Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4576 to 4600 of 4681 results

4576. 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 ...

4577. Why the Cross?

Hebrews 2:17-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... did he hang out with sinners all the time? Sin should never be encouraged; but to say that God needed a blood sacrifice to be in the presence of sinners is ridiculous. When Jesus walked the earth, he preferred being with the worst in society. If God cannot bear the presence of sin without the blood of Jesus, then the ministry of Jesus Christ has no meaning. God put skin on and walked with sinners, cared about them, and lovingly invited them to repent. More than that, if you read the gospels, you see Jesus ...

4578. On the Mountaintop

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... his first disciples. He gave the Sermon on the Mount. So too for Peter, James, and John, this mountain became a significant meeting place. There, Jesus suddenly became transformed—his face and his robe shone so brightly that Peter, James, and John could hardly bear the sight. If that display of glory wasn’t enough, Moses and Elijah then appeared, and stood talking with Jesus. I don’t know how the disciples knew the two figures were Moses and Elijah, but together, the two represented the Law and the ...

4579. Capernaum by the Sea

Matthew 4:12-23

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... great grandfather was in fact not genetically a Roberts at all, but a Mitchell, due to an affair her great, great grandmother had with a neighboring man. I’m sure many have come across similar surprises as family secrets no longer bear weight in a technological, scientifically savvy world. In Jesus’ time, seeking lost sheep was a bit harder. Many current relatives of those who were assimilated 700 years and countless generations earlier had been thoroughly inducted into non-Jewish customs, religion, and ...

4580. The Sawdust Trail

Colossians 3:1-4

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

... our earthly ways of living. Paul, being an established theologian, also informs us in Colossians what it means to set our minds on those things which are above. Paul lists these as: “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another… And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” The theological bases of our lectionary lesson this morning is that we have died with Christ, and now ...

4581. Don't Be Afraid

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... assures us toward the light. God, the ultimate Artist, uses Light in revelatory ways sometimes to show us things we may be missing about God, ourselves, and the world. And yet God also provides us places to shelter when the light feels like just too much to bear. When Jonah felt unsure, angry, grieving, and unsure, God provided a dark “womb” of a whale and the shade of a tree. Yet God also allowed for the heat of the day to wake him from his pensive thoughts when his dreaming and contemplating turned to ...

4582. Professional Angel

1 Peter 2:19-25

Sermon

Ronald Love

... his public ministry. We are to be compassionate, sincerely concerned about each individual within our flock. It was dangerous work, not tranquil as recalled from our children’s Sunday school literature. The work requires a guardian. The wolf, hyena, leopard, panther, bear, and lion were the animals that preyed upon the sheep. The rod and the sling were the shepherd’s only means to ward off these vicious creatures. Thieves and brigands were common foes, often attacking a shepherd in small gangs. Jesus ...

4583. Framed by Love

John 14:15-21

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... a reminder that they too were called to love one another. Yet this so-called new commandment to love was already an old commandment, an ancient commandment. Centuries earlier in the Old Testament, God instructed the people, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18). Earlier in Jesus’ own ministry, when a lawyer asked him about the greatest commandment, Jesus spoke of loving God and loving ...

4584. Converts Or Disciples?

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

William G. Carter

... have a relationship that is growing, and learning, and serving. There is something more at work in them than merely taking up space in a pew. They work hard to understand what the gospel is all about. They struggle to bring those Christian insights to bear on the places where they work and the ways they spend their time and money. And it’s a lifelong process. In recent years, the best minds of the church have pointed out that we can’t simply coast along and become “automatically Christian.” We ...

4585. The Cost of Commitment

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... left his home and his extended family, his security and the only life he knew, to follow God to an unknown land. Because of Abraham’s obedience, God had promised that He would bless Abraham and Sarah with a child, even though they were way past child-bearing years. Isaac was the answer to their prayers. And now, God was putting Abraham to the test, asking him to kill Isaac, his only son, whom he loved, as a sacrifice to God. Believers have wrestled with this story for thousands of years. I’m not sure ...

4586. When Everything That Matters Has Been Torn Away

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... . The end result? Murder. Jacob envied Esau. The end result? Two brothers alienated from one another until finally Jacob humbled himself and asked for a reconciliation. Rachel envied Leah and Leah envied Rachel. The end result? Bilhah and Zilpah are forced to bear children for Jacob. And now Joseph, an innocent teenager, is the target of his brothers’ envious rage. A woman named Marianne Wright posted a comment on Twitter from her six-year-old child who was just learning the rules of punctuation: “Today ...

4587. The Fringe

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... (4:2). The “wings” refer to the tzitzit on the end of the wearer’s tallit. He who is the messiah was expected to have healing power in the hem of his garment. When messiah appears, there will be healing, for he is the sun of righteousness, who bears the power of atonement upon and within his person. The tallit and tzitzit as an extension of his personhood and power have therefore the ability to heal anyone who touches it. In fact, Jewish lore has it that even looking at the tzitzit of the messiah can ...

4588. Division of the House

Matthew 10:24-39

Sermon

William G. Carter

... all, Jesus was giving marching orders to the first twelve missionaries. He gathered an odd and diverse group of people together and prepared them to go into the world. His training began with a scattering of advice: Don’t pack a lot of unnecessary props. The word you bear is sufficient (10:5-15). Don’t worry about what to say. The word will be given to you (10:16-23) Don’t inflate your opinion of yourselves. You are servants, not masters. Remember that (10:24-25). Don’t be afraid of what people will ...

