Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4801 to 4825 of 4937 results

4801. The Devil Takes Visa

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Our five-year-old, Soren, attends the local Montessori preschool for kindergarten. Her classroom is a delightful mix of about 20 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children. At home, with just three kids, pandemonium seems to be a normative state. Despite closets, toy boxes, and floor sprawl that says the opposite, there are never enough toys to go around, never enough things for everyone to be satisfied. Yet every time we arrive to collect Soren from school the children in the classroom are going about their business ...

4802. Righteousness Exalts a Nation - The Fourth of July

Sermon

James McCormick

Almost two hundred years ago, Sir Walter Scott wrote, “Breathes there a man with soul so dead, who never to himself hath said, ‘This is my own, my native land!’” Patriotic feelings come easily and naturally. We say the pledge to the flag with conviction. We fly the flag and sing patriotic songs with enthusiasm. As Sir Walter Scott suggested, it is rare to find someone who does not love his country. But patriotic feelings are not enough. Loving your country is not enough. It takes more than that to be a ...

4803. The Sin of Silence

1 John 1:9-10

Sermon

James Merritt

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights?" If you've ever seen a TV show, or a movie, or if you've unfortunately been arrested, you are familiar with what is known as the Miranda warning. Now where does this warning come from? Well, many believe it's not from the Constitution or common law, but it was simply a ...

4804. Memories of Home: The Prodigal Son

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Mike Ripski

Last Sunday we began Advent, our preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ first coming and of our anticipation of his Second Coming. This Advent we’re looking at one of Jesus parables through the lens of Advent. It’s the parable that goes by different names, depending on which of the characters is put in the spotlight: the Elder Son, whom we focused on last Sunday; the Loving Father, whom we’ll focus on next Sunday. And the Younger Son, the Prodigal Son, whom we’ll focus on today. Using the lens of Advent ...

4805. Jesus' Good News of a New World · Part 3

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Mike Ripski

What is the mission of the United Methodist Church? To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Jesus is the Master teacher. We are his apprentices. We do what he shows us. Then we practice it with others who are his disciples, his apprentices, too. It’s called “Church.” So, what has Jesus taught you lately? What are you practicing with other apprentices? We are sitting on the hillside with those who have experienced God’s new world through Jesus’ healing them. He says, “Sit down ...

4806. Law and Order

Nehemiah 7:73b--8:18

Sermon

James Merritt

I want to show you two pictures. The first picture is of a house [show picture]. The second picture is the family that lives in that house. [show picture]. Which is more valuable? The house or The family Which can make the greatest impact for God? The House or The Family Which is going to last for all eternity? The House or The Family Which is God more interested in building? The House or The Family Now those questions are very important as we come to the eighth chapter of Nehemiah. The people have finally ...

4807. A Frightening Friday

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

So much happening in so little time! We are left gasping for breath. We stagger under the weight of the mighty arm of historical occurrence. You and I praise God because we know the rest of the story. Those present did not know how things would turn out. They must have been like awestruck children nearing exasperation. Those of us who have read and perhaps studied the great writers amazingly discover that Saint John tops them all. Shakespeare was truly brilliant but there is a peculiar demeanor about our ...

4808. Reactions to Rejection

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

David R. Cartwright

Jesus knew what rejection felt like. When he preached his first sermon in his hometown of Nazareth, things went well in the beginning. But after he was finished, the people ran him out of town. They even tried to run him off a cliff, but he managed to escape. That was the first time Jesus experienced rejection for what he was trying to do for God, but it was not to be the last. Many of us know how it feels, even though the circumstances may not be as dramatic. An excellent student minister was rejected by ...

4809. Death to Glory

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Once in a far-off land, there was a great king whose dominion extended far and wide. His power and authority were absolute. One day, as events would happen, a young man, a commoner, committed a grave offense against the king. In response, the king and his counselors gathered together to determine what should be done. They decided that since the offense was so grave and had been committed by a commoner against someone so august as the king, the only punishment that would satisfy justice was death. The king' ...

4810. Walking in the Light

Isaiah 60:1-6

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

Walking in the dark is difficult, even in the familiarity of your own home. Furniture has a way of rearranging itself in the dark so that you can whack your shins a little easier. Small, sharp toys crawl out from their hiding places to park themselves in your path. Your dog or cat is stretched out on the carpet, sleeping blissfully until your foot makes contact with a tail or a paw. At one time or another, most of us have been plunged into darkness involuntarily because of a power outage. Suddenly, we are ...

4811. The Greatest News Of All

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

Characters (in order of appearance) Narrator Bureau Chief Reporter (Ace) Shepherd 1 Shepherd 2 Shepherd 3 Shepherd 4 Other Shepherds (nonspeaking) Angel 1 Angel 2 Angel 3 Angel Choir Maid Rachel Innkeeper’s Wife Stable Boy Mary Joseph Props Desk Chair Phone Fake computer Notebook Pencil Cardboard door Bowl Spoon Makeshift cradle Doll Bigger cradle Notes “The Greatest News Of All” is one of our “anachronism” plays, where we insert elements from the present — in this case an Internet News Bureau — into the ...

4812. I Am the Vine

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Jesus was the master of figurative language. He used stories to proclaim his great truths. He told parables, he painted word pictures, he referred to ordinary things in order that he might underscore extraordinary and eternal truths. The disciples would have been able to identify this image of Jesus, the image of the vine and the branches, fruit bearing and pruning, dead branches burned. They would have been able to identify with it because Palestine was the land of vineyards. But more than that, the vine ...

