Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 551 to 575 of 4936 results

551. Giving It All Up For Jesus And What’s Ahead

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Take a moment to consider all you have done with your life. Whatever you came up with, Paul says in our lesson that it’s just the past. We ought to look at the past like twentieth-century American poet Paul Eldridge once wrote: “Praises for our past triumphs are as feathers to a dead bird.” Get over your successes. No matter how good you have been, how spiritual you are, no matter how much you have accomplished, it does not matter. We Americans do not want to hear this. Think of Marvin and Harriet Thompson ...

552. As Mortals See

1 Samuel 15:1-35

Sermon

Charles Curley

I made a big mistake when I began to read and study in preparation for this sermon on 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13. I decided to go back first and read all of Chapter 15, just to see what could possibly have happened to King Saul to bring us to the tragic point in the story of Israel where we read: "Samuel grieved over Saul, and the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel." (1 Samuel 15:35) And that was my mistake, reading Chapter 15, because I got hooked on Saul! Instead of finding Saul a tyrant, ...

553. The Way Life Ought To Be

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

We all love happy endings. We like to see life work out. There is a story about Hollywood producer Sam Goldwyn. He once listened to director Billy Wilder describe in detail the true life story of a famous artist. Wilder thought it would make a great movie. "Does it end happy?" Goldwyn wanted to know. "Well," said Wilder, "it winds up with the guy in an insane asylum thinking he's a horse." Goldwyn threw Wilder out the door. But Wilder wasn't discouraged. He poked his head back in and said, "Okay, how about ...

554. Standing Tall in the Lord

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

Richard Gribble

History records the expression, Athanasius contra mundum — Athanasius against the world. These words aptly express the situation in the fourth-century church when heresy almost reigned supreme — save Athanasius, a bishop who was a persistent and staunch defender of the faith. Athanasius was born into a Christian family in Alexandria, Egypt, in 295 A.D. In his early twenties he was ordained and entered the service of Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria. He accompanied the bishop to the first ecumenical council ...

555. Little Ways to Show You Care

Illustration

Staff

Looking for a gift or just a unique way to say "I love you?" What do you give when his dresser is full of cologne and you're both on diets? When she thinks flowers die too soon, and you've already spent next month's paycheck? Here are 21 great inexpensive ways to tell the love of your life just how much you care. Make a homemade card with a picture of the two of you on the cover. Get ideas for a verse by spending a few minutes browsing through a card shop. Write a poem. It doesn't have to rhyme. Send a ...

556. God’s Response

Isaiah 65:1-16, Isaiah 65:17-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The Lord is ready to respond in a most self-giving way (65:1–7). But the people are still too engrossed in sin. They show themselves to be idolaters and have little concern for spiritual purity, as they keep vigils among the graves and eat pork—against God’s explicit commandment. They are like Gentiles. They respond with a self-made holiness. The Lord in turn will respond in judgment. Even as the Lord has promised not to be silent until he has accomplished the redemption of his people, so he will not be ...

557. Who Does Jesus Belong to Anyway?

Mark 7:24-37

Sermon

Rick McCracken-Bennett

I don't know why but for the longest time I never thought of Jesus getting tired. Silly of me I suppose, but I kind of thought of him, in the brief time his ministry was going to last, going at it full tilt until the end. Stopping to pray, of course. But not going away, taking a break, not wanting anyone to know he was there. But now I get it. I was at Wendy's the other day. I was tired. I needed to get away from the phone and the other interruptions and just have some quiet time with this gospel text and ...

558. God's Response

Isaiah 65:17-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

559. The Importance Of Giving Thanks

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To help children to remember that part of being human means giving thanks. Material: A batch of homemade cookies (or some other homemade treat) to share. Lesson: Do any of you have a dog at home? ... Do you do anything special when you feed your dog? ... In our house, we have the dog do a trick, like sitting up, before she is fed. And you know what she does when we put the food down? She eats it right away. And you know what else? She never says, "Thank you." Now, of course, I don't expect her to ...

