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Showing 601 to 625 of 1409 results

601. Easter: The Festival Of Joy

Isaiah 25:1-12

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

In the book of Proverbs we read: "A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." A better translation says it more plainly: "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones." The issue is also clearly stated by the preacher in Ecclesiastes: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: ... A time to weep and a time to laugh." In the Gospel of Matthew this very clear reminder by our Lord: "Do not look ...

602. Christian Courage

Acts 4:1-22

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

"You will go to prison for six months," said the Judge. So John Bunyan went to prison for nothing worse than preaching in the little Bedford Baptist Church. "Baptist" preaching was against the law. But Bunyan persisted in breaking the law. He told Justice Keeling, "If I was out of prison today, I would preach again tomorrow, by the help of God." So it was back to prison. This time for twelve years. And again for six months. John Bunyan, who gave us the great classic, Pilgrim’s Progress, spent one fifth of ...

603. Wheel Within The Wheel

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

In our text for this last Sunday in the Easter season, we are at that awkward time for the new church, the time between ascension and Pentecost. Jesus is gone, but his spirit has not yet come. In this time of waiting, we are told that the first thing the church did was to fill a leadership vacancy created by faithless Judas, a leader who betrayed the movement. Yes, the very first act of the church had to do with getting organized. So the observation has been made that at first and perhaps even second ...

604. When God Was Nothing

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Brett Blair

When I was a teenager and fell in love with a girl, which occurred often, I never knew how to tell the girl how I felt about her. Being 17 and "in love" was terrifying. Often I was simply speechless. I never had the right words to describe the way I felt. But like every boy with a bad case of infatuation, I found a way. I guess you could call it my secret weapon. I found someone who could speak for me. He always had the right words, knew exactly how to say it, and never failed me. His name was Barry ...

605. Jesus the Hope of the World

Drama

Curt M. Joseph

Characters: Thomas - apostle of Jesus; skeptical and cynical; tries hard to hide his fear. Peter - apostle of Jesus; strong personality. John - apostle of Jesus; compassionate and caring. Mary Magdalene - disciple of Jesus; strong and faithful. The play begins with only Thomas onstage. He has a small sack, large enough to contain an extra robe, etc. He is packing the sack. He looks around. Thomas: Now, let me see, am I missing anything? (He looks into the bag.) Robe, sandals, money sack. Yes, it looks like ...

606. Resurrection: From Chaos to Order

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

The fire was beginning to die. With a simple wave of his hand the Ancient One sent the young boy racing back into the scrubby land to fetch sticks for burning. Overhead the moon lit his path as he ran from one thicket to another, pulling together the loose twigs and picking up a stray dry root. Quickly he returned, throwing the meager kindling on the dying fire. In the shore span of minutes since his hunt began the Ancient One had fallen asleep, his head dipping down to his chest. With the crackling of the ...

607. Francis of Assisi: a Faith for Every Day

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

A Prayer attributed to St. Francis Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is ...

608. What Do You See?

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Thomas Long

It was a rollicking night at the theater. A young actor named Tom Key was playing the part of Jesus in the play Cotton Patch Gospel and he was clearly bringing the house down. The play, a romping, bluegrass musical which depicts the ministry of Jesus as if it had occurred in the cotton fields and Baptist churches of rural south Georgia, was in its final performance run, and Key was feeling confident and even inventive with his lines. His spontaneous enthusiasm was contagious, and he had forged between ...

609. Will Names Never Hurt Us?

Proverbs 10:1-32

Sermon

Edward Chinn

Mrs. Reginald VanGleason decided to give a cocktail party at her mansion for her friends. She called in Nora, her maid of many years, and said to her, "I want you to stand at the door of the drawing room. As my friends arrive, I want you to call the guests’ names." Nora smiled broadly and replied, "Oh, thank you, ma’am, for twenty years I’ve been waiting to call your friends names." "To call a person names" means to abuse that person by calling him derogatory nicknames or insulting titles. A name to us is ...

