Sermon and Worship Resources

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Psalm 68:1-35, John 17:1-11, Acts 1:6-14, 1 Peter 4:12-19

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... , a word of reconciliation to those in conflict. Remember for good our land and our leaders and our representatives to other nations. May we be instruments of your peace in an often angry world. Bless all who care for our sick and aged, baby-sitters and teachers of preschool children, teachers of our young from kindergarten to university, that all may serve your highest purposes for all humanity. Comfort, divine Spirit, all who mourn. To all whose day draws to an end, give light at evening time. The memory ...

27. By Right Paths

Psalm 23:3

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... death by a duck. And a lot like trying nailing Jell-O to a tree or herding squirrels." I like whoever said "Life's "Golden Years" aren't in retirement. The "Golden Years" refers to that period in your life when your kids are too old to require a baby-sitter and too young to take the car." It's tough being a parent in today's world. And that's where the 23rd Psalm comes in. Especially that portion we're going to look at today. But let's begin by reading the 23rd Psalm again. [1] The LORD is ...

28. What Would Jesus Say About the Media?

Mark 9:1-9

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... the remote control. Become a Baptist, graciously submit, and let him have it. The average American spends five hours a day watching television. That is 20% of your life. A seven year old child will watch 20,000 commercials a year. Atari, Nintendo, and Sega have become the baby sitters of America and MTV their tutors. The average person now spends two hours a day on the Internet. I for one do not want to live without any of these. The good old days were not so hot. I am delighted that we are in a new era of ...

29. News Too Good To Tell

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of her voice. “This has been the worst day of my life,” she said. “It was awful at the office. We lost our biggest account; co-workers were obnoxious; clients were unreasonable. I came home to find the kids had broken my favorite lamp; the baby sitter is quitting; and the water heater is out; and now surprise of surprises, my normally sober husband comes home drunk.” Perhaps all of us are a little circumspect about surprises. If things seem too good to be true, they usually are. We even feel that ...

30. Come

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... 't due for a while, so why don't you let me help you? I'm very good with children." Startled, the mother said, "Oh, thank you! That would be wonderful." And she left the two little girls in the care of this anonymous and generous baby sitter. A little later the mother returned looking relaxed and refreshed. "Thank you so much," she said. The teenage girl asked, "Are you catching the next train?" "Yes," the woman replied, "as soon as I can get everything together." "Let me help you." the young girl said and ...

31. There Is Always More Need

Matthew 14:13-21

Illustration

Roger G. Talbott

You know how the disciples felt when the crowds showed up... The two of you haven't had a night out without the kids in weeks. You finally get away. The waiter has just brought your appetizer when the baby-sitter calls and tells you the youngest has a high fever and has started throwing up. You've been planning this vacation for six months. Your reservations are all made and three days before you are scheduled to go your mother calls and says your Dad is going to have a ...

32. Learn All the Facts

Humor Illustration

Here is a story that says a lot about customer service. A man was preparing his favorite breakfast of hot oatmeal when his daughter came rushing in with his little grandson. "The baby-sitter has been delayed," she explained, "and I've got to go to work. Will you keep Bobby for a few hours?" Granddad said sure and his daughter left. Then Granddad scooped up two bowls of oatmeal. "Do you like sugar?" he asked. When Bobby nodded he asked, "How about some ...

33. Zombie Zone or Beulah Land?

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Ever since the dawn of movies there have been “fright films.” Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolfman were first on the silver screen. Later on mythical monsters were replaced by urban monsters, and the “teenage slasher” movie was born — where lonely baby-sitters and popular football players were the special focus of crazed creatures with hockey masks or with really long fingernails. But the most popular “scare-bearer” these days seems to be a creature you can’t even wish were dead because it ...

34. Tradition Can Be Changed

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... to do — replace his worn blue jeans and tennis shoes with more job-appropriate items. It was off to the Summerset Mall with his fashion consultant, Marissa, his wife. Too bad their young son had to come with them. The budget had no money for a sitter, and after this shopping spree it'd be tuna casserole and scalloped potatoes with Spam for some time. Confining their toddler in his stroller, the couple began to sort through a wide selection of suits, pants, and sport coats. As her husband paraded out of ...

35. Sister Act(s)

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... and rather crossly asks, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me" (v. 40). What would Jesus' answer be? Jesus surely loved and valued both sisters equally — Mary, the sitter and Martha, the worker. How can two peas in the same pod function so differently? Every church needs a Martha. Change that. Every church needs a hundred Marthas. Sleeves rolled up and ready. Because of Marthas — the church budgets get balanced — church buildings get ...

36. What the Trinity Does

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Kurtis was attracted to Brenda and asked her out. She refused, saying she was divorced and had two children. She had “baggage.” Kurtis persisted anyway. A date was arranged and Kurtis arrived at the door. Brenda met him and again cancelled the date; the baby sitter had gotten sick. Finally, Brenda let Kurtis into her apartment to meet her two children. The little girl was as cute as a bug. The little boy was in a wheel chair, was a paraplegic, and had Down syndrome. Kurtis said, “There is no reason ...

