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Showing 451 to 475 of 4934 results

451. The Journey Begins

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

If I told you that God would send His son to this earth, that He would only live about 33 years and only the last three of those years would be how His life would be measured, what do you think He would do with those three years? Let’s make it personal. Suppose from the day you were born you knew you would only live 33 years and that your life would be measured by only the last three. What would you do with your life? It is indisputable that Jesus did more and accomplished more in the last three years of ...

452. Samuel's Farewell Speech

1 Samuel 12:1-25

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

Samuel Addresses the People: Using speeches like this one of Samuel’s to indicate important staging points, such as the end of the age of the judges, is common in the so-called Deuteronomic History. There are particular parallels here with the way in which Moses hands over power to Joshua and with Joshua’s final speech (Deut. 31; Josh. 23). This speech is included because it makes points of which the reader is expected to take note. Whether it records Samuel’s words or is a later composition does not ...

453. One Tough Master?

Matthew 25:14-28

Sermon

Will Willimon

"Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid,...I hid your talent in the ground. " You know with whom we identify in this story of the Parable of the Talents. We are on the side of the little one-talent man. Perhaps because few of us are overburdened with talent, perhaps because we love stories of the little guy who makes good. The woman who stood up to the powers of the IRS and won. Toe worker who fought the great ...

454. Gifts of Lent V: A Soldier Gives His Wine

Matthew 27:45-56

Drama

Donald Neidigk

Dramatic Monologue My name is Saint Longinus. The ancient traditions of the church say I was martyred in the service of Jesus. I was just Longinus then. You'll remember me for a number of things I did on that Friday of Holy Week: commanding the execution squad, giving Jesus a drink of cheap wine as he hung on the cross dying, confessing that he was the Son of God, and finally piercing him with my lance to ensure that he was dead. And you wonder why I'm called Saint Longinus? I understand your confusion. I ...

455. The “Gratitude Salute”

James 1:19-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Why are you here? Why did you come to church this morning? What made you voluntarily choose to spend the last summer Sunday before the too busy, too crowded Labor Day weekend inside a church? Why aren’t you lolling on some beach? (Okay, okay maybe you will be later this afternoon!) Maybe you are here out of habit. Maybe going to church is “what you do” on Sunday morning. Maybe you are here because your parents dragged you into the car, kicking and screaming, and you would rather be anywhere else. Maybe you ...

456. Pontius Pilate - Adamant, But Acquiescent

Luke 22:66--23:25

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

Was I there? You surely don’t need to ask me that question, do you? You know very well that I was there. Every week of the year, millions of Christians all over the world speak my name every time they confess their faith. They say in the Creed that Jesus Christ, God’s only son, their Lord, suffered under Pontius Pilate. Yes, I am Pontius Pilate, the man who had the authority of Rome, and the armed might of a trained army, but the man who capitulated to an unruly mob in what some claim was the greatest ...

457. Three Small Steps in Our Journey of Faith

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

Brett Blair

One day the great Michelangelo attracted a crowd of spectators as he worked. One child in particular was fascinated by the sight of chips flying and the sound of mallet on chisel. The master was shaping a large block of white marble. Unable to contain her curiosity, the little girl inquired, "What are you making?" He replied, "There is an angel in there and I must set it free." Every Christian at their confirmation or conversion is handed a large cold white marble block called religion. We must then take ...

458. Some Things We Can Do, God Can't

2 Timothy 2:13

Sermon

King Duncan

Is there anything God can't do? It's a question that has been asked for as long as humanity has been searching for the meaning of life. God is omnipotent, we say, and omniscient ” all powerful and all knowing. There is nothing beyond God's power. There is nothing God cannot do. And yet, St. Paul tells us that there IS one thing God can't do. Listen closely to these words that he wrote to Timothy: "If we are faithless, He remains true, for He cannot deny Himself." Did you catch that? "He cannot deny Himself ...

459. Managing Your Anger

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever gotten so angry with your boss that you wanted to walk out the door? Not just walk out the door, but to exact a little revenge in the process? Advice columnist Jeffrey Zaslow once asked his readers that question. Here is what he got: Several waitresses and secretaries said their most satisfying career moves were out the door. Gina, a Woolworth's waitress, told how her boss once offered a ten-cent raise, "as a big favor." Gina saw it as a big insult, and her customers egged her on to quit. It ...

460. I Say, Rejoice!

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

“From silly devotions and sour faced saints,” prayed St. Teresa, “good Lord deliver us.” Let’s make a deal: I will try not to make this sermon a “silly devotion” if you will not look at me with a sour face. Our subject today is joy. I thought we might begin with a little church humor: A pastor caught three small children stealing oranges from his tree. “Do you know what the Bible says about thieves?” he asked. “Yes sir!” one answered. “Today you will be with me in paradise!” A florist’s new assistant took ...

461. Changed Lives - Simon Peter (Maundy Thursday)

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Master story-teller Dr. Fred Craddock tells about something that happened many years ago while he was driving cross‑country. He had stopped at a small diner somewhere in the South to refresh himself with an early breakfast and some coffee. He had been driving through the night and now it was getting close to dawn. And he was sleepy. As he waited for his breakfast order to come, Craddock spied a black man who had just come in and had sat down on a stool up by the lunch counter. The diner’s manager then ...

462. The Extravagance of Love

Luke 7:36-8:3

Sermon

David R. Cartwright

If there was anything Jesus despised, it was stinginess, especially the holding back of oneself. If there was anything he admired, it was extravagance, especially the extravagance of love. There are really only two ways to live. You can live as if this is the last drop, and there won't be anymore; or you can live as if there is more where this came from. We can live out of scarcity, or we can live out of abundance. In the story from Luke's Gospel, we see these two approaches in conflict. My Bible has this ...

