Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 751 to 775 of 4943 results

751. The Blind Guiding The Blind

Psalm 92:1-15, Luke 6:46-49, 1 Corinthians 15:35-58, Isaiah 55:1-13, Luke 6:37-42

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... a blind leader or teacher. The second carries forward somewhat the same theme by speaking about an impediment in the eye that keeps one from seeing clearly. The next two shift the nature of the image to a productive tree and a house on a solid foundation. They continue the theme of the character of the disciple who follows Jesus. Thus you can find a unity in the four parables or sayings. They all treat the issue of the character of one who wants to be a disciple or follower of Jesus. CONTEXT Context of the ...

752. Weather Signs

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... the place where they are living. A. The Kingdom Inaugurated. Christ announced the presence of the kingdom of God. B. The Kingdom Present in Part. While the kingdom is present, it is not completely fulfilled. It is still coming. C. Working in the Kingdom. A continuing task until the hope for its fulfillment is realized. Christians are in part bearers of the kingdom when they live in faithfulness. 6. A Warning Against Hypocrisy. (v. 56) A. Hypocrisy is Fraud. It is pretending to be what a person is not. The ...

753. Proper 20

Psalm 79:1-13, 1 Timothy 2:1-15, Jeremiah 8:4--9:26, Luke 16:1-15

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... in turn leads to the teachings about the proper management of wealth in Luke 16:9-13. As we look ahead to the next lesson on a parable, the story is told of the reversal of values between the rich man and the poor beggar Lazarus. That parable continues the teachings on the proper attitude toward and use of wealth. These parables all also have an eschatological turn to them, either by the joy in heaven, the place in the eternal home, or the separation of the rich and poor men in the afterlife. Context of ...

754. Proper 25

Psalm 65:1-13, Luke 18:9-14, Joel 2:28-32, 2 Timothy 4:9-18, 2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... two men praying is more concerned with who trusts in God's grace rather than their own merit for their righteousness, it is the prayers of the two men that show their attitudes and God's response. So the theme of the proper way to pray continues in this parable. Context of the Lectionary The First Lesson. (Joel 2:23-32) The Israelite people had experienced hard times. They had apparently had the crops destroyed by swarming locusts. The rains may also have failed. Now Joel, speaking for the Lord, assures the ...

755. Breaking The Tabboo

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... is recognizing that fact through her simple gift. What makes her example so troubling is that she is willing to recognize what the rest of us resist doing. She completely trusts God with her life, her whole life, not just a percentage of it. Such trust continually escapes us. We live in a much different world. We live in a world in the grips of the great taboo. We live in a world that is forbidden to question or challenge the great taboo. To challenge this taboo is to question the most basic assumption ...

756. Seeds And The Kingdom

Mark 4:30-34, Mark 4:26-29

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... be the least likely choice. Saul anointed David as his choice to be the next king. The Second Lesson. (2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 14-17) Paul would prefer to be free from the limitations of the flesh and to be fully at home with his Lord. Nevertheless he had continuing work to do so he looks at his course from Christ's point of view rather than from the human perspective. Just as Samuel looked at the choice of a king from God's way of evaluating him, Paul looks at the world from the whole new creation which God ...

757. Week Four Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... by swimming. More importantly, the river is a great source of life. The river flows out from the temple of the Lord, the source of life. Wherever the river flows life abounds. The fresh waters of the river provide a place for the fruit trees to blossom on a continuous basis. The fruit of these trees can be used for medicine. In the Gospel we also hear about the power of water. The Sheep Pool was believed by the Jews to have the ability to heal the sick. The belief was so strong in the community that people ...

758. Week One Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... almost caused the vessel to sink. Newton, who although baptized had never practiced Christianity, saw in his survival the sign that he needed to turn his life around. He began to attend Episcopal services, but he still was not converted. His life with the sea continued in a new and more cruel way as he became the captain of a slave trading vessel. For six years Newton ferried slaves from Africa to the American continent. Over time he became horrified at the whole slave concept and later in life campaigned ...

