Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 676 to 700 of 3852 results

Acts 2:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... lots and filling the job opening of the 12th apostle.) Fifty days after Passover is the Jewish festival of Pentecost. Originally this was strictly an agricultural festival, celebrated seven weeks and one day after the first fruits of the grain harvest ... women, young and old, slave and free. Luke’s text adds another “and they shall prophesy” (v.18) to Joel’s original, further emphasizing that this Spirit received is a prophetic Spirit. As Peter continues to cite Joel, the prophet’s words describe the ...

677. Holiness of Heart and Life

Romans 2:21-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... verse as the text for his sermon by the title “Circumcision of the Heart.” He preached the sermon at Oxford University on January 1, 1733. It is the only sermon Wesley preached before his conversion at Aldersgate in 1738 which he kept in its original form and used throughout his life and especially in his teaching of Methodists. This is important to know because it underscores a distinctive belief of a Methodist Christian which we are focusing on today: Holiness of Heart and Life, or Personal and Social ...

678. Style: Some Distinctive Marks of a Methodist

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... do strange things that we would not do otherwise — and some things that we should have done already, but never got around to doing. Now you’ll see as I move along that that story has meaning. According to some critics, John Wesley never had an original idea in his life, He just borrowed from others. But, here is the point: Whatever Wesley borrowed, he paid back ten-fold and more. Even if it’s true that Wesley only borrowed from others that would hardly solve the riddle of this man, and the spiritual ...

679. Exodus and Easter

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... our good and His glory. Now the final truth: In the struggle between good and evil, victory is with God! Nothing is more obvious than the presence of evil in the universe. We may debate the origin of evil but there’s no question about the stark, grim, colossal reality of evil in the world — whatever its origin. Yet, there is a checkpoint against evil — a time when evil plays itself out, digs its own grave as it were, and God’s righteousness and justice prevails. There’s a dramatic picture of it in ...

680. Galatians 1:11-24

Galatians 1:11-24

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the freedom they enjoy in Christ (4:13). In today’s text Paul is primarily concerned with demonstrating that the revelation he received, the message that he has been called to preach, has divine origin. It is God’s word, not any human agenda, that Paul proclaims. There is no “human origin,” no “kata anthropon,” for the gospel he preaches. Rather, he “received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (v.12). Although grammatically this declaration could be understood to be either a revelation ...

681. Joy Comes in the Morning

Psalm 30:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the rich grace it offers. First, let’s consider the Psalm as a whole and get the movement and feeling of it. “Although this Psalm in Jewish ritual is used at the Feast of Dedication as a national song, it surely was entirely personal to its original author. A man had been sick to death; he was now well again, and he gave God the praise. Not only so, he records the spiritual benefit attained through a period of physical illness.” (The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 4, p 158). Remember the Psalmist is ...

682. Why Doesn’t God Do Away With Evil?

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... so profound that scholars are still struggling to comprehend it, Adam and Eve eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They disobey God in an effort to be like God. We humans have been following their example ever since. St. Augustine named the problem Original Sin; there is nothing original about it. We get a sense that the nature of the fall was certainly more than just a little stumble on the human path. We err and stray from God's way like lost sheep. There is so much bad in the best of us, And ...

683. Embracing Christ—The Light of the World

John 8:12-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... another form of primate animals. We are not that special." The Bible has a better idea. According to Genesis, human beings are created in the image of God. This Imago Deo, (God-likeness) exists in the heart of every person. Before there was original badness, there was original goodness. That spark of goodness which Quakers call the “inner light" lives in the heart of every person. It is the image of God in the heart of human beings. Because the inner light gets hidden under the bowl of greed, guilt, grief ...

684. Hard Words to Hear at Christmas

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... As one of their prophecies puts it, "For He will heal the wounded, and revive the dead and bring good news to the poor."2 Ironically, John understood his own ministry in connection with Isaiah's words about preparing a way in the wilderness. Isaiah's words originally were a message of comfort and hope to people whose souls were dragging the ground. Isaiah's words offered forgiveness and encouragement to those who thought God had turned the divine back on them. Jesus' earthly ministry was closer to Isaiah's ...

685. It’s Not about You; It’s All about God

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... Testament scholars is that this was not Jesus' point, that the explanation of the parable in verses 18-23 was not part of the original parable! The general consensus among these scholars is that if you study the parable, it is not about us, not about what kind ... you and me! There is an important lesson for life in that insight. Let's look at the parable in this new (it's actually the original) way. It is all about this sower, God, who went out to sow seed, but only some of it takes root. Many of the seeds ...

686. Hunger and Politics

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... blinded, and we need to use things like the scriptures and the person of Jesus to help us take first steps toward making a smile happen between ourselves and God. In this, he echoed Matthew's design in writing the gospel. Those of us who did not originally stand with Jesus in that ancient wilderness are no less hungry than they were. We are all looking for meaning in our lives. To a person we are searchers on a quest for purpose or identity. The hunger is in every belly, and each of us finds ourselves ...

687. Children of the Heavenly Father

Romans 8:12-25

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... go run and hide not only from each other but from God. But no more! God has adopted you. You are sons and daughters of God. Jesus is your brother. The Creator of heaven and earth is your Father, your Daddy, your Abba. Paul preserves the Aramaic original of the word that Jesus used to address his father. Jesus didn't just call God "Father." He used the very intimate and personal word that first-century Jewish children used to call their fathers in the intimacy and familiarity of their own homes. There they ...

