things we do with a pure and gracious heart have \ntremendous repercussions. \nSummary\n It is reward time and people are lined up to see what they \nget. George Reaver gets nothing, according to the computer. But \nwait! There is something! A little kindness he performed that \nhad great consequences. \nPlaying Time 4 minutes\nSetting Terra Nova\nProps A laptop computer\nCostumes George -- business suit\n Ridge -- lab coat\nTime The future\nCast RIDGE -- a computer person\n GEORGE -- a ...

4490. Anybody Listening?

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

William G. Carter

His name was George, and he sat in the back row of the sanctuary on the preacher's right. A permanent scowl was chiseled on his face. His posture announced to all that he was a man not easily pleased. Ushers tip-toed around him. Whenever his name came up in conversation around church hallways, someone would always ask, "Why does a grouch like that keep coming to worship?" No one ever came up with an answer. One thing was certain -- George was particularly hard on preachers. "I have heard hundreds of ...

4491. The Call Of The Tradition: Remember And Return

Nehemiah 7:73b--8:18

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

Ezra read from the book of the law "from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law" (v. 3); and "all the people wept when they heard the words of the law (v. 9). This reading of the word of God stands in interesting contrast to the reading done by Jesus in the gospel for today (Luke 4:14-21). After an initially positive response to Jesus' interpretation of Isaiah, with its welcome ...

4492. Cultivating Our Garden

Isaiah 58:1-14

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

I remember a news program which showed the release of a number of wild turkeys into the wilderness of southwestern United States. They were seeking to reestablish a strain of turkeys in that area. In order to track them and understand how they were doing, a little radio was affixed to the back of each of the turkeys. Can you imagine being able to sit at a screen and follow the whereabouts of all those turkeys? How would you like to have a tracking device affixed to your back, so that your family, and your ...

4493. Unconditional Love

Romans 4:1-25

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

Have you ever stood at the side of a baby's crib, just watching the little chest go up and down, the tiny fingers curl and twitch just a bit, the tiny mouth make sucking movements? At such times, the heart just melts, doesn't it? We cannot help but love this little bundle. What has that baby done to deserve such love, such an upwelling of protective feelings? Nothing, really -- it just was lucky enough to be born your baby! Maybe just an hour ago, you were struggling to get some cereal in her mouth, ...

4494. What's The Point?

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

Richard L. Sheffield

In the church we used to teach the Christian Faith in the form of a catechism. That's a question and answer format which when learned gives basic answers to basic questions about Christian belief and living a Christian life. The catechism was meant to be memorized like the multiplication table, so that at least some of life's questions might have answers as quickly as we know 2x2=4. Interestingly, the latest General Assembly has proposed writing a new Catechism to help us to ask the right questions and ...

4495. The Witness Of The Centurion

Drama

Dann J. Ettner

Invocation Hymn Responsive Dialogue 1 Corinthians 2 P: When I came to you, brothers, I did not come witheloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimonyof God. C: We have not received the spirit of the world but thespirit who is from God, that we may understand what God hasfreely given us. P: For I resolved to know nothing while I was with youexcept Jesus Christ and Him crucified. C: This is what we speak, not in words taught us by humanwisdom but in words taught by the Holy Spirit, ...

4496. Summer Fruit

Amos 8:1-14

Sermon

Richard L. Sheffield

Charles Swindoll says, "... it's a mad, bad, sad world."1 You knew that already? He quotes Barbara Johnson who writes in her book Splashes of Joy in the Cesspools of Life: "The rain falls on the just and also on the unjust, but chiefly on the just, because the unjust steals the just's umbrella."2 The Prophet Amos, who lived and told it like it was about 750 years before the birth of Jesus, agreed with that assessment of life. There is a lot about this world that's mad or bad or sad or even "all of the ...

4497. Let It Go!

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Elaine M. Ward

Long ago there was an ancient bell that was famous for its beautiful tone. It had been commissioned by the king. The king's advisors had told him that making a huge temple bell would secure the nation from foreign invasion. The specialist who cast the bell had produced several failures until he concluded that the only way to produce a great bell was to sacrifice a young maiden. Soldiers were sent to find and fetch such a young girl. Coming upon a poor mother in a farm village with her small daughter, they ...

4498. On Getting Out Of The Way

Luke 3:1-20, Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

Americans are fascinated with being the best. Young people in warpaint and costume are regularly seen running up and down the sidelines at sporting events, index fingers thrust in the air, shouting, "We're number one! We're number one!" Who, after all, wants to be less than the best? But wait a minute! I know people who love to sing, but won't utter a note because they don't sound like Pavoratti. I admire the chap who said, "Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly." There is a place in this world for ...

4499. What Do You Do When Life Ain't Fair?

Genesis 29:15-30

Sermon

Steve Burt

Life doesn't always hand us what we want when we want it. In those times there's the temptation to shortcut, or to do the unethical, or to run from the problem. It's then that we need to keep our eyes on our goals and keep plugging along, honestly and diligently. A farmer's crops failed one year because of the drought. The previous year there had been too much rain, and it had flooded everything. The year before that he'd suffered due to an influx of imports. Discouraged, the farmer went fishing far off ...

4500. What Does Jesus Expect of Us?

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Donald Macleod

And Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others one of the prophets." And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." And he charged them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the ...

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