Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4851 to 4875 of 4999 results

Luke 7:36-8:3

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... listening, he prayed for Agnes, "that her life would be changed, and that God would be good to her." When he was finished, the counter man leaned over, and with a trace of hostility in his voice, said, "Hey, you never told me you was a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to anyway?" In one of those moments when just the right words came, Tony answered him quietly, "I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning." The man thought for a moment and said, "No ...

4852. Rich Man, Poor Man

James 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... with the values of society how we view the poor. Scripture is clear: our closeness to God is reflected in how we treat those less fortunate than ourselves. And that brings us to the final thing to be said: The mark of a follower of Jesus is to be kind and compassionate to all people, regardless of their station in life. This is not a class warfare sermon. We are to treat ALL persons with love and respect, and to be servant to all. This is how we best show our love for Christ. Pastor Alex Steveson tells an ...

4853. Easter 7

Psalm 97:1-12, John 17:20-26, Acts 16:16-34, Revelation 22:12-14

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... . Help us not to put old duties and responsibilities before our twenty-first-century loyalty to you. God of Body and Soul — we pray for ourselves. We need courage to endure being consciously human. Our bodies ache, our minds slow down, society is not kind, violence is everywhere, and our souls long for your satisfying Spirit. Soothe our bodies. Shape our attitudes and our hopes so that our children and grandchildren honor you in caring for the earth and all its creatures. Amen. Benediction Life is not a ...

4854. Epiphany 8

Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15, Isaiah 55:10-13, Luke 6:39-49, 1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... life and the resources around us help build a sturdy home for the Spirit. Let us reach out to serve our friends and our enemies. Amen. Intercessory Prayer Holy Spirit — we hear news from around this planet. It is not news about people being kind and generous. It is not about Divine Presence making life fresh and hopeful. Peacefulness and sharing resources are not in the news, either. Something of heaven on earth doesn’t show up on television airwaves. In short, the teachings of Jesus and the behaviors ...

4855. James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

James 3:13-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... now itemizes the characteristics of true wisdom, the divinely-gifted wisdom that comes “from above.” This “wisdom” is not just a theological attitude, but is identifiable by its actions. First, while false wisdom brings “wickedness of every kind,” wisdom from above is “pure” (“hagnos”), innocent, blameless, and without blemish. Likewise, the other traits exhibited by genuine wisdom stand in opposition to the envy, selfishness, and ambition false wisdom engenders. Instead of bitter strife ...

4856. Epiphany 9

1 Kings 8:22-23, 41-43, Psalm 96:1-9, Luke 7:1-10, Galatians 1:1-12

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... of one God, one gospel, one Christ and we know that he understood Gentiles to be included in the one God’s love and grace. The psalmist talks about expressing the human emotions in music while Luke suggests that strangers expect Yahweh God to be kind and helpful because the people who worship Yahweh have the reputation of being helpful. It’s our wide, and maybe wild, dream that the teachings of Jesus will empower people to try out neighborliness rather than warfulness. Fences and guns do not give anyone ...

4857. All Is Different Now

Mark 9:38-50

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... down. Or right-side up. Instead of congratulating John on protecting the sanctity and exclusivity of discipleship, Jesus opens the door to any and all who do a “deed of power” in his name. He then goes even further and declares that just an insignificant act of kindness — giving out a cup of cold water — if done in his name, was enough to make the giver a disciple, one who could share in the “reward” of the kingdom of God. It is perhaps unfair to judge John and the other disciples too harshly at ...

4858. Pentecost

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b, John 14:8-17, (25-27), Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:14-17

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... to be close to the Holy, to be intimate with Mystery. The Sacred does not need a tower or a building of any kind to communicate with the human mind and psyche. The Divine does not need a labeled birthday cake or a singular alphabet to ... silvery. We’ve wondered if you have a beard, if you have hair, and if your ears hug your head; we wonder what makes some people kind and some cruel. These questions are not answered in ways that satisfy our curiosity, but we do understand that people of today are in a long ...

