Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 826 to 850 of 5000 results

826. The Dare Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Never ask Jesus a question if you don’t truly want the answer. Right? You know what I’m talking about! You ask him a question, and he either returns your question with another question, he tells you a tricky story, or he somehow turns the tables on you, since he already knows why you’re secretly asking! Ask him what he means by neighbor, and you’ll get a lesson in the kind of active compassion you’re not enacting in your own life. Ask him if you should pay your taxes, and you’ll get an entire theology ...

827. We Have All Become Nicodemus

Romans 16:25-27

Sermon

Ronald Love

John Wycliffe is best known to us as a Bible translator. He is remembered as a historical figure for translating the Vulgate, the Bible written in Latin that only the priests could read, into English, a Bible which the common man could read for himself. We also recognize him from the organization that was established in his name, the Wycliffe Bible Translators. It is the mission of this organization to translate the Bible into the common vernacular of every country that presently does not have a Bible that ...

828. Becoming A Faithful Witness

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

A family decided to send a playpen to their friend who had just given birth to her fourth child. She responded by writing this thank-you note to them. "Thank you so much for the pen. It is wonderful. I sit in it every afternoon and read. The children can't get near me." Wouldn't it be nice if we could shelter ourselves from the relational challenges of life? Someone has written that, for twentieth century Americans, our lawns are our moats. All too often we do seek distance from others. That inclination ...

829. Whom Shall We Obey?

Acts 5:17-42

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

A three-year-old girl had not felt well for close to a week. She had a runny nose and a cough. Her mother took her to the doctor. The doctor asked her if her throat hurt. The little girl said, "Yes, it's been hurting all week!" The doctor then asked, "Can you point to where it hurts for me?" The little girl emphatically said, "Right here." Then she proceeded to rub her stomach. It is easy to get confused in life, isn't it? I wonder how many of us fully understand Christ's expectations of us. Even the parts ...

830. A Faith That Overcomes

Acts 9:32-43

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

I have always liked the children's story Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. In the story a little boy named Alexander has an absolutely rotten day. The story relates all of the traumatic experiences Alexander faces: waking up with gum in his hair, finding no prize in his box of cereal, having no dessert at lunch, going to the dentist and having a cavity, having lima beans for dinner, getting soap in his eyes from his bath, and having his pet cat choose to sleep with his brother. ...

831. Sabotaging The Sabath

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Richard Patt

We wish the story here would have ended another way. Yes, it was the sabbath (always meant to be a beautiful day for God's people!). And even on the sabbath people become sick or continue to be sick. Jesus notices a woman, all hunched over, obviously one who had been ill for a long time. He is a merciful Lord, so he takes the initiative to call her over and lay his hands on her. In these gracious acts, the woman is healed on the spot. Her body is straightened again, and she praises God for God's goodness. ...

832. Looking Back; Moving Forward

Exodus 34:29-35

Sermon

Tony Everett

A young college student was searching for a summer job to help defray the rising cost of his education. He finally found one with the State Transportation Department, where he was given the task of hand-painting the white lines in the middle of the road. The supervisor informed him that she expected him to complete ten miles per week, and took him to the job site. "Place your paint buckets right here," she instructed, "and begin painting white lines from this spot." The first day went very well. The ...

833. Miracle Four: Healing A Paralytic

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

BACKGROUND MATERIAL When Christ began his ministry of preaching and healing, his fame spread, until he was well known throughout a large area. He intended to make clear the message of repentance and salvation from sin, but the news of his astounding miracles was something people immediately grasped, and they spread the information everywhere. As a result, throngs sought Jesus in order to have him cure the victims of ill health within their family circle. To avoid huge crowds, Jesus would sometimes go out ...

834. What It Takes To Be A Winner

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

William L. Self

This text for the fifth Sunday of Epiphany is probably the most sublime passage of Scripture in the Old Testament. It is the poetic description of the soaring of eagles. The Jewish people were in exile and it is likely that every one of them had looked up at the sky, seen eagles soaring, and cried out in their souls to the Lord to give them the freedom of the eagles. They were beginning to doubt that God cared for them. They desperately needed assurance that God was still in charge and that he cared about ...

835. Proper 26

Joshua 3:7-17, Amos 5:18-27, Micah 3:1-12, Malachi 2:1-9, Matthew 23:1-39, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Warning against religious hypocrisy. The conflict continues between Jesus and the religious leaders (Matthew 23:1-12). The Lutheran lections are tied together by an eschatological theme. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Joshua 3:7-17 The Hebrews are ready to cross the Jordan to take possession of the new land, under the leadership of Joshua. God commands the priests to take the Ark of the Covenant and walk into the river. When they do so, the waters heap up so that the people can cross over on dry land. ...

836. Corpus Christi

Mk 4:12-16, 22-26 · Heb 9:11-15 · Ex 24:3-8 · Ps 126

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Exodus 24:3-8 After Moses and the elders commune with the Lord on the mountain, Moses builds an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars of stone, representing the twelve tribes. He assembles the people for a covenant ceremony. The people agreed to obey the Lord's commands as delivered by Moses. In witness to the covenant between God and the people, Moses ordered that many beasts be sacrificed. He took half the blood and dashed it against the altar, representing God's ...

837. "The Rejection Of Royalty"

Psalm 22:1-31

Sermon

R. Sheldon MacKenzie

The language in this passage is remarkably restrained.There is no attempt in it to create sympathy for Jesus.There is no attempt to incite hatred toward those responsible for the actual crucifixion itself.This is an event far too solemn for that sort of thing.The facts are stated and left to stand for themselves.There is no additional comment of any kind.In a passage where the language is so carefully chosen the reader must go through it slowly and thoughtfully.Otherwise we might miss what is being said. ...

