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Showing 576 to 600 of 1409 results

576. The Perfect Gift

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Someone told me about a man who got tired of the Christmas hoopla. All the frantic haste and the crass commercialism disgusted him. So, he decided not to go along with the crowd. Among other things, he decided not to send Christmas cards, feeling that the expense and effort were non-productive. For the first ten days of December he felt good about his decision. But then, as the mail brought him greetings from friends near and far, he began to feel more and more guilty about sending no cards. Finally, four ...

577. A Courtroom Confrontation

Matthew 27:11-26

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Our scripture lesson for today describes a classic courtroom confrontation. On this Passion Sunday it is altogether appropriate that we consider it. Courtrooms are often places of high drama and suspense. Judge Ito's courtroom in Los Angeles has dominated America's attention since January. Enormous power is wielded in courtrooms, power to levy large fines, power to decide between freedom and prison, power to determine life or death. Judges have wide discretionary authority to design sentences to fit the ...

578. The Road To Emmaus

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Brett Blair

A friend shared with me a beautiful legend about a king who decided to set aside a special day to honor his greatest subject. When the big day arrived, there was a large gathering in the palace courtyard. Four finalists were brought forward, and from these four, the king would select the winner. The first person presented was a wealthy philanthropist. The king was told that this man was highly deserving of the honor because of his humanitarian efforts. He had given much of his wealth to the poor. The ...

579. Family, Family, Who’s Got the Family

Drama

Sarah Walton Miller

Why not age-cast this skit? It will mean more to the teenagers. CAST: Barbara, age 15; Susan, age 6; Mother and Grandmother. PROPS: Chair for Grandmother and for Mother. Handwork for Grandmother. Doll and doll dress for Susan. Barbara’s necklace and lipstick. [GRANDMOTHER enters, sits and begins handwork. SUSAN enters, sits on floor to dress doll and put necklace on doll. In a moment MOTHER enters, sits wearily.] MOTHER: [sighing] What a day. GRANDMOTHER: You wear yourself out for nothing. Cleaning those ...

580. The Young Man

Drama

Sarah Walton Miller

In this skit use modern clothing. Don’t tell who the characters are ahead of time. Let the audience decide who they were when it has ended. For your use: Boy 1 is Jesus’ brother James; Girl 1 is his mother, Mary; Boy 2 is Jesus’ cousin James, the son of Zebedee and Salome, whose brother is John; Girl 2 is Mary of Bethany, a sister of Martha and Lazarus; Boy 3 is the Rich Young Ruler; Girl 3 is Mary Magdalene; Boy 4 is Pilate. The Narrator may be male or female. Total cast: eight. Arrange the staging as you ...

581. THE OLD MAN IS WASTING

Drama

Jerome W. Nilssen

In JAREL’S apartment. There is a table in the room, with a telephone on it. JAREL is seated. SETH is standing, with a deck of cards in his hand. JAREL Look, I never invited you here, I never asked you to come in, and I absolutely do not want to go back to him. And, finally, I don’t want to play any silly game. SETH Don’t knock what you haven’t tried. JAREL I could always try calling the police. You’re not exactly a guest. SETH Go ahead. I’ve got my story ready: FAITHFUL BROTHER-IN-LAW REBUKED IN ...

582. SALLY JANE

Drama

Jerome W. Nilssen

Dusk; JAREL is sitting on the front steps of an old farmhouse, a building once almost elegant, now genteelly collapsing, its midwestern rococo gingerbread hanging in many places by a single, disinterested, rusty nail. The porch behind JAREL is small; its only piece of furniture is an ancient, unravelling wicker table, also seedy, with several wine bottles on it. JAREL is wearing funeral black - but she has not at all muted her makeup, and she wears plenteous beads and bracelets. JAREL (Calling into the ...