4859. Blind Ambition

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... circle that caused them to be a little proud. At least they seem proud in light of the request they made of our Lord. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” Uh-oh, those of you who are parents know that some kind of mischief is afoot. Beware when your children ask you to grant them something without specifying what it is. “We want you to do for us whatever we ask.” Jesus probably let out a sigh before answering, “What do you want me to do for you?” They replied ...

4860. Made for Joy

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... to a Roman soldier and guarded day and night. And yet he could say, “Do not be anxious about anything . . .” Wow! I think I would have been anxious under such circumstances. But not St. Paul. He tells us to rejoice. It takes a special kind of faith to proclaim joy in such dire circumstances the kind of faith that comes from living in the center of God’s will and love. You and I were made for such joy. What is it that robs you of your joy? Is it worry about the future? That’s the root of much of ...

4861. Proper 21

Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16, Jeremiah 32:1-3, 6-15, Luke 16:19-31, 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... -century friends of Jesus. Together, we can be honest, compassionate, and hopeful. Let it be so. Amen! Offertory Statement It is satisfying to see people being healed, restored, and contented as we use our talents and moneys to make this world a more kind place. Share what you can. Doxology "Christ, Whose Glory Fills The Skies" Christ, whose glory fills the skies, Christ, the true, the only light, Sun of Righteousness, arise, triumph o’er the shades of night; Dayspring from on high, be near; Daystar in ...

4862. Proper 22

Lamentations 1:1-6, Lamentations 3:19-26, Luke 17:1-10, 2 Timothy 1:1-14

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... for the circle of the earth and its beauty. We admire the varieties of cultures, languages, and colors of humankind and animal kind. We appreciate the abundance of plants that nourish us. For bread and wine that sustain our souls and our bodies, we ... and Jeremiah (Lamentations) decry the violence and terror they see. They implore God to do something — something that will help kindly people survive, something that will restore beneficent leaders for the people. In our time, the Gaza strip has been vacated ...

4863. From Self-Help to God-Trust

Hebrews 7:11-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Her abrupt response took him aback. “No," she told him, "I will not do that.” When he asked why not, she told him, “Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.” When Mr. Kavanaugh observed that she seemed to have the kind of clarity he wanted, she laughed out loud and told him, “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God.” Will you trust God today? COMMENTARY Game changers. From the vantage point of the twenty-first century ...

4864. The Lost Five Commandments

Mark 12:35-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Thou shalt not pile on. 3. Thou Shalt Not Pile In There is an ageless expression, “piling in the bandwagon.” A lively, noisy, attention grabbing “band wagon” drew people to it, encouraging everyone to pile in with the crowd, no matter what kind of music was playing. After all, if everyone else was climbing aboard, surely it was a good idea. The old-fashioned “band wagon” continues today with daily reports of what is electronically “trending,” or what is being “tweeted” around. We happily ...

4865. Thanksgiving Means Giving

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... girlfriend?” Mr. Johnson asked. Billy started to say, “No,” but responded, “Well, yeah, I guess it is.” He walked across the street and rang the widow’s doorbell. He handed her the card, saying, “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Smithson. Thank you for your kindness.” The older woman’s hand began to tremble as she opened the card and read its contents. She began to cry. “Thank you very much,” and then in almost a whisper, “Merry Christmas to you.” Several weeks later, one cold and blustery ...

4866. Transformed to Christ

2 Corinthians 3:7-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... of others. The love, respect, and deference demonstrated toward him changed his heart. He realized he had been deluding himself to think others might respect him for his wealth, but he came to realize he could be held in high esteem by demonstrating kindness and those qualities that label people as "holy." In a similar way on this great feast of the Transfiguration, when we recall how Jesus was transformed in external appearance before Peter, James, and John, we must seek to be transformed ourselves. We ...

