Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4826 to 4850 of 4977 results

4826. God Bless Santa!

Luke 2:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... on. You remember what happened to Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol — after being the stingiest man in all of literature, because of Christmas, he changes. And finally, he vows near the end of the story to “honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.” In my files is a brief note recalling a television show that was on years ago, “Doogie Howser, MD.” Remember that one? I never bothered to watch very often because the premise of a teenage physician weighing matters of life and ...

4827. I Have Been Gifted!

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Sermon

Ronald Love

... to simply scan the item being purchased, instead of typing the cost into a cash register. The bar code is faster. It allows for fewer errors, and it allowed the merchant to keep a more accurate inventory. On the twenty-fifth anniversary of his invention Laurer said, “When I watch these clerks zipping the stuff across the scanners and I keep thinking to myself… It can’t work that well.” We may ask who is George Laurer? And who would know? But we have been forever blessed by this unknown man and his ...

4828. Living In The “In Between” Time

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Ronald Love

... hear? We have invited Jesus into our lives. We have been converted. We have been “born again.” Being born again, it is our challenge, which requires a great deal of self-discipline, to continue to hear Jesus until we can rejoice in Jesus second appearance. We keep the words of grandma, spoken to her grandson Devon back in Wilmington, “The Lord speaks to all of us, Devon, but you’re never going to hear him if you don’t open your ears and listen.” Now that we are listening to Jesus, we must live ...

4829. The Inverting Promise

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 · Genesis 25:21-34

Sermon

Will Willimon

... result of having come to Chapel. Forget it. There is little, so far as I can tell, in the Jacob saga that will help Dean Wasiolek keep the lid on the dorms, almost nothing which will improve your resume or make you work harder this year than last. And yet I challenge you ... but of theology. How then the promise? How can God be faithful when there is no child, therefore no future? Will God keep the promise? Isaac prays to God for a child. And with that prayer (people, be careful when you pray!), the trouble ...

4830. Get Ready

Mark 13:24-37

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.” I said it was a little scary. You might want to keep the kids inside on such a day! We need to put Christ’s words into perspective, however. Many followers of Christ have abused Christ’s teachings about the day of his return. First of all, Jesus was insistent. Nobody knows when this climatic event will occur. According to ...

4831. Trick Questions

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Steve Molin

... ?” Amy impatiently asked. And her dad began, “Amy, when you were three months old, you were baptized in this church. Two years ago, when you left us, we began coming to this parking lot every Sunday evening and we prayed for you. We prayed that God would keep you safe, and that you would one day find your way back. Today, God has answered our prayers. Welcome home, honey.” I expect there are some Pharisees in worship with us today. Maybe you’re new, and you have no clue why you even came here today ...

4832. Burning the Midnight Oil

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Steve Molin

... even lost faith that Jesus would ever come back for them? I mean, how much oil do you need in your lamp to keep it burning for forty years? But it has now been two millennia since the ascension of Jesus, and the idea that the Christian ... could in preparation. They were ready, with nothing left to do but wait. This parable of the maidens, if it does anything, it encourages us to keep our oil lamps filled as we wait. The oil is not our good deeds. It is not doing things that will make Jesus love us more. ...

4833. Going and Doing

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Steve Molin

... I helped him out of the car and his own gloves fell from his lap to the pavement. “Hey Andy, you didn’t lose your gloves; look, they’re right here.” And he said “Okay, you take those and I’ll keep yours!” But I said, “You know, yours are all broken for your hands, so let’s just keep our own, okay?” When we got inside, he sat on a bench and I shook his hand and said “God bless you, Andy.” And he responded, “He already has brother. He already has.” I don’t tell you that story to ...

4834. Click to Unfriend

Hebrews 10:16-25

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... hole. The soldiers laughed as Jesus’ body jerked from the force and began to sag under its own weight, pulling against the nails. A soldier held Jesus’ feet up sideways against the pole while another drove the nails through them into the pole. This would keep some of the weight off of his hands and not tear them, which might end the suffering far too quickly. One soldier held the dirty blanket he had remembered to tear from Jesus’ back to make sure the rough pole pressed against the still open wounds ...

