Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 801 to 825 of 1795 results

Ezekiel 18:1-32, Psalm 25:1-22, Psalm 99:1-9, Exodus 32:1-33:6, Philippians 2:1-11, Philippians 2:12-18, Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon Aid

... 's command. He shows us that the Christian life begins with hearing a message, changing one's mind about one's attitude toward God and the kingdom, and then going out to live as a servant of the Lord. Repentance leads from a change of mind to a new life-style - in Christ. 3. The cross is a constant reminder of God's invitation to claim the kingdom of heaven in and through Jesus Christ. It makes a silent statement, telling us that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand, and calling on us to repent of our sin ...

802. Proper 22 & Pentecost 20

Matthew 21:33-46, Philippians 4:2-9, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Numbers 27:12-23, Psalm 81:1-16, Isaiah 5:1-7

Sermon Aid

... quite indistinct. The readings, particularly the Gospel for the Day, with its setting as one of Jesus' teachings during Holy Week, point beyond Jesus' suffering and death to the last things, when God shall hold everyone accountable for his/her deeds and life-style. Veteran preachers, who have journeyed through this portion of the church year in the past, will be attuned to the increasing sound of the eschatological note as the final weeks of Pentecost are about to begin. Those not so experienced in church ...

803. Sticks and Stones

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Sermon

... fit David. Or else he did not want it because he was more comfortable with a simple slingshot and a few stones. He explained to Saul that he had killed bears and lions with his expert marksmanship using the sling and stone. Saul acquiesced to the style in which David preferred to fight, and let him out into the "O.K. Corral" between the two armies for the fight to the finish. Picture the scene: Goliath of Gath standing well over seven feet tall. Probably a descendant of the native Anakite people of Hebron ...

804. Good Morning, Jerusalem!

Drama

Notes on the Service Set within the framework of an Easter morning worship celebration, the following drama script intends to bring to the worshiper’s mind the sound and style of a familiar weekday morning American network television news/talk program. Any steps which the worship planner(s) can take to create this atmosphere will add to the effectiveness of the presentation. Depending upon the physical arrangements in the chancel area, it might even be possible to set up a ...

805. Pinch Hitters or Designated Hitters

John 19:26-27

Children's Sermon

... bat or bats, plastic as young children might use, and/or regulation bats. Do you like to play baseball? (Swing a regular bat if you have room.) Or are you practicing to play softball? (If a child has brought the practice plastic bat, have them show their batting style.) When your grandfathers were ball players there may have been pinch hitters but not designated hitters. I am not sure of the rules so I am not going to go into detail. In our sandlot games, a pinch hitter was someone to go to bat when another ...

806. Epiphany 5

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Bulletin Aid

... versus wisdom achieved Exegetical note Among the most popular and revered individuals in Paul's day were the professional, itinerant orators, skilled and educated in rhetoric, who could extemporize on virtually any topic, and mesmerize less with substance than with style. With these Paul contrasts himself, who has only a haltingly-delivered, simple message for the many - "Christ and him crucified" - and wisdom for "the mature." Yet even that is not the achieved wisdom of the learned, but the received wisdom ...

807. Epiphany 6

Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon Aid

... to find out how to do that today, in the name of God the Creator, God the Liberator, God the Sustainer." You may want to use this litany: Pastor: Jesus, called the Christ, has offered us a way of being fully human. Ministers: He has presented a new style of life based upon love and peace and justice for all persons. Pastor: He has invited the church to declare this way of life. Ministers: Let us be the church at worship, so we will be the church in mission. Pastor: Let us celebrate life in Christ. Ministers ...

808. Trinity Sunday

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon Aid

... loved us into the kingdom; whom have we loved into the kingdom? "Our greatest witness is our deepest relationship of love." Stewardship Challenge Suggestion: We have more money than we know how to use; so we spend it on things - the latest gadgets, hair styles, autos, etc. Compare what we give to the mission of Christ with what we spend on our recreational pursuits. Charge to the Congregation Consider this: The early Christians did not think of their worship as concluded at the time of the dismissal and ...

