Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 876 to 900 of 1044 results

876. Let's Make A Deal

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

OK, this morning we're going to play our own version of Let's Make a Deal. I'll give a dollar to whoever has a golf ball in their pocket. And I'll give a dollar to anyone who can show me a set of reindeer antlers. I've got another dollar for the person who brought a Gorilla with them today. Would you like to trade that dollar for a chance to win what's in this box? Now, if you can recite the books of the Bible backwards in 60 seconds or less, you could win what's in this box. Just kidding. If you can tell ...

877. Being Christ by Affirming and Forgiving

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Malcom Uggeridge closed his biography of Mother Theresa of Calcutta with this word: “It will be for posterity to decide whether she is a saint. I only say of her that in a dark time she is a burning and shining light; in a cruel time, a living embodiment of Christ’s Gospel of love; in a godless time, the Word dwelling among us, full of grace and truth” (Something Beautiful for God, p. 146). I assume Muggeridge is using the word saint in a specialized way. For me there is no question left for posterity. ...

878. On the Road with Zacchaeus

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

When our granddaughter Sarah was 12 years old, she tried out for cheerleader at her Middle School. After her try-out we asked her how she did. She said – “in a word ‘flawless’ and she said ‘the judges really liked me.’” Evidently she was right because she did make the cheerleader squad. Well, Zacchaeus was not flawless… and he was not liked by anybody until Jesus came into Jericho that day. When Jesus came over to him and reached out to him with love and acceptance, Zacchaeus was bowled over… and he came ...

879. On the Road with the Little Children

Luke 18:15-17

Sermon

James W. Moore

Let me begin this morning with three quick stories. Story #1: We took our two youngest grandsons to lunch in a local Italian Restaurant. As the waiters brought the food to the table I asked Dawson (age 6) and Daniel (age 4) if either one of them would like to offer our prayer of thanks for the meal… or if they would like for me to do it. They both pointed to me, so I prayed a brief prayer of gratitude for our meal and for our family. When I finished the prayer and said “Amen,” four-year-old Daniel opened ...

880. The Main Thing is to Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

James W. Moore

Have you heard the story about the elderly woman who lived in a small town in East Texas... who had car trouble on the way to the supermarket one morning? Her car stalled at a stop sign... she tried everything to get her car started again, but no luck. Suddenly, a man in a pick-up truck came up behind her and with obvious agitation he started honking his horn at her impatiently. She doubled her efforts to get her car going. She pumped the gas, turned the ignition, but still no luck... the man in the pick- ...

881. Evangelism Jesus' Style

John 1:29-42

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Brendon Gill, a New York theater critic wrote an article in the New Yorker magazine in which he was bemoaning the way all the Broadway musicals are miked and amplified. He said that in great old theaters where actors had spoken and sung with ease for fifty years, audiences are now obliged to listen to what he called a “totally phony sound.” He said that in an amplified world “the voice is never heard in its ordinary resonance ... it is pure tin” (James Harnish, “Like Father, like son,” June 19, 1983). ...

882. What to Do When You Are in a Fix

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Have you heard of the preacher who returned for an anniversary celebration at the church where he had been the pastor twenty years before? He was greeted by one woman and immediately asked her about her husband. “And how is Bill?” “Oh,” she said, misty-voiced, “Bill is in heaven.” “In heaven? I’m sorry!” but that didn’t sound right. “I mean —I’m surprised!” — but that was no better. “I mean — I’m happy!” Well, that preacher was in a fix, and that’s what I want to talk about today. But to talk about it at a ...

883. Ministering Angels

Exodus 23:20-33

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Frederick Buechner is one of my favorite writers. I don’t know of any contemporary writer who says anything clearer or more creative than Buechner, He has one book entitled “Wishful Thinking” which he subtitles “Theological ABC”. In this book he defines words, words that are common in our Christian vocabulary. He’s the one I quoted a couple of weeks ago defining glory as “what God looks like when for the time being all that you have to look at him with is a pair of eyes.” He defines a glutton as “one who ...

