Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 451 to 475 of 4943 results

451. Lift High The Cross

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... or the quiet, tranquil life of a shepherd herding his father-in-law’s sheep. Again and again Moses had learned that it is a lot easier to deal with woolly sheep than woolly people. They accused him of inept leadership when they ran short of water. He continued to get it when they ran short of food. He was a leader who was also caught in the middle. If he wasn’t busy convincing his people that God had really called him, he was busy arguing with God that the people were worth calling. Once again Moses ...

452. Resurrection: From Chaos to Order

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... the mystery when life ceased and the body returned to the dust of earth. There seemed an order. Yet, even as the boy and the Ancient One sat by the fire, there was the possibility that a wild animal would devour them both - even as the fire continued. Life had uncertainty. They sought to answer the unknown, thereby making it the known. It was an age before the pyramids. It was a time before the Babylonians built an empire, or even before the ancient Ur was hometown of Abraham. It was before the flood that ...

453. Resurrection: From Brokenness to Wholeness

Matthew 15:29-39

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... ? Did you know that God keeps you? God guards you?" Jahmai did not know. He only wondered in those moments why Jesus told him those things - why he told him those things as he stood balanced on his one good leg. "Jahmai, let me tell you of Peter," Jesus continued. "See him there, resting against that tree? Just yesterday Peter lacked a faith in the care of God - such a faith that he could have moved through a stormy sea as our boat was offshore of our town. Peter saw all the waves about him, and he saw the ...

454. A Way Back In

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

... a way back in? This is Good News, worked into the fabric of life and not just an emotion of acceptance and new-felt power. Preaching such a Gospel is a mighty act of God’s constant provision for us; and hearing it is the same. The Gospel continues to be good news for people who otherwise would disappear from the face of meaningful life and become buried in their own obstinacy. In Advent we come close to the mystery of God’s visitation in Jesus Christ, the walking and talking Good News. No longer given ...

455. Proper 10

2 Samuel 7:18-29, Ephesians 1:1-14, Mark 6:7-13

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... of the enormous gifts of redemption and unity, both present and promised, that we have in Christ; and that we lead all together too fragmented and selfish and pointless lives as a result of our forgetfulness of your grace. Forgive us, we pray, and remind us continually to live as though we truly were one in Christ. In his name we pray. Amen Gospel: Mark 6:7-13 Theme: A mission modeled on the Master’s message and ministry Exegetical Note Mark’s version of the commissioning of the Twelve underscores the ...

456. As It Was Told

Drama

Ed Irsch

... Why? What happened? Johnathan: I can’t find a one of them. I went out to the fields and they’re not there. Here I thought I had hard-working, honest men, and they all disappeared. Martha: Now, Johnathan, they might have ... Johnathan: (continuing) Probably working for another while drawing full pay from me. Martha: But, then, wouldn’t they - Johnathan: It’s outrageous! Martha: - leave at least - Johnathan: If I ever get my hands on them. I’ll ... (thinking) Martha: - one in charge? Johnathan: They ...

457. A WALL OF ROCK AND THE EVERYBODY GAP

Drama

William McKee Aber

... out. I personally prefer dark suits, maybe a red striped tie now and then, but nothing flashy! So why am I here, on the enemy’s turf, of all places? I admit to two reasons: First, I have a vested interest; naturally we are desirous of having man continue to expand his area of influence. In all the galaxy man has proven to welcome his presence on other planets. Secondly; since this is the enemy’s territory my boss consented to my presence only as a paid consultant. That problem taken care of, I am happy ...

458. Paul of Tarsus

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

... . Actually, it doesn’t matter. If I live or if I die, I’m with the Lord already, for he lives in me. Dear Timothy, he lives in you as well. Believe it. Trust it. Never give up on the Crucified. He hasn’t given up on you. Continue what I started and do better than I did. My life is being poured out day by day. Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ. ANNOUNCER: This late word from the capital. Paul, the great preacher of the Christian Church and organizer of two dozen congregations, died this morning ...

