Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 926 to 950 of 990 results

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: a lei Good morning, boys and girls. Today I want you to feel especially welcome in our fellowship. I read in the Bible today that St. Paul wanted all Christians to feel welcome in the company of one another. I want you to feel welcome, and I want you to welcome others. There are a lot of ways to show people that they are welcome, but I think that one of the favorite ways belongs to our ne...

927. On The Winning Team

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A football jersey Good morning, boys and girls. Look what I have with me today. (Hold up football jersey.) Which school is this from? (Let them answer.) Would one of you like to wear this today? (Choose a youngster to wear the jersey.) How many of you would like to belong to a team someday? (Let them answer.) Would some of you like to be cheerleaders for a team? (Let them answer.) When yo...

928. Headed in the Right Direction

Sermon

John N. Brittain

If you don't know that Christmas is a couple of weeks away, you must be living underground. And you must have no contact with any children. And you cannot have been to a mall, Wal-Mart, Walgreen's, or any other chain store since three weeks before Halloween. Christmas, probably more than any other day in the contemporary American calendar, is one of those days where impact really stretches the env...

929. Where do You Live?

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

In the irreverent comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which is a send up of the King Arthur tales, there is a scene where one of the knights, Sir Bedevere is confronted by a group of villagers. It seems they have gripped one of the local women and claim she is a witch. It's very obvious that her long crooked nose is fake and has been tied on and she's been dressed up to look like a witch. Sir ...

930. Romans 15:4-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

America has always been a “start over” place. Even a “do-over” place for failures and rejects who have found their way into this land of new opportunity and new possibility. The great oxymoron of Christmas is that just as the dead of winter descends, we celebrate a new birth, a new beginning, a new reason and relationship never before experienced in human history. Christmas is the ultimate “do-ov...

931. The Irrational Season

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

One brief, sunny morning a woman looked out her living room window and was amazed to discover a dead mule on her lawn. Immediately she called the sanitation department and asked them to remove the carcass. But by the time the work-crew arrived, she had changed her mind. She gave the men $100.00 each, instructing them to carry the mule upstairs and to deposit it in the bathtub. After they had duti...

932. Unity and Hope

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

As we make our way through Advent inching closer to Christmas, our days are consumed with many tasks. Our “to do” list grows each day. At times we are often out of breath and wondering if we will complete everything on our list before Christmas Day. We gather on this Second Sunday in Advent to spiritually prepare for what God has done and continues to do in our lives and in our world. We have been...

933. Make a 119 Call

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

“God hath not promised Skies ever blue, Flower-strewn pathways All our lives through; God hath not promised Skies without rain, Joy without sorrow, Peace without pain. “But God hath promised Strength for the day, Rest for the labor, Light for the way, Grace for the trials, Help from above, Unfailing sympathy, Undying love.” Annie-Johnson Flint When I went to seminary, we were required to lear...

934. The Advent Hope

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

A few years ago a United States submarine sank off the coast of New England. The rescue operation led to the discovery of the disabled vessel in the bottom of the ocean. When the divers approached the submarine, they heard a tapping sound from the inside. When they stopped to listen, they heard this message tapped in Morse code: "Is there hope?" That is the question still tapped from within the d...

935. Forever His

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

Do you remember the first time you fell in love? I do, and it was a wonderful experience, both exhilarating and painful. I was fourteen years old and a high school freshman when it happened. The young lady’s name was Joyce. She had long brown hair and dark brown eyes, and I was quite certain she was one of God’s own angels. I fell in love with Joyce the first time she let me carry her books home f...

936. Welcoming Christ

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

For his sixth grade year his family moved to the new community. They made careful preparations for the husky, freckle-faced redhead to fit in smoothly. They had meetings with teachers and principal, and practiced the route to the very school doors he would enter on the first day. "Right here will be lists of the classes with the teachers' names and students. Come to these doors and find your name ...

937. A Hope for Peace

Sermon

James L. Killen

We will soon be singing Christmas songs full of joy and goodwill and love and peace. Someone asked some little children what love is and one said, "Love is what you hear in the house at Christmas time if you stop opening presents and listen for a while" (from PreachingToday.com, May 15, 2002). That is important to us, isn't it? That is really the way we want it to be. But that is not always the w...

938. The Oneness of Twoness

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Most commentaries break into two separate sections the epistle text for this second week of Advent. Traditionally 15:1-6 is recognized as a self-contained unit wherein Paul argues for tolerance between those who are “strong” and those who are “weak” in faith. Paul even appeals to the person of Christ as the ultimate example of one who did not “please himself” but “pleased” God by identifying with ...

