Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 501 to 525 of 1967 results

501. The Case of the Dancing Men

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

Some of you may be fans of the PBS show, “Mystery.” Pastor Richard Slater tells about a scene in one of those PBS presentations, a Sherlock Holmes mystery, “The Case of the Dancing Men.” As the story opens, a young woman is gathering flowers in her garden. Suddenly, her face is transformed into terror by something she sees. She drops her basket of flowers and runs panic stricken toward her home. Once inside, she bolts the windows and doors, draws the drapes tight, and falls sobbing and trembling into a ...

502. God Can Turn Your Trash Cans into Treasure Chests

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Southeast Asia is hot. The economies of its countries are sizzling, especially Viet Nam and Indonesia, with the highest growth rates of almost anywhere on the planet. Investors and tourists from all over the world are flooding both countries. Of course, Bali, Indonesia, is where everyone wants to go. But if I could go anywhere in Southeast Asia, it would be the island of Sumatra. Why Sumatra? Because this island is the archipelago of 17,000 islands known as “Indonesia” is where the “manna” of that country ...

503. Apron Up (Mother's Day)

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

[This Mother’s Day sermon is based around the metaphor of the “apron.” We encourage you to invite your parishioners to wear an heirloom apron to church on Sunday, or to at least have you, your ushers and worship leaders wearing aprons from family traditions. This sermon also encourages people to tell their own “apron” stories, or to invite someone who has a particularly meaningful apron to come forward and tell the story of their apron on behalf of all the other aprons present. Release your artists to ...

504. Which Parade Are You In?

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

A pastor was asked to speak for a certain charitable organization. After the meeting the program chairman handed the pastor a check. “Oh, I couldn’t take this,” the pastor said with some embarrassment. “I appreciate the honor of being asked to speak. You have better uses for this money. You apply it to one of those uses.” The program chairman asked, “Well, do you mind if we put it into our special fund?” The pastor replied, “Of course not. What is the special fund for?” The chairman answered, “It’s so we ...

505. The Devastating Influence of Faultfinding, Nay-Saying, and Nitpicking

John 12:1-8

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

This is the fifth and final Sunday in Lent. In today’s gospel reading, it is the Saturday night before a crowd lined the streets of Jerusalem to give Jesus a parade, throw palm branches in his path, and sing, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” (v. 13). In spite of that enthusiastic welcome, by the following Friday night, Jesus was in a grave. In the previous few weeks, it was increasingly evident that things were headed in that direction. There had been serious run-ins with the ...

506. The Prophet of Locusts and Honey

Luke 3:1-20, Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Props: locusts in a small aquarium or a plastic locust / honeycomb or bowl of honey We call him “John the Baptist.” Some prefer to call him “John the Baptizer” just to be clear that John isn’t seen as baptizing Jesus into the Baptist church, making Jesus a Baptist. Some of you Baptist may disagree on this. But when we think of “John the Baptist,” or “John the Baptizer,” the first thing that comes to mind is not water, but probably something else: strange clothing and weird eating habits. At least they seem ...

507. The Overtaxed Soul (Even Me)

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Parable: Phyllis worked as a secretary/bookkeeper in a large company. No one noticed her. She didn’t have a flashy job like the group surrounding the CEO. She was just a shy, retiring clerk. But she had a significant responsibility taking care of the books and depositing the money for the thriving business. When trouble hit at home and she found herself in financial straits, she “borrowed” from the corporate kitty. Soon, this became rather a habit. One day, when news spread that the President of the ...

508. A Life-changing Question

John 9:1-41

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Have you ever noticed how many questions you ask each day? We are constantly learning from our environment, and asking questions is a big part of that. It’s the best way to learn. Usually. But you have to ask the right questions too. Not every question leads to greater knowledge. Some questions lead to greater frustration. A few years ago, when the internet was fairly new, a woman named Nancy wanted to teach her elderly mother how to use it. So she introduced her to the website “Ask Jeeves.” Before Google ...

