Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 526 to 550 of 1967 results

526. True Colors

Acts 9:1-19a, Acts 9:19b-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord binds up the breach of his people and heals the stroke of their wound.” (Isaiah 30:26) “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness ...

527. What Are You Looking At?

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

We are living in the days of the apostles again. We are the early Church all over again -- or, more precisely, we live in a similar spiritual environment in which the Church first grew. What do I mean? I don't say this because of miracles and prophecies being fulfilled in the same way they were back then. Nor because sin is so prevalent and accepted, even as it was in the Roman Empire. Nor do I say it because we, like the 5,000 plus who grew to millions and millions, are waiting eagerly and expecting Jesus ...

528. Proper 4

Matthew 7:15-23, Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

In the first part of 1994 heavy rains in California sent mud slides down the hills near Los Angeles. Houses were ruined by the slides. Heavy rains falling on areas that were denuded by earlier forest fires caused the slides. The persons who were affected by the mud slides looked to the government to help them rebuild their houses. Should these people rebuild in the same locations? If they do, should those who have suffered by the mud slides get government help to rebuild in the same locations? Are they ...

529. Proper 19

Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:1-7, Psalm 51:1-19, Exodus 32:1-33:6, Hosea 4:1-19, Hosea 6:1--7:16, 1 Timothy 1:12-20

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Depending on the lectionary cycle followed and the calendar year the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost may be known and celebrated, in much of the Christian church as World-wide Communion Sunday. Most of the denominations of Christendom will be participating in the sacrament of holy communion on that Sunday, regardless of the other occasions on which the sacrament is observed. Actually, every Sunday is a worldwide communion Sunday; every Sunday calls for the celebration of the meal at ...

530. Erasers are for Mistakes

John 20:19-23

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Forgiveness is the first responsibility (in John) that Jesus gives his Disciples and it is important to God that we forgive one another. Props: Board, marker, and Eraser. This could be a small chalk board or the dry eraser kind (extra props: A box of school erasers would be a nice touch). Lesson: What is the first thing you did before you ate your diner last night? (washed hands, gave thanks) What is the first thing you did last night before you went to bed? (brushed teeth, said prayers) ...

531. A Day For All the Saints

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

When Dr. Gerhard Frost, much beloved and saintly retired professor of Luther Northwestern Seminary, died quite suddenly, in less than three weeks, in May, 1987, he did have time to plan his funeral service with his wife and pastor. Hymns to be sung included: "O Day Full of Grace," "Jesus, Priceless Treasure," "O Bread of Life from Heaven," and "In Thee is Gladness." The Lessons were from 1 Corinthians 15, Romans 8, Job 19, and John 17 - some of his favorite biblical passages. Dr. Alvin Rogness, president ...

532. An Old Plan For New People

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Larry Powell

A mother dashed hurriedly into the nursery when she heard her five-year-old son howling. Much to her relief, she learned that his outburst resulted because his baby sister had been pulling his hair. "Never mind, darling," she comforted, "your little sister doesn’t know it hurts you when she pulls your hair." Within moments, the mother rushed back into the nursery, this time to check on the screaming baby girl. "What’s the matter with baby sister?" she anxiously asked the little boy. "Nothing much," he ...

533. I Wish Life Came With An Eraser!

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Siegfried S. Johnson

Co-Winner in the best Sermon Contest In a Dennis the Menace cartoon, Dennis' wrongdoing, for which he is being punished, is made abundantly clear. You might say, "The handwriting is on the wall." With the evidence of his misdeed, spent Crayolas, scattered on the floor behind him, Dennis sits in the corner staring at the once pristine walls which are now decorated with his artwork"”a dinosaur, a house, a cowboy, the sky with sun and clouds. Evidently, mom didn't much appreciate his drawing skills, so there ...