809. Proper 8

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon Aid

... is because we don't want spectators. The terms 'worshiper' and 'spectator' do not belong together." Follow with this litany between pastor and ministers: Pastor: Jesus - called the Christ - has offered us a way of being fully human. Ministers: He has presented us with a new style of life based on love and peace and justice for all persons. Pastor: He has invited the church to declare this new way of life. Ministers: I invite us to be the church at worship so we will be the church in mission. Pastor: Let us ...

810. Proper 15

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon Aid

... not something we talk about doing. Faith is the willingness to take risks. You may want to follow with this responsive litany between pastor and ministers: Pastor: Jesus, called the Christ, has offered us a way of being fully human. Ministers: He has presented a new style of life based on love and peace and justice for all persons. Pastor: He has invited us, the church, to declare this way of life. Ministers: Let us be the church at worship, so we will be the church in mission. Pastor: Let us celebrate life ...

811. Respect: Lesson for Victorious Living

Ruth 4:1-12

Sermon

... . Abraham is the father of both Christians and Jews; our Islamic relatives also claim him. To practice convenanting, in our quest for unity, is to borrow a marvelous understanding from God’s Word to us early in Hebrew Scriptures. The Apostle Paul, in good rabbinical style, says to Timothy, "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and now, I am sure, dwells in you." (2 Timothy 1:5) I have a strong feeling that the sooner Christians come ...

812. Sovereignty: God’s Domain

Zephaniah 1:4-13

Sermon

... and not little gods inhibiting spiritual growth. In the United States of America, with material blessings beyond the comprehension of much of the world, are we free to do the Lord’s work? Christ’s call to be One requires that encumbrances of materialism be destroyed. The style of living you may discover to be his will for your life may be different from mine. "To gain the whole world and lose our own soul" may not speak either to you or me. Our Lord calls all of us not to be neglectful of our material ...

813. Security: Deeply Personal

Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

... the historical Jesus did not give us Judaism but, in a sense, Judaism gave us the historical Jesus. Christian unity affirms that the personal God comes judging us through a real context of flesh and blood, namely Jews and a Jewish Jesus. The corporate style of living many experience today renders judgment in ways reminiscent of a bulldozer crushing whatever is in its path, for no other reason than it is just in the way. There is nothing personal. While we may say it makes little difference how judgment ...

814. Clear Conscience

Illustration

Martin L. Wolf

My friend, Kermit Long, told me of a visit he made to Albert Schweitzer in Africa. Long went out one day and painted one of the buildings to relieve his guilt over the contrast of his life-style and that of Schweitzer. At dinner that evening the following conversation took place: Schweitzer: How are you today, Dr. Long? Long: Wonderful! Today I have a clear conscience. Schweitzer: Dr. Long, a clear conscience is the invention of the devil.

815. Christ the King Sunday

Luke 23:26-43

Illustration

Theodore F. Schneider

... announced that there would be a final exam. Everyone was asking, "How can you have a final exam in preaching?" How could one prepare? What sort of questions might be asked? Throughout the year there had been lectures on sermon preparation and style, but mostly it had been a course of practice and critique. Finally, the professor, who was himself a splendid and engaging preacher, strode into the room and a quiet fell. The familiar blue books were distributed. "Gentlemen," he began, "you may use your ...

816. For Freedom!

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

... solidly into this category: Even though they’re free of obligation now, no longer having to repay the gifts they have received, they have no sense of charity to those around them in the world. The gift they have received has not seeped in. Their hearts, their styles, their attitudes have not been shaped and changed by it. In fact, the gift has not actually been received at all. They’ve passed on it. That’s not to say they don’t enjoy the fact that they are free from the obligations God could press ...

