Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4851 to 4875 of 5000 results

4851. We Are the Sinners

John 4:5-42

Illustration

King Duncan

Rev. Randall D. Bell tells a powerful story about a pastor who stood in court beside a member of his congregation an individual who had been “out with the boys," and had too much to drink. As he was driving home on the rain‑soaked streets and through the dense fog, he turned a corner and heard a sickening clash of metal and breaking glass. Two young people lay dead. They had been thrown from their motorcycle. He was charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence. He sat in court trembling after ...

4852. Pointing to Christ

Jn 3:30

Illustration

King Duncan

The highly esteemed theologian Karl Barth had a painting of the crucifixion on the wall of his study that was painted by the artist Matthias Grunewald. In the painting there is an image of John the Baptist. The artist portrayed John the Baptist pointing his finger to the cross of Jesus in the center of the painting. It's said that when Barth would talk with a visitor about his work, he would direct them to John the Baptist in the painting, and he would say, “I want to be that finger." Barth wanted to point ...

4853. Another Perspective

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

Brett Blair

There is a story of a beggar who was sitting across the street from an artist's studio. The artist saw him and thought he would make an interesting portrait study so from a distance he painted the defeated man whose shoulders drooped, and whose eyes were downcast and sad. When he was finished, he took the portrait over to the beggar so he could look at it. "Who is that?" the beggar questioned. The painting bore a slight resemblance to himself, but in the painting before him he saw a person of dignity, with ...

4854. What a Happy Soul

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

The prolific Christian hymn writer, Fanny Crosby, lost her sight as a young child. But it is obvious through her hymns that she was a person who could see wonderfully with the spiritual eyes of her heart. We see a touch of her insight in the following poem: Oh, what a happy soul am I! Although I cannot see, I am resolved that in this world, content I will be. How many blessings I enjoy that other people don't, To weep and sigh because I'm blind, I cannot and I won't."

4855. Great Truths

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

James W. Moore

Recently, I ran across a "fascinating list" that carried this intriguing title: "Great Truths About Life That Little Children Have Learned." Let me share a few of these "great truths" with you. No matter how hard you try you cannot baptize a cat. When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair. Never ask your 3-year-old brother to hold a tomato… or an egg. You can't trust dogs to watch your food for you. Don't sneeze when somebody is cutting your hair. School lunches stick to the wall. You ...

4856. Beyond Darkness

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

Frederick Buechner

"People are prepared for everything except for the fact that beyond the darkness of their blindness there is a great light. They are prepared to go on breaking their backs plowing the same old field until the cows come home without seeing, until they stub their toes on it, that there is a treasure buried in that field rich enough to buy Texas. They are prepared for a God who strikes hard bargains but not for a God who gives as much for an hour's work as for a day's. They are prepared for a mustard-seed ...

4857. Humor: It's The Blind Man

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

Ann Landers

Mrs. Smith was stark-naked and just about to step into the shower when the doorbell rang. She hollered, "Who is it?" He shouted back, "It's the blind man." She figured it was safe, so she opened the door. He looked at her in shock and asked, "Where do you want me to hang these blinds, lady?"

4858. Having to Wait

John 9:1-41

Illustration

Three women die and all three reach Heaven at the same time. There they meet St. Peter. He tells them he has some other important business to transact and asks them to wait outside. Finally he returns and calls the first woman into his office. He apologizes for making her wait so long. "Oh, I don't mind at all," the woman says. "I'm so thrilled just to be here in Heaven." St. Peter is delighted by her attitude. "Well, then, if you can just answer one question for me, we can finish processing your papers. ...

4859. The Elephant

John 9:1-41

Illustration

William White

The legend is told of a village where all the inhabitants were blind. When a man passed one day riding an elephant, a group of the village men cried out asking the rider to let them touch the great beast, for though they had heard about elephants, they had never been close to one. About six of them were allowed to approach the animal, each being led to touch a different part of the body. After a time, the rider left, and the blind men hurried back to the people to share their experience. "So what is an ...

4860. Do You Know Jesus?

John 11:1-45

Illustration

King Duncan

Mark Tabb, in his book, Greater Than Unconventional Thoughts on the Infinite God, tells a heartbreaking story that poses that question in a stark way. It is about a young boy in a rural area of Kentucky named Cody. Cody wanted to be a preacher when he grew up, just like his dad who was a pastor. Once or twice a week Cody would climb on top of a chair in the kitchen, pull out a Bible, and give his best sermon on John 3:16. He always used the same Bible verse. It was his favorite. "For God so loved the world ...

