Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 701 to 725 of 2157 results

John 10:22-42, Acts 13:13-52, Numbers 27:12-23, Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... sheep there, looking to the Good Shepherd, who cares for them and provides them with all their needs to maintain their faith in him and the Father. On returning to St. Agnes Church and looking at the chancel more closely, I discovered that there is another version of the Christ in Glory over St. Agnes' altar. That image was standard in most of the western churches of Christendom, reminding the faithful that the Lamb who was slain "has begun his reign" as the Good Shepherd of the sheep. 1. Jesus Christ, the ...

702. Easter 7

John 17:20-26, Psalm 47:1-9, Acts 7:54--8:1a, Acts 16:6-10, Acts 16:16-40, 1 Samuel 12:1-25, Revelation 22:7-21

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... Jesus is seated on a throne in one scene, but standing in another. The vision is of the ascended and reigning Lord, which makes the reading suitable for this Seventh Sunday of Easter. Acts 16:6-10 (L) Here is one more instance when the final version of the Lutheran lectionary substituted a different reading than the one from the ORDO which was used in the trial lectionary. Paul's vision of the "man of Macedonia," saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us," is the main reason this pericope was selected for ...

703. Advent 4

Psalm 80:1-19, Micah 5:1-4, Hebrews 10:1-18, Luke 1:39-45

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son, Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen." The contemporary version of the last "stir up" prayer is something of a confession that is 'geared' to the birth of Christ, but in the context of the resurrection: "Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Take away the hindrance of our sins and make us ready for the ...

704. Proper 15

Hebrews 12:1-13, Luke 12:54-59, Luke 12:49-53, Psalm 82:1-8, Jeremiah 20:7-18, Jeremiah 23:9-32, Jeremiah 38:1-13

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... Zedekiah sounds too much like Pilate, when Christ's fate was in his hands: "Behold, he is in your hands; for the king can do nothing against you." 2. And so, they lowered him into a "miry cistern" with no water or food. This was their version of the infamous "Hunger Bunker" at Auschwitz. (Read the story of Father Maximilian Kolbe, who died in that 20th century "miry cistern," ministering to nine other condemned men. He was the last of the 10 to die.) 3. Jeremiah was rescued; Jesus, preceding Father Kolbe ...

705. Proper 22

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13, Amos 5:1-17, Habakkuk 1:12--2:1, Habakkuk 1:1-4, Psalm 95:1-11, Psalm 37:1-40, Luke 17:1-10

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... : "Our Lord Jesus Christ, you have endured the doubts and foolish questions of every generation. Forgive us for trying to be judge over you, and grant us the confident faith to acknowledge you as Lord." The Psalm Of The Day Psalm 37:3-10 (E) - The longer version of this psalm is intended to be sung at Morning Prayer, while this shorter selection is appointed as the responsory to the first reading in the celebration of the Eucharist. It is an exhortation to trust the Lord when one has reason to be jealous of ...

706. Proper 24

Luke 18:1-8, Psalm 121:1-8, Exodus 17:8-16, Genesis 32:22-32, Habakkuk 1:1-4, Habakkuk 2:2-20, 2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... same shape as his (last) personal copy of the Scriptures; it is just about worn out. But before I can become proud of the sad condition that my Bible is in from study and work, I have to remind myself that my grandfather's was a leather-bound, gold-edged version of the Bible, while my nearly worn out Bible is a paperback edition of the RSV of the Scriptures. When it comes to prayer life, and persistence in prayer, I know that I have nothing to be proud of; my prayer life doesn't begin to compare with his ...

707. The Season Of The Evangel

Matthew 2:1-12

Bulletin Aid

Wayne B. Keller

... -ship to the universality of the Good News for the world, which God created. Acts of Confession Consider this: Introduce the background to Psalm 72. Then, read it slowly and deliberately with much feeling, while the organist plays a musical version of the Psalm. People will hear the Scripture differently even with this slight addition. Following the reading of the Psalm, ask the people to respond with words of forgiveness and thanksgiving. Proclamation of the Word Consider this: Focus upon the gospel ...

