Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 876 to 900 of 4972 results

876. The Star - Conversations

Matthew 2:1-12

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... star whose light encompassed you. Wise Person: After I left Herod's place, the star still led me as if its presence were by design, not by chance. The star strengthened my courage. Interviewer: In the fourth mention of the star, the wise ones, seeing that it had stopped, were "overwhelmed with joy." Wise Person: We were not on a wild camel chase. Our journey was as great a reality as the journey of your life. We had listened to our hearts. We had to lift up ourselves from our very roots to make such a star ...

877. Whose Work Is It?

Luke 21:5-38

Drama

Pamela Urfer

... ." SYNTYCHE: I know I do. I pray for Paul every day. Every single day! EUODIA: (Furiously) Syntyche! If you don't stop interrupting, I'll ... I'll ... SYNTYCHE: (Equally furiously) You'll what? CLEMENT: Wait a minute! What's going on here? EUODIA: Nothing ... 're too tired to go on? SYNTYCHE: Then it's his power that keeps us going. And it's his loving-kindness that tells us to stop and take a break. EUODIA: That's exactly what I need right now -- a break. CLEMENT: And you shall have it! EUODIA: But there's so ...

878. Whose Work Is It?

Philemon 1:1-7

Drama

Pamela Urfer

879. The Gift of Wisdom

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Gerald Whetstone

... for what it doesn't hold, for what it couldn't hold. "God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it," preached Peter. To this gospel he and the other apostles are witnesses. And people stopped to listen. We have heard it too. We, by faith, believe the witnesses. "Blessed are you," Jesus says to Thomas called the Twin. Whose twin? The Bible never tells us. Or maybe it does. "Blessed are those also," promises Jesus, all those who have every reason to ...

880. Choosing Sides

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

... Walt Kelly said through Pogo, a long time ago, "We have met the enemy, and he is us!" No longer do we say, as Flip Wilson used to say, "The devil made me do it!" Not in seriousness, anyway. This may all be for the good: maybe we have stopped blaming someone or something outside ourselves for the problems we get ourselves into. Maybe we have begun to admit that we are to blame, that it is our powerlessness over ourselves and our impulses that has led us to difficulty. This would be for the good, too, if we ...

881. You Can Be Like Children

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Michael B. Brown

... them. Most likely it does not occur in our homes. But, does it ever happen to anyone we know? When the topic is child abuse, sins of omission are almost as serious as sins of commission. Knowing of a child who is being abused and doing nothing to stop it is, by our very apathy, an act of participation in the abuse. Children need and deserve the very best we have to offer in protection, nurture, education, role modeling, in the allotment of our time, in the sharing of our faith and in the generous provision ...

882. Follow The Man With The Plan

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... bring about this unity is the Man, Jesus Christ. His love binds us together in one family. As W. H. Auden in his A Christmas Oratorio has the wise men say as they approach the manger in Bethlehem, "Oh, here and now our endless journey stops." Our yearning stops with the Man. Paul elucidates by saying that before the foundation of the world God has chosen us. Further, God has forgiven our sins. Still further, God has marked us with the promised seal of the Holy Spirit. God has done all these things through ...

883. Unconditional Love

Romans 4:1-25

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

... calling or even a sense of stability in their lives. You may have had to learn to turn a child loose, distrust what he says, even protect your property or person from your child, but she will never stop being your child. Even if you have "disowned" them, out of anger or fear, they never stop being your children, as your midnight tears will witness. This is the understanding Paul is leaning on in our reading for today when he says, "For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham ...

884. Letting God

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20, Matthew 2:1-12

Drama

Pamela Urfer

... of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel." 2ND KING: As we travelled, the star went ahead of us. 3RD KING: At last it stopped over the place where the child was. 1ST KING: When we saw that the star had stopped, we were overwhelmed with joy. 2ND KING: God planned it all in his infinite wisdom and mercy. MARY: How great he is! They all bow their heads for a moment of worship. JOSEPH: Amen! 2ND KING: And we have brought you ...

