Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4926 to 4950 of 5000 results

4926. Jesus, The One And Only

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

Napoleon, the man who one time ruled over all of civilized Europe spent his last days exiled on the Rock of St. Helena. He was reflecting on all that he had accomplished in his life. He called a loyal friend, Count Montholon, to his side and said to him, "Can you tell me who Jesus Christ was?" The Count refused to respond. Napoleon then said this: Well then, I will tell you. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and, I myself, have found a great empire; but upon what did these creations of our genius depend? ...

4927. Kill Them with Kindness

Proverbs 3:3, 19:22

Sermon

James Merritt

One of the advantages of growing older and getting a few more years under your belt is the opportunity to learn. In fact, I really believe if you're not learning, you are really not living. The day you quit learning or the day you lose your desire to continue learning, your life basically is over. The longer you live, the more you can learn. One of my goals in life is to try and learn something new every day. I do it either by reading a book or a magazine or perusing the internet or asking questions of ...

4928. In God We Trust

Proverbs 3:5-6

Sermon

James Merritt

At first glance, I thought it was a great victory. The past week a Federal Appeals Court ruled that the phrase "In God We Trust" on a government building, does not violate the separation of church and state. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Virginia, ruled on May 13th that the national motto may remain on the facade of a county government building in Lexington, North Carolina. Then listen to what the court has to say and I am quoting Judge Robert King. "The Fourth Circuit has ' ...

4929. Being What We Are

1 Samuel 8:4-20

Sermon

Stan Purdum

The fact that you are here in church this morning instead of at home sleeping in or reading the newspaper says something about your religious commitment. But it's also true that you could have chosen to go to church today without coming here specifically. For many of you, this is not the nearest church building to where you live. In fact, several of you drive past one or more other churches on your way here. I am delighted that you have come here of course, but it is a fact of modern times that you have a ...

4930. A Sense of Place

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 6-10

Sermon

Stan Purdum

In one of his books, writer Scott Russell Sanders tells that whenever his father would come to new place, he would bend down, scoop up a pinch of dirt, sniff it, stir it around in his palm, squeeze it, and finally rake it across his tongue. When asked why he did this, he explained, "Just trying to figure out where I am."1 I have never used that particular method to locate myself, but being in ministry in a denomination where the bishop periodically sends pastors to new churches and communities, the dirt- ...

4931. What’s So Amazing about Grace?

2 Samuel 7:1-14a

Sermon

Stan Purdum

In our reading for today, we find King David, after having consolidated his kingdom and moved into a palace for himself, deciding that he'd like to built an impressive house for God as well. Now David wasn't so theologically naive as to think that God needed a physical dwelling as though he were merely a super human, but he did know that the Ark of the Covenant, that special box containing the tablets on which God had inscribed the Ten Commandments, was a unique symbol of the presence of God among the ...

4932. The Thick Darkness

1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43

Sermon

Stan Purdum

Eric Marshall and Stuart Hample have made a practice of visiting elementary schools and asking children to write letters to God. They've published some of those letters in a book titled, Children's Letters to God. Here's a sampling: Dear God, Count me in. Your friend, Herbie Dear God, Are boys better than girls? I know you are one but try to be fair. Sylvia Dear God, Your book has a lot of zip to it. I like science fiction stories. You had some very good ideas and I would like to know where you found them ...

4933. Stewards of Power

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22

Sermon

Stan Purdum

Most days, the news carries stories that, in some way or other, involve the abuse of power. In recent years it has included financial abuses committed by top executives of major companies and abuse of Iraq detainees by U.S. prison guards, but there's almost always some sort of power abuse in the news. So here's a question for each of you: Do you think of yourself as a powerful person? Before you answer, let me be clear that I am not necessarily talking about having power on the scale of corporate CEOs or ...

4934. The Underlying Mercy

Job 1:1, 2:1-10

Sermon

Stan Purdum

There was a heartbreaking story from Kansas back in the fall of 2003. During flooding there, a wall of water washed across the Kansas turnpike, overwhelming a family of six in a minivan. In an attempt to save his family, the father, Robert Rogers, kicked out a window, but was immediately sucked out into the torrent. In the end, he was the only member of his family to survive. His wife and their four children, ages one, three, five, and eight, all drowned, the three youngest still strapped into their car ...

4935. Mark 8: 27-38

Mark 8:27-30

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

By now, your students have returned to their colleges or universities — or will this week. In search of the best departments, the most celebrated scholars, the greatest cutting edge facilities and faculties, students travel far from home to attend the school of their dreams. Soaking in that whole academic atmosphere on campus is a huge part of the collegiate experience. Plus the football games and parties, of course. When Jesus called his disciples to “follow me” he had an entirely different kind of ...

4936. Exclusive: The Ugliest Word

Mark 9:38-41, Acts 10:23b-48

Illustration

Bishop Kenneth Carder

A journalist once asked Carl Sandburg, "What is the ugliest word in the English language?" After a few minutes Sandburg replied, "Exclusive." The ugliness of exclusive depends upon whether we are among the included or the excluded. We pride ourselves on being members of exclusive clubs, living in exclusive neighborhoods, dining at exclusive restaurants, vacationing at exclusive resorts, belonging to exclusive churches. Being an insider carries with it a sense of pride and security. Most of us, however, ...

4937. What Gift Do You Bring?

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

I remember watching a football game between Kansas State and Ohio State. Kansas State was evidently favored to win because they had clobbered Oklahoma just a few weeks earlier, but they were not doing very well. In fact, they were behind by quite a bit and then in the last half they mounted a comeback and midway through the fourth quarter they were doing quite well. They were only behind fourteen points and were deep in Ohio State territory. Then it happened — a senseless, silly, stupid penalty. It was a ...