459. The Miracle of Re-Birth

John 3:1-21

Sermon

... you new life." No, this was an act of pure, unadulterated grace on God’s part. This rebirthing was completely his gift. God makes no bargain but offers the bronze serpent. Anyone who looks at it will live. The precise point of the gospel is that the continuing experiences of rebirth that God brings to bear in our lives are unearned gifts that cannot be repaid. It’s what makes the gospel so difficult for us to hear! - not even our acts of repentance not because of all our prayers not by going through a ...

460. Lifting the Burden of Guilt

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... of us are so stupid. But we do the same thing with the warning lights that come on in our lives. The guilt experience is a warning light that tells us we are breaking with truth, with reality, with God. Often we cover up our feeling of guilt and continue our destructive practices. How stupid can we get? Someone in the fourth century knew the meaning of guilt and wrote a hymn to it: O Felix Culpa (O Happy Guilt) Praise to thee, dear brother Guilt! Strong Son of God’s law and love Who dost not cease thy ...

461. Overcoming Loneliness

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... we come back to God and say, "Take over; I can’t manage it on my own." Strangely, life begins to work. When we are lonely, we might remember what Tournier said in, Escape From Loneliness, "Love always means going to others, not demanding that they come to us." He continues in, The Adventure of Living, "It was for love that God created the world. It was for love that God made man in his own image, thus making him a partner in love, a being to whom he speaks, whom he loves like a son, and who can answer him ...

462. Coping When It Seems Impossible

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... by a genuine spiritual awakening in the West). Recently I read a statement which I believe is a glimpse of basic truth. It declared that the Age of Secularism had come to an end, because this philosophy was not answering life’s ultimate problems. The declaration continued that A New Age of the Spirit had begun. If this is true, and I believe it is, then, in the perspective of faith, we had better look again at our personal lives, our human relationships, and our world tensions. If we are ready, God just ...

463. Faith As Healing Energy

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... Step Further, she writes: "If God’s mind was small enough for me to understand, he wouldn’t be God ... Sometimes I can’t stand being in a wheelchair, but there God’s grace takes over. Even in my handicap, God has a plan and purpose for my life." She continues, "God began his earthly life in a stinky stable. He got angry. He was lonely. He went without a place to call his own, abandoned by his closest friends. He wept real tears. This is a God I can trust. I know my tears count with him." As they ...

464. Not Far From the Kingdom

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... time, and he prayed to God, "Give me chastity and continence, but not yet." Augustine left Africa for bigger plums at Rome and Milan. In his celebrated Confessions - his hymn of thanksgiving - he tells the world all he thought and did. Monica, his mother, continued to pray for her wayward son, and the great Ambrose gave direction from the lofty pulpit in Milan. It was traumatic wrestling, wrestling with his guilt-ridden, debased being. Finally, in September of A.D. 386, in a garden in Milan - where he was ...

465. Called to Be Saints

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... give it up." Again: "If I give up my essential self, what have I left?" The meek are those who have discovered that only by giving away does one come into full possession of a greater self. Trivia no longer dominates. God is all-important. Oh, the world will continue to say of the meek just what the world has always said. Jesus said the meek would "inherit the earth." The world has said, "That is the only way they will get it." And the meek smile, and go on being meek - for God’s sake and purposes. Hunger ...

466. The Shadow Ascending

John 21:15-25

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... done for him and not by him. Yet he has been clothed again in the costume of a responsible adult. We see how much hope people have in wanting to salvage the attractive aspects of his personality, which can be considerable. All this in effect permits him to continue to drink as a way to solve his problems. Since other people have suffered or taken care of the painful results of his actions, he is convinced that he can go on behaving in the same way without having to be ultimately responsible. Act III In Act ...