4835. Heroines of the Faith

Mark 1:29.39

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... to New York City where she worked cooking, cleaning, and caring for the sick. Then God gave her a new name, Sojourner Truth, and she traveled throughout the country speaking against the sin of slavery. Often clergymen challenged her right to speak to men — women were to keep silent. Once confronted by some males in the audience, she replied: “Some say woman can’t have as much rights as a man cause Christ wasn’t a woman. Where did Christ come from? From God and a woman. Men had nothing to do with him ...

4836. It’s Smart To Love God

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Children's Sermon

Various Authors

... read it? (See if anyone volunteers.) Then I have this big one that lawyers read, and I also have one that our banker keeps on his bookshelf. Has anyone ever read the dictionary? Would someone like to read this one, while someone else reads my encyclopedia? Now ... is that some people believe that being real smart will fix everything. But there is something called sin, that gets in the way and keeps us from really knowing God. The secret to a good life is this: Believe that Jesus came and died for our sins. When ...

4837. Sent Out As Christ

Luke 24:44-53

Children's Sermon

Various Authors

... her recipe book. So whenever I’m feeling sad, missing my grandmother, or whenever I want to make the best cookies in the world, I just pull out the recipe book and make a treat. It makes me kinda feel like she’s still here. Like I’m keeping a piece of her alive. It reminds me of our scripture passage today, when Jesus returned to heaven. Remember just a few weeks ago, we talked about how Jesus died and was resurrected? Well, now is the time when Jesus leaves his friends behind again. He’s returning ...

4838. And the Sea Was No More

Revelation 21:1-7

Eulogy

George Reed

... beginning when God began to create, God hovered over the waters of chaos. God placed the dome of the sky over the earth to keep the waters at bay and gathered the waters under the dome together to make seas and for the dry land to appear. Although there ... care for one another in the weeks and months ahead doing all we can to join God in keeping the waters of grief from overwhelming each other. Let us remember that God’s plan is for a brighter day where we will bask in the sunlight of God’s love forever.

4839. Marketplace Christianity

John 2:13-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... we must all ask ourselves these questions as the church of Jesus Christ: Do we as the church of Jesus Christ engage with people only for their “market” value? Do we value only their money and numbers but not their presence? Do we help people, as long as we can keep them at a distance? Or are we committed to developing relationships with those who are not “one of us”? Who are we excluding from God’s favor and presence? Who are we deeming unworthy of worship and prayer? These are questions we must ...

4840. Is This All There Is?

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Will Willimon

... right for you. But on other days, if this is all there is, then...As Peggy Lee sang, "If that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing, let's break out the booze and have a ball, if that's all there is." If we could fix the bright April days forever, if the circus ... eventually learns the way the system works and becomes the Senior cynic. And if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing, let’s break out the booze and have a ball, if that's all there is.” We live in a nation of doers ...

4841. Teach Us to Pray

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Will Willimon

... prayed in Gethsemane, ready to submit to the will of God, ready to be part of the corning kingdom, even if its advent means our suffering change. The church which prays for healing is usually the one which is willing to change the bandages, empty the bedpans, keep the night vigils. The Midwestern farmer who prays for rain for fellow farmers is the one who sends bales of hay to South Carolina. In our social concern and work for justice we are only doing what we asked for in prayer. Our work is an extension ...

4842. The Propriety of Praise

Psalm 84:1-12

Sermon

Will Willimon

... . I like a good joke as much as anybody, but not in a sermon, not in church.” Oh, when I was younger, during my angry-young-man-prophetic granola days, I didn't think that way. I said: Propriety rhymes with sobriety, which equals society. Little Fautleroy trying to keep both feet on the floor, use the right fork, hold the cup just so, and play church as if we’re all on board the Good Ship Lollipop. What has all that to do with the living word of God? I asked. The Kingdom isn't just button-downed good ...

