Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4476 to 4500 of 4943 results

4476. For Someone Who Led A Magnificent Life

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 · 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 · 2 Corinthians 4:6-11 · Luke 24:13-35

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

A Wonderful Life [Review the places, the organizations, the committees, the individuals who would be bereft and impoverished had he or she not graced the stage of life.] This very day draws to a close the Christmas season and so I’m given the liberty of referencing a yuletide illustration, in particular, the Frank Capra’s movie classic: It’s a Wonderful Life. We all know the story. George Bailey, played by James Stewart, lives in the fictional town of Bedford Falls N.Y. where he marries a beautiful girl, ...

4477. Defining Justice with Jesus

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Will Willimon

My colleague, Alasdair MacIntyre got it right. When you talk about “justice,” the real question is whose justice? All accounts of justice are subservient to some social order, some vision of the world, of what ought to be, where we're all headed, of who’s in charge. Christians get our accounts of justice from Jesus. Just after telling us that the "first will be last and the last will be first" (an odd sense of justice, that one!) in this morning's gospel Jesus says, a far1c1er has a job to do. His ...

4478. A Lamp Shining In a Dark Place

2 Peter 1:17-21

Sermon

Will Willimon

“You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place .... no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” You had a hint of what was coming next. In the procession, George brought in the Bible and laid it upon the desk. That's on the table for today's business, that's our main agenda, this book. Now, having heard the word read, you are to hear the word preached. Not my word, the word. You're uninterested ...

4479. Whatever Became of Sin?

Romans 5:12-21

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

Death pervaded the whole human race, inasmuch as all men have sinned. But, its effect is vastly exceeded by the grace of God and the gift that came to so many by the grace of one man, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:12, 15 NEB). Paul puts it more succinctly in 1 Corinthians 15:21: "As by man came death, by man comes also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive." William Barclay explains: "Sin had man in its power. There was no hope. Into this situation there came ...

4480. Chapter X

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

"You will not want for yourself your neighbor’s house; you will not want for yourself your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s." Exodus 20:17 With this Commandment we come to the end of the "Words" that God spoke to his people at Sinai. The warning that he gave that we should not long to have for ourselves that which belongs to our neighbors serves to cap off, and bring to a conclusion, this handful of directions for living. We ...

4481. Victory on a Broken Knee

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Once there was a man who acquired a claim to a gold field in California. The claim was in a lonely spot in the mountains. When the man started to dig for gold, he found evidence that much work had been done on the claim a long while before. Far into the excavation he found an old rusted pick, its handle rotted off but its point sticking firmly in the rocky soil. He went to work and, to his amazement, just a few feet beyond where he had found the pick he came upon a rich vein of gold. Later he would learn ...

4482. Choices

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

King Duncan

It was one of the most gripping news stories of 2003. In the beautiful but desolate mountains of southeastern Utah, a twenty-seven year-old mountain climber named Aron Ralston, made a desperate decision. An avid outdoors man, Aron was rock climbing one day when his right arm became trapped under a boulder, a boulder estimated to weigh at least eight hundred pounds. He saw immediately that he was in deep trouble. Unable to budge the rock at all, Aron took out his pocketknife and chipped away at the rock for ...

4483. Fresh Every Morning - A Test

Exodus 16:1-36

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Albert Camus, distinguished French author, once described a fellow-writer who kept searching for the right word. Because he could never find it, he was last seen sitting motionless before a blank piece of paper. I feel like that sometime in my sermon preparation - sitting motionless before a blank piece of paper. What I want to communicate is so important, I must not fail. I feel the powerful impact of the scripture. The truth of it is so crucial, and I’m so committed to being faithful in preaching God’s ...

4484. The Dawn of Forever

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

There's an old story about a Sunday School teacher who had just finished telling her third graders about how Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb. And how they sealed the tomb with a huge stone. When she finished with that portion of the story, she wanted to share the excitement of the resurrection, and the surprise of Easter morning. So, she asked: "And what do you think Jesus' first words were when He came bursting out of that tomb alive?" A hand shot up in the back of the classroom. The arm of a ...

