Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4676 to 4700 of 4938 results

4676. Paul's Thorn In The Flesh

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Around the turn of the century a young man named Ole took his girlfriend on a summer outing. They took a picnic lunch out to a picturesque island in the middle of a small lake. She wore a long dress with about a dozen petticoats. He was dressed in a suit with a high collar. Ole rowed them out to the island, dragged the boat into shore, and spread their picnic supplies beneath a shade tree. So hypnotized was he by her beauty that he hardly noticed the hot sun and perspiration on his brow. Softly she ...

4677. You're Going To Have A Baby!

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

During a pastoral call, a three-year-old boy climbed in the lap of a pastor and whispered confidentially, "I know a secret!" The pastor asked, "Will you tell me your secret?" "Yes," the little fellow giggled delightedly, "but you mustn't tell my mamma." When the pastor promised not to tell, the boy continued, "My mamma's going to the hospital to have a baby. But don't tell her. Me and Daddy want her to be surprised!" Would you be surprised if someone told you that you were going to have a baby? The men and ...

4678. Praying for a Whole New World

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

William G. Carter

The door slammed. There was a rush upstairs. The man looked at the clock; it was time for his daughter to be home from school. Fourth grade was not going very well, and from the sound of the slam of the door, it had not improved. He went up to her room and asked about her day. “It was awful,” she said, and then she filled in the details. When she unzipped her backpack at school, her homework was nowhere to be found. Her normally charming teacher snarled at the class. The morning dragged on to lunch, when ...

4679. All Is Calm, All Is Bright

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

William G. Carter

What a time for an angel to forget his lines! It was the Christmas Pageant at Gravesend, New Hampshire. The Episcopal Church was packed with worshipers, well wishers, and relatives of the cast. Attendance was up, thanks to a positive preview in the local newspaper. The drama critic had reported, “The quintessential Christmas tale, the luster of which has been dulled by its annual repetition, has been given a new sparkle.” One reason for the excitement was the presence of a small boy named Owen Meany. For ...

4680. The Language of the Heart

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Music, music, music. In the words of Carlyle, "Music is well said to be the speech of angels."(1) Or Longfellow, "Music is the universal language of mankind."(2) Shakespeare: "If music be the food of love, play on."(3) Music. Sometime back public school music teachers compiled some answers that youngsters gave to test questions:(4) • Refrain means don't do it. A refrain in music is the part you better not try to sing. • A virtuoso is a musician with real high morals. • Handel was half German, half Italian ...

4681. Tough Love

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

A little boy was sitting at the table in the kitchen looking gloomy and sour: he had just been punished. Suddenly, he asked his mother, "God can do anything He wants, can't He?" To which the mother replied, "Of course." Then the boy asked rhetorically "God doesn't have any parents, does He?" Have you ever felt that way? Probably. At some time or another, we have all felt terribly hemmed in and beaten down by our supposedly loving parents. For those of us who have had children of our own and are concerned ...

4682. The Christ of the Commonplace

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Familiar story. Two travelers. Friends? Brothers? Husband and wife? We have no idea. Just Cleopas and whomever. Perhaps the reason one remains unidentified is to allow us to insert our own name into the story. Cleopas and David (or Cleopas and Debbie...or Connie or Jim or Jane or Bob or John), out on the road, home to Emmaus. This idea of inserting our own name into the story makes sense. They were just like us. They had the same concerns that have been common in every age - keeping body and soul together ...

4683. Finding Glory

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Some of you may remember a program years ago on television called "Topper." It was one of the better comedies in the early days of television. Jim Burns, in his book, RADICALLY COMMITTED, tells about one of the zanier episodes in this series. Mrs. Topper wanted to train her husband to be nicer to her. She found a book titled HOW TO TRAIN PUPPIES and followed it exactly by substituting her husband~s name for the puppy. So any time her husband Topper would do something nice for her, she would praise him and ...

