Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1026 to 1050 of 3099 results

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Brett Blair

... to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency... George Washington's First Inaugural Address, Thursday, April 30, 1789 ********* Here is the second: My countrymen, one and all, think calmly and well upon this whole subject. Nothing valuable can be lost by taking time. If there be an object to hurry any of you in hot haste to a step which you would never take deliberately, that object will be frustrated by taking time . . . In your hands, my ...

1027. The Demons and the Counselor

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... as a human soul. He needs to tell someone of what he thinks, of the bewilderment he encounters when he tries to discover why he was born, how he must live, and where his destiny lies. The Samaritan woman at the well tried to change the subject. "Let's talk about worship ... Samaritans and Jews, anything ..." "No," said Jesus, who was listening to her soul. "Let's talk about you." He listened to her. He heard what she was really saying beneath what she was apparently saying. Dr. Granger Westberg, founder of ...

1028. Vacillation - Pontius Pilate

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... affairs, but would have to get the approval of Rome for the death penalty. It was understood that I would normally approve whatever decision they made, but the fact that I made the final decision in capital cases reminded their leaders that they were a subject people. This is why they brought Jesus of Nazareth to me. He was bound. It was very early one morning. The Sunday before he had ridden into Jerusalem to the cheers of the people, "Hail to the Son of David." The religious leaders were very disturbed ...

1029. Nobody - Simon of Cyrene

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... different perspective. I speak to you from my time - nearly 2,000 years ago. Yet what I have to say to you will have a contemporary ring to it for those who have ears to hear. I speak here about the way of the cross. That is always a timely subject. My name as given in the Gospel of Mark is Simon of Cyrene (Mark 15:21). My name as given in the book of Acts is Niger (Acts 13:1). One of your modern writers, Dick Gregory, has written a book entitled Nigger in which he tells of some of ...

1030. Does Love Make You Sorry?

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... she was not human. She declared that in the twenty-three years of their marriage, he had never said he was sorry, and until he did so, she would not be friends with him. For two weeks they did not talk to each other. Then Archie brought up the subject. Edith asked, "Are you saying you are sorry?" Grudgingly, he grunted an affirmative answer. He really loved Edith, and he had to swallow his pride by saying that he was sorry. This shows us the meaning and horror of sin. It grieves and offends God, one we love ...

1031. The Christian's Tears of Failure

Matthew 26:69-75

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... maids and other servants. They gathered around a fire, for the night was cold. The blaze lighted up the faces of those around the fire. A maid saw the face of Peter and accused him of being a follower of Jesus. At first he tried to change the subject, but she accused him a second and a third time. With curses and oaths, he flatly and vehemently declared that he did not know the man, Jesus. After denying his Lord three times, a cock crowed. According to Luke, Jesus looked at Peter, who then remembered that ...

1032. In Quest of a Treasure

James 1:1-18

Sermon

Larry Powell

... movie I saw advertised once, so gory and bloody that the promotion read, "This movie is guaranteed to make you sick at your stomach." I thought seriously about going to sit outside the theater just to see what kinds of persons would intentionally subject themselves to guaranteed stomach distress and be willing to pay hard cash, to boot. And how about the fellow at San Rafael, California, who held his breath underwater for thirteen minutes, forty-two and five-tenths seconds? Then for all my friends who think ...

1033. Time and Stewardship

Sermon

Larry Powell

... into places of business and seeing a human form gyrating, twisting, rapidly moving both hands, and nervously shifting from one foot to the other in front of one of the modern day wonders, the video-computer game. For twenty-five cents, you can subject yourself to a temporary assault by a machine that has been programmed to out-think you by an almost unbelievable combination of variations. Although I don't challenge them myself, I am still fascinated that a machine is capable of performing so many different ...

1034. Desire Peace

Sermon

Alan Bacon Bond

... different place. If the peace which Jesus had in mind was able to calm the stormy sea of Galilee, then the peace which Peter sees in the mind of God is not ultimately the submission of nature, but its replacement with a new form, a nature not subject to decay, destruction, and turmoil. The new creation is inevitable ... and it is peaceful. There is, in Peter, and you ... and me, something which yearns for that time, beyond this earth's death. But STOP! The prophet Amos cries to us from the pages of the Old ...

1035. Peace as Shalom

Sermon

Alan Bacon Bond

... will generate peace on earth. But Lord, when, by reason of circumstance, the gift is rejected, stay me from the temptation of vindictiveness, hate, or hostility, that I might live in the confidence of Shalom which knows that all things under the heavens are subject to your governance. Lord, teach me of fulfillment. Teach me of the fulfillment of Shalom, that with peace in my heart, mind, and relationships, I might lend fulfillment to others. But Lord, when I encounter those who are empty, stay me from the ...

1036. Proclaim Peace

Sermon

Alan Bacon Bond

... of war, or something more personal like the plight of a sick relative. Easter says, stop giving energy to the negatives. Use the energies of Christ for the positively creative. The resurrection encounter of the disciples was no theological doctrine, no philosophical teaching, subject to doubt and debate; it was the vivid experience of realizing that God is the victor in the perverse game of basilica. Easter calls us to start living on God's terms, positively. "Peace be with you." The second command of the ...

1037. Empty Prisons Without Walls

Acts 5:17-42

Sermon

Carl Jech

... " is above the law, then the government can think its cause or concern is above the law and then we have the kind of breakdown that leads to Watergate. The equally famous reference in 1 Peter to the fact that Christians should "be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution" (1 Peter 2:13), including the government, stands beside the apostles' statement about obeying God rather than men. Bishop Eivind Berggrav of Oslo, Norway defied the Nazis and had this to say about "conscientious objection ...

