Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 751 to 775 of 1185 results

751. Building a Lasting Legacy

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... are feeling bombarded by this whole emphasis. Either you were not around four years ago when it was first projected and planned or you have forgotten. Over the last five weeks you have begun to wonder what is all this about, when is all this going to cease, and how many more sermons are we going to hear? I tell you today, this is the last one. It reminds me about a computer glitch that happened in a Chicago company that sent out subscriptions to magazines. Because of the glitch, they sent 9,734 notices ...

752. A Very Present Help

Psalm 46:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... do. But I know he stilled the tempest, and calmed the angry sea. And I humbly ask if in his love, he’ll do the same for me. Then I just get quiet, and think on thoughts of peace. And as I abide in stillness, my restless murmurings cease. (Helen Steiner Rice) Be still. Be very still and know God. Know the ways of God today. Learn the difference between justice and revenge today. We received a call Friday from a friend of ours. Asad came to this country twenty-three years ago as a refugee from Afghanistan ...

753. We Believe in Life Everlasting

John 11:17-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... rings through all of nature, could there not be a resurrection for me? Sing with all the saints of glory, sing the resurrection song. Death and sorrow earth's dark story, to the former days belong. All around the clouds are breaking, soon the storms of life shall cease; In God's likeness we awaking know the everlasting peace. If God has the power to raise Christ from the dead, could he not also provide a resurrection for me? Just as 3 x 3 will always be 9, just as love is stronger than hate, just as ...

754. Singing With the Saints of Glory

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Sing with all the saints of glory, Sing the resurrection song. Death and sorrow, earth’s dark story, To the former days belong. All around the clouds are breaking, Soon the storms of time shall cease. In God’s likeness we awaking, Know the everlasting peace. Easter people have a song in their hearts that the world never gave. They have a peace it cannot take away. At least that’s the way the Apostle John perceived it as he unveils a glimpse of heaven for ...

755. Where Is He?

Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... the child we saw and recognized, and failed to recognize. The thing is, you see, I felt throughout a sense that all our journey was nothing at all, a single step in comparison to the distance and the proximity we met within that broken manger. Near and far ceased to exist. Everything and everywhere was present; present also in the sense of given, gifted once, for all, forever. We had not come to him, but he to us, and the birth that, as I said before, we really missed, took place anyway in us, in everything ...

756. The Power of a Single Life

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

My particular profession causes me to spend a lot of time in the cemetery. The messages on tombstones, especially in older cemeteries, never cease to fascinate me. Some are funny: “Here lies my wife, here let her lie, now she’s at peace and so am I.” Some are sad: “Here lies the body of a man who died; nobody mourned, nobody cried, how he lived, how he fared, nobody knows, nobody cared.” Some ...

757. Habakkuk: The Problem of Evil

Habakkuk 1:1-4

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... His book is tucked in the Old Testament between Nahum and Zephaniah, but the three chapters of Habakkuk have different material from other prophets of his time. Old Testament prophets were known as bold proclaimers of God's Word. They called for sin to cease and justice to reign, and people to repent. Habakkuk takes another approach. Instead of delivering God's message to the people, Habakkuk delivers the people's complaint to God. So the book opens with a troubling question: HOW LONG? How long, O Lord, how ...

758. Encountering Incomparable Riches

Ephesians 2:4-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... even admissible for a 60-year-old. Christian perfection according to Wesley is “living into the grace we have and believing grace to be sufficient for every need." We come into contact with this radical grace of God when we: - Pray without ceasing. - Study the Bible without prejudice. - Receive the Sacraments devotedly. - Fast from the things of the world regularly. - Align ourselves with some group that will hold us accountable. Grace—it's all about grace, folks. Are you feasting on the riches of God ...

759. Pray

Matthew 6:5-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... we breathe, nearer than our conscious selves. In our noisy, competitive, demanding world, could we not use some quiet contemplation with a God like that? God is in every breath we take. Breathe deeply and know God. IV. PRAYER IS CEASELESS AWARENESS “Pray without ceasing" (I Thessalonians 5:17). How can anyone do that? Even monks have to eat and sleep. Unlike monks, most of us are called to be in the world though not of the world. What if unceasing prayer were easier than we think? Author Barbara Bartocci ...

760. The Joyful Provider

John 2:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... to the wilderness of temptation but to a wedding at Cana of Galilee. I don't know about you, but I've had all the forced fasting my body can stand, and I have learned over the last year what it means to live by faith and “pray without ceasing." So these Lenten Sundays let's take a new look at Jesus as portrayed in the gospel of John. He's someone you need to know. Your life will be enriched by a powerful personal relationship with Jesus Christ. After all, Christianity is not primarily a religion, it is ...

761. The Resurrection and Life

John 11:32-44

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... he is concerned. He groans in spirit and is deeply troubled. Groan in Greek is embrimaomi and that translated means “indignation, to snort with anger like a horse, to rebuke sternly, to be painfully moved." When buildings are bombed, and wars won't cease, when children are abused and tsunamis sweep over the innocent, Jesus weeps; his heart is touched with our grief. St. Joseph Catholic Church sits directly across the street from the site of the Oklahoma City bombing. Less than a year after that tragic ...

762. Marketing or Disciplemaking?

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... don't have to tell you that. You experience that; you had to decide that today. The argument for your time is intense. There was a time in this country when Sundays were separated from the rest of the week by so-called “blue laws." Stores closed, work ceased, sports stopped, festivals ended for a day of worship and rest. I think one of my greatest mistakes in ministry was a public debate I entered with a pharmacist in a small Kentucky town over his decision to open his drug store on Sunday morning while I ...

