Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 826 to 850 of 1182 results

826. Waiting until Harvest Time

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Illustration

Thomas Lane Butts

... asked. The mother replied softly, "It is hard to tell." The child asked why they were trying to kill each other. The mother patiently tried to explain about slavery and the other issues. "Did they have to fight?" the lad asked. Her answer was classic. "They thought so," she said. Dr. Bosley pointed out: "There was in that reply the gentleness distilled in the interval of a hundred years." Socrates once observed: "He who takes only a few things into account finds it easy to pronounce judgment." Be patient ...

827. Matthew 14:22-36

Matthew 14:22-36

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... it comes about as an attempt to escape a failure, a disappointment, or a disaster. Ironically the ‘skip-the-dessert’ situation that had Jesus send his disciples off so unceremoniously after the miraculous feeding of the five thousand was the classic “nothing-fails-like-success” syndrome. Matthew’s text does not elaborate on the motive behind Jesus’ emphatic dismissal of his dining companions, the disciples, as soon as that miraculous meal was concluded. John’s gospel offers a bigger picture of ...

828. Save Me, Lord

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... way to the heavenly and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace. (Now and Then [1983], 87). And that grace will bring us home, face to face with God, where, as Augustine (354-430) portrays heaven in his classic City of God, “we shall rest and we shall see, we shall see and we shall love, we shall love and we shall praise, in the end which is no end.”

829. Preaching Back Home

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... opposite), but the account in Luke lets us know that the worshipers were angry about the sermon. Truth be told, in our day prophets/preachers are more likely to get into trouble at home by what they say rather than who they are. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a classic example. Bonhoeffer was born into a well-to-do German family in Breslau in 1906, one of eight children. He became interested in the ministry as a vocation as a boy, making the decision to become a pastor at the age of fourteen. He studied at several ...

830. When Words Are Not Enough

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... upon a recording of an English tramp singing this simple chorus: "Jesus' blood never failed me yet/Never failed me yet/Jesus' blood never failed me yet/This one thing I know/For He loves me so...." It was produced by Gavin Bryars, a modern classical composer, well known for his albums based upon unusual themes. For example, he released an album based upon the legend of the Titanic's string ensemble that played as the ship was sinking, an album that came out several years before the movie came out. "Jesus ...

831. A Wonderful Mother (In-Law)

Ruth 1:1-18

Sermon

David E. Leininger

You have heard the classic definition of mixed emotions: watching your mother-in-law drive off a cliff in your new Rolls Royce. One preacher exhorted his congregation at offering time to "give as if you're giving to send your mother-in-law back home." It is an old problem. Even in ancient Rome, ...

832. Can Anything Good Come out of Our Town?

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... source that lies without. The casual "Come and see," Philip offered transforms a whole life, inside and out. It requires listening, even if we resist it at first. In 1923, George Bernard Shaw wrote Saint Joan, a play about Joan of Arc. Joan, in classic irony, was burned at the stake in 1431 for presumed heresies, yet was elevated to sainthood by the very church that condemned her, albeit almost 500 years after the fact. A scene in the play depicts the archbishop and King Charles questioning Joan. The ...

833. The Elephant in The Living Room

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

John Smylie

... visceral response and rejection of Jesus' word points to the depth of human emotion. When we think about elephants in the living room of our lives it's easy to look around and see how, at times, human behavior is more comfortable with denial than with acceptance. A classic example of not facing the elephant in the living room can be seen in family systems when one of the parents is caught in addictive behavior and the rest of the family covers for him or her. My natural father is an alcoholic. I don't know ...

834. The Thing about Laws

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Steven Molin

... to adhere to every law, and avoid every unsavory deed. To do otherwise would be to go soft on sin; "It's a slippery slope!" they would say. "Let's draw a line in the sand and say, ‘No more!' " They echo Karl Menninger's question in his classic piece written 35 years ago; "Whatever Became of Sin?" And there are some of those voices right here in this very church! But others would counter with the question of author Phillip Yancy in his 1997 book, What's So Amazing About Grace? They would passionately argue ...

835. The Story That Shapes Us

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... from nothing and have made a name for themselves. It's part of the appeal of shows like American Idol, which is a variation on the rags-to-riches story. Another common master story for Americans is the story of the lone, self-reliant hero, classically expressed in the American cowboy. This is a story that depicts simplistic, clear-cut confrontations between good and evil. There are guys in white hats and guys in black hats. Evil is perceived as external, a force that comes from outside the community. The ...

836. Loving God

1 John 5:1-6

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... old fool. God's love is all around us. May we have enough sense to open our hearts and let it in. 1. Annie Dillard, "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" in Three By Annie Dillard (New York: HarperCollins, 1990). 2. Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Wakefield" in Twice-Told Tales (New York: Modern Library Classics [Random House], 2001).

837. Our Fair Share

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

... to swallow even so! Most of us are born into this world with a huge sense of infantile entitlement followed by, at a very early age already, a seemingly intuitive sense of fairness and unfairness. It's like Charlie Brown's little sister, Sally, in the classic "Charlie Brown Christmas Special." You may recall that at one point Sally is writing a letter to Santa Claus and in the process generates an enormous list of toys she wants. Then at the conclusion of her North Pole-bound missive she writes, "But if ...

838. At the Banquet...In Your Pajamas

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... in hog heaven. “There are currently 180 [pot-bellied] residents on his farm. According to an article in U.S. News & World Report, they snooze on beds of pine shavings. They wallow in mud puddles. They soak in plastic swimming pools and listen to piped‑in classical music. And they never need fear that one day they’ll become bacon or pork chops. There’s actually a waiting list of unwanted pigs trying to get a hoof in the door at Riffle’s farm. “Dale Riffle told the reporter, ‘We’re all put ...