4485. Food For The Body And Food For The Soul

John 6:25-59

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

A good many years ago in a certain theological seminary in the South there was a professor of theology who was the master of the pithy, memorable saying. He used to give young seminarians about to graduate this advice: "Marry as soon as possible and as often as necessary." He had a classic table blessing which he used frequently, especially at public functions: "Lord, we thank you for food: food for the body and food for the soul. May we never lack for either and give us an appetite for both." This ...

4486. Homecoming

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

"Goin' home, goin' home, I'm a' goin' home." These words from the spiritual song sound the plaintive, universal longing for homecoming. We all resonate warmly to the idea of going home to "see the folks," to return to our roots, to recapture memories. In poetry and in song, homecoming has been celebrated. This text speaks of Israel's homecoming, but it is not an ordinary homecoming. It is not the return of the conquering hero or the prodigal, the soldier or the servant. It is not a return from a self- ...

4487. Let Me Explain: A Sermon By Judas Iscariot

Matthew 26:1-5

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

For 2,000 years my name has been slandered by people who really don't understand me, especially by some preachers. But your kind pastor said that you were an understanding congregation. I've come here today to tell you about myself and about the reasons I did what I did. You will give me a fair hearing, won't you? My name is Judas Iscariot. Let me begin by telling you a little about my background. As you know I am a Jew. You have probably read some things about my ancestors: Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, ...

4488. Forsaking All Others

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

Can you see the young boys running through the city of Jerusalem yelling, "Blow the trumpets!" and the people of that city yelling back, "What?" "Blow the trumpets! Grab the shofar! We need to let everyone know!" And the people still scream back, "Why? What's going on?" The adults know that the blowing of the trumpets in Jewish tradition can only mean one of three things: 1) It's time to move camp (but wait, we haven't lived in tents for decades!); 2) We need to get ready for war (but I didn't know there ...

4489. There's More To Thanksgiving

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

As Christian people we have come together to observe a time-honored American tradition. We have gathered for worship on Thanksgiving Day. Consequently, it may surprise you a little to learn that I plan to begin this sermon by telling you a story that could be labeled as downright un-American and blatantly non-Christian. Interestingly enough, it is possible that, if I had not said anything about it, you might have listened to this story and not have noticed anything unusual. In fact, even though I've now ...

4490. To Bow The Knee

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

On this Passion/Palm Sunday, we both celebrate the triumphal procession that was due to Jesus as the Christ, and look forward to his betrayal and death just a few days later. And so, this passage from Philippians is exactly right for our text this morning. In it, Paul is quoting an early Christian hymn, a hymn that triumphantly extols Jesus, not just for the amazing work he has done on our behalf, but also for the very essence of who he was and is. It begins by stating a basic Christian belief, that Christ ...

4491. Biography Of A Changed Person

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Robert Beringer

There are many people who outwardly seem to have their lives all together. They have plenty of money, lots of friends, a good deal of power, and they seem at least on the surface of things to be enjoying the "good life." But inwardly, many of these same people feel lost and alone and empty. What they desperately need is to find a turning point in their lives that will fill that emptiness in their soul. Bill Smith (not his real name) was the pastor of a large and thriving congregation. Everybody loved Bill ...

4492. A Law We Can Live With

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

Many of you, I'm sure, have seen those public service announcements on television promoting the use of safety belts which close with the tag line: "A law we can live with." It's intended, of course, to be something of a double entendre -- the phrase "can live with" meaning both able to accept and able to survive. Whether it will actually prove an effective campaign, I suppose only time will tell. However, at the risk of appearing irreverent, it seems to me that the same could be claimed of the Ten ...