4867. Show Me Your Credentials

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... made toward us would be most certainly true. Our lives are changed in another way. We no longer need only live for ourselves. We now can live for the world. We can care for and serve our neighbors with a genuine sense of love. Our good deeds of kindness and love are not about adding to our credibility or winning friends and influencing others. It's simply about giving ourselves away for others. Isn't that why Jesus says in tonight's gospel that when giving alms to the poor your right hand should not know ...

4868. Passing the Test

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... Wasn't going to church and saying your prayers supposed to fix all this stuff? This is not what you signed up for. Then to add insult to injury, someone quotes verse 13, "He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength." Really? You have to be kidding! What kind of a God would do this to you? Does God really think you are strong enough to handle this? You know your strength and it sure feels like God is now crushing you. It must be your fault. You must be letting God down because God surely wouldn't be ...

4869. A New Point of View

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... to the middle of the desert and live life in utter solitude, we can never escape the opinions and evaluations of others. If you have ever held a job (and it is hard for me to imagine any of us making it through life without having some kind of job), your performance is always graded, evaluated, praised, criticized, rewarded, and penalized. Who of us has never been told by our spouse or our children, "That looks ugly!" and we run to put on a different shirt? We cannot escape the human point of view. Likewise ...

4870. A Bloody Cheer!

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... of king. Jesus knew that, but the crowd didn't! Instead it had visions of grandeur and a return to the glory days of King David. Throughout this week in Jerusalem, Jesus will make it clear that he is a different kind of a king. He commands no army, brandishes no weapons, and exerts no brute force. Yet, in the temple he is confrontational. He harasses the religious leadership. He stirs up controversy. He is deliberately provocative. Therefore, we should not be surprised that by Thursday he is betrayed and ...

4871. Meal of Death

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... gather to worship our God gathered not around a garden of flowers, not under the sunny blue sky, not in view of a towering majestic mountain. No, we gather around the place of death, a place that calls our attention to a life that was slaughtered. We must wonder what kind of God this is who invites us to meet him at such a place. In tonight's lesson we see how God has always had a habit of doing things this way. There we read of the instructions God had given to his people to celebrate the Passover. That ...

4872. But…!

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... believe that stuff. It isn't real. Anyway, we can't go with a story that looks like it is pushing religion. We need to get a more impartial take on this. Better call Dr. Starr to give you something to put this in perspective. We frequently run across this kind of thing in the grieving process. They may well be numbed and it may take some time for that to sink in." But ... and what a big but it is ... but not for the Willises, but not for you and me! We know precisely what Reverend Willis is talking about ...

4873. Cracking the Code

Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... to crack the code and its rich and complex system of meaning. That is why much of Revelation remains an unsolved mystery. Some if the images are so bizarre that it almost seems as if John was in some kind of trance or high on drugs. This was typical of the apocalyptic literature of the day. This kind of literature was widespread in the ancient world. People back then, just as many of us today, wanted to know what the future held. They felt helpless in a world they did not understand and were powerless to do ...

4874. The Utmost Patience for the Foremost Sinner

1 Timothy 1:12-17

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... , the pain was intense and long-lasting; they had trouble putting it behind them. The perpetrator acted out of bad motives. No excuse was good enough for what the other person had done. In many cases, both the hurt they caused, and the hurt they endured were about the same kind of thing.1 No matter how much we don't want to hear about our sinfulness, we need to hear about it. We fool ourselves. We let ourselves off the hook. We buy our own excuses. There's a danger to that. Our passage today in 1 Timothy is ...

4875. All Roads Lead To Bethlehem

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... like to share a mile or meal. But they are people who are willing to get on the road and travel the distance from where they are to Bethlehem. That’s why we reach out to them as companions on the journey. But there are two kinds of people you won’t find on the road to Bethlehem: the “shirks” and the “nibblers.” First, the “shirks.” Some people you will NOT find along this Advent journey are the “shirks” — those who chose to mind their own business instead of getting involved in God ...

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