838. But God Can

Luke 7:11-17

Sermon

Larry Powell

She was all alone now, this widow of Nain. The Scriptures make no mention that she had brothers or sisters or other family members. They surely would have been with her, consoling her, moving slowly along in the sad procession. A "large crowd from the city was with her." We are grateful for that. Sometime before, we don't know how long, she had stood by the grave of her husband and now the lifeless body of her only son was being carried out of the city. Only a widowed parent can know the grief that poor ...

839. Give Me A Break!

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Larry Goodpaster

Jesus was having one of those days! You know the kind of day when nothing goes exactly the way it was planned. The kind of day when staying in bed seems to be an option that should have been taken the first thing in the morning. The kind of day when the only words spoken to you, or at you, are words of criticism and sarcasm. The kind of day some of us have far too often. That was the kind of day Jesus was having. The picture of that day is painted for us by Matthew in the opening verses of the 11th chapter ...

840. Forgiving the Bully

Matthew 5:38-42, Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

John Jamison

I like the first part of this story about Jesus. All those blessings, and that neat parable about the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. It makes me feel good inside. But now it gets difficult. Let me put this in terms that I can understand. The first time I ever remember hating anyone was in the third grade. The kid's name was Les. Les moved into town part way through the year and from the beginning we had trouble. On the first day, I received a note during spelling. The note read, "After ...

841. Be One

John 17:20-26

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Christian Unity. Props: Dollar sets taken out and dropped on a loud metal tray in the following order: 100 pennies, 20 nickels, 10 dimes, 4 quarters, and a dollar bill. Try to place each set in a different pocket. Lesson: I have a dollar in my pocket and it has been rather difficult carrying it around. Take the pennies out of your pocket and drop them slowly on the tray. Create as much sustained noise as possible. Try speaking over the noise. They make a lot of noise and they are difficult ...

842. The Paradox of the Cross

Mark 15:33-41, Mark 15:21-32

Sermon

Robert Allen

It was a few years ago that I spoke of the little cross in my pocket. Since that Sunday, people not only in this church, but people all across this state who watch our services on television, have asked for one of these little crosses to carry in their pockets or purse. It would be a mistake to think of this little cross as possessing magical powers, or supposedly bringing luck like a rabbit's foot or guiding us to say just the right words at just the right time. There is no magical quality or guidance in ...

843. A Criminal, A Cross, and the Christ

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Thomas C. Short

And the people stood by, watching; but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!" The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar, and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you ...

844. My God, My God, ... Why?

Mark 15:33-41

Drama

Setting: There is a cross in the front center stage. Only the backlights are on. See diagram on page 50 (in printed version of this book only) which shows actors’ paths across the stage. The centurion is standing holding a spear. Mary Magdalene is the least obvious and is standing or leaning against a far wall. Joseph of Arimathea is seated under the back lights which have cast the cross and the two other witnesses in silhouette. Each character speaks in turn, but oblivious to the others. Text: Mark 15:33- ...

845. A Liturgical Drama For Advent

Drama

Tom Eberle

Advent The seasons of the church calendar are like the headings for each act of a theater production. They provide the particular setting in which one element of the divine drama of God’s revelation in Christ is presented to us. The liturgical seasons are sometimes thought of as optional observances, like a fancily-iced cake. They make worship more attractive, but are not part of the basic recipe. This collection of liturgical dramas for worship is written, not as frosting, but with the intention that the ...

846. Caiaphas and Pilate

Drama

Jon Joyce

Setting The balcony of the Herodian Palace at Jerusalem overlooking the city. A coffee table or cocktail table covered with a linen cloth holds a silver dish of fresh fruit - grapes, olives, your choice. There is a small bowl of fresh flowers in the center of the table. Stage right of the table there is a chair befitting the position of Pontius Pilate; it may be an overstuffed chair, a chancel chair as found in some liturgical churches, or another highbacked chair covered with gold or violet cloth. Stage ...

847. The Cross In My Pocket

Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Luke 9:18-27

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Emergencies sometimes come in the middle of the night but this one came at noon. A frantic call came to the church from a young wife and mother. She and her attorney-husband were leaders in our church. Their little daughter was about four years old. Two days earlier he had been on the golf course, feeling fine. But now he was in the hospital ICU fighting for his life. A mysterious infection was sweeping through his body. He seemed to have no defenses against this particular virus. Within 24 hours he was ...

848. FERRYMAN

2 Samuel 19:18

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

2 Samuel 19:18 - "And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good" (KJV). In our highly-automated, machine-oriented world, I don’t suppose that we often think about the little jobs that are still done by hand - by men - by sheer manual labor. And yet, surprisingly, many of these jobs are very necessary in our workaday lives. For example, take the lowly ferryman. I suppose, if you’ve visited New York City, you might have taken the Long Island Ferry across ...

849. WATER CARRIER

Joshua 9:27

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

Joshua 9:27 - "But Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, to continue to this day, in the place which he should choose." Today a boy considers it a great honor to be the "water boy" for his favorite team. He will extend great effort in making sure that he is on the playing field with his bucket whenever he is needed. But, for the ancients, this job carried no honor at all. In fact, because of the hard work involved, this job was ...

850. On A Picnic

Mark 7:1-23

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: Speaking about love is always a lot easier than loving. Summary: Todd is taking Mandi on a picnic. This sounds like a wonderful way to spend a lovely afternoon, but the path of love is never smooth and Todd is more concerned about his love poem than he is about his love object -- Mandi. Todd has a nasty habit of couching everything in spiritual terms and not meaning any of it. Mandi trusts Todd because she mistakenly thinks he cares for her. When she finds out he doesn't, she leaves him. Playing ...

Showing results