Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 526 to 550 of 747 results

526. Quitters

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

... of God. Martin Copenhaver is a minister in the United Church of Christ denomination. United Church of Christ pastors have a reputation for being rather liberal in their theology, though that is not always the case. UCC pastors do tend to be advocates of a variety of social causes. And they tend to intellectualize their faith, which may seem to make them seem less passionate than pastors of some other denominations. Martin Copenhaver probably fits most of these stereotypes. So it surprised the congregation ...

527. Getting Directions

Acts 16:9-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... . Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid." — John 14:25-27 (NRSV) And yes, I did leave out one word, an important one, one which describes the work of the Holy Spirit. Depending on your translation, it might be "Advocate," "Comforter," or "Encourager." The Greek verb behind it is parakaleo, which means literally "to call to one's side" — usually asking the other for help. In a legal context, it has the flavor of "helper at court." Whose helper then? Ours? Perhaps. But it might ...

528. Remember!

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... sketch of a man, the Reverend Samuel Suther, a minister of the German Reformed Church in North Carolina in pre-revolutionary days. He had been born in Switzerland in 1722 and emigrated to America in 1739. Apparently, he was quite the fire brand in advocating a break with the English king, and as such, got himself into all sorts of difficulties. He sounded like an interesting character, but I doubt that I would have given him much more than passing curiosity except for the fact that there was included ...

529. Good Gossip

James 3:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... with compassion and forgiveness. In a world of nastiness and negative ads — why can’t we treat each other this way? COMMENTARY Twice already in James’ brief epistle readers have been admonished to mind their tongues. In 1:19 the epistle writer advocated being “slow to speak,” while in 1:26 James affirmed that an unbridled tongue could lead to religious faith that was “worthless.” In this week’s epistle text James sets forth a carefully constructed, organized argument about the need for those ...

530. James 3:1-12

James 3:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Twice already in James’ brief epistle readers have been admonished to mind their tongues. In 1:19 the epistle writer advocated being “slow to speak,” while in 1:26 James affirmed that an unbridled tongue could lead to religious faith that was “worthless.” In this week’s epistle text James sets forth a carefully constructed, organized argument about the need for those who would call themselves members of the community of ...

531. From Slave to Brother

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... was a political question as well. Paul taught that love transformed the way we see all of life, even politics. We may say that immigrants should obey the law, but if Philemon had obeyed only the laws of the state, what would have happened? Paul does not advocate a specific policy; he just says that Philemon should love Onesimus as a brother and take it from there. Maybe we can't put forth a specific policy for immigration, but we can call the church to love immigrants as brothers and sisters and take it ...

532. A New Name

Isaiah 62:1-5

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... AEG and prominent in the new industrialization of Germany. Walter Rathenau was a moderate liberal in politics and was one of the founders of the German Democratic Party. He rejected the tide of socialism that was sweeping through Germany and advocated for privatization of industry and greater worker participation in the management of companies. He greatly influenced the post World War I government of Germany. In 1921, Rathenau was appointed Minister of Reconstruction and on February 1, 1922, became Foreign ...

533. The Cross Burden or Blessing?

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... out at a fast food restaurant! Give them fast-food fish instead! But Lent is not just a season of winnowing down, of doing without, of “giving up.” In today’s epistle text Paul reminds his readers that following Christ is about living as life as an advocate, as a positive force, not as an enemy, of the cross. Lent is all about embracing the message and mission of the cross. That does not make it just a time for giving up. It is equally a time for “taking on” new responsibilities and avenues. Paul ...

534. Galatians 2:15-21

Galatians 2:11-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of faith. Rather it flowed as a part of his passionate rebuke of the actions taken by Peter and other Jewish Christians. It was a perfect “zinger.” Peter, apparently under pressure from the Jerusalem church, had stopped eating with Gentiles. He was advocating the continued need for the observance of at least the laws of “kashrut” (kosher). Paul zinged Peter “to his face” (2:11), calling him on the carpet for this retrenching mentality (vv.11-14). It is from this particular incident that Paul ...

535. It’s Complicated

Galatians 2:11-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

536. Re-thinking Our Mission

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... as the world terms success. Now, to be fair, Saddleback Church is also the home of the Celebrate Recovery movement that reaches out to those who have hurts, destructive habits and self-defeating hang-ups. But still, I have yet to meet a church growth advocate whose target audience is “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind . . .” Yet those are the people whom Jesus told us to target. Those are the people Jesus himself targeted. On one occasion he declared, “I have come to seek and save that which ...

537. When God Does Something New

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Argile Smith

... point as the prayer meeting group grew over time. And for Pastor Fuhrer, the prayer meetings helped him to engage his congregants in something that would address the struggles they faced under Communist rule. In February 1988, the pastor invited fifty people who advocated the right to leave East Germany to join his Monday night prayer groups so they could talk about the issue. About 600 people showed up, including the participants in his prayer group. In May of that year, the police blocked traffic to the ...

538. Thanksgivings to Remember

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Sermon

Argile Smith

... was grateful they sat at the table with their parents, and of course, their grandmother. At Thanksgiving, she missed her husband most. He always looked forward to Thanksgiving, and he planned family things to do all day long so they could make memories. An advocate of crafting memories in the hearts and minds of children that would encourage them when they got older, he took seriously every opportunity to create a memorable moment. What he didn’t know was that being with him was memorable enough for Joan ...

