Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 451 to 475 of 4914 results

451. Welcoming Jesus

Matthew 10:40-42

Sermon

William G. Carter

Some years ago, my wife and I landed on the mystical island of Iona. Located off the western coast of Scotland, the small island has an abbey that traces its roots back to the sixth century. The abbey has been rebuilt over the last eighty years, and it now serves as a center for conferences and spiritual retreats. We arrived on an August afternoon in time for the evening worship service. Taking our seats in the ancient stone sanctuary, we discovered we were in the midst of a Christian youth conference. ...

452. Revising The Agenda

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

William G. Carter

Whenever I hear this Bible passage, I smell potato soup. One day when I was about fourteen years old, my mother announced we were going to church for something called a “sacrificial” supper. She said it had something to do with the season of Lent. That was curious, too. We were a low-church Presbyterian family. Liturgical seasons didn’t mean much to us. Any talk of Lent didn’t make much sense. At least, not until that night. There we were, one Sunday night in late winter. The fellowship hall was half-empty ...

453. The Tiger At The Edge

John 21:1-14

Sermon

Glenn E. Ludwig

There is an ancient folktale about a tiger that is brought up with a herd of goats. From the day his eyes opened all he saw was a goat's life, so it became his style of life, too. The tiger munched grass with the rest, butted heads with the younger goats for recreation, and learned to bleat in an odd sort of way a sound that resembled, or so he thought, a goat's voice. Once in a while there was a nagging voice inside him that said, " You don't belong to this life!" But always, he put it aside as fantasy, ...

454. The Temptations

Luke 4:1-13

Illustration

Glenn E. Ludwig

Maybe we need to rethink sin. Maybe we need to think of sin in broader categories than just "bad things done" or "good things left undone." Maybe the most uncomplicated definition of sin we could give would be our inclination to take the easy way out. Our gospel text for today offers a good way to assess our new definition. The devil offers Jesus temptations which seem, on the surface, harmless enough. They are certainly not temptations to do evil. The devil is just encouraging Jesus to take the easy road ...

455. Through Christ We Have Salvation

Romans 5:12-21

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Let us gather today and lift our voices in song and praise to God. People: For once we were lost in sin and cried out to God for a Savior. Leader: And God heard our pleas and in Jesus Christ we have our salvation. People: So let us sing and give praise to Almighty God! Leader: And let us walk in the ways of the Lord forever! All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect O God, in Christ You blessed us with Your gift of Salvation. Wound us, Lord, where we need to be wounded and heal ...

456. Eyes on the Unseen

Mark 7:31-37

Illustration

Larry Powell

The first scripture selection relates the healing of a man "who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech." Although nothing is mentioned regarding the faith of the man who was healed, faith was yet an active ingredient in the healing as exhibited by those who resolutely brought the man to Jesus. In verse 34, the phrase "looking up to heaven," underscores the intimate relationship with God that Jesus brought to that moment. Similarly, I have read that when Francis of Assisi preached, he never looked at ...

457. Hymns at Midnight

Acts 16:16-40

Illustration

Larry Powell

Paul and Silas had been thrown into prison at Philippi because Paul had cast a demon from a slave girl. However, there were extenuating circumstances. It seems the slave girl allegedly had powers of divination which enabled her to engage in "fortune telling." Her owners had managed to turn her condition into a rather lucrative business. And, of course, when Paul removed the demon, he also eliminated the owner’s profit. Let’s think about that for a moment. Isn’t it fortunate that some people cannot receive ...

458. A Maverick Son

2 Samuel 15:13-37

Illustration

Larry Powell

Absalom was born in Hebron. His first recorded experience is the pathetic story of the rape of his sister, Tamar. Later, during a feast he masterminded the slaying of Amnon after which he escaped to the home of his grandfather at Geshur where he remained for three years. Absalom approached Joab to intercede for him with David in an effort to be reinstated in the royal family. Joab refused twice. Absalom then proceeded to set fire to Joab’s barley fields, forcing him to appear before David in order to ...

