Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 826 to 850 of 2157 results

Matthew 1:18-25

Bulletin Aid

... " Planning for Your Congregation Other Scriptures: Psalm 24 Isaiah 7:10-17 Romans 1:1-7 Suggested Hymns "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" "Watchman, Tell Us of the Night" Music for Preparation Medley of Advent Hymns Choral Introit Soloist or Choir "A Voice in the Wilderness" Old Testament Lesson Musical Version of Psalm 24 Response to the Good News "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" Bach Offertory "Lo, How a Rose" Brahms Music for Dismissal Medley of Advent Hymns

827. Epiphany 2

John 1:29-34

Sermon Aid

... of the Morning" "The Great Creator of the Worlds" III. Other Music Possibilities Music for Preparation: "Adagio" (Sonata in E-flat) Old Testament: Use the hymn "O Sing a New Song to the Lord" or Have the choir sing a version of Psalm 96 Response to the Children's Message: "A New Wind Blowin" Offertory: "Rejoice, My Soul" Music for Dismissal: Medley of Epiphany Hymns IV. Bulletin Cover and Symbols V. Miscellaneous Details (Assignments): Ushers Banners Posters Candlelighters Flowers Greeters Hosts/Hostesses ...

828. Epiphany 8

Matthew 5:21-26, Matthew 5:27-30, Matthew 5:31-32, Matthew 5:33-37, Matthew 5:38-42, Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon Aid

... them in. You may even want to ask one of the members to share his/her anxiety with the congregation. Introduce the assurance with these or similar words, "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength." (Corrie ten Boom) Use a musical version of Psalm 119:33-40 or 62, as a response to the assurance; or perhaps you will want to use "The Prayers I Make," by Jane Marshall. Message with the Children of All Ages Try this: As you invite the children to come forward, be in a posture ...

829. Lent 4

John 9:1-12

Sermon Aid

... our rigid wills, and bend our false pride, so may loving be our reason for being. Begin the assurance of pardon with these words of William M. Dyal: "How shockingly indiscriminate is the love of God." Then, have the people sing the West Indies Version of the Lord's Prayer, arranged by Paul Abels. Use hand instruments, if available. Message with the Children of All Ages Try this: Ask, "Do you enjoy doing for others, or having others doing something for you?" I remember, as a pre-teen, picking strawberries ...

830. The Resurrection of Our Lord

John 20:1-9

Sermon Aid

... you. We open ourselves to the driving power of your Spirit to motivate us to be courageous, abandoned saints who will not deny who we are, because we know whose we are." (source unknown) After silence you may want to invite the congregation to pray a contemporary version of the Lord's Prayer. Print in the order of worship. Message with the Children of All Ages Try this: Ask one of the members to share one of his/her favorite symbols of Easter. I have shared my "Snoopy" robe, which has "Snoopy" dancing on ...

831. Easter 5

John 14:1-4

Sermon Aid

... money, then ourselves. This sin represents our vote to close the church building. (Give them three minutes to consider how they participate in this kind of alienation.) You may then want a soloist to sing "Games People Play," by Joe South, perhaps Petula Clark's version. Introduce the act of pardon with words similar to these: "Negative people have a hard time with the grace of God. Until we receive God's grace, we haven't a chance of entering the kingdom of God." Sparky Anderson of the Detroit Tigers said ...

832. Proper 15

John 6:25-59

Sermon Aid

... "A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing" "Bread of Heaven, on Thee We Feed" "One Table Spread" III. Other Music Possibilities Organist/Choir Director: Music for Preparation: "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy" Response to the Act of Confession: Musical version, Psalm 147 Preparation of the Proclamation: "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" Preparation for the Sacrament: "Come, Risen Lord, and Deign to Be Our Guest" Music for Dismissal: "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" IV. Bulletin Cover and Symbols V. Miscellaneous ...

833. Proper 8

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon Aid

... in his life." I once heard a professional athlete tell the youngsters at a church father-son banquet that the essence of Christianity is to "be good and drink your milk." Ever since Constantine made Christianity the state religion, we have had to contend with a watered-down version of the New Testament idea of commitment. "What's in it for me; what will I get out of it?" has replaced "Here am I Lord, send me!" (Isaiah 6, R.S.V.) Even though the word "obedience" is a lost word among many church members, that ...

