Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 801 to 825 of 832 results

Mark 8:27-36

Sermon

Will Willimon

... them out to Galilee. And that very much sums up the entire experience with Jesus. Just when they get there, he has already moved on to somewhere else. Helpful later commentators added a number of verses to the ending of Mark, but that is not the earliest copies of this Gospel. The thing just ends, with the women standing there stupefied and amazed and Jesus moved on to somewhere else. I think this is Mark's way of saying that, because of Easter, this journey is not over, in fact it is never over until ...

802. Understanding What God Expects of Us

Acts 9:1-6, (7-20)

Sermon

King Duncan

... a mess. It may turn out to be really funny when you look back on it years later. But not in that moment. In that moment, it was frustrating. A man named Norm Williams shared a misunderstanding he had at his local library when he requested copies of two books by author Deborah Tannen. Tannen is a communication researcher. One of her most popular books is titled That’s Not What I Meant. Another is titled You Just Don’t Understand. Williams went to the library and asked the clerk to check the availability ...

803. Moving Heaven and Earth

Acts 16:16-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... that your life is not consumed by your present circumstances, but by your trust in God. And someone will be listening to you. Will they hear the hope of God in your life? Author Colleen Townsend Evans tells of a time when she felt the urge to take a copy of the book A Man Called Peter to her friends, Neal and Connie. Some of you may remember A Man Called Peter. It is the true story of a poor Scottish immigrant named Peter Marshall who became chaplain of the United States Senate and subsequently one of the ...

804. Amazing Grace

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

... Now I want you to watch, not the actions of these two people, but rather watch the actions of God. You are not to emulate the prayer of the Pharisee (''God I thank thee, that I'm not like other people, these sinners.'') On the other hand, how could you copy the prayer of the tax collector (''God, have mercy, I'm a nobody.")? Rather, watch God. Two people come before the presence of God. God came close to one and not the other. The bad guy is justified, made right with God. The good guy goes home empty. Why ...

805. Feed My Sheep

John 21:1-19

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

I used to have this great old guitar. It was a “Harmony F-Hole, which was a copy of a much more expensive model, and it was old. I liked it, a lot. It had accompanied me on my many excursions into cafés and coffeehouses. It thumped around in the back of my old Subaru to church outings and late night jam sessions. It was, well, familiar. ...

806. The Complete Picture

John 11:1-45

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... background, and then he stopped. He deliberately left the painting unfinished. He believed that leaving the painting partially unfinished would make it more intriguing. He also thought it would make the painting more valuable. To prove his point, he painted dozens of copies of this unfinished portrait and sold them for $100 each. This second, unfinished painting became so famous that it was chosen to represent our first President on the one-dollar bill. (1) Today marks the fifth Sunday in the season of Lent ...

807. Sent

John 9:1-41

Sermon

April Yamasaki

Last week a friend sent me a copy of her recently released book. When I opened the outer package that gave my address, I discovered another layer of wrapping, this time brown craft paper adorned with a golden leaf and a brief handwritten message in green ink. On the back, a sticker matching her book cover completed the ...

808. All We Are Left With...

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Do you ever find yourself reminiscing about someone you love who has died? Maybe at family gatherings or when your friends get together the conversation eventually turns toward someone you loved. And you start sharing stories about this person. Stories about their quirks and silly side. Stories about their habits or hobbies or advice they shared. And with every story, a little more of that person’s character is revealed. I read an interesting article from an Irish journalist who interviewed folks on the ...

809. When Darkness Covered the Land

Matthew 27:11-54

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Do you know what was the darkest moment of the year all over the earth for 2022? An organization called EarthSky.org does. Their computers determined that on the night of December 6, 2022 maximum darkness, they called it “global darkness,” cast almost 9 out of 10 people in the world in darkness. At some point during that night Africa, Asia and most of Europe were dark. In fact, there was a precise point on that night in which 85.92% of the people in the world were in total darkness. (1) That’s fascinating ...

810. Sharing God's Vision

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

When was the last time you had trouble communicating with someone? It happens to all of us at some time. Maybe it’s because you didn’t understand the other person’s language or culture. Maybe it’s because a word can mean different things to different people. There’s an old joke that used to be popular around the Pentagon that the different branches of the Armed Forces have trouble operating jointly because they don’t speak the same language. For example, if you told Navy personnel to “secure a building,” ...

811. The Cost of Commitment

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

What is the longest distance you have ever walked? Try to picture that journey in your mind. What mental and physical reserves were required for you to keep going when you wanted to quit? More importantly, how did you feel when you finally stopped? Most of us are fortunate to have some form of transportation, whether it’s a bicycle, car, bus or Uber to take us where we want to go. Long journeys no longer require much effort or commitment. We can’t remember the last time we walked to the point of exhaustion ...

812. Redeem the Time

Matthew 24:36-44 · Romans 13:11-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

... about his conversion to Christ when he was the age of many of you. He had lived a loose life up to that point, had a mistress, fathered a child outside of marriage. One day, he heard a child singing something about "pick up and read." He had a copy of some of Paul's letters beside him which he picked up, and the book flopped open to today's Epistle, Romans 13:13. "Let us conduct ourselves...not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness,...But put on the Lord Jesus Christ." He put a ...

813. Ready!

Mark 13:24-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... a remarkable compilation that not only helped her healing process but has helped thousands of others as well. The book is titled Psalms of Lament and comes from that collection in scripture where other poets have bared their souls in despair. My copy says, “To David, Through Tears — With Hope. Ann Weems.” Her poetic preface, composed after her work was done, describes what she has learned: In the godforsaken, obscene quicksand of life, there is a deafening alleluia rising from the souls of those who ...

