Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4951 to 4975 of 5000 results

Isaiah 60:1-6

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... most unusual star moving in the western sky. This "star of wonder, star of light, star of wondrous beauty bright" led them westward toward Bethlehem in search of a new king. By contrast, that same star greatly troubled and unnerved King Herod. In Mark Twain's story of The Prince and the Pauper, the crown prince and a peasant trade places. The exchange of roles between the future king and another young man who looks like him is easily accomplished because of our preconceived expectations surrounding royalty ...

4952. What's in a Name?

Isaiah 43:1-7

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... . God initiates the beginning of a relationship with us, bringing us into God's family. God says to you today, “I have called you by name. You are mine. Child of God, through your baptism, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever." Remember your baptism and give thanks. God has “redeemed you and called you by name." 1. "Ima Hogg," Famous Texans, http://www.famoustexans.com/imahogg.htm [Accessed September 1, 2005]. 2. Annie Dillard, Holy The Firm(San Francisco ...

4953. Who Will Go?

Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... behemoth of a security guard swooped down on the culprit, grabbed him by the belt at the small of his back, and lifted him off the floor. With his prey in tow, he vanished beyond the pickled okra, back into the secret recesses of the doors marked "Employees Only." What security force would not be delighted to have such a huge embodiment of dedicated loss control on its staff? Later as he was reliving that disturbing scene, Ken thought to himself, "Shoplifting is a serious crime, but that security guard is a ...

4954. Abraham Believed God

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... faith in Jesus was still centered in Jerusalem, and many assumed a new Christian had to adopt Jewish cultural practices. But in the Roman Empire there were many different cultural practices. People didn't think the same way. To some, circumcision was not the mark of a covenant but a disfigurement of a body they considered beautiful. While worship of one God was attractive, the complex food laws made no sense when consumption of meat was a social practice that involved, at least technically, the worship of a ...

4955. He Will Abundantly Pardon

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... less, with each other, and with those around the world? We must tell them of this abundant joy, in the midst of all of life's travails and beyond. Jesus was criticized because he and his disciples didn't fast, didn't wear ashes, but ate, drank, and displayed the marks of life and living. The cross lay ahead for Jesus and many of his disciples, and for us as well, but as today's scripture tells us, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God's ways higher than our ways. Stop. In the midst of our ...

4956. Jailhouse Rock

Acts 16:16-34

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... the good news of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, and that they did not need to change ethnic backgrounds in order to become Christians. But there had been disaster when Paul and his longtime companion, Barnabas, split up when they argued over the faithfulness of Mark, who had left an earlier missionary tour before it was completed. The great duo was in disarray, but that disaster led to triumph, as both men took the gospel to new places. Triumph continued when Paul obeyed the message he received in a dream in ...

4957. The Undoing of Babel

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... " vs. "Goths," and on and on. Even in the church, we find denominations that can't agree with one another and there are sometimes strong disagreements within single congregations. But Pentecost is the event that started the church worldwide. Our beginning is marked by an event where factions were overcome and people of diverse backgrounds and languages not only understood one another, but were brought together with a common goal. Acts tells us that some 3,000 people became Christians that very day. And so ...

4958. New Covenant, New Testament

Jeremiah 31:27-34

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... us and walks with us. But, we must put all of that into proper perspective when looking at today's text. For one thing, the new covenant is incorporated in the promise. Earlier, covenants were made, not promised. The taking up of the covenant into the promise marks the end of the history of God's previous dealings with God's people and a new history will begin. In point of fact, the new covenant that is promised in these historic verses is only new in the sense that it will fulfill the original intention ...

4959. A Day of Singing

Zephaniah 3:14-20, Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... , http://www.crescenthillbaptistchurch.org/oldsite/sermon‑9‑25‑05.htm. 2. (http://www.day1.net/index.php5?view=transcripts&tid=90). 3. Cited by Edward F. Markquart, http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/christmas_do_you_see.htm. 4. http://pastorgavinellis.blogspot.com/2005/11/luke‑28‑15‑from‑silence‑came‑music.html. 5. John Mark Ministries. http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/20684.htm.

4960. Family Matters

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... separate fact from fiction. So, many stories were left out. The story that did make it into scripture is the one that occurred when Jesus was twelve years old. That’s the time when a Jewish boy celebrates his Bar Mitzvah. This sacred event marks the transition from boyhood to adulthood. The celebration of the teenage years is a relatively recent occurrence. In ancient times you moved directly from childhood to being adult. The idea of teenage rebellion was absurd. There was not time. There were too many ...

4961. Jesus: What's in a Name?

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-32, 33 RSV) So, the question, what is in a name? Let s look at the two names, Jesus and Emanuel. First, the name Jesus. Jesus is the Greek form of the Jewish name Joshua. Joshua means “God Saves.” Mark Trotter reminds us that “the Jews chose names not only because of the meaning of the name itself, but because of the tradition associated with the name. So when someone is named Joshua, you are to look back to the first Joshua to find the meaning of his name ...

4962. Tears Are Our First Words

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... prepared for the finality of death. They were not prepared for what Jesus was bringing to them. They were not prepared for a miracle. They were not prepared for hope. They were not prepared for resurrection. They were not prepared for new life. This October marks the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. That most hated symbol of repression, that most revered symbol of communist power, came down after decades of being one of the most feared symbols in the world. It came down not in a hail ...

