Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 451 to 475 of 4508 results

Sermon

King Duncan

Retired Presbyterian pastor John Buchanan tells of baptizing a two-year-old boy in a Sunday worship service. After the child had been baptized, Pastor Buchanan, following the directions of the Presbyterian prayer book, put his hand on the little boy’s head and addressed him like this. He said, “You are a child of God, sealed by the Spirit in your baptism, and you belong to Jesus Christ forever.” ...

452. A Journey To A New Life

Sermon

King Duncan

Danne and Jorge Martinez wanted to raise their eleven-year-old daughter Lizbet to do right. Unfortunately, they had no choice but to teach Lizbet to lie. You see, the Martinez family lived in Cuba. They were members of Castro's Communist Party. But inside their home, these devoted parents complained bitterly about the political situation that was destroying their country. And so, when Lizbet was o...

453. Why Jesus Was Baptized

Sermon

King Duncan

Are you nervous in the presence of celebrities? Would you feel awkward if President Bush came to your house for lunch today? Are there people around whom you are very selfconscious? There is a famous story about a woman who goes into an ice cream store. Suddenly she recognizes that Robert Redford is also buying ice cream in that store. The woman is on the verge of swooning with ecstasy, but she i...

454. Submission

Sermon

Pete Maravich and Lily Laskin had something in common aside from the fact that they both died one day apart. They both gave themselves to that which they considered important. People who keep up with harps and harpists say that Lily Laskin, the French harpist, took the harp out of the living room and made it a featured solo instrument on concert stages all over the world. She died on January 4, 1...

455. Does That Make You A Christian?

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: We must be baptized to be effective disciples for Christ. Props: Baptismal font or deliver the sermon near the Baptismal pool (optional). Lesson: Good morning! (response) I want to talk to you about Baptism this morning but I have a few questions I want to ask you first. Here’s the first one: Who knows how to spell hamburger? (response) Single out one of the children. How do you ...

456. An Invitation That Went Astray

Sermon

King Duncan

Series: Seeing God More Clearly in 2020 Anyone here ever been involved in planning a wedding? Have you ever noticed that there are so many details involved in planning a wedding that brides and grooms tend to get really stressed out in the weeks leading up to the big event? Bride-to-be Cassandra Warren was so hurried to get things done that she accidentally sent an invitation to her wedding to a...

457. Prayer

Bulletin Aid

Baptized Ordained! Set apart Chosen by God Called and Commissioned! Jesus' Baptism Was the beginning of his public ministry, God claimed him publically Put the Spirit on him Sent him out to work. My baptism Was the beginning of my life in Christ. God claimed me - In front of witnesses - Set me apart To do God's work. I too am a "Beloved Son"/"Beloved Daughter" One called and commissioned Given ...

458. Christ is Our Perfection

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Let us gather together all who celebrate the gift of God's Love. People: For the Lord walked among us and found favor in the eyes of God. Leader: And in Christ we are also each one granted favor before God Almighty. People: Then let us proclaim God's love to all the nations of the world! Leader: And let our hearts sing out with praise for God's mercy and love! All: Blessed ...

459. Flowing Waters, New Life

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship One: The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. All: May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace! (Psalm 29:10-11) Collect Lord, your voice from heaven calls us during this time of worship. Your Son is your beloved, and beloved of us also. Our sisters and brothers around the world are your beloved, and sh...

460. Epiphany 1 - Baptism of Our Lord

Bulletin Aid

First Lesson Isaiah 42:1-9 Theme: God's Servant in whom he delights Call to Worship Pastor: God spoke through the prophet Isaiah describing his anointed servant with whom he was delighted. People: When we think of Jesus' baptism, we cannot help thinking he was anointed to fulfill that prophecy. Pastor: Jesus was certainly anointed with God's Spirit, and came as light to the nations. People: He g...

461. Baptism of our Lord

Bulletin Aid

Theme: An epiphany to the world Exegetical note Whereas Mark's earlier version of Jesus' baptism makes the theophany more subjective (with the voice from heaven addressing Jesus as a "Thou"), Matthew (with Luke) makes it more objective, with the divine declaration from above addressed to the bystanders. By making this personal event, in effect, public, Matthew may be declaring that this baptism w...

462. Baptism of the Lord

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Notes Whereas Mark's earlier version of Jesus' baptism makes the theophany more subjective (with the voice from heaven addressing Jesus as a "Thou"), Matthew (with Luke) makes it more objective, with the divine declaration from above addressed to the bystanders. By making this personal event, in effect, public, Matthew may be declaring that this baptism was an epiphany to the world. Liturg...