560. A Little Forgiveness Goes a Long Way

Luke 17:1-10

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: We do not need a lot of faith to exercise forgiveness. My understanding of this passage comes from combining the meaning of verses 4-6 and 10. Basically, it is our duty as disciples to forgive -- and this I think is Jesus' understanding of faith. The disciples understand this and respond in verse 5 with a request to help them have enough faith to forgive so generously. Props: Acorns or seeds from a traditionally large tree and a bowl that can be covered. Enough seeds for each child. Lesson ...

561. Love Isn't Love Till You Give It Away

John 21:15-25

Illustration

Brett Blair

One night in New York, on Broadway, the great star Mary Martin was preparing to go on stage, as she had a 1000 times before, in Rodger & Hammerstain's South Pacific. Just before she took stage a note was handed her. The letter was signed Oscar Hammerstein who was that evening on his deathbed. The note was short. It simply said: “Dear Mary, A bell’s not a bell until you ring it. A song’s not a song until you sing it. Love in your heart is not put there to stay. Love isn’t love till you give it away.” When ...

562. Lessons In How To Give, Pray, And Fast

Matthew 6:16-18

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

Call To Worship Leader: Create in us pure hearts, O God, People: and put a new and loyal spirit in us. Leader: Do not banish us from your presence, Lord; People: do not take your Holy Spirit away from us. Leader: Give us again the joy that comes from your salvation; People: and make us willing to obey you. Collect Almighty God, we come before you in the quiet of this sanctuary, and in the company of friends and loved ones who are part of our fellowship, to offer our prayers of contrition. We bow in your ...

563. Giving While We Are Alive

John 17:1-11

Illustration

Lee Griess

I'm sure you've heard the old story of the conversation between a pig and a cow. The pig is complaining to the cow that nobody ever has a kind word for him. "Look at the way I give of myself," he says. "I produce bacon, ham, and pork chops. The bristles of my skin are used for brushes, my hide for luggage. Why, some people even pickle my feet and consider them a delicacy. Why is it then that everyone speaks more kindly of you, the cow, than of me?" To which the cow replied, "My friend, perhaps it is that I ...

564. Giving, Prayer, and Fasting

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

From Jesus’s interpretation of torah, Matthew turns to Jesus’s teaching on Jewish religious practices (expressed as “righteousness” [Greek dikaiosynē]; 6:1; cf. 5:20) of giving to the poor (6:2–4), prayer (6:5–15), and fasting (6:16–18). These three practices are joined in Tobit 12:8, along with “righteousness,” indicating their centrality in Jewish piety. The three sections are each structured by a prohibition, a command, and a promise. The common thread is a warning against doing acts of righteousness ...

565. A Soldier Gives His Wine

Matthew 27:45-56

Children's Sermon

Donald Neidigk

Object: a bottle of red wine vinegar, clean sponge cut into small pieces, bowl Hi, boys and girls. You've been very faithful in coming to these special Lenten services. In the Bible lesson for tonight, we learned that a soldier put wine vinegar on a sponge for Jesus to drink just before he died. I brought some. Would you like to try it? (Pour wine vinegar into bowl, and dip sponge pieces into it, giving each child a sample.) It tastes awful, doesn't it? Why do you suppose the soldier gave wine vinegar to ...

566. How Can We Restore the Christian Home?

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Donald Macleod

And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away." But Jesus said to them, "For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' ...

567. Prepare the Way of the Lord

Matthew 3:1-12

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Let us all give praise with gladness and joy. People: This is our God, on whom we have waited for our salvation. Leader: For the Lord is near to all who call upon God in love and truth. People: The Lord is indeed our Help and the Holy One who delivers us. Leader: Let us shout the message for all to hear of God's mercy and grace. All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect Lord, as we move through this season of Advent, help us not be so caught up in the world around us that we ...