708. Easter Sunday

John 20:1-9, John 20:10-18

Sermon Aid

Wayne B. Keller

... our decisions, that God may work through our mistakes. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration Consider this: Use the statement, "Keep alive the rumor that God is not dead!" Read the resurrection gospel from Mark, after which have the choir sing a version of "Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!" Then, with instruments playing in the background, have a good reader read, with much feeling, a poem which is printed on page fifty of a book titled, Celebration, by Clarence Joseph Rivers, published by Herder and Herder ...

709. Friendship with God

John 15:18--16:4

Sermon Aid

Wayne B. Keller

... rather have servants than be servants. Friendship involves servanthood. After the offering, pray this prayer: "We are mindful that you ask all from us, God; we are grateful that you give all to us." Charge to the Congregation Consider this: Use 2 Corinthians 13:10-11 in a contemporary version. Before reading that Scripture, you may want to introduce it with words similar to these: "To have a friend, you will need to be a friend; therefore, if you were someone else, would you like to be a friend of yours?"

710. Advent 4

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon Aid

Wayne B. Keller

... savior. She was "greatly troubled." She wondered what it was all about. And only later, even though she didn't fully understand, she agreed. "All right then, I am at the Lord's service. I want it to be just as you have said." (Luke 1:38, Cotton Patch Version) Proclamation of the Good News Consider this:God comes to us in a variety of ways for a variety of reasons. In the beginning, we often respond, "I can't (followed by our favorite excuses)." God keeps coming until we either say "yes," or "no." If we say ...

711. An Invitation to Rest

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon Aid

Wayne B. Keller

... , all of it; the future is open, all of it. People: We shall live with courage and with a deep compassion for people. Pastor: I invite us to give thanks and embrace our lives. People: Let's do! Amen! Let it be so! Follow with a contemporary version of "You are the Lord, Giver of Mercy." Message with the Children Suggestion: Invite the children to find, with you, a hidden place in the sanctuary. (You will need a microphone if you want all to hear.) Ahead of time, ask a couple of church members to bring ...

712. The Season of the Holy Spirit

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon Aid

Wayne B. Keller

... , Who Sit Enthroned in Glory" "The Friends of Christ Together" "O God, Whose Glory Shines Afar" Response to the Benediction: "Go Into All the World" III. Other Music Possibilities Music for Preparation: "Praise the Lord! You Heavens Adore Him" Response to the Confession: Contemporary Version of "You Are the Lord, Giver of Mercy" Response to the Children's Message: "We Are Jesus' People" Response to the Proclamation: "Praise the Lord Ye Heav'ns Adore Him" Response to the Benediction: "Go Into All the World"

713. The Season of the Nativity

John 1:1-18

Sermon Aid

Wayne B. Keller

Liturgical Color: White Theme: John's version of the Christmas story - The Word Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration Suggestion: Begin, In the Name of the Word, the Word made flesh, welcome to this Christmas celebration. God continues to present the Gift, we continue to receive, relieved of the Christmas rush. Continue with a litany of John 1 , ...

714. Christian Faith in the Holy Spirit

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Thomas Slavens

... recovered. From the first chapter of Genesis through the twenty-second chapter of the Revelation, the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit is mentioned. The older form, “Holy Ghost” means the same as “Holy Spirit,” just as a minister in 1611, when the King James Version was made, was called a “ghostly comforter.” In the Old Testament the word for “spirit” is the same as the word for breath or wind. The Spirit of God was thought of as a power which came upon people to make them strong. Thus the ...

715. Light for Uncertain Paths

Sermon

Thomas Slavens

... in life is to insure that a person is properly related to God. The Bible describes how we must live to do that. Many more people would read the Bible, but they feel that it is too difficult to understand. The words are unfamiliar. The newer versions of the Scriptures largely remove that barrier. Given an understandable, modern text of the Bible, how should it be read? It should be read honestly. The Bible is not a textbook on science, history or psychology. The Bible is the record of how God revealed ...

716. Breakfast on the Beach

John 21:1-14

Sermon

Steven Burt

... in the post-Resurrection stories to find that followers don’t recognize Jesus at first. Anyway, Jesus yells, “Children, have you any fish?” “Children” isn’t the best translation, and I prefer the way Dr. James Moffatt translates it in his Scottish version. He uses the word “lads.” I can just picture Jesus standing on the beach of Scotland’s Loch Ness in the chill morning mist, from which Dr. Moffatt has him call out in a brogue, “Lads. Lads, have you got anything?” The disciples ...

