Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 826 to 850 of 3160 results

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

John A. Terry

... years ago, Lavrenti Beria, the former chief of the Russian Secret Police, was arrested and "liquidated." He became the victim of his own actions. Locked in the prison where he had locked others, subjected to treatment that he had taught his secret police, tried in the sort of trial he had helped to engineer, he was mocked by his own cruelty. We know the blessing of this beatitude, but we need also to consider the warning of the parable. In March of 1976, Carlo Gambino, boss of all bosses of the Mafia, died ...

827. The Man Born Blind

John 9:1-12

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... about becoming a follower of the Way. Rabbi: (Silence) Daughter: Well ... say something. Do you hate me? What? Rabbi: No, I don't hate you at all, Honey. I'm just not sure what to say. Daughter: I can come back later. Rabbi: No, stay. I'm just sorting out a few things. What got you started? Daughter: It was six years ago. Rabbi: Six years!? Daughter: I was downtown shopping when I saw a strange thing happen. A rabbi stopped to give first aid to a blind man. I had seen him many times before. Rabbi: The ...

828. The Adventure Of The Empty Tomb

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... a genesis for his symptoms, a time when something important occurred that may be causing so sad a set of symptoms?" Holmes inquired. "He has been loath to address his languor or our concern. But on one occasion he mentioned something about a time device of some sort." "A clock? How odd," I opined. "Oh, no. Dr. Watson, a device that moves people through time. H. G. Wells has come upon such a device and shared his discovery with the Archbishop. The Archbishop has not been the same since. But he has given no ...

829. A Solitary Witness

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... in front of his family, his peers, his court. In his perceived position, in his arrogance, he discovered that he must hold to his promise. The words had been spoken. Because of those words, John the Baptist was beheaded. Now verse 26 also speaks of another sort of word spoken. The Christian's commitment to Jesus Christ is a promise. Sometimes it is made before our family and peers. Always it is a promise made before God! The steadfastness of that promise is a very wonderful thing. It is like living water ...

830. Real Wisdom

Mark 6:2

Children's Sermon

... 't believe this was the same Jesus they had watched grow up. I think they were afraid of him. His wisdom scared them. Do you think Jesus got his wisdom from reading books? (Let them respond.) I think some of it started that way. But I think that Jesus was sort of like the owl we talked about. He sat quietly and watched everything around him and when it was time to do something, he did it. Jesus knew that God had a plan for him. He learned all he could about himself and the people around him and he knew ...

831. How Do You Remain Religious?

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... we would say today. But not so in Jesus' day. The situation was as follows: there was the Jewish Law which was basic and inviolate. But through the years the scribes and other religious thinkers wanted the Law broken down into all sorts of amendments, exceptions, and appendages, until it developed into thousands of fussy and picky regulations overseeing every possible human situation. This was known as the Tradition of the Elders and, in many cases, it exercised a stranglehold upon religious life. In this ...

832. Plan Your Leisure - Jesus Did His!

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... colleagues and superiors and clients, you feel a certain pressure to keep busy. Then, think of all that competes for your time and energy after you leave your work place: telephone solicitations, television advertisers, door-to-door drives; sorting invitations to exhibits, lectures, travel opportunities, dinners, meetings, books, plays, movies, concerts; letters to read and to write, newspapers. Where does it end? You serve on community boards YMCA/YWCA, Education, the church commission, this committee and ...

833. What Can I Do for You?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

... you want. You may have neuroses in you that are beyond your control, or they may be in your mate; there’s a great amount of talent out there; and, happiness cannot be promised.” We know that any of these things is beyond guarantee. Life, the breaks, God all sorts of forces enter to determine who wins, how things turn out, and whether a person can be happy. This much we can give: everything being equal, we can help the seeker be prepared so that at least they have the option to be in the big leagues; at ...

834. A Song Sung Blue

1 Samuel 1:1-20

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... to go for the additional time. She spoke of this in her characteristically delightful way: “It was,” Elsie said, “like being asked whether I wanted to be hung or shot.” When Elsie talks, her words are interspersed with high-pitched sounds, a whining of sorts, but not the kind of whining we associate with agitation or chronic complaining. Rather, it is a whining expressive of her sense for life’s fullness and God’s goodness. It is more like the singing of whales, clearly a language, but not a ...

