Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 801 to 825 of 900 results

Mark 13:1-31, Mark 13:32-37

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: To create a sense of watchfulness with regard to Christ's coming. Props: A branch with dead or dying leaves. A rather large branch that can be hidden and revealed when the children get seated would be effective. If the leaves are dry you could allow them to crush the leaves in a bag. If they are still moist and colorful allow them to take them home. Lesson: This morning I went out ...

802. Watching Life Pass By

2 Tim 3:10 - 4:8

Illustration

Brett Blair

A little boy was asked what his father did by an older man. The boy answered, "He watches." "You mean he is a night watchman?" "Oh no", the little boy exclaimed, "He just watches." "Well, what does he watch?" "I don't know if I can tell you everything, but I can name a few things." "Well, tell me," the curious man replied. "He watches TV, he watches Mom do the housework, he watches for the mail m...

803. Water That Brings a New Beginning - Sermon Starter

Mt 3:13-17

Illustration

Brett Blair

Water has been in the news a lot recently, at least in the forms of snow and ice. Winter storms and snow literally stopped traffic in many parts of the country. And as much as we try to forge through to get to work or school, sometimes we have to stop and respect what the water around us is doing. Water is part of the drama of our life. It brings life, but not enough or too much can bring destr...

804. Waves & Waves of Liquid Love

Acts 2:1-13

Illustration

Brett Blair

After praying in the woods Charles Finney returns home and describes his conversion experience in this way: "As I shut the door of the office after me, it seemed as if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. It seemed to me that I saw Him as I would see any other man. He said nothing, but looked at me in such a manner as to break me right down at His feet. I fell down at His feet, wept aloud lik...

805. We Are Made of Heavenly Stuff

Gal 3:26-29; 1 Cor 15:47?48

Illustration

Brett Blair

The Rev. Hal Chorpenning tells about a visit he made to a planetarium. What he heard there is that you and I are made literally from stardust. Our wonderful human bodies are made of matter that once was a star. He goes on to say, "Perhaps on a scientific level, that isn't terribly exciting, but on a metaphoric level, it's mind‑blowing. We have the Genesis story of Adam being created from earth, an...

806. We Can't See What Is Before Us

Illustration

Brett Blair

In a Peanuts comic strip Lucy is speaking with Linus at the base of a hill. She says, "Someday I'm going over that hill and find the answer to my dreams.... Someday I'm going over that hill and find hope and fulfillment. I think, for me, all the answers to life lie beyond these clouds and over the grassy slopes of that hill!" Linus removes his thumb from his mouth, points toward the hill, and res...

807. We Divide, He Multiplies

Matthew 14:13-21

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: To convey the compassion and power of Christ. Props:Two slices of bread and a plate. Lesson: Good morning! (response) I have brought bread to feed us. But first I need to know how many of us there are. Could you help me count? (response) Everyone stand up and turn around. I want you to count everybody in the church. You might wish to send them out into the congregation to do the c...

808. We Draw the Circle Too Small

Matthew 3:13-17

Illustration

Brett Blair

Roy Lloyd, a Lutheran minister, once interviewed Mother Teresa. He said that one of his questions and one of her answers stands out in his mind as "a bright sun burning in my mind." He asked her, "What's the biggest problem in the world today?" And she answered, without hesitation, "The biggest problem in the world today is that we draw the circle of our family too small. We need to draw it larger...

809. We Have a Choice to Transform

Mark 8:31-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

There is a story about two young brothers who were caught stealing sheep. The punishment back then was to brand the thief's forehead with the letters ST which stood for sheep thief. As a result of this, one brother left the village and spent his remaining years wandering from place to place indelibly marked by disgrace. The other remained in the village, made restitution for the stolen sheep, and ...

810. We Haven’t Been Up To Bat Yet

Luke 4:1-13

Illustration

Brett Blair

Temptation tries to blind us to other possibilities. A business man driving home from work one day, saw a little league baseball game in progress. He decided to stop and watch. He sat down in the bleachers and asked a kid what the score was. "We're behind 14 to nothing," he answered with a smile. "Really," he responded. "I have to say you don't look very discouraged." "Discouraged?" the boy aske...

