Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 626 to 650 of 4681 results

626. Almond Joy!

Numbers 17:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , God’s always wakeful eye upon us, God’s ever vigilant attention on our lives and our world, ready to intervene when the time is ripe. The almond tree is the first tree in Israel to bloom after winter’s sleep. It awakens first, blooms and buds first, bears fruit first. It is a beautiful tree with bright pink blossoms and clusters of almonds that grow heavy on the tree. When the pods burst, the almonds are ready for harvest. God too waits for the time to be ripe in order to fulfill God’s eternal ...

627. Caring for the Vineyard We Did Not Plant

Matthew 20:1-16, Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ’ perceptions of what a home can be.”* The result? The show not only launched a new genre of programming that won 18 Emmy Awards but has grown into a “lifestyle brand.”** Here’s the front page of their website this week. It bears the following heading: “This crumbling Colonial cottage wasn’t built to last forever. But one determined homeowner has made it his mission to see that it will.”*** What passion! What purpose! What commitment and excitement! Wow! We could be talking about the Church ...

628. We Will Be Changed

Ezekiel 37:1-14, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, 1 Corinthians 15:12-34, 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash ...

629. Dead Duck Flying

Humor Illustration

John McKay

John McKay, of the NFL, tells a story illustrating the supreme confidence of University of Alabama football coach Bear Bryant: "We were out shooting ducks, and finally, after about three hours, here comes one lonely duck. The Bear fires. And that duck is still flying today. But Bear watched the duck flap away, looked at me and said, 'John, you are witnessing a genuine miracle. There flies a dead duck!'"

630. Marinating in the Spirit

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... warning. He tells us about the seed that falls upon thorns, competing foliage, and he explains that these are those who hear God’s Word, but the worries of life and the false appeal of wealth and glitz choke God from our lives, so that our spirits can bear no fruit. The glitter of gold and more trendy or attractive “fixes” to our life’s problems and pain draw us and compete for our loyalties. And if they win, our faith is left behind, relegated to a corner like a toy without a battery. We begin to ...

631. What's In a Name?

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... doubt ourselves. If we feel empowered, we can accomplish far more than we ever thought we could. The scriptures are filled with names that bear special Hebrew meanings. And in several cases, God bestows a special name on someone who will take on a very special role in the ... his naming, Peter step up and be transformed from mere disciple to valued stalwart of the faith. Think of the names that you bear upon your heart and soul. I’m not just talking about your first name or your last name. But what are the ...

632. Keeping Your Eye on the Ball

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... belongs to God? Our faith, our deference, our hearts, our souls, the Temple, the people, and all things created. What belongs to God? You do. And nothing Caesar can do can ever take that away from them. They are not serving God by giving Caeasar back the coin that bears his image. For every one of them is made, stamped, and sealed by a far greater and more pervasive image: the image of God. Every one of us has been created in God’s image to be a son and daughter of God. We are already signed, sealed, and ...

633. Cast in the Image of God

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . It refers to the form a thing takes after it is “thrown” from the pottery wheel. Each piece “thrown” can either turn out beautiful or distorted, twisted in form. We have all been “cast” in the image of God. It’s now our responsibility to bear the beautiful image of Christ that has been engraved upon our hearts from the beginning of time. For when we try to “imprint upon ourselves” a false image or serve a false image, we distort the beauty God has made within us. Think about your own ...

634. What If It's ALL True?

John 20:1-18 · Matthew 28:10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the coats of lions brought from Africa to eat Roman prisoners in the Colosseum 2,000 years before."[2] The seeds fell off the lions as they tore into the Christians in the arena. The lions are long gone. The suffering is over. But those seeds are still bearing fruit, bearing witness to the power of life to win out over death. “I know . . . I KNOW . . . I KNOW . .that my Redeemer liveth.” He lives in us and He lives among us. That’s the proof. The proof is not a point. The proof is a person. Jesus is ...

635. Basta, basta!

John 16:12-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Italian, we might put our hands up and say, “ok basta, basta!” Enough already! Interestingly, this is the kind of word Jesus uses in John to explain what we are not ready to comprehend! He says: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear it now!” Anyone see the movie, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”? One of the humorous elements of the film was the Greek father constantly saying in midst of his daughter’s rolling eyes: “Give me a word. Any word. And I will show you how the root ...

636. Whom Shall We Obey?

Acts 5:17-42

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you ... But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father ... he will bear witness to me" (John 15:18-19, 26). When we choose to be faithful witnesses for Christ, we may encounter rejection and hostility in the world. If we remain faithful to our call, in spite of our suffering, we will experience the blessing that comes from faithful ...

637. A Maturing Faith

Acts 16:16-40

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... God was shaping diamonds out of the fragments that remained. He wrote, "My prayer is that the diamonds that come from our experience of being shattered will be cut and shaped so we can best reflect his light."1 In the face of a tremendous tragedy, Allen bears witness to his faith in God. The power and the clarity of his witness are magnified by his willingness to carry the light of Christ into the darkness of a world of adversity. When we can maintain a faithful witness in spite of adversity, we have moved ...