759. The Witness Of Caiaphas The High Priest

Drama

Dann J. Ettner

... heaven and earth, inYour divine goodness You sent Your Son to be our Savior. C: Without Jesus we are a people who are perishing in oursins. P: With Christ we have been saved from our sins and have thegift of eternal life. C: We pray that you would continue to strengthen us in ourfaith as we look to all the witnesses of Jesus' saving word, evenwhen some of those witnesses happened to be enemies of our Lord. P. We pray this through Your Son, Jesus Christ, who reignswith You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now ...

760. When Life Doesn't Go According To Plan

Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... told Joe they could not see one another. His father explained that his new wife had not known about Joe's existence until he showed up on the doorstep. She was very angry. It was causing problems with his other children. The wife told Joe's father he could not continue to see this lost son if he expected to keep his happy home. He hated to do it, but he felt he had no choice. Abraham finds himself in that same spot. He cares about both his sons as well as his wife Sarah. It becomes increasingly obvious that ...

761. When The Saints Come Marching In

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... us toward a different truth, one in which there will be no more hunger or thirst, and where the One who is seated on the throne shall become our shelter, John declares, "This is what God expects!" You see, from John's perspective, God's expectations are continually trying to break through and reclaim our own. In a recent sermon on this passage, I think Thomas Troeger makes precisely this point in a rather creative fashion.5 What he does is to invite the listener to imagine that you are on a trip and have ...

762. Life's Loose Threads and The Tie That Binds

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... are first weaned from the person of Moses in order to walk with the Almighty themselves. Obviously, it would do little good if the one who has tried to teach Israel to rely upon the Lord were, in fact, to deny them that opportunity by his continued presence. More than anything else, Moses stays behind so that his words may be sent ahead. Murray Baumgarten, I think, expresses it best: Moses, the stutterer, allows the Hebrews to become Jews by encouraging them to tell their own story.4 And when everything is ...

763. Be Ready!

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Phyllis Faaborg Wolk

... , or when you encourage someone else in their dreams, Christ is there. Jesus comes! And as we wait for the second coming of Christ, a new world emerges right in our own congregation, right in our own community. As we wait, we begin to realize that Christ has come, and continues to come to us every day. He is not yet here in all his fullness, but Jesus is, in fact, here, helping us to dream, to wait, to prepare, to work for justice. So be ready! Do acts of justice! The bridegroom, in all his glory, is on his ...

764. Signs Of Christ's Return

Matthew 24:1-35

Sermon

Phyllis Faaborg Wolk

... mother under the door frame of their bedroom. "You're doing the right thing, Tommy; stay right where you are," he said. It was difficult not to run. As he sat clutching his knees to his chest, he heard dishes shattering in the kitchen, and continued to feel the rumble beneath him for what seemed an eternity. The next days and weeks carried much uncertainty and fear for ten-year-old Tommy. There were fires, broken water mains, no electricity or phone service, homeless people populating the streets and the ...

765. Thistles Among The Wheat

Genesis 28:10-22, Psalm 139:1-24, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, Romans 8:12-25

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... and working to avoid environmental degradation? Or is it the church's task only to preach the gospel and seek the conversion of persons, and to leave the problems of society to other agencies? Is social change a hopeless endeavor since evil and sin will continue to exist along with the good in history? 5. Heresy and Dissent. What is the role of heresy and dissent in clarifying truth? Have not the disagreements of the past helped the church to arrive at a better understanding of Christian doctrine? How do we ...

766. Wicked Tenants

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... characterized by their ferocity. If the values were not so important they would not arouse people so. Those who stand for values of ultimate worth and meaning should not be surprised if martyrdom is the consequence. It has been so in the past and continues to be so. 4. Constant Reformation. When an institution gets so bad, it either must be reformed or it will be destroyed and replaced. The passing of the gospel from a Jewish exclusiveness to a Christian inclusiveness and universality is one example of the ...

767. Christ the King

Psalm 100:1-5, Ezekiel 34:1-31, Ephesians 1:15-23, Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... in the preparation for the passion of Jesus. It reaches a climax in the crucifixion which has the supposedly ironic tag of Jesus as the King of the Jews. The year moves on through the resurrection and ascension events. Then comes Pentecost with the continuation of Jesus' ministry through the founding and establishing of the church. The kingship of Christ is affirmed in the church's confession that Jesus is Lord. The year comes to an end by portraying the outcome of human history in a final judgment. The ...

