Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 4501 to 4525 of 4959 results

4501. Ascension

Psalm 47:1-9, Luke 24:44-53, Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:15-23

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... Holy Spirit. We are thankful for the stories of Jesus’ ascension to heaven, and we anticipate a fresh presence of the Holy Spirit. Prayer Of Thanksgiving God of Heaven and Earth — we are glad you are our God. We find ourselves turning to you like disciples through the ages; we experience you as loving and dependable. We celebrate Jesus’ ascension to heavenly places. In his absence, we expect a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Speak through us so that the kingdom of God Jesus spoke of comes to our ...

4502. Mark 7:24-37

Mark 7:24-30

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... one-on-one encounter, between Jesus and a member of the “unclean” population. Jesus separates the man away from the crowd and deals with him “in private” (“kat idian”), a term used everywhere else in Mark to describe Jesus’ secluded moments with his disciples (4:34; 6:31-32; 9:2, 28; 13:3). Once they are alone Jesus focuses fully on the man’s needs, touching his ears and administering spittle, a body fluid that while usually deemed “unclean” was also accepted in Greco-Roman and Jewish ...

4503. You're a Treasure!

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

4504. Baptism of Our Lord

Psalm 29:1-11, Isaiah 43:1-7, Luke 3:1-20, Acts 8:14-17

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... the creating God. In Jesus the Christ we learn how to be in relationship with the Holy. With the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to embody divine love and mercy. In community, we experience belonging and receive the encouragement to live as faithful disciples of Jesus and to struggle for justice and peace for all creatures. Together, we have an insistent voice, proclaiming that there is a “kingdom of heaven.” Offertory Statement (Leader) The new page of the calendar reminds us that few things in life are ...

4505. Epiphany 3

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10, Psalm 19:1-14, Luke 4:14-21, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... of the creating God. In Jesus the Christ we learn how to be in relationship with the Holy. With the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to embody divine love and mercy. In community, we experience belonging and receive the encouragement to live as faithful disciples of Jesus and to struggle for justice and peace for all creatures. Together, we have an insistent voice, proclaiming that there can be a “kingdom of heaven.” Offertory Statement We each have roles in our life together. One role we share is to be ...

4506. Good Friday

Psalm 22:1-31, Isaiah 52:13--53:12, John 18:1-11, Hebrews 10:16-25

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... hands. How do your hands betray God? How do your hands receive God’s gift? How do your hands treasure and share God’s gift? Look at the knot and the hands. How does your experience today take you into the world as a vital twenty-first-century disciple of Jesus the Christ? Leader Prays Living God — we know that Jesus, your Child, died long ago. Somehow, his death continues to touch us. We regret that his life ended too soon. Somehow, your love impels us to find ways to make you visible in this world ...

4507. The Promise of Being Met by Jesus

Mark 10:17-31

Illustration

Will Willimon

... gift for risky, radical response. In my experience, a professor only demands the best from students that the professor thinks are the smartest, best students. I wonder what there was about this man that made Jesus have so much faith he could really be a disciple." Wow. Didn't think about that. Another student said thoughtfully, "I wish Jesus would ask something like this of me. My parents totally control my life just because they are paying all my bills. And I complain about them calling the shots, but I am ...

4508. Proper 25

Psalm 65:1-13, Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22, Joel 2:23-32, Luke 18:9-14, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... imagination as we look up, around, and down; we recognize God’s love as we talk with and care for others; we recognize God’s presence as we pay attention to our daily tasks. People: We know Jesus of Nazareth to be a wise teacher, mentoring disciples then and now in kingdom of heaven activities; we know Jesus to be light for the world! Leader: We experience the Holy Spirit; People: When we gather, we encourage one another to continue our journey with God; we use all our senses to perceive Holy guidance ...

4509. From Self-Help to God-Trust

Hebrews 7:11-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ’s mission in the world. Frank C. Laubach (1884-1970) missionary to the Philippines who wrote a book on prayer as “The Mightiest Force in the Universe.” He was famous for a prayer: “What are you doing in the world that I can help you with?” In a disciple of Jesus, self-help gives way to God-trust. In his book, Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning speaks of a man named John Kavanaugh who sought clarity about what to do with his life. As part of his search, he volunteered to work for three months at "The ...

4510. Acts of God?

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Brett Blair

... group of people to target, in order to send a political and religious message. In these past four years, try as I may, I have yet been able to make sense of it. Let me ask you: Why is this story in the Bible? It’s there because the disciples wanted to ask Jesus a very specific question. They wanted to know if these people died because they had sinned. Was this God’s judgment because of their immoral living? Jesus gives a very simple answer: No. He then goes on to say, “You,” he is talking to the ...

4511. The Great Sacrifice of Love

Luke 9:18-27, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... respond to the Lord, has come from God. Clearly, Paul's message to the Corinthians is not only one of information, but equally, if not more importantly, one of challenge to respond to God who first loved us. The scriptures consistently speak of our need, as Jesus' disciples, to sacrifice, to give our lives for others. If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for ...

4512. Did God Really Say...?

Romans 10:8-13

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... the desert for forty days he says, "Did God really say ... you are the Son of God?" After Jesus had predicted that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer and die, the devil again speaks but this time through the voice of Peter, one of Jesus' most trusted disciples. "Did God really say ... you had to go to Jerusalem and suffer and die to be the messiah?" When the devil speaks, he attacks his prey by sowing the seeds of doubt and trying to undermine the trustworthiness of God by implying that some how, some way ...