459. Help Me Make It Through The Night

John 3:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Sue Monk Kidd was pregnant with her second child. Her three-year-old son, Bob, was afraid of the dark. Sue tried everything. She tried leaving a light on in the hall and a night-light on in Bob's room. Nothing she did helped; he was still scared of the dark and would cry out in the middle of the night. One night as she held him against her to comfort him, he touched her round abdomen. Little Bob asked, "Mama, is it dark inside there where my little brother is?" He was convinced that his yet unborn sister ...

460. A Powerful Testimony

Mark 8:27-38

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: a set of pom-poms, or a giant foam finger like the kind found at sporting events Good morning, boys and girls. Do you like sports? What sports do you like? Have you ever gone to a game or watched a game on TV? If you have, then you've seen how excited people can get at a game. They yell and cheer and clap. They may wave these big pom-poms as a way to cheer on the team. It can get very noisy at these ball games. That's because people get so excited about their team. Wouldn't it be great if we got ...

461. Grace for a Complaining People

Exodus 16:2-15

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

Bob Hope died in 2003 at age 100. Before Bob died, his wife Dolores asked him where he wanted to be buried. And Bob, in his usual comedic style, answered, "Surprise me!" One night when Bob was in his prime he reported his activity for the day. "Today," he said, "my heart beat 103,369 times. My blood traveled 168 miles. I breathed 23,040 times. I inhaled 438 cubic feet of air. I ate three and a quarter pounds of food and drank two pounds of liquid. I perspired one and a half pints. I gave off 85 degrees of ...

462. Never Underestimate the Power of a Cold Cup of Water - Sermon Starter

Matt 10:40-42

Illustration

Brett Blair

Now I would like to stop the world for just one minute and ask you to think back. Think back with me to the first century. Think about those 50 years after Jesus' death and what it must been like for Jesus' disciples. Before the last one died their efforts had brought 500,000 men, women, and children into the ranks of the church. But what they had to suffer in order to accomplish this task is seldom discussed. We like the outcome of their discipleship but we don't want to hear the cost of discipleship. So ...

463. The Secret of Power

Luke 24:36b-48

Illustration

Richard J. Fairchild

The story is told of the explorer who some years ago had just returned to his country from the Amazon. The people at home were eager to learn all about the vast and mighty river and the country surrounding it. How he wondered, could he ever describe it to them - how could he ever put into words the feelings that flooded into his heart when he saw the exotic flowers and heard the night sounds of the jungle. How could he communicate to them the smells the filled the air and the sense of danger and excitement ...

464. The Saving Power of a Baby

Matthew 1:18-25

Illustration

John Thomas Randolph

Harry Emerson Fosdick told the story of General Pickett's baby. It was during the last slaughterous days of the Civil War when the Confederates locked horns with the Union soldiers outside of Richmond. It was the cruelest time of the whole war. Then one night the Confederate lines were lighted with bonfires, and the Union guards discovered that the Southern troops were celebrating General Pickett's newborn baby, word of whose arrival had just reached the army. General Grant was so moved by the event that ...

465. The Power of Prayer

John 17:1-26

Illustration

While very ill, John Knox, the founder of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, called to his wife and said, "Read me that Scripture where I first cast my anchor." After he listened to the beautiful prayer of Jesus recorded in John 17, he seemed to forget his weakness. He began to pray, interceding earnestly for his fellowmen. He prayed for the ungodly who had thus far rejected the gospel. He pleaded in behalf of people who had been recently converted. And he requested protection for the Lord's servants, ...

466. Mind Before Body

Illustration

Norman Vincent Peale

Once walking through the twisted little streets of Kowloon in Hong Kong, a man came upon a tattoo studio. In the window were displayed samples of the tattoos available. On the chest or arms you could have tattooed an anchor or flag or mermaid or whatever. But what struck the man were three words that could be tattooed on one's flesh: Born to lose. He entered the shop in astonishment and pointing to those words, asked the Chinese tattoo artist, "Does anyone really have that terrible phrase, Born to lose, ...

