Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4501 to 4525 of 4943 results

4501. Bread of the Eucharist (Bread of Life IV)

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

I enjoy watching comedians we all can name our favorites doing monologues. I’m sure you’ve seen this happen. In the middle of a monologue when the mood is mounting, what is supposed to be the punch line falls flat. The comedian does a back-up motion, possibly a turn-around on the floor, and says, “Oh! I thought that one would go over big!” At that point he may try to explain it. When the audience gives no more applause, he re-adjusts and goes on. You know what it is like telling a story or joke and have it ...

4502. Eating Living Bread

John 6:25-59

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

Most Americans eat well. Three square meals a day is not uncommon. Indeed, many eat five or six times a day if coffee breaks, evening snacks, and other times of eating are counted in addition to breakfast, lunch, and supper. Drive through a town of any consequence and count the number of fast food places and restaurants that are found. At some corners of major roads or along a block or two of a busy thoroughfare you may find five to ten feeding establishments. It is not uncommon to find in close proximity ...

4503. Two Are Better Than One

Ecclesiastes 4:1-12

Sermon

Sandra Herrmann

Well, here we are -- despite whatever trepidation you may have felt over the last few weeks or days, the time has finally arrived for you two to stand up before your family and friends and to announce your vows for everyone to hear. This is no small thing. In a world of change and uncertainty, when people move and change every aspect of their lives not once but three or four times in their lives, where the bonds of matrimony are easily severed when things go wrong, and every other marriage ends in divorce ...

4504. Mary Has Chosen The Good Portion

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

The Genesis creation narrative tells us that God created the world, and all that is in it, in six short days, a remarkable burst of energy even for God. Understandably, God was tired - an idea which has eluded learned theologians - but the author of the story insists that, "... on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done and he rested on the seventh day from all his work ... So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all his work which he had done in ...

4505. A Whale Of A Tale

Jonah 3:1-10

Sermon

Erskine White

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, "Arise and go to Nineveh." (Jonah 3:12) I'd be willing to bet a nickel (maybe even a dime) that if ten people were asked what they know about the Jonah story, most of them would say, "the whale." (Of course, the Bible never says that Jonah was swallowed by a whale - all the Bible says is "a great fish" - but everyone calls it a whale, anyway). Everyone remembers the whale, but in point of fact, the whale is the least important part of this ...

4506. The Strength To Wait

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Erskine White

Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. (Isaiah 40:33a) At the height of the Christmas shopping season, a young boy was standing at the bottom of a department store escalator, staring intently at the handrail as it moved along and refusing to take his eyes away. A saleswoman asked, "Are you lost?" "Nope," the boy said, "I'm waiting for my chewing gum to come back." That boy displayed an admirable patience, but most children find it hard to wait for the things they want. And at Christmas ...

4507. Who Is Your King?

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Erskine White

A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, "Why do you have that palm branch, dad?" "You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved Palm Branches to honor him, so we got Palm Branches today." The little boy replied, " Aw Shucks! The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!" We begin Holy Week celebrating Christ’s presence in Jerusalem. We have been prepared by ...

4508. No Need For Weeping Anymore

John 20:10-18

Sermon

Erskine White

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" (John 20:15) Sometimes we forget. We focus so much on the joy and celebration of this day, on the bright flowers and festive music, that sometimes we forget; the first sound heard on that first Easter Sunday was the sound of weeping. It was Mary Magdalene's weeping. Tears of hopelessness poured out of her in loud wailing and moaning; her body convulsed in grief and her sobbing pierced the quiet of the early morning stillness. We often overlook the fact that ...

4509. The President's Religion

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

Erskine White

"Are you not like the Ethiopians to Me, O people of Israel?" says the Lord. (Amos 9:7) (Note: This sermon was preached on November 4, 1984, two days before the national election which resulted in a landslide victory for President Ronald Reagan over the Democratic nominee, Walter Mondale. A few of the references which follow are particular to that election, but the basic message of this sermon will be valid in other election years as well, since the inclination to use God for partisan purposes is well- ...

4510. What's In The Final Exam?

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

George Johnson

When I was serving as Director of the Hunger Program for the former American Lutheran Church, I preached at various congregations on Sunday mornings. They would often ask me, "Should we read the Matthew 25 passage for the scripture lesson?" This text is a favorite for any gathering around hunger and poverty issues. I've used it often when I speak about hunger. But the text has a far greater scope and purpose than to muster up a concern for hungry people. The story was not told by Jesus as a fund-raising ...

4511. Marked At The Table

Sermon

George Bass

“ ‘If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me.’ ‘Then, Lord,’ said Simon Peter, ‘not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!’ Jesus said, ‘no one who has taken a bath needs washing, he is clean all over….’ ”John 13:1-16 Yes, “the cross is still there,” especially when we eat and drink the Lord’s supper; that meal is always a repast that takes place for us on the water’s edge. Baptism admits us to the holy communion, and every time we partake of the Eucharist the gifts we received ...

4512. The Clanking of Coins

Matthew 27:1-10

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

Suppose that I tingled a batch of coins in my pocket or dropped some quarters on a marble floor. If you were to close your eyes and listen to the sound that money makes, what would it remind you of? ... A bank teller spilling out a deposit for counting?... A child shaking a piggy bank in hopes that a coin will slip through the slot?... A clerk dropping the money from your purchase into a register?... An expectant gambler at the fair, trying to make a penny land between the lines?... A woman searching ...

