Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 751 to 775 of 1232 results

751. Finding Our Roots in God and Country

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 6-10

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

It's a scary thing to go back and explore your roots. You never know what you might find — some errant ancestor who was a brigand or a pirate. Maybe one of them spent a fortnight in the stocks or was strung up on the gallows. Nevertheless, Alex Haley and genealogists around the world encourage us to book a ticket and take our chances traveling back in time. In a way, that's exactly what we do every Sunday when we open the Bible and step carefully like Alice into a biblical wonderland or the children making ...

752. Be Hatched or Go Bad

Mark 16:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Christ is Risen! [The people respond:] He is risen indeed! Happy Easter, everyone! “Because I live,” Jesus said in John 14:19, “you also will live.” I wonder: how many of you are sitting out there, festooned in your Easter Sunday best, but your fingers are slightly stained? How many of you colored Easter eggs this weekend? I do think I can see some pinks, blues, greens, and purples shining on your fingers from all the Easter eggs you colored, hid, found, cracked, or consumed. Take comfort in this: you are ...

753. The Lost Five Commandments

Mark 12:35-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

When Moses descended from the heights of Mount Sinai, he juggled in his arms not two but three Tablets of the Covenant, with five commandments inscribed on each. At least that’s how Mel Brooks tells it in his classic comedy “History of the World, Part I.” ‘Hear me, o hear me! All pay heed!’ the movie Moses proclaims. ‘The Lord, the Lord Jehovah, has given unto you these fifteen . . . [One stone tablet drops and shatters. A perplexed Moses looks down and mutters ‘Oy!’] . . . ten, TEN commandments for all to ...

754. Stargazing, Naval Gazing, and Other Waiting Games

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Tony Everett

Hurry up and wait! Hurry up and wait! Anyone who has spent time in the military has heard this and lived this as a part of their daily routine. Rapid flurries of activity are followed by long periods of waiting in line. Waiting seems to be part of life in every context. We wait in lines at grocery stores, department stores, banks, athletic events, concerts, motor vehicle offices, and government agencies. It seems like time passes with the speed of light on our way there and at the pace of a slug after we ...

755. A Personal History

John 18:1—19:42

Sermon

David J. Kalas

A junior high school student sits down with his world history textbook, and he wonders what all this stuff has to do with him. Clearly, people like Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, Charlemagne, and Napoleon had a great impact on the world in which they lived, but what do the Rubicon and Waterloo have to do with that thirteen-year-old American boy? When he gets to senior high school, that same student may find a greater sense of relevance in his American history textbook. It is easier for him to see the ...

756. Personal History

John 18:1-11

Sermon

David J. Kalas

757. Je Suis Jesus

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Thirty years ago, the big hit movie, the “it” teen adventure film, was called “Back To The Future” (1985). It starred Michael J. Fox and in that now classic film, time travel was made possible by a machine called the “flux capacitor.” This machine was “hot-wired” to the hottest car of that age, a “DeLorian.” Does anyone remember the year that far-distant, fantastic-future-time-traveling teen hero lands in? 2015. Today. Looking back at the vision which that 1985 movie projected, it is hard not to feel ...

758. "Gotcha" Questions from Mean-Spirited People

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

It is that fateful final week of the earthly ministry of Jesus. On Sunday the people of Jerusalem welcome the Lord and his entourage with a parade. A crowd lines the main street. They cheer and spread their cloaks on the dusty road. Jesus rides a borrowed donkey. He comes down the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley, through an ancient gate, and into the city. The crowd chants as he rides passed, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven ...

759. Our Father Who Art in Heaven

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

(A Dialogue Sermon) And he said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.' " — Luke 11:2-4 Man: If two of the sacred idols of our nation are said to be motherhood and apple pie, no one has ever exalted fatherhood and hamburgers to the American pantheon — although hamburgers are getting close! Despite the complaints of the ...

760. A Grayhound and a Kite

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Mark L. Feldman and Michael F. Spratt in their book Five Frogs on a Log tell about a family visiting Mexico that found itself in a difficult situation. On Sept. 6, 1960, the Salado River in Sabinas, Mexico, overran its banks. Flood waters filled the main road leading from Sabinas across the border into the U.S. Numerous cars and trucks stalled while attempting to cross the border. However, a tow truck driver observed the mess with happy anticipation. You can guess why. He charged an exorbitant fee to tow ...

761. You Are a Child of God…Uh-Oh

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Retired Presbyterian pastor John Buchanan tells of baptizing a two-year-old boy in a Sunday worship service. After the child had been baptized, Pastor Buchanan, following the directions of the Presbyterian prayer book, put his hand on the little boy’s head and addressed him like this. He said, “You are a child of God, sealed by the Spirit in your baptism, and you belong to Jesus Christ forever.” Unexpectedly, the little boy looked up and responded, “Uh-oh.” The people in the congregation smiled, of course ...

762. Jesus or Niccolo?

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

This world's kingdoms have never been presented in a more Machiavellian fashion or more compellingly. And never before and never again have they been nor will they be targeted to one with more reason to succumb. Surely one of the great strengthening comforts of taking Jesus Christ as our Lord is that he, more than anyone else, understands our temptations. Scripture tells us, "He himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested" (Hebrews 2:18). So we can say with ...

763. When All Is Said and Done

Acts 16:9-15

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Life has a way of presenting us with defining moments. I re- member facing a defining moment in my ministry. I went to see a man in the hospital who was dying. He was not active in the church I pastored, but I knew who he was. When I entered his hospital room, his whole family was standing in a semi-circle around his bed. They greeted me, and then the man told his family that he wanted a moment alone with me. So they left us alone. As soon as his family had left, he began to cry. I sat by his bed and began ...