768. Country Songs and Easter Hymns

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Thomas Long

... at the "end of the earth" so to speak, and then, in the power of the Spirit he entered the city to perform his great work of redemption. Now the church, in his name, must be tested in the city, so that in the power of the Spirit, it may continue Jesus' work of redemption to the ends of the earth. For Luke, the city is, of course, Jerusalem, but it is also every place where Christians keep their eyes open to learn the ways of God in the world, where they discern their identity before asserting it, where they ...

769. Behold The Man Who Took The Victory

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... today! During one Easter season a man walked down a street and passed by a window where there was the scene of the crucifixion. A little boy was standing there looking at it. He said to the man, "Those are Roman soldiers." The man made no reply. The boy continued, "And there's Jesus." The man said nothing. The boy then said, "They killed him." The man still did not reply. He turned to walk away, but the boy grabbed his sleeve and said, "Mister, I forgot to tell you the best part. He's alive again." That is ...

770. Prayers for Memorial Day, Election, Thanksgiving

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

... still speak of peace, but we don't know how to make it last. We are proud of the men and women of our armed forces who have fought with such skill and bravery. We are humbled when we consider those who have been wounded, or killed, that we might continue to enjoy our freedom and our democratic way of life. We are chagrined that for two centuries we fought and failed to establish an enduring peace. Our world neighbors, who yearn for the end of war, have also failed to find peace. O God, in spite of our world ...

771. U-Turns Permitted

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Rodney Thomas Smothe

... with a neighbor said to me, "This is the first time I've attended an Ash Wednesday service. I feel relieved from a burden that I have been worrying about for many years. Not until tonight did I understand that God really does not wish for me to continue to carry that burden in my life. I feel like I can make a fresh start." What about you? Is there something in your life that has you going in the wrong direction? Have you resisted the instructions to turn around? Have you just simply said to yourself ...

772. The Suffering Servant

Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Sermon

Rodney Thomas Smothe

... to place ourselves in the crowd like those women and men who believed in Jesus and yet stood by unable to make a difference in the events that led to his crucifixion and death. Perhaps the real impact of the message of Good Friday speaks to us today as we continue to stand in the crowd and deny him for fear that we will become known as one of his followers. When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema ...

773. Dad, Does God Play Football?

Drama

Karren Boehr

... First down! Okay, keep your heads now, keep your heads! SON: Dad, I've been wondering ... how does a person get to heaven? A bunch of us were talking at noon break, and someone said everyone goes to heaven when they die. Is that right? FATHER: (Nervously continues to munch popcorn as he stares at the screen) Ah, sure ... something like that. Wow! Look at that! Boy, does that wide receiver have legs. (Excitedly) Go, go, go! First down! All right! (Keeps eye on screen) Remind me to throw you a few balls later ...

774. Is Christ In The Manger?

Drama

Karren Boehr

... Christmas, four long sheets of paper for lists, coffee table full of papers, decorations, pencil and so on (Spotlight on) MOTHER: (Acting very busy at coffee table) Okay, everyone, I've finished your lists. (Hands each member of the family a long sheet of paper, continues to shuffle things around on the table) GIRL: (Puzzled) A list? What's this for? BOY: (Reading list) Set up Christmas tree in new stand, string lights on porch railing, put Santa on top of chimney ... paint him first. I'm supposed to do all ...

775. The Church

Acts 6:8-15, Acts 6:1-7

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... 'm not here. PETE: Maybe you've had some experience with this problem before, Guy? GUY: Let's just say it's nothing new. PETE: Well, If you have anything to say, feel free to enter right in. We were just reviewing some of our ideas. Martha, will you continue? MARTHA: Jim's idea was next. He wanted to increase our efforts with the annual pledges of money. JIM: I think if it's presented right the people will accept it. And I don't mean a hard-sell campaign. You can tell people about needs without forcing them ...

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