610. Wormy Apples Are a Waste

Luke 3:1-20

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Some wormy apples We are going to talk about something most of us know very little about, and I hope something that none of us ever experience. We are going to talk about hunger. Has anyone here ever been sick because they had nothing to eat? (Let them answer.) I don’t think so, but there are boys and girls all over the world who do not have anything to eat. Can you imagine yourself being so hungry that you would eat tree leaves, sticks, and grass? Some children get so hungry they even eat dirt and ...

611. His Risen Hand Holds Ours

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

Charles L. Koester

The war had ended in Europe. With a little R and R time, I found myself doing a bit of traveling and sightseeing. One evening, several of us took in a movie in Amsterdam, Holland. I remember that night so vividly for two reasons: the first was the movie itself, an old prewar "Abott and Costello" film, imported from America with Dutch subtitles. That in itself was humorous. Our laughter was quite conspicuous among the audience, because the subtitles caught only half the slap-stick humor and puns. Secondly, ...

612. Joseph

Drama

Charles L. Koester

INTRODUCTION: [This portion is read from the lecturn by the introducer or narrator.] Of all the persons involved and related to the Advent, the coming, of Christ, there is one who is the "forgotten man" of the Nativity. Even the great artists of the world, many of whom have lavished their imagination upon the scene of the Nativity, have been content to make him part of the dark backgrounds of their paintings. Yet, this man was much more than just a piece of fleshly furniture. As his wife, Mary, was chosen ...

613. Past / Future

Mark 1:35-39, Mark 1:29-34

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: Only Jesus can free us from our hurtful past. Summary: Leo, a young man in business, is liked and encouraged by his manager, but he has some hang-ups: his mother and father are still controlling him -- so much so that he can't relate to others. Playing Time: 4 minutes Setting: A business office Props: Two ropes Computer printout Costumes: Joel, Leo -- business suits Momma and Poppa -- casual Time: The present Cast: Joel -- the manager Leo -- works for Joel Momma Poppa JOEL: (ENTERS ALONG WITH LEO. ...

614. A Prayer for the Faithful

John 17:6-19

Sermon

George Bass

Were the disciples of Jesus to hear the prayer in today’s text in the context of our worship - between the Ascension and the Day of Pentecost - it would have taken them back to supper the night Jesus was betrayed. They would have remembered how he got up from the table and washed their feet, and then how he returned to the table and told them that one of them was not clean and would betray him. They would have recalled how he answered Peter’s question, "Who is it, Lord?" with "It is the one to whom I give ...

615. We May Have to Change Our Name

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

Richard L. Eslinger

You can find them in almost every big, old downtown church: the pictures of the pastors of that congregation. They are lined up in a rogues’ gallery of clerics. And they look down at us over their names and dates. As you walk down the hall and move back through the decades, some things are easy to notice. The collars get out of date, and then simply strange-looking. Sideburns march up and down as if matched to the stock market cycles. Above all, the farther back you get, the sterner they look in those ...

616. Behold! Chariots of Fire!

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

Richard L. Eslinger

Elisha had been with Elijah for what seenied like a long time. It began in the most dramatic way: Elijah lamenting that the people of Israel had all forsaken the covenant, everyone in Israel bowing the knee to false gods; Elijah complaining, "And I, even I only, am left." But the Lord God refused to let the prophet just hide out there in the wilderness. So Elijah was sent back to do battle against the idolatry of Israel and to anoint a new king. And Elijah was also given a successor who would be anointed ...

617. Standing in Awe

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Roger Prescott

The really meaningful times in our lives come when we realize how very small - yet cared for and important - we are. As our narrative unfolds today and as his vision emerges for him, Isaiah, the aristrocrat - the prophet - cries out, "Woe is me!" He is stirred to the depths by the experience of the awesome, insurmountable distance between eternal God, the Creator, and the human being, a weak and vulnerable sinner. I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips ... for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of ...