885. Biography Of A Changed Person

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Robert Beringer

... that meeting became a turning point in his life. There is an old legend that says Zacchaeus went every day outside the city of Jericho carrying a bucket of water. One day, his wife followed him, wondering what this daily ritual was all about. She saw him stop at a certain sycamore tree. Zacchaeus poured his bucket of water on the tree's thirsty roots, and then stood there reverently looking up into the tree. It was a sacred place, for it was the place where his life was changed. But unfortunately a lot of ...

886. Flashing Lights

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

Robert Beringer

... cabin. At the end of this glorious week, the rancher proposed marriage, but the flight attendant decided to return home to her job, and to pray that God would give her a direct answer about what to do! The next day she was on a cross-country flight when she stopped in the restroom to splash a bit of cold water on her face. At that moment, the plane hit some turbulence, and a sign lit up over the top of the sink that read, "Please Return To The Cabin." And that is exactly what the flight attendant did -- she ...

887. Citizenship

Philippians 3:1-11

Drama

Pamela Urfer

... will never repudiate my citizenship in the greatest nation on Earth! This is God's nation. We are his chosen people -- at least the Christians are. If only all those other people, those people who claim to be Americans but refuse to admit that this is a Christian country, would stop misbehaving and surrender to his rule, we would really have something going here, something that no other nation on Earth could hope to stand against. We would have God on our side. As we already do, of course. But if they don't ...

888. Risen And Recognized

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Robert Beringer

... hangs over our world as people ask, "Why do bad things continue to happen to good people?" For a long time, they walk in silence. Then the younger man bursts out: "He's dead, Cleopas! Dead just like any other man! They killed him, and we did nothing to stop them! Maybe the authorities were right ... maybe he was just an imposter! What fools we were to have believed in him!" The older man is silent for a time, lost in deep thought. Then he responds: "Fools? Yes, I suppose we were, but who can blame us? He ...

889. Take Time To Smell The Roses

Psalm 27:13-14

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

... .) ... A beautiful fragrance. Sometimes we become so busy that we do not take time to enjoy the things we have around us. This morning we all came to church. Since it is a beautiful morning, we all should have stopped for a moment and inhaled the nice fresh air. Or we should have looked at the beautiful blue sky, or stopped for a moment to listen to the birds sing. When you get home today after church and sit down for your meal at lunch, I hope you will take time to enjoy the meal and not just eat it as ...

890. Hand Signals

Matthew 11:25-30

Children's Sermon

Teresa L. Major

... to show what we are feeling. Let's see if you can read my hand signals this morning. What does this mean? (Wave. Children respond.) I'm saying, "Hi!" How about this? (Both hands in front of you, fingers pointing up, palms facing children. Children respond.) This means, "Stop!" or "Back off, don't come any closer!" Let's try another one. (Fold your hands and arms in front of you and drop your head. Children respond.) This one could mean a lot of things, couldn't it? This might mean, "Leave me alone," or "I'm ...

891. The Risky Business of Faith

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... from birth to death to eternity. We never get it all together. We never solve all the problems or remove all the dangers. Even if you arrive at a place called, "I got it made!" you soon discover it is not a permanent residence. It is only a rest stop on the road to whatever comes next. Even if we somehow attain a goal of making life safe and comfortable, it is an empty, meaningless victory. For life at its best is an on-going spiritual journey toward loving God, loving people and serving the needs of others ...

892. Invitations To The Light

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Phyllis Faaborg Wolk

... as could be expected, and his kids were grown and doing fine. But something was missing. What was life about? What was it all for? What did he really believe in? John remembered how he used to go to church with his family. He didn't remember why he'd stopped. Probably just drifted away like so much else in life. He thought about going back -- the roof would probably cave in if he showed up after all these years. Well, maybe sometime he'd get up the nerve and go. The phone rang and he picked it up on the ...