4813. Living In The Spirit Of Joy

Galatians 5:22-25, Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I hope you all got your piece of Laffy Taffy because I want you to share the silly jokes with your neighbor. Go ahead take a second to tell each other one of the jokes. (Explain location of joke & answer) I heard lots of laughter and the room is definitely lighter because of it. There's a certain amount of joy that comes our way simply through laughter. But as Paul points out in Galatians, there's also a deeper joy that comes from a relationship with God. Let's revisit Galatians 5:22-25 and then look at ...

4814. A Sunday Kind of Love

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

I have in my hand a three-way light bulb. The three-way light bulb was the first attempt at “mood lighting.” One light bulb could be switched on to three different levels of intensity, changing the amount of light it cast over a room. Trying to read? Click the bulb up to 150 watts. Just sitting around talking? Click down to 100 watts. Wanting to snuggle with your sweetie? Click down to 50 watts. One light bulb, but three different experiences of the light it produced. This Sunday is “Trinity Sunday.” This ...

4815. The Trinity

John 16:5-16

Sermon

A preacher proudly boasted that he does not preach doctrinal sermons. They are boring he asserts and people do not understand or relate to them. Further, he claimed, I am a preacher and not a theologian. I get down do the practical issues and simply preach Christ crucified. His thinking is faulty at several points. First, he is wrong when he says that he is not a theologian. The fact is that everyone to a certain extent is a theologian. Theology is nothing more than what you think about God. Well, shouts ...

4816. The Constant God in a Changing World

Psalm 48:1, 9-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

In Berlin, Germany, after World War II, there stood a church in the center of the city with nothing left but the Gothic arch which framed the main door. Over the arch were these words from Luke 21: “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words remain forever true." I would like to talk about that today. The author of Psalm 48 was enthralled with the strength and beauty of Jerusalem. Her towers seemed immovable; her citadels appeared immutable; her temple looked like nothing less than something immortal. ...

4817. Playing the Blame Game

John 9:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

A little girl was riding along on her bike when she bumped her head on a low hanging branch of a tree. She ran into the house crying, “Mommy! Mommy, Joey hurt me!” Her mom looked up from what she was doing. She said patiently, “Sissy, Joey didn’t hurt you. Joey’s not even here. He went to the grocery store with your Dad.” The little girl got a startled look on her face. Then in a bewildered voice the little girl asked, “Does that mean stuff like this can happen on its own at any time [with no one being at ...

4818. God’s Most Troubling Promise

Romans 8:28

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever noticed that life is full of challenges? Have you noticed that, sooner or later, all of us are going to have some pretty steep mountains to climb? I heard about a woman named Jill whose car was unreliable. She called her friend John for a ride every time her car broke down. One day John got yet another one of those calls. “What happened this time?” he asked. “My brakes went out,” Jill said. “Can you come and get me?” “Where are you?” John asked. “I’m in the drugstore,” Jill responded. “And ...

4819. The Five Senses

Luke 24:36-48

Sermon

John Smylie

In the gospel text there is an opportunity to meet Jesus, using every one of our senses. The disciples have an opportunity here to see him, to hear him, to touch him, to smell him, and to taste with him. Every one of the senses is used for recognition of the Lord. Perhaps in this text we might also look to heighten and enliven our senses as we also seek to receive the wonder of his resurrection. Telling our stories to one another is a natural and very human thing to do. The disciples are telling their ...

4820. The Wisdom of The Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

There are some people who have the gift of persuasion. If you've ever seen the Music Man, it's a gift that Professor Hill had as he sold musical instruments to all the kids in town by convincing everyone that they could make beautiful music by just thinking the notes. He was what you'd call a smooth talker, which is a valuable skill for a salesperson. There are also other professions where it helps to have strong verbal skills that can be used for persuasion. Take politicians, for example. Bill Clinton was ...

4821. I Love You, Too

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

When someone says, "I love you," the natural reply is, "I love you, too." If you're in a loving relationship with someone, you expect those words in response. Our passage from 1 John today tells us that this is the kind of relationship God has with us. It's not just about saying the words, though. We heard John telling us last week: "Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action" (1 John 3:18). This week he says it like this: "We love because God first loved us" (1 John 4:19 ...

4822. Hit Me with Your Best Shot

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

Harry Houdini (1874-1926) was an expert at sleight of hand, a skeptic when it came to the spiritualists and other psychic phonies of his day, but he was best known for his ability to escape from what seemed to be impossible situations. Straitjackets, chains, ropes, jail cells, strange devices such as a milk pail filled with water — he managed to escape from one situation after another in full view of his audience. What did him in, however, was the blow he never saw coming. While reclining on a couch ...

4823. A Matter of Trust

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

King Duncan

One of the questions that is becoming more a matter of concern all the time is this one who can I trust? We live in a strange world. Did you know that you can now buy trust in a bottle? All of you aspiring politicians listen up . . . all you guys who want to win over a member of the fairer sex . . . all of you who have a questionable product to sell to an unsuspecting public. A New York City lab claims to have put trust in a bottle. According to their ads, “After showering in the morning simply spray a ...

4824. Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-15

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

One of the most commonly trotted out critiques about living a life of faith is that it is all about “pie-in-the-sky-bye-and-bye.” The critics claim that those who put their ultimate faith in a heavenly reward, don’t really engage with this world. This critique is best expressed in the phrase “so heavenly minded, no earthly good.” Hardships and harassments are accepted in this world because “in the next age” heavenly rewards will far outweigh anything this earthly existence might have to offer. “Pie-in-the- ...

4825. A Faith that Works

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

Someone visited an office and saw these signs hanging on the wall: “Work fascinates me,” said one, “I can sit and watch it for hours!” “I don’t mind going to work,” said another. “But that 8-hour wait to go home is awful!” “Hard work may not kill me,” another said, “but why take a chance?” People have all kinds of attitudes about their work. Actor Robert Benchley said, “Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment.” That one may hit close to home. An ...

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