618. Bonhoeffer of Berlin

Acts 5:17-42

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

"We must obey God, not men ..." Acts 5:27-32 Characters: Lector Announcer Antagonist Protagonist (Participants enter and take their places in the chancel. As they come forward, the congregation sings the hymn "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus." When the hymn is completed, the drama begins.) LECTOR: The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from death, after you had killed him by nailing him to a cross. God raised him to his right side as Leader and Savior, to give the people of Israel the opportunity to repent and ...

619. King of Atlanta

Romans 8:28-39

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

"We are more than conquerors through Christ ..." Romans 8:35-39 Characters: Lector Announcer Antagonist Protagonist (Participants enter and take their places in the chancel. As they come forward, the congregation sings the hymn "Beneath the Cross of Jesus." When the hymn is completed, the drama begins.) LECTOR: Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble do it? Or hardship? Or persecution? Or hunger? Or poverty? Or danger? Or death? As the Scripture says, "For your sake we are in danger of ...

620. Eyes and Umbrellas

Colossians 3:12-14

Children's Sermon

Shirley Jennings

Object: An umbrella. Lesson: When we are accidentally hurt by others, we can forgive them and remain their friend. What do people sometimes use to keep dry when they go out in the rain? I was thinking of an umbrella. I brought one with me today. Let’s pretend that it’s raining in here, so I need to put up my umbrella. It’s important to be careful when I put up my umbrella. Do you see these little points that stick out? If I’m not be careful, I might accidentally hit your eye with one of them. That would ...

621. What We Can’t See

John 3:8

Children's Sermon

Shirley Jennings

Object: A kite. Lesson: We can’t see the wind and we can’t see God, but we can feel them. What’s this thing I’m holding? Yes, it’s a kite. Have you ever flown a kite? Do you who have flown kites think it’s fun to do? What do you use to make a kite? Yes, you use plastic or wooden sticks and paper and string to make a kite like this one. Some kites have tails. What do we need to make a kite sail up high in the sky? Yes, we need wind. How can you tell whether or not the wind’s blowing on the day you want to ...

622. Scandal!

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

This sermon uses reversal, surprise, the unexpected as it takes a well-worn term "scandal," launders it, hands it back to us in a way we never anticipated. Scandal, a respectable, redoubtable term for the Christian? Well, says this sermon, "It had better be!" Perhaps the pugency of the Christic enterprise could be recovered if scandal, as this sermon sees it (not to mention the Good Book’s point of view), were more genuinely at the center of things. The halls of the United States Senate were cheerless this ...

623. The Jamie Farr Connection

Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

A vivid introduction marks this sermon, using a popular TV personality, local color, and the hint of grace that is in it all. The introductory material keeps surfacing throughout the sermon, giving it a unifying force. Biblical examples do their work economically, not permitting the listeners to go their own way because the instances have been needlessly stretched out in the telling. The vision and the memory and the presence of the crucified and risen Christ enkindle the desire to choose a better way. Go ...

624. And It Came To Pass

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." (v. 31) Here is the existential consummation of history. This is the frame of reference within which the early church lived and breathed. In the end it was the parousia, the event of Christ coming in glory. Things of earth would pass away. This would be the final reckoning, the ultimate judgment. I always thought, as have most Anglo-Saxons, that the powerful Spiritual ran, "My Lord, what a morning, when the stars begin to fall." It was not ...

625. The Acid Test of Wisdom

Proverbs 10:1-32

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

"We hold these truths to be self-evident ..." but not as evident in fact as they are held in theory - "That all men are created equal ..." and while that word "men" is the inclusive language of the opening biblical salute of Genesis 1:27, some in reality are more equal than others ... "... that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights ..." - qualified in practice to mean that unless the wheel begins to squeak, the wheel will not be greased ... "... that among these are life, ...

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