Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 501 to 525 of 779 results

501. Cloak of Power

Psalm 5:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings. Malachi 4:2 Props: Prayer Shawl or Tallit (with Tzizit) or Cloak/Diver’s helmet Have you ever had the opportunity to take or watch a scuba diving lesson? What happens is this: a group of students, young and old, listen as the instructor has them practice fitting on the scuba helmet. Of course the helmet is part of the breathing tank apparatus, which supplies them with oxygen down below the surface of the water. You can’t watch this without ...

502. This Verse Says It All

John 3:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

In the late 1980s, artist Jim Sanborn was hired to create a piece of art to be displayed at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. This was a big commission! What an honor to create a unique piece of art for the CIA. Sanborn thought he would have a little fun with this project. He contacted Edward Scheidt, the retired chairman of the CIA’s Cryptographic Center. Scheidt is an expert in encryption and cryptology. Sanborn wanted Scheidt to help him create a message in code for his CIA art piece. On Nov. 3 ...

503. Meet the Rose Family

Mark 3:20-35

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

We begin this morning with a brief review of something most of us learned in ninth grade biology and then promptly forgot as soon as the test was over, and that is how science organizes and classifies living things. Maybe these layers of classification will ring a bell: Kingdom Phylum Class Series Family Genus Species Remember? No? Okay, well, now you know. This is how science organizes all living things so we can see they are related to each other, when they are related, and how they are separated from ...

504. A Day of Passion, Praise and Prophesying

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Let me ask you a question this morning: how many of you are bilingual—that is, you speak two languages? Or tri-lingual . . . if you want to show off? If so, were you raised speaking a language other than English, or did you learn that second language as an adult? There is a federal agency called the Foreign Service Institute that trains diplomats to operate in other countries. The folks at FSI also provide advanced language training in over 65 languages. Sometime back, they ranked all the major languages ...

505. Daniel Interprets the Dream

Daniel 2:24-49

Understanding Series

William Nelson

Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream: The stories in Daniel 2–7 probably did not all circulate together originally. As mentioned earlier, evidence for this can be seen especially in chapters 3 and 6. The original author of chapter 3 focuses on Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, seemingly unaware of Daniel, while the original author of chapter 6 highlights Daniel, seemingly oblivious to his three friends. These independent traditions have been brought together and shaped into a literary whole. (For a more ...

506. Life's Loose Threads and The Tie That Binds

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

In 1481 Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to paint an altarpiece for the chapel of a nearby monastery. He devoted an inordinate amount of time and energy to the depiction, compiling countless preparatory sketches and carefully attending to each intricate detail. The result was revolutionary: one of the most dramatic and innovative renderings of the Renaissance, before which succeeding generations of artists would later stand awestruck in absolute wonder. Mysteriously, though, just seven months into the ...

507. The Promise Of The Spirit

Sermon

John A. Stroman

As a mainline church we have been told to the point of weariness what is wrong with us. Many articles have been written about the demise of the mainline churches with their dwindling membership and attendance. Someone has figured out mathematically that if the United Methodists continue to lose members at the present rate, the last Methodist will leave the face of the earth in the year 2037. This is a very sobering thought. The Dilemma Of Decline To borrow a line from Dickens, these are, for the mainline ...

508. The Breath Of God

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Marc Kolden

Pentecost is the third great Christian festival. On Christmas we celebrated the birth of Christ, our Savior. On Easter we celebrated his victorious resurrection from death. And today we remember Christ's giving of the Holy Spirit. Our story from the gospel of John takes place on Easter evening, after the disciples had discovered that the tomb was empty and Jesus had appeared to Mary Magdalene. Jesus told her to tell the disciples that he was risen, which she did, but they did not understand. So on that ...

509. Let It Go!

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Elaine M. Ward

Long ago there was an ancient bell that was famous for its beautiful tone. It had been commissioned by the king. The king's advisors had told him that making a huge temple bell would secure the nation from foreign invasion. The specialist who cast the bell had produced several failures until he concluded that the only way to produce a great bell was to sacrifice a young maiden. Soldiers were sent to find and fetch such a young girl. Coming upon a poor mother in a farm village with her small daughter, they ...

510. Epiphany 5

Luke 5:1-11

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

CALL TO WORSHIP For God's love and faithfulness, let us praise God's name. For the promise of God is as wide as the heavens. PRAYER OF CONFESSION God-in-hiding, you catch us unawares. In frightening circumstances, we find ourselves saying: "What did I do to deserve this?" In incredibly good times, we find ourselves saying, "What did I do to deserve this?" Whenever we encounter you unexpectedly, a sense of guilt may catch us and we want you to go away. But we would rather have your forgiveness than your ...

511. The Breath Of God

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Marc Kolden

512. Trinity Sunday

John 3:1-21

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

Greeting Ldr: Turn on the lights! Throw the doors wide open! Shout and sing! Cng: For we want the whole world to know that we believe in the love of God, in the salvation of Jesus Christ, and in the new birth through the Holy Spirit! Ldr: We do not come here under the cover of night. Cng: We come in the full light of day, because we believe in the eternal life offered to us by God! Ldr: We come to give thanks, and to celebrate the love that God gives, even though it is so undeserved. Cng: Receive our ...

513. A Solitary Witness

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

The raw skin on Marcus' ankle was still bleeding as he began work in Herod's palace. Never mind that the chains had rubbed raw the young skin. Never mind that the healing would take time, and would leave a life-long scar. Never mind that the cut, extending clear around his ankle, hurt with each step. Marcus was a slave. One did not have such concerns about slaves. They were expendable, like the clay tablets that the money counters used. And, even if someone did care about the new slave, there were much ...