839. Responding to God

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... accomplish great things. History has known some famous late-bloomers. Fortunately for us, early or late they followed their special invitation offered by God. Anton Bruckner was a late-bloomer. Many people do not know the name of Bruckner, but those who listen to classical music certainly know him. Bruckner lived in nineteenth-century Austria as a butcher and part-time organist. He was a very simple man. He always shaved his head and wore old clothes so as not to be mistaken for a person of wealth. Although ...

840. Troubled Waters

Genesis 9:8-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... worked out; the gorilla species is with us today. The gorilla did more than meet his mate. He met his future; he met his salvation. The whole creation was back on track heading for its destiny. The gorilla would see the lamb lay beside the lion. In classic theological constructions, the ark story is the second of four covenants with God. The first is the covenant with Adam and Eve: They would have dominion over the works of God's creation. The second is with Noah: God would not destroy the earth with water ...

841. God Never Gives Up on Us

1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20, (11:14-15)

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... get to choose between right and wrong and then suffer the consequences. Sometimes we choose between the lesser of two evils as in political elections. At other times we choose between the better of two goods, which is much more challenging — great characters in classic movies often make choices like these. Whatever the case, God lets us choose. Why? Because God decided from the beginning not to treat us like marionettes on a string dancing about at the whims of some divine puppeteer. So, in our story, God ...

842. Getting Through the Grief

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... end of the first year of war, the Athenians held, as was their custom, an elaborate funeral for all those killed in the war. The funeral oration over these dead was delivered by the brilliant and charismatic general, Pericles. His famous eulogy demonstrates a classic statement of Athenian ideology when he says, "Such was the end of these men; they were worthy of Athens, and the living need not desire to have a more heroic spirit, although they may pray for a less fatal issue." Lincoln's Gettysburg address ...

843. Living to Please God

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... . (4) Do you want to please God? Live a life of integrity. That’s hard to do in a world like ours. We live in Spin City, when prominent and influential people from every walk of life hedge the truth. They don’t steal, not in the classic understanding of the word, they don’t kill, they don’t overtly disobey God’s law. They simply shade the truth. They use flattery and deceit. Often they are motivated by greed. It’s not good business to be completely honest about your wares. Advertisers would be ...

844. Waiting for a Savior

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... ? And some of them are our neighbors. Rev. Curt Anderson in a sermon on the Internet compares the plight of these people to the two young lovers in the Broadway musical, West Side Story. As you may remember, West Side Story is based on Shakespeare’s classic drama, Romeo and Juliet. In West Side Story the lovers are Tony, a former member and leader of the street gang, The Jets, and Maria, who has recently arrived in this country from Puerto Rico. Her brother is Bernardo, present leader of the street gang ...

845. The Passing of the Apostles

Matt 10:1-4; Mk 3:13-19; Lu 6:12-16

Illustration

Staff

... died in the following manner: Matthew suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword at a distant city of Ethiopia. Mark expired at Alexandria, after being cruelly dragged through the streets of that city. Luke was hanged upon an olive tree in the classic land of Greece. John was put in a cauldron of boiling oil, but escaped death in a miraculous manner, and was afterward banished to Patmos. Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downward. James, the Greater, was beheaded at Jerusalem. James, the ...

846. Ignorance of the Bible

Illustration

Edward Farley

Why is it that the vast majority of Christian believers remain largely unexposed to Christian learning to historical-critical studies of the Bible, the content and structure of the great doctines, to two thousand years of classic works on the Christian life, to basic disciplines of theology, biblical languages and ethics? Why do bankers, lawyers, farmers, physicians, homemakers, scientists, salespeople, managers of all sorts, people who carry out all kinds of complicated tasks in their work and home, ...

847. Nanook of the North

Mt 10:1-4; Lk 6:12-16

Illustration

Brett Blair

... Flaherty's hands badly. His response to the disaster was a determination to return to the far north and make a film of Eskimo life, that he said, "people will never forget." He did just that, and the result was the first documentary in history. The classic 1922 documentary, Nanook of the North. Flaherty is now of course, consider the father of the documentary. As we live our lives it's often the secondary thing that occurs, that ends up being our calling. Be still and listen. Raise your awareness to the ...

848. Let Your Late Bloomers Flourish

Illustration

Kay Kuzma

You can have a brighter child, it all depends on your expectations. Before you're tempted to say, "Not true," let me tell you about Harvard social psychologist Robert Rosenthal's classic study. All the children in one San Francisco grade school were given a standard I.Q. test at the beginning of the school year. The teachers were told the test could predict which students could be expected to have a spurt of academic and intellectual functioning. The researchers then drew ...

849. 101 Ways to Spend Your Time

Illustration

Tim Kimmel

... brainstorm or two of your own: Pay off your credit cards. Take off ten pounds or accept where you are without any more complaints. Eat dinner together as a family for seven days in a row. Take your wife on a dialogue date (no movie, guys). Read your kids a classic book (Twain's a good start). Memorize the Twenty-third Psalm as a family. Give each family member a hug for twenty-one days in a row (that's how long the experts say it takes to develop a habit). Pick a night of the week in which the television ...

850. With a Vengeance

Illustration

... wide to cross in pursuit of their mighty prizes. In 1819, more than a dozen ships were launched from Nantucket, all headed for distant Pacific hunting grounds. One, the three-masted Essex, was to suffer a calamity so dramatic that its fate inspired a classic American novel--Herman Melville's Moby Dick. For months the ship survived the hazards of rounding Cape Horn and taking its prey. But one day a mammoth sperm whale rammed the Essex head-on. Then the leviathan passed under the vessel, turned, and attacked ...

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