Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 726 to 750 of 4944 results

726. In the Darkness of Suspicion, There Is the Light of Devotion

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

It was a few days after Christmas. A mother was busy cleaning up the den, putting everything away, taking the Christmas tree down. Her son came in and saw her and said, “Mama, what are you doing?” She said, “I’m putting all our Christmas stuff away.” He asked in reply, “Why are you doing that?” She answered, “So everything will be back to normal again.” His response to that was, “Mama, I don’t want things to get back to normal again.” On this second Sunday after Christmas, we have the thought in our minds ...

727. It’s Humble or the Umbles

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

You know you’ve crossed into some new station in your life when you visit the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and realize as you are leaving that you completely skipped all the paintings. That’s right, the entire Renaissance wing just was not on the agenda. Suddenly it hits you: You are no longer a student, or a tourist, or an art lover. No, you are a parent of small, squirming children who need to see something big, and strong, and hard-hitting. So your museum tour was through the pyramids. Your ...

728. Jesus' No-Nonsense Guide to Being Rich

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

April Yamasaki

How would you like to be rich? The Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol has offered a $10,000,000 Prize. A recent email read, "Want a six-figure second income? Get rich now!" A local financial institution was giving away copies of the international bestseller by David Bach: The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich. Many of these offers go straight to my recycling bin or get automatically trashed by my spam filter. But The Automatic Millionaire -- in spite of its rather ...

729. Rain of Grace

Hosea 6:1--7:16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

[You may want to use the sound of rain….like you get from a rainstick; or if a rainy day, call attention to the sound of the rain outside.] The sound of rain. That steady, pattering on windows and spouting, sidewalks and cars. It can almost lull you to sleep. It’s a comforting sound. It’s almost a lullaby sound. If you’re a farmer or a gardener, you may keep rain barrels. Years ago, people would catch rain in buckets. Why? Because rainwater is gentle, free of chemicals, clean, and fresh. Plants and crops ...

730. The Loser

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

James Merritt

This TV show debuted nine years ago and it has fascinated millions in America for years. It is called “The Biggest Loser.” If you have never seen the show it is simply about people who are trying to win a grand prize of a quarter of a million dollars by losing the highest percentage of body weight relative to their initial weight in a certain period of time. Those of you who have watched the show may know this name, Michael Ventrella. If you don’t, he is the biggest loser on the Biggest Loser. This 30-year ...

731. Who's Number One?

Exodus 20:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

9/11 - All of us know that date. Because of that date, another cabinet level department was created to serve the President of the United States - Department of Homeland Security. Note the keyword in that department which is home. The greatest way to protect the homeland is to protect the homes in that land. That is why I am beginning a series of messages I am entitling "Homeland Security." We are going to be dealing with the Ten Commandments, because the greatest way to protect our homes is to teach our ...

732. Lent 2

Mk 8:31-38 · Rom 4:13-25; 8:31-39 · Gen 17:1-7, 15-16; 22:1-18 · Ps 22

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 God establishes his covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Like the covenant with Noah, it is an eternal covenant. Unlike that covenant, the beneficiaries of this covenant are Abraham's descendants exclusively. God promises to multiply his progeny so that nations and kings come from his line. As a result of this new relationship, the names of Abram and his wife, Sarai, are changed to Abraham and Sarah. Abraham means "the divine father is exalted." Sarah ...

733. Singing The Song Of Christmas

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

A farmer who lived on the Great Plains had never traveled to a city of any size, but one day a church choir trip allowed him to do just that. When he got home, his wife asked him what he saw and what he learned. He told her all about it, including the fact that their group had attended church on Sunday in a large congregation which has a really big choir. "They sang an anthem," he told her. "What is an anthem?" she asked. "Well," he replied, "you know we sing hymns here at home. If I were to say to you, ' ...

734. Look Ma, No Hands

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Jesus charged the disciples to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals and only one tunic. Not even a change of clothes. When I preached this text before, I ended up preaching a sermon about St. Francis, because this is what Francis used as the first rule for his order, the Franciscans. He just took the words of Jesus' instruction to his disciples on their first missionary journey, and said, we will do this. There would be other rules ...

735. The Surety of Security

Jude 1:1-2

Sermon

James Merritt

The summer after I graduated from high school, I worked in a carpet factory. I met a very interesting man who, at one time, was a professional boxer. We got to talking about boxing and he said, "Do you know the two biggest mistakes boxers make?" I said, "No, what?" He said, "Number one: telegraphing their punches; and number two: failing to keep their guard up." The theme of the book of Jude is "Keeping Your Guard Up." This is the third smallest book in the New Testament, but it illustrates the truth that ...

736. Stone Testaments

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Mark the milestones in your life journey. [Note: This is an interactive, experiential, participatory sermon. You will need to arrange ahead of time for a flower or stone for every person, which is given to them with their bulletins. And you will need a musician, preferably a cellist, who will be a secret partner with you for this experience. The fewer the people who know what you are going to do, the better. The element of surprise is key to the narrative.] Have you ever had this experience? You arrive ...

737. Judah and Tamar

Genesis 38:1-30

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Judah and Tamar: The account of Judah and Tamar is set as an interlude in the Joseph narrative. It adds to the suspense of the Joseph story, as the reader wonders what is going to happen to Joseph. The action takes place in four scenes: the failure of Judah’s sons to have an heir (vv. 1–11), Judah’s relationship with a supposed prostitute (vv. 12–23), Tamar’s vindication (vv. 24–26), and Tamar’s bearing twins (vv. 27–30). Although this account appears to interrupt the long, closely knit Joseph narrative, ...

