Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1076 to 1100 of 5000 results

1076. The Mark Upon Us

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Lee Griess

One of the most striking television movies made in the last few years was one called Helter Skelter. It was the story of the cult worship and murder spree by the Charles Manson family in California nearly three decades ago. In the closing moments of the movie, Charles Manson and the members of his so-called family are shown on the screen with their heads shaved and big "X" marks on their foreheads. The stark appearance of the members of that group which called itself a "family" and the "X" marks on their ...

1077. The TV Audience

Sermon

Michael Rogness

Our sermon consumers are used to VCRs and Super Nintendo Ÿ strong visual images Ÿ they watch and then rewind. For our preaching, that certainly means it is a different generation of people out there listening. It has definite implications for what we say and how we say it.11 -- Jerry L. Schmalenberger I talk with many laypeople about sermons, and the comment I hear most often is: "Sermons are bo-o-o-oring!" This comment is of course not new in church history. Perhaps Eutychus thought the same thing about ...

1078. Structure And Clarity

Sermon

Michael Rogness

I understand the stories the pastor told and thought they were interesting, but I couldn't see how the sermon fit together. -- A 15-year-old's comment during the writing of this book Many sermons with good material fall flat simply because the audience doesn't follow the flow of the message. With today's audience listening superficially with a short attention span, there are some basic principles one can use so that the sermon will be (a) heard, (b) understood and (c) remembered. Our View And Their View ...

1079. The Politics Of Love

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

Luke sets the familiar parable of the good Samaritan in the context of two commands: Love God and neighbor; and Go, do likewise! Furthermore, it is clear that by casting the parable with Jewish bad guys and a Samaritan good guy, Jesus wants our love to transcend ideological differences and respond to human suffering and injustice wherever it may be found. Christian spirituality has always been characterized by its loving concern for others, but it has had trouble seeing the political dimensions of its love ...

1080. A Seeking Savior

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

Christian thinking about salvation has divided itself into two main streams which I like to think of as: "Monkey-hold" salvation or "Cat-hold" salvation. The difference in theological viewpoint is seen in how monkeys and cats protect their young. A mother monkey will sound the alarm when danger lurks. The baby monkeys come running to her and hold tightly to her fur as she runs to safety. A mother cat, on the other hand, picks her kittens up by the nape of the neck and carries them in her mouth out of harm' ...

1081. Know What Time It Is!

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

While reading the Bible, Mark Twain once quipped, "It is not the parts of the Scripture that I don't understand that bother me. It's the parts that I do understand." There are plenty of passages of Scripture that speak to us and trouble us. But, alas! for me, this is not one of them. Bernard Anderson referred to the Bible as a special delivery letter with our address on it. That may be true, but this particular bit of Scripture had best be marked, "return to Sender; no one at this address!" This is simply ...

1082. Kingdom Etiquette

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

This parable of Jesus is often treated as a call for humility. When invited out for dinner, stand aside and let others be seated first. If that is its purpose it seems to be much ado about very little. But to interpret his words as a teaching on self effacement is to miss the point of the parable. Jesus told parables to describe the kingdom of God not to give lessons in social etiquette. Here, Jesus apparently used the occasion of his sabbath's dinner invitation to tell yet another parable about the ...

1083. Death Of A Dream - Birth Of A Church

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

Genesis 11:1-9 This Old Testament lesson is a story of failure, but there is a great truth for all of us in it. I had a dear friend who used to say, "Every man is my teacher. I either learn what to do from him, or what not to do." It reminds me of a cartoon, which showed a bum sitting on a park bench; his clothes were tattered and torn, his toes were coming out of his shoes - the stereotypical hobo. Beneath the picture was the caption, "No man is completely worthless - he can always serve as a horrible ...

1084. Are You A Basket Case?

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

We have a large, cylindrical basket by our fireplace which holds firewood. And we have another wonderful basket, perhaps a half-bushel in size, which was given to us by friends. It is hand-woven and crafted by a 92-year-old man who cut the tree, shaved off the strips, soaked them, and then created this lovely container; solid and stable, a treasure. I have a bread-basket; dainty, finely woven, and perfect - fashioned by a cultured, saintly woman in a church I served as pastor. Another everyday basket that ...

