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 4626 to 4650 of 4943 results

4626. What Is Caesar's and What Is God's?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Brett Blair

A young lady was soaking up the sun's rays on a Florida beach when a little boy in his swimming trunks, carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her, "Do you believe in God?" She was surprised by the question but she replied, "Why, yes, I do." Then he asked her: "Do you go to church every Sunday?" Again, her answer was "Yes!" He then asked: "Do you read your Bible and pray everyday?" Again she said, "Yes!" By now her curiosity was very much aroused. The little lad sighed with relief and said, "Will you ...

4627. The Path of Dignity

Drama

William Grimbol

READER 1 Dignity ... a word not often used these days. Dignity ... a connotation we cannot affix to very many lives. Dignity ... a concept that is eroding, due both to a lack of usage, and a lack of people worthy of that spiritually significant brand. Dignity ... what does the word really mean? I believe that the term is best explained by the lesson we heard read from Hebrews, Chapter 12 ... "run with determination the race that lies before us" ... "eyes fixed on Jesus" ... "your struggle against sin" ... ...

4628. The Garden: All Things New

John 20:1-9

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

I want to tell you the story, on this Easter Sunday, of two gardens. With apologies to Charles Dickens, let me say that the first garden started as the best of gardens and became the worst of gardens. The second was, for a little while, the worst of gardens, but it became the best of gardens. And so it is, to this very day. The first garden is the place known as the Garden of Eden. It was a perfect place. Those who lived there had everything they needed, every beauty, every dream. It was the best of ...

4629. Stewards of Creation

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

About the second Sunday in November each year, after mailing out a flood of brochures, putting up posters, twisting arms of the faithful to make visits, and designing a banner, there comes from this pulpit what I like to call, "The Sermon on the Amount." Members sit in the pews and squirm on their billfolds, hang onto their checkbooks and purses, fill out a pledge card reluctantly, and sing the hymn: "Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold." For biblical justification of this once-a-year ...

4630. Stewards and Our Bodies

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

Esther and Walter Hupman were their names. The Hupmans had the only round barn in Darke County, Ohio. Next to that barn was the tenant farmer’s home. The tenants came and went on the large Hupman farm. Some did a beautiful job caring for the land, their home, the barns, and cattle. Others couldn’t care less; they got everything out of the farm they could and then left a mess. We have seen already that you and I are a lot like caretakers: that is, temporary tenants of God’s good creation. The first sermon ...

4631. Resurrection: From Lesser to Higher Morality

Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

Sarah was five years old. She had lived all her life in a little village in Galilee, six miles from the shore of the great Sea. She had never been farther away than the olive tree grove, a long stone’s throw from the last house of the small community. But then, Sarah was only five. She lived with her grandfather who was unofficial rabbi for the twenty families of the village. Her grandfather, by his knowledge of the scripture, was the source for understanding the Hebrew law. Sarah’s town was distant from ...

4632. A Man Who Was a Lion-Tamer

Daniel 6:1-28

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

In our consideration of the favorite men of the Bible, we have looked at them in chronological order, trying to retell the story of God’s redemption of his fallen creatures. We have followed God’s chosen people (through Abraham) into the land of promise (Moses) and have seen the building of a mighty kingdom (David). Then came the division of the nation - between the north and the south - and the captivity of God’s people. During this time, the great prophets of Israel appeared. Their primary purpose was to ...

4633. A Man Who Lost His Head

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

In the last chapter, we considered Daniel, a prophet who lived in captivity in the land of Babylon. After the inhabitants of Judah had been carried away as slaves into Babylonia and remained there for a period of approximately seventy years, some of them were permitted to return to the city of Jerusalem. The city had been destroyed and left in ashes. Under extremely difficult circumstances, they began to rebuild: the walls ... the temple ... the city. Some of the outstanding leaders of that period were ...

4634. Augustine, Defender of the Faith

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

There is a way of looking at the personal stories of certain women and men to learn of the richness and the potential of human life lived by the grace of God. We are going to do that over the next weeks in this series of sermons we have chosen to name "Saints Who Shaped the Church." The people we will consider convey something of the breadth of Christian history. They are a rich assortment of young and old, learned and ignorant, people of action and people of thought, whose common denominator is simply ...