834. Proper 10

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon Aid

... Eyes and Hearts to See" "As Trees from Tiny Seeds Can Grow" "What Signs Has God Revealed to Us" III. Other Music Possibilities Music for Preparation: "O Day of Rest and Gladness" (Instead of reading the Psalm, find a musical version for the choir and/or congregation to sing.) Offertory: "Take My Life, and Let It Be Consecrated" Music for Dismissal: "Johnny Appleseed" IV. Bulletin Cover and Symbols V. Miscellaneous Details (Assignments): Ushers Banners Greeters Posters Candlelighters Flowers Hosts/Hostesses ...

835. Proper 17

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon Aid

... sun to the going down of the same, the Lord's name is to be praised and praised. Ministers: Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore. (my translation) Acts of Confession Suggestion: Peter rebuked Christ. In the Cotton Patch Version. Clarence Jordan translated this passage, "Rock collared Jesus and began to take him to task." (Mark 8:33) Invite the people to think of ways they rebuke Jesus, most of which are much more subtle than that of Peter. Perhaps you will want to stimulate ...

836. Reformation Sunday

John 8:31-41

Sermon Aid

... 46 Jeremiah 31:31-34 Romans 3:19-28 II. Suggested Hymns "God of the Ages, by Whose Hand" "All Glory Be to God on High" "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" III. Other Music Possibilities Use a variety of Luther's music; on use a version of Luther's "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" in a variety of ways, from reading the hymn, reading it responsively, choir singing it, congregation singing and humming it. Have the choir director direct the people. IV. Bulletin Cover and Symbols V. Miscellaneous Details (Assignments ...

837. 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 ...

838. The Fashioning of Christians

Ezekiel 36:1-38

Sermon

... to Minneapolis where my father had become an associate pastor in a large, urban congregation. Of course, everyone was anxious to meet the new pastor and his family - at that time, two little boys. This was a fashionable congregation, full of the 50s version of Yuppies. That year, the women of the church were all sporting boas, not a la Natassia Kinski, but the pelts of foxes, slung over their shoulders, like the trappers of old. There they were, complete with head, eyes, and fangs bared wide. Everywhere ...

839. Security: Deeply Personal

Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

... in Christ cannot be over-emphasized in times when we grope for meaning that brings security. It is hoped, we have learned we do not have to ask, "To what church do you belong?" or "To what denomination do you hold allegiance?" or "Do you subscribe to my version of the faith?" before we allow the Savior and Lord to work among us. Christian unity knows, in its depths, in Christ there is no separation. It is in sin and sins we separate ourselves. "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been ...

840. Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Daniel 2:24-49, Daniel 2:1-23

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... that boy has brought into my life in these twenty years. God is good...all the time." When you're between a rock and a hard time, remember Daniel. When there seems to be no way, God can provide. (1) Jones, Ernest, The Life and Work of Sigmund Freud, condensed version, included in Great Biographies by Reader's Digest (Readers Digest: Pleasantville, NY, 1990), p. 485. (2) Donald, David Herbert, Lincoln, (Simon & Schuster: New York, 1995), p. 592.

841. Is Jesus Still in the Healing Business?

Luke 4:38-44, Luke 4:31-37

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... in the Lord will renew their strength." (Isaiah 40:31) Just a few weeks ago, television presented a powerful documentary about the building of "The Bridge on the River Kwai." The true story is even more dramatic than the famous motion picture version. During World War II, thousands of prisoners of war endured incredible suffering as they were forced to build a railroad for the Japanese through the malaria-infested jungles of Burma. Thousands died. The survivors said that it was not necessarily the strong ...

842. The Yestermorrow Eclipse

John 10:1-21

Sermon

... venture outside, just do what existence requires and avoid as many of those "Awfuls" as they possibly can. Life becomes a leper ... avoided and abandoned. If ever there had been chance for life today, the chance is totally gone in this version of Yestermorrow. Kinnardlies Distributing Company is better known to most of us as "Can Hardly". It carries a companion line of products for the convenience of customers already established in the "If Only" product group. In effect, the Kinnardlies line sells itself ...