817. It Isn’t Fair!

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

... embrace, given in spite of earth’s deserving. That’s the pattern we are called to imitate. We’re beyond payoffs, rewards, incentives, bonuses. Leave subtle bribery of that sort to those who haven’t met the Master yet, or who don’t like his style. We have the promises - the gifts, the Spirit, and the Kingdom. Who cares what the owner of the vineyard wants to pay us? He has paid us everything already. How can we but cheer when some, who have come on the Christian scene extremely late, discover ...

818. Opportunism? Or Opportunity?

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

... , me-first society. Even if it means bringing up the rear, in a ridiculous little economy car on the way to the cemetery. The Lord gives us great opportunity. He calls us to spead wide the rumor of his presence in our midst, to duplicate his loving, healing style. To forgive, because he does. To open doors. To lift up and encourage. To affirm, embrace, and set the fallen on their feet again. To be grace-full and hope-full; to walk gently upon the earth, as good St. Francis did; to live with "heaven on our ...

819. Welcome to the Training Table!

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

... of admiration and sympathy, the crowd comes to life in support of their performance. Many a game has been won by the second team. Sometimes a star first-stringer gets his or her first opportunity at such a serendipitous moment. That’s God’s style. He calls the seasoned, nurtured, well-prepared team candidate and, failing to win him for his training table and his team God calls the scrubs in. He toughens them into first stringers. At least one insurance company insists on hiring agents to sell policies ...

820. Do It For the Joy of It!

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

... than enough of everything already. We can actually afford to give to others without asking anything in return: We end up rich, not poor. We need, of course, to know how God’s grace feels before we can launch out and share in God’s own gracious style. Sometimes it takes time, perhaps a lot of time. Sometimes we need first to learn that we are worth something to ourselves, that we can think well of ourselves, that we can love ourselves the way God loves us. Sometimes someone loving us the way God loves ...

821. Echoes of Eternity

Matthew 10:24-32

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." In our world where fashions and customs continue to change, where new cars come from the salesroom with built-in obsolescence, where furniture and gadgets quickly go out of style, where children’s toys hardly last from one birthday or holiday to the next, and where more and more items become dispensable and disposable (with everything from paper wedding dresses to throwaway flashlights), less and less emphasis is placed upon quality, authenticity ...

822. Listening or Hearing?

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... listener who is the opposite of the "path-like" one. Here is a listener who does not realize that his reading, studying, and hearing the Word of God must be one of effort and involvement. It can’t be lethargic. It can’t be patterned after the style of someone who is used to slumping before the television, letting his mind atrophy. His reading of the Word cannot be done like one might skim through a picture magazine or read a simple comic strip. You’ve got to "mean business" when you deal with God ...

823. Is Your Sin My Business?

Ezekiel 33:1-20

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... my business? Or do you vehemently say, "What I do is my business. I say to you MYOB - Mind your own business. You have enough sin to worry about without getting involved in mine." You may well agree, for you ask, "Why should I get involved with other people’s style of living?" When people sin, you can ignore it by looking the other way. Or you can let the person decide to run his/her life and make his/her own decisions as to what is right and wrong. In one of the episodes in the once popular TV show ...

824. As Good As God

Leviticus 19:1-37

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... don’t we? Is it not because if God comes in, we will have to become like him? Some of us are perfectly content with our lives, and we are having fun in our sinful ways. We do not want to repent or change. We are satisfied with the present style of living. To be holy is to nave God in us. This means we must work on ourselves to be receptive to God’s Spirit. It calls for meditation and prayer. Reading the Bible gives us a God-consciouness. In worship we open our lives to God and we give ...

825. Loving Unconditionally

John 13:31-38

Sermon

Robert Bachelder

... is people reaching toward God and working their own way up the ladder of salvation, seeking Nirvana. These are not mere academic differences! Our understanding of God shapes our perception of who we are. How we understand human nature has implications for our styles of morality and politics. Christians are called to be tolerant of other religions and of Christians who hold to different doctrines - not because they are all the same anyway, but because the primary claim God makes on us is not to get our ...

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