Sermon and Worship Resources

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Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:4-5) [Optional Prop: crystal teardrops] Tears. Frustration. Grief. Sadness. It’s the name of the milieu pervading the atmosphere of many churches today. Dwindling attendance. Lack of enthusiasm. Fear of the surrounding culture, not to ...

652. The Stop-and-Think Chair

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Roy Howard

Schools opened here last week, and I remembered something from one of the teachers. Like all good teachers, she has certain expectations — norms of behavior — for her students. The students agree to these community norms for the classroom that are posted in the room. That’s not new. What I find intriguing in her classroom is the consequence if someone breaks the norm. When a community rule is broken, the offending student is assigned to the clearly labeled stop-and-think chair. There the child sits ...

653. Going Into Labor

Mark 13:1-8

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

The Baldwin Hills dam was built on a steep hillside in Southern California overlooking a packed residential community. It was considered an architectural wonder, at least by its designers. It also rested squarely on an earthquake fault. The designers insisted that the fault line would not affect their structure. Nestled away on a hillside, where it would not interfere with development, it served as a storage facility for the waters that follow in the form of rain and snow melt. Then, on December 14, 1963, ...

654. When the Way Is Hard

Matthew 26:14-27:66

Sermon

April Yamasaki

In the gospel of Matthew, the sweep of events from Judas’ decision to betray Jesus, through his arrest, trial, crucifixion, and burial takes less than fifteen minutes to read aloud. Yet the emotional intensity of these events makes for an exhausting read. Alone in my room, I could hardly make it through. If I were to read this as part of worship in my church, I’d want to skip the regular sermon and plan some silence to reflect and recover before we’d sing a song of response. Just imagine living and dying ...

655. The Ear of the Heart

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

Carol Klein, with schoolbooks under one arm and a sheet of music under the other, got off the express train from Brooklyn to Manhattan. The year was 1957 and the 15-year- old was determined to be a singing sensation. Wearing bobby socks, white sneakers, and a black skirt with a pink poodle embroidered on it, she opened the New York City telephone book. Starting with the “As” in the directory, she visited every music industry executive until she found one who would record her songs. After being turned away ...

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