Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 851 to 875 of 1249 results

851. Hot Air or the Holy Spirit?

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... “don't get it." We need to be in touch with the world, not in sync with the world. My suggestion is the Church ought to be a little weird. We're not in sync with the world. We don't claim to be, we shouldn't be. If we adopt the same value system as the world, we are in huge trouble in the Church. So if we are a little odd, a little weird, don't do things in such a common way, then maybe curiosity alone would help people try to find us. It seems the strategies of ...

852. Work, For the Night Is Coming

John 9:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... for evacuees which will most likely take place this coming week. - We are collecting health kits and flood buckets for United Methodist Committee on Relief who are there working on our behalf. The trailer is on our parking lot for this collection. - We are offering to adopt ten families for long-term recovery and have notified the Red Cross of our willingness to do so. - We can pray for God's mercy, wisdom, comfort and guidance for those suffering and those on the front lines of relief. I can't think of a ...

853. Without the Fire the Seeds Will Never Grow

Luke 12:49-53

Illustration

John G. Lynn

... to the forests below. (Often the lightning will hit the Douglas Firs, less rugged than the Lodgepole Pines, and a forest fire will begin.) For years, of course, the United States Forest Service fought furiously to put out these fires. More recently, they have adopted a policy of managed fires. They have learned these fires have a purpose. Without them the seeds of the Lodgepole Pines are never released. Without them much of the underbrush and plant life there does not regenerate. The earth needs a fire cast ...

854. Trouble Makers

Luke 12:49-53

Illustration

Brett Blair

... and William Tyndale, who against the wishes of church leadership produced the Bible in the language of the people. William Wilberforce, against the will of many within the church, fought the evil ravages of the institution of slavery. Hudson Taylor, who dared to adopt the customs and culture of the people to whom he was a missionary. He converted people to Jesus, not to Western culture. He changed the focus of foreign missions. Men like John and Charles Wesley, Charles Finney, and Spurgeon, who called upon ...

855. Faith to Follow

John 3:1-17

Sermon

Lee Griess

... proudly commemorated the "Worst Buy of the Year." When I read these stories, I had two reactions. My first was: Are these businesses nuts? Have they gone crazy, or what? And then my second thought was that maybe I could talk the church council into adopting a similar policy. Maybe there could be a bonus for the worst sermon of the month. I could use some extra cash! Seriously though, there's a strategy behind rewarding mistakes. The president of that temporary help company explained it this way: "The object ...

856. Backseat Drivers: Named, Claimed, Commissioned

Isaiah 49:1-7

Sermon

Tony Everett

... her life had become. Even though she was on the dean's list, she felt stupid. Even though she had received a superior rating for her student teaching, she believed that she would be a disaster as an elementary school teacher. Even though her parents had chosen to adopt her while she was still in her birth mother's womb, Kathy could only see that she did not live up to their expectations. Just like God's servant in our text, Kathy believed: "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and ...

857. God’s Providence: The Long and Short of It

Genesis 45:1-15

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... conducted himself. Indeed, Joseph's brother so resented him that they sought to get rid of him. Permanently. Their original plan was simply to murder him. It was unapologetic, unsophisticated, and cold-blooded. But after the one brother with a conscience intervened, they adopted Plan B: Throw Joseph into a pit in the middle of nowhere, where presumably he would starve to death and there would be no blood on their hands. But then, over the horizon, along came a still-better option. A caravan appeared, and ...

858. Endless Line of Blunder

Exodus 1:8

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... from the throne serves as the backdrop for God's providence. The baby Moses is miraculously spared the death sentence. The very water that was death to his generation becomes his transit to the providential setting God had for him: namely, that he was discovered and adopted by the pharaoh's own daughter. In the long-term plot of human history, however, the pharaoh's decree to kill the baby Hebrew boys plays a different role, for there is a larger pattern here. This anonymous king of Egypt is the first in a ...

859. Dare to Be Different

Romans 13:11-14

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... we "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 13:14). It is as simple — and as difficult — as that. Those who lived within the world, acting good in daytime and partying it up by cover of night, were living selfishly, only for themselves. By adopting a judgmental attitude and looking down their noses at one another, Christians were falling into the same selfish and self-centered trap. In the old, war-horse musical, Annie Get Your Gun, Irving Berlin had sharpshooter Annie Oakley engaged in a battle of one ...

860. A Little Theology at Christmas

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... is not limited to the village atheist; it is a very real possibility that dogs us all. And what about the worldly passions business? Is Paul suggesting here that we strip off all our jewelry, have women put their hair in buns, and have men adopt plain clothes? By one understanding of "worldly," that of the Amish for example, that makes sense. But Paul's word here is both less particular and more global. A more literal translation than "worldly" would be "cosmic," meaning that vast system of human affairs ...

861. The Way Things Are

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... allow cultural beliefs and patterns to creep back into the faith. Paul was certainly aware of these issues in Corinth, as we read later in the letters with Christians feeling comfortable about eating food that had been offered to idols, for instance, or adopting sexual practices that may have been culturally acceptable but were incompatible with the gospel. So the wisdom Paul talks about may not be exactly the academic style of wisdom that first comes to our minds. How about the "signs" Paul said the Jews ...

862. All About Me?

Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-31

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... . And this is surely what Paul understood when he wrote to the Galatians: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. (Galatians 4:4-5) So it is this historical panoply, this metanarrative, that Paul has in mind when he so boldly proclaims, "I am not ashamed of the gospel," of the story of how God has so actively worked to make his love known among all people ...