539. Only Time Will Tell

James 5:7-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... minister/missionary who served in India for fifty five years during the early twentieth century. A preacher, evangelist, and best-selling author, Jones was a prolific writer and speaker and is revered as an gifted preacher. He was also an early human rights advocate both in India and in the USA. E. Stanley Jones’ life and service in India brought him into contact, and ultimately into a close friendship, with Mahatama Gandhi. As Gandhi worked out his own version and vision of protest — both against the ...

540. Cleaned and Claimed

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... there are some scientists who contend that our focus or our obsession, if you will with cleanliness, as well as increased use of antibiotics, is actually responsible for a dramatic increase in allergies, ranging from asthma to hay-fever. Some advocates even believe that this obsession can account for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Type 1 diabetes. The argument, according to the Science News website, is that by “stamping out innocuous organisms we have weakened some parts of children ...

541. Honk If Something Falls Off

Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

King Duncan

... ’t be on the road.” Maybe so. But what guarantee do you or I have that we will never lose a piece of truck in our travels? Let me be clear, says Doyal: living an “I’m not perfect, so get over it” life is not what he is advocating here. Admitting that your imperfections show up on occasion is another matter. Second, this driver God bless his sweet soul assumes that people will be so kind as to inform him if he drops a chunk of truck on his journeys: a muffler, a bumper, a hubcap, the transmission ...

542. The Landlord's Dilemma - World Communion Sunday

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... s call or would he choose to save his own life? No one would blame him if he chose to back off. Go back to Joseph’s carpenter shop. Or get the proper credentials and enjoy the good life as a popular religious leader. They live well, those advocates of the prosperity gospel. Those temptations that Satan had shown Jesus at the beginning of his ministry were real temptations. He had the world at his feet. Can you put yourself in his skin? Thirty-three years of age and a choice to make to seek to experience ...

543. The Transforming Power of Grace

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... transformed. Zacchaeus made restitution to those he cheated. He gave half his fortune to the poor. Newton was touched by God's grace. He gave up his financial interest in the slave trade. He was transformed into one of the eighteenth century's greatest advocates for the abolition of slavery. For Zacchaeus and Newton, the issue was their immoral behavior. Each had to change something he was doing. Behavior, however, is not always the issue. Rather than what we do or even what we think, sometimes the issue is ...

544. When the Dragon Wins

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... work for peace, and to practice generosity to a fault. The ordinary English of the world around us is more apt to organize our thoughts around loving things and using people rather than the other way around and to resist forgiveness in favor of advocating for revenge. The ordinary English of our lives is more apt to consider violence an acceptable way to resolve differences, to consider generosity a flaw, and stinginess a core value. Our language of faith calls us not only to see the world differently and ...

545. Uncovering Cover-Ups

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... children. The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., led a civil rights revolution in this country in the '60s. He had a dream of the day when prejudice and discrimination would end and we would dwell together as one people. He was a nonviolent advocate of morality, integrity, virtue, truthfulness, and justice. Yet recent books have claimed he was a womanizer and that he plagiarized a significant part of his doctoral thesis. The cover-up was uncovered. Is it any wonder this is happening? It is precisely what ...

546. Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam

2 Chronicles 10:1--11:4

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... (i.e., 2 Chron. 29–36) represents a period of a reunited monarchy. In this commentary I will follow another structure, however. There are mainly two reasons for this: (1) I am not as convinced as Throntveit that the Chronicler had any intention of advocating a united kingdom in a political sense; and (2) the structural indications that delimit the different royal narratives suggest a structure in which the narrative of each king forms a unit, with the death and burial notice forming its end and the note ...

547. In Athens

Acts 17:16-34

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... Stoics. He met with them more than once (so the Greek imperfect), but still they did not really grasp what he was saying. They heard him speak of Jesus and the resurrection, but to their ears it sounded as though he was advocating foreign gods (lit., “demons,” but in the neutral Greek sense). Apparently they misconstrued his message to be about two deities, Jesus and his consort, Anastasis (the Greek word for resurrection), understanding them perhaps as Healing (Jesus sounds something like this in Greek ...

548. Paul’s Arrival at Jerusalem

Acts 21:17-26

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... that there was no more reason for them to maintain the rite than for the Gentiles to adopt it. Hence the accusation that Paul had been telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to (the Jewish) customs. But though Paul was certainly no advocate of circumcision (cf. Gal. 5:11), neither was he opposed to its practice by Jewish believers and, as far as we know, never gave them instruction against it (cf. Rom. 2:25; 3:1ff.; 7:12). 21:22 No doubt Paul was able to reassure the elders ...

549. Paul’s Second Visit to the Jerusalem Church

Galatians 2:1-10

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... current eminence in the Jerusalem church and perhaps their past association with Jesus, Paul writes: whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance. In a situation where the external—circumcision—is being advocated as essential, this statement is also an implicit criticism of his opponents’ position. Paul asserts that the influential Christian leaders, unlike the rival evangelists, added nothing to his message. The gospel that was preached to the Galatians came ...

550. The Law and the Promise

Galatians 3:15-25, Galatians 3:1-14

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... criticizes the rival evangelists for suggesting that in the law God has annulled God’s promise that the righteous shall live by faith. This appears to be a response to what the troublemakers may have been preaching or what Paul understands as the consequence of their advocating of the law. Paul is convinced that the result of the rival gospel is to set aside or add to God’s covenant with Abraham. 3:16 Paul takes up the matter of the promises that he introduced in 3:14. Normally Paul speaks of promise ...

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