1038. Quantum Leap

Acts 13:13-52

Sermon

Carl Jech

... short, most people do not find bigotry attractive. If anyone is saved, God does it. Saving the world is ultimately God's business. We can invite people to church. We can share our faith with others or discuss theology and religion just as we would discuss other subjects. We can love. We can share. We can work for justice. But we cannot "save" anyone! It is a contradiction in terms to make the message of Jesus into any form of bigotry. Christians do not have all the answers. We do have good reasons to enter ...

1039. Colorizing Jesus

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Carl Jech

... to bring such issues into public discussion. Well, a few years earlier another Anglican bishop, John A.T. Robinson, wrote a book called Honest to God, in which he clearly made a conscious decision to open up such dialogue among all Christians, on such subjects as the status of the Bible and the nature of belief. Such matters are, (to borrow a phrase) "too important to leave to the experts." And as for controversy itself, must we not agree that healthy controversy is much better than stagnant blandness ...

1040. Throw Your Heart at the Sky

John 21:1-14

Sermon

Carl Jech

... words." That is a large part of what John means when he says that Jesus is the living embodiment of Truth. Another example of impersonal thinking getting in the way of personal truth would be the issue of ordaining gay people. The subject is usually discussed as if such ordinations would be something radically new, whereas, in fact, there have been and are countless gay clergy, many of them significant leaders in the church. Because gay religious professionals are understandably hesitant to let their sexual ...

1041. A Sword and a Sacrament

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

... my face from shame and being spit upon ... the Lord God helps me; who will declare me guilty?" It is interesting that even though we use the word "suffering" as a noun, it always carries a verb-like meaning. It may be used as the object or the subject of a sentence; but, it still remains in our experience a verb - an action-loaded word. One knows from experience that, even though confined to a bed, or even if only sitting motionless in a chair, when one suffers, one is still doing something. Suffering is an ...

1042. Keeping Alert

Luke 9:28-36

Illustration

John A. Stroman

... Winkle? He fell asleep one day in a quiet spot on the banks of the Hudson River and he didn't wake up for twenty years. When he went to sleep, the sign above his favorite tavern read: "King George III, King of England." He was a subject of the British crown. When he woke up, King George was replaced by George Washington and he was an American citizen. The tragic part was that he slept through a revolution. While he snored, oblivious to his surroundings, fantastic, earth-shaking events had taken place. This ...

1043. God's Self-Revelation Through Jesus' Transfiguration

Luke 9:28-36

Bulletin Aid

Carl Hoefler

... your Son: Give us receptive hearts to his atoning death; that we may be cleansed of our unrighteousness, and enjoy our new relationship with you, promised to all who receive your love in Christ; through whom we pray. Amen. Prayer of Confession We are subject to human frailties, Father, and so our weariness, at times, makes us numb to the glory of your only Son who is our Redeemer. That weariness affects our faith, and we find ourselves with good intentions, but not enough spiritual insight. Forgive us for ...

1044. United Obedience to God's Authority

2 Samuel 5:1-5

Bulletin Aid

Carl Hoefler

... all persons are united in their obedience to God's authority, we will experience God's Kingdom for which we pray. People: We pray for such unity and obedience, that God may have his way on earth. Collect Heavenly Father, who has created us to be subject to your divine authority: Grant us hearts submissive to your will, that we may live in harmony with one another, and in obedience to your authority. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Prayer of Confession We are brothers and sisters, Father, but we often deny our ...

1045. Let Us Be Fruitful!

Colossians 1:1-14

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

... members of and heirs to Your Kingdom. Instead, we have acted as though we live in our own little kingdoms and have focused on our own little worlds. Forgive us, Lord, and help us to reach out and share with a hurting world the love we receive by being Your subjects. In Christ we pray. Amen. Hymns "I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord" "Make Me A Blessing" "I Am Thine, O Lord"

1046. Why I Believe In The Resurrection

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Brett Blair

... by the way means truth), and was a full member of the Politburo. His works on economics and political science are still read today. There is a story told about a journey he took from Moscow to Kiev in 1930 to address a huge assembly on the subject of atheism. Addressing the crowd he aimed his heavy artillery at Christianity hurling insult, argument, and proof against it. An hour later he was finished. He looked out at what seemed to be the smoldering ashes of men's faith. "Are there any questions?" Bukharin ...

1047. Holy Trinity Sunday

John 16:12-15

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

Call To Worship Let us come before the Lord with minds open to his truth, with hearts receptive to his love, and with wills subject to his Spirit. Invocation As we worship this morning, our heavenly Father, we pray that your Spirit will be our strength; your Word will be our guide; your Love will be our comfort; and your Promises will be our hope. Amen. Ritual Of Friendship As our voices unite in singing, ...

1048. The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Brett Blair

... temple obviously came before his obligations to this beaten man, a man whom who didn’t even know. It was ceremony before charity for this particular priest. So he passed by on the other side. Not long ago on the Today Show a clergyman interviewed on the subject of AIDS. His position was: These people are not victims; they got themselves into this mess. They have no one to thank but themselves. Why should we help? That might well have been the position of the Priest on the Jericho Road: He took his chances ...

1049. The Friend At Midnight

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Brett Blair

... . Even Paul wrote in Romans 8:26: “We do not know how to pray as we ought.” One day the disciples, after listening to Jesus pray, asked him if he would teach them how to do it. In response Jesus did not give an extended seminar on the subject but rather told a wonderfully human story, that was simple yet profound. It goes like this: Late one evening an unexpected visitor came to a certain man’s home. The householder was certainly glad to see him but he was also concerned because he had no bread in the ...

1050. Sermon Opener - The Friend At Midnight

Luke 11:1-13

Illustration

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