Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 651 to 675 of 4972 results

651. Taking Life Seriously

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

... conclusions. They are simply part of the cost of living the great adventure. No, God's concern will be with our ability to walk away from the landing with a sense of accomplishment that we have lived well; that we gave it our best shot and tried to leave the place a better world than when we came. This parable, therefore, reminds us that life is serious business because we have only one life to live; one chance to land. As the selfish rich man woefully found out, there are no second chances. We only have a ...

652. Proper 23

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

George Paul Mocko

... to come up and so easy for all these lousy weeds!" Again, these specifics are incidental. The point is: it is the sin of this human race of ours that throws and leaves all creation on its belly, in pain, bruised, and eating dust, and leaves our human life, instead of a sharing with, a striving against; leaves us, instead of in cooperation, in contention. Seeking power over each other, we infect and destroy community, infect and destroy ourselves, we disrupt creation, and creation itself turns on us. Look at ...

653. The Ascension Announces a Triumph

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... two men in white garments (were they not likely angels?) must have helped a bit when they were told, "This same Jesus will come again, just as you have seen him go into heaven." But when will he come again? and how? and what about the days in-between his leaving them and his return? what does it all mean? For that matter, what does a lesson like this mean to you and me? Let us remind ourselves not to be so concerned with the literalism of the events of the text that we lose sight of the glorious message ...

654. A Letter From Paul

Sermon

Erskine White

... govern the affairs of nations. More than laws of market or mammon, inspire us to make Christ’s law of love the highest law in the land and the heart of all our human affairs, that the bitter byproducts of inequity may no longer poison our land. Leave our people and institutions unsatisfied until liberty and dignity prevail, knowing that love is the fountain of justice and justice is the foundation of peace. In Jesus’ name we pray for a revolution of love in the world and by His grace we expect it. Amen ...

655. Two Thieves

Luke 23:32-43

Sermon

Erskine White

... we ponder the end of our earthly days and the mysteries of life and death, we will again want to say with Dysmas, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." Not only for this life, but also for the greater life to come. "Lord, remember me. Don’t leave me here in darkness and nothingness, but take me with You to Your light. Take me with You where You are going, because I can’t get there by myself. Precious Lord, take my hand and lead me to the Promised Land. Fill me with your goodness and mercy ...

656. What About The Holy Spirit?

John 15:18--16:4

Sermon

Erskine White

... Holy Spirit is not limited to certain kinds of Christians. That's another message in our text, as Jesus speaks to His disciples, preparing to leave them and go to heaven. Have you ever said to yourself, "I wish I had lived in Jesus' time, so I could see Him in ... with us: our Comforter, our Counselor, the Spirit of truth. She is in Jesus Christ and in our almighty God, and will never leave us forsaken. God's Holy Spirit will abide with us now and always, even to the end of the age. Amen Pastoral Prayer Ever ...

657. Our God Delivers!

Daniel 3:1-30

Sermon

Erskine White

... of faith. The personal testimonies which fill the airways and the Christian book stores have an emotional depth, but not a Biblical depth. It is a religion of retreat and reaction, while Christ calls us to a faith of courage and action. And so I leave you with some important questions. Do you believe that God can make His church a bright beacon of hope in a dark and hopeless world? Do you believe that armies and missiles notwithstanding, our God has the final Word, and that world remains in His hands ...

658. Wedding: The Foundation of Faithfulness

Sermon Aid

John M. Braaten

... of love are possible for you, _________ and ________. But to experience it, you will need to grow in strength, courage, and faith. God, however, is willing and eager to come to your aid, and God is faithful; his steadfast love endures forever. He has promised never to leave you nor forsake you. He has promised that if you confess your sins, he will forgive your sins. He has promised to give you strength for every situation you face in life. You can trust God. He who spared not his own Son, but gave him up ...