4938. Wedding Day

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

It had been a standard practice, in years past, that the most popular month for weddings was June. The idea of someone being a June bride was without doubt not just normal, but expected. As our society has moved in so many directions, it has become the case that June no longer holds the fascination as it once did. We do know that weddings are always the source of much anticipation and, at times, problems. In fact, the people who deal with weddings, such as florists, caterers, mothers of the bride, and, yes ...

4939. Prophet or Profit?

Luke 4:14-21

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

I shall never forget the night that Mae June came to church. Mae June was a workingwoman who, in our little community, was often seen in the late hours of the night in some of the darker places of our little town. The rumor circulating over breakfast every morning at the city cafe, was that Mae June had a male companion. Mae June had a boyfriend. They were seen quite often, not only at night, but in the daytime and on the streets of the little city. Then came the night that Mae June came to the church ...

4940. Holy Extravagance

John 12:1-8

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

In our spiritual voyages, surprises — sometimes outlandishly — come to us. We scratch our heads and wonder if what we are experiencing is fact or fiction. It may or may not be a time of inspiration. However, it may be one of instruction, as we view it in retrospect. You and I are to remember that every occurrence may very well be a teaching event. Mary's act near the time of Jesus' crucifixion is a scene mostly outside of our expectations and predictions. It catches us off guard and the same may have been ...

4941. History Hangs in the Balance

Luke 23:1-49

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

One would be hard pressed to find a historical event with so many ramifications equal to these words from Saint Luke's Gospel. In fact, for the devout Christian there is no other! It is a moment when the universe seems to come to a standstill and the angels watch in troubled awe. You and I observe from afar, indeed, a great distance. Unless we figuratively or literally read the passage on our knees, we are not apt to catch this sublime, serious moment. Yes, and our appreciation may very well remain at ...

4942. Those Who Doubt

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

Christianity has always had its doubters. Sometimes it comes in open and public terms. Perhaps more often, despite our attempts at accurate measurements, are the doubters who speak only to intimate friends or not at all. When you and I doubt we are not alone. In the ancient world, our precious faith made little sense to most Jews or Gentiles. Some great souls, even saints, have been born out of times of skepticism. We have always had our "doubting Thomases." Read the autobiographies and biographies of ...

4943. Recognizing His Disciples

John 13:31-35

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

Recognition of people, places, and things is a fundamental prerequisite of successful living. We count on signs to guide us. Most of us take it for granted. We move through life in various speeds and count on our powers to recognize who and what is about us. It is so simple and pervasive that we hardly notice. The obvious is with us and yet is it so obvious? Our talents of interpretation and, yes, our prejudices are sometimes awkwardly there for all to see. We can never be quite sure how others will ...

4944. Reactions to Rejection

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

David R. Cartwright

Jesus knew what rejection felt like. When he preached his first sermon in his hometown of Nazareth, things went well in the beginning. But after he was finished, the people ran him out of town. They even tried to run him off a cliff, but he managed to escape. That was the first time Jesus experienced rejection for what he was trying to do for God, but it was not to be the last. Many of us know how it feels, even though the circumstances may not be as dramatic. An excellent student minister was rejected by ...

4945. You Fool!

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Ron Lavin

The incident stirring up this text is the request of someone in the crowd who asked Jesus to judge between on older brother and himself regarding an inheritance. The real problem isn't the request which Jesus refused, but the greed lying beneath the surface of the request which Jesus addressed with a parable about a rich fool who went to hell. In Jesus' day, the oldest brother got the inheritance when his father died. He was then expected to take care of the rest of the family. This procedure protected the ...

4946. Welcome, Rich and Poor

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Ron Lavin

Can you name some disillusioned people you've met in life? How about a woman who is so badly hurt by her husband committing adultery with a younger woman and then divorcing her, that she wants nothing to do with men? How about a child who believes in Mom and Dad, only to discover that they have frequently lied to him? How about the students of a beloved teacher who find out that their teacher is a pedophile who is going to prison for his sexual molestation of children? How about parishioners who love their ...

4947. What Price Must We Pay?

Luke 6:20-31

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

Today's Gospel Lesson mirrors the Sermon on the Mount that is found in Matthew 5-7. The sermon is directed at the disciples. It explores some of the things that will be expected of the twelve in the days and years ahead. It delineates the kind of outlook they should have as well as the kind of life Jesus expects them to live. Both Luke and Matthew start out with related materials. They both present us with what we have come to know as the Beatitudes and both end with the parable of the two foundations. The ...

4948. Father, Forgive Them!

Luke 23:33-43

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

Each of the gospel accounts of the crucifixion has its own peculiarity. Luke presents the trial of Jesus in a way that points fingers directly at the Jewish leaders involved. Luke goes out of his way to make sure we understand that the Jewish leaders are the ones who frame the charges against Jesus. It is they who insist he be crucified. Luke also is careful to make sure that we understand that the Roman governmental officials find no reason for Jesus to be prosecuted. It is important to recognize that it ...

4949. All Is New in Christ

John 11:4-6, Philippians 3:4-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Running as fast as his feet would carry him, Androclus raced into the forest. He hoped he could survive there, finding roots and berries to eat and avoiding all wild animals. He had few other choices; people were always looking for runaway slaves. He wondered, however, how it would be to live in terror of being discovered. Every pine cone that fell onto the mossy surface of the forest made him jump and look around to see if soldiers were in pursuit. He needed shelter. Rain was in the air and it would soon ...

4950. Repairing Our Lives

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled over a small kingdom that wasn't powerful nor was it known for anything of any great value. But, the king did possess a large and perfect diamond that had been in his family for many generations. He kept it on display for all to see and appreciate and people came from all over the country to admire this rare and precious gem. People from other lands, hearing about the great diamond, also came and they, too, felt some sense of pride simply by gazing upon the ...

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