764. Giving Up Control

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Ron Lavin

There are two stories in John 6:1-21 -- the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water during a storm on the Sea of Galilee. These two stories answer two important questions. First, when does 5 + 2 x 1 = 12? Mathematically, never. But in the story of the feeding of the 5,000, the multiplication formula works just like that: five loaves of barley bread, plus two small fish, times Jesus, the one man who is in control, equals twelve baskets of leftover bread. The key ingredient in that multiplication ...

765. The Scariest Job Interview

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

Do you remember the first job you ever interviewed for? Was it a great experience? That would be quite a surprise. I’ve rarely ever heard of anyone who felt confident, calm and prepared for their first job interview. Or even their tenth. Interviews are generally stressful and unpredictable, and you’re working so hard to project a good image that you could easily forget your own name. On the website snagajob.com, someone wrote about a crazy interview for a job at their local Subway restaurant. Not long ...

766. About Those Magi

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

Jean Rodenbough tells about a friend of hers whose brother and his family drove to Thomasville, North Carolina just before Christmas. They made this long trip because their cousins and aunts and uncles lived there. Their family was getting together for a Christmas season celebration. As they passed by the Episcopal Church where a manger scene was in the yard, her friend’s 5-year-old nephew asked about the meaning of the manger scene. “That is Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus, there in the manger,” her ...

767. Hope in the Midst of Despair

Isaiah 40:28-31 · Psalm 23 · Revelation 21:1-7 · John 14:1-4, 18-19, 25-27

Eulogy

George Reed

[Pastor’s Note: This sermon is based on the four scripture readings. One may read all four during the service which is often my practice, or one may use just portions of the scriptures added into the appropriate paragraphs or one may simply omit one or more of the paragraphs as each of the first four paragraphs are linked to the readings in the order above.] The words of the prophet Isaiah sound so lofty and serene: “Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings ...

768. Scandal

Luke 22:14-23:56

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

While Don Richardson was a student at Prairie Bible Institute in the 1950s, his heart burned in anticipation of bringing the good news about Jesus to an unreached tribe. He and Carol found their prayers answered in 1962 as they sailed out of Vancouver harbor toward Netherlands New Guinea. Before long, they were deposited by a missionary plane among the Sawi people, a group of tribes living in the trees of the interior rain forest. The jungle floor was too damp for permanent dwellings, so the Sawi helped ...

769. A Pause That Refreshes

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Thomas Slavens

In the Christian year are kept the major events surrounding the life of the Christ. For the four weeks preceding Christmas, Advent is kept to celebrate that the Word of God has become flesh. In the spring, Palm Sunday is kept to celebrate the entry of the Christ into Jerusalem. On the Thursday before Easter, Maundy Thursday is kept to celebrate the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples. The following day, Good Friday is kept to celebrate the Crucifixion. On the following Sunday, Easter is kept to ...

770. Sermon Opener - Connected to God

Luke 24:50-53

Illustration

Lee Griess

In his book On a Wild and Windy Mountain, Dean of the Chapel at Duke University William Willimon tells of being in New Haven, Connecticut, as a student in 1970, during the famous Black Panther trial. Perhaps you remember those days -- the 1970s? It was a turbulent time for our country -- a time of strife, discord, and agony that threatened to tear our country apart. Much of the unrest of those days came to a focus during the trial of those Black Panther leaders. It was just at that time that Willimon ...

771. The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Brett Blair

The parable of the Good Samaritan arises out of a discussion between Jesus and a Pharisee. Here is a religious lawyer and he is asking a question on the nature of the law. The stage is set by Luke with these words: “Behold a lawyer stood up to put him to the test.” Well, it's not the first time and probably won’t be the last time that a lawyer phrased a trick question. It was the kind of question in which any kind of an answer would pose still further problems. It was a test question: “Teacher, what must I ...

772. An Unidentified King

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

I have always sensed there was something strange about the original Palm Sunday celebration in Jerusalem. A huge question mark looms in the background. There is a glaring discontinuity about the whole event. Think about it...A crowd estimated to be between 100,000 and 200,000 lines the roadsides to cheer an itinerant preacher from Nazareth named Jesus; yet they are not really sure why they are cheering. They are not even sure who Jesus is. What if a ticker-tape parade were held down New York's Fifth Avenue ...

773. The Names of the Christ-Child

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Christmas is finally here. In the minds of children it has taken forever. For them the last few weeks have moved as slowly as butter in a new frigidaire. This morning they discovered at least some of the items under the tree about which they wrote to Santa some weeks ago. I love children's letters to Santa and collect some of the more interesting ones. Several of my favorites are these: "Dear Santa, I tried to be good this year, but it just didn't work out." Sounds like a Methodist child. "Dear Santa, this ...

774. A Courtroom Confrontation

Matthew 27:11-26

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Our scripture lesson for today describes a classic courtroom confrontation. On this Passion Sunday it is altogether appropriate that we consider it. Courtrooms are often places of high drama and suspense. Judge Ito's courtroom in Los Angeles has dominated America's attention since January. Enormous power is wielded in courtrooms, power to levy large fines, power to decide between freedom and prison, power to determine life or death. Judges have wide discretionary authority to design sentences to fit the ...

775. The Master at Prayer

Luke 22:39-46

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Recently I dropped by one of my favorite restaurants for breakfast. I noticed that my customary waitress was not her usual bubbly self. I asked if everything was okay. She said, "No," and then proceeded to tell me about her family and financial problems. I asked if it would be okay to offer a prayer. She agreed, so I did as she stood there beside me holding a coffee pot. About a month later I was back in the restaurant. She looked absolutely overjoyed. Before I could ask why, she said to me, "Hey, your ...

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