Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4701 to 4725 of 4884 results

Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... fail.” This is part of what it means to be human. We learn by trial and error, by risk and consequences. Despite our greatest efforts, no one ever gets it all right. But there’s something else important about the scriptures: God is not interested in perfect people. If God were, not one of the prophets, messengers, or servants in the scriptures would have been chosen to lead God’s mission in the world. And yet they were. No one since Eden, except God’s only Son Jesus, knows God fully intimately and ...

4702. Lord, Let My Heart Be Good Soil

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

The song “Lord, Let My Heart Be Good Soil”[1] by Handt Hanson, is a beautiful piece that suggests a deep sense of longing for something important. The melody, tone, and words all come together perfectly as an interpretation of the gospel reading for today. While it is tempting to want to move on immediately to what a story like the parable of the sower means that reaction is usually an attempt to distance ourselves from the personal impact of the story. The story is safer ...

4703. The Complex Human

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... as always….we are complex people living complex lives in a complicated world. As Christians, we have been given powerful staffs to try to use to guide the world. And yet we too are entwined spirits –made in God’s image and yet entwined with sin and lack of perfect judgment. Use your staff wisely. Seek God’s guidance in your life, so that you can wisely guide others. This is the humility of the gospel, and the servants’ role that Jesus calls us all to take. Blessings now in the Name of Jesus.

4704. Stay Awake!

Mark 13:24-37

Sermon

Michael L. Sherer

... what Jesus, or at least Mark, thought the end of Age was supposed to look like. If there truly was to be a cosmic interruption of life on our planet, then Mark’s parable, which has Jesus calling his listeners to stay awake, makes perfect sense. But what if the cosmic interruption never came? There’s good evidence that, as the first believers imagined it, such an event never occurred. So, then, does the parable say anything to us? It surely does. The parable about watching and waiting — and staying ...

4705. Not Such a Difficult Question

Matthew 22:34-46

Sermon

King Duncan

If you’ve ever sweated through a job interview, then you know what it’s like to hold your breath as you wait for that next question. Will it be something off-the-wall that you can’t possibly answer . . . Or will it be a perfectly reasonable question . . . but one that will cause your mind to go blank the minute the interviewer asks it? Maybe you heard the story of a young woman who was interviewing for admission into a top business school. The head professor began the interview. “We can ask you ten ...

4706. Oh, That You Would Come Down?

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

King Duncan

... witness to God’s moral law. They had the Law before they had a temple or a homeland. This was their mission, the reason for their election—to maintain that Law. In the beginning, they believed, God created man and woman to live in perfect harmony with creation and with the Creator. But something was amiss in the very heart of humanity. Something there was that alienated human beings from their environment, from their fellow human beings, and even from the loving God who had created them. That something ...

4707. Wake Me Up!

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . Paul is Jesus’ best evangelist not just because he parrots what he says. But because he dares to try to live it out by building a church modeled on Jesus’ ideas of extreme diversity and universal love. The thing is, Paul succeeded. The church is not perfect. No church is. And like oil and water, we constantly need to strive to put on Christ and love the way that He wanted us to love, with determination, energy, commitment, and intention. But when we do, we will find ourselves living the kind of life ...

4708. All Are Invited, but…

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Albert G. Butzer III

... s church would have been familiar with the garments spelled out in Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. “Clothe yourselves with compassion,” wrote Paul, “and kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:12-14). Some of you may recall the time when certain restaurants had a dress code, where they expected men, for example, to wear a sport coat. If you showed up at the restaurant and were clearly ...

4709. Automatic Danger

Humor

The passengers seated in the plane in flight heard this over the intercom system: "Sit back and relax. This plane is entirely automatic. Automatic pilot, automatic food servers, and automatic landing devices. You are perfectly safe. Enjoy your ride. Nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong…."

4710. The Lying Experts

Humor

Obviously, advertising is a prime field for humor: The new office boy had been caught lying and the boss was in a rage over it. "Do you know where liars go in this business, kid?" he asked. The boy grinned, "Why, yes, sir. They perfect the art to such a degree that they are transferred to advertising."

4711. 20/20 Vision

Humor

I went to my doctor last week. He looked me over his and asked what my complaint was. I said, "When I look in the mirror every morning, I see thinning hair, sagging jowls, bulging stomach, crooked teeth, and bloodshot eyes. I'm a mess. What is it?" The doctor replied, "I don't know, but the good news is that your eyesight is perfect."

4712. If Only God Had The Money

Humor

We are like the rich man who was so proud of his beautiful lawn. "I had these trees moved right here to my lawn," he boasted. "Had them set up in perfect geometrical pattern this way." "My, my," murmured the pastor, "it just goes to show you what wonders God could perform if only He had the money!"

God help the man who won't marry until he finds the perfect woman, and God help him still more if he finds her.

Benjamin Tillett

4714. Empty Valentines

Humor

The young man had been shuffling through the card racks for at least an hour. The clerk finally asked him if he needed any help. "I need something that expresses longing, devotion, passion, and undying love," the young man said. The clerk picked up a lacy Valentine that said, "To My One and Only Love." The young man's eyes lit up. "That's perfect! Give me four no, six of those!"