843. Revival at Corinth

Acts 18:1-17

Sermon Aid

CSS

... in the battles of the Greeks against the advancing Romans. In 146 B.C., Corinth was destroyed by the Romans, but just 100 years later Julius Caesar rebuilt the city. Caesar also renewed the ancient Corinthian tradition of the Isthmian Games, a smaller version of Greece’s famous Olympic Games. At Corinth, Paul became acquainted with Aquila and Priscilla, a Jewish couple that had recently come from Italy because the Emperor Claudius had commanded all Jews to leave Rome. This fact helps connect us to secular ...

844. Paul in Chains

Acts 21:27-36

Sermon Aid

CSS

... The first refers to the event on the Damascus Road, where Paul says here that his companions "saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me." Luke may have slipped up here in his editing of the narrative, for the earlier version (9:7) says that Paul’s companions "heard the voice but saw no one." Considering the tension of the moment, the slip may have been Paul’s own. The second new fact in the speech was Paul’s revelation of a trance he had experienced in the temple, when ...

845. Rome at Last

Acts 28:11-16

Sermon Aid

CSS

... ? Did he plan a third volume addressed to "Most Excellent Theophilus?" Or, as so often happened to ancient manuscripts, did the end of the scroll become frayed and torn? We do not know, just as we do not know what happened to Luke. The most favorable version of the missing conclusion to the book is that Paul was set free at the close of the two years in Rome. This theory holds that the formal documents containing charges against Paul never arrived, so Rome’s legal authorities decided it was improper to ...

846. The Deeper Magic

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Brett Blair

... of view the main point being made has nothing to do with witchcraft. I will get to this point in a moment. But first let me throw in a word of caution. If anyone misses the point of the books and rushes headlong into witchcraft or Wicca, or any version of the occults, thinking that there is some power to be had, they have been sorely mislead. They are on a fool’s errand and are believing something to be real when it is not. Now I know that there are Christian groups around the nation and churches right ...

847. The Deeper Magic - Sermon Starter

Luke 23:26-43

Illustration

Brett Blair

... and book, a point being made that has nothing to do with witchcraft. I will get to this point in a moment. But first let me throw in a word of caution. If anyone misses the point of the books and rushes headlong into witchcraft or Wicca, or any version of the occults, thinking that there is some power to be had, they have been sorely mislead. They are on a fool's errand and have distorted the author's intent. Now I know that there are Christian groups around the nation and churches right here in our town ...

848. Let’s Face It

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Michael L. Sherer

... some people by its tone. He asks: "If you should die tonight, why should God let you into his heaven?" The question is worth asking. For those of us who live in the grace of God, who celebrate his "Yes!" to us each day we live, a better-focused version of the question might be, "If we knew we’d die tonight, could we be ready to face God?" My pastor father used to approach the question in a slightly different way with Sunday School children (among whom I was one in the days when I remember him doing ...

849. Kindness That Makes You Sorry!

Joel 2:12-17

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... the Divine wrath is never to be trifled with but rather to be feared. Let us never presume upon the mercy of a compassionate God who is slow to give us the punishment we rightly deserve! God Is Kind Joel says that God is "abounding in lovingkindness." The King James Version says, he is "of great kindness." It is true that we all deserve to die for our sins, there is no doubt about it. But even when we are unlovable, God loves us anyway. He always has enough love, mercy, and grace to forgive us! Think of the ...

850. A Book Which Reads Us

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Robert Bachelder

... I am sorry for people who say we should read the Bible as we would any other literature. As Frederick Buechner observes in Wishful Thinking: The advice has a pleasantly modern and reasonable ring to it. Read the Bible for the story it tells. Read the King James version for the power of its prose and the splendour of its poetry. Read it for the history it contains and for its insights into ancient ways. Don't worry about whatever it is supposed to mean to religious faith ... Read it like any other book. The ...

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