4684. Jesus Says, 'Just Do It'

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

Dr. Chane M. Hutton

The sales manager of a large real estate firm was interviewing an applicant for a sales job. "Why have you chosen this career?" he asked. "I dream of making a million dollars in real estate, like my father," the young man replied. "Your father made a million dollars in real estate?" asked the impressed sales manager. "No," replied the young man. "but he always dreamed of it." Have you ever noticed that the Bible never mentions the dreams of the apostles? It doesn't even mention the ideas of the apostles. ...

4685. After The Beep

Isaiah 66:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

During the 1980s a marvelous new gadget surfaced in millions of American homes: the answering machine. As a result, "After the Beep" has become one of the most familiar phrases in the English language. While there are a few creative souls out there who endeavor to entertain us with witty out-of-the-ordinary messages, we all pretty much know what to expect when we hear the machine pick up, don't we? One may as well simply record, "Hello, this is you know who, and we're not you know where, so at the you know ...

4686. Lesson From A Blind Man

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

Eugene was a wimpy prince; stunted in growth, ugly, sickly, pale and hunched back. Everyone in Louis XIV's castle had written him off and ignored him. The young prince wandered around in the shadows of the French monarch's castle going unnoticed among the nobles and royalty who attended the balls, ballets, and parties. Eugene's friends were the slaves. No one else would have anything to do with him. Eugene wanted to be a soldier so he went to Louis XIV and asked for a commission in his army. Louis wouldn't ...

4687. Why Do You Believe What You Believe?

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

King Duncan

You may have heard about the pilot for one of our major airlines. He's blind. I won't tell you which airline. People get nervous enough nowadays about flying. I know I do. I sympathize with the old fellow who says there are two things he will not dofly or swim. "I'm not going to do anything," he says, "that when you stop, you die." Someone asked the blind airplane pilot how he did it. He said, "No big dealjust a little help from my friends and the Good Lord." Then he explained. "A friend comes by my house ...

4688. Follow that Dream

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

In 1872, at the age of 16, Booker T. Washington decided he wanted to go to school. For a boy, born a slave to a plantation cook in Virginia, who had no idea who his white father was, this was a huge step. He decided that he would enter the Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia. With nothing more than a small satchel of clothing, he started walking from Malden, West Virginia, 500 miles away. Eventually he made it to Richmond, about eighty miles from his destination. He worked there for a few days unloading ...

4689. God's Plan For His World

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

On the platform of a railroad station there was a large crate with a big dog inside. He was the saddest dog you can imagine. A lady asked about him. "You would be sad, too," she was told, "if you were in his plight. He's chewed the tag off the crate, and doesn't know where he's going." Sounds like many churches I know. The church today has resources untold. We have a skilled, well-educated, talented work force. We claim the allegiance of the best people in our community. We serve a Master who for 2,000 ...

4690. Do This And Live!

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

Many of us are afraid of dogs. It is a common fear. The immortal scientist Louis Pasteur was far more frightened of dogs than most people. Even a distant bark would terrify him. In his mind he could still see a mad wolf which raged through his boyhood village bringing agony and death to many of his neighbors. "I have always been haunted by the cries of those victims," he said time and again. Yet in 1882, past the age of 60, Pasteur gave up all his other studies in an intense search for a cure for rabies. ...

4691. Generic Christians Or Disciples?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

As Maxie Dunnam was driving one day on Poplar Avenue, in Memphis, Tennessee, he noticed a bumper sticker on the car in front of him. He inched closer and saw that the bumper sticker read in big letters, "I am a Generic Christian." That got his attention. He tried to get closer. Some smaller letters were written beneath the larger ones. He got dangerously close to the back of the car to read the words, "Ask me what I mean." He was intrigued even more. What was the person with this bumper sticker trying to ...

4692. Victory Over Darkness

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

This is an exciting time ” particularly for the younger members of our congregation. As they grow in their understanding of the true meaning of Christmas, I hope they do not lose the pure, unadulterated joy that Christmas brings them. A grandmother was reading the Christmas story to her granddaughter. The little girl was just a toddler and grandmother was reading from the King James version of the Bible. The granddaughter was baffled by the phrase, "Mary was great with child." Grandmother did her best to ...

