Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 951 to 975 of 4681 results

951. Can't Help Dreaming

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... made a statement for which he became notorious. He said he disliked Christianity because it was a religion of losers. I am tempted to point that out to Mr. Turner, who owns the Atlanta Braves, and who lost the National League Championship to a team that bears the name of Christian missionaries. But apart from that irony, he is right. Christianity is based on an impossible dream, a vision of what this world should be, a world when all people will live together in peace, a world when every person born will ...

952. How to Be a Blessing

I Peter 3:8-12

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... our life even today. The truth of the matter is that we find out who we are from other people. As John Updike said, "We get our bearings daily from other people." You tell someone over and over again that they are a failure, or that they won't amount to very much, and pretty ... identifying with us, becoming like us, feeling our pain and our sorrow, even to the extent of taking our place, bearing the cross for us. Some of you have heard of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian who opposed Hitler ...

953. Pre-Game Analysis

I Corinthians 9:19-27

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... So if you are good, you ought to prosper, you ought to be happy and healthy. If you are evil, then you ought not to prosper, and you ought to suffer. But life isn't that way. Most of the time, it's not that way. So suffering, cross bearing, can be a problem for the Jew. Now here comes Jesus, saying, "If you would follow me, you must take up your cross." And here come the Christian preachers, saying, "Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate. He was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended to hell. The third day ...

954. The Sin of Being Less

Colossians 3:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... true self inside of you, is resurrected. That is what being raised with Christ means. You become your true self. Deep down everybody bears that image. You never lose it. You can bury it. You can neglect it. You can forget it. But it is always there, waiting ... to be resurrected. Do you know why you get downcast, depressed, feeling miserable? It is because you bear the image of God. You are made for things that are so much greater. That is the human plight. Do you ever know a ...

955. What If It Is True?

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... fulfilled the promise of Isaiah that we heard read as the Old Testament lesson for this morning, "Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Which means, "God with us." So we are there now on this Sunday. We have ... angel, who says, "Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is indeed of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." There it is. That is all there is to ...

956. What Kind of Name Is That?

Luke 1:26-31

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... suppose most of you were named for a relative. Some are named for saints, or heroes, and some just bear the names that were chosen because they sound distinguished. Some names are unfortunate. I heard about a man who joined ... , and there is one in Matthew, that is given to Joseph. This morning we heard the annunciation to Mary: "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus." Last Sunday, reading in the Gospel of Matthew, we heard about an angel who came to Joseph in ...

957. The Burglar's Christmas

Luke 15:22-24

Drama

Matthew Powell

... and it would all come right. Narrator 2: But he knew better than that now, and he was still man enough to bear no grudge against anyone. Narrator 1: Tonight was his birthday, too. He instinctively began to remember all the birthday parties he used ... a comfort to me. I have not indulged in this frivolous habit for some 36 hours. Mother: Don't say that! I know it, but I can't bear to hear you say it - it's too terrible! My boy, food has choked me many a time when I have thought of the possibility of that. Now ...

958. The Rest of the Story

Matthew 2:19-23, Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... haunted mothers, homeless in Afghanistan or Liberia. Refugees and victims of violence do not wear just one political brand, or bear one national identity. They speak every language. They worship every name of God. They bleed out of every color ... , a vulnerability so extreme that it goes far beyond ... explanations and even beyond healing. In the face of such suffering all we can do is bear witness so no one need suffer alone."1 So, the first thing we are invited to do today is to weep - to weep for all the ...

959. Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired?

Matthew 9:35-10:8

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... And in John 5, Christ walked off leaving an entire crowd unhealed except for one. Now, understand this, dear people: The Lord always heals, either right now or in the resurrection. He can choose to heal us, or he can choose to give us the grace to bear it until death and the resurrection when we receive a new body. God can work in many and marvelous ways. A lady named Mrs. Williams became ill with cancer. She took treatments of chemotherapy, but only got worse. Her church held a prayer meeting just for her ...

960. History: His Story

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... when I stood up, and grinning, said to David, the wee three-year-old, "Oh, it's yours now, is it?" Startled, he jumped up and tried to push me away, yelling, "Go away! You can't come here!" In that childish outburst we have the character of humanity. History bears it out over and over again as God sends his "rent collectors" to the tenants to collect what is due, to remind them of who they are and who God is, and we treat them shamefully and send them away empty-handed. Isaiah was sawn in two. Jeremiah was ...

961. The Spirit of...Winter?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... improve her status. Yet she is proclaimed the favored one and assured by the angel Gabriel that "The lord is with you" (verse 28). To this humble woman the angel promises that the Lord will bring the birth of a baby with the bluest of blood. The child Mary will bear will be great. He will claim the throne of his ancestor David and will reign over the house of Jacob forever (verse 33). To Mary who's the least is promised the birth of the one who will be the greatest. God's giving knows no boundaries. God's ...

962. The CatWalk Church and the CrossLove Church

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... took place, not through words alone, but through love above all. Love may be experienced and expressed in countless ways, but Jesus knew that as long as his disciples continued to abide in his Father's love a commonality of purpose would direct their actions and bear fruit. Jesus' love dared to be different from the expected – it took risks. Jesus didn't want ducks. Jesus wanted geese. When geese are on the move they fly in the familiar "V" formation. Yet even though they fly in rhythm, they do not move ...

963. The Wussification of the Church

John 9:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... team had a drug problem, we Christians have a drug problem. We've allowed ourselves be drugged from one end of the field to the other. Mike Ditka, former coach of the Chicago Bears, is one of American football's living legends. Throughout his career, both as a player and coach, Ditka demonstrated great physical toughness. Once, when the Bears were losing a game at half-time, Ditka went all-out to inspire his team to do better, play tougher. Standing before his men in the locker room, he reached his right ...