4589. Seeds

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

William G. Carter

... seen what happens when the love of God takes root in a person’s life. The hopeless brighten like summer daisies. The drunkard sells his beer and buys furniture. The self-centered suburbanite befriends the poor. The old crank transforms into Santa Claus. The fractured souls are healed. The gospel bears abundant fruit. It is just as the sower intended.

4590. A Little Bit of Honey

Matthew 10:40-42

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... kindnesses such as these reveal an open-minded heart, capable of receiving and welcoming the truth of the kingdom of God. In today’s world, we know many people who no longer take part in organized religion or institutional church. And yet, they bear some of the kindest hearts. They are slow to judge. They welcome God’s people in all their diversity and difference. They treat their neighbors kindly. They pay for coffee for the person behind them in line. Like the “Samaritan” in Jesus’ story, they ...

4591. When Angry, Count to Four

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

Mark Twain used to say, “When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear.” The first part of Twain’s advice bears merit and the latter part is a strong temptation. In either case, however, never decide anything in moments of rage. Robert Ingersoll, who may have been wrong about many things, was right when he said: “:Anger blows out the lamp of the mind. In the examination of a great and ...

4592. Enemy in Disguise

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the message they are delivering to us. Or we could mistake someone bad for good, if they sweet talk us enough and lure us with the sense and beauty of their words. Those loyal and subject to God and scripture, those who uphold the laws and bear good “fruit” within the world can sometimes be led astray, betrayed, or duped. But they will prevail in the end. Their good fruit will prove their identity, their worth, and their ability to nourish others. Those betraying any of God’s children however will not ...

4593. In Love's Service

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

... my wings are caught.” The angel passes him in haste, but speaks again to him, “Without your wound, where would your power be? In love’s service, only the wounded can serve.” If we can believe that -- that in love’s service only the wounded can serve -- then we can bear our suffering graciously, even joyously.

4594. Hidden Treasure

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . While the new home had amazing “new” perks, such as a huge barn, garage, gas pump, and gardens, a huge kitchen for baking and cooking, and formal dining room and living room, the quaint, old farmhouse home still bore all of the fruit-bearing trees. Each year, the entire extended family would gather for “apple picking” day. They would bring their ladders and bushel baskets, and everyone would pick the apples. Many would be stored in the cold cellar to be used throughout the season, but each family ...

4595. A Good Name

Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9

Sermon

Will Willimon

... have to make it by yourself. You won't have to "reinvent the wheel" as far as life is concerned. This is ethics from the Proverbs perspective. "Whatever happened to ethics? Assaulted by sleaze, scandals, and hypocrisy, America searches for its moral bearings." These were the words on the cover of an issue of Time last year. The contents of the article were a devastating revelation of moral crisis. Sleaze in high places, two presidential candidates forced to withdraw, one for plagiarism, another for adultery ...

4596. Glimpses of Eternity

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Will Willimon

... , the whole of Combray and its surroundings, taking shape and solidity, sprung into being, town and gardens alike, from my cup of tea" (p.51, Random House edition). Proust's writing is obsessed with time and its effects. "Time, like an ever rolling stream, bears all its sons away," says the hymn which we always sing here at graduation. "They fly forgotten as a dream, lies at the opening day." Usually we don't experience time except in bits, fragments, wisps of memory and recognition. Only rarely are we ...

4597. Fearful, But Not Afraid

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

William G. Carter

... evoke fear in each of us. Backpacking in the wilderness? I’ve been there and done that. Walking along a mountain rim with two thousand feet of open air to my immediate left? Ah, I did that as a fourteen-year-old Boy Scout. Confronting a black bear who broke into your stash of backpacking food? We banged on tin pots with metal spoons, sent him scurrying away, and only later considered how dangerous that was. But zip-lining or bungee jumping - no thanks, I will not do either. All of us have an invisible ...

4598. The Contestant

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... stories. Just as in the story of Jonah, Peter is experiencing inner fear, turmoil, chaos, and insecurity, and he is trying to stand up to it all with bravado on his own rather than trusting in Jesus and relying on God’s hand to help. Both stories bear witness not only to our foolishness as contenders with God and God’s (and Jesus’) power to still our hearts and minds when we finally ask for help. The story is the witness to a “contest” between our human egos, desires, and stubbornness and God’s ...

4599. Redeem the Time

Matthew 24:36-44 · Romans 13:11-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

... we built the bomb. Peace is the result of our refusal to order our lives on any other basis other than fear of God. When you think about it, it's rather amazing, in a world like ours, that there are still people who take time to bear and to raise children (for who takes more time than children?). How dare they bring children into a nuclear world? It's as amazing as those Jews who, in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1938, still had babies. Little everyday acts -- getting married, having babies, spending all afternoon ...

4600. Love And Boundaries

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

William G. Carter

... spirits with a word, and he healed all who were sick.” The storyteller added, “This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, `He took our infirmities. He carried our diseases.’”(Matthew 8:14-17) Jesus came to touch the sick and bear human pain. Why didn’t Jesus instantly heal that woman’s daughter? Did his love have boundaries? That would be unusual, especially since the woman took the matter so seriously. She came with all the right words on her lips. Did you notice that? Sometimes ...

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