467. How to Get the Job Done

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

And [Jesus] said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." — Luke 10:2 It's a startling fact but true — Jesus and politicians have a lot in common. This no doubt comes as a surprise to those who regard politics as a dirty business, or who think of politicians essentially as liars and who believe steadfastly that politics and religion don't mix. Nonetheless, Jesus and politicians have a lot in common. When you ...

468. No Reason to Worry

Matthew 6:25-33

Sermon

April Yamasaki

One year, a friend decided to give up worry for Lent. Other years she had tried giving up chocolate or coffee, but instead of focusing on a physical habit, she decided to tackle her habit of being anxious. Instead of worrying about her family, she would pray. Instead of taking her work problems home with her, she would shut them up in her office and refuse to worry about them. Instead of being anxious about her own life, she would try putting everything into perspective by focusing on the life and ...

469. The Gift of the Kingdom

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

George Reed

Don’t you just love gifts? I’m not talking about those hokey email scams where someone wants to give you $3.5 million if you will just send them all your private, financial information. I’m talking about real gifts whether they are wrapped up in ribbons or wrapped up in hugs. I don’t know about you but I love gifts. Jesus is telling us that God has a gift for us: the kingdom. This is not a gift that comes out of obligation but is given with God’s “good pleasure.” And it is a surprise gift, as well. ...

470. Know Jesus--No Peace

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

George Reed

How can we understand it when Jesus, the Prince of Peace, says, “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!”? What do we make of Jesus proclaiming that households will be divided because of him; that parents and children will be at odds? While some of the wits around us have used the pun of Know Jesus — Know Peace; No Jesus — No Peace, it seems that Jesus would have said Know Jesus — No Peace. Jesus was aware of those around him who resisted the Roman ...

471. Worthless Slaves

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

George Reed

In the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark Indiana Jones has to choose which cup would have belonged to Jesus and been used at the Last Supper. There are dozens upon dozens to choose from and each seems more lavish than the next. He chooses the one which is the most simple and would most likely reflect the lifestyle of a simple carpenter. It is the correct choice. While there may be some problems with using this movie as a theology guide at this point it is right on. Jesus is the humble one who came to serve and ...

472. The Definition of Church

John 8:31-36

Sermon

Molly F. James

I grew up in small town in Maine. So small that the Episcopal church in town, St. John’s, was just an historic building used for events and concerts. It wasn’t an active parish. We worshiped in the next town over which was big enough to have a real downtown and a wonderful Episcopal parish, St. Philip’s. I loved that community for the ways in which it supported and formed me, and for the valuable lessons it taught me. One of those lessons was about what it means to be a church. They taught me that being a ...

473. Stepping into Liminal Space

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Roy Howard

When Peter stepped out of that boat, he stepped into liminal space to walk on water. Some of you may be wondering what is liminal space? Liminal space is a term used by cultural anthropologists to describe in-between or transitional passages of communities. It describes those times when the past is no longer sustainable, and the future is not yet clear. The present is a time of unsettledness, unable to rely on the past and unsure about the future. There are some who are sure that the United States is in ...

474. The Joy Of Being Found

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Richard Hasler

D. L. Moody tells the story somewhere of going to a jail to preach and when he began to preach he saw a sign in the back of the hall that read in large bold letters: DO NOT PREACH ON THE PRODIGAL SON. Apparently, the prisoners had had enough sermons on that particular parable, even though it is one of Jesus’ most powerful parables about God’s redeeming grace. Fortunately, our lectionary text Luke 15:1-10 does not include the parable of the prodigal son. We do have two similar parables: the lost sheep and ...

475. Out On A Sycamore Limb

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Richard Hasler

Why do children love this story so much? Tom Wright offered one explanation: “Sunday schools love Zacchaeus. At least they love to act out his story and sing about him. The little man who climbs up a tree to see Jesus provides one of the most vivid short stories in the Bible. Children can identify with Zacchaeus; they often find themselves at the back of a crowd and can’t see what’s going on. Many adults too, can identify with, they like to get closer to Jesus, but find it embarrassing to do so, and ...

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