4493. The Upside Of The Practice - Performance Equation

Galatians 6:1-10

Sermon

Robert R. Kopp

You reap whatever you sow. -- Galatians 6:7b Even as cancer continues to ravage her body, Nancy Meider's personal relationship with Jesus as saving Lord enables a joy to radiate from her soul, through her eyes, and into the hearts of all who are blessed to know her. We've talked about many things over the past several months. We've been silly on occasion, serious when necessary, and direct at all times. That's how it becomes when time spent far exceeds time left. It's easy to distinguish the important from ...

4494. Easter 5

Jn 13:31-35 · Acts 11:1-18; 13:44-52; 14:21-27 · Rev 21:1-6 · Ps 148

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Epistle: Acts 11:1-18 ; 13:33-52; 14:21-27 Peter reports the acceptance of the Gospel by the Gentiles. To understand this pericope, one needs to read chapter 10 concerning Peter's preaching to a Roman centurion and his household in Caesarea. The news of Peter's preaching to these Gentiles and their acceptance of the Gospel apparently came to the ears of Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. When Peter explained what happened, the Jewish Christians praised God for admitting Gentiles into the Kingdom. ...

4495. Pentecost

1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Joel 2:28-32, John 7:25-44, Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13, John 20:19-23

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: The gift of the Holy Spirit, as told by Luke (Acts 2:1-11) and John (the Gospel). The Roman Catholic and Episcopal lectionaries have the Acts passage as the First Lesson, while the Lutheran lectionary has it as the Second Lesson. The 1 Corinthians 12 text has to do with the gifts of the Spirit in the Church and the Lutheran First Lesson (Joel 2:28-29) is the passage referred to by Peter in his Pentecost sermon. COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Acts 2:1-21 (C); Acts 2:1-11 (RC, E) The promised Spirit comes upon ...

4496. I Am The Good Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Ronald Lavin

I am the good shepherd. -- John 10:11 (NRSV) These words of Jesus bring us into contact once again with the great I AM. Who is this good shepherd? The one who made heaven and earth, the one from whom we came and the one to whom we go. The Great I AM The situation seemed out of control. The woman was dying of cancer. She had nowhere else to turn. She had tried all the chemotherapy which had been prescribed. She had even traveled to Mexico for a new treatment that a friend had experienced. Nothing worked. ...

4497. In The Beginning

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

June 20, 1982 Comment: "Why don't you do sermons as stories?" mywife suggested. "You tell stories well and people seem tolike them. Besides, you won't end up criticizing us asoften!" My wife has a way about her. That was all I needed to try it out. Who wants to bepreached at? I surely didn't! The first time I tried the following sermon in itscurrent format, I served a church which had a lay person whohad taken university level courses in Old Testament. How doyou preach to someone with that kind of ...

4498. The Meek

Sermon

John A. Terry

Psalm 37:1-11Matthew 5:1-12 This is not the beatitude of anyone claiming "I am the greatest." In fact, like all the other beatitudes, we have to wonder how practical these words are. What business could survive being meek? This is not a slogan you are likely to find above the door to the Stoc_esermonsk Exchange on Wall Street. Meekness will not win the play-off series between the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls. We tend to think of the meek as the casualties, not as the winners. "Miserable are the ...

4499. Turning A Minus Into A Plus

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Harold Warlick

One of the finest minds in our country belongs to a man named Charles Merrill. Charles' father founded a company called Merrill, Lynch, Pierce, a rather successful stock brokerage firm. With part of that vast wealth, Charles Merrill founded the Commonwealth School in Boston. The Commonwealth School has enjoyed a tremendous academic reputation. It has excelled in educating students from diverse backgrounds. On a cold, windy day Charles Merrill and a minister friend were walking to lunch, and he told the ...

4500. The Meek

Psalm 37:1-40

Sermon

John A. Terry

This is not the beatitude of anyone claiming "I am the greatest." In fact, like all the other beatitudes, we have to wonder how practical these words are. What business could survive being meek? This is not a slogan you are likely to find above the door to the Stock Exchange on Wall Street. Meekness will not win the play-off series between the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls. We tend to think of the meek as the casualties, not as the winners. "Miserable are the meek, because they get trampled upon." ...

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