4715. Your Faith is Your Fuel

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . Last week, I had the pleasure to officiate a wedding. And as with many weddings, it is a celebratory time! Everyone dresses for the part. They put on their best clothing and faces. They decorate the venue. They plan for every detail, so as to make the occasion perfect. The bride and groom look beautiful and dapper. They look into each other’s eyes with love and the thrill of the day. But it will only be in the long term that we can know the commitment and the love in their hearts. Every couple (at least ...

4716. Are you a G.O.A.T.?

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... we are. Jesus has the ability to look into our hearts and souls and to see what dwells beneath our wild and woolly exteriors. Some of us may seem a bit rough around the edges but may have the most generous of hearts. Others may look like perfect Christians, but when rubber meets the road, their generosity fails and self-serving behavior kicks in. Now, it’s not to say that Jesus believes, our personalities are just simply black and white. We all are a combination of good and less than good decisions, good ...

4717. Driven to Their Knees

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... afraid in his presence, but they were. And why not? If he is who we say he is, who could help being fearful in his presence? Here was absolute purity—absolute love. Have you ever been in the presence of someone who was so perfect that they made you uncomfortable? Jesus sometimes had that kind of effect on people. The verses that follow Peter’s mindless babbling are insightful. Mark tells us, “Then a cloud appeared and covered them.” The Jewish people associated God with a cloud, remembering how ...

4718. Abba! Father!

Galatians 4:4-7

Sermon

Ron Love

... the category of sin called self-righteousness. We are sinners. I am afraid that we too often just play lip service to this by saying, “I am a sinner,” while still believing that we are a good and decent person. But, in actuality we are all sinners. The only perfect person was Jesus. The only person absent of sin was Jesus. We certainly are not all serial killers or rapists, but that does not excuse our many trespasses. If we go back to Paul’s list of what it means to live by the flesh, to live in sin ...

4719. Tearing The Sky To Get To You

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

... it. But you know when he reached you. You know when he pulled away the things that blinded you to his love and to his salvation. What God did to reach his son, he is doing for us. God does not want the barriers between us. He wants you in perfect communion with him. During Lent, we need to use that time to open ourselves to the works of God in our lives. It is a time to draw closer, to feel his presence and to prepare ourselves for that moment when God tears open the heavens and reaches us. As ...

4720. The Road to the Passover

John 2:13-22

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

... paused and sighed, “But, son, we have no choice. This the way it is. We accept it so we can have our Passover in Jerusalem as God commanded,” Lemuel answered. The boy stood staring at the pens of animals all around him. “Father, our lambs are more perfect than these. Why did we have to buy one here for the sacrifice? We could have brought one of our own.” “The priests reject animals brought from our villages. The only ones accepted, imperfect or not, are bought here. Again, that is just the way it ...

4721. Be Reconciled with the Lord

2 Corinthians 5:20b--6:10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... beings needing reconciliation from Christ. We cannot run away or think that in some way the Lord is not aware of the things we have done or failed to do. If we think this for a moment, the only person we are kidding is ourselves. The Lord does not demand perfection, but he does require us to give our best effort that must mean in part that we realize our need to be reconciled, to ask forgiveness from God who is full of mercy. Nothing we have done or failed to do can keep us from the loving and forgiving ...

4722. Wisdom to the World, but Foolishness to God

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... absolute. He would be faithful to the end; he would hold to his principles. Professor Goodwin demonstrates how Lincoln brought together for his cabinet a team that on one level was the most unlikely combination, but on a second was absolutely the perfect team for the task at hand. In the 1860 Republican presidential nomination race, Lincoln was clearly the dark horse candidate. His rivals were all better known and possessed more experience: New York Senator William H. Seward, Ohio Governor Salmon P. Chase ...

4723. How Faithful Are We?

1 Corinthians 11:23-25

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... being unfaithful to God. When we think only of ourselves and our own desires, when we knowingly sin by our violation of God’s law, we demonstrate infidelity once again. Since Jesus was human and thus understands the frailty of our nature, he does not expect us to be perfect. Yet, he does expect us to give our best effort. We know, by our conscience and what we feel in the depths of our heart, when we are faithful and when we are not. The choice, as always — is totally up to us. God does not place us in ...

4724. Knowledge

Genesis 3:1-19 · Psalm 90

Sermon

Will Willimon

... . It takes secure, strong beings to be honest. The lying and blaming reveal the real truth about us: I was naked and afraid. Dostoevski's Crime and Punishment tells of a bright student, Raskolnikov, who decides that he is smart enough to commit the perfect murder without being caught. He is intelligent, calculating, not like other weaker, less intelligent men. The novel is a story of his own self-destruction. Raskolnikov is punished, not by gods, but by the weight of his own offense. So, in the birth of ...

4725. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Will Willimon

... peacemaking, not petty moral issues like gossip!" they told him after his talk. But I don't know.... Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass; tongues,...cease;...knowledge,...will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. And now what is for me, perhaps the most challenging claim of the text: "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I ...

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