884. Lean Thine Arm on the Windowsill of Heaven (Growing Old Gracefully)

Psalm 90:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In my last sermon, I talked about Parent Burnout. I told some of you that you would get equal time. Today, I’m talking about “growing old”. Next to dying, the recognition that we are aging is the most profound shock of our lifetime. The truth is that the sermon is not just for one segment of the congregation; it’s for all of us. We’re all growing old. And as someone has said, “growing old is not so bad when you consider the alternative.” A 90-year-old was asked what he felt like when he woke up in the ...

885. He Leadeth Me

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There was a story being circulated back in the days when President Carter was in the White House. He was meeting with the Prime Minister of Israel about the negotiation of a peace in the Middle East. Since both were religious men and worshiped the same God they thought it would be a good idea to consult God on the matters that were before them. Carter offered to use his private phone to do it, pay the charges. So they placed the call, talked to God for five minutes. When the call was completed Carter asked ...

886. Impossible Possibilities

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

As Max Lucado tells the story, the visiting professor was about half way through his lecture when a young man in the auditorium stood up and started firing questions: “Are you telling us that God almighty really became Mary's little boy?" “Yes," said the professor. “Are you really asking us to buy into a religion banked on a young girl's dream of divine pregnancy?" “Yes," said the professor. “Are you insinuating that the life of Jesus then actually affects me now?" “Yes," said the professor. The young man ...

887. Praising God All Day Long

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Happiness is…. Well, how would you define it? The playpen philosopher, Marvin, says, “Happiness is a diaper fresh from the dryer on a cold morning." Author Robert Fulghum says, “Happiness is a big box of crayons, the kind with the sharpener built in." Ziggy says, “I wish I knew the secret to happiness. I would tell everybody I know." Writer John Powell says, “Happiness is an inside job." The Westminster Confession says, “To be happy is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." The author of Psalm 100 says, “ ...

888. How To Triumph Over Terrorism

Ephesians 6:10-18

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A year has now gone by and those of us who live and work outside the Northeast have gotten on with our lives. After all, isn’t that what you are supposed to do when you face a tragedy or a great loss—go on! But will we ever be able to simply go on? Something changed that September day that will never simply go away. We now know that we are vulnerable. We now know that the threats of terror are no longer a half a world away. We now know things change — and not always for the better. Will the stock market ...

889. Convening A Construction Crew: Nobody Builds Alone

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A cartoon in a Saturday Evening Review features a young boy sitting under a tree taking inventory of his relationships. So far, I have fourteen people who love me, twenty-two people who like me, six people who tolerate me, and I have only three enemies. When it comes to relationships, how are you doing? John Donne said over 400 years ago, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. Any man’s death diminishes me...therefore, never ask for whom the bell ...

890. What Would Jesus Say About Modern Churches?

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The Church is of God and shall be preserved to the end of time as the visible body of Christ on earth. The local church remains God's best hope for humanity. For a lifetime now, the Church has captured my heart, my mind, and my deepest devotion. After all these years I can still join Timothy Dwight in saying: Beyond my highest joys I prize her heavenly ways. Her sweet communion, solemn vows, her hymns of love and praise. I love the Church. Because I love it so much, I want God's very best for it. So I ...

891. Stepping Into the Stream

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

When it comes to water, I am fundamentally afraid. It’s my mother’s fault. She was so concerned that one of her children might wade into a pond or fall into a creek that she put the fear of water into our psyche. So I was an adult before I learned to swim. When the water is deep and the waves are fierce, I can still find myself getting anxious. Perhaps that is why I have never preached a sermon on this text about Peter walking on the water. It’s just too personally intimidating. But, here it is, in three ...

892. The Fundamentals of Family Ties

1 Corinthians 13:1

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

At the tender age of 18, I preached my first sermon on marriage and family. It was entitled “When Home is Heaven.” A few months later I got married and reality struck. After a few courses in psychology and shortly before our first son was born, I preached a sermon on the “Twelve Essential Elements of Effective Parenting.” Our children were normal preacher’s kids so I stopped giving advice on raising children. Now that my sons are grown and my wife is out of town, I thought I would end this series of ...