835. The Banquet Bowl

Mark 9:38-41

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

... now deceased, was thought by many to be not only unchurched but also selfish and self-centered. He did not belong to his detractors group. (v. 38) Following WWII Bill made a fortune by investing his savings in futures and commodities. He was an old crusty, eccentric sort of a guy. He lived alone and most of the people in his neighborhood thought him to be mean and nasty. When Bill died at an old age I was asked to preside at his funeral. I agreed. So during the visitation hours I talked with people about ...

836. The Banquet

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

... conscience. Elizabeth had said over the phone, "I do understand, pastor, if you cannot come. I know you are a busy man, but if you have time, how wonderful it would be to share a cup of tea with you." Despite his guilt Mark invented all sorts of reasons not to go to see Elizabeth. He had important meetings to attend: the County Helpline Board was meeting that afternoon and he was a member of the board; there was also a vacation Bible school meeting late into the afternoon and a district church meeting ...

837. Esther: Wise Woman Of Strength

Sermon

Sue Anne Steffey Morrow

... building, Murray-Dodge Hall, I was surprised to see that it was all lit up and I began to hear the sounds of a ruckus. I came through the door and into a lobby to the middle of an astonishing party, a celebration of some sort or another. People were in costume and had noisemakers. There was much cavorting. "Was this Mardi-Gras?" I wondered. "No, Shrove Tuesday had come and gone. What was going on?" I asked myself. "Had the group asked permission of the chapel office?" Working with undergraduates makes ...

838. As Mortals See

1 Samuel 15:1-35

Sermon

Charles Curley

... was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel." (1 Samuel 15:35) And that was my mistake, reading Chapter 15, because I got hooked on Saul! Instead of finding Saul a tyrant, blasphemer, apostate, I found Saul to be a perfectly reasonable, understandable, common-sense sort of guy. I found Saul a person who, faced with the situation he faced, made the kind of decisions you might have made or I might have made. The situation was this: God, through Samuel, told Saul to do a certain thing. Saul went off fully ...

839. The Saving Grace Of Gratitude

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... this message of the prophet. "Don't preach this way," they tell him, "One should not preach this way; disgrace will not overtake us" (Micah 2:6). Micah, however, rages against such moral and spiritual blindness and presumption. Sarcastically he tells them that the sort of preacher they want is someone who will tell them about the evils of drinking liquor. That's always a good, safe topic for a preacher. After all, who can argue with sermons about the benefits of sobriety? His listeners are probably the most ...

840. God's Surprising Miracle

Mark 4:26-29

Children's Sermon

... the weeds from growing. But it is always worth it when the plants come up, isn't it! Today I brought a package of seeds to church. I want you to help me look at these. (Open the package and put one or some seeds into everyone's hand.) What sort of seed is that? (Talk about it. If they didn't see the package and don't know what kind of seed it is, tell them.) How do you suppose this seed knows that it is supposed to grow into that kind of plant? Does somebody tell the seeds? No ...

841. Where's The Treasure?

Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Thomas Long

... the treasure with the Zechariahs of the world, the ones who think holy thoughts, handle holy things, and perform holy deeds. God could have left the treasure with the Zechariahs, and it's not a strange thought, because Zechariah is a priest. Priests are theologians of a sort, and, after all, the treasure is, in part, theological. The treasure is the good news that it is God who is at work to set things right, that it is God who gathers up all efforts of human good will and gives them strength beyond their ...

842. Shepherds And Bathrobes

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Thomas Long

... the kind of boy for whom the word "awkward" was an apt description -- awkward in manner, awkward in social relationships, even awkward in size, his growing frame always pushing at the limits of his clothing. His peers liked him well enough, but he was the sort of person who was easy to overlook, to exclude from the center of things. When Joseph and Mary appeared at the inn, he stood ... awkwardly ... in the doorway, slumping a bit toward the couple as they made their request for lodging. He then dutifully ...

