Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 526 to 550 of 1409 results

526. The Master Has Come - And Calls Disciples

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

The Roman legions crossed the English Channel, and landed their small ships at the foot of the cliffs of Dover. The Britons looked down and saw them. They laughed, thinking these Romans could pose no real threat to them. But, the Roman commander ordered his soldiers to burn their boats. There would be no turning back. They were there to stay. They had left their boats for good. When I read that, it brought to mind that scene early in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus is walking along the beach. Little waves ...

527. Stars and a Nation

Hebrews 11:12

Children's Sermon

Object: A box of stars [stickers that you use for attendance]. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like to look at the stars at night? (Let them answer.) Aren't they beautiful? I just love to look at the stars and see the patterns that they make in the sky. How many of you have ever seen the big dipper? (Let them answer.) Can you find the little dipper? (Let them answer.) Some night when the stars are out brightly, you should sit down or lie down in the grass and just see how many shapes you can ...

528. A House for God

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

Gary W. Houston

I remember as a small boy sitting in a small country church with seats in auditorium style that you flipped up when you got out. Outside the window, where I sat, some wasps were buzzing around in the sunshine. From time to time one would fly in, then back out the window. People were fanning themselves with fans donated by a local funeral home; they had pictures of Jesus on them. My dad was preaching and he spoke of two houses, one built on sand and one built on rock. I could not understand why anyone, even ...

529. Transfiguration of Our Lord

Matthew 17:1-13, 2 Peter 1:12-21, Exodus 24:1-18, Psalm 2:1-12

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Most Lutheran, Episcopal, and some other churches celebrate the Transfiguration on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, rather than on the traditional date of August 6. This tends to give theological definition to the end of the Epiphany season and the entire Christmas cycle, as well. The incarnation/manifestation note is sounded again in the Gospel for the Day, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him." The word God spoke at Jesus' baptism is repeated here and is ...

530. All Saints' Day

Revelation 7:1-8, Isaiah 26:1-21, 1 John 2:28--3:10, Revelation 21:1-27, Matthew 5:1-12, Psalm 24:1-10, Psalm 149:1-9, Psalm 34:1-22

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE All Saints' Day is one of those days in the church year calendar that many congregations ignore, simply because they don't know what to do with it. It began and developed naturally out of the annual commemoration of the deaths of individual martyrs, beginning with the apostles. Saints' days found their way into the worship of the church before the church year took much shape; many saints' days were in place by A.D. 200, preceding most elements of the church year, except Easter and the ...

531. Three Arrows

1 Samuel 20:1-42

Sermon

We follow flights of arrows. We watch for them at intersect ions. We pursue them with haste as we speed our carts down supermarket aisles. We follow them up staircases at work, and down bleacher steps at the basketball gym. When we want to win friends and influence people, we males can often be found with an Arrow shirt on our backs. Females of the species are hopeful some gentleman will aim Cupid’s arrow at their hearts. We forget that arrows were once weapons. Archaeologists have dug up more arrows in ...

532. A Dynasty of Destiny

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Dynasty and Dallas sit atop the slippery pole of the tube ratings. Catty Alexis and crafty J.R. pursue their juggernaut pace for the plums of power, prestige, and pelf. In Los Angeles, fervid fans still hoot and holler for a Bruin roundball dynasty built by Goliaths of the goalpost named Jabbar and Walton. The Windsor dynasty is assured of a successor, as Prince William toddles along a London street under the watchful supervision of an attendant nanny. The Kennedy dynasty gathers in sorrow around the grave ...

533. A Ewe Turn

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

He made an abrupt U-turn on Easy Street. His applecart of greed was overturned. Max Factor makeup could not mask the portrait of guilt sketched on his face. His gut growled with the gruff voice of self-loathing. Shame squeezed his body with the smothering grip of a boa constrictor. Portrait of a robber baron. Portrait of a bad shepherd whose blackest sheep was his own soul. Portrait of a thief who had discovered his own hand caught in the cookie jar. His Rip Van Winkle soul had been awakened by the still ...

534. Born One Of Us

Drama

Production Notes This play, Born, One Of Us, is designed to be used in the church service at any time during the Christmas season; perhaps it is particularly appropriate for Christmas Eve. The play is preceded by three persons reading paraphrased portions of scripture (chapters and verses indicated) concerning Bethlehem. These readings should be read dramatically. The readers may sit in side or front pews. A music stand may be placed beside each one to be carried on and off for the readings. A litany, for ...

535. The One Who Made His Cross

Drama

Production Notes "The One Who Made His Cross" may be presented at a worship service of the congregation, or it may be produced in an area of the church building where more elaborate staging is a possibility. In the second case, it may well be that the drama would be offered as a program rather than a worship segment. Characters may costume themselves in first-century attire. While costumes are not required, they will add to the effectiveness of the presentation. Appendix 1 provides a suggested stage ...

536. A Most Amazing Night

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

"But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2:19) The shadows are getting long in late afternoon as Joseph comes running into the house bursting with news: Caesar Augustus has ordered a census for the whole Roman Empire. Everyone will have to go to their family’s hometown to be counted and to pay a tax. For Joseph and Mary, this means travelling to Bethlehem. Mary wants to know more, but Joseph can’t answer her questions. The Romans are not in the habit of explaining themselves to ...

