Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 451 to 475 of 1089 results

451. Academics, Fanatics, and Other Disciples

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... , and who has created us for worship of something higher than ourselves, we give you praise and thanks for your gifts to us. You have not abandoned us in the universe, but through lawgivers, prophets, and apostles, through poets, writers, and artists, through musicians, thinkers, and researchers, through ministers, counselors, and teachers, we have received the words of enlightenment and the spirit of inspiration. And now, in these latter times of your grand scheme of things entire, you have spoken to us ...

452. Report of a Secret Meeting

John 3:1-21

Sermon

George Bass

... . Webster says, "He (Jesus) is the ‘young Prince of Glory’ as in the original version of Isaac Watts’ famous hymn. He seems to be holding back the great volume of darkness, forcing its retreat ... But the Cross remains, dominating the world, and the world the artist sees is the world on which Christ looks from His Cross."16 That is how Salvador Dali interprets Jesus’ own words, "So must the Son of man be lifted up" - not simply on a staff in the wilderness for people who have been bitten by ...

453. Butterflies and Jesus

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Daniel G. Mueller

... our Lord’s life which frequently become the subject of art, there are less than a handful of works of art to depict the Transfiguration. From the sixth and eighth centuries we have some mosaics that hint at it. And of the great masters, only the artist Raphael attempted to paint the Transfiguration. His painting hangs in the Vatican, but Raphael died before he could finish the job. It’s almost as if there’s a message there that no human art or genius, tongue or pen, can do justice in representing the ...

454. Faith As Healing Energy

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... from her neck down. It was not an optimistic picture. After waves of depression and searching, she discovered a deep and meaningful Christian faith. This faith has released in her a vitally creative life. She has become, in spite of her handicap, "a successful commercial artist, a bestselling author, and the star of a $2 million dollar film version of her life" (Time, Dec. 29, 1980). Her spirit and her creative life are a miracle of faith. In one of her books, A Step Further, she writes: "If God’s mind ...

455. Why Fear Growing Old?

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... the moment, and therefore in Eternity; and this means recovering a perpetual youth, since nothing can be fresher than each day as it dawns and changes." Lord Roberts, as an old man, revealed the same understanding of life when he said to the artist painting his portrait, "Don’t erase my lines - I won them." On his 69th birthday, President Faunce, of Brown University, gave the whole picture in these words, "The long succession of birthdays brings me to the sensation of being lifted by an elevator through ...

456. Life After Life

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... , who lived in Stockholm, from 1688 to 1772 describes his experience as "the ‘Light of the Lord’ which permeates the hereafter, a light of ineffable brightness which I have glimpsed myself." Malcolm Muggeridge tells of the death of William Blake, genius, scientist, artist, and poet, who died in 1827: "Blake lay in bed, a friend who was there recalled, singing songs so divinely, so beautifully, that Catherine (his wife) got up to listen better, and then he turned to her and said, ‘They are not ...

457. Letting Go

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... the Divinity School at Duke University, he is the Director and a Staff Counselor with the Pastoral Care and Counseling Institute of Durham-Chapel Hill, Inc. His sermon Letting Go was preached at a chapel service in the divinity school. In it he speaks pastorally and artistically of the necessity of surrendering our cherished and familiar ways of being in order to be open to the new life and freedom for the future that the Christian faith calls us to. Freedom Lord, I want to be free free to love black, brown ...

458. The Vulnerable Christ

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... the other women and eleven understood Jesus as the Mighty One from God. The illumination which Mary and the other disciples experienced at Easter is spelled out in the Philippian poem; Jesus’ descent is balanced now by his ascent; his humiliation by his exhaltation. An artist has portrayed this by a beautiful wall hanging. It is done in the various rays of the spectrum, with light coming down from heaven to the dark cross, and light now coming back up to heaven in all the colors of the rainbow. We cannot ...