659. Ascension

Acts 1:1-11, Psalm 110:1-7, Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 24:36-49, Luke 24:50-53, 2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... in your glory." The old collect has content that suggests a different liturgical and theological direction, addressing the prayer to Christ, not to God the Father, as he "who didst this day ascend in triumph far above all the heavens," and asking the Lord not "to leave us comfortless," but to send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, to us. The ascension is the final act in the celebration of Christ over death and the grave and is, therefore, a festival of great joy and celebration. The Psalm Of The Day ...

660. Proper 13

Luke 12:13-21, Psalm 49:1-20, Ecclesiastes 2:17-26, 2 Kings 13:10-25, Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... vanities! All is vanity." The writer actually expands on the lament of Psalm 49, because he has come to his senses, he who has become the richest and wisest man of his time knows that he will die just as surely as the poorest of people and will leave all of his possessions to others. Only in the last few verses (2:24-26) of the reading does the Preacher find respite from his despair, because he has discovered that the person who believes that his/her work/career and possessions - one's quality of life, if ...

661. Living Sacrifices

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

William J. Carl

... had hoped. One of the most common experiences in life is for us to set our hearts on this goal or that purpose and then life hands us something totally different. Here is a young man who wanted to be a lawyer; but his father died, and he had to leave school and work to keep things going at home. Here is a young woman who wanted to be a great doctor but was never admitted to medical school. Here is a businessman who had hoped all his life to make his business a great success; but the competition was much ...

662. A Farewell Gift

John 14:15-31

Sermon

John M. Braaten

I have never liked saying "goodbye," it always elicits feelings of finality. So I say other things like, "See you!" or "Hope to see you sometime." Most of the time I like quick goodbyes. However, when a loved one leaves there are no formalities. We embrace, sometimes through tears. It is not uncommon to cast out cliches, often with a bit of humor, to lighten the atmosphere. But in the end the word "goodbye" is bound to be spoken. It's a comforting thought really, because it is a shortened ...

663. Victory Over Evil

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

Harold G. Skinner

... , dawn in the East. It reminded me of the words of Isaiah 58:8. "Then shall your light break forth like the dawn." It was like the rainbow after the flood. The Lord Almighty continues to be supportive. I can't answer all your questions or mine. When you leave this service you will still have some emotions of which you are not sure. But of some things we can be certain. God loves us. He wants the best for us. In the midst of sadness let us learn to be grateful for the happy experiences, the good memories ...

664. The Mission

Drama

Timothy W. Ayers

... but I'm not sure my people know what to do. Captain: We have thousands of Gospel leaflets called tracts that your soldiers will carry with them. They are to leave one at every door and if they go into a restaurant they are to leave one for the waitress instead of a tip. Sgt. Rockette: Captain, I've got a bunch of greenhorns. They've never been in a situation like this. What happens if they desert on me? Captain: That's a possibility, Sergeant Rockette. They will face lots of opposition, and certainly ...

665. The Man In The River

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

John Jamison

... I had brought for lunch. Now surely you are not referring to us again? What difference is that going to make with all these people. But he was quiet, like he was waiting for me to do something. At this point we will change back to Matthew's story. He leaves all this part out and lets me smile longer, and since I am the preacher here, I can change gospels like I change channels on television. So, back to Matthew we go. Besides, the rest is a haze anyway. He went on talking about somebody coming after him, or ...

666. The Vine And The Branches

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... over close to the ground and propped up with a rock to keep them off the hot red soil. I had pictured in my mind all these years, grape arbors like grandpa’s that ran from the house to the garage in the backyard and which were full of green leaves, shade, and blue grapes. In Israel it’s different. The vine is pruned back drastically. That way it has a better chance of maturing and bearing the grapes. Jesus grew up with those vines all around his little village. He knew how you had to cut the wood to get ...

667. For One Who Worked With Disturbed Children

2 Corinthians 12:11-21

Eulogy

William Luoma

... you. But I've known her well enough to respect her deep commitment to her work, and to her family and to her Lord. Her death leaves us with many questions, and I can't pretend or presume to have the answers. I can only look to that one resource that God ... Today is one of those times. But we remember that God's Spirit intercedes for us with sighs that are too deep for words. Today we leave it up to God's Spirit to put those letters together and make some sense out of them. God hears what is too deep for words ...