814. God Bless Santa!

Luke 2:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Several years ago, when Donald Trump was running for the US Presidency, he wanted to convince evangelical voters that he was one of them, so he let it be known that he was a Christian, born and raised Presbyterian even. That was a bit of a surprise to us Presbyterians, but no matter. Reporters pressed him on that and asked which he preferred, the Old Testament or the New. He said he liked them both. They asked him what was his favorite Bible verse; he said he didn’t have a favorite, he liked them all. Uh- ...

815. Be Near, Ye Faithful

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sermon

Ronald Love

... and the Roman Catholic Church. Ward, in 1745, left England and took up residence in Douay, France. Several years later he was ordained as a Catholic priest. Ward was a calligrapher by training, and a skilled musician. These talents allowed Ward make copies of the hymn and distribute the sheet music across Europe. The tune name Adeste Fideles came from the first words of the hymn in Latin, meaning “Be near, ye faithful.” Frederick Oakley translated the hymn from Latin, which began with the familiar ...

816. Template for Reconciliation

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Steve Molin

Every pastor can tell a story of a church fight; some pastors have multiple volumes from which to choose. Arguments over the color of carpeting in the fellowship hall is a popular one; anything the youth director does is fair game for criticism, and whenever there is a question about the inappropriate handling of church finances, even the least active member of the congregation demands an explanation. These topics of conflict are not immaterial; any issue is an important issue for somebody. But these ...

817. How About Some Applause for the Creator?

Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Author Fleming Rutledge tells about a time years ago when she was serving as pastor of a church in New York City. She says that during those days, she used to hang around with some people, “urbane literary types,” as she called them, “most of whom were somewhat disdainful of religion.” She remembers one man in particular. When he discovered that Rutledge was a pastor, he made a confession to her. He confessed very sheepishly that he had done something behind his wife’s back. Apparently, his wife had long ...

818. A Courageous Leader

Judges 4:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

I’m sure most of you have served in a leadership position at some time in your life. I think you’ll agree with me that leadership is hard for many reasons. But one of the biggest stressors for leaders is always being in the public eye. Which means your mistakes are public too. And all of us have had those moments where we wish our brain and our mouth had been working as a team. I heard an old joke about a politician who was out campaigning when a journalist pushed a microphone in his face and asked, “Are ...

819. The Subject Is Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Steve Molin

Elisabeth Elliot was a missionary. She was a missionary to a tribe called the Aucas in a remote section of Ecuador, and that alone may not be very spectacular. What is amazing however is that in January of 1955, Elisabeth’s husband, Jim, and four other missionaries were mas- sacred by a handful of the Auca tribe. They demolished their airplane, they mutilated their bodies with spears, and scattered the corpses throughout the dense jungle. In November, 1957, Elisabeth Elliot wrote these words as an epilogue ...

820. Speaking of Us

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Steve Molin

He was, by all accounts, a successful man. This builder of fine homes in an upscale American suburb was known to all as a creative craftsman, a shrewd businessman, a fair-minded employer, and a generous benefactor. But he was aging now, and before he set out for Florida for the winter, he approached his top superintendent and told him that he was retiring. “I want you to build me a home, the finest home this company has ever built. Spare no expense, use the finest materials, employ the most gifted ...

821. Trick Questions

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Steve Molin

Do you like riddles? I’ve always liked riddles. Riddles are word problems; brilliant questions that stump us, until we are told the answer, and then we can’t believe we missed it! Some riddles – especially those we learn in childhood – are rather simple. For example, “What’s black and white and read all over?” (A newspaper). Or how about this one, “I am a wealthy doctor, I have a wealthy son. But if you’re looking for his father, I am not the one. Who am I?” (His mother). I recently heard a riddle that was ...

822. A Child of God

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Sermon

Ronald Love

... life becomes null and void. The Purpose Driven Life succeeded not for its theology but by an intensive marketing campaign prior to publication. Mark Driscoll, of Mars Hill Church, did even better as he hired a marketing firm to clandestinely purchase multiple copies of his book Real Marriage to propel it onto the bestselling list. The growth of Saddleback was not birthed by Warren’s fabricated theology. It arose from a young youth pastor who studied the demographics of California and located the fastest ...

823. The Christian Mother

John 15:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... longing for the woman who's spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her grey eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My finger gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book which was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be somthing precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful. "I squared my shoulders and saluted and held ...

824. “The Words of the Lord Are Flawless, Like Silver Purified in a Crucible”

Psalm 12:1-8

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... is illustrated by a story from the former Soviet Union of how malignant words were turned into God’s word: Some time ago a story was circulated that Christians in the former Soviet Union were without proper printing equipment to produce copies of the Bible. Resourcefully, they collected as much printed Communist literature as they could obtain. Taking those printed texts, they cut out each word and pasted them back together to produce a printed Bible. Originally, these same words, when configured within ...

825. The Interpretation of the Vision

Daniel 8:15-27

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... which represents an arrogant king (7:20; 8:11, 25) who attacks heaven (7:21, 25; 8:10–11, 25) and Judaism (by trying to change the set times and law [7:25]; by removing the sacrifice, bringing low the sanctuary, destroying copies of the Torah, and killing Jews [8:11–12, 25]). Both vision accounts close by recounting Daniel’s dramatic response to the supernatural experience (“deeply troubled,” “pale” [7:28]; “exhausted,” “ill,” and “appalled” [8:27]). Chapter 8 also covers some of ...

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