4635. God So Loved the World

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) That is John 3:16, one of the best known and often-quoted verses in the entire Bible. Martin Luther once called it the "Gospel within the Gospels." If you watch any sporting events on television, you will almost always see a banner strategically placed so the camera will include it that simply reads: "John 3:16." Some group of people has chosen this method to hold up the ...

4636. Loved People, Love People

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

"Remember who you are, Dick," my Dad would say. "You are a Jensen. You have a family name to live up to." I did not get that speech too often when I was young. I got it often enough, however. It usually came at very strategic times like when I went out on my first date, or got the family car, or left home for the first time. "Remember who you are." My Dad believed, and I think he was right, that he and Mom had instilled certain values in me. Most families have such values. When I went out on my own I was ...

4637. Goodness Is Not Good Enough

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

James W. Robinson

There is something rather appealing in the way the rich young man intercepted Jesus as he journeyed to Jerusalem. He greeted the Master with the enthusiasm of a child throwing himself into the outstretched arms of a father returning home after a long day at work. And, like a child, the words came tumbling out of his mouth. "Good Teacher," he exclaimed, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" In his sincerity, the young man knelt when he asked the question. Jesus was greatly impressed by the young man’s ...

4638. All-Out Love

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

James W. Robinson

Jesus is now in Jerusalem, where the death he has predicted is little more than a breath away. His enemies are closing in, firing salvos of accusations impugning his religious orthodoxy and his loyalty to Caesar. They hope to find blasphemy and treason in his responses. What pastor has not found himself in somewhat the same situation? The telephone rings in the parsonage, manse, or rectory. A caller, who prefers to remain anonymous, launches a mini-probe of the pastor’s beliefs about heaven and hell, and ...

4639. Inevitabilities and the Last Days

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

James W. Robinson

Few natural phenomena are as spectacular as the storm clouds that assemble over a mountaintop. One can hear the thunder grumble ominously among them. The tempo increases until its grumble glides into a rumble and an intermittent crash. In the forest below, one feels the quickening fresh-scented breeze turn into a hard-muscled wind that bends the creaking leafy forest giants into submission. The camper cringes in his tent as, in the now imminent storm, the thunder applauds the pyrotechnics of the lightning ...

4640. How Can We Meet Grief?

2 Samuel 18:19--19:8

Sermon

Edward Chinn

Across thirty centuries, comes this cry of grief from David, whom God called from being a shepherd of herds to be the shepherd of His people, Israel. David had a son named Absalom. Absalom had murdered his brother because that brother had raped his sister, Tamar. After being accepted back into the family, Absalom had led a rebellion against his father, the king. That rebel son had won the Israeli army to his side. In a dramatic showdown in the woods of Ephraim, Absalom rode through the forest away from his ...

4641. Christmas 2

Isaiah 62:1-12, Titus 3:1-11, Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Isaiah 62:6-7, 10-12 Theme: The ransomed and redeemed people of God Exegetical Note The Judaean prophet confidently announces a renewed Jerusalem, and proclaims that with its approaching salvation (i.e., savior) its inhabitants will prove not only unforsaken, but indeed the holy, redeemed and ransomed people of God. Call to Worship Leader: Behold, God has proclaimed it far and wide upon the earth: People: OUR SALVATION, OUR SAVIOR COMES! Leader: Our Savior comes bearing rewards, and the ...

4642. Christmas, Proper 3

John 1:1-18, Hebrews 1:1-14, Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Isaiah 52:7-10 Theme: God’s mercy to redeem and might to reign Exegetical Note The prophet, probably celebrating a return from exile, proclaims the same good news that will resound again and again in ages to come: God has returned to rule in mercy and might, bringing peace, goodness, comfort and salvation. Call to Worship Leader: How welcome is the person who brings us good news, especially the kind that both comforts us and gladdens our hearts! People: THAT IS JUST THE SORT OF NEWS WE HEAR ...