4861. What’s the Bad News

Matthew 21:1-11

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

Good news-bad news jokes are somewhat passé. Even so there is one that makes a good point to introduce the sermon this morning. There were two fellows who lived and breathed baseball. They were professional players with the Atlanta Braves and you would think that playing for a living would be enough. But not so – these guys breathed, ate, and slept baseball. More than teammates, they were very close friends. So, they talked with each other about that mattered most in their lives. One of their big concerns ...

4862. Lending Talent

Matthew 21:1-11

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

One of my pastor-friends in the Memphis Conference is a wonderful preacher. Some years ago she was serving on a church staff in Cincinnati, as a layperson in charge of singles ministry. One day a layman and his wife took her out to dinner. The layman said to her, "I don't know how to lead people to Jesus, but I know how to make money. You know how to lead people to Jesus, so I want to send you to seminary." After Susan recovered a bit from shock, she asked, "Are you really serious?" He said, "I certainly ...

4863. He Set His Face Steadfastly for Jerusalem

Matthew 21:1-11

Illustration

Mark Trotter

I like that cartoon I saw a long time ago showing a huge desk, a huge CEO sitting behind the desk, in a huge leather chair. Standing meekly in front of the desk is a man in work clothes, obviously a lowly employee in that corporation. The worker says to the boss, "If it's any comfort, it's lonely at the bottom too." Life is difficult for everyone. Someone explained to me once why they don't like Lent. They said, "I'm not into suffering." I like that. Like it's optional. Like it's an adopted lifestyle. Well ...

4864. The Triumph and the Tragedy

Mt 21:1-11

Illustration

King Duncan

Go with me now to the year 1942. The first American troops are marching into London.We are entering the conflict known as World War II. The people of London are cheering the American soldiers. The friendly reception exhilarates the young soldiers. They sing as they march. Suddenly the troops turn into a main street and a strange hush falls over the scene. The happy songs die on their lips. They are looking for the first time upon an area in London that has been blown to bits. They see the great wounds on ...

4865. How a King Enters a City

Mt 21:1-11

Illustration

King Duncan

The Greek author Plutarch describes how kings are supposed to enter a city. He tells about one Roman general, Aemilius Paulus, who won a decisive victory over the Macedonians. When Aemilius returned to Rome, his triumphant procession lasted three days. The first day was dedicated to displaying all the artwork that Aemilius and his army had plundered. The second day was devoted to all the weapons of the Macedonians they had captured. The third day began with the rest of the plunder borne by 250 oxen, whose ...

4866. Christ of the Deep

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Mark Trotter

In the port of Genoa there is a statue that is called the Christ of the Deep. It is in the form of those classic statues of Jesus with his arms outstretched, as if to say, "Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The statue is placed beneath the surface of the water in the harbor, descended into the depths of the ocean, as a memorial to all of those who died at sea. But it is a wonderful symbol of the gospel message that Christ has gone into the depths of our life to ...

4867. Graveyard Victory Wreaths

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Mark Trotter

If you lived in the Roman Empire in the first century, you would have noticed a strange custom practiced by the Christians. They would go out to their graveyards with laurel wreaths, the wreaths used in Greek and Roman to crown the victors of athletic contests. They would take those laurel wreaths and place them on the graves. If you asked why, they would say, "Because we believe that in Jesus Christ we have received victory over the power of death."

4868. I Want to See Your Resurrection

John 20:1-9

Illustration

King Duncan

Father Basil Pennington, a Roman Catholic monk, tells of an encounter he once had with a teacher of Zen. Pennington was at a retreat. As part of the retreat, each person met privately with this Zen teacher. Pennington says that at his meeting the Zen teacher sat there before him smiling from ear to ear and rocking gleefully back and forth. Finally the teacher said: "I like Christianity. But I would not like Christianity without the resurrection. I want to see your resurrection!" Pennington notes that, " ...

4869. The Risen Christ

John 20:1-9

Illustration

King Duncan

Pastor Rick Calhoun writes, "The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead was never meant to be proved but experienced. As a matter of fact it cannot be proved, as no one of us was there. We have to take the word of others who were. Those early witnesses were very passionate about their testimonies. Many were to be martyred in defense of their convictions. But ultimately the resurrection is to be experienced not proved. The most convincing evidence of the Resurrection of Christ is the transformation of ...

4870. A Tickle in Our Ear

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

A number of years ago there appeared in The Los Angeles Times a poignant story of a four and one-half year old girl named Katie Sleeman, a patient at Children's Hospital, who was dying of cancer. "She had originally been diagnosed as a seven-week-old baby with retinoblastoma a cancerous tumor in the eye. She lost both eyes, and despite the best that medical science could do for her, a tumor appeared near her brain and it could not be removed. So Katie suffered more hardship in her brief life than most of ...