583. But Men Loved Darkness

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

If you should ask the question: "What is wrong with our world today?" you would probably get as many answers as there are persons who are interrogated. Indeed, it is often like the lady foreman of the all-woman jury who was asked by the judge whether the jury had reached a verdict. "Yes, your Honor," she replied, "we have reached twelve verdicts." I suppose I’m considered a male chauvinist pig for using that story, but it could apply in either men or women. Yet the writer, Glen Drake, has placed his finger ...

584. Chapter IV

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

"Remember the sabbath day, to set it apart for holy purposes. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh (day) is a sabbath to the Lord your God. In it you will not do any work, you or your son, your daghter, your male servant or your female servant, or your beast of burden, or the resident alien who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh (day). Therefore, the Lord blessed the sabbath ...

585. Chapter VI

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

When I discussed the third Commandment, "Remember the Sabbath," I said that it was perhaps the most ignored and least thought about "Word" in the lot. In sharp contrast to it this guide for living, along with the one that follows it, is among the most thought about, discussed, and argued over of our time. For killing is going on around us continually, or so it seems. Just look at the newspapers, the television screen, or listen to the radio any day, and there killing is front and center. Who isn’t aware of ...

586. Like a Mother’s Trust

Sermon

Michael J. Anton

STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY We can talk about money in the Church - as long as we drive in first gear. Moving beyond that speed puts us in danger. Somehow we can discuss the stewardship of time and talents all year long with no repercussions, but when we pull the string on the pocketbook, we have hit the sciatic nerve. But let’s just take that chance and throw caution to the wind. Indeed let’s depend on the wind of the Spirit to blow through here for a while as we traverse this treacherous territory. We have a ...

587. FOWLER

Prov. 6:5; Jer. 5:26

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

Proverbs 6:5 - "Save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler." Jeremiah 5:26 - "For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men." Although I don’t suppose that most of us ever use the word "fowler" in the course of your daily conversation, still this is a legitimate term to use for persons who capture birds for food or other reasons. If we will stop to think of the displays of rare birds in our zoos, we ...

588. SCULPTOR

Judges 3:26

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

Judges 3:26 - "Ehud escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the sculptored ‘stones, and escaped to Seirah.’ " Sculpture was a very early form of art. When prehistoric man shaped sticks, stones, or clay into images that represented ideas, he was creating sculpture. The oldest known work of this kind dates from the end of the Old Stone Age, perhaps 20,000 years ago. Although wood may have been used, the examples that have survived through the centuries are in stone, ivory, bone, or clay. The early ...

589. THE VINEDRESSER

Isaiah 5:4; Matt. 21:28

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

Isaiah 5:4 - "What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it?" Matthew 21:28 - "Aman had two sons; and he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ " Fossilized grape leaves, stem pieces and seeds unearthed from prehistoric deposits indicate the long existence and wide distribution of the grape vine. We know, for example, that it was grown in ancient Egypt and in Canaan prior to the time of Abraham. Viticulture (the tending of vines) also dates far back. ...

590. Defeating Giants

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Thanks to a favorite Bible story, there is an expression that is used around the world to describe a contest between two vastly unequal opponents. For example, let's suppose that our University of Memphis Tiger football team was playing host to a much stronger team, a team rated in the top five in America. The local sportswriters would refer to that as a David and Goliath contest. And, believe me, David still wins occasionally. Or, let's suppose that the Ole Miss Rebel Basketball team is facing the ...

591. Half-Price Crosses

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

In a jewelry store window of a large shopping center, a sign was posted which read: "Crosses for sale, half-price." That sign just set my mind to reeling with its implications. In our culture it means very little to wear a cross. For many it is a meaningless piece of jewelry. When the singer Madonna wears a cross, her audience does not presume she is making a faith statement. Perhaps a fashion statement, but not a faith statement. I am convinced that were it not for all the jewelry, lots of major league ...