964. True Disciples

Isaiah 1:1-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... outside the temple mount, their unique identity was left behind. God's indictment is harsh. The details and drama of temple worship that God had painstakingly described to Moses had now become nothing more than a burden. God moans, literally, "I am weary of bearing them" (verse 14). So disgusted is the Lord with the Israelite commitment to the trappings of belief without the fire of faith that the divine declaration is: "I will hide my eyes...Even thought you make many prayers, I will not listen" (verse 15 ...

965. Can You Smell the Perfume?

John 12:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... disciples? Where were all of his faithful followers? Where were all of those whom Jesus had healed? Where were all those whose eyes he had opened, whose ears he had unstopped, whose mouths he had opened, whose limbs he had restored? It was almost more than he could bear. But then Jesus smelled the perfume... And then he remembered the woman with the hemorrhage of 12 years who had faith to reach out and touch the hem of his garment and be healed. And when they beat him with a whip until the blood ran down ...

966. The Uncloudy Cloud?

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Panama (1981) by Janosch, the pseudonym of Horst Eckert, the German illustrator. It's a story about two animal friends, (Little Bear and Little Tiger) who live in a house by a river. They're reasonably happy but share a belief that somewhere ... the words of John Calvin on this text, "If those on whom the great light of grace had not yet shone showed such surpassing constancy in bearing their ills, what effect ought the full glory of the gospel to have on us? A tiny spark of light led them to heaven, but now ...

967. Prayer

Matthew 3:1-12

Bulletin Aid

Stephen Brown

... of our soul we long for your coming To warm our hearts and cheer our spirits. In the cold of our frozen lives we await your arrival To thaw our relationships and fire our visions. Your Spirit comes upon him: The one who bears your likeness The one who bears our flesh. The one who carries all creation. The one who carries our burdens. His understanding sees into our very being His wisdom overwhelms our deepest doubts His knowledge vanquishes our ignorance His counsel will guide us when we are lost... protect ...

968. You're Fired!

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 't point a finger at us. Christ hugs us. In fact, Christ for Paul is God's hug. Have you been hugged? Have you let God hug you? Some of you are like a rebellious child, who flails away with all your might, struggling to break free of God's bear hug-arms named Jesus. But all the while, I bet you're like every rebellious child hoping that the arms never let go, that they're strong enough to resist your resistance (with thanks to Peter Balaban for this image of the child). And God proved the strength of those ...

969. Salted with Fire

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... resume of a true disciple of Christ. It's only in service to others, Jesus insists; it's only in working for others that any glimpse of glory may be attained. A task as simple and unassuming as giving a cup of water to drink to one who bears the name of Christ (verse 41) is revealed as the kind of action that may ultimately gain a servant-disciple a reward. Jesus doesn't paint a rosy portrait of genuine discipleship. Following the way of true service may require significant sacrifices on the part of would ...

970. Not What We Expected

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... Here is part of what Isaiah had to say: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the ... the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. “The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. “The infant will play near the hole of the ...

971. Are You Getting Hymns Out of Your Lions?

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... cheer it after rain. In holy contemplation we sweetly then pursue The theme of God's salvation, and find it ever new. Set free from present sorrow, we cheerfully can say, Let the unknown tomorrow bring with it what it may. It can bring with it nothing but He will bear us through; Who gives the lilies clothing will clothe His people, too; Beneath the spreading heavens, no creature but is fed; And He Who feeds the ravens will give His children bread. Though vine nor fig tree neither their wonted fruit should ...

972. In Life Nothing Works but the Impossible

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... from unfaithfulness. Joseph, who is pointedly identified as a “son of David” by this heavenly messenger, can have no “just” reason to dissolve his betrothal and divorce Mary. The angelic messenger also provides Joseph with the name intended for the son Mary will bear. Indeed the angel follows an established Old Testament pattern for a son’s birth: an announcement, the name of the child, and finally the greater identity of the child (see Genesis 16:11-12; Genesis 17:19; 1 Chronicles 22:9-10). The ...

973. Such a Transformation!

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... the meaning of his history, then this Suffering Servant Song can help us to attain that knowledge. The text begins with God speaking in verses 13-15 of chapter 52. God announces that his servant, who was so disfigured by suffering that persons could not bear to look at him, and who was cut off from normal human acceptance and community (v. 14), will become one honored and exalted and given all good things (v. 13). And that is totally unexpected. When we see someone horribly suffering in pain or disfigured ...

974. Advent 4

Psalm 80:1-19, Isaiah 7:1-25, Romans 1:1-17, Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... not stand at all." Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 - "A Communal Petition for God to Be Present" Setting. Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 bears the marks of a worship liturgy. Note the refrain that occurs in vv. 3, 7, 19. The psalm, therefore, was probably read by a worship leader ... more than relieve Joseph's mind. Joseph gets a crucial commission; he is to give the name Jesus to the child that Mary will bear. With a relieved mind, Joseph is given a job to do. For the ancient Jews a name was an expression of one's fundamental ...

975. Proper 17

Exodus 3:1-22, Matthew 16:21-28, Romans 12:9-21, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... 17: THE CELEBRATION The Old Testament's emphasis today on God as I AM leads naturally to the use of "The God of Abraham Praise" as an opening hymn. The Gospel obviously calls for something like "Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone" or " 'Take Up Thy Cross,' the Savior Said." The emphasis on call in the Old Testament and on bearing one's cross in the New Testament can be used together in exploring what it means to hear and answer God's call. Where it is not used as a reading, the epistle may provide a model for ...

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