939. Life, Death, and Judgment

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

In 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached a famous sermon with the title, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." In great detail Edwards spoke of the wrath people rightly faced when they confronted the judgment of a God who was angry at the way the people had failed to do what they were called to do. While many people understand only this much about that famous sermon, and hold it up as an example of th...

940. Mercy Me!

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“My yoke is easy, my burden light.” --Jesus What burdens are you carrying this morning? How heavy is your heart? How weighed down is your spirit? Most of the time, when we think about that question, we think of the burdens of responsibility we carry or the weight of grief, the sandbags of unfair treatment levied against us, or hardships, such as unemployment, or health, or broken relationships. ...

941. The God of Hope

Sermon

King Duncan

There are two basic attitudes toward life--one of hope and one of dread--one of trust, the other of fear--one of optimism, the other of gloom. A misprint of a weather forecast read like this: “There is a five percent chance of . . . today and tomorrow.” I would hope that the odds are better than that! In a “Frank and Ernest” cartoon, you see Frank rousing slowly from his sleep, then looking out...

942. A Certain Small Shepherd

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A book of carols Good morning, boys and girls. Once upon a time there was a young country boy named Jamie who could not talk. In spite of his disability, however, his father refused to allow him to be different. As a young boy he helped with the farm chores. When Jamie was old enough to go to school his father sent him to listen and write with the others. Jamie often was frustrated by hi...

943. Second Sunday of Advent

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 First Lesson—A vision of the peaceable kingdom inspires hope. Isaiah 11:1-10 Second Lesson—Christ Jesus is the fulfillment of the ancient hope for unity and harmony. Romans 15:4-13 Gospel—The Elijah-like forerunner to Jesus is John the Baptist, who preaches repentance in readiness for the King's advent. Matthew 3:1-12 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our L...

944. Advent 2

Bulletin Aid

Amy C. Schifrin

Litany of Confession Leader: Wild animals flourish around us, All: and prowl within us. Leader: Injustice and inequity surround us, All: and hide within us. Leader: Vanity and pride divide us, All: and fester within us. A time for silent reflection Leader: O God, may your love free us, All: and may your Spirit live in us. Amen. Prayer Of The Day Leader: Come, O Lord, and pour your Spirit upon u...

945. Proper 19

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Old Testament - Exodus 15:1b-11, 20-21 First Lesson - The Israelites get safely through the sea but the water returns to cover the pursuing Egyptian army. Exodus 14:19-31 Second Lesson - Paul admonishes the Romans to forego judgment of one another since in the end God will judge us all. Romans 14:1-12 Gospel - Jesus makes it clear that we are not to expect forgiveness from God if we can n...

946. Proper 19, Pentecost 17, Ordinary Time 24

Bulletin Aid

Amy C. Schifrin

Prayer Of The Day Leader: Heavenly Father, to live out our faith in this world is no easy task, yet again and again you show us the way. We give you thanks that the depth of your forgiveness is beyond measure and we pray that by the power of your Spirit we might be made anew in your image, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. All: Amen. Intercessory Prayer After each petition: Leader: God of...

947. Advent 2

Bulletin Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 11:1-10 Isaiah describes the character and work of the promised Messiah, the son of David. Here Judah is given the promise of a Davidic king-messiah who is the basis for hope for the future. The king-messiah possesses the sevenfold gifts of the Spirit. Accordingly, he has a government characterized by justice and righteousness. His only weapon is word of mouth. As...

948. Parable of Conversion and Conversation

Illustration

"Mother, what do Christians talk about" asked John. "Everything! But it is the way they talk that makes them Christians," said his mother. Conversion implies a change from one condition to another and may hold also the meaning which changes human life to Godly living. Christians are engaged in the business of God which brings about conversion. Conversation may be of such a light nature and of u...

949. PARABLE OF THE BEST CHURCH

Illustration

"Mother, isn't our Church better than the one Eddie goes to?" "Billy, we do not talk that way about places of worship," replied the mother. "God, our Heavenly Father, is worshiped in each place." "But he says his is better," Billy persisted, "and I say it is not. Which of us is right?" "Perhaps his is better for him, and ours is better for us. We do have a freedom of choice in America, and that...

950. Sacred Pleasures

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

There is an old Hasidic tradition. You may have heard of it before. A large drop of honey is placed on the first page of the Torah the first time a Jewish child opens the Bible to read and study it. The child is instructed to lick the honey from the page, forever imprinting the young scholar with the memory-paste of pleasure, the conviction that the study of God's "Word" is sweet. It is what we a...

Showing 926 to 950 of 990 results