592. God Makes The First Move

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

As I was walking the beautiful Augusta National Golf Course several weeks ago; I noticed .the famous German golfer, Bernard Langer, practicing for the Masters. He is a two-time winner of that prestigious tournament. As I watched him, I thought about his personal testimony which he offers far and wide. Langer says that when he won the Masters in 1985, his priorities were golf, golf, and more golf, then himself, then a little time with his wife, and occasionally a nod toward God. He says that if his golf was ...

593. The Best Way to Help Someone

Colossians 4:7-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Most of us want to be helpful to other people. But that may be as easy as it sounds. Let me illustrate. A man got on a train one Friday in London, bound for the town Rosedale. When the conductor came by and pick up his ticket, said, "Sir, this train doesn't stop in Rosedale on Fridays." ~ passenger protested, saying, "But I've got to get to Rosedale tonight." They had somewhat of an argument right there in the aisle. The beleaguered passenger said, "I wonder if you would go talk with the engineer and ask ...

594. Fear

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Brett Blair

In the story of creation found in the Book of Genesis, we read where Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit, something which had been specifically denied them. Knowing that God is searching for them, they attempt to hide. It is a scene perhaps reminiscent of many of our childhoods when we had done something that we were not supposed to and we literally hid from our searching parents. Finally God finds them, as we know that He will, for, after all, where can we go to hide from God? God asks them ...

595. Legends Of Christmas

Drama

Georgianna Summers

Scene I [Members of a junior high Social Studies class are seated on one side of stage area. Miss Hardgrader, the teacher, stands in front of them.] Hardgrader: Now, class, before you leave today I just want to remind you that your reports on Christmas legends are due tomorrow. [Everyone groans.] I will call on some of you to read yours aloud; so all of you come prepared. I’ve also invited the other grades in our wing to come visit our class tomorrow when you give your reports, and I thought it would be ...

596. Service Without Witness

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Donald Macleod

Most worshiping Christians are familiar with at least that part of a wonderful prayer by St. Francis of Assisi that goes this way: Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy.1 These words reach into the deepest meaning of service, but note this very significant feature: St. Francis combines serving with being. Many ...

597. An Easter Dividend: The Courage To Be and To Do

Acts 4:1-22

Sermon

Donald Macleod

In the year 1793 when the French armies were laying siege to the Mediterranean fortress of Toulon, Napoleon built a battery in such an exposed position that the other officers said he would never get a soldier to man it. But Napoleon set up beside it a large sign with these words, "The Battery of Men without Fear." And he was never at a loss for volunteers to man it. Madame Chiang Kai-shek, wife of the one-time Head of State in China, was visiting America some decades ago and was invited to deliver the ...

598. The Richest Hill On Earth

John 19:17-27

Sermon

Robert Allen

All of us have taken trips that were memorable. There are certain vacations that stick in our minds. Perhaps, we were lying on a beach on a tropical island. Perhaps, the crisp cold wind was whipping against our face as we skied down the side of a mountain. Perhaps, we simply curled up with a good book and forgot about our everyday routines. We all have memories of certain trips or vacations that are as clear today as they were when we took them. Many years ago, I was with my family on vacation in Montana. ...

599. The Easter Event - After The Resurrection

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Robert Allen

A community-wide Easter pageant was planned, and people from all over the county tried out for various parts. The part of Mary Magdalene was given to a Catholic nun, a local doctor became Peter, a high school principle became Judas, and Caiphais, the hypocritical high priest, was played by a local banker. It was relatively easy selecting the people for the various parts in the Easter pageant. However, the part of Jesus was difficult to cast. No one seemed to fit the director’s idea of what Jesus would be ...

600. Send Me!

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

Certain events - often cataclysmic ones - stand out in bold relief in our memory. Those of you who are over 35 or so, think of where you were or what you were doing when you heard the news that President John Kennedy had been shot. You may not remember the date - it was November 22, 1963 - but you will probably remember other things about that day. Or if you are sixty or more think of what you were doing when you learned that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. Chances are some things about that day are etched ...

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