Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 751 to 775 of 832 results

Mark 6:30-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... get into serious trouble. I read something recently that caught my attention. It was about the Dead Sea Scrolls. You’ve heard of those ancient scrolls, haven’t you? The Dead Sea Scrolls is a large collection of manuscripts . . . many of them copies of Old Testament books . . . which date back to the first century. Before these scrolls were discovered the earliest Old Testament manuscripts could only be dated back to the 10th century. In Biblical scholarship terms it was a hugely significant find. Do you ...

752. At the Intersection of Heaven and Earth

Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... it in with one look. How could we ever grasp the essential form and substance of this statue? Of course Origen could not imagine a world of drones that could fly overhead and take pictures of the giant statue. Origen’s imagined solution was to make a small copy of the giant statue to an exact scale but much reduced. Then humanity could see what the greater statue was like. Origen went on to say this is what God has done in Jesus Christ. He shows us what He himself is like within the bounds of our human ...

753. In the Light of His Glory

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

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. Les Parrott in his book Shoulda Coulda Woulda tells an old legend about three men. Each man carried two sacks--one sack tied in front of his neck and the other sack resting on his back. When the first man was asked what was in his sacks, he said, “In the sack on my back are all the good things friends and family have done for me. That way they’re hidden from view. In the front sack are all the bad things that have happened to me and all the mistakes I’ve made. Every now and then I stop, open the front ...

754. What Will We Do When He Is Gone?

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... directions of where to find the key. The envelope also contained John’s updated obituary for the local newspaper; suggestions for his funeral with specific requests for the songs he wanted played, the suit he wanted to wear, the casket he preferred, and a copy of the deed to a cemetery lot. John had also included a note for the family clarifying that these were simply his suggestions. If they so decided, they were free to make other arrangements. As one might anticipate, everything in that envelope was ...

755. Self-Inventory

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... the farm with a real estate broker who promptly prepared a sales advertisement. As one might expect, it emphasized all the farm’s advantages: ideal location, modern equipment, healthy stock, acres of fertile ground, etc. Before placing the ad in the newspaper, the realtor called the farmer and read the copy to him for his approval. When he had finished, the farmer cried out, "Hold everything! I've changed my mind. I am not going to sell. I've been looking for a place like that all my life."

756. Words on an Epitaph

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

As Copernicus, the great astronomer, was dying, a copy of his great book, The Revolution of the Heavenly Bodies, was placed in his hands. But it was not his brilliant work that was on his mind. Instead he directed that the following epitaph be placed on his grave at Frauenburg: "O Lord, the faith thou didst give to St. ...

757. One Hundred Percent

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... , 100 percent employee participation was needed; otherwise the plan was off. Sam's boss and his fellow workers pleaded and cajoled, but to no avail. Sam said the plan would never pay off. Finally the company president called Sam into his office. "Sam," he said, "here's a copy of the new pension plan and here's a pen. I want you to sign the papers. I'm sorry, but if you don't sign, you're fired. As of right now." Sam signed the papers immediately. "Now," said the president, "would you mind telling me why ...

758. Dolley's Courageous Rescue

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... of Washington streamed out of the city into Virginia. Even the militia assigned to protect the White House deserted their posts. But First Lady Dolley Madison refused to budge. Before the White House was burned, Dolley saved her husband's papers, a framed copy of the Declaration of Independence, and a valuable portrait of George Washington. She would leave only at the last minute—and returned as soon as Madison sent word that the British had left Washington. Dolley's dramatic rescue of George Washington's ...

759. Listen to the Angels

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... children’s sermon. Easter week, the bag went home with a little guy who spends many hours a week on church related activities. His parents and older brother are very active and so, in turn, is he. When the pastor opened his bag, there was a copy of Handel’s Messiah which, of course, was very appropriate for Easter Sunday. The pastor and the children had a lively discussion going on about the joy and happiness that music brings to the worship service. As he closed the little talk, the pastor said, “Yes ...