534. Influence!

Matthew 23:1-12

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

If you think a mosquito is small and has little influence, try sleeping in a hot room at night with but a single blood-sucking insect. Its high-pitched whine and sharp proboscis can leave you sleepy, itchy, and whelped. On the other hand, consider the lowly honeybee. One single winged creature lurching flower to flower can make the heart leap for joy as it brightens your day, spreads pollen about, and makes honey in the hive. We mortals, not unlike mosquitoes and honeybees, have our own influence. We can ...

535. An Uncomfortable Comforter

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

One of my favorite chairs in our admittedly strange and eclectic collection of antique furniture is a piece known as "The Bishop's Chair." If anyone ever needed a reason NOT to seek that high office, this chair offers some revealing insight into the episcopacy. [If your church has a bishop's chair, or can find a bishop's chair, or an antique chair that fits the description, you might ask some people to come forward, sit in it, and describe how it feels.] Yes, it is a handsome chair-grandly oversized to ...

536. 2 Kings 5:1-14

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's Hebrew text parades a fascinating cast of characters through a moving and fast-moving tale of miraculous healing and transformation. The story is one of many "Elisha stories" which collectively demonstrate just how different the prophetic ministry of Elisha was from that of his better-known predecessor Elijah. Despite the power this healing story demonstrates, nowhere in this tale does Elisha behave as a traditional Israelite prophet. There is no great prophetic speech, no formulaic discourse; ...

537. Crying Out of the Depths

Psalm 130:1-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

In a Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown is sitting at Lucy's psychiatric desk getting absolutely no help from Lucy. With a forlorn look on his face Charlie laments, “Where do I go to give up?" One great value of the Psalms is that they put into words what we find difficult to express. Most scriptures speak to us. The Psalms speak for us. They enable us to articulate and bring before God our deepest feelings, our greatest fears, the lingering longings of our hearts, the troubled sorrows of our lives. So Jesus ...

538. The Joyful Provider

John 2:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The season of Lent has arrived. It's time to repent and believe the Gospel. We are encouraged to remember that we are mortal, as if our bodies would ever let us forget. Lent is a 40-day period of self-examination and self-denial — except for Sundays. Tucked into these forty days are six “little Easters" — days to remember that God in Jesus Christ gives us the victory over sin, over death, over all that destroys our relationship with Him. So this First Sunday of Lent, I invite you not to the wilderness of ...

539. Cleansing from Infectious Skin Diseases

Leviticus 14:1-32

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

Purification from Contamination: Chapter 14 proceeds to the issue of how one can move from the condition of “unclean” into the condition of “clean.” The procedure is a rite of passage embodying a new beginning for the person and the surrounding community. The passage marks the occasion, making it palpable for those involved and contributing to social stability. The first part of the chapter describes cleansing from impurity, and the latter alternative offerings for the poor. 14:1–9 The instructions are ...

540. A Loving Parent

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to begin today by saying, “Happy Mother’s Day” to all the Moms here today as well as to those who serve as Mom substitutes. You deserve to be celebrated on this special day because of the incredible impact you have on so many lives. A good mother is such a powerful example of God’s love. Many mothers are willing to do almost anything to communicate their love to their children. Some even try desperately to keep up with the changing styles popular with young people nowadays. Good luck with that. ...

541. Passing on the Flame

Psalm 138:1-8

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Garfield gets up one morning and still half asleep, looks in the mirror. Seeing his face he says, "Boy, do I need a shave." Then you hear the electric razor buzzing and Garfield's frantic thought, "Wait a minute!" In the final scene, John has this startled look on his face as he sees Garfield with the fur shaved off the bottom half of his face. And with a very perturbed look on HIS face, Garfield says, "I forgot I was a cat, okay?" (1) Just like Garfield, sometimes we forget who we are. Sometimes we forget ...

