Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 651 to 675 of 4936 results

651. Rejected

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

King Duncan

A tall, burly man entered a San Francisco liquor store sometime back, pointed a revolver at a clerk and demanded money. According to police, when the clerk refused to comply, "the suspect then began to cry," put his gun in his pocket, and ran out of the store. Imagine that. A grown man, spurned by the man he intends to rob, breaks down in tears. I do believe that would-be robber is vocationally impaired. He doesn't belong in the criminal profession. Maybe he broke down in tears because he was tired of ...

652. When It Is Tough to Follow Jesus: The Third Word

John 19:17-27

Sermon

Eric Ritz

The distinguished United Methodist bishop, Dr. Gerald Kennedy, once told the story of seeing a very poorly dressed woman and her young daughter looking into one of the department store windows in the downtown area of a large city during the Christmas holidays. Inside the window was the manger scene, including Mary dressed as the Queen Of Heaven, with rich diamonds and other jewels in her dazzling crown. The little girl gazed at the Blessed Mother for a while and then turned to her own mother and said, "She ...

653. In the Cross of Christ We Glory

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Michael Milton

Patrick Morley has said that the turning point in our lives is when we stop seeking the God we want and start seeking the God who is. Peter would come face-to-face with the God who is. This would be a turning point in the life of the disciples. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But ...

654. America: You Are Too Young to Die

Psalm 80:1-19

Sermon

James Merritt

Webster defines a patriot as "one who loves and loyally or zealously supports one's own country."1 According to that definition, one thing I can say about the man who wrote this Psalm, Asaph, is he was a true patriot. He would never have burned his flag, and would not have put up with anyone who did. Though he was a patriot and loved his country, he was also a man of God, and therefore burdened for his country. He was in a situation then much as we are in today. Among all the nations of the world, Israel ...

655. You Bring Me Great Pleasure

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

How many of your New Year’s Resolutions have made it intact through the first full week of 2011? Have you missed a day of exercise yet? Have you stuck to your diet? Are you texting less, talking more, always telling the truth? Most “resolutions” we make are self-directed: get thinner, work smarter, be stronger, take control of your life. We want to make changes that will help us, improve us, and bring us good feelings about ourselves. Jesus said to be “in” the world but not to be “of” the world. So let’s ...

656. It's Not Fair!

1 Peter 2:13-25

Sermon

King Duncan

Strange things happen in this world. Surely you’ve noticed that. There was a news report about two motorists who had a head-on collision and I do mean a head-on collision. It happened in heavy fog near the small town of Guetersloh, Germany. The two motorists were guiding their cars at a snail’s pace near the center of the road in the dense fog. Each of them had his head out of the car window trying to see. And yes, before they realized it, they smacked their heads together. Both men were hospitalized with ...

657. Trusting the Other Side

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

Since her death, Maya Angelou has been greatly celebrated around the world and that is an appropriate response in my mind. Maya was a poet, a prophet, a celebrity, and a grand dame. She was also a lifelong follower of Jesus. Raised in Stamps, Arkansas, by her grandmother, Maya spent much of her childhood within the warm embrace of a small African Methodist Episcopal Church — at least six hours each Sunday according to her own writing. In the last half of her life, she lived in Winston Salem, North Carolina ...

658. Peacemaking and Self Control

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

The date was June 11, 1963; the place- The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Vivian Malone, a young black woman, enrolled that day as a freshman. Federal troops ensured her entrance, but the doorway was blocked by Governor George Wallace. Holding out for segregation, the governor ultimately failed, and Ms. Malone became the first African-American to graduate from the University of Alabama. Vivian wasn't the only newcomer that day. James Hood was at her side and needed encouragement. So she slipped him a ...

659. Paul the Preacher to the Gentiles

Ephesians 3:1-13

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

Paul and the Mission to the Gentiles When the apostle completed his section on the spiritual blessings in Christ (1:3–14), he proceeded to offer a prayer of thanksgiving and petition (1:15–23). After this theological discussion in 2:1–22, it appears that he is once again ready to turn to prayer because the statement, “For this reason” (3:1), refers to what he has just said; furthermore, the actual prayer in 3:14ff. appears to relate to this section and would be a fitting climax to the thoughts that he has ...

660. The Gathering at Cana

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Props: Magnifying glass, flashlight, litmus paper (3.8-3.4 best acidity), wine glass with red wine At one time or another, all of you have probably watched a detective show on tv. If you’re like me, you’ve watched more than one. You can’t miss them. They enjoy some of the highest ratings on television. At any given time, especially prime time, there will be at least 15 or more detective shows on various networks to choose from. What’s your favorite? NCIS? Blue Bloods? The Blacklist? Criminal Minds? Castle ...

661. The Impartiality of God

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Hubert Beck

There are more saviors in the world than the mind can comprehend. Bookstores have shelf after shelf of books that promise to save us from anything we can name - anxieties, fears, personal difficulties, or whatever else may be causing us distress. A whole range of people - some of them reliable counselors but all too many of them little more than hucksters - offer themselves to the troubled (for a fee, of course), usually with implicit or explicit promises of remedies for whatever problems one may have ...

662. Planting Your Feet

Psalm 32:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

Rolling Stone Magazine recently made a list of who they considered to be the greatest, most prolific songwriters of all time. I am going to give you the top nine in their list in reverse order and see if you can guess who was #1. #9 – Elton John #8 – Joni Mitchell #7 – Paul Simon #6 – Mick Jagger #5 - Neil Young #4 - Paul McCarty #3 - Bruce Springsteen #2 - John Lennon Who wants to guess who they said was the #1 songwriter of all time? #1 – Bob Dylan I really have no qualms with that list except for the ...

