Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4826 to 4850 of 4935 results

4826. Labor Day

Gen 2:2-3 · Ex 20:8-11

Children's Sermon

Materials to have on hand: Four or five hats used by different occupations, such as: Baker Construction Worker Police Officer Nurse Farmer Firefighter Good morning, boys and girls. Today we celebrate those people who are in the labor force of our country. I have some hats here which represent several occupations. Can you tell what the people who wear these hats do? (Hold up each one in turn. Allow time for conversation after each one.) There are many different kinds of jobs in the world. Can you name a few ...

4827. I Am a "Jesus People"

John 15:27

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A large number of twigs or small sticks of wood and cord to tie the sticks, making a cross of wood. It should be rough and not very pretty or neat This morning, boys and girls, I'm going to let some sticks tell you a story. They're not even very pretty sticks. They're not painted or cut evenly. Most of them don't even have the bark removed. In a way, they're kind of ugly. A long time ago, men cut down some trees that looked like these sticks and put them together with nails and rope and made a ____ ...

4828. Song of a Prophet

Psalm 46:1-11

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

The author of the Forty-sixth Psalm is not only a student of Israel’s prophets; he stands in their ranks as one among them in his own right. What they have preached he sings, and songs have a way of lingering in the heart long after sermons are forgotten. Indeed, this one gives rise in the Sixteenth Century to Martin Luther’s marching song of the Reformation, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." Political circumstances in Israel at the time of the poet’s writing are not clear. Some see the Psalm as associated ...

4829. Song of an Evangelist

Psalm 103:1-22

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

The author of the One hundred and third Psalm is an evangelist who cannot refrain from telling the world of God’s goodness to him. Indeed, he is fairly bursting with joy at the very thought of witnessing to what the Lord has done. He is so filled with the spirit of praise and thanksgiving, in fact, that his song flows from his lips in an unbroken stream. Moreover, he is offering its testimony before the faithful gathered in the Temple for Sabbath worship; and the spiritual depth of its message can only ...

4830. Growing Like Jesus

Luke 2:41-52

Children's Sermon

Shirley Jennings

Object: A Christmas card picture of Jesus as a baby and a picture of Jesus as a man. Lesson: Jesus grew, just as children do today. Have you started to attend school yet? Do you have to wait until next year to go to school? When you go to school, you may find that your teacher will want you to do something that you’ve never done before. Would you please tell me one thing that you’ve done at school? (Let them answer.) I’ve sung songs; I’ve listened to the teacher read a story; I’ve looked at books. Do you ...

4831. How Can You Tell When People Are Religious?

Mark 2:18-22

Sermon

Daniel G. Mueller

For seven days King David fasted. Day and night he went without food as he prayed desperately for the life of his newborn child. The baby had been born as a result of his affair with Bathsheba, an adulterous affair that had led to the murder of Bathsheba’s husband. From the moment the baby was born, it was evident the child’s life was hanging by a slim thread. So David prayed for the life of the child. He prayed with great intensity. He fasted as part of his prayers, hoping that by his petitions and by his ...

4832. The Remote (A Drama about Obeying Your Parents)

Drama

Dave Marsh

Director's Notes: I love old Twilight Zone episodes. So, I wrote this drama as if the mom has a magical remote. It's pretty wacky but gets it's point across. By the way, I borrowed the ending from the Simpsons... Cast: Beth: Mom Diane: Beth's daughter Rod Serling: Someone talking into a mike. Props: A remote Boombox (prop only) 3 songs (1 heavy metal, 1 Johnny Mathis or the like, and 1 Beatles) Twilight Zone theme (you can find this on the net) Couch (or 2 chairs put together) Setting: Inside a family room ...

4833. Family Resemblance

1 John 2:28--3:10

Sermon

King Duncan

It's great to be part of the family of God. Families are so much fun. An eight-year-old young man sent a postcard to his parents from camp: "Dear Folks, I knew all along that something awful was going to happen. Well, last night it did. Love, Johnny." In a delightful little book titled CHILDREN'S LETTERS TO GOD, children six years of age and younger direct their questions to God. Larry wrote, "Dear God, Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each (other) so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my ...