843. The Healing Of Simon Peter's Mother-In-Law

Mark 1:29-34

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... of human relationship in restoring or maintaining health. Look at the longstanding sewing or quilters' groups in the rural churches of your day. Do not be fooled into thinking they exist only to make quilts! Your modern-day urban carpool also extends all sorts of supportive possibilities. Knowing that people care deeply about us and trust we also care about what is happening in their lives helps raise the quality of our living. Isolation can lead to an increased vulnerability to disease and to a shorter ...

844. Lent 2

Mk 8:31-38 · Rom 4:13-25; 8:31-39 · Gen 17:1-7, 15-16; 22:1-18 · Ps 22

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... and scorn on the cross. What a shame it was! We have been ashamed to witness for Jesus. What a shame! What a God-awful shame! Illustration: One summer I worked with a crew of young men who were painting a gas storage tank. They weren't a particularly bad sort but kind of rough around the edges. Some would brag about their drinking and womanizing exploits. At that time I knew that I was called to preach the gospel but I was afraid to reveal my faith to them. I didn't want to seem odd or different. Like most ...

845. Lent 5

John 12:20-36, Jeremiah 30:1--31:40, Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... the government and the people. The Republicans' "Contract With America" promises yet another covenant between the government and the citizens, which heads in an opposite direction from the "New Deal." The new covenant that Jeremiah holds up promises a new deal of a different sort. He holds up the prospect that God will relate to his people in an entirely new manner. He will put his laws and precepts within us and make himself personally known to his people. This new covenant has come through Christ and the ...

846. Proper 10

Mark 6:14-29, 2 Samuel 6:1-23, Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... making a spectacle of himself (v. 16). 3. God is in our midst in Christ; life is a joyous dance. 4. Dance then, wherever you might be, Christ is the Lord of the dance, said he. 2. Sermon Title: The Two Faces Of Authentic Worship. Sermon Angle: David was sort of a priest-king who understood the true nature of worship. Worship consists, first of all, in turning our faces to the Lord in praise and thanksgiving. The second phase of worship is to show God's face of mercy to other people through acts of love and ...

847. Proper 11

Ephesians 2:11-22, 2 Samuel 7:1-17, Mark 6:45-56, Mark 6:30-44

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... . He alone can break down the dividing wall between us. Gospel: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 Debriefing (vv. 30-34). When the apostles came back from their preaching, teaching and healing mission, they had much to share with Jesus; they had all sorts of experiences which they needed to reflect upon. Jesus realized this and led them away to an uninhabited location. However, when they arrived there the crowds had preceded them. Sometimes our best plans need to be altered by the circumstances. Interruptions. When I ...

848. Proper 12

John 6:16-24, John 6:1-15, 2 Samuel 11:1-27, Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... the fullness of his love and grace. Nothing can be more satisfying than that. Outline: 1. Think of a time when your life was full, complete and satisfying. 2. God wants you to experience that feeling and more (v. 19). 3. Some people gorge themselves with all sorts of things but it doesn't satisfy. 4. The pleasantly full feeling God gives lasts eternally, if we but let his Spirit fill us with his love and grace. Gospel: John 6:1-21 Sermon Title: A Feast With An Attitude. Sermon Angle: The picnic which Jesus ...

849. Advent 4

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... Mary. Mary certainly was favored beyond all other mortals. Was she favored because of her moral purity? That was an issue but that alone doesn't explain it. Did the Lord sense that Mary would be receptive to his grace and so he favored her? Mary certainly was that sort of person but this still doesn't cut to the heart of the matter. The prime reason for Mary's favored status was the sovereign grace of God. The Lord doesn't favor people because of any quality within them. It's God's nature to bestow his ...

850. All Saints' Sunday

Jn 11:32-44 · Mt 5:1-12 · Isa 25:6-9 · Rev 7:9-17; 21:1-6 · Ps 24

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... Angle: Isaiah proclaims that the feast of God's kingdom is for ALL people. The rich and famous feast regularly but many people are excluded from the feast of life because of race, class, income or other reasons. God's eschatological feast is to include all sorts of people. The Eucharist is a foretaste of that heavenly feast for all who have been washed clean and made ready by the blood of Christ (Revelation 7:14). The community that gathers around Christ's table can never be satisfied to let some hapless ...

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