668. Rag Doll #37

Drama

Edward Long

... 't know what to say. I didn't know ... RAG DOLL #1: Of course you didn't know. But I must go now. I hope you find love and meaning in special, simple things, along with your riches ... Good night; sleep well now (Weaker). Good night ... (Lights out; doll leaves and LAURA falls back to sleep) NARRATOR: (Lights now up a little). It is now early dawn on Christmas Day. The snow outside has stopped and every twig on every tree is covered. Down by the bay, on the beach below the house, a group of children sing as ...

669. Step Six - Willingness

Jn 5:2-9a · Heb 4:14-16 · Is 1:12-20

Sermon

John A. Terry

... disease he had. There lay on a pallet a man who had been ill for 38 years. The pallet was a light, flexible mat which could be rolled up and carried. It does not mean that the man had been lying at the pool for all 38 years without ever leaving. But he had been ill that long and somehow had never gotten into the healing waters. In this little story there is a great deal for us. There is a rejection of superstition. That is a comment for anyone who tries to schedule life changes via the horoscope. There is ...

670. Storing Up the Good

1 Timothy 6:19

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

... behind in the filter. But if a person is good and puts good things inside of oneself, like prayer, and good manners, and love, and respect, then what will come out of that person? (response) Goodness will come out, just as the water that was clean and didn't leave any other particles in the filter. The Apostle Paul told us to store up good things in our lives, so that we might enjoy eternal life. Let's only put good things in our lives, so that only good things will come out. Let's Pray: Dear God, thank ...

671. Scene 2 - Joseph's Quandary

Drama

Nancy Steltz

... narration.) Narrator: According to Matthew, chapter 1, verses 22 and 23, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by theprophet: 'Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel' (which means, God with us)." (Joseph and Angel begin to leave, stop and stare at Isaiah as he speaks) Isaiah (Standing up and shouting out): That's right! I am the prophet Matthew wrote about! Stage Manager (Pulling Isaiah back to his seat): Shhh! Please sit down and be quiet!

672. Been Fishin' Lately?

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... to fish for people.” And on the basis of that simple invitation, they left everything behind and followed him. Now, if you’re like me, you have a lot of questions about this encounter. Why did Jesus choose these particular people? And why would they leave their profession, the one thing they knew how to do better than anything, and follow a stranger on the basis of nothing more than an invitation to tag along on a different kind of fishing trip? Unfortunately, the writer of Mark doesn’t give us enough ...

673. Sacrifice - Hannah and Mary, the Mother of Christ

Luke 2:41-52

Drama

Martha L. Leach

... me with a son. We called him Samuel, and just as I promised, when he was weaned I took him to the temple to live with Eli. Mary: How did you find the courage to sacrifice your son for the Lord's service? It must have been very difficult to leave this small boy behind. Especially one you had waited and prayed for. Hannah: The same way you gave up your son, Mary. We found our courage because we knew our sons must be about their Father's business. After Samuel had been with Eli for some time, one night he ...

674. When the Tie That Binds is a Slipknot

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... meal. They decided it would be a shame to let all this food get cold while they waited for everybody else to get there so they just said grace and pigged out. By the time the working class folks arrived, all the really good stuff was virtually gone, leaving only the broccoli casseroles and spinach soufflés (by now you know what a picky eater I am). So those who arrived early were full and drunk, and those who came later remained hungry, thirsty and sober. That didn't exactly do much to promote church unity ...

675. How To Bring Tears To Jesus' Eyes

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... his own received him not." With tears, he addressed the city, "How often would I have gathered our children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings ..." He knew what would happen to the nation: destruction, dispersion, and death - "They will not leave one stone upon another." In AD 70 this happened to Jerusalem: The city and temple were destroyed by the Romans. It was the end of the Jewish nation until recent times. A similar experience came to the prophet, Elisha. Benhadad, king of Israel, was ...

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