459. Advent 1: Won´t You Let Him Into Your Heart?

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

James W. Moore

... . We have sternly painted him up and written him off as a bad character, when the truth is we know virtually nothing about him. How fascinated we have been with this innkeeper. He has captured the imagination of pets and playwrights, preachers and songwriters, artists and storytellers. We have pictured him as a harsh, irritable, insensitive character, who was too caught up in his own self-centered world to be bothered by the problems of others, too cold and calculating to be bothered even by a young couple ...

460. Happy New Year?

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... a confidence in God's overruling providence. Christians go through life with trust in these words, "All things work together for good to them that love God ..." God can take the worst and change it into the best for us. One day a lady showed the great artist, John Ruskin, a very expensive handkerchief which was ruined by an indelible ink spot that had fallen on it. When Ruskin asked for it, the lady wondered what he would want with a ruined piece of cloth. Some days later he brought it back to her. Starting ...

461. Why Prophets Get Under Our Skin

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... repentance. Ascetic, gaunt, austere, and uncompromising, he resembled the austere severity of the wilderness where he sounded forth his message which has rebounded through the corridors of history for twenty centuries. No street corner prophet this. No televangelist con artist, this prophet. No panderer after the sympathies of the rich and famous. No sycophant of the elite and powerful, this man. This man was a man of God -- fierce, unyielding, piercing, penetrating, forthright, and forceful. He sought no ...

462. The Second Naiveté: Babies, Angels, Shepherds, And God

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... wisdom of men, and the weakness of God vastly more powerful than the power of men. "There is a sense," says Paul, "in which God himself has exhibited a second naivete toward the world." God keeps coming into the world through lawgivers and prophets, through artists and musicians, through wise and holy people, and God seems to be ignored. Through his messengers, his angels, God says one thing, and people do another. You would think by now that God would have learned his lesson. Doesn't he know people can't ...

463. At The Potter's House

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15

Sermon

John W. Wurster

... just to watch the potter work with the clay. We would just stand there and marvel at the ways he could shape it and fashion it and mold it. The potter had complete control of the clay. He can do anything with it. We’d go just to watch an artist at work, to see what he would do next, to applaud the final products. Those were good days, weren’t they? Gathering at the potter’s house, watching his craft, enjoying being together. The potter’s house was the place to see people. To see and be seen. It’s ...

464. The Fruit of One's Doing

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... kinds of reasons for not believing God. God wants them to have good reason to believe in God. Be Like The Father An art exhibit that has traveled the country is titled “Mary Cassatt: Modern Woman.” Mary Cassatt was an American artist who worked principally in the last century in France as an impressionist painter closely associated with Degas. In her middle years and during the last decade of the nineteenth century, Cassatt featured principally mothers and children in her paintings. Having never married ...

465. Sticky Situations (A Drama about Lordship)

Drama

Dave Marsh

... to start taking them off her clothes) Dave: Okay, here we go… (As Dave reads these, Tina says ‘check’ and takes a Post-it off.) 1. Job (check) 2. Diet (check) 3. Finances (check) 4. Personal time (check) 5. Marriage (check) 6. Car (check) 7. Artistic ability (check) 8. Past (check) 9. Present (check) 10. Future (check) 11. Pride (check) 12. Kids (check) 13. Relationship with dad… Tina: Che…. (looks around) Wait a minute. That’s not on the list. Dave: I know. (long pause) Tina: (drops the Post-it ...

466. The Healing Power of the Resurrection

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

... years ago, a hard-working man took his family from New York State to Australia so he could take advantage of a job opportunity there. One member of this man’s family was a handsome young son who dreamed of joining the circus. He wanted to become a trapeze artist or actor in the circus. This young man, biding his time until a circus job or even one as a stagehand came along, went to work at the local shipyards which were located in the roughest section of town. One evening as he was walking home from work ...