509. The Kindergarten Kingdom

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

Erskine White

Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child shall not enter it. (Mark 10:15) If I had preached on this text just six years ago, I would have extolled the virtues and sung the praises of children. Jesus said that we must be like children to receive the kingdom of God and I would have preached a sermon on how wonderful kids are. I would have waxed eloquent on how Jesus blessed the children and how children bless our lives every day with their innate goodness, charm and ...

510. We Don't Know How To Pray

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Johnny Dean

The name of the game is control. Control is a big issue for us. We seem to feel that we have to be in possession of something, in charge of something, ANYTHING, or we are just worthless. Perhaps it’s the pioneering spirit that gave birth to this nation that drives us to believe so strongly that our worth is determined ultimately by our possessions, the things over which we appear to have control. Therefore, one of the most difficult things we are called upon to do is to admit that there are some things in ...

511. Serving Hands

Psalm 92:1-15

Sermon

Being a servant to others is not a role that is generally sought after in our society today. We tend to be a people who seek to be served, rather than offering to serve. However, Jesus said of himself that he came to serve, not to be served. He elevated for us the servant's position as he said to us, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." The entire message of salvation can be summed up by saying, "Jesus came to serve us in our needs." That is no more clearly seen than in these ...

512. So Soon We Forget!

Exodus 16:1-36

Sermon

So soon we forget! The next time you complain of having to do the laundry - at home or at the local laundromat - where you have plenty of hot and cold water, a spin-dry machine, and a dryer to do the whole job remarkably easily, before you complain about how tough it is (like breaking a fingernail opening the package of new, blue, all-temperature Cheer or having to fold the clothes as they come out of the dryer), stop and remember it was not always so simple. Here is a "receipt" of an old grandmother in ...

513. Today

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

William G. Carter

In one of his books, David Buttrick tells about a cartoon in a magazine. The cartoon showed three men sitting in a row behind a long table. A microphone has been placed in front of each of them. One man was pictured in long flowing hair and a draped white robe. Another was battered, a wreath of jagged thorns on his head. The third was swarthy, with dark curly hair and a pointed nose. The caption said, “Will the real Jesus Christ please stand?”1 Everybody sees Jesus from a different angle, including the ...

514. Under the Rainbow

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Noah. We learned all about him and the flood in Sunday School. Our kids learned about him this week in Vacation Bible School. Those in my generation had the picture filled in even more vividly about 35 years ago by that wonderful preacher, Bill Cosby. Remember? Cosby has Noah working around the house, down in his rec room, doing a little remodeling...Voobah, voobah, voobah...when a voice comes: "NOAH!" "Somebody call?" Voobah, voobah, voobah. "NOAH!" "Who is it?" "It's the Lord, Noah." "RIGHT...What do you ...

515. Emptying and Exalting (Part XI)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Dr. Harold Brack, the much beloved professor of Speech and Communications at Drew Theological Seminary, often shared with us that there are some Biblical texts which should be approached with great awe and reverence and preached only with fear and trembling, because no matter how much we share, it is only a glimpse or a snapshot of a much greater picture of truth. St. Jerome once said, "The Bible is like a stream in which elephants must swim and lambs may wade." This is especially true of this passage. As ...

516. All Saints Day

Revelation 7:9-17, 1 John 3:1-3, Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-17 John gives a vision of heaven where innumerable saints worship God. The book of Revelation, written ca. A.D. 96, has as its purpose to comfort and strengthen Christians at a time of great distress. They are enduring persecution at the hands of the Roman Emperor, Domitian. They are encouraged and strengthened by the news of ultimate victory in heaven. Chapter 7 is an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals. The saints are assured that they will be free from ...

517. If the Confession Doesn't Fit You Cannot Acquit

Proverbs 28:13

Sermon

James Merritt

Joe Gibbs, the former Head Coach of the Washington Redskins, tells a true story about a friend of his who owned a fine Labrador retriever. The friend, whom we will call John, looked out his window one morning and saw his faithful obedient dog sitting on his haunches near the front porch. John thought he saw something hanging from the dog's jaws. Sure enough, a closer look revealed it was his neighbor's pet rabbit that was now dead. Well, John was not only stunned, he was scared. Not exactly sure what to do ...