863. Lighting up Lent

Ephesians 5:8-14

Sermon

David O. Bales

... in Christ. He says we are light, consistent with our Lord Jesus who called himself the light of the world and said that his followers also were the light of the world. Paul calls us children of light. Light is the essence of our new family. We've been adopted into God's family, and in the ancient world, family honor drove much behavior. As God's children, we must now conduct ourselves as God would have us, so that by our light people will see and honor God. "You are light. Live as children of light." Paul's ...

864. Servant Morality vs Master Morality

Luke 14:1-14

Illustration

W. Robert McClelland

Freidrich Nietzsche drew the distinction between a servant morality and a master morality with disturbing clarity. A servant morality adopts values and follows a morality which is imposed upon us by others. It negates the self. A master morality, on the other hand, sees the self as the creator of both values and morality. It, therefore, affirms the self. Nietzsche saw religion as the great espouser of servant morality because ...

865. Moving Day

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... have been called into question by a few overzealous, self-righteous thugs who have forgotten what we as a people and nation stand for and what we've fought and died for. They might as well have put a swastika on the flag or adopted the name Saddam. They have not honored God or country or the people they supposedly represent. Their action stands in direct opposition to every Christian teaching. And, especially to what we've read today. From a Christian perspective, the end never justifies the means ...

866. Reversal of Fortune

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... in order to be that blessing. And furthermore, you and I are BLESSED BY BLESSING. Let me ask you a question. How many of you did what I suggested at Christmas (don't raise your hands it was supposed to be anonymous, remember.) How many of you adopted a family or friend who you knew was in need at Christmas and sent that anonymous card with a little something extra in it. Think about how that made you feel. Remember that feeling? You were BLESSED BY BLESSING someone else. That too, is "Reversal of Fortune ...

867. Fear of Dying

Lk 20:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

... , writes: "Warren's exploits were always based on numbers, which he trusted above all else. In contrast, he did not subscribe to his family's religion. Even at a young age, he was too mathematical, and too logical, to make the leap of faith. He adopted his father's ethical underpinnings, but not his belief in an unseen divinity." And thus Warren Buffet, one of the most successful men in the world, is stricken with one terrifying fear, the fear of dying. On a lighter note, Buffett once said, "What I ...

868. Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... readers know there is no doubt about the nature of Jesus’ conception. Finally, Joseph fulfills a critical role by obediently naming the newly arrived child. By marrying Mary and publicly naming the child, the one with the Davidic lineage, Joseph, officially “adopts” Jesus as his true son. Matthew’s text succeeds in making Jesus both “conceived from the Holy Spirit” and a member of the Davidic, indeed Abrahamic, line, a scriptural “requirement” for the true Messiah, the chosen one of God.

869. Historical Data about Christmas

Matthew 1:18-25

Illustration

Adrian Dieleman

... January 6. In A.D. 354, two years following the end of Saint Julius' reign, the new Roman bishop, Liberius, ordered all his people to celebrate December 25 as the correct day of Christ's birth. With the passage of time this date became the more popular and was soon adopted by most of Christendom.

870. The Rewards of Risk

John 3:1-17

Illustration

Lee Griess

... a bronze plaque that proudly commemorated the "Worst Buy of the Year." Reading these stories brings two reactions. First, are these businesses nuts? Have they gone crazy, or what? The second thought is that maybe the church council could be talked into adopting a similar policy. Maybe there could be a bonus for the worst sermon of the month. What pastor couldn't use some extra cash?! Seriously though, there's a strategy behind rewarding mistakes. The president of that temporary help company explained it ...

871. He Set His Face Steadfastly for Jerusalem

Matthew 21:1-11

Illustration

Mark Trotter

... says to the boss, "If it's any comfort, it's lonely at the bottom too." Life is difficult for everyone. Someone explained to me once why they don't like Lent. They said, "I'm not into suffering." I like that. Like it's optional. Like it's an adopted lifestyle. Well Jesus was not into suffering either. You remember he prayed, "Let this cup pass from me." But when the time came for him to go on "The Hero's Quest," the text says, "He set his face steadfastly for Jerusalem."

872. Loving Deeply (Mother's Day)

1 Peter 1:13-2:3

Sermon

King Duncan

... , threw his body on the grenade, glanced a loving wink at Manning, his best friend, and allowed the grenade to explode under him. He gave his life for Richard Manning. Eight years later, when it came time for Manning to enter the Franciscan priesthood, he adopted a new name, as was the custom at ordination. Because of the sacrifice of his friend he took the name Brennan as his first name, thus he became Brennan Manning. Now you know the rest of the story. Brennan Manning hoped to live as sacrificially ...

873. Evangelism

Matthew 28:16-20

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

... fishermen, tax collectors, and the every day ordinary kinds of people. He didn't have a single Pharisee, Sadduccee, Priest or Levite on his staff. It was all run by the laity. And after Pentecost their ministry exploded. William Willimon said: "In baptism we are initiated, crowned, chosen, embraced, washed, adopted, gifted, reborn, killed, and thereby sent forth and redeemed. We are identified as one of God's own, then assigned our place and our job within the kingdom of God."

874. Better to Have Weeds than Nothing at All

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Illustration

James Somerville

I asked the people at my last church to imagine what would happen if we adopted a policy of weed-pulling, if we drew a circle around the little town of Wingate, North Carolina, and made a vow that no evil would cross that line, that no weeds would grow within that border. I said, "You know, you and I could spend the rest of our ...

875. The Forgiveness Factor

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... Jesus' celebrity was increasing. It became bad enough that, as Mark has it, "Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere" (Mark 1:45b). Wow! Finally, he is back in Capernaum, his adopted hometown. The word is out. People come. They jam the house (which, by the way, is one of those code words in Mark's gospel for church — the church is where Jesus is to be found). The place is packed ... every preacher's fondest dream. And ...

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