4843. On Rendering to God and to Caesar

Mark 12:13-17, Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon

Will Willimon

... extent, out of a profound fear of the state. Jefferson, Madison, the people who gave shape to our young nation, felt that a major function of government was to protect people from government. For most of human history, the function of politics is to help government keep the people in their place. But what can a government do when vast numbers of citizens would rather die on drugs than live without them? What new program of the state will give me a reason to live? There are some things which even politics ...

4844.

Psalm 103:1-22

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... 14). The object of people’s memory is God’s covenant, whose mention may be explained as an echo from Exodus 34:10, 27–28. In addition, verses 17–18 appear to repeat Exodus 20:6 (Yahweh’s love to generations and those who keep his covenant or commandments). 103:19–22 This motif of obedience continues in the final strophe, which names heavenly “heroes” (suggested by several Hb. terms) who do . . . his word and will (vv. 20–21). Also consistent with the notion of obedience, Yahweh is depicted ...

4845. Where's God?

John 16:12-15

Sermon

David Coffin

... so employees are told they have worked their last week there and a short amount of severance pay will be mailed to them in the coming weeks. On Holy Trinity Sunday, where is God for those people who have lost their means of putting food on the table and keeping a roof over their head, as well as those who have lost their family health care benefits? Does their life have any meaning after the loss of a major source of income? Is there life after being disposed of like any commodity, which is of no longer any ...

4846. The Interpretation of the Dream

Daniel 7:15-28

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... 7:28 The chapter is delimited by “the beginning of the words” in verse 1 and “this is the end of the matter” in verse 28. Once again Daniel testifies to his consternation. He then concludes by noting, I kept the matter to myself (v. 28). Why Daniel keeps silent is not stated. Perhaps it is because he is awestruck and overwhelmed by what he has seen. Or, maybe we should connect this with the end of the book, where Daniel is instructed to “close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of ...

4847. David's Mighty Men

2 Samuel 23:8-39

Teach the Text

... this incident in mind when he accuses David of bloodguilt against Saul’s house, the narrator here makes it clear that Shimei’s accusation is not grounded in fact (see the comment on 2 Sam. 16:8 above).4 He goes on to show that David keeps his promise to Jonathan (21:7) and seeks to honor Saul and his offspring (vv. 11–14). Theological Insights In this episode David, with the Lord’s approval, allows the Gibeonites to execute seven of Saul’s male descendants because of Saul’s crimes against that ...

4848. Family Ties And Unties

Mark 3:20-35

Sermon

David Coffin

... still remain unconvinced and will still oppose our efforts as disciples. This is not a modern evangelistic crusade where auditoriums of people gather in for praise music, to listen to testimonies and a sermon, then are invited to an altar call. Mark’s gospel keeps it real! Powerful people crave more power and are not going to compromise, despite the best argued logic, good intentions, and selfless acts of sacrifice. Martin Luther would argue we are saint and sinner at the same time. The story in Mark 3 ...

4849. Do You Believe in Miracles?

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... out of it, numericalize it, create statistics from it, or set up a schema of success of failure out of it. Anything to keep our hands in the pie and ourselves in control of the outcomes. Anything to avoid putting faith in Jesus and relying on God’ ... the way God intended. In fact, God’s directive to us from the time of the Garden of Eden asked us to “till and keep” the covenant of God between our divine Creator and all of humankind, and to bear the fruit of that relationship to all generations. We ...

4850. Haunted

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Ok…How many of you have had the experience of looking back at your life and lamenting (perhaps over and over) a mistake you wish you wouldn’t have made? I think we’ve all done that at one time or another. How many of you have had it keep you up at night? That nagging, awful feeling of blame and guilt that just won’t let you go. The nightmares, the sleepless nights! We can be awfully hard on ourselves sometimes. Wrestling in itself is not bad. It helps us discern right from wrong. It helps us learn ...

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