811. We Interrupt This Service

John 1:1-18

Illustration

Brett Blair

It was question and answer time at the worship workshop. Pastor and Author Thomas Long had been speaking on the theme of worship all morning to a group of people gathered in a church fellowship hall in a suburban neighborhood in Indiana. Dressed in sweatshirts and jeans, they had given up a Saturday of golf and gardening to sip coffee and listen politely as he rambled through discussions of Vatica...

812. We Must Speak the Truth

John 16:5-16

Illustration

Brett Blair

Henry Augustus Rowland, professor of physics at Johns Hopkins University, was once called as an expert witness at a trial. During cross-examination a lawyer demanded, "What are your qualifications as an expert witness in this case?" The normally modest and retiring professor replied quietly, "I am the greatest living expert on the subject under discussion." Later a friend well acquainted with Row...

813. We Need Help

John 14:15-31

Illustration

Brett Blair

Some of you are old enough to remember Richard Daly who was mayor of Chicago for 21 years (1955-1976). Mayor Daly was known as a rather forbidding guy to work for. One story goes like this. One of Mayor Daly's speech writers came in and demanded a raise. Mayor Daly responded as could be expected. He said "I'm not going to give you a raise. You are getting paid more than enough already. It should b...

814. Wesley's Rule of Conduct

John 12:20-36

Illustration

Brett Blair

John Wesley wrote to his people called Methodist the following Rule of Conduct: Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can. This is the meaning of the Passion. The crucifixion of Jesus is God's conduct; it is the rule for our lives as long as we shall live.

815. What A Difference A Day Makes

Psalm 100:1-5

Illustration

Brett Blair

There was an email that went viral the week of Sept of 11th. It was called "What a Difference a Day Makes." It is particularly appropriate during our national holiday of Thanksgiving: On Monday, we e-mailed jokes. On Tuesday, we did not. On Monday, we were fussing about praying in school. On Tuesday, we would have been hard pressed to find a school where someone was not praying. On Monday, our he...

816. What an Image

Philippians 2:1-11

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: To remind the children that Jesus was in the form of God, but became like the image of us to prove the love of God for us. Props: A picture of you as a baby, a small mirror. Lesson: Good morning. I want to show you a picture this morning. What is this picture of? (response) Do you know this baby from our nursery? Who might this baby be? Play with this awhile until they guess it i...

817. What an Understatement!

Mark 1: 21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

Now comes the understatement: The people in the congregation, having witnessed a scene to rival anything in The Exorcist, look around at each other and say, "What is this? ... A new teaching!" A new teaching? If this had happened in any congregation I know, they may have sat for hours in stupefied silence, they may have rushed to the altar in sudden repentance, or they may have jumped out of the ...

818. What Anger Leaves Behind

Jn 20:1-18; 24-31

Illustration

Brett Blair

There was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his t...

819. What Are You Going to Do When the Wine Runs Out?

John 2:1-11

Illustration

Brett Blair

The Nobel Prize author Earnest Hemmingway, well known for his book "The Old Man and The Sea," was a person who went for it all. A newspaper reporter, ambulance driver during WWII, involved in the Spanish Civil War, friend to bullfighters as well as authors; he did it all. And, when he did it he did it to the fullest. In a manner of speaking he enjoyed the wine of life. But there came a day when th...

820. What Can God Do?

Luke 1:39-45

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: God can do some awesome things. Props: A Bible and photographs (or replicas) of some big things: elephant, tree, world, stars, or universe. The bigger the photo the better. Lesson: Good morning. (response) How is everyone doing? (response) Here is a question for you this morning, and I think you know the answer to it. How big is God? (response) Tell me. Show the respective pictur...

