Sermon and Worship Resources

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Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Michael L. Sherer

... Jesus made it clear what is at the heart of Christianity: embraced by a loving God, we are to love as Jesus did — God, ourselves, and others. This is not an easy assignment. But it can be done. Jesus did it first. We have his pattern to imitate. Thankfully, many in this congregation are doing it right now. Talk is cheap — until we enrich it with our service. When we do that, we authenticate the message that was first given us. Like our Lord, empowered by his abiding presence, we, too, can — and do and ...

652. Imagination

Luke 1:39-45, 46-55

Sermon

Will Willimon

... if notions of the "right" or "only" action are dependent upon a prior judgment about what is going on in the world, where the world is moving, and who we ought to be? What if ethics is as much a matter of examples and models worth imitating as a matter of rational consideration of alternatives? In short, what is a properly stoked appropriately enriched imagination is the prerequisite for faithful action? I'm saying all this because I expect that there are a number of you here this morning who are asking ...

653. What Are You Bananas About?

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... modeling the love of God in their society. We need each other. No believer can do it alone. We need a community that supports us in good times and bad, accepts us for who we truly are, and models Christ-like behavior for us to imitate. Dr. Ralph Wilson and his wife went house-shopping a few years ago. They visited one subdivision under construction. At the entrance to the subdivision, the builders had constructed two or three “model homes.” These were the exact representations of the houses that would ...

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

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... know that what we bring to the table is useless waste, Paul speaks of how we Christians yearn to know Christ and the power of his Resurrection, the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him (v.10). Now this is not to say that we become like Christ by imitating him. No, what Paul wanted to say that Christ made us his own (v.14). That is love language, reminding us of how in marriage love makes us belong to our lover and vice-versa. In faith we get married to Christ. And in a good marriage, you become a ...

655. Fool's Gold

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... you are in tune with God, you are always “golden.” Once you see your worth, it’s easy, so much easier, to see the worth and beauty of others. How many precious, overlooked gems are there in the world, who believe, they are only pyrite, an imitation of others, never able to reach their true potential, the person they could truly become? How many valuable people are there out there, who see themselves (as others see them) only as cheap pyrite when in reality they have a heart of pure gold? How often do ...

656. We Fools

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Will Willimon

... advertising's training in want of everything. We didn't know that we were suffering from a malady called ''heartburn'' until TV told us there was a cure for it. Remember when the worst we could have was ''post nasal drip''? Desire seems to be contagious, imitative. I want something because someone else wants it. We want what others have in order to have their approval. Yet such desire, rather than linking us to others, puts us in conflict. Whatever our neighbor has that we don't have diminishes us. When you ...

657. A Miracle of Grace

Philemon 1:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... thing we do know: in the year A.D. 110, Bishop Ignatius of Antioch was arrested and taken to Rome. From prison he wrote a letter to the church at Antioch. In this letter, he praised the bishop of Ephesus and encouraged the Christian believers to imitate him, because he was “a man whose love is beyond words.” (6) This bishop’s name was Onesimus. Many Bible scholars believe that Bishop Onesimus and the runaway slave were one and the same man. (7) “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch ...

658. What About Me?

John 1:29-42

Sermon

John Jamison

... up drawing the conclusion that he was the one, true, Son of God. There is now only one thought running through my mind. Just one. I wonder what conclusion two people would come to if they spent the day following me around? I mean, I can do a pretty good imitation of a disciple when I put my mind to it; when I keep focused and think about what I am doing and saying. But an entire day? What would the two guys think about me? I think I’m going to stop here. I’m still not sure I understand ...

659. Living In The “In Between” Time

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Ronald Love

... , spoken to her grandson Devon back in Wilmington, “The Lord speaks to all of us, Devon, but you’re never going to hear him if you don’t open your ears and listen.” Now that we are listening to Jesus, we must live as imitators of Jesus. In a single, recorded verse, verse twelve, Paul clearly stated what that obedient and disciplined life means when he wrote, “It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self- controlled, upright and godly lives in this present ...

660. Seeing What We Don’t Want To See

John 12:20-33

Sermon

Mary Austin

... aggravate us, to mirror our own flaws, and show us where we’re weak, and point out our silliness. We remain alone, if we don’t have that in our life of faith. The God of the golf course and the hiking trail is always going to be a pale imitation of God, because that’s all we can do for ourselves. This is tough stuff. We would love to go back to the sweet Jesus who loves the little children, and doesn’t ask too much of us, either. But Jesus insists that he’s no simple, sweet, Wonder Bread ...

661. Epistolary Conclusion

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of the family of faith. Accordingly, as the father of their faith, he continues to urge them to “aim for perfection,” to “listen to [his] appeal,” to “be of one mind,” and to “live in peace” (13:11). He also encourages the Corinthians to imitate his love for them by openly manifesting a familial affection for one another. Paul conveys the “greetings” of the remainder of the family and adds a closing prayer (as was also usual) for the welfare of those who will be receiving the letter ...

662. For Someone Who Led A Magnificent Life

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 · 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 · 2 Corinthians 4:6-11 · Luke 24:13-35

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

... a parishioner decrying the German heritage of the new pastor. The guy fell for it hook, line, and sinker. There were also the famous Priest’s parties where a few glasses of Dewar’s and soda would prime Bill to do his famous Bishop Leo Smith imitation, Smith being the Diocesan Chancellor at the time. It wouldn’t be long thereafter when his buddies would get him to call one of the priests and as “Bishop Leo Smith” inform him of a change of assignment usually to a parish where the priest would have ...

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