4963. John 11:32-44

John 11:17-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... as he approaches the family home. She is accompanied by a crowd, identified as “the Jews,” a group that included both Jewish friends from Jerusalem (v.18) and the professional mourners that any righteous Jewish family would have hired to help mark Lazarus’ passing. The family was only mid-way through sitting “sheva,” their seven day official observance of Lazarus’ death. Mary’s posture before Jesus suggests her faith in his powers and healing abilities. Mary prostrates herself at his feet and ...

4964. Hebrews 9:24-28

Hebrews 9:11-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... it was true. It took 350 years for the Vatican to admit that Galileo was right, and that his 1633 trial as a heretic was a “mistake.” In mid-October of this year, the Vatican rather cheekily opened a “Galileo exhibit” to mark the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s telescope and to support the UN designated International Year of Astronomy (the exhibit runs through 16 January 2010). Within the lifetime of some of our parishioners, some physicists would prefer to ride the falling apple of Newtonian ...

4965. Good News for Widows

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... God will see that I have what I need!” He took her pledge back to the church, says John Jewell, with tears in his eyes and joy in his heart. And God was impressed! (2) These two moving stories are tied, of course, to today’s lesson from Mark’s Gospel. Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were gathered and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a ...

4966. Satan’s Talking Points

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . That was Jesus’ message in today’s gospel text. Don’t dwell on the unknowable, the uncontrollable, the unfathomable. Jesus reminded his disciples that “about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32). Did you get that? Even Jesus doesn’t know everything. There is something kept hidden from Jesus himself . . . and that something is the very thing that some people profess to know, even if Jesus didn’t: “that day or hour ...

4967. Christmas: Before And After

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... than I do. And what did Joseph say? Mary: Well, he was a little freaked out. You know, he’s older and he’s got a reputation to think about. But, I think he believes me. Elizabeth: I think you should tell me about this “angel.” (makes quotation mark gestures) Mary: Well, it was the most amazing thing. I was sweeping up the house, when this person, all in white, just sort of appeared. I chased him around with the broom for a while. I thought he was some intruder, sneaking in to steal food. But, he ...

4968. History of Christ the King Sunday

John 18:28-40, 1 John 2:15-17

Illustration

Brett Blair

... waged against Christianity by modern revolutions, characterized by a ferocious and indeed demonic hatred of the church, clergy, celibacy, religious life, communion, crucifixes, church buildings, parochial schools, the cross and Gospel, and anything that belonged to or bore the mark of the Church. “Anticlericalism” is a fitting term for all this. It was an ideological war whose roots were only beginning to grow, and after decades of deep roots, has only now blossomed in our generation. Pius XI continues ...

4969. God Is Not Far Away

Luke 21:5-38

Illustration

Keith Wagner

... I came back, again much to my surprise, he only charged me $5. In the midst of all that craziness I experienced the reality that life goes on and the simplest of things continue in spite of all the craziness. I gratefully left the store, watch in hand, ticking along, marking time for years to come. I felt a sense of peace that God is still in the midst of all the chaos. What this all says to me is that no matter how anxious the times we live in, God is not far away. The problem is that we are ...

4970. Advent 2

Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 3:1-20, Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... God and sinners. The Word made John frank in exposing and condemning sin. He was not afraid to deal with controversial subjects in his preaching. 3. Went (v. 3). After John received the Word, he "went" to the people with God's Word. In this Luke differs from Mark who says the people came to John in the wilderness. Rather, Luke says John went to the people. This agrees with the experience of other witnesses. First they came to Jesus and then they go out to tell people. "Come" and "Go" are two sides of a coin ...

4971. Thou Sayest I Am King

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... side of life in order that redemption might take place. I want you to hear this now. Our world is lost. Not because there are so many non-Christians in the world. Our world is lost because there are so few Christians who live and act like Christians. Now mark that down. Our world is lost not because there are so many non-Christians in the world, we’re lost because there are so few Christians who live and act like Christians. Jesus said, not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord. Not every one who has it ...

4972. The Wisdom of the Wise Men

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... were magicians. Still another tradition says they were astrologers. Who they were really doesn’t matter. It does matter that they have woven themselves into the fabric of the Christian story, and no celebration of Christmas would really be complete without the mark of these three men to thousands of alters across the land, bringing their gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. Now from the circumstances surrounding these men, they must have been rather well to do. The costliness of their gifts suggests ...

4973. Putting Ourselves into the Picture

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... persons glad to live in community is to make them at home there, and the sense of injustice is the strongest disintegrating force. That’s what happened in the civil rights movement in this country. If there is a dangerous class, and I put that in quotation marks, if there’s a “dangerous class” at any level of society, the surest way to make them more dangerous is to treat them harshly. Why don’t we learn that in our prison system? It was a blunder of the pharaoh; to make lives bitter. For when ...

4974. What the Lord Does Best

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... me? And three, if I knew I was going to die by the end of the week, what would I be doing during the next seven days? Now you think about those questions. To be preoccupied with death is morbid, but to take death seriously is a mark of wisdom. Then Joseph died. Death is inevitable. And that leads to the next point – life and choice. Since death is inevitable, the important question is what do we place between our living today and our dying tomorrow? The first clear issue in our scripture is, is death ...

4975. Christmas in the Midst of Songs

Luke 1:39-45

Illustration

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... days or school homecoming celebrations, but those songs are sung by selected groups in isolated places. Only at the Christmas season does the majority of the population choose to sing or to listen to the singing of others. Some of the songs which now mark the Christmas and Advent season are poor secularizations of the original Christmas theme. But even as derivations and deviations from the true theme, they carry some measure of the joy of the season. This isn't surprising because Christmas was born in the ...

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