514. Epiphany 4

1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Deuteronomy 18:14-22, Mark 1:21-28

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Divine authority. Deuteronomy has Moses predicting that God will send a prophet like him, who will rule with authority. The Gospel features Jesus acting with authority by casting out demons. In the Second Lesson Paul reminds us that our actions must be governed by love's authority. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 The book of Deuteronomy reinterprets the laws of Moses for a new generation. It comes in the form of addresses by Moses as the Israelites are about to enter the promised land ...

515. Epiphany 5

Job 7:1-7, Isaiah 40:1-31, Mark 1:29-39, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: The Lord's saving help for the downtrodden and the weak. We also see how Jesus' life of prayer energized him for ministry. COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Isaiah 40:21-31 (C) This chapter begins the second major section in the book of Isaiah, the so-called Duetero-Isaiah. It was written during the Babylonian captivity period, approximately 540 B.C., to give hope to the dejected captives. The prophet reminds the Hebrews that their God is creator of heaven and earth and nothing is impossible for him. In fact, ...

516. Robert Paul, You Were Right!

Daniel 7:1-14, Daniel 7:15-28

Sermon

Richard Hasler

Professor Robert Paul and his family had just returned to Hartford Seminary from a trip to the Rocky Mountains. As a doctoral student in church history studying with him I had always been stimulated by his lectures and seminars. Now, I was anxious to talk with him and with his gracious and perceptive wife, Eunice, to get their impressions of the trip. Paul, a native of England, was ecstatic about the natural beauty of America, but he also was appalled by the lack of appreciation for what he called “a sense ...

517. Been Fishin' Lately?

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Johnny Dean

As members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), we are part of a denomination with a great, but somewhat awkward name. I think it’s a great name because it expresses, in no uncertain terms, who we are and WHOSE we are. We are Christians, and as such we are disciples, or followers, of Christ. We acknowledge that we have received help and leadership from people such as Thomas and Alexander Campbell, Barton W. Stone, and Walter Scott. But we’re not THEIR disciples. We are Disciples of Christ. But ...

518. Throw Your Heart at the Sky

John 21:1-14

Sermon

Carl Jech

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus ... Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.(John 21:4, 12b) Now wait a minute! Either they knew it was Jesus or they didn't. Why would it even occur to them to ask who he was if they already knew who it was? The answer is that the editors of the gospel of John (and many scholars think that John went through at least three major revisions) are using this story to ...

519. When God Says "Go"

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Several years ago Alvar Persson was elected mayor of Grove City, Minnesota. It was an unusual election, partly because of the size of the victory - Persson garnered eighty percent of the vote - partly because Persson is a Lutheran minister and not a politician, but mostly because Persson wasn't even running for office. No one was. Next to the word Mayor on the ballot was a blank space. Only write-in votes could be cast. Of the eleven people whose names were written in, Persson was the clear choice - 202 ...

520. Why Look To Heaven?

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

"A touch of Paradise" was her favorite expression and, in many ways, that romance with her was. It was a classic case of first love - for me, at least. She was an older woman - eighteen, I think, to my seventeen - and her emotions were sturdier since she had endured several romances before me. Maybe my rockie heart was why the touch of heaven I felt with her, so often felt like a strangle hold. She was outgoing and popular; I was insecure and shy. She coyly commanded; I awkwardly obeyed. My worth was as a ...

521. The Power and the Glory

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

I begin with a word about two American cities, cities of fame and sometimes of infamy. The first is in the east, almost as far as the Atlantic Ocean. It is this nation's capital, workplace of the president and of senators and representatives and of thousands of bureaucrats. It is a place where decisions handed down and deals hammered out affect millions of lives. It is a place so attractive and important that millions of dollars are spent to get there. It is Washington, D. C., and it symbolizes power. The ...

522. The Shepherd King

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

On those Sundays when I am able to attend worship services in the parish to which I belong, I am confronted, upon entering and taking my place in the nave, with an artist’s attempt to transport the image of the oldest Christian representation into the twentieth century. It is a painting of the risen and ascended Lord, obviously sitting upon a throne in the heavens, surrounded by a half-halo of angel faces amid the clouds. The pastor and building committee, who commissioned the piece of art, knew what they ...

523. Proper 22 & Pentecost 20

Matthew 21:33-46, Philippians 4:2-9, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Numbers 27:12-23, Psalm 81:1-16, Isaiah 5:1-7

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Without the readings assigned to this day - and to this part of the cycle and season - the eschatological clue of the church year would be quite indistinct. The readings, particularly the Gospel for the Day, with its setting as one of Jesus' teachings during Holy Week, point beyond Jesus' suffering and death to the last things, when God shall hold everyone accountable for his/her deeds and life-style. Veteran preachers, who have journeyed through this portion of the church year in the past ...

524. The Resurrection of Our Lord

Mt 28:1-10 · Col 3:1-4 · Acts 10:34-43 · Ps 118

Bulletin Aid

First Lesson: Acts 10:34-43 Theme: Easter as God's "Yes" Exegetical note The heart of the kerygmatic recapitulation contained in Peter's speech to Gentiles here is his view of the resurrection (in v. 40) as God's validation of Jesus after the crucifixion. The latter was the "no" of humanity (designated with an indefinite "They") to Jesus' ministry, while Jesus was God's resounding, and ultimately prevailing "Yes." Call to Worship (based on Psalm 118) Leader: God is our strength and song! People: GOD HAS ...

525. Suffering for Christ

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

Jesus said: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's foes will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who ...

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