821. What Did You Do On Earth?

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Brett Blair

The late Dr. Paul Quillian was the beloved pastor of First Methodist Church of Houston, Texas. In his fifteen years of ministry the church grew from 2500 to 6000. An effort that he called a labor of love. Not many knew that Dr. Quillian as a young man had little thought of ministry and was working in Pine Bluff Arkansas at a bottling plant when his minister paid him a call. His pastor started with...

822. What Did You Do With What I Gave You?

Luke 16:1-15

Illustration

Brett Blair

There is a minister who has a friend who works downtown. His friend is something of an enigma, because he grows hot and cold about the Church and religion. But they are good friends. They have a good relationship. They get together often, have lunch together. On one occasion he went to his office to meet him for lunch. He sat down to talk before they went out. The friend looked out his office win...

823. What Do the Signs Say?

Luke 21:5-38

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: The relationship between world disasters and our faith. I will be relying on Jesus' interpretation in 21:11, 25-28. Props: A bed pillow, picture of the moon, child's pajamas (or anything symbolic of the end of the day), and some photos -- if you can get them -- of a world disaster (Be discreet -- no dead bodies of animals or people, just destroyed crops, buildings, etc.) Lesson: We...

824. What Do You Think of The Resurrection?

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Brett Blair

Some years ago a college student came by his pastor's office to discuss theological issues. That sort of thing does not happen often. I hope it will not disappoint you to hear that most of the pastor's days are spent in meetings and with budgets, and staff issues and reports and not discussing theology. Eventually the conversation came around to the subject of Easter. After all, if you take Chris...

825. What Do You Want to Know?

Matthew 9:9-13

Illustration

Brett Blair

People have been choosing up sides since the Garden of Eden. The movie, "October Sky," illustrates this. Homer Hickam, a West Virginia high school student was faced with an important decision. Homer was part of a small group of friends. They weren't jocks or rich kids, but they knew what it meant when you associated with the wrong kid, especially John, that red-haired pimply-faced nerd that no on...

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Showing 801 to 825 of 900 results

801. Watching for Christ

Mark 13:1-31, Mark 13:32-37

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

802. Watching Life Pass By

2 Tim 3:10 - 4:8

Illustration

Brett Blair

803. Water That Brings a New Beginning - Sermon Starter

Mt 3:13-17

Illustration

Brett Blair

804. Waves & Waves of Liquid Love

Acts 2:1-13

Illustration

Brett Blair

805. We Are Made of Heavenly Stuff

Gal 3:26-29; 1 Cor 15:47?48

Illustration

Brett Blair

806. We Can't See What Is Before Us

Illustration

Brett Blair

807. We Divide, He Multiplies

Matthew 14:13-21

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

808. We Draw the Circle Too Small

Matthew 3:13-17

Illustration

Brett Blair

809. We Have a Choice to Transform

Mark 8:31-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

810. We Haven’t Been Up To Bat Yet

Luke 4:1-13

Illustration

Brett Blair

811. We Interrupt This Service

John 1:1-18

Illustration

Brett Blair

812. We Must Speak the Truth

John 16:5-16

Illustration

Brett Blair

813. We Need Help

John 14:15-31

Illustration

Brett Blair

814. Wesley's Rule of Conduct

John 12:20-36

Illustration

Brett Blair

815. What A Difference A Day Makes

Psalm 100:1-5

Illustration

Brett Blair

816. What an Image

Philippians 2:1-11

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

817. What an Understatement!

Mark 1: 21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

818. What Anger Leaves Behind

Jn 20:1-18; 24-31

Illustration

Brett Blair

819. What Are You Going to Do When the Wine Runs Out?

John 2:1-11

Illustration

Brett Blair

820. What Can God Do?

Luke 1:39-45

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

821. What Did You Do On Earth?

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Brett Blair

822. What Did You Do With What I Gave You?

Luke 16:1-15

Illustration

Brett Blair

823. What Do the Signs Say?

Luke 21:5-38

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

824. What Do You Think of The Resurrection?

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Brett Blair

825. What Do You Want to Know?

Matthew 9:9-13

Illustration

Brett Blair

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