Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 476 to 500 of 4508 results

476. Lord, When You Came Down To The Jordan

Sermon

King Duncan

Down South they tell about one old Baptist minister who preached every Sunday on baptism by immersion. His folks agreed with his doctrine, but they were tired of hearing the same subject dealt with every week. The deacons undertook to solve the problem through diplomatic means. They complimented him on his pulpit skills and suggested to him that he was such a natural preacher that they wanted to ...

477. A Long Obedience In The Same Direction

Sermon

Mark Radecke

We live in a microwave world. A hurry-up, get-to-the-point, move-it, move-it, move-it, world! We want what we want and we want it now! We want freezer-to-table meals in 15 minutes at the outside; we want 0 to 60 acceleration in 8.5 seconds; we want the phone answered in 3 rings or we're hanging up; we want that personal pan pizza in 5 minutes or we're outta here. No one reads classical literature...

478. Want to Be Happy?

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Theme: Pleasing God is what brings true happiness in life. The Word-Became-Flesh . . . Exegesis: Matthew 3:13-17 All four gospels record the events of Jesus’ baptism at the hand of John. And each one of the four gospel writers add their own unique touches to the story. Our text this morning from Matthew contains elements not found in any of the other gospels, suggesting he had either a unique s...

479. Plenty Of Room

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I just read a short piece about someone traveling across country, staying exclusively in Bed and Breakfasts. At one B&B which had six bedrooms, this traveler noticed these two signs side by side on the check in desk. The first sign read: "Please introduce yourself to your fellow guests since we are one big happy family." Next to it was a sign which read: "Please, do not leave valuables in your roo...

480. Every Day God Empowers

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Throughout life we use the word edge for lots of different things, a lot of our usage has to do with business like Maintaining your competitive edge. Or being on the cutting edge or leading edge of the industry. We talk about edging people out and being on the edge of a new frontier or development. Sometimes things will drive us over the edge or set our teeth on edge, or just plain set us on edge....

481. When Do You Feel God's Pleasure?

Sermon

James W. Moore

Jerry Seinfeld once said, “Men don’t want to know what’s on TV, they want to know what else is on TV!” That explains why one night recently I was channel-surfing with my television remote control. Suddenly, there it was… the great movie, Chariots of Fire. It came out in 1981… and went on to win four Academy Awards and one of those Oscars was for “Best Picture of the Year.” The film is based on a ...

482. A New Beginning

Sermon

King Duncan

When it comes to the subject of baptism, our Baptist friends seem to have all the fun. That is, the very nature of baptism of adults by immersion lends itself to loads of good humor. For example, there is a story of a seven-year-old son of a Baptist minister who decided to baptize his two cats. He chose the bathtub for this rite. One of the cats was a tiny kitten. It was dunked before it realized...

483. Come To the Water

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I read about a United Methodist preacher whose whole confirmation class decided they wanted to be baptized by immersion. It was one of those grand events with almost the whole congregation there at the local river. Parents were in tears, grandparents stood by proud and crying too as these young people made that momentous decision in their lives. Other youth and children stood in awe and wonder, fi...

484. Immersed

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Washed in the blood of Jesus. That’s what our early hymns proclaim. We are washed in the blood of the Lamb, the blood of sacrifice, the blood of salvation, the cleansing blood of the messiah Jesus. For most of us today that sounds like a rather strange concept. But then, when you think about it, so is partaking of the “body and blood” of Jesus as we celebrate what we know as Holy Communion. In f...

485. We Belong to God

Children's Sermon

Object: a T-shirt with the slogan "Property of..." Good morning, boys and girls. How do you like my T-shirt? Now you know who I belong to, don't you! Do you really think I belong to [____]? No, of course. You're right. It's just a joke. People buy these shirts to make people think they belong to something they really don't. But today I want to tell you about a T-shirt all of us - you and I and e...

486. First Sunday after the Epiphany (Baptism of Our Lord)

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter--Psalms 29:1-11 First Lesson--The prophet envisions the gentle strength of the Messiah. Isaiah 42:1-9 Second Lesson--Luke records a brief of the introduction by Peter of Jesus the Messiah. Acts 10:34-43 Gospel--Jesus is baptized as if he were a sinner like us and is consecrated to be God's special Son. Matthew 3:13-17 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be ...

487. Baptism Of Our Lord

Bulletin Aid

Amy C. Schifrin

A Service Of Renewal Gathering (may also be used for Gathering on Epiphany 3) Leader: Light shining in the darkness, All: light never ending. Leader: Through the mountains, beneath the sea, All: light never ending. Leader: In the stillness of our hearts, All: light never ending. Leader: In the water and the word, All: light never ending. Amen. Hymn Of Praise Baptized In Water or Praise And Thanks...

