Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 751 to 775 of 1230 results

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... take a long time to recite because in his long, slow language a person's name has to tell the person's story, and those who have lived a long time have very long names indeed. It's not just individuals, but groups that have names as well, and ideally their name should say something about them. Many of us are proud to call ourselves Americans, for instance, but I wonder how many of us really know that much about Amerigo Vespucci. He was the map maker who named a continent after himself. In the end, I suspect ...

752. Preaching God's Reformation

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... important to recognize that he became a giant in the way he conducted himself. Jeremiah reached heights of personal religion, moral judgment, and spiritual understanding never before attained by any other prophet. If Zephaniah and Nahum do not always inspire us with lofty idealism and rich spirituality, and if Habakkuk does not reach a solution of his problem but stops with a great, unproven assertion of faith, still the seventh century B.C.E. is redeemed by the exalted preaching of Jeremiah. To him, as to ...

753. Love Finds a Way

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... “Singer” parts can be played by upper-elementary school children. The play incorporates music into the story line, and all cast members will sing within the play. An offstage choir can supplement the singing, if desired. The play also requires a guitar player. Ideally, the actor playing the part of Gruber would also be a guitarist. But, if that’s not possible, he can pretend to play while a real guitarist performs offstage. One of several “play rehearsal” plays in this volume, “Love Finds A Way ...

754. It Wasn’t The Hilton, You Know

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... Cardboard star Baby doll Baby blanket Notes This play about doing a play drives home the central message of this volume — that the trappings of the Christmas holiday, including those of the church Christmas play or pageant, often are allowed to outweigh the message. Ideal for small Sunday schools, the play has only eleven speaking parts, as all the children are actors in the play-within-a-play. The Director and Assistant Director should be played by adults or older youth. The balance of the parts can be ...

755. If We Do It, It Will Work

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... . Other than the two leads, roles in this play have few lines with no big words, making this an excellent play for younger children. Gabriel and Michael should be played by youth or adults. “God,” who is heard, but never seen in the play, ideally should be voiced by an adult. The play calls for one “lighting effect,” a pinpoint spot to symbolize the star. If theatrical lighting is not available, a similar effect can be achieved by dimming the sanctuary lights, and placing someone in the front row ...

756. Living In The Spirit Of Peace

Galatians 5:22-25, Colossians 3:14-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... popularity. Not peace but superiority. Not peace but plenty. Not peace but a place in society. A lot of people are only seeking outward signs of peace. They are only interested in an outward appearance. They're not really seeking the Biblical model or Biblical Ideal of Peace. II. Shalom A. This second understanding of Peace, this second usage is the one I really want to look at because it's related to the Hebrew word, Shalom. Shalom is more than physical peace. Shalom is wholeness, oneness, it is peace of ...

757. Altar Your Service

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... story of the matriarchs, one upper-crust and the other working class, whose families are being torn apart by greed and scandal. Wealthy socialite Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates) and her dear friend Alice Pratt (Alfre Woodard), a working class woman of high ideals have enjoyed a lasting friendship throughout many years. Suddenly, their lives become mired in turmoil because of their children. Alice, who owns her own restaurant, is a woman who has Servant Eyes. She sees beyond a person's outer demeanor and ...

758. Rahab: Seven Minutes To Midnight

Joshua 6:15-25

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... know you're probably thinking to yourself, now, why would the spies stop at the house of Rahab, especially knowing her profession? First, It was a good place to gather information and have no questions asked in return. Second, Rahab's house was in an ideal location for a quick escape because it was built into the city wall, which wasn't uncommon, The walls were usually two sets of walls about 12 feet apart. The space between was usually filled with dirt and rock. But they also built storerooms, watch rooms ...

759. Conflict Resolution (Series: Fundamentals of Family)

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... was that of a mother whose daughter had been mugged on Main Street. — Sometimes we need to get things in perspective. It will be a happier day in our families when we stop demanding perfection of those we love. You did not marry your idealized woman or man. You married a flawed human being. Your children are not angels and parents are not perfect. We all have our quirks. We squeeze the toothpaste differently, have different tolerance levels of messiness around the house, and hold varied notions of a good ...

760. Cast All Your Anxiety on Him

1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... to give your children wisdom and they haven't taken it, don't be too hard on yourself. If God had trouble handling children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you? (1) Today is Mother's Day. A day we celebrate the Christian ideal of Mothers and the ChristianHome. I gave up doing long flowery sermons about the virtues of motherhood a long time ago. When I was young and naive, I hoped all other families were like Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best and Leave It To Beaver. But in reality ...

761. How Do You Know My Name?

John 10:1-21

Illustration

John R. Claypool

... a mystery to us mortals, and at the same time, let us never forget we're made in the image of that extraordinary love. And doing what Jesus did in loving each one he ever met as if there were none other in all the world is at least an ideal toward which we can reach even if it always remains utterly beyond our complete grasp.

762. Fingerprints and Lovemarks

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... on-the-edgers, these in the margins and peripherals, together into a new “oneness”? It is not unity of cultures. It is not unity of liturgies and prayers. It is not a unity of theological systems or philosophical schemas. It is not a unity of ideas or ideals. So what kind of “unity” is it? The “oneness” that Jesus prayed for is a oneness of heart and a oneness of love that I call LoveMarks. Oneness for Jesus is a LoveMark of hearts that have experienced the truth that God sent the Son into the ...

763. More Than We Are - Graduation

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... there: we want to be more than we are I’m glad we’re that way. It adds so much spice to life. That person who is dead to desire, dull in perception, insensitive to mystery, that person is not very much alive. No vision and you perish; No ideal, and you’re lost; Your heart must ever cherish Some faith at any cost. Some hope, some dream to cling to, Some rainbow in the sky, Some melody to sing to, Some service that is high. .Harriet due Autermont, Masterpieces p.306 God has set eternity in our hearts ...