37. Come One, Come All

Luke 5:27-32

Sermon

James Merritt

... their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” (Luke 5:30, ESV) Who are the Pharisees and the scribes? The exact opposite of the tax collectors and the sinners. Religious, church goers, pew-sitters – they dotted every religious “i” and crossed every religious “t.” They are in every church I’ve ever pastored and they are the most judgmental people of all. Their attitude was “how dare you ask us good people to hang out with those ...

38. Those Amazing Two Words (Thanksgiving)

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... might be suspicious of such an offer. But this was in a simpler less violent world. The startled mother said, “Oh, thank you! That would be wonderful.” And she left the two little girls in the care of this anonymous and generous baby sitter. A little later the mother returned looking relaxed and refreshed. “Thank you so much,” she said. “Are you catching the next train?” asked the teenager. “Yes,” she replied, “as soon as I can get everything together.” “Let me help you,” said the ...

39. Why Christmas Is So Dangerous

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to get on our knees first, and then get up from our knees and “go” face-to-face with this world. Christmas has hands, feet, legs, and a tongue of fire. To live the life of faith is to live the sporting life — a life dangerous to sitters, and pouters, and draggers of feet; a life dangerous to sulkers, and grimacers, and breast-beaters. “For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling” (Psalm 116:8). In this most dangerous of seasons, a Merry Christmas to all ...

40. Celebrating Christ the King

Ezekiel 34:11-16, Matthew 25:31-34, 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... at the scene of a burning apartment building. An apartment caught on fire. The babysitter saw no way to exit the second floor safely with the two-month-old baby she was keeping. The baby was as helpless as this doll. Panicky and in a bit of a daze, the sitter took the chance of dropping the baby to Harris below. Harris made the catch, and the baby was completely unhurt. James Harris is a hero, isn't he? He was there and caught the baby. Some times in life we fall. I don't mean like falling off of a ...

41. Broken Promises

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... told their parents how they had fun with the new babysitter, and how she had helped them do some assignments including saying their prayers. But this did not change the parent’s decision to fire the babysitter. The next time the couple needed a sitter they hired the older sister. They were greatly impressed when they got home this time to discover the house was tidy and the kids were already asleep. “The kids have been like angels,” the older girl announced, and, gratefully, the couple gave her an ...

42. The Self-Giving Mother

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... apply for a job. About an hour later his thirty-six-year-old wife Patsy left for her fifth grade teaching job down the mountain in Riverside—accompanied by her two children, five-year-old Susan and two-year-old Gerald—to be dropped off at the baby-sitter's. Unfortunately, they never got that far. Eight and a half hours later the man found his wife and daughter dead in their wrecked car, upside down in a cold mountain stream. His two-year-old son was just barely alive in the forty-eight-degree water. But ...

43. The Lame Truth

John 5:1-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... chairs. Bravado is easy. Stepping up is a whole other story! There’s a saying some of you have probably heard: “You can either run with the big dogs or sit on the porch and bark!” The Christian Church, just like those armchair coaches, have a lot of porch sitters, and a whole lot of barkers! But we don’t do too very much running with the big dogs –or with any dogs come to think of it! In fact, when was the last time we ran anywhere, except to our pews or food bowls? Well, there’s something that ...

44. It Helps If You Laugh

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... a lens when nothing can be substituted for the human touch." And that's true in parenting. The human touch is still essential. TVs, CD players, VCRs, computers all of these are great tools for learning and entertainment but they will never be good baby-sitters or teachers. They will never replace the loving touch of a mother or a father. Because that human touch gives strength, courage and faith. At times it offers healing and comfort. It soothes the skinned knee and the bruised ego. At other times it might ...

45. If It Helps You Laugh

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... a lens when nothing can be substituted for the human touch." And that's true in parenting. The human touch is still essential. TVs, CD players, DVDs, computers all of these are great tools for learning and entertainment but they will never be good baby-sitters or teachers. They will never replace the loving touch of a mother or a father. Because that human touch gives strength, courage and faith. At times it offers healing and comfort. It soothes the skinned knee and the bruised ego. At other times it might ...

46. Death Shall Be No More

John 13:31-35 · Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... ’s no wonder that people of questionable ethics and mental balance have turned to this book to spout manic pictures of fire and brimstone. We have heard it before, and having heard it, we react by dismissing the text. Preachers, theologians, and pew sitters try to ease the pinch of Revelation by saying that “we all have apocalypses in our lives.” The well-intended intent is to scale down the towering implications of these writings by confining them to personal pietistic ramblings while we comfortably ...

47. Catholic

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Sermon

William G. Carter

... in a membership directory, listed as ushers or choir members, and they are present for any observer to see. The invisible church consists of the people who do the will of God in the world. Not always visible, nor known to the regular pew sitters, God knows who they are and utilizes them to further the mission of heaven. With this, Buechner quipped, “Think of them as two circles. The optimist says they are concentric. The cynic says they don’t even touch. The realist says they occasionally overlap ...

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