Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 76 to 100 of 208 results

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

A few years ago I was asked to preach at a large event in Atlanta. I inquired as to the theme of the occasion, and the pastor who invited me said, "I want you to preach as if it were your last sermon. If you had only one more opportunity to proclaim the Word, what message would it be? Preach that!" What a quandary! What should I preach? I first thought to preach about the omnipotence and love of G...

77. Holy Trinity

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: Welcome. Last week was a fiery Sunday. Today is a white one. Today we mark the description of God as three parts — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Another way to describe God as three parts is: mind, body, and psyche. We’re here to sing and pray to God, the Holy One. People: We are here to “keep the sabbath.” We are glad for one day to rest and to do different things from the...

78. Trinity Sunday

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 8 First Lesson—Wisdom is personified similarly as the Word is made personal. Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 Second Lesson—To know God is to grow in spiritual maturity. Romans 5:1-5 Gospel—Jesus promises further extension of the understanding of the things of God. John 16:12-15 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Lead...

79. The Greatest Truth

Illustration

Robert Allen

There is an old story about the theologian, Karl Barth [pronounced "Bart" with a soft "t"], who was on a speaking tour of the United States. On college campuses all across this country, he was drawing huge crowds to hear his very complex answers to the questions of life. When he was speaking at Princeton University, the great hall was packed with faculty, students, and visitors who came to hear K...

80. Wisdom: The Secret of Effective Living

Illustration

Robert Allen

Jack was a big man who always seemed to have a smile on his face. In fact, joy and happiness seemed to bubble in his life. His happiness was so genuine that others discovered that joy and happiness increased in their lives when they were around him. But, why shouldn’t he be happy? He had a good family. He had a lovely wife and two college-age daughters. He had a large home in the country. He was a...

81. The Greatest Truth

Illustration

There is an old story about the theologian, Karl Barth [pronounced "Bart"with a soft "t"], who was on a speaking tour of the United States. On college campuses all across this country, he was drawing huge crowds to hear his very complex answers to the questions of life. When he was speaking at PrincetonUniversity, the great hall was packed with faculty, students, and visitors who came to hear Kar...

82. Trinity Sunday

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Proverbs 8:22-31 Wisdom was with Yahweh when he created the earth. Before the earth was created, wisdom, a female figure, was created and observed Yahweh's bringing the world into shape: the earth, heavens, the boundaries of the sea, and the foundations of the earth. According to this passage, Yahweh did not create out of nothing, but ordered creation. The climax of creation is humanit...

83. Invitation of Wisdom and of Folly

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The prologue comes to a climax in chapter 9 with invitations to two rival banquets, raising the question of which voice the sons will heed and whose meal they will share—wisdom’s or folly’s? The two descriptions are similar in structure and formulation (9:1–6, 13–18) and are separated by a theological interlude (9:7–12). Therefore, it is helpful to compare the two rather than consider them separat...

84. Invitation of Wisdom and of Folly

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

The NIV entitles this chapter “Invitations of Wisdom and of Folly.” This certainly captures the main points, but it neglects verses 7–12. The personification of the two women, Wisdom (vv. 1–6) and Folly (vv. 13–18) is the proper way to end these chapters (1–9) which have been so dualistic: wisdom/folly, life/death, and good/bad. 9:1–6 The rendering of Woman Wisdom in verses 1–6 contains several n...

85. The One Wish

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser still; teach the righteous and they will gain in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Proverbs 9:9-10) Collect Giving Lord, we pray that we might use your good gifts this day for the praising of your name and the work of your kingdom. Amen. Prayer Of Confe...

86. Wisdom Begins with Fear of God

Bulletin Aid

Carl Hoefler

Call to Worship Pastor: Intelligence is the ability of the mind to learn; but wisdom is the ability of the heart to respect God as our supreme ruler. People: There are many things we do not know with our minds; but more than anything else, we want to fear God with due reverence in our hearts. Pastor: That is the beginning of wisdom, which is more precious than the intelligence of a genius. People:...

87. Proper 18

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The eschatological/kerygmatic motif of the gospel, which is injected into the liturgy of the church by its year, may become almost indistinguishable by this part of Pentecost, but once more the proximity of a minor festival renews the kerygmatic accent of Sunday worship. Depending on the lectionary followed and the calendar year, the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost will be near ...

88. The Beginning of Wisdom

Illustration

Abdul Kassem Ismael (A.D. 938 to 995) was the Grand Vizier of Persia. Legend has it that the avid reader was so enthralled with literature and learning that he never left home without his personal library. The 400-camel caravan carried 117,000 books and must have been more than a mile long! Nevertheless, Ismael’s camel-drivers were also librarians, each responsible for the books on his camel, and ...

89. Proper 18

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Ezekiel 33:1-11 The watchman saves his life by giving God's warning to the wicked in the hope that the wicked will repent and live. The setting for this pericope is the defense alarm system of Ezekiel's day. A watchman was posted on a hill to warn the city by blowing a trumpet when an enemy approached. This gave the people in the fields an opportunity to come into the walled city for p...