463. Baptism of Our Lord

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: White Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17 Theme: The confirmation of Jesus' mission in his baptism - and ours. Hymns of Epiphany Consider this: Use the Epiphany hymns; give a brief history of the hymn and of the significance of the season. Many will know little about the season; many will recognize some of the Epiphany hymns as Christmas carols. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One...

464. Baptism of Our Lord

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The theological intention in giving the baptism of Jesus its own special day, the First Sunday after the Epiphany, rather than attempting to restore it to January 6 and reconstruct Epiphany as a unitive event, is several fold: first, it is an important part of the incarnation, as a reaffirmation by God that this man was the Holy Child born in Bethlehem three decades or so in the ...

465. When God Asks the Unreasonable

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: When was it Jesus realized He was God? Summary: A couple is talking about Jesus' baptism and wonder when Jesus knew He was Divine. Playing Time: 3 minutes Place: The home of Sam and Sharon Props: Newspaper for Sam, Bible for Sam Costumes: Contemporary Time: The present Cast: SAM and SHARON, his wife SHARON: (READING BIBLE) Sam, what's this passage all about? SAM: (READING NEWSPAPER...

466. Watch What Rubs Off On You

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A piece of charcoal and a white handkerchief Boys and girls: This morning we are thinking about the baptism of Jesus. One of the meanings of baptism is that we are cleansed from our sins. John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus, told people to repent. Repentance means to turn around--to quit doing things that hurt you and hurt other people. Everybody needs to repent from time to time. For so...

467. Look What Water Does!

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Water at the baptismal font. Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to talk about something very special. It is called water. How many of you thought that water is very special? (Let them answer.) It is very special because it is necessary for us to live. We could not live without water. That sounds strange because you have never had to try to live without water, but if you ever...

468. Re-Gifted but not Returned

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

A few years ago the New York Times city room editor, James Barron, asked readers to recall the worst Christmas gifts they had ever received. I thought I’d share a couple with you. I’d tell you the worst Christmas gift I ever got, but I don’t, to this day, know what it was. It was a secret Santa gift from someone at a company I do consulting work for. I can’t describe it. It was something like a p...

469. Death by Water

Sermon

Thirty years have passed in the last five days on the church calendar. Jesus was still a baby just days ago, when Matthew’s version of the Christmas story was read and Christ’s Epiphany was celebrated around the world. Now Jesus is at the beginning of his ministry, and we remember his baptism by John the Baptizer in the Jordan River; he has but three more years to preach, teach, and heal and then ...

470. Aha! An Epiphany!

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a wonderful story about a young man who was dating a very attractive girl. One Sunday after church the two went for a picnic. The young man had made arrangements to rent a row boat. His plan was to row to a small island on their favorite lake and enjoy a lunch which he himself had prepared. Since he had been unaccustomed to making lunches, he had forgotten to pack a number of things. His...

471. You Bring Me Great Pleasure

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

How many of your New Year’s Resolutions have made it intact through the first full week of 2011? Have you missed a day of exercise yet? Have you stuck to your diet? Are you texting less, talking more, always telling the truth? Most “resolutions” we make are self-directed: get thinner, work smarter, be stronger, take control of your life. We want to make changes that will help us, improve us, and ...

472. Baptism In Three Movements

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

There are two very different ways to think about baptism. The first approach recognizes the time of baptism as a saving moment in which the person being baptized accepts the love and forgiveness of God. The person then considers herself "saved." She may grow in the faith through the years, but nothing which she will experience after her baptism will be as important as her baptism. She always will ...

473. What Was That All About?

Sermon

James L. Killen

"I wonder what that was all about?" That must have been the thought in the minds of most of the people who stood in a crowd on the riverbank that day of Jesus' baptism. They came some distance expecting to see something unique, but they had just seen something they had not expected to see and they didn't know what to make of it. They came to a place that was far out of the way for most of them. B...

474. Cleaned and Claimed

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever been around someone who is not particularly concerned with personal hygiene say, in a crowded elevator? If so you can be grateful that you didn’t live 100 years ago or 200 years ago. One of the changes that has taken place over the centuries that we can be thankful for is the concern for personal hygiene. For example, what if we lived in the 1500s? This is interesting. One writer te...

475. God's Delight

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

Once upon a time a student approached his teacher and announced that he was ready to assume the office of ministry. "And what are your qualifications?" the teacher asked. "I have mastered the art of physical discipline," the student replied. "I am able to sleep on the ground, to eat nothing but raw grains, and I can carry huge loads on my back." The teacher took the young man by the arm and led ...

Showing 451 to 475 of 4508 results