488. Baptism of our Lord

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 42:1-9 Yahweh describes the character and work of his Servant. This is the first of four servant songs in Isaiah. In verses 1-4 the Servant is described as chosen and well-pleasing to Yahweh, Spirit-filled, patient, and faithful. In verses 5-9, the work of the Servant is to bring the light of salvation to the world, justice, and he shall be a covenant of the peopl...

489. Welcome To a Journey

Illustration

William B. Kincaid, III

The story is told of a pastor's words to a baby shortly after he had baptized her. No doubt, the minister was speaking as much to the congregation as to the infant. "Little sister, by this act of baptism, we welcome you to a journey that will take your whole life. This isn't the end. It's the beginning of God's experiment with your life. What God will make of you, we know not. Where God will take ...

490. Just Proud To Belong

Illustration

William B. Kincaid, III

You may remember the episode of The Andy Griffith Show in which the Women's Historical Society had discovered that a living descendant of a Revolutionary War hero was living right there in Mayberry. The news generated excitement and curiosity throughout the town as people made plans for recognizing the hero's relative. Barney Fife, of course, twisted his own family tree to the point that he put hi...

491. Saved Twelve Times

Illustration

William B. Kincaid, III

Garrison Keillor tells the story of Larry the Sad Boy. Larry the Sad Boy was saved twelve times, which is an all-time record in the Lutheran Church. In the Lutheran Church there is no altar call, no organist playing "Just As I Am," and no minister with shiny hair manipulating the congregation. These are Lutherans, and they repent the same way that they sin discreetly and tastefully. Keillor writes...

492. The Puzzle of Baptism

Illustration

George Hermanson

The baptism of Jesus was an important feast in the early church, more important than Christmas. Like Epiphany, which was one of the three important feasts, it is a celebration of the true nature of the incarnation of God. It is a feast of light which illuminates God's nature. Baptism celebrates our identity as being formed by the aim of God, being light and novelty to the world, and our role in ...

493. Accepted Warts and All

Illustration

John Bedingfield

The next part of Matthew's description is, to my way of thinking, one of the most wonderful statements in the Gospels. A voice rings out from heaven, and for everyone to hear, says, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." Everyone in this church this morning is someone's child. And if you've been alive very many years, I promise that there have been times in your life when y...

494. A Higher Value than Freedom

Illustration

Johnny Dean

If there's one thing we Americans value above everything else, it is freedom. We cherish, guard and exercise our freedom, and woe be unto those who threaten it in any way. We're even willing to go to war to defend freedom, whether it's ours or someone else's. We are the world's self-appointed watchdogs of freedom. But Jesus says there's a higher value than freedom. The first words the writer of t...

495. The Puzzle Began to Fit

Illustration

Johnny Dean

About 2000 years ago (give or take a few) a small group of Jewish people, living under the tyranny of Roman rule, began to listen to the words of an itinerant preacher. They saw him reach out in love to the hurting people, the broken people, to comfort them and heal them. They heard him give radically new interpretations of the ancient Scripture. Then they watched in horror as he was arrested, tri...

496. BAPTIZED IN SOLIDARITY WITH US

Illustration

Johnny Dean

By the grace of God, during my sojourn at seminary, I was assigned by one of my professors (although I didn't consider it a blessing at the time) to read and report on a little book by a German theologian named Oscar Cullmann. The book was entitled Baptism in the New Testament. Now, the writings of German theologians quite often are difficult for me to understand, sometimes because of linguistic p...

497. A Higher Value than Freedom

Illustration

Johnny Dean

If there’s one thing we Americans value above everything else, it is freedom. We cherish, guard and exercise our freedom, and woe be unto those who threaten it in any way. We’re even willing to go to war to defend freedom, whether it’s ours or someone else’s. We are the world’s self-appointed watchdogs of freedom. But Jesus says there’s a higher value than freedom. The first words the writer of t...

498. Life as a Piece of Music

Illustration

Mark Radecke

Think of your life as a piece of music. Life in the microwave world provides you the staccato notes, the quick and sometimes dissonant voice. By itself, it is confusing and lacking in substance or form. It may even seem chaotic and annoying. Along baptismal obedience in the same direction provides the sustenuto, the sustained voice, the continuo line. It gives body and substance to the piece. By ...

499. The Messianic Age

Illustration

Adrian Dieleman

The Messianic Age. This is what every Jewish child of God was hoping, praying, and waiting for. It is easy to see why when we hear God's Old Testament promises about the Messianic Age: (Isa 2:2) In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. (Isa 2:4) They will beat their sw...

500. Back to Basics

Illustration

Kevin Eckstrom

The Religion News Service published this survey shortly after 9/11. The perennial take away from this illustration is how suffering brings us back to basics: One-third of Americans Reassess Priorities after Terrorist Attacks (RNS) One-third of Americans say the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were a "life-altering experience" that caused them to change their priorities, according to a new Gallup poll...

Showing 476 to 500 of 4508 results