760. Grabbing the Bull by the Horns

Luke 9:11b-17

Sermon

King Duncan

In his book Soul Keeping, John Ortberg tells about riding a mechanical bull at a street fair. The bull operator explained that the bull had twelve levels of difficulty, and that Pastor Ortberg’s best bet for not getting bucked off was to shift his center of gravity to match the bull’s movements. Ortberg climbed up on this mechanical bull and he held on as tight as he could. The bull started to sway and buck, and Ortberg focused on moving his center of gravity with the swaying of the bull. He thought he was ...

761. Setting His Face Toward Jerusalem

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

King Duncan

I’ve got a question for you this morning, a quick opinion poll. How many of you believe that current technology makes certain tasks easier? For example, how many of you prefer a washing machine to a washboard when doing laundry? How many of you like keeping in touch with family and friends on Facebook or Instagram? But how many of you also believe that we can misuse technology in ways that the inventors of these various technologies did not even think about when they invented them? For example, there was ...

762. A Prayer to a Good, Good Father

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Pastor Tom Rietveld tells an interesting true story about prayer. He says that when he was pastoring in Missouri his church needed approximately $10,000 beyond what they were able to give to close out the year. And so, Pastor Rietveld asked the church family and their church leaders to pray for that amount, specifically—$10,000. Unexpectantly, a few weeks before the end of the year, a gift came in the mail. It was for several shares of stock worth $5,000. Pastor Rietveld put out the word that God had ...

763. Play Better Basketball

Illustration

Bruce Weber

One of the features of the annual NBA All-Star luncheon is the awarding of door prizes. At the 1966 luncheon, one of the prizes was a copy of Oscar Robertson’s book, Play Better Basketball. The winner? Wilt Chamberlain!

764. Get the Garbage Out!

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

For those of you who are parents or grandparents, I bet you remember your baby’s first words. Were you surprised by what those first words were? You spend the first six to nine months of your baby’s life just babbling at him and making all kinds of words and sounds. And one day, he or she suddenly responds! It’s a great feeling. Unless your baby’s first words are something unexpected. A parenting website asked parents to submit stories of the strangest first words their babies ever said. Laura Conaway from ...

765. Praying Hands

Luke 2:21-40

Children's Sermon

Edward G. Hunter

... But I want to talk this morning about another man who prayed a great deal, and was honored for his prayers by his friend drawing a picture of his hands folded in prayer. I have in my hands a famous statue (picture) called "Praying Hands." It is really a copy of a famous picture painted by Albrecht Durer who lived over 500 years ago in Germany. He painted many other pictures but this is his most famous. Albrecht was a part of a large family which was very poor, so Albrecht started to work at a very early age ...

766. An Invitation That Went Astray

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Series: Seeing God More Clearly in 2020 Anyone here ever been involved in planning a wedding? Have you ever noticed that there are so many details involved in planning a wedding that brides and grooms tend to get really stressed out in the weeks leading up to the big event? Bride-to-be Cassandra Warren was so hurried to get things done that she accidentally sent an invitation to her wedding to a wrong address. The wedding was to have a Star Wars theme and she was excited about it, but this one invitation ...

767. Aha! I See It Now!

John 1:29-42

Sermon

King Duncan

Series: Seeing God More Clearly in 2020 When was the last time you had an “Aha!” moment? A revelation? An epiphany? I don’t know what you might call it, but we’ve all had a before-and-after moment when a sudden insight, a moment of truth, changed our life. Simon Lovell was one man who had his life changed in such an Aha! moment. Simon was a professional con man. His most successful con was to convince some innocent person that he had a get-rich-quick scheme that couldn’t fail. Once his victim handed over a ...

768. Friday

John 18:1-11

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

It doesn’t matter how many times I read, listen to, or watch a biography of Abraham Lincoln I am always surprised and newly saddened that he’s shot and dies. I have no idea why. I simply, for some reason, expect the biography to end differently, for the president to not be shot, or if he’s shot not to die. Yet every time he is shot and of course he dies, I feel again the absoluteness: he is gone... forever. I stood at the open grave and buried my father; then 25 years later, at the open grave of my mother ...