638. The Beginning And The Ending

Luke 1:1-4; 24:44-53

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... seem to have no sense of loss as Jesus leaves them. They worship him and return with joy to the Temple in Jerusalem where the first scene in Luke's gospel is laid. There the priest, Zechariah, had heard the joyful news that his aged wife, Elizabeth, would bear a son who would "make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17). The story has come full circle. Luke completes his story, but not his book. Luke cannot write "The End" on the last page. A much more appropriate phrase is "To be continued," for ...

639. Good News Among The Rubble

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... not been arrested and put in prison. "This will give you an opportunity to testify ... I will give you a word and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict." What a challenge and what a promise! Look for opportunities to bear witness to the Christian faith in the worst of circumstances. Many of us find it difficult enough to speak a good word for Jesus Christ when we are in a sympathetic situation, much less when the atmosphere is hostile. We feel that we don't know what ...

640. The King On A Cross

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our crimes, but this man has done nothing wrong." This man is given the insight to see the moral reality of the situation. He and his partner in crime are guilty sinners. They are bearing the consequences of their evil deeds. But Jesus is innocent. That very innocence enhances the regal authority of Jesus as he prays for his enemies and refuses to prove his power. Here is innocence suffering on behalf of guilt. Such understanding gives the confessing ...

641. The Advocate

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... his followers: (1) to witness for me (John 15:26-27), (2) to confute (or convict) the world of wrong, right, and judgment (John 16:8), and (3) to guide you (John 16:13). Witness For Me Jesus said, "... When your Advocate has come ... he will bear witness to me. And you also are my witnesses" (John 15:26-27). Notice the personal way Jesus describes The Advocate: "... When your Advocate has come...." This personal reference applied to the apostles who first heard it. This personal reference also applies to us ...

642. From Singleness To Solidarity

Ruth 1:1-22

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

... to deal with their common crisis was for all three of them to go their separate ways. Orpah agreed. Indeed, she was bound by her name, which means in Hebrew "she who turns back." So she departed to bear her singleness all alone and was never to be heard from again. But Ruth made the decision to bear her singleness in solidarity with the singleness of Naomi. In one of the most beautiful statements of human solidarity in the Bible, she says to Naomi: Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following ...

643. When The Odds Are Against Us

1 Samuel 1:1-20

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

... This was indeed a situation of great odds against Hannah because in her day a woman's primary role was to bear children. It was the means by which a woman's status and worth were measured. Therefore, barrenness was a mark of ... . 17). With those words of benediction the story reaches its God-given conclusion. In spite of the odds against her, by the grace of God Hannah will bear her son. After her son Samuel is born Hannah keeps her vow to the Lord. She says: "For this child I prayed; and the Lord has granted ...

644. Children, Just Forever

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... preferred treatment for those who cause stumbling. What does our Lord's warning tell us of the fate of those who trip up themselves? A reward is promised to the faithful, to those who do the good works of faith, like giving a cup of cold water to someone who bears the name of Christ. Jesus even reaches out to those who do good works of power in his name who are not part of his group of followers. "Whoever is not against us is for us." And their reward? This text does not describe it, but merely says they ...

645. Prepare The Way

Malachi 2:17--3:5

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap." In other words, God comes in judgment. God says:Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts (3:5). At the ...

646. A Tree Well Watered

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and does not cease to bear fruit (v. 8). This image of the faithful as a well-watered tree does not suggest that trust in God means a privileged life free from ... trial. The heat and the drought still come, but the tree is not anxious, its leaves stay green, and it still bears fruit. It is in the very relinquishment of control that one finds the strength to persevere, for the strength comes from the abundant ...

647. Flatliners

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... empty. I said, "Do you want to tell me about that?" He said, "I have lost five of my friends this year. I can no longer bear to look at their faces in front of me, and I had to take them down, and hold their memories in my life. And now, I, ... delight in the way things are and keep their hearts open, day and night.They are like trees planted near flowing rivers, which bear fruit when they are ready.Their leaves will not fall or wither.Everything they do, everything these people do will succeed, finally, if ...

648. Named And Claimed

Isaiah 43:1-13

Sermon

Tony Everett

... and formed Israel and Judah. They would not be forgotten. They have been chosen first, elected and selected to bear God's creating and redeeming word to all nations. Through Jesus Christ, the Lord has created and formed you and me. We are not forgotten. We, too, ... have been elected and selected to bear God's creative and redeeming word to all the world. What a text for baptism this is! What a text to remind us ...

649. Lent 3

Luke 13:1-9, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Psalm 63:1-11, Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... if they do not change their behavior. He uses the parable of a barren fig tree to make his point. A man who had planted it wanted to cut it down because it was not productive. His gardener wanted to try to see if he could make it bear fruit by cultivating and fertilizing it. If he was unsuccessful, the tree would be cut down. Jesus says that if people do not repent, they will perish as the fig tree will. Thesis: Ethical behavior has more meaning for a person's life than accidental suffering. Theme: Personal ...

650. Why Be Good?

Luke 6:37-42

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... Lukan Sermon on the Plain -- Jesus' plain talk -- he concludes the discourse by turning on its head this traditional understanding of good conduct. The image he uses, as were many of his images, is drawn from nature. He talks about trees and fruit. Good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit. To turn the image a bit, a tree does not produce apples in order to be an apple tree, but because that is the kind of tree it already is. "Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor grapes picked from a bramble ...

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