4871. A Voice to Shout

John 20:1-9, John 20:10-18

Illustration

James W. Moore

William Sangster was one of the great preachers of the 20th century. Toward the end of his life, he became quite ill. His vocal chords were paralyzed and he was unable to speak. On the Easter Sunday morning just before he died, he painfully printed a short note to his daughter. In it he wrote these poignant words: "How terrible to wake up on Easter and have no voice to shout, 'He is risen!' but it is far worse to have a voice and not want to shout."

4872. Do You Know the Way to Emmaus?

Luke 24:13-35

Illustration

David E. Leininger

Do you know the way to Emmaus? It should be relatively easy to find because the text locates the town "seven miles from Jerusalem." But no one has ever been able to identify an "Emmaus" seven miles from Jerusalem. Perhaps there is confusion because two different numbers appear in ancient manuscripts at the point at which Luke gives us the location. Some texts say "60 stadia," and others say "160," which works out roughly to be either 7 miles or 18 miles. Although there are indeed many references to Emmaus ...

4873. If You Have to Ask

Luke 24:13-35

Illustration

David E. Leininger

Asked by a persistent reporter to define the meaning of jazz, legendary trumpeter Louis Armstrong is reputed to have answered, "If you have to ask the question, you'll never know." Something similar is true of Jesus' revelation of himself in our lesson. We do not reach Jesus by dint of our own effort. We know him only because he chooses to reveal himself to us. He does so not dramatically and with power, but humbly and personally. The risen Jesus does not appear to the rich and famous, the movers and ...

4874. Don’t Count the Sheep

John 10:1-10

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

Economist and seer E.F. Schumacher had a lovely story about an old shepherd. "Don't count the sheep," he said, "or else they won't thrive." By this he meant that counting the sheep turned each live, unique animal into an abstraction, a symbol of a sheep, each one like the next one. In this way one would begin to lose sight of them as individual sheep. One would fail to notice whether they looked healthy, acted normal, and in general were becoming their best sheep selves. The late John Holt, school reformer ...

4875. A Point of Reference

John 10:1-10; Psalm 23

Illustration

James Merritt

During World War II, the English government knew that Hitler was planning to invade the British Islands. They encouraged their people to prepare for the invasion and they did several things: they boasted their defenses, they put guards on constant watch, and they developed early warning systems and evacuation routes. They did one more thing - the government passed a law requiring every community to take down all the road signs and any sign that named any town or village. They knew the Germans had maps of ...

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Antonyms: deficient, imperfect

Showing 4851 to 4875 of 5000 results

4851. We Are the Sinners

John 4:5-42

Illustration

King Duncan

4852. Pointing to Christ

Jn 3:30

Illustration

King Duncan

4853. Another Perspective

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

Brett Blair

4854. What a Happy Soul

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

4855. Great Truths

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

James W. Moore

4856. Beyond Darkness

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

Frederick Buechner

4857. Humor: It's The Blind Man

John 9: 1-41

Illustration

Ann Landers

4858. Having to Wait

John 9:1-41

Illustration

4859. The Elephant

John 9:1-41

Illustration

William White

4860. Do You Know Jesus?

John 11:1-45

Illustration

King Duncan

4861. What’s the Bad News

Matthew 21:1-11

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

4862. Lending Talent

Matthew 21:1-11

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

4863. He Set His Face Steadfastly for Jerusalem

Matthew 21:1-11

Illustration

Mark Trotter

4864. The Triumph and the Tragedy

Mt 21:1-11

Illustration

King Duncan

4865. How a King Enters a City

Mt 21:1-11

Illustration

King Duncan

4866. Christ of the Deep

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Mark Trotter

4867. Graveyard Victory Wreaths

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Mark Trotter

4868. I Want to See Your Resurrection

John 20:1-9

Illustration

King Duncan

4869. The Risen Christ

John 20:1-9

Illustration

King Duncan

4870. A Tickle in Our Ear

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

4871. A Voice to Shout

John 20:1-9, John 20:10-18

Illustration

James W. Moore

4872. Do You Know the Way to Emmaus?

Luke 24:13-35

Illustration

David E. Leininger

4873. If You Have to Ask

Luke 24:13-35

Illustration

David E. Leininger

4874. Don’t Count the Sheep

John 10:1-10

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

4875. A Point of Reference

John 10:1-10; Psalm 23

Illustration

James Merritt

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