663. Prayers for Memorial Day, Election, Thanksgiving

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

Memorial Day Today, Creator God, we remember. We remember the courage of our forefathers who decided they could no longer bow to England's crown, so they went to war to gain our country's independence. We remember the agony and blood-letting of that war that pitted American against American, the north against the south. Even to this day the wounds of that fighting are yet to be healed. We remember that many years ago we sent our troops to "fight the Kaiser" in a war that was to end all wars. Then less than ...

664. A Road Map to the Kingdom

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

I hope for each of you that your journey on planet earth has been a good one and will continue to be so. One of the conditions that determines the worth of a journey is its destination. I keep on my shelf an old axiom: No wind blows good to a ship which has no destined harbor. It is true of our lives; if we don’t know where we’re going the starts and stops do not make a difference. Good or bad breaks mean little, for they do not move us along to a destined goal. Life is just one big distraction. We can ...

665. Christians Die Well

Acts 7:54--8:1a

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "it is not desirable that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ...

666. A Man With Lips on Fire

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

God’s chosen nation - through which he would send the world’s Redeemer - had been brought to a pinnacle of earthly glory by King David. When his son, Solomon, assumed the throne, he consolidated David’s gains and led Israel to a power and a prominence, a prosperity and a prestige, unequalled in the world of his day. The Queen of Sheba, who had been told of the wealth of Solomon’s court, could not believe it. She was not convinced. She came to see for herself. Her verdict: "The half has never yet been told ...

667. His Cleansing Of The Temple

Luke 19:45-48

Sermon

Brett Blair

We have made some new additions. Note: This sermon is basically complete. We will be doing some editing and adding other comments about the Passion of the Christ on Wednesday, particularly Roger Ebert's (the film critic) comments on the film. We will probably change the ending as well. Please check back. History often records that in the lives of great people, their finest hours were their final hours. It was no exception with Jesus. So significant did the Biblical writers consider the last week of Jesus ...

668. Making It Last

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

The excitement is mounting on this the third Sunday in Advent. That long awaited day will soon be here. Jesus will soon be reborn into our lives. We have looked forward to Christmas Day for two weeks. Children count down the days, waiting as patiently as they can for Christmas Day. But what do we do the day after Christmas? Are there ways to make Christmas last longer than one day? Once there was a little girl who loved Christmas so much that she wanted it to be Christmas every day of the year. This little ...

669. Special Delivery

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

I read recently of a congregation where they did the usual Christmas pageant. The children from Sunday School played the parts. And they were all dressing for their roles: Mary and Joseph in bathrobes . . . the Shepherds carrying canes from their grandpas and Angels under tinsel halos and white sheets . . . One mother was trying to get an angel costume onto her squirming son, and his sister stood by to watch. "Boy!" she said. "Talk about miscasting!" What are angels like? Have you ever seen one? Angels ...

670. Pulling Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Last week we talked about planting seeds. This week we’re talking about pulling weeds. The two go together. Every gardener knows that planting seeds is the easy part of having a successful garden. It is much more time consuming to weed that same garden. And it’s hard work. As someone has said: “When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.” There is a corollary to that truth: “To ...

671. Everyone's Talking about Him

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

King Duncan

An elderly man stopped at a hearing aid center and asked about prices. "We have them from $25,000 on down to $1.50," the salesman said. "What’s the $25,000 one like?" asked the elderly man. "Well, it translates three languages and is the latest in electronics," the salesman replied. "And what about the one for $1.50?" the customer asked. "It’s this button attached to a string," said the salesman, pushing it across the counter. "How does it work?" asked the customer. "It doesn’t," said the salesman, "But if ...

672. Lean Thine Arm on the Windowsill of Heaven (Growing Old Gracefully)

Psalm 90:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In my last sermon, I talked about Parent Burnout. I told some of you that you would get equal time. Today, I’m talking about “growing old”. Next to dying, the recognition that we are aging is the most profound shock of our lifetime. The truth is that the sermon is not just for one segment of the congregation; it’s for all of us. We’re all growing old. And as someone has said, “growing old is not so bad when you consider the alternative.” A 90-year-old was asked what he felt like when he woke up in the ...

673. A Vision of Hope

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

Difficult times not only try a person's soul but frequently force a person to step up to a new challenge. Perhaps this has been your experience: You are at a crossroad unsure of which direction to head, so you venture out blazing a new path. Later, when you look back you realize that particular experience was a turning point in your life. There may even be times when something unexpected happens that thrusts you in some new uncharted course. The people living in Ezekiel's day were living in exile, taken ...

674. Giving Comfort

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Once there was a Baptist minister and humorist named Grady Nutt. Grady could tell some of the most hilarious stories. One of Grady’s classic stories was of a seminary student who pastored a rural church on the weekends. Word came to this student preacher that a man in his church had died. Could he come and conduct the funeral? The young preacher had never done a funeral before, but after receiving counsel from one of his seminary professors about how to proceed, he drove out to the home of the man who had ...

675. The Golden Gift

Drama

A Christmas play based on a scene from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo Program Notes Our play is based on an incident which comes early in one of Victor Hugo's greatest novels, Les Misérables - ("The Wretched Ones"). This book was published while Hugo was in exile in England in 1862. It was written as a social novel in which he made society itself the heavy in the piece. The novel was received with mixed reactions. One reviewer called it "his pernicious book." Another more charitably wrote: "It is ... the ...

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