763. Giving Our Gratitude

Philippians 4:10-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... ." Contentment comes through communion with God. Will you join me in ceaseless prayer, in intercessory prayer, in Wednesday night prayer? A large part of prayer is paying attention to God. I think I am beginning to understand what it means to “pray without ceasing." Do you understand that? I understand what it means to receive the prayers of others. Your intercessory prayers make a difference. I can be present. To offer our presence to another is one of the finest gifts we can ever give. To offer ...

764. Leave the Trouble in God's Hands

Luke 10:38-42

Illustration

... in God's hands. They followed his advice. The dean went to the church and rang the bells to announce the service. The French soldiers heard the church bells ring and concluded that the Austrian army had come to rescue the town. They broke camp, and before the bells had ceased ringing, vanished.

765. The Horror before the Blessing

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... these kinds of stories on us? A couple of years ago, the tsunami hit right after Christmas. Whatever the Christmas season means to us, it doesn't mean that we can switch off the bad news. The forces of evil do not lay down their arms for a cease fire just because we've turned the calendar to December. Not even the lectionary committee will give us a break. For the Sunday after Christmas, they assign us one of the most brutal stories in scripture. The birth of Jesus has been heralded in Joseph's dream. The ...

766. Ecological Politics

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... music of heaven, and the animals of earth dance around him with delight. Even the big people begin to hear transcendent melodies, and the night has become as friendly as dawn or daylight. Eventually the child tires, as all children do, and the cooing stops, the clapping ceases, and the animals slink away. But they are no longer predators, and the fear of both man and beast has vanished. All that is left is the child. And those who linger in awe know that there is a new center of gravity in the universe. I ...

767. Personal Politics

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... is no longer my equal; she is a slut or a witch or a bimbo. He has become a pariah or a jackass or a scoundrel. When my friend becomes my enemy, I feel the need to degrade him or her until they no longer deserve respect and have ceased to be bound with me by the rules of gentlemanly conduct or even the combat and prisoner of war stipulations of the Geneva Convention. Then I can blast them with excessive force and hit below the belt. After the tragedy of September 11, 2001, our nation experienced something ...

768. Pentecost ... Again!

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... getting more of it, or the threat of losing some of it, be the glue of a congregation. It betrays the fact that faith in money matters more than faith in God. To counter such an attack, Paul reminds the Corinthians (and every congregation for that matter) that they cease to be the church when they allow their life to be so corrupted. In the church it is not money or power or prestige that defines us. No. It is Jesus Christ who is Lord. It is his promising presence among us and our trust in that promise that ...

769. Getting Off the Merry-Go-Round

Romans 8:1-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... still hold on for dear life. "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do" (Romans 7:19). The power of our "flesh" also drives us in another direction. G. K. Chesterton once said something like this: "When people cease to believe in God, they don't believe in nothing; they will believe in anything." The old, sinful flesh would like us to believe that we can really be in charge of our own lives. We think in this supposedly enlightened age of ours that we don't need the ...

770. Looking Past Oneself

Luke 16:1-15

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

... through the glass of the window, you see others, but when you look into the glass of the mirror you see only yourself. The reason for this, "said the psychiatrist, "is that behind the glass in the mirror is a thin layer of silver. When silver is added, you cease to see others. You only see yourself." Whenever your devotion to money and material things causes you to be self centered, you in essence deny God's intention for your life. It is also a denial of the Christ, for Jesus came into the world so that we ...

771. Step By Step

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... nail polish, burps and other bodily functions, rolled eyes and crossed arms, messy rooms and sleep-overs. Love never fails. But where there are memories of thousands of diaper changes and painful labor(s), they will fade away. Where there is talking back, it will (eventually) cease. (Please, Lord?) Where there's a teenager who thinks he knows everything, there will one day be an adult who knows you did your best. For we know we fail our children, and we pray they don't end up in therapy, but when we get ...

772. Good and Mad

Luke 4:21-30

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... not irritable or resentful; [6] it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. [7] It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. [8] Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. [9] For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; [10] but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. [11] When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like ...

773. Sitting at the Big People Table

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... we are thankful, we live out God's intent for us. And when we are thankful, then we are being faithful II. Give Thanks In All Things We're also called to GIVE THANKS IN ALL THINGS. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Paul writes: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Now, I'll be honest, that's hard to do sometimes. But it IS possible. It just takes a thankful heart, a thankful spirit. One that recognizes that life and faith are ...

774. On Your Mark, Get Set . . .

Mark 13:1-8, 32-33

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... me. The whole nation was filled with excitement, anticipation and apprehension about the flights. These weren't just routine shuttle take launches reported briefly on the evening news. Every early flight was a national event. They were all televised. Regular programming ceased to be. The newscasters took over. Regular classes at school were forgotten. The teachers gathered all the students in front of a black-and-white television to watch the rocket launch and listen to the commentary. This was Buck Rogers ...

775. There Will Be Peace

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... been the hope and the prayer of the people called Christians. The testimony of Scriptures is that there will come a time when all of God’s children will come to the realization that, in Christ, we are all brothers and sisters. Artificial boundaries will cease to exist. We will all belong to one kingdom, the Kingdom of God. The early Christians did not bear arms. They believed that God would soon straighten out the world and that they should follow their Master’s example and lay down their lives for ...

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