4643. Epiphany 2

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1, John 1:35-42, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20) Theme: Human receptivity in times of divine silence Exegetical Note This well-known account of Samuel’s eventual response to God’s persistent but misperceived call is rich in possibilities, not the least of which is its claim that the event occurred in days when "the word of the Lord was rare" (RSV) and visions either infrequent or nonexistent. Call to Worship Leader: People of God, let us be receptive to the voice of God, for it may come at the most unexpected times ...

4644. Epiphany 7

Isaiah 42:18-25, Mark 2:1-12, 2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Isaiah 43:18-25 Theme: The forgetfulness of God Exegetical Note Speaking out of the context of captivity, Deutero-Isaiah here tells the hope of the future defeat of the Babylonian captors and a return by the Israelites to the Promised Land. The promise here is for a new Exodus for an undeserving people, whose transgressions, sins, and general faithlessness, however, God will choose to forget. Call to Worship Leader: Give thanks and praise, sisters and brothers, for the forgetfulness of God! ...

4645. Ash Wednesday

Joel 2:1-11, 2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, 2 Corinthians 6:3-13, Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:19-24

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17a Theme: Real repentance versus ritualized regret Exegetical Note Prophesying during a plague of locusts and a drought, both of which he takes as signs of divine judgment ("the day of the Lord"), Joel here calls the people to a repentance that, though connected with standard ritual acts (e.g., fasting, weeping, and mourning), is not just a superficial expression of regret, but a radical, heart-rending experience. Note that the prophet holds out the hope of God’s graciousness ...

4646. Lent 5

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40, Hebrews 4:14-5:10, John 12:20-36

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Jeremiah 31:31-34 Theme: The new covenant of the heart, the new law within Exegetical Note In a manner uncharacteristic of the Old Testament, Jeremiah here depicts God, not as calling Israel or Judah back to the Mosaic covenant, but as giving up on the law as hopelessly broken, and announcing a future new covenant, not of external knowledge of and obedience to tablets and codes, but of internal responsiveness to the will of God instilled in human hearts. Call to Worship Leader: Let us worship ...

4647. Monday in Holy Week

Hebrews 9:11-28, John 12:1-11, Isaiah 42:1-9

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Isaiah 42:1-9 Theme: The Servant’s ministry of justice Exegetical Note The first four verses here comprise the so-called "First Servant Song" of Second Isaiah, verses 5-9 being a kind of elaboration upon it. Whatever its original referent, from a Christological perspective, the passage bespeaks Jesus and his ministry from baptism to crucifixion, with a special emphasis on the work of Christ (including the cross) as a ministry of justice (or "righteousness"). Call to Worship Leader: Behold the ...

4648. Tuesday in Holy Week

Isaiah 49:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, John 12:20-36

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Isaiah 49:1-7 Theme: Called from the womb, called for the world Exegetical Note This passage consists of the "Second Servant Song" of Deutero-Isaiah (verses 1-6) plus an additional verse. Though the uniqueness of this song among the others is its apparent identification of the Servant with the people of Israel, its real theme is nevertheless the universal nature of the mission of the servant that has been his from the womb. (There is plenty of New Testament precedent for reading this passage ...

4649. Wednesday in Holy Week

Isaiah 50:1-11, Hebrews 12:1-13, John 13:18-30

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Isaiah 50:4-9a Theme: Resolute suffering for the Word of God Exegetical Note In this "Third Servant Song" in Second Isaiah (also used for the First Lesson in Passion Sunday), the servant seems to be conceived as an individual, and specifically as one who has had to suffer at the hands of his people for mediating the Word of God to them. Yet his attitude is resolute, for he trusts in both the help and vindication of God. This suffering servant’s sense of vocation, inspiration, and final ...

4650. Good Friday

Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Hebrews 4:14-5:10, John 19:17-27, John 19:28-37

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Isaiah 52:13--53:12 Theme: Man of sorrows for the sins of many Exegetical Note In this fourth and final Servant Song, the description of the innocent servant’s vicarious and redemptive sufferings is "sandwiched" between the triumphant assurances of his ultimate vindication. The correspondence with the role and fate of Jesus has made this passage a favorite for Christological interpretation since the early church. Call to Worship Leader: Surely Christ has borne our griefs; truly he has carried ...

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