542. How a Baby Changed the World

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

On Christmas Day 1988, a beautiful story by Karen Zautyk appeared in the New York Daily News titled “Remember, It is Love That Makes Us Rich.” The story tells about a place in Edinburgh, Scotland, called The Museum of Childhood. This museum is filled with childhood treasures of the upper classes such as elegant teddy bears, puppets, rocking horses . . . and cases and cases of dolls. “In one corner, however, in a solitary case is a worn raggedy doll, much the worse for wear . . . [A sign on it says,] `Doll ...

543. The Lord Is With Us

Luke 1:26-38, 2 Samuel 7:1-17, Romans 16:1-27

Sermon

Will Willimon

I would be the last person to tell you that the Bible is an easy book to read. How many dear, devout souls have resolved to read the Bible straight through, from Genesis to Revelation, only to fall away after a couple of chapters? It's not only that the Bible is an ancient book, written in ancient tongues. One of the most distressing aspects of biblical religion is the way it shuttles back and forth between the earthly and the eternal, the fleshly and the spiritual. Oh, there are parts of the Bible which ...

544. Faces at a Funeral

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

During the nineteenth century, all Oxford graduates were required to translate a portion of the Greek New Testament aloud. Oscar Wilde was assigned this passage from the passion story of Jesus. His translation was fluent and accurate. Satisfied with his skill, the examiners told him he could stop. But he ignored them and continued to translate. Several times more they tried to call a halt to his reading. Finally he looked up and said, “Oh, do let me go on! I want to see how it ends!” We need to read this ...

545. From The Redemption Of A King To A King Of Redemption

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

A visitor once entered a large cathedral to spend some time in meditation. As he reflected upon the sins of his own life, he looked up and saw statues of biblical saints that had been placed in great niches along the high walls of the cathedral. Included among them were Moses, David, and Peter. Suddenly he remembered that each one of them was also a person who had sinned and made mistakes in life. But by the grace of God they had been redeemed and were now counted among the saints in the Bible. To be sure ...

546. Working In The Family Business

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

How everyone loves a newborn baby! We cannot help but turn when we hear the distinctive cry of a very new person. And when we see new babies, we almost always go over for a look, even if we don't talk to the parents. It's instinctive, really -- an inborn guarantee that this tiny infant, dependent for its every need on the goodwill of those around it, will get what it needs. So when the baby cries, mothers who are nursing find that their bodies automatically "let down" the milk, and even if they wanted not ...

547. Marked For Death

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

George Bass

“Remember, you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19 “The cross is still there!” It is a reminder that all of our lives we have to live with a death sentence. We, too, are “marked people.” The cross stands before us at the beginning of Lent, reasserting what God said when he passed judgment upon the whole human race in the Garden of Eden long ago: “Remember, you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” The reality of the cross is that it marks us for death, the common fate of all living ...

548. A Baptism of Blood

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

We cannot go back to Calvary. The cross was an event in history. It happened, never to be repeated. It was a deed of God determined, dared, and done. Our emotions may run high when we hear the words of the familiar spiritual, "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" But, there is only one honest answer. No! We were not there. We are here, with two thousand years separating us from the cross on which our Lord died. The cross is dated; but, it is not out-dated. What happened then affects us now. Why? ...

549. The Promise of Baptism

Isaiah 43:1-13

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

William F. Buckley, Jr., has earned the respect of some of his harshest critics with the publication of Nearer, My God. Many of his critics have been among the theologians who have had great difficulty with his rightist opinions. It is not that conservative viewpoints are not welcome, but Mr. Buckley has a penchant for delivering his thoughts in a cavalier style that betrays a snide manner of talking down to people. However, his book Nearer, My God is not offensive in its approach to Mr. Buckley’s ...

550. Why Shepherds?

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome to this celebration of Christmas Day. I want to begin with a story. It’s not a Christmas story. But it involves an incident that occurred on the day after Christmas 2004. One day last December, seventeen-year-old Max Loeb was home from school. He had been suspended that day for some reason, nothing serious. His family, though, is grateful that this one time Max got in trouble. Why? Because that particular day his father also happened to be home, and his father, Hamilton Loeb, suffered a massive ...

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