463. The Reluctant Celebrity

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

King Duncan

We live in a world that canonizes celebrity. It no longer matters how much a person has accomplished or how much they have contributed to society. All you have to do to become famous in today’s world is to keep yourself in front of the media. We have people, it’s often noted, who are famous simply for being famous. People like Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie, for example. They became so famous that they starred in their own reality show “The Simple Life.” Before that, says one critic, Paris Hilton did ...

464. Second Chances

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

(Growing Strong in the Season of Lent, Lent 3) There is a hilarious story about a farmer who had three sons: Ron, Don and Little John. All had their names on the church roll but none ever attended church or had time for God. Then one day Don was bitten by a rattlesnake. The doctor was called and he did all he could to help Don, but the outlook for his recovery was very dim indeed. So the pastor was called to evaluate the situation. The pastor arrived, and began to pray: “O wise and righteous Father, we ...

465. Getting It Right in the Coming Year

Galatians 4:4-7

Sermon

King Duncan

It seems strange that New Year’s Eve should fall on a Sunday. But that, of course, is what today is. Many of you are looking forward to New Year’s Eve parties. I’ve always appreciated writer Bill Vaughan’s words: “Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to.” I won’t ask how late some of you will be up. Some of you will celebrate via your television. I also like what some comedian said about that. He said, “I love it when they drop the ball in Times ...

466. Thy Will Be Done

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Molly F. James

Recently, I was in a bit of a hurry to get something done (which I am slowly discovering is rarely a good idea). I was moving things around at home, and I broke the lamp in my husband’s study. I felt very badly about what I had done, and I wanted to remedy the situation. I offered to go right out and buy him a new lamp. He said not to worry; it wasn’t his favorite lamp anyway, and we could go and get a lamp later in the week. There was no rush. This is where we do not see eye to eye. My husband is very ...

467. Captive To The Word Of God

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

The Zealots had made a courageous stand, holding off General Silva and his elite Roman legion for more than a year. Jerusalem had already fallen months ago, and the mesa named Masada, along the west coast of the Dead Sea, was the site of the last pocket of Jewish resistance. Come morning, that, too, would change. The wooden walls were burning, and within the day's first light the Roman battering ram would begin again and make its final assault upon the weakened walls and gates. The leader of the 960 men, ...

468. More Than Meets The Eye

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Can you picture this scene? We are sitting on bleachers under the big top having a wonderful time laughing at the clowns, watching lions and tigers jump at the crack of a whip, and gazing in awe as the acrobats perform. We are caught up in the excitement of the circus and join in with the crowd in thunderous applause after each act. The acrobats perform high above us in what seems to us as death-defying feats. Each feat seems greater than the previous one. "Ahhs" can be heard in unison after each act. ...

469. From Me to We

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

Mike Ripski

Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to tech a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized – whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ – but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I ...

470. The Happy Hypocrite

Matthew 6:1-4, 5-6, 16-18

Sermon

King Duncan

(Growing Strong in the Season of Lent, #1) A story appeared on Facebook recently about a person who went to a concert. At the end of the concert, this person noticed two ushers standing near his seat who were applauding harder than anybody else in the whole place. The man said he was thrilled with this particular concert because of the talent and virtuosity of the musicians. It also impressed him greatly to see these two ushers standing there applauding more vigorously than all of the concert goers. His ...

471. Lessons in Discipleship

Luke 17:11-19, Luke 17:1-10

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: True discipleship cannot be undertaken casually; the service of God demands all that we can bring to it. Understanding the Text In 17:11 Luke reminds us that Jesus and his disciples are still on the journey to Jerusalem. Much of the journey narrative (9:51–19:44) consists of teaching given to the disciples. In the last few chapters this has largely taken the form of parables, and we will return to parables at the beginning of chapter 18. But in this section we find four separate units of teaching ...

472. Unfettered Faith

Mark 1:35-39, Mark 1:40-45, Exodus 15:22-27

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“I am the Lord who heals you.” --Exodus 15 One of the most dangerous forms of infection today is something called sepsis. Sepsis is caused by bacteria which invade the body through an open wound, then cause an inflammatory response within which quickly attacks the body, shuts down organs, and can even cause death. It’s a frightening and debilitating experience. It literally binds up one’s bodily systems and breaks down the body from the inside out. And it can all start from one small wound. But physical ...

473. Hail, King!

Jeremiah 23:5-6 · Psalm 93 · Revelation 1:4b-8 · John 18:33-37

Sermon

Will Willimon

Let's talk politics! Do I detect a groan? You say that you are sick of politics? That you have had enough of Republicans and Democrats and want to hear of nothing more controversial than basketball? I have a political proposal for you. I couldn't present it during the heat of the campaign, but now the time is right: What we need in this country is monarchy. That's right. A king. Think about it. The problems which beset us are so great, so seemingly insoluble - thinning ozone·, national debt, crumbling ...

474. God So Loved

John 3:16-17

Sermon

Will Willimon

Driving through the mountains of North Carolina, winding my way carefully along a narrow, circuitous mountain road, I looked up and saw painted on a rock, large white letters: PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD – READ JOHN 3:16. Fortunately, I already knew John 3:16; but I shuddered at the thought of some other motorist madly thumbing through his Bible trying to find John 3:16 when he should have been watching the road! Right after I saw the painted religious rock, the next hairpin curve took me to the very edge of a ...

475. What, Then, Would You Be?

2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, was an enthusiastic swimmer. Before starting each day’s work he would swim and bathe naked in the Potomac River. There was a newspaper woman, Anne Royall, who tried for weeks to get an interview with the president, but she was always rebuffed. One day she followed Adams to his watering hole. After he disrobed and got into the river, she promptly sat down on his clothes. Recognizing who she was, Adams pleaded, “Let me get out and dress, and I ...

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