Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4601 to 4625 of 5000 results

John 1:14

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... it has always been a part of the human imagination, deep in the human soul, the desire to try to connect with the stars, to reach for the sun, to build a ladder to the heavens, looking for the point where earth and heaven meet. Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the launching of the Voyager 2 spacecraft on August 20, 1977. It was only supposed to last for five years, but like the Energizer Bunny, it just keeps going. Traveling at 40,000 miles per hour, it passed Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in ...

4602. Zechariah II: Thy Prayer is Heard

Luke 1:5-25

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... by surprise. (Interesting isn't it, that clergy are sometimes the most surprised when God actually shows up in worship!) Note Luke's incredible understatement: "Zechariah was troubled and fear fell upon him." The Eugene Peterson translation is probably closer to the mark when it says, "He was paralyzed with fear!" And who wouldn't be? Those moments of holiness which come infrequently at best; those times when God breaks into our lives in unexpected ways; those high holy experiences of God's spirit carry ...

4603. What a Serve!

Acts 6:1-7

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... for social issues on the left, favoring Peter's preaching or Stephen's serving, all the while failing to find the fullness of ministry Christ intended for the church. When I was a kid back in Clarion, the church life I experienced was marked with a zeal for preaching. We went to Cherry Run Camp Meeting in the summer and revival services in the fall, with the calls to conversion and salvation, altar calls, invitations, commitment services, always accompanied by missionaries from around the world telling the ...

4604. The Revelation Code IV: The Fight at Frodo's Tower

Revelation 19:1-21

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... and Omega. And while the cycle of violence repeats itself over and over again—like four horsemen, stampeding across the world's stage—the church sings the song of peace and God's kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. John reminds them that they are marked on the forehead, like Harry Potter, not with the sign of the beast but by the sign of the cross…so don't let the world around you squeeze you into its mold. Now today, the battle between good and evil builds to its climax. Like the feeble ...

4605. Bart and Homer, Father and Sons

1 Samuel 20:24-42

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... two members of the Simpson family. [2] It's all about Bart and Homer, fathers and sons. There is a whole cottage industry of websites, articles and major books on the philosophy, theology and sociology of the Simpson household. One of those authors, Mark Conard, says that for all its excesses, "The Simpsons celebrate the nuclear family as an institution, which for television is no small accomplishment." [3] You know the stories. Bart cut off the head of the statue of the town's founding father, Jebediah ...

4606. Yet Alive....Are We?

Romans 12:1-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... for the Gospel. Alive with a compelling message. 3. AND ALIVE WITH OUTREACHING LOVE In response to a question about what it means to be a Methodist, John Wesley wrote a pamphlet which has become a classic, called "The Character of a Methodist:" The distinguishing marks of a Methodist are not his opinions of any sort, his accepting of this scheme of religion, his embracing any particular set of notions, or mouthing the judgments of one man or another. All these are quite wide of the point. As to all opinions ...

4607. From the Tomb

John 20:1-18

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... tomb. It was late Friday afternoon, sunset approaching, and with it the start of the Sabbath when no work could be done. Quickly, they rolled his body in linen, then watched as the great stone—like a sliding door in its groove—was placed across the entrance and marked with a royal seal. And Mary's love followed him all the way to the grave. So the sunset came, and with it the Sabbath calm, passing through what I am sure was a sleepless night and a day of reclusive mourning. You've been there, haven't ...

4608. Toward the Cross

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... of ground can be holy to all three of the world's great religions, and today, in many ways, it is the center of the tensions which sit at the center of the turmoil in the Middle East. It's a dramatic spot in more ways than one, and it marks a dramatic moment in the life and journey of Jesus. Jesus made his way from the calm retreat of the home of his friends, up the backside of the mountain. He has made all the preparations. Now as he arrives at the village of Bethpage, the crowds are asking, "What ...

4609. Worship Like A Wesley

Philippians 4:4-9

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... Somewhere, I still have my string of Sunday school pins. Back then, for your first year of perfect attendance you got a round pin, then the second year, a small wreath to go around it. Then each year following, you would get a little bar to hang off of it marking your years of perfect attendance. And if you were going to miss, you would visit another church and get a visitor's card to turn in the next Sunday. I remember an old man in my first church who was proud of his long string of pins for thirty years ...

4610. Our Logo the Cross

Matt 16:21-28, 27:32-44; Mar 15:21-32; Lu 23:26-43; Jo 19:17-27

Illustration

Brett Blair

... to tell start-up businesses how important it is to develop a corporate logo. "Brand identity" they call it. Think about it. One symbol can readily identity a billion dollar organization. The ultimate goal of any designer when creating a logo is to develop a mark that identifies the company but also persuade viewers to respond in a specified manner. Logos. So what makes a good logo? Here are the five things that most marketing agencies agree makes a good logo: Simplicity. Is it easy to look at with minimal ...

4611. Thanksgiving and Thanksliving

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... Christ not Methodism! Summary And Conclusion So, "what has been joined together, let not man put asunder" is excellent advice. Thanksgiving and thanksliving belong together in one workable way of living. There is both substance and style. The legitimacy for this is a heavenly mark on our foreheads. We drink deeply and eat with inspired selection. Jesus and his ways are born among us and we are reminded of both his birth physically and our birth spiritually. Praise God we don't have to live with a set of ...

4612. Training for a Purpose

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... the four gospels. Even the synoptic gospels show some differences among them. Then, John comes along and thrills us with both mystery and mysticism! However, when we read and study them together, what a magnificent narrative we receive. We are not disciples of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. We are disciples of the babe in Bethlehem, born to bring us the good news that is always more than a single individual, except Jesus the Christ. Our training is not allowed to become negative under a single point of view ...