893. Give To God The Things That Are God's

Matthew 22:15-22

Illustration

Phyllis Faaborg Wolk

... whose eyes Jesus looked as he spoke were the coins of God. "Give to God what belongs to God," Jesus said. But when he spoke those words, the Pharisees left him and went away. Should we pay taxes to the government? Yes, Jesus would say. But again, Jesus wouldn't stop there. Today he looks you in the eye and says, "Give to God what belongs to God." And as he looks at you, Jesus sees the image of God. In the beginning God created you and embossed his image upon you. In the waters of baptism, God marked you ...

894. Adam And Jesus See Temptation

Genesis 3:1-24, Genesis 2:4-25, Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

David Belgum

... by instinct and really were not confronted with many genuine choices. Cows and elephants ate when they got hungry and stopped eating when the instinct of hunger was satisfied. The bull did basically the same without gluttony of either of his ... the Tempter's offer of all the kingdoms of the world. He would have been Emperor of Rome and with one word could have stopped the carnage of gladiators and other sports like having wild animals eat people in the Circus at Rome for the entertainment of the bored ...

895. Standing On The Shore

John 20:1-18 · Mark 16:1-8

Sermon

Elaine M. Ward

... speak the wisdom of God in a mystery" (1 Corinthians 2:7). There is Something More beyond belief, beyond "the door." Yet we remain on the shore of what we know. When imagination fails we cannot walk on water nor stop the storm. We stand and stare at the sea on the shore of what we know. Only Jesus did. He stopped the storm and the sea lay down. Is it possible that with enough awe and wonder at mystery and with enough passion over possibility we might perhaps do so? "All that we do is touched with ocean" and ...

896. Jesus, The Servant

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Elaine M. Ward

... are you? How are the children? What do you think about the election? Do you think it will snow?" Here I was sitting with a great anthropologist while he told me the secrets of his night. Nor did I have to be rude and ask him to stop while I gathered together my own thoughts and feelings on the matter. Closing the book, it was my turn to speak, and imagine, a marvelously imaginative, brillant writer fell silent, listening! Of course we can so engage all print, but essays, because they are short, honest, and ...

897. Affirming The Ash Heap

Job 2:1-10, Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... sat on an ash heap and cried out in agony about what was happening in our lives. We may have lost a child, not necessarily by death, but by the child's choosing a life style that we knew would lead to disaster. We never stopped loving that child and never stopped affirming our love, even though it might be ridiculed or rejected. We may have buried a mate, and the bleakness of a potential loneliness made the ash heap seem unbearable. But we have kept on living, and even though that pain may be fresh every ...

898. Guilt And Grace

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

Alex Gondola

... up, you resolve to visit Aunt Tillie every single week, although, frankly, visiting Aunt Tillie and her 37 cats isn't really that much fun. Still you do it. You visit Aunt Tillie winter and summer, rain and shine, for 52 consecutive weeks. Will that stop you from feeling guilty? No! Because sooner or later, your spouse or your children are going to complain that you're not spending enough time with them. You're always away -- visiting Aunt Tillie. So you start to stretch out your visits to every two weeks ...

899. Pentecost: From Confusion To Communion In Christ

Sermon

Alex Gondola

... that as this man was driving into the city in his station wagon, a stray hog suddenly ran out in front of him. The man stopped the car, jumped out, caught the pig, and put it in the back. Not knowing what to do with the animal, he flagged down the first ... was surprised to see the same man driving by in his station wagon, this time with the pig sitting proudly up in front. He stopped the man and exclaimed, "I thought I told you to take that pig to the zoo!" "We went there yesterday," said the man. "Today ...

900. Wedding: Beginning A New Climb (for a marriage after divorce)

Ephesians 3:14-21

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

... is ultimately what will hold you up and hold the two of you together, especially when you grow weary. Finally, don't forget to stop now and then and take a look at the view. How sad to think of a marriage as a climb in which you ... only grit and determination. It is the moments of fun and inspiration that often make the difference in being able to take the next step forward. Stop and notice how far you have come as a couple. Celebrate that with each other, in big and little ways. Look around and join with all ...

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