568. Leading the Way

John 10:1-21

Illustration

Lee Griess

A new kind of plane was on its first flight. It was full of reporters and journalists. A little while after takeoff, the captain's voice was heard over the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm delighted to be your pilot for this plane's historic first flight. I can tell you the flight is going well. Nevertheless, I have to tell you about a minor inconvenience that has occurred. The passengers on the right side can, if they look out their window, see that the closest engine is slightly vibrating. That ...

569. The Chair

Psalm 46:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

"God is our refuge and strength." These opening words of Psalm 46 are almost the signature words of this hymnbook we call The Psalms. "God is our refuge and strength . . . The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge . . . Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, though the mountains move in the midst of the sea." Here's a hymn that celebrates one fact, one foundation on which you can build your life: God is with us. No matter that the earth shakes, and the mountains move, ...

570. Praising God All the Way Home

Psalm 150:1-6

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God all creatures here below. That’s what we are trying to do this Thanksgiving Sunday. Psalm 150 tells us how; it is a rousing invitation to praise God. Praise the Lord. I. Where: Praise God In His Sanctuary, Praise God In His Mighty Firmament. From sanctuary to sky, praise the Lord. Praise God on the highway, in the byway, in waiting rooms and working rooms, through field and forest, in the city and the country-side. When I walk through the valleys of the ...

571. We’re Kind of Stupid That Way

Matthew 4:1-11

Illustration

Brett Younger

In the very first Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Calvin's dad is working on the car, when Calvin walks up in a safari hat and says, "So long, Pop! I'm off to check my tiger trap! I rigged a tuna fish sandwich yesterday, so I'm sure to have a tiger by now!" His dad replies, "They like tuna fish, huh?" As Calvin walks off, he says, "Tigers will do anything for a tuna fish sandwich!" The final frame shows Hobbes, hanging by his foot from a tree, munching on a tuna fish sandwich. He says to no one in ...

572. What Can I Give?

Matthew 2:1-12

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: tiny boxes, wrapping paper, tape and ribbon for each child Teachers: This is the week to traditionally discuss the wise men and their visit to Jesus. If available you may want to use the song, "The Little Drummer Boy" or the musical drama, "Amahl and the Night Visitors". Although these selections present a fictional account of the nativity, they are both good ways to introduce gifts we can bring to Jesus. Provide enough tiny boxes, wrapping paper, tape and ribbon for each child. Discuss what kinds ...

573. You Don't Give a Damn

Luke 4:14-30

Illustration

James Garrett

In the book, Holy Sweat, by Tim Hansel, he tells of a guest preacher in a rather large church who began, “There are three points to my sermon.” Most people yawned at the point. They’d heard that many times before. But he went on. “My first point is this. At this time there are approximately two billion people starving to death in the world.” The reaction through the congregation was about the same, since they’d heard that sort of statement many times before, too. And then he said, “My second point…” ...

574. The Technicolor Sign

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

Larry Powell

Lent is the traditional period of spiritual introspection and abstinence observed by Christians in remembrance of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, it includes the forty days, excluding Sundays, preceding Easter and is also symbolic of the forty days Christ fasted in the wilderness. Consequently, we have come today not to the first Sunday "of" Lent, but the first Sunday "in" Lent. The word "Lent" is quite beyond the Hebrew or Greek vocabulary, which is to say, it ...

575. Man, Give Me Some Bread: I Want To See God

John 6:25-59

Sermon

King Duncan

Many years ago, a Mrs. Maria Rubio of Lake Arthur, New Mexico, was rolling out tortillas for lunch when she saw something that took her breath away. Looking back at her from a flat tortilla was the face of Jesus! The skillet had burned a perfect representation of a slender, bearded face onto the surface of the bread. Now I am not certain how Mrs. Rubio knew that this was Jesus, but she convinced a reluctant priest to bless the piece of bread, then she built a shrine around it. Mrs. Rubio quit her job so ...

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