893. The Power to Begin Again

Acts 3:12-19

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Being married to a public school teacher, I have always been fond of this old poem: He came to my desk with quivering lips, The lesson was done. Dear Teacher, “I want a new sheet," he said, “I spoiled this one." I took the old sheet, stained and blotted and gave him a new one, all unspotted, And into his sad eyes smiled, “Do better now my child." I came to God with a quivering soul The old life was done. Dear Father, “Have you a new life for me? I spoiled this one." He took the old life, stained and ...

894. Make Disciples—Intentionally

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

It was a clear crisp autumn afternoon. I was on an airplane headed for a preaching mission in Centerville, Kansas. As I got settled into my seat, a big muscular man wedged his way into the seat beside me. The man took a quick glance at a magazine, then turned to me and said, “What do you do?" For most people that must be a simple question. For me it is a temptation to tease rather than answer. So sometimes I say, “I bury people." This guarantees moments of silence. Sometimes I say, “I stand up and make 20- ...

895. By Faith

1 Peter 1:3-9

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

One thing I have quit doing the last couple of years is cleaning gutters. Every time I mention it, Sandy immediately hires someone to do it and sends me the bill. Maybe she has heard me tell this story too many times. A certain husband was cleaning leaves off his roof when he slipped and fell. As he slid off the edge, he managed to grasp the gutter for dear life. Dangling there between the heavens above and earth below, the frightened homeowner cried out, “Can somebody up there help me?" Quick came the ...

896. Making the Most of Small Beginnings

Matthew 13:31-35

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

How does one explain the unexplainable, describe the indescribable, or comprehend the incomprehensible? Such was the challenge facing Jesus as he attempted to paint a picture of the Kingdom of Heaven to us mere mortals. So Jesus resorted to telling parables, earthly stories with heavenly meanings. Instead of trying to tell it like it is, Jesus told it like it might be: the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, a little bit of leaven, a treasure hidden in the field, a pearl of great price, a dragnet of ...

897. The Humble King

John 12:12-19

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

C.S. Lewis once said, “The best thing about Christianity is that no one could have guessed it." Our Messiah is born in a stable. We let our King ride in majesty on a donkey. We hang our Savior on a cross. How odd of God. Who can imagine it? A horrible week in the life of His disciples becomes a holy week in the life of His followers. Who can comprehend it? Even Palm Sunday, a simple parade becomes a paradox. Those who crown Him King will soon call for His crucifixion, for God can never be put in a box. The ...

898. Being Open to the Impossible

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is an old story about Albert Einstein. He was going around the country from university to university on the lecture circuit, giving lectures on his theory of relativity. He traveled by chauffer-driven limousine. One day, after they had been on the road for awhile, Einstein’s chauffeur said to him, “Dr. Einstein, I’ve heard you deliver that lecture on relativity so many times that I’ll bet that I could deliver it myself.” “Very well,” the good Doctor responded, “I’ll give you that opportunity tonight ...

899. The Cost of Discipleship: Get Lost!

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

My favorite definition of the cross was given by the daughter of Dr. Joseph Cotton a number of years ago. When walking into the church for the first time, and seeing the cross on the altar, this little girl said, “Daddy, what’s that plus sign doing up there?” Have you ever thought of it that way? The cross as a plus sign. Keep that image in mind as we move through the sermon this morning. I am talking about the cross today because I’m talking about the cost of discipleship. The cost of disciple ship is to ...

900. You Can't Stay on the Mountain Forever

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Some years back, Desmond McCarthy, renowned drama critic for The London Sunday Times, came for his initial visit to America. His New York City host had arranged, naturally, to go to the theater the very same night that he arrived. Coming out after the performance, McCarthy looked for the first time at the dazzling lights of Broadway. He had blinked at them for a few moments without a word, then he turned to his host and said: “Tell me, what do you Americans do when it comes time to celebrate what should be ...

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