688. A Truly Universal Operating System

Romans 14:1-12

Sermon

Larry Lange

... of Rome cornered Billius at coffee hour and confronted him with an accusation that troubled Billius deeply. As great and powerful a man as he was, his faith had suffused his personality and imbued him with a profound humility. This kept before him his plebian origins and inspired him to embark on a worldwide quest to improve health care for millions of people who had none. The member of the church in Rome who had cornered Billius was not impressed by his philanthropy. "Is it true, Mr. Gaitius, that meat ...

689. The World According to Paul

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... and no longer worship the emperor and the numerous Greek gods and goddesses. Paul praises the Thessalonians for becoming imitators of the missionaries and of Christ (v. 6). We all imitate from our earliest years, beginning with our families of origin. As our world expands, we have opportunities to observe those outside our families. Research suggests that small children who watch violent cartoons will act out that violence among themselves. Imitation is a powerful form of learning, changing lives in the ...

690. Lifestyles of the Rich and Faithful

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... have to be thankful for, it is their turn to help others. "Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver," explains Paul to the new church at Corinth (2 Corinthians 9:7). The original Greek word for cheerful is hilaros, which is the root of our word hilarious. In other words, we are to be hilarious over the prospect of giving. We are to be hilarious as we share from our bounty, our many blessings, and our indescribable gifts, not the ...

691. A Double Portion

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... is. It just shouts of welcome and home and love. And it doesn't even have to be home baked cookies. Even bag of Oreos can evoke that feeling for some. The Oreo cookie has been America's most popular cookie since it was introduced in 1912. The average "original" Oreo cookie is 1 ¾ inches wide and 1/3 of an inch tall? Did you know that over 345 billion Oreo cookies have been sold to date and they would fill up the world's largest freight train, consisting of 660 freight cars, more than 45 times. Did you ...

692. It's Just A Little Thing

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... us go?" (1) That story is a good reminder that preachers need to follow the old KISS principle. You know: Keep It. Simple Stupid. It also reminded me of how everyone, even the little ones, like to put there two cents worth in. And this morning, we find out the origins of that phrase, "putting your two cents worth in." It comes from our reading from Mark. Let's look at Mark 12:38-44. Mark 12:38-44 (NRSV) [38] As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be ...

693. God Will Be With Us

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend. “Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck. “You can play with toys all your life. One wallet and one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can “do ...

694. The Garden of Temptation

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... in scripture. One, of course, is Eden, where humanity first cried out, “Not your will, but mine be done.” The second is Gethsemane, where a lonely figure cries out, “Not my will but thine be done.” Later, on a hill nearby, Jesus hangs on a cross. And like the original Adam, he is naked but not ashamed. He is suffering on our behalf so that the curse of death may be removed. St. Paul put it like this in today’s epistle: “For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God ...

695. Matthew 5:13-20

Matthew 5:13-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... But those tasty “impurities,” like the impurities in Dead Sea salt, can degrade over time and exposure, making the salt’s flavor, if not “salt-free,” at least flatter and less tangy than when originally extracted. Jesus warns his listeners that while they are “the salt of the earth,” they must keep their original sharpness and flavor or they will be useless, something that might as well be thrown out on the ground. Jesus’ next images for the people are of those of light the city on the hill ...

696. The Scope of Love

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... by the mist, the more he realized that this was a more accurate Jesus than the one he had originally conceived. So instead of the inscription "FOLLOW MY COMMANDS" on the base of the statue, he chiseled another message: "COME UNTO ME." This statue ... was carved later by Thorvalsen in Italian Carrara marble. The original is in the National Cathedral of Denmark Church of our Lady. A famous copy of this statue of “The Last Adam” ...

697. Welcome to the Center of Life

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... , and it has done so since I was a boy. When I discovered that Paul's authorship of the letter was in dispute, my heart sank. I thought that its power rested in its connection with Paul's writing it, but over the years I've returned to my original reaction to Ephesians — its power is evident, no matter who wrote it. Over several centuries of the early church, the general consensus from many places was that this letter spoke the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the church chose it to be part of its ...

698. Matthew 22:1-14

Matthew 22:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... who murdered his messengers. He has those same troops burn down “their city.” Most commentators hear in this violence a reference to the burning of Jerusalem by Roman troops in 70 CE. Whether this violent response was a Matthean embellishment to Jesus’ original parable or part of Jesus’ own reading of the signs of the destruction to come to Jerusalem and the temple (see Matthew 23:38; 24:2), first century gospel readers would have been sadly familiar with that kind of violent retaliation. To the ...

699. No Litmus Test for Jesus

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... States had created a situation where, in essence, immigrants had to pass a litmus test to gain entrance. The immigration policy of the United States in the wake of World War I, which was capped with the passage of the Johnson-Reed National Origins Act in 1924, presents a situation all too common in human history, personally and communally. Similar situations have existed throughout human history, as we hear clearly articulated in our first lesson today from 2 Kings. Naaman, a commander of an alien army ...

700. Under God

Illustration

Charles Panati

... especially for children in the summer of 1892 to commemorate that year's celebration of Columbus Day in public schools throughout the country. The pledge first appeared in print on September 8, 1892, in The Youth's Companion, an educational publication. In its original form, it read: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which is stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all." Its author was Francis Bellamy, an assistant editor of The Youth's Companion, who intended it for a ...

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