537. Bread

Matthew 13:33

Children's Sermon

Objects: A small jar of plain flour. A small jar of self-rising flour. A small cake of leavened bread. A small cake of unleavened bread (made by mixing water or milk with plain flour). "Things are not always what they seem to be." How many of you have heard that quotation before? Most of us have heard it many times and it is very true. Have any of you ever been offered a stick of gum and after you took it, you found your "friend" had removed the gum from the tinfoil and then placed it back in the wrapper? ...

538. Sunrise Surprise

Drama

Cast (in order of appearance) NARRATOR MARY MAGDALENE JOHN PETER JESUS Production Note At the beginning, and then at the close, of "Sunrise Surprise," it is suggested that the scene be changed by "revolving the stage." This option is possible in a stage or theatre setting where such mechanics can be attended to. For those planning to present the drama in a chancel setting, the stage setting could be changed by manually moving the props; by the use of lighting; or by suggestion on the part of the actors. ...

539. "The Return"

Drama

A Worship Drama Characters In order of appearance The Woman The Man Average Man Bible Lady Liberal Lady Child Beggar Scientist Woman of Means First Teenager Second Teenager Politician Properties At one point during the drama, all characters except the Woman and the Man will pick up large stones to hurl at the Woman. These are prominently marked with labels such as: Ingratitude, Expediency, Envy, Pride, Scorn, Apathy, Gluttony. The Return (Scene: on a park bench is seated a good-looking, modest but sexily ...

540. A DRAMA OF LOST WORDS

Drama

The only precaution for this play is that the director pay close attention to the use of lighting. Stage directions are within the play and are very important for the mood and pacing of the production. A bare stage; when the lights come up, they are dim stage right and bright stage left. Man 1 and Woman 1 enter to the stage left area and begin to talk to one another, quietly; the audience should not be able to understand what they are saying. After a few seconds, Man 2 and Woman 2 enter to the stage right ...

541. NO HELP WANTED

Drama

AMAZING GRACE These two plays are serious discussions of the everyday problems which face women trying to be whole persons in our society. No Help Wanted is an abstract and stereo-typed look at the problem of being yourself, without guidance or direction from others. Amazing Grace is a type of comic strip and, therefore, also quite stereotyped. Character descriptions are given for most characters; when they are not, character type is not vital to the production. Sets for both of these plays may be as ...

542. An Unhappy Homecoming

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

It is customary for politicians to launch political campaigns in their hometowns. Hometown is supposedly where your most fervent supporters are. Jesus launched his public ministry in his hometown of Nazareth, a town of about 20,000. It was there he had grown up, played with friends, worshipped in the synagogue, and assisted his father around the carpenter shop. We think that father Joseph died when Jesus was perhaps in his late teens. Thereafter, Jesus as eldest son took over the carpenter shop and earned ...

543. Train Whistle In The Night

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

It was a dark scene but a busy one. The natural light of day had long since given way to the artificial light of night, but activity seemed to be everywhere. Religious services had just ended throughout the city, and ushers were returning the rubberwheeled collection baskets to their appointed resting place at the end of a long aisle. Still more ushers were busy at another task - pulling paper tapes, counting coins, and sliding drawers. Not our typical picture of a religious service, but very religious ...

544. Paul in Chains

Acts 21:27-36

Sermon Aid

CSS

Paul’s arrival in Jerusalem was inauspicious. Although "the brethren received us gladly," the elders were fidgety and fearful. Not one word of gratitude is recorded for the gifts which Paul and his companions brought with them to alleviate the poverty of the church at Jerusalem. One wonders why? Perhaps those who came with Paul to bring the gifts were too evidently "Gentile Christians." These Gentiles must have felt rebuffed, finding prejudice against them where they might have anticipated brotherly ...

545. Shipwrecked on Malta

Acts 27:1-12, Acts 27:13-26, Acts 27:27-44

Sermon Aid

CSS

Festus was a good administrator. Once the decision had been made to send Paul to Rome, he acted quickly. Yet it was a peculiar transferral. Agrippa and Festus are reported to have concluded that Paul had done nothing that was likely to undermine the security of the Roman Empire or otherwise be of interest to the high courts at Rome. They must have attached some bill of complaint to the military orders under which Paul was transported, but its contents are not known. The official charges against Paul never ...

546. Rome at Last

Acts 28:11-16

Sermon Aid

CSS

Spring shipping would begin to move when the sealanes opened up again to commerce about the beginning of March - early spring in the Mediterranean. At that time a ship from Alexandria, which had wintered at Malta’s main port was ready to sail. Centurion Julius, with his soldiers and prisoners, was eager to complete the final leg of his journey. Paul and the others were therefore taken aboard the "Twin Brothers" or "Twin Gods" for the trip northward past Sicily and up the west coast of Italy to Rome. The ...

547. Welcome to the Training Table!

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Much of the business of the human race has been conducted over the dinner table. There are several reasons for that. One of them is convenience: In the harried pace of life - and it was so in ancient times as often as it is today - mealtime, which everybody had to take time for anyway, became as convenient a time as any to communicate, to take care of things, to check signals, and generally to keep in touch. In fact, many families only see each other when they’re eating and, at that, often only at certain ...

548. Power to Forgive

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive ...

549. We Are Driven!

Jeremiah 20:7-18

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and thou hast prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; every one mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, "Violence and destruction!" For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. For I hear ...

550. Stuffed Bodies and Skinny Souls!

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. Behold, I made him a ...

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