4834. FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH

Revelation 1:1-3

Eulogy

Edward Inabinet

"Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." (For a dedicated Christian layperson with whom the pastor has had a close relationship.) Commentator Paul Harvey tells about an embarrassing incident that took place in a recent political campaign. Vice President Dan Quayle was on the campaign trail--in Champaign-Urbana--campaigning for an Illinois politician, Representative Lynn Martin. Organizers of the political rally got school children excused from school for the parade. They asked the ...

4835. Finding God's Peace

Philippians 4:2-9

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

Call To Worship Leader: Give thanks to the Lord. Tell all nations what he has done. People: We will tell them how great he is! Leader: Sing to the Lord because of the great things he has done. People: Let the whole world hear the news: Our God is great and he lives among his people. Collect Almighty God, we gather this morning to worship you. We come rejoicing in your great love made known to us in the coming of the Christ Child. We come, too, with burdens too heavy for us to bear alone, to ask with ...

4836. Paul's Experience

Ephesians 1:15-23, Psalm 150:1-6

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

Call To Worship Leader: Praise God in his Temple! People: Praise his strength in heaven! Leader: Praise him for the mighty things he has done! People: Praise his supreme greatness! Leader: Praise the Lord, all living creatures! People: Praise the Lord! Collect God of all times and every age, we praise your holy name for the rich heritage which is ours. On this day especially we are mindful of those who have gone before us and laid the foundation for our faith and hope. We give you thanks for all that they ...

4837. What Must I Do To Be Saved?

Acts 16:16-40

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

Call To Worship Leader: The Lord loves those who hate evil. People: He protects the lives of his people. Leader: Light shines on the righteous, and gladness on the good. People: All you that are righteous, be glad because of what the Lord has done! All: Remember what the holy God has done, and give thanks to him. Collect Ever-faithful God, keep us faithful in time of adversity. You have taught us that no matter what difficulties we may encounter, you are always with us. So fill our hearts with joy and ...

4838. The Price of God's Glory

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Long ago, on a high mountaintop, three trees were speaking about their future dreams. The first tree said, "I would really like to be made into a cradle so that a newborn baby might rest comfortably and I could support that new life." The second tree looked down at a small stream that was flowing into a big river and said, "I want to be made into a great ship so I can carry useful cargo to all corners of the world." The third tree viewed the valley from its mountaintop and said, "I don't want to be made ...

4839. Live and Learn

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Is anyone's memory of study hall a fun one? Either you were the studious type, who really wanted to use that hour of enforced peace and quiet to get some work done, or you were the kid that was bored, trying to think of ways to sneak out, send notes, shoot spit-wads, or otherwise somehow liven up that deadly hour. But the shushings of study hall monitors and librarians aren't common to all cultures. At traditional Orthodox yeshivas, the bais midrash, the study hall, is filled with noise. Not just noise, ...

4840. Proper 25

Deuteronomy 34:1-12, Matthew 22:34-40, Matthew 22:41-46, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16, Psalm 90:1-17

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Deuteronomy 34:1-12 is the account of Moses' death on Mount Nebo, his burial by God, and the passing on of his leadership to Joshua. Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 is a prayer ascribed to Moses. The lectionary does not include v. 13, but it is included here since it introduces the prayer ascribed to Moses. Deuteronomy 34:1-12 - "Standing Tiptoe on Mount Nebo" Setting. Deuteronomy 34 is the account of Moses' death. The chapter consists of careful to graps location in Moab and includes a reference ...

4841. I Was There!

Matthew 26:14-16

Drama

Russell N. Gallimore

[This is an original first-person sermon that may be presented in period costume. It is very effective when used during Lent, especially during a Maundy Thursday service. It could be used at other communion services. Begin by standing behind the altar or communion table, speaking from memory. A money bag with several pennies may be in a pocket or easily accessed location. A noose made from rope could also be available…however, recent events have given racial overtones to the use of the noose.] I was there ...