4693. Lessons From The Locker Room

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

Lowell D. Streiker

Cathy and her boyfriend, Irving, who is a golfing fanatic, are on vacation. They are on the golf course. Cathy: Here's your ball, Irving! It was over in the weeds! Irving: AACK! You moved the ball! You're not allowed to move the ball, Cathy! Cathy: Who cares? We're the only ones out here! Irving: It's against the rules! You can't break the rules!! Cathy: You hate rules! Irving: But this is a SPORT! It's no fun without rules! It's pointless unless everyone plays by the exact same rules! As Irving walks away ...

4694. Why Change Is Possible

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Eric Ritz

I want to think with you for a few moments on the idea of "Why Change is Possible." I want to think about the new beginnings and fresh commitments that these Bible lessons make possible. The new year can and should be a time when we grow spiritually by allowing the power of God to be fully operative in our lives to change those attitudes and actions in our lives that prevent our work and witness from having a greater impact for the kingdom of God. That brings up a significant question, perhaps one that I ...

4695. Living With The Birth Pangs

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Sermon

King Duncan

We made it so far. Nineteen hundred and ninety-six is nearly over and the world is still here. Why shouldn't it be? Glad you asked. Once there was a bishop named Usher who sat down to figure out exactly when the world began. He did it by consulting Scripture. By tracing the begats and other chronological data in the Bible, he deduced that the world was created in 4004 B.C. Some of our older members may remember when it was common practice for King James versions of the Bible to carry a notation in the ...

4696. Barking Pigs and Determined Disciples

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

Robert Fulghum tells a wonderful story about a kindergarten class that decided to perform the story of "Cinderella." There are lots of roles in "Cinderella," but still casting was a chore. All the girls, of course, wanted to be Cinderella. Finally all the children were assigned roles except one--a small tubby kid named Norman. The teacher asked, "Norman, what are you going to be?" "Well," said Norman, "I think I will be the pig." The teacher said, "Norman, there is no pig in the story of Cinderella." And ...

4697. Crossing To A Land Of Hills And Valleys

Deuteronomy 11:1-32

Sermon

King Duncan

You may have heard about the three people who were trying to get into heaven. St. Peter asked the first, "Who's there?" "It's me, Jim Jones," the voice replied. St. Peter let him in. Then St. Peter asked the second one the same question, "Who's there?" "It's me, Sammy Smith," the voice replied. And St. Peter let him in. Finally he turns to the third, asking the same question, "Who's there?" "It is I, Ruth Randolph," answered the third. "Oh, great," muttered St. Peter. "Another one of those English teachers ...

4698. Living In The Kingdom Of God

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

King Duncan

Many of us dream of visiting exotic places. Maybe we'd like to see the magnificent castles in Europe, or the unparalleled beauty of Hawaii. Or perhaps the mysterious orient, with its unique culture. When we're there, we might even start dreaming about what it would be like to live there permanently. Would it be as beautiful or as impressive if I saw it every day, or would I begin to take it for granted, just as I do my present surroundings? A scribe came to Jesus and asked him a question: "Which ...

4699. Where Heaven And Earth Meet

Genesis 28:10-22

Sermon

King Duncan

Darrell Davis wrote in to Reader's Digest with a funny story about his son Stephen. Stephen was a firm believer in a non-violent ethic of living, so it took the Davis' by surprise when their son chose to fulfill his college physical education credits with a course in tae kwon do. Stephen's partner in the class was a gentle young Japanese woman named Maki. Maki also believed in the non-violent ethic, so she and Stephen worked well together. They learned as little martial arts as was necessary to pass the ...

4700. Living Between D-day And V-day

Romans 6:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Do you know what it's like to live between D-day and V-day? The idea comes from Anthony Hoekema. He writes: Jesus Christ has come, and therefore the decisive victory over sin, the devil and the flesh has been won. However, the victory is not yet complete. We live, as Cullmann puts it, between D-day and V-day: though the enemy has been decisively defeated, there remain pockets of resistance; there are still guerrilla troops to be defeated; there are still battles to be fought. In one sense, we already ...

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