518. The Gospel Is Unchained

2 Timothy 2:8-13

Sermon

Donna Schaper

I went to the store to buy a new pair of blue jeans. The clerk asked if I wanted slim fit, easy fit, or relaxed fit, regular or faded, stone washed or acid washed, button fly or regular fly ... and that's when I started to sputter. Can't I just have a pair of blue jeans, size fourteen? Then I went to the grocery store and found 85 varieties of crackers, 285 kinds of cookies, and thirteen different kinds of raspberry jelly. Can't I just get a cookie and a cracker and a bottle of jelly any more? I am in ...

519. John 9:1-41

John 9:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Luke is usually considered the consummate storyteller among the gospel writers. But the lengthy, exquisitely constructed narrative in this week’s John text is a literary masterpiece of storytelling. In John’s telling, the healing of the man blind from birth becomes both the story of new sight that becomes sharper and more acute as faith unfolds and the story of deepening blindness when the chance for faith is rejected. In keeping with traditional ancient storytelling techniques, the details of these events ...

520. Due for Renewal

Mark 2:13-22

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

Every pastor, on occasion, feels the need to remind a congregation that we need not fear things that are new. Indeed, the apostle Paul declared that if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation ... things that are new ought to be things in which we feel free to take part. Once, the chair of a denominational committee on worship, when speaking of new things and strong opposition to them by congregations, shared a story about a friend of his in ministry. This pastor wanted his congregation to recite the ...

521. Paul Speaks to the Crowd

Acts 21:37--22:21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

There begins in this section the first of three speeches by Paul in his own defense (22:1–21; 24:10–21; 26:2–23). To a certain extent, these speeches are complementary with respect to both the details they give of Paul’s life and their theological thrust. The latter is most evident in the two accounts of Paul’s conversion (22:6–16; 26:12–23). Acts 22:6–16 makes the point that Paul, alone of all the disciples, had seen the Christ exalted in glory (vv. 11, 14) and that the glorified Christ had spoken in a ...

522. The Last Passover

John 12:1-11

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

For the third time in John’s Gospel, the Passover is near (v. 55; cf. 2:13; 6:4), and for the second and last time (cf. 2:13), Jesus travels to Jerusalem to keep the festival. The early visit to Jerusalem involving the cleansing of the temple (2:13–22) had given the impression that Jesus’ Passion was about to begin, but it did not. Now the Passion is soon to begin, and the narrator creates an atmosphere of expectancy for his story. He does not immediately state that “Jesus went up to Jerusalem” (2:13), but ...

523. The Second Journey to Egypt

Genesis 43:1-34

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Jacob’s Sons Return to Egypt: With the supplies of grain almost gone, Jacob finally accepts the reality that his sons must return to Egypt to buy more grain. After they arrive in Egypt, Joseph orchestrates a sequence of incidents that moves to the climactic moment when he makes himself known to his brothers. This, one of the most powerful accounts in history, has seven scenes. Jacob’s family discusses the need to return to Egypt (43:1–14). When they arrive in Egypt, the brothers attempt to return the money ...

524. The Penitential Psalm

Psalm 51:1-19

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Every psalm is special, but with this one we feel that we enter upon holy ground. While it is a confession of sin, it reflects an intimacy with God few psalms can rival. In most psalms, blame for a lamentable condition is attached to enemies or to sickness, but this psalm is uniquely introspective before God. In the traditions of the early church, there are the seven penitential psalms (Pss. 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143). Upon closer inspection, however, we discover that only Psalms 32, 51, and 130 ...

525. You Are What You Eat

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

Rick McCracken-Bennett

The Pharisees were grumbling -- doesn't it seem like they were always grumbling? Of all the things they could be concerned about, they were upset that Jesus' disciples weren't washing their hands before they ate. As I read this passage over earlier in the week I could hear my mom asking me and my brother and sisters before a meal, "Did you wash your hands?" This was an appropriate question for parents trying to teach their children good hygiene. But, at first glance, a strange concern for a religious ...

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