467. Signposts A Commencement Address

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... an hour or so. But it also is a time of potentially great significance. It is a signpost of change. For parents, it is a signpost of a change in your parental function. For you graduates, it is a signpost of a change in your world, for as your world continues to broaden, decisions get made again and again around who you want to be. There are always new tasks in life. This night reminds us that that is so. As life goes forward, we all hopefully grow. We all change. Our task is to be sensitive to the meaning ...

468. Light for Beauty

Isaiah 62:1-12

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... and delight. That is what this Epiphany Season is all about. The Epiphany texts are selected to help us see how God reveals himself with special concern in the Person of Jesus. Everything that God did to restore ancient Israel in reclaiming them is the same way God continues to reach out to us. Epiphany is a good time for us to review how God makes special efforts to unfold in fresh and unique ways the nature of God’s love and mercy and love for us. The basic conditions are always the same, because people ...

469. A Mother's Gift

1 Samuel 1:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... found herself at the door of the Tabernacle. God's house. GOD's House. As she stood there, Hannah began to mumble her distress through her tears. "Why has this happened to me? Where have I failed you that I have not had a child? Why must I be continually afflicted with Peninnah's tongue? Do you care at all about me? Please, Lord, please, please, please. If you will only give me a child, I will give him back to you for his whole life." Over and over she repeated her prayer, hoping against hope that the God ...

470. Tough Love

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , consider the words of the prophet from whom we read a moment ago: Zephaniah. The three chapters in the little book which bears his name provide a quick synopsis of much of what is wrong with this world, an affirmation that the wrong will not be allowed to continue indefinitely, and a picture of the love and care of a Heavenly Father who really wants the children to turn out right. See how the prophet presents what he has to say. The book of Zephaniah has been handed down to us as a series of brief oracles ...

471. The Apostles Creed: "The Holy Catholic Churc"

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... life and ministry of Jesus; we have seen a love that reaches down to the very depths of Hell; we have joyously experienced resurrection, Christ's ascension to glory, and his commitment to work justice in this unjust world. We have been reminded of God's continuous action in our lives through the presence of the Holy Spirit. And now, "I believe in...the holy catholic church..." We are tempted to say we have moved from the sublime to the ridiculous. Of all the affirmations we make from week to week, this one ...

472. Power

Mark 1:9-13, Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... ask you this morning, Where do you find the power to hang in there in this world? Where do you find the power to keep going when the going really gets tough? Where do you find the power to continue to believe in love in a world that is filled with hate? Where do you find the power to continue to work for peace in a world that is addicted to violence? Where do you find the power to continue to believe in good in a world that is filled with so much suffering and pain? Where do you find the power to ...

473. Thankful Day By Day

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... morning Ron assumed she was heading to work. As Ron opened his car door, their eyes met. Stifling a yawn, Ron greeted her with, "Another day, another dollar." The woman paused for a moment and smiled at him. Cheerfully she replied, "And ain't it a blessing!" Then she continued on her way. Ron was unsure what to make of this woman as he watched her walk away. There was a bounce in her step. She probably got up at least an hour before he did, had probably ridden a bus downtown, and then was transferred to a ...

474. A Most Successful Sermon

Acts 2:14a, 36-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... of us as well. There are many of us who feel that repentance is for others. We are like the six-year-old girl who said to her mother, “The number one problem in the United States is climate change. I read that in my Weekly Reader. Everybody,” she continued, “knows that the number one problem in the United States is climate change--everybody but our preacher. He thinks that it is sin. I feel that is just because he is a preacher.” Could I say that if there is a man-made component to a heating earth ...

475. Getting Your Attention

John 2:12-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... and her family were evacuated from Kuwait. The newborn baby was dirty and smelly. Franklin was able to help this young mother with needed supplies. He saw to it that she received medical attention as well. The mother thanked him for helping them. As they continued their conversation she revealed that she had once been a Christian, but affluence had come between her and God. She had gotten herself into a rut and was unable to get herself out of it. She drifted away from God. Franklin, she said, had rekindled ...

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