4513. Six Nails of the Cross III: The Nail of Envy

Matthew 27:11-26

Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

When the grand hall was being built in Florence, the committee in charge of decorations asked the most important artist in all of Italy, Leonardo da Vinci, to submit some drawings. There seemed to be little question that such an important hall should bear the mark of anyone but da Vinci, but other artists also were asked to submit drawings. One of the committee members had heard of a new and very young artist by the name of Michelangelo, and asked him to enter the competition. The sketches by Leonardo were ...

4514. Winning Isn't the Only Thing ... It's Irrelevant

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Carl Jech

Moses and Elijah ... appeared in glory and spoke of his departure which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. (Luke 9:31) "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem ... How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!" (Luke 13:34) The Green Bay Packer football coach, Vince Lombardi, is credited with the declaration: "Winning isn't everything ... It's the only thing!" Now from the very limited perspective of a professional football coach there may be an ...

4515. Names, Not Numbers

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

What comes to your mind when you hear the name "Moses"? Do you think of Chariton Heston standing on a rock with his hair and his beard and his robe blowing in the wind, while at the same time, beneath his feet the Red Sea churns and rolls back as mighty walls of waves forming a path for the fleeing Israelites? Perhaps you imagine Moses as a white-haired man standing on the jagged cliffs of a mountain and holding in his sinewy arms the two stone tablets of the law. It is doubtful that any of you imagine ...

4516. On Staying Awake

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

"Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes ..." Perhaps this sermon need not be preached. The necessity of wakefulness may already be widely recognized as we gather for worship. We arrive tired, we endure preaching that is often supernaturally dull, and the atmosphere of quietness soon dispatches even the most faithful. This is not a modern problem. Our Puritan ancestors gave a high importance to staying awake. During their long services the ushers roamed the congregation with a ...

4517. Are There Any Questions?

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

Today our good year in the company of Dr. Luke, the author of the Gospel that had been in focus through these months, begins to wind down toward the end. Are there any questions? If you have a question, and I suspect we have a few in mind, line up in the center aisle and wait your turn. Jesus has been teaching in the temple at Jerusalem, his disciples are at hand, and in the crowd his enemies as well. The question-answer period begins. One by one those who oppose him for one reason or another challenge him ...

4518. Killing A King

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

"I was treated like a king!" is a common saying when one received the best possible treatment. This is to say that a king deserves and gets the very best. A red carpet is laid out for the king to walk on, lest he dirty his feet. Only the best food is served. His clothes are made of the finest material with top class and style. A king wears genuine jewels, no artificial diamonds or costume jewelry, for a king deserves only the best. A king is given honor, respect, loyalty, obedience, and love. All of this ...

4519. If Only We Would Do The Obvious ...

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

Ann, a new member of our church, gave the outward appearance of having her life all together. Tall and good-looking, she dressed well, was extremely neat, and seemed secure in pursuing an advanced degree after some years of teaching. She immediately became active in the life of the church and was especially gifted in creating excitement in some of the programs. The staff was concerned about overloading her with responsibilities, but her graciousness in accepting them and the efficient manner in which she ...

4520. I Kid You Not

2 Kings 4:8-37

Sermon

"At this season, when the time comes round, you shall embrace a son." (v. 16) Prayer: Amid all the voices clamoring for our attention in this world, we thank you, O Lord, that your word is still truth. Amen. One of the hosts of television’s "Tonight Show," preceding Johnny Carson, was the articulate host, Jack Paar. Near the height of his career, Jack Paar wrote a book titled I Kid You Not. This was a phrase Jack Paar often used, to convince the audience that he wasn’t joking, but telling the truth. He ...

4521. Jacob’s Dream - A Dream Come True W. Dexter Moser

Genesis 27:1-40

Sermon

Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed ... Genesis 28:11-12 Jacob, with much patience, after many years finally married Rachel. In their nomadic life as shepherds, they, Jacob and Rachel, could have understood a song we sang around the campfire during a summer gathering at Lutheridge. I had a dream dear, you had one too mine was the best dream I ever knew; Come, sweetheart, tell me now is the time You tell me your dream and I will ...

4522. Don't Go Near The Water

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

I grew up in California on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Even as a child I loved the water. I did not, however, often get a chance to play in it. "Come home straight from school," my mother said every morning. This was because my route took me right past the beach. "If you go to the beach today," she would say on Saturdays, "leave your swimming suit at home." Even when she was with me at the ocean she would allow only my feet to get wet. "Be careful of the undertow," she would warn. "if you fall down, you ...

4523. Being Different

Daniel 3:1-30

Sermon

Harold Warlick

You can learn something from a hurricane. I've noticed that the trees which tended to survive the onslaught of Hurricane Hugo were those which leaned against the wind. Most of the trees that were leaning with the wind were snapped in two or blown up by their roots. Students need to be challenged to occasionally lean against the wind. All people occasionally need to lean against the wind. This isn't easy in a world like ours. The mass media begins training children to be consumers before they are three ...

4524. For He Shall Save His People

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Staff

I have a Christmas dilemma. When I was a kid there was no Christmas dilemma. You filled out your wish list and you waited for Santa to fulfill it on the 25th. That was pretty awesome. The rest of the year didn’t work like that so it made Christmas a strange and wonderful time. But you know what happens… Slowly the tables get turned on you until one day you’re being handed the wish list. Such is life! This is when the dilemma enters in too. Not for everyone. There are still some sad sacks out there who are ...

4525. Stuffed Bodies and Skinny Souls!

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. Behold, I made him a ...

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