467. You Do Have A Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

James W. Moore

... test of our prayer life. Do we want God? Do we want Him so much that we will go on if it takes 5, 6, 10 years to find Him? There is only one test really… do we want God?" Everything worthwhile takes time… regular, disciplined time. Ask any artist. Ask any musician. Ask any athlete. Ask any doctor or lawyer or minister or engineer. It takes time, effort, and determination. You have to plug away at it. It doesn’t come over night… and it doesn’t stay with you unless you stay with it. Maybe the same ...

468. Jesus and Andrew

John 1:35-42

Sermon

James W. Moore

... an immediate sensation. Albrecht Durer’s etchings, his woodworks, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works. When the young artist returned home to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant homecoming. After a delightful meal with lots of music and laughter, Albrecht Durer rose from his honored position at the head of ...

469. Therapy in Melody or Healing in 4/4 Time

1 Samuel 16:14-23

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... attacks. And we know music helps. You may have heard the report of the Juilliard Conservatory students who played at the Armory in New York where the families of the missing came to register on the day after the disaster. For hours these talented young classical artists played chamber music in the midst of all the grief and grime. Finally, all but one of the musicians had to leave, so William Harvey was left with his solo violin. A man in fatigues who introduced himself as Sergeant Major asked if Bill would ...

470. Hope for Hurting Hearts

Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , via Ecunet, "Sermonshop Sermons," #1099, 12/11/98 5. Lamentations 1 & 2, passim 6. Lowell Hennigs 7. “The Chain of Love,” a story whose author is unknown to me but which is widely available on the web (e.g.: http://www.getfed.com/texts/topics/love/chainlove.shtml). Country music artist Clay Walker recorded a version of the story written by Rory Lee & Jonnie Barnett.

471. Ban the "Buts"

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... of this one. It didn't seem the right moment to point out that I was flat broke in both the time and talent department. I was trapped. I spoke the word so many dare not say: "Sure." So I do flowers. You must understand I am not the artistic type. My idea of a festive centerpiece is matching salt and pepper shakers. Botanical knowledge is out of my realm, although I am able to identify a carnation, thanks to cans from contented cows. Why couldn't it have been something easy, like traveling in the belly of a ...

472. Different From A Camel's Hair Sport Coat

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Frank Lyman

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was moving toward a fevered climax. NBC had shown marching bands and recording artists who casually paused in the middle of Fifth Avenue to "lip-synch" their latest recording! Massive balloons of "Bullwinkle" and "Underdog" and the excitement in the announcer's voice made it obvious that Santa and his Reindeer were just around the corner. It was then that a small float came ...

473. Messies Anonymous

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... ." Audiences everywhere were spellbound by his messages. At age 25 Clifford Baron had touched more lives, influenced more leaders, and set more attendance records than any clergyman his age in American history. The other man was Dawson Trotman. Trotman was bright, artistic, and highly articulate. He was a man who loved a challenge. At age 27, with only one year of seminary and one year of Bible school behind him, Trotman set up the Navigators, an evangelistic organization that stresses total commitment to ...

474. The Secret Ingredient Of Success

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... tree to become an oak or a redwood. Jesus is asking only that it accomplish what fig trees ought to accomplish ” bear figs. You and I have differing gifts. Some of us have nice singing voices. Some have graceful bodies. Some have high IQ's. Some are artists. Some are good with numbers; others are good with people. All of us have some natural ability, though. My ability will be different from yours, each of us has some natural ability. The secret is to find our natural abilities and give them all we've got ...

475. The Most Vexing Question In The Bible

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... crook. We~ve got a lot of kids to feed." She lives in a six-bedroom, three-story apartment in a gated Boston community called Harbor Point. (2) We hear of such abuses and it feeds our prejudices. It makes us think that all the poor are rip-off artists. We don't see the honest and hard working families for whom every day is a struggle just to put food on the table. We don't hear about the elderly poor, barely scraping by, having to ration out money not only for food but for increasingly expensive medicine ...

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