764. More Than We Are

1 John 2:28--3:10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... they are; and we are used in a significant, sometimes earth-shattering way. Do I hear you say, “I can’t live the Christian life.” You are right! “I can’t meet all the demands of the Gospel.” You are right! “I can’t begin to approach the ethical ideals of the Sermon on the Mount.” You are right! “When I consider Jesus and hear His call to a selfless dedication, I know that it is too much for me. I can’t do it.” You are right! Ah, here is the glory of the gospel: Ordinary persons like ...

765. Assurance: The Privilage of All Believers

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... task, and what a commitment on the part of a mother. In 1725, having been nurtured by his mother, and also by his father, Samuel, who was also a Priest in the Church of England, Wesley, while a student at Oxford University, had a conversion to the “ideal of holy living.” We’re going to come back to that conversation later because it played a significant role in Wesley’s life. There are few examples in history of a more disciplined religious person rising at four in the morning to read his Greek New ...

766. Let God Be God - As if It Could Be Otherwise

Exodus 7:14-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , and that’s the reason we’re giving specific focus to God today. With tongue in cheek, a poet expressed sort of where we are today or where some of us are. Of old our fathers’ God was real Something they almost saw That kept them to stern ideal And scourged them into awe They walked the narrow paths of right Most vigilantly well Because they feared eternal night And the burning depths of hell Now hell has holy boiled away And God become a shade There is no room for him to live In all the world ...

767. Updating Some Ancient Laws

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , but we don’t have time to deal with them. I believe with Elton Trueblood that neither of those, profanity or using the name of God to fortify a lie – neither is as bad as giving lip service to God - saying we believe in Him, that we accept the ideals of his kingdom, but we don’t take him seriously. This is really a form of atheism. We are atheists in practice, though we may be Christian in profession. We’re atheists in practice because we live much of our lives as though God did not matter. If you ...

768. Exit and Entrance

Galatians 4:21-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... is a freedom that belongs to all persons because they’re human beings. The Declaration of Independence says that freedom is from God and endows us with certain inalienable rights. The United Nations has made a “declaration of human rights” that expresses a basic ideal of freedom for all people. So, there is a liberty that is our birthright, but there is also a level of freedom that is uniquely Christian – the internal freedom of the spirit that enables us to live with dignity and meaning even in the ...

769. The Perspective of Longevity

Luke 7:11-17

Illustration

George Bass

... things (life, love, memory, the existence of the universe, the infield fly rule), remains a mystery. But many gerontologists believe that, absent disease or imprudent living, an individual ages according to his or her genetically controlled ‘clock.' A scientist says that, ideally, we should live fairly healthily and then go ‘poof' rather than go into slow decline or a nursing home." Will says that "longevity is a triumph of the spirit" and not just of physiology; Ward "was picking up steam - and stumps ...

770. The World Is Our Parish

John 3:16-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... away anymore. We are an intertwined community. The time has come where we must learn to live together as brothers and sisters around the world, or we will perish apart as fools. There may have been a time when we could talk about love as some sort of high idealism, but I say to you today, it is severe reality in order for us to survive. Let us be encouraged that at least in part, we are fighting this war by dropping bread as well as bombs. Let us be encouraged. Let us support humanitarian efforts, even in ...

771. When It's Time to Wait

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... feels the intangible. Hope achieves the impossible. People of hope have discovered the vast difference between waiting and marking time. Have you discovered the difference? Do you know the difference between just taking up space on earth and living for a great spiritual ideal? Simeon waited with purpose and you can, too. II. SIMEON WAITED WITH PATIENCE When Estee Lauder started her perfume business she had to persuade a cosmetic buyer to place her product in stores. So at 9:00 a.m. one morning Ms. Lauder ...

772. We Hold These Truths To Be Essential

1 Peter 3:8-16

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... Wesleyan in our theology. It has been said that he never had an original idea in his life. At best, he was a folk theologian popular among the common people. He would rather synthesize than ostracize any day. He promoted and was criticized for the high idealisms of Christian perfection. But, however you want to explain it, all that we believe today in this far removed congregation, is the lengthened shadow of an 18th Century priest of the Church of England by the name of John Wesley. He gave us a number of ...

773. Finding Answers to Family Feuds

Genesis 25: 21-34

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of the family. It meant that simply because of the timing of your birth, you were placed in a position of honor and given an automatic blessing. It also meant that you were the spiritual leader of the clan. You were the shaper of ideas and ideals. You set the standards and the morals for others. A birthright was a blessing to be deeply desired, cherished highly, waited for patiently. In this kind of setting a feud between brothers emerges. Of course, God does not always play according to our cultural rules ...

774. What Would Jesus Say About the Marginalized?

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... 900 passages in the Bible reminding Christians not to forget, ignore, nor persecute the marginalized. Within the lifetime of many of us here today, a modern prophet by the name of Martin Luther King, Jr. called on America to stand up for the ideals of our founders who dared to believe. “All people are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness." “The hour is late," said Martin, “the clock of destiny is ticking ...

775. Encountering Incomparable Riches

Ephesians 2:4-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. The Bible is explicit on this subject — Sin kills us. We Are Estranged From God. Adam and Eve hide in the Garden. The last person they want to see is God coming to visit them. We Have Deserted Our Ideals. “There are no sadder words of tongue or pen, than those which say ‘I might have been.'" We Have Lost Our Will. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do (Romans 7:15). Who in their right mind has not experienced these ...

Showing results