717. Two R-Rated Stories

John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

John M. Braaten

... of sin? "Certainly we knew that Lily looked different from all the other women of our congregation. She wore high-heels and lipstick; she was by far the prettiest woman we’d ever seen. ‘Woman of sin,’ what did it mean? "In our Illustrated King James Version of the Bible there was a picture on page 90 with the caption, ‘Woman of Sin anoints the feet of Jesus.’ We studied that picture looking for clues. There were five figures in the scene. The three men who stood in the background glaring furiously ...

718. Standing Up To Death

Romans 6:1-14, Psalm 90:1-17

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... them. The New Testament calls them people captured by sin. To use that word is to open a can of worms because there are always folk who want to particularize it and label this particular act sin and that particular act sin, resulting in a version of Christian life not unlike that childish game of walking the sidewalks, but not stepping on the cracks. The Bible, particularly the New Testament, has a more comprehensive understanding of the word. Paul reminds us that all have sinned and fallen short of God's ...

719. The African Foundations Of Christianity

Exodus 4:1-17

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... Hebraic texts, often dismiss Moses' marrying an Ethiopian woman as an anomaly or freak occurrence. Josef Ben Jochannan and others have suggested that African influences can be seen even in the Ten Commandments, which Jochannan believes were an abbreviated version of the Egyptian 147 Negative Confessions.10 Forty-two of the 147 Negative Confessions were derived from the Egyptian Coffin Texts centuries before Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. For example: Confessions 1 and 2 read as follows ...

720. Give Me A Break!

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Larry Goodpaster

... which we are called to shoulder with Christ. His yoke invites us to labors of love in his name and, for the sake of the gospel, calls us to right living. In my teenage years, one of the popular songs which filled our transistor radios and early versions of cassette players was one which told the story of a person walking down a long road. It was a road filled with turns and hills to climb. The personwas carrying another on his back. But, as the title put it (without benefit of adequate grammar), “he ...

721. When One Is Better Than Many

2 Kings 13:10-25

Sermon

Keith Hammer

... if we have the room. If it’s convenient to have two cars in the family or even one for each driver if there are more than two drivers, we find a way to purchase them. Even in our spiritual lives today, we can avail ourselves of a half-dozen versions of the Bible to be able to understand it better. After a while, you see, we become dependent upon having more than one choice or more than one option for almost every aspect of our lives. You have all received slick fliers which come in almost every bill you ...

722. Take Care Of Each Other!

Ezekiel 33:1-20

Sermon

Keith Hammer

... ? Jimmy could always take care of himself before. He brought you many things which you liked very much. When did you ever tell me I was supposed to be his babysitter?” I expect that many of you will recognize the story I have just told you as an updated version of a story you learned in Sunday school. It is the story of Cain and Abel and as such it is one of the oldest stories in the Bible. From the very beginning, we who share the Judeo-Christian faith have learned that we are responsible for one another ...

723. Nothing Is Impossible

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

... job. Bishop Richard Allen Wilderbrand, while speaking to a group of college students many years ago, gave this definition of faith. He said, “Faith is the belief in God, the belief in others and the belief in yourself until all traces of doubt vanish.” One version of the Bible translates the definition of faith as, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see… (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).” The sad commentary is that far too many of us subscribe to the presupposition that ...

724. Holy Unto The Lord

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

... holy; there is none beside thee, perfect in power, in love and purity.” The prophet Isaiah declared, the words of the seraphs, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory… (Isaiah 6:3 NIV).” Then we read another version of the same declaration, as the four living creatures kept saying night and day, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come… (Revelation 4:8 NIV).” All writers are seeking to declare the same message. Our God is ...

725. An Our Good Works And Generosity

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... are you and I now engaged in! Jesus still talks about giving alms in secret, so that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. There is much debate among biblical scholars about what he meant at this point, but I rather like Martin Luther's version of it. Luther claimed that Jesus urged the faithful not to inform the left hand what the right hand is doing when alms are given, because otherwise the left hand will try to take more away than the right hand gave.2 Is that not our way of dealing ...

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