4513. Meal of Death

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... death of the Egyptian first born, the death of Pharaoh's soldiers in the waters of the sea, deaths that ironically brought life and freedom to Israel. The shadow of death also hangs heavy over Jesus and his disciples as they gathered for the Last Supper. It was the Passover Seder for which Jesus had gathered his disciples to eat on this dark and ominous night. Because we have the advantage of hindsight, we know that this was a meal of death in more than one way. A great horror and carnage was about to break ...

4514. Heaven on Earth

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... just up in the clouds or when they die and go to heaven ... but already now, here, in this world, in this time and place as Jesus Christ "pitches his tent" among them. In today's gospel, Jesus is with his disciples in the upper room, the night of his betrayal and arrest. The disciples are anxious about their future. Jesus has openly spoken of his departure. But Jesus assures them that they will not be left behind. He will give them the gift of his Spirit who will continue his work among them. In addition ...

4515. Living with Integrity

Galatians 2:15-21

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37), followed Jesus after his arrest as far as the courtyard of the high priest (Luke 22:55), and ran to the empty tomb after Jesus' resurrection (Luke 24:12). Just as Peter had been a leader among Jesus' first disciples, he also became a leader in the early church. It was Peter who preached the sermon on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came with power on the gathered believers (Acts 2:14ff.). Peter healed a crippled beggar at the temple gate in Jerusalem ...

4516. The Call of Holiness

Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... Jesus with a hungering and thirsting after righteousness ... right living. It is sold out obedience to God. Even in human "jars of clay" we are called to be pure, clean, and holy. Holiness is seeking Jesus because I understand I need him. After Pentecost the disciples were transformed from self-seekers to God-seekers. They were empowered by the Holy Spirit to live life to its fullest. Holiness is the fulfillment of fullest! It is not done in our own strength but in God's strength. Holiness unto the Lord ...

4517. Restarting Joy - Rejoice

Isaiah 55:10-13

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... Passover table, Jesus reviewed the reason for his coming. He bared his concern with his followers in those closing hours. Two emotions can be detected in that event ... joy and celebration. Interwoven in the conversation between Jesus and his disciples is the assurance and confidence of the new kingdom of promise, hope, and life. Thanksgiving was offered through blessing and prayer. Throughout the bleakness of the night, the light of spiritual victory pulsates in the words of Jesus. Communion celebrates ...

4518. Profile Of A Savior

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... to offer his great answer: the Messiah of God (Luke 9:20). Jesus affirms Peter's answer and confirms his identity. Then, in the next breath, he goes on to explain just what that messiahship will mean, and its startling news. Specifically, Jesus explains to his disciples that he would suffer greatly, be rejected by the leaders of the people, and be put to death (9:21-22). That occasion marked the first time that Jesus predicted the suffering and death that awaited him in Jerusalem. From that moment on, all ...

4519. Face to Face

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... face of God, to each other and to the world. Like mirrors, the Christbody community is not a perfect representation. There are always ripples and wrinkles, distortions and disjunctions. But the reflection is still there and shows the world what might be. As disciples each of us has been “transfigured” by our holy encounter with the Holy Spirit and by the person of Jesus Christ. We are definitely, definitively different. We have been called to reflect the face of God to this world. Our humanity has been ...

4520. A New Kind of Authority

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

King Duncan

... fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized into the very faith he had set out to destroy, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Then Luke adds these very descriptive words, “Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.” I believe you will agree, this was quite a transformation. Saul could sing quite literally, “I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I ...

4521. Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Luke 10:1-24

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Jesus first sent out his twelve disciples on a mission to proclaim the kingdom and heal with the King’s own power and authority (9:1-6). Next Jesus sent out an unspecified ... in this week’s text is not focused on judgment, but on redemption. Instead of delighting in their power over evil, Jesus calls these seventy new disciples to rejoice “that your names are written in heaven.” The redemption and reward offered by God is the true gift of the kingdom and the ultimate “peace” they have to offer.

4522. The Dirt on Jesus

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... peasants. He put his healing hands on the decaying flesh of lepers and on the dead bodies of corpses. He touched the untouchables and embraced the unlovable. Jesus lowered himself to the floor, to dirt floor, to lovingly wash the filth off of his disciple’s feet, the grungiest, dirtiest exposed part of the body. You might even call the incarnation, when God “came down,” the doctrine of God getting “down and dirty.” Because when God “came down” and sent God’s only begotten son, he didn’t ...

4523. Grow Up!

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... in many of our churches today as well. The current spiritual landscape has been described as being a mile wide but only a half inch deep. The task of the church is to help people grow in their faith. One way is by providing instruction and resources. To make disciples we have to dig deep into God’s Word. We have to step outside of our comfort zones and serve others in Jesus’ name. The danger is when we reach a point in our spiritual lives when we feel we no longer need to grow. That was the point ...

4524. Lost, But Not the TV Show!

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... . That is well because his earlier name meant “conniver” or “supplanter,” and he lived up to it, or down to it, as the case may be. David was a man after God’s own heart, and yet David was an adulterous murderer. Peter was Jesus’ closest disciple and most outspoken friend, yet Peter denied him with a curse. Even St. Paul, as he writes words of encouragement to Timothy and gives God thanks for finding him worthy to serve God, confesses to Timothy that he himself is the chief of sinners (I Timothy ...

4525. On Speaking Terms

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

Argile Smith

... was off limits between them. While we lament that sometimes we feel like the children of Israel to whom God has given a cold shoulder, we find comfort in the fact that he would rather talk with us like friends. Jesus said as much when he shared with his disciples that he saw them as his friends and not slaves (John 15:14-15). For us as believers in the twenty-first century, an intimate relationship with him can be the norm and not the exception. When we grow in our walk with Jesus, we can think about our ...

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