769. Scandal

Matthew 16:21-28, Matthew 17:14-23, Matthew 20:17-19, Matthew 26:1-5

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... identity as the Son of the Father in his prophecies in John’s gospel). Enoch, the oldest known Jewish work, written in the 3rd century BCE after Exile but before the Maccabean revolt was found copiously in the Dead Sea Scrolls. At least 10 manuscript copies were found in the collection that was hidden in the mountains. While we can’t be sure whether these were documents from the destroyed Temple or whether they belonged to the desert group, the Essenes, we do know they had an eschatological flavor. We ...

770. Little Ones

Luke 18:15-17, Matthew 19:13-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . And Jesus’ greatest pleasure. The place for your children is here. In worship, in the presence of Jesus. For such is the kingdom of heaven. *The photograph for this sermon is used with permission and may not be used on any other site, nor copied, sold, or altered. Transgressors will be prosecuted. **See original tales at http://wackulus.com or http://www.denofgeek.com ***See www.metro.co.uk/2012. Based on the Story Lectionary Major Text Luke’s Witness to Jesus Blessing of Children (18:15-17) Matthew ...

771. Sparkle

Luke 4:31-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... 17) An Evil Spirit Torments Saul and He Tries to Kill David (1 Samuel 16:14-23; 18:6-16; 19:1-24) The Prayer of Nabonitus (The Mad King) --(This Aramaic text belongs to the famous Dead Sea scrolls: four scraps of parchment from Cave 4, usually called 4Q242, copied from an older original in the second half of the first century BCE and belongs in the midst of Daniel) Psalm 16: The Lord Will Not Abandon Me to the Realm of the Dead Psalm 91: The Lord Will Rescue You Psalm 106: They Turned from the Spirit of God ...

772. Translucent Grace

Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36, Revelation 1:9-20, Revelation 2:12-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the one who receives it. Image Exegesis: Translucent Grace “His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.” (John 28:3) “The stones of the wall will cry out.” (Habakkuk 2:11) “There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses.” (Joshua 8:32) “See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,' says the LORD Almighty, 'and I will remove the sin of this land ...

773. Wild Thing

Luke 4:31-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... 17) An Evil Spirit Torments Saul and He Tries to Kill David (1 Samuel 16:14-23; 18:6-16; 19:1-24) The Prayer of Nabonitus (The Mad King): This Aramaic text belongs to the famous Dead Sea Scrolls: four scraps of parchment from Cave 4, usually called 4Q242, copied from an older original in the second half of the first century BCE and belongs in the midst of Daniel) Psalm 16: The Lord Will Not Abandon Me to the Realm of the Dead Psalm 91: The Lord Will Rescue You Psalm 106: They Turned from the Spirit of God ...

774. The Flock Paradox

2 Samuel 5:1-5, Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20, Ezekiel 34:1-31, Jeremiah 33:1-26

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... find things we desire for ourselves as well! We like to have what others have. We like to do what others do. Some call it “keeping up with the Joneses.” Scientists call it the “flock syndrome.” It’s the crowd instinct we all have to imitate and copy. We all have two strong drives within us. One is to individuate, to be special, to self-affirm. The other is to imitate, to fit in, to conform. These often feed off of each other when it comes to the flock. Some scientists now realize that the flock ...

775. The Phrase We Never Want to Hear

John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

I have a brain-teaser for you this morning. What is the one phrase that nobody likes to hear, but everybody likes to say? The phrase is, “I told you so.” When someone doesn’t listen to us, they ignore our advice and get themselves in trouble, we are quick to say, “I told you so.” But we absolutely hate it when others are right, and they throw those words at us. I read of two amazing “I told you so” moments recently. In the 1970s, the mayor of Fudai, Japan, pushed through a plan to build a ridiculously ...

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