738. Can It Be Sin to Be Shy?

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a wonderful story from long ago about a man in Maine named Ike who was exceedingly shy. Ike fell in love with a beautiful young maiden named Anna. Anna seemed to Ike to be too wonderful for him to ever ask her to be his wife. So, he went on loving her in silence for ten years. He remained single, as did she. During this time, he built a fine house, with a barn and outbuildings, and a beautiful rock garden. Still, though he was very much in love with her, he hadn’t yet dared to propose. Finally, ...

739. Ready for the Big Date?

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

A young woman busied herself getting ready for a blind date. She was to have dinner at an exclusive restaurant with live music and dancing. She was excited. She went out to have her hair done, spent time getting her makeup just right, put on her best dress and was ready for her date’s arrival. However, his expected arrival time came and went. After waiting an hour, she decided she had been stood up. Disheartened, she took off her dress, let down her hair, put on her pajamas, gathered a box of chocolates ...

740. Caiaphas and Pilate

Drama

Jon Joyce

Setting The balcony of the Herodian Palace at Jerusalem overlooking the city. A coffee table or cocktail table covered with a linen cloth holds a silver dish of fresh fruit - grapes, olives, your choice. There is a small bowl of fresh flowers in the center of the table. Stage right of the table there is a chair befitting the position of Pontius Pilate; it may be an overstuffed chair, a chancel chair as found in some liturgical churches, or another highbacked chair covered with gold or violet cloth. Stage ...

741. Resurrection: From Burn-Out to New Vision

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

Elijah’s feet pounded on the trail. His legs stretched out to cover the miles. He outran the king’s chariot. He outran the wind blowing up the storm-clouds overhead. Strength to run like this after the day he had been through was a gift from God. God had been giving him strength like that all along; strength that had always amazed him. There had been the strength to tell King Ahab that he was a fool and a blasphemer. There had been the strength to prophesy that there would be no more rain until Israel ...

742. Getting Your Politics Right

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

I grew up with the myth, universally absorbed but rarely argued for except by extremists with bad manners, that whites were superior. Exceptions were acknowledged, but only as exceptions that did not change the rule. Racism was one of the unspoken beliefs of my childhood culture before the Civil Rights movement rose up to challenge the great lie with the potent rhetoric of our founding documents, as in The Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal ...

743. The Door Is Always Open

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

James Merritt

He was a rebel, a college drop-out, a carouser, and a partier. He smoked, he drank Johnnie-Walker, he was a brawler, and had more run-ins with the law than you would care to count. By his own admission, he was the quintessential prodigal son. But now he stands to succeed the most respected, admired, and perhaps famous American of the Twentieth Century Billy Graham. His name is Franklin Graham. Today Franklin Graham not only has a tremendous benevolent ministry called The Samaritan Purse, and has met needs ...

744. Let's Get Ready to Rumble

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

James Merritt

During one of the darkest periods of World War II, after the collapse of France and before America got involved, Winston Churchill wrote that the question in the minds of both friends and foes was this: "Will Britain surrender too?" At the time he made a speech that contained this sentence: "What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization." If you are a Christian you, too, are in ...

745. We Are At War

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

James Merritt

746. Back to Real Life

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s hard not to feel a little let down after Christmas. A few days after Christmas one year Presbyterian pastor Jon M. Walton was noticing that all the Christmas decorations at one of the local pharmacies had been removed. These decorations already had been replaced with Valentine’s Day trinkets and cards. Red boxes of candy, teddy bears with big hearts on them, red candles for romantic lighting. The clerk behind the counter was complaining to another of her co‑workers, “I hate Valentine’s Day,” she said ...

747. On the Ropes: Round 3 - Defending God

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Sermon

James Merritt

It is a man that I have never heard of before until I came across his name preparing this final message in Habakkuk. You would know him very well if you were a devote Anglican or if you knew very much about South Africa. He was the founder of the South African Mission Society. An Englishman, he felt the call of God to go to an unreached tribe in one of the most remote parts of the world to preach the Gospel in the middle of the 19th Century. Alan Gardiner set sail in 1851 with five other missionaries. ...

748. What Do You See?

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

James Merritt

A businessman was returning to the U.S. from Asia and had a connecting flight in Iran. After deboarding the plane he stopped by the bathroom. After washing his hands he looked down to realize his bag had been stolen. That is a problem for anyone, but for him it was a disaster, because his wallet and passport were in it. He rushed out into the terminal to see if he could spot someone running away, but he found no one. He was relieved that at least he was traveling with a co-worker, but his supposed friend ...

749. “The King Rejoices in Your Strength, Lord”

Psalm 21:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: God’s overpowering strength plus his overpowering love not only saves us but provides a life of joy. Understanding the Text This psalm belongs to the broad genre of royal psalms. Like Psalm 20, Craigie calls it a royal liturgy,[1] which suggests that it was used in worship. It is as if we are standing outside the temple and hearing the voices of worship, and we have a vague idea of what is going on inside the building as we try to picture the action in our mind’s eye. The question that the form ...

750. A Winning Life

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

If you could win an Olympic medal, which would you prefer the silver or the bronze? The answer appears obvious, doesn’t it? The silver is for second place; the bronze is for third. Or is it as simple as it sounds? Kent Crockett, in his book I Once Was Blind but Now I Squint tells about a surprising study of Olympic medal winners. You would assume that the silver medal winners would be happier than the bronze medalists since they received a higher honor, but that isn’t always the case. The bronze medalists ...

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