4613. Precious and Privileged Children

Galatians 4:4-7

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... a lesser extent other relatives or friends. As our population grows older and older, there will be greater need for this. It may take the form of a nursing home and/or assisted living quarters. Regardless of the health care configuration, it is coming and with question marks all up and down the line. Attempt, if you will, to relate this to our heavenly Father who is our parent. We will never have to be responsible for his care, or will we? The heart of God yearns for the children of the world — young, old ...

4614. Making Disciples

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... approach in our evangelistic efforts. Our lack of fruit produces a dampening expression. Praise God, there is nothing quite like others showing the world Christ has come in their lives and we are, at least, somewhat responsible! Our concern over making our mark for the furtherance of the gospel slips into oblivion. The smallest and most colorless fruit that is genuine, changes a dreary day into something beautiful. Focus: It is imperative to understand the proof is in the pudding. Body 1. False advertising ...

4615. Looking to the Unseen

2 Corinthians 4:18

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... a joy Does the winged life destroy; But he who kisses the joy as it flies Lives in eternity's sunrise Or as Jesus put it, "He who saves his life loses it, but be who loses his life for my sake and the gospel's, finds it" (Mark 8:35). III Lastly, the lure of the unseen suggests that eternal, spiritual life is more real than temporal, physical life. Most of humanity has for centuries believed in some sort of immortality, some sort of life after death. There has been the deep feeling that there is something ...

4616. A Time for Us

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... time of the Lord, the time for judgment and destruction, or the time for mercy and salvation. John the Baptist began his preaching with an urgent sense of time, saying "the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). Jesus and Paul speak repeatedly about the importance of time, as do most writers of the New Testament. It will not do to say all time is alike, that one age is exactly the same as another, or that one life has exactly the same timing ...

4617. Let God Do the Rest

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... he did not need to give a lot. It really was quite simple. All he had to do was give the little bit he had and the man would do the rest.1 This story, patterned obviously after the synoptic accounts of Jesus' multiplication of the loaves and fish (Mark 8:1-10; Matthew 15:32-39), speaks of the Christian vocation to respond to the Lord. Some of God's children have lots to give — material things, time, and spiritual advice — but others, like the boy, have what seems to be little or nothing to give. But we ...

4618. Make the Most of God’s Gifts

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... the attitude that we will always have tomorrow. Paul was most probably aware of Jesus' teaching on the coming kingdom (Luke 17:20-37) and the need for vigilance. Jesus was very clear, "Beware, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come" (Mark 13:33). Paul himself warned the Thessalonians: "For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come ...

4619. In Solidarity with Jesus

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for may sake, and for the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?" (Mark 8:34b-36). We are called to take on the pain and suffering of the world and transform it into something that is life-giving. We cannot take on the burden of all, but we must be open to sharing the pain of others so as to be in solidarity ...

4620. Like a Child

Hebrews 4:1—5:10

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... to lavish toys willy-nilly — even upon his grandchildren. In all her four years of living, Angela had never once asked him for anything more than to sit on his lap, but when the story made its rounds amidst the family grapevine her words of trust found their mark. And as if on cue, her prophecy was fulfilled and a second little red wagon found its way into the backyard, courtesy of Grandpa Harvey. For Grandpa, it was a matter of honor. It would seem that a child's unqualified trust has the power of nearly ...

4621. Power and Compassion

Hebrews 5:1-10

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

Many of you may remember from your grade school days a novel by Mark Twain titled, The Prince and the Pauper. It has been adapted in various forms of Disney productions and even a few cartoon tales. The Twain story begins with two boys with identical features — one a spoiled royal heir, and the other a street urchin surviving on his wits. By chance ...

4622. Looking in All the Wrong Places

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

The song has long been relegated to the "Golden Oldies" category, but occasionally it can be heard on the airwaves. Long before one-name singers like Cher, Blondie, or Madonna made their mark in pop music, a little-known and even less-remembered singer named "Charlene" topped the charts. The song was addressed within the lyrics to the "frustrated mother" and "unappreciated wife" from the perspective of a woman who has been everywhere and "seen a thousand things a woman ain't s' ...

4623. Our Prayers Are Our Thanksgiving

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... community where their version of church was the state. Those Separatists who remained in England eventually overthrew the monarch to establish their own brand of church-state union under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell. (Some might say they missed their mark on that shore, too.) However, successful or not, we know that their quest to build an earthly political domain governed by religious dictates puts these Separatist/Pilgrims in good historical company. We also must recognize that this tension of church ...

4624. Sacred Pleasures

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , and again I say rejoice”). Everyone wants a Paul love passage at their marriage (“the greatest of these is love”). Here is Paul’s “pleasure principle” for Christians. Whatever Christians do, whether they eat meat or abstain from meats, whether they mark a myriad of days as “special” or consider all days to be equally God-blessed; whatever disciples of Jesus do, they do it “to the honor of the Lord,” or translated differently, “to glory god.” Whatever Christians do, we do it “to ...

4625. “No’s” That Mean “Yes”!

Exodus 20:1-21, Psalm 19:1-14, Mark 10:17-31

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... false witness, defraud, and we honor our parents. Please don't tell us we lack one thing. We're not ready to sell what we own and give the money to the poor. We have many possessions. Don't send us away grieving. Let us off easy. Amen. (Based on Mark 10:19-22) Hymns Thy Word Lamp Of Our Feet Nearer My God To Thee

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