4842. Priceless Scribbles

Eph 6:1-4

Illustration

King Duncan

A story appeared in the Christian Reader called "Priceless Scribbles." It's about a father who touched his child's life in an unexpected way. A young boy watched as his father walked into the living room. The boy noticed that his younger brother, John, began to cower slightly as his father entered. The older boy sensed that John had done something wrong. Then he saw from a distance what his brother had done. The younger boy had opened his father's brand new hymnal and scribbled all over the first page with ...

4843. Renouncing Everything

Illustration

Steven P. Loy

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn served in the Russian army during World War II. He was decorated for bravery and rose to the rank of captain. In 1945, while serving on the German front, he was arrested for criticizing Stalin in letters to a friend and was sentenced to eight years in a labor camp. After completing his prison sentence, Solzhenitsyn was exiled to Kazakhstan, but after Stalin's death his position improved, and his citizenship was restored in 1956. His first novels described how grim life could be in ...

4844. Beware: Hypocrites on Premises

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

David T. Ball

Whenever I happen to be in a conversation with someone about why they don't go to church, it seems like the reason that they almost always give is that they can't stand all the hypocrites. I don't take this personally -- they aren't saying that all churchgoers are hypocrites -- just that there are usually too many hypocrites for their liking. I guess their reaction is understandable. Who would want to go to a church filled with people who don't practice what they preach? That would, at the very least, be ...

4845. Mission Impossible

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Impossible missions cannot be accomplished alone: God needs us, and we need God. Ever broken an arm or a hand, a leg or a finger? Then you know how hard it suddenly becomes to do even the simplest tasks. Ever try to tie your shoe with one hand? Or open a jar with one hand? Or fold a shirt with one hand? Things we are used to performing with utter ease using two hands become agonizingly slow and take all our concentration when only one is available. Even then, the results are sloppy and embarrassing. Some ...

4846. John 18:33-37

John 18:33-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's gospel lesson comes straight from the climactic center of John's passion narrative. Typically, as John focuses on Jesus' appearance before Pilate, he is less concerned with chronological exactness than the presentation of a particular theological message. In this instance John constructs the confrontation scene between Jesus and the symbol of Roman authority to emphasize Jesus' kingship and his divine qualification for judging the entire world. Pilate and Jesus confront one another beginning in ...

4847. John 18:33-37

John 18:33-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

4848. You Must Start Over!

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Mike Ripski

I. A personal confession My first appointment was as the Associate Pastor of Grace UMC in the Graceland area of south Memphis. It was 1975. Racial transition had begun in that part of the city. Overnight young adult Sunday school classes moved east. Older adult classes moved to Mississippi. People of a different race and culture moved in. Grace Church’s future depended on its reaching out to its new neighbors. The community had changed. Could the church change too? Things have changed since Belle Meade UMC ...

4849. Christian Hope Had Changed His Life

Luke 3:7-18

Illustration

James W. Moore

Some years ago a military airplane crashed at Sonderstrom Air Force Base in Greenland. Twenty-two people were killed. The runway and the nearby fields were strewn with bodies. It was a tragic and horrible moment. There was only one chaplain on the base at the time… and the entire burden was laid on him to bring comfort and the Word of Christ to a shocked community staggered by the horrendous accident. But there was little time to mourn that day. The grisly task of gathering up and identifying the bodies ...

4850. Revelation 21:1-6

Revelation 22:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

"Do Over!" Remember that phrase? As children, when we completely messed up while playing some Game — missed the shot, dropped the ball, broke the bat — there was always the option to get a "do over." Shouting "do over" was like a magic reset button. It canceled out failure and offered a clean slate to try again. As John’s astonishing vision approaches its conclusion, Revelation begins to describe God’s "do over" the creation of "a new heaven and a new earth," and the manifestation of a "New Jerusalem." ...

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