90. Will Names Never Hurt Us?

Sermon

Edward Chinn

Mrs. Reginald VanGleason decided to give a cocktail party at her mansion for her friends. She called in Nora, her maid of many years, and said to her, "I want you to stand at the door of the drawing room. As my friends arrive, I want you to call the guests’ names." Nora smiled broadly and replied, "Oh, thank you, ma’am, for twenty years I’ve been waiting to call your friends names." "To call a per...

91. The Acid Test of Wisdom

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

"We hold these truths to be self-evident ..." but not as evident in fact as they are held in theory - "That all men are created equal ..." and while that word "men" is the inclusive language of the opening biblical salute of Genesis 1:27, some in reality are more equal than others ... "... that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights ..." - qualified in practice to mean t...

92. Right on the Money!

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

One day a mother was having a deep discussion with her 12- old daughter about values. She said, "Honey, What you need in order to survive in this world is faith in God and a good sense of humor." The daughter thought about that and then, with a twinkle her eye, said, "It also helps to have a credit card." How thoroughly American is that 12-year-old. We are a credit culture. Partly because of the ...

93. The Proverbs of Solomon

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

The MT includes the title (“the proverbs of Solomon”) as part of 10:1 and it applies to the collection in 10:1–22:16 a total of 375 proverbs (375 is the numerical equivalent of the Hebrew name šlmh, or Solomon). The breadth and meaning of m e šālîm, or proverbs, is illustrated particularly in the following collections that are mainly one-line sayings. This is in contrast to the lengthy wisdom poem...

94. Proverbs of Solomon

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

10:1–29:27 Review · Proverbial Collections: Advanced Instruction in Wisdom: If one views Proverbs 1–9 as a basic introduction to proverbial wisdom, then chapters 10–29 serve as the advanced course. Or, to express it differently, the prologue presents and commends wisdom, while the collections that follow illustrate the scope and variety of situations in which wisdom is advantageous (without absolu...

95. The Christian Life A New Name

Bulletin Aid

Call to Worship Leader: A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed better than silver or gold. Men: Lord, in your eyes a name has great meaning. As Abram grew in faith, he became Abraham - father of many. Women: Sarai became Sarah - princess of a new nation - despite her attempts to work God’s will in her strength. Youth: When Andrew brought his brother Simon to Jesus, Jesu...

96. A Good Name

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Let all who would stand true for the Lord gather now for worship! People: And let us be known as the followers of the risen Christ. Leader: Known not by our words alone but by how we love and help all around us. People: For truly we have known the mercy and grace of the Lord in our lives. Leader: Then let us share the blessings of Christ in all that we do in life. All: Bles...

97. All God's Children

Bulletin Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

Call to Worship We are all God's children who deserve to live in peace and abundance. We are all God's partners whose skills and abilities can share the struggle to raise the level of compassion in the world. We are all one family called to lift up the crushed members of God's family. Collect We renew our covenant to work together as the people of your realm, O God, to make this world a better pl...

98. Joseph

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

He is the forgotten one of the gospel drama. In reality, Joseph fills an essential role not only in the birth narrative of the Christ, but in the entire story of Jesus. We had better not forget Joseph. If we do, we will be poorer for it, and the Christian message will have lost a noble spirit. JOSEPH’S ROLE A major reason for overlooking Joseph is the historic emphasis on the virgin birth. It is...

99. Good Medicine

Sermon

David E. Leininger

"A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Amen? Amen! A really stupid old joke. Three fellows have just died and are at the pearly gates. St. Peter tells them that they can enter if they can answer one simple question: "What is Easter?" The first man replies, "Oh, that's easy, it's the holiday in November when everyone gets together, eats turkey, and is thank...

100. The Disposition and the Dinner Table

Illustration

"I like to eat at your table," said the young lad. "Somehow the food always tastes better." "We are always glad to have you with us," said the neighbor lady. Even the same foods at home don't taste quite as good," effervesced Jerry. "The things you say with what you eat at your table make everything taste better." Many lessons of life are learned at the dinner table. Not only the food we eat ph...

Showing 76 to 100 of 208 results

76. Holy Wisdom From On High!

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

77. Holy Trinity

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

78. Trinity Sunday

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

79. The Greatest Truth

Illustration

Robert Allen

80. Wisdom: The Secret of Effective Living

Illustration

Robert Allen

81. The Greatest Truth

Illustration

There is an old story about the theologian, Karl Barth [pronounced "Bart"with a soft "t"], who was on a speaking tour of the United States. On college campuses all across this country, he was drawing huge crowds to hear his very complex answers to the questions of life. When he was speaking at PrincetonUniversity, the great hall was packed with faculty, students, and visitors who came to hear Kar...

82. Trinity Sunday

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

83. Invitation of Wisdom and of Folly

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

84. Invitation of Wisdom and of Folly

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

85. The One Wish

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez