Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4801 to 4825 of 4935 results

4801. A Time for Everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

Time: Qohelet turns here to a consideration of “time.” The poem on time (3:1–8) is the most familiar passage in the book of Ecclesiastes, and is used in settings from funerals to folk-rock concerts. In the poem, pairs of opposites illustrate that there is a proper time for all human activity. When it is read in isolation from its context, the poem provides the reader with a sense of comfort and reassurance. There is a time for everything. In the unpleasant seasons of life, one can recognize that there will ...

4802. Future Glory

Romans 8:18-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

As we near the conclusion of the first half of the epistle Paul summarizes a number of vintage ideas. From the immediate context he continues the themes of liberation from slavery (vv. 2, 21), resurrection (vv. 11, 23), sonship and adoption (vv. 14–17, 19, 21, 23), and the role of the Spirit. From earlier portions of Romans he reintroduces the themes of creation (1:20, 25; 8:19, 21), futility (1:21; 8:20), and likeness (1:23; 8:29). The two dominant themes, however, are suffering and glory (see v. 17). ...

4803. The Fellowship Offering

Leviticus 3:1-17

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

This chapter, like chapters 1 and 2, contains three sections, each of which follows a similar pattern. The first section relates to an offering from the herd (cattle), the second and third concern offerings from the flock (sheep and then goats). Each section begins with a reference to the animal and distinguishes the tasks of worshiper and priest. The worshiper deals with the animal, and the priest again performs any tasks directly associated with the altar. Each section ends with a reference to the ...

4804. The Parable of the Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

Parables of Jesus: In chapter 13 we come for the first time to Jesus’ favorite method of teaching, the parable. The seven parables recorded in this chapter form Jesus’ third discourse as arranged by Matthew, There are in the first three Gospels about sixty separate parables. In the LXX the Greek parabolē almost always translates the Hebrew māšāl, which denotes a wide variety of picturesque forms of expression, including the proverb, metaphor, allegory, illustrative story, fable, riddle, simile, and parable ...

4805. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Luke 18:9-14

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

18:9–14 With the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Luke’s Central Section draws to a close (with v. 15 Luke resumes following his Marcan source [at Mark 10:13]). This parable “makes a fitting finale for the Lucan Travel Account” (Fitzmyer, p. 1183), for it illustrates with graphic clarity what Luke sees as the correct attitude one should have before God. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector is similar to the preceding parable in that its main point is seen in the individual ...

4806. Israel Freed

Isaiah 48:12-22

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Now Is the Time for Response: Since chapter 40 the Poet has been involved in a battle to win the community’s acceptance of a message about deliverance and blessing; the Poet has sounded increasingly hysterical as it seems that this battle will never be won (see, e.g., 42:18–25; 43:22–28; 45:9–13; 47:8, 12). Chapter 48 brings the confrontation and the challenge to its climax. It follows chapter 47 very strikingly, for chapter 48 addresses Jacob-Israel as confrontationally as chapter 47 addressed Babylon. It ...

4807. Jonah Goes to Nineveh

Jonah 3:1-10

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

The Patience of God (3:1-4): 3:1–4 Though undeserving, Jonah has been delivered from death by God’s merciful working through a fish. The book of Jonah is, before all else, a lesson concerning God’s free grace. But it is also a portrayal of God’s incredible patience. As Jonah confesses in 4:2, Yahweh is a God who is “slow to anger,” and it is amazing that God says nothing to Jonah in 3:1–2 by way of rebuke or admonition. Instead, God simply calls Jonah again, using the same words that he used in 1:1: “Arise ...

4808. Out of Control (Good Friday sermon)

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

John Jamison

[Note to the preacher: As I write this message, my vision is that it is something more than just another sermon. It is written in four sections, each one presenting a step in the story of the events of that Friday. My personal presentation of this message would be in one of two ways, depending on the experience I am wanting to create. Option 1 would be to use this as the format for the entire Good Friday service, with each section of the story separated with music, liturgy, or any other activity desired. ...

4809. Advice from a Billionaire

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

King Duncan

How much would you pay for some spot-on financial advice from billionaire investor Warren Buffett? They call him the Oracle of Omaha. He is a legend when it comes to making wise decisions in the financial world. Some people are willing to pay thousands of dollars for his wisdom about the stock market. And yet when some reporters asked Buffett for the best advice he ever received, Buffett didn’t talk about money at all. Rather he focused on how best to live . . . and how to raise your children. Buffett said ...

4810. Trusting in the Goodness of God

Genesis 2:15-17, Genesis 3:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome to the first Sunday in the season of Lent, the forty-six days from Ash Wednesday to silent Saturday, the day before Easter, the day before our celebration of the Resurrection. All around the world, people celebrate Lent as a time of reflection and preparation. We reflect on the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, and we prepare ourselves to celebrate the awesome, life-changing joy of the resurrection. Traditionally, we as Christians celebrate Lent by examining our hearts, repenting of our sins ...

4811. The Stop-and-Think Chair

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Roy Howard

Schools opened here last week, and I remembered something from one of the teachers. Like all good teachers, she has certain expectations — norms of behavior — for her students. The students agree to these community norms for the classroom that are posted in the room. That’s not new. What I find intriguing in her classroom is the consequence if someone breaks the norm. When a community rule is broken, the offending student is assigned to the clearly labeled stop-and-think chair. There the child sits ...

4812. Revolutionary Rules For Living

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

Author Bob Welch observed that in Les Miserables that the uprising that Victor Hugo observed occurred in June, 1832 as a small Parisian insurrection that lasted only a short time. It was more of a street riot with a tragic outcome. Quoting Hugo, Welch said that the uprising was a defiance against the royalist government of France as a reaction to three problems of the day. First it was a defiance of man by the exploitation of his labor. Second, it was in opposition of the ruination of women by starvation ...

4813. Response Ability

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Responsibility. We all would say that it’s an important feature of adult life. We all would say that we as people need to take responsibility for our actions, our lives, and our engagement with the world. We all would say that it’s wrong to simply expect everyone else to do everything for us. This is what it means to graduate from childhood to adulthood. We learn and we grow, and then we take our place within our families and communities as contributors, taking responsibility for our jobs, our deeds, and ...

4814. A Waste of Time?

Mark 14:1-15:47

Children's Sermon

Various Authors

Props: None Hey, guys! Boy, am I tired today. Yesterday was my mom’s birthday, and I spent all day getting ready. First I made her favorite carrot cake from scratch! Then I went across town to my aunt’s house and picked her a bouquet of flowers. Then I decided that, for a gift, I would put together a scrapbook of all my baby pictures. I started in the morning and didn’t get done until late afternoon. That’s a long time, huh? Do you think it was too long? My friends do. They called me in the morning to see ...

4815. Motives Matter

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Why do we do the things we do? Psychology offers us a group of standard motivations, such as survival, pleasure, autonomy, purpose/meaning, love/connection, reputation/respect, success, and power/control. The darker side of human motivation, particularly when our drives go unchecked, can include competition, envy, lack of empathy, materialism, power, control, validation, and personal gain. The way human beings express these motivations can vary according to our innate biology, our learned behaviors, and ...

4816. Talk Show I

Luke 10:38-42

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: Which is more important, religious duty or religious zeal, the doer or the worshiper? Summary: A talk show with Martha and Mary going at it about which is right, religious duty or religious zeal. This sketch leads right into the Sermon. Playing Time: 3 minutes Setting: A TV studio Props: Microphone Costumes: Dress appropriate for church Time:The present Cast: Phil Dennehy -- host Mary Martha -- her sister Lazarus -- their brother Dr. Fitznour -- an expert (THERE IS A PANEL OF FOUR PEOPLE SEATED ON ...

4817. Don't Blow Your Own Horn

Matthew 6:1-4

Children's Sermon

Robert B. Lantz

Object: Toy trumpets or trumpet stickers Lesson: When you give, do not announce it with trumpets. Good morning, boys and girls. Do you know what a braggart is? (Response -- Allow some free expression here.) I suppose we have all known someone at some time who spent too much time telling us all about his or her accomplishments, haven't we? Maybe we can even remember a time or two when we bragged a little too much ourselves. We often do that because we want to feel important or because we want to impress ...

4818. Servant and Two Masters

Matthew 6:25-34

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: We make a choice whom we will serve -- God or the world. Summary: This vignette is like the Comeddia dell Arte of sixteenth century, Italy. It is light and fun and the costumes are extravagant. Nickolo is the servant of two masters, the lovable Adonatino and the miserly Mammonitees. He finds he must make a choice to serve one or the other. Playing Time: 5 minutes Place: The stage of the Comeddia dell Arte Props Ledger Stool Bag of gold Costumes: The costumes of Comeddia del Arte Time: The sixteenth ...

4819. Ten Broken Pencils

Luke 17:17-18

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Ten pencils with broken points and one pencil sharpener. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like to write with pencils? (Let them answer.) Good pencils are very hard to find. Whenever I am looking for a pencil, I either cannot find one, or when I find the pencil, it has a broken point, or has never been sharpened. Do you have that problem? (Let them answer.) I have a little story to tell you about ten pencils that I found around my house, and every one of them was either broken or had ...

4820. Mountains and Valleys

Mark 9:2-13

Children's Sermon

Object: a cardiac tape with peaks and valleys Good morning, boys and girls. I brought a long piece of paper with me today. Have you ever seen one of these before? (Let them respond.) It's from a special machine at the doctor's office or the hospital. It shows how your heart is beating. It looks kind of funny. But people who know what all these marks mean can tell if you have a healthy heart or not. I brought this paper with these funny marks on it because I wanted to talk about mountains and valleys and ...

4821. A Very Special Name

Luke 2:21

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Objects: A bottle, a whistle, a book, and a plant. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you stayed up until midnight last night? (Let them answer.) Isn't a new year an exciting time? (Let them answer.) There are a lot of exciting things that happen in a year's time, but one of the most exciting days of the year is starting. You know when December is over, and when January is starting, New Year's Day is happening. The first day of January is New Year's Day. It has a name, a special name that belongs ...

4822. The Empty Tomb

Matthew 28:2-6

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A picture of an empty tomb Good morning, boys and girls. Today is Easter Sunday, a very special day. I will tell you why it is special, but first, do you remember where we left off with our story of Jesus last week? It was a Friday night, just before the Jewish Sabbath, when Joseph of Arimathea and a friend named Nicodemus wrapped the dead body of Jesus in linen and some spices and buried Him in the tomb. It was a terrible day, that Friday, for all of the followers of Jesus. They could hardly ...

4823. 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 ...

4824. A Criminal, A Cross, and the Christ

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Thomas C. Short

And the people stood by, watching; but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!" The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar, and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you ...

4825. The Miracle Of an Opened Mind

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Dean Lueking

Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sin should be preached in his name and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, ...

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