1085. Anger Doesn't Work!

James 1:20

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A pitcher of water, a strainer, and an empty bucket. Good morning, boys and girls. Today I have a small experiment for you, and I hope that by doing it, we will learn something about the ways of God and the ways of people. I brought along with me this pitcher of water and an empty bucket. I need to get the water from this place where the pitcher is, to the empty bucket, without moving either the pitcher or the bucket. I also brought along this thing that we call a strainer to help me get the water ...

1086. The Big Hand

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

James Weekley

And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the passover lamb, his disciples said to him, "Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the passover?" And he sent two of his disciples, and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the householder, "The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I am to eat the passover with my disciples? And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready ...

1087. Jesus Is Baptized

Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

James Garrett

Jesus began his public ministry in a crowd that surrounded John the Baptist, at the Jordan. John was a fiery young preacher who attracted the crowds. He told people what they had to do as well as what they had to be. When John emerged from the desert preaching repentance and baptism, the people flocked to the Jordan to be baptized. He was baptizing everyone who would change their ways. Jesus stepped forward to be baptized. Why would the sinless One be baptized? Jesus was there to provide the fullness of ...

1088. Into The Whirlwind

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

Robert Allen

Certain events, no matter how long ago they happened, are forever etched in your mind. One such event that I shall always remember happened when I was in the third grade. It was late April, but it was not a beautiful spring day. Instead, it was a day marked by spring rains. It was a day that was dark and dreary. It was a day packed full of tornado warnings. Finally, late in the afternoon, the school bells rang at an unscheduled time. The teachers led all of the children into the hallways and told us to ...

1089. Joy Songs, Trumpet Blasts, And Hallelujah Shouts!

Joshua 5:13--6:27

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

The Israelites have come to the end of a long, long journey. They had wandered in the wilderness for forty years and now have come to the valley of their dreams. Finally, after years of false starts, dark detours, and dashed hopes, they have come to the land which God had promised. They could have toiled out of the wilderness in forty days, but took forty years because of discontent, disbelief, and disobedience. But now God was willing, because they were willing, to move them into a paradise oasis - a land ...

1090. Take Care Of Each Other!

Ezekiel 33:1-20

Sermon

Keith Hammer

Once upon a time there were two little boys. They were both basically good little boys, but as boys like to do, they would run far and wide finding “interesting” places to play. Little Jimmy liked to play in the woods. Little Bobby liked to play in the fields, especially where there was lots of dirt. Jimmy would always bring interesting things from the woods home to show his parents. One time he brought an injured chipmunk which he nursed back to health. At other times he would bring home bouquets of ...

1091. Endorsing The Future

Sermon

Harold Warlick

One of the first things you do when you move to a new place is establish a checking account with a local bank. We can all tell stories of inexperienced people and their checking account problems. I remember a student who wrote check after check, only to discover he had no money left in his account. In exasperation he explained to the teller, "But I still have some checks left." My sister-in-law, during her first semester in college, receiveda notice from the bank that she was $27.60 overdrawn in heraccount ...

1092. Are You Asking The Right Questions?

Zechariah 7:1-14

Sermon

Richard Hasler

An article titled Widespread Spiritual Hunger Should Be Major News Story caught my eye on the editorial page of the Sunday paper. The author, Bill Tammeus, a columnist for the Kansas City Star, speculated about some journalists and some scientists who refused to see truths that are not physical. The case in point was Pope John Paul II’s visit to Mexico. Huge crowds appeared wherever he spoke. In San Juan los Lagos an estimated one million people gathered in a meadow to listen to him. Why did these enormous ...

1093. The Boy Who Ran Away

Mark 14:43-52

Sermon

Erskine White

A young man followed Him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body; and they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. (Mark 14:51-52) To understand what follows, cast loose your imagination for the moment. In this sermon, I am going to pretend that I am a Bible character who lived two thousand years ago, and I am writing a letter to the modern-day Christian church. The letter begins as follows: I. My name is John Mark. I was a witness to the last night Jesus spent on earth, and I ...

1094. Recollections of Enoch, A Jewish Captive In Babylon

Isaiah 12:1-6

Drama

Robert A. Morgan

I thought I was an old man when we were brought to Babylon, and I am ten years older now. I never expected to live this long under what I assumed would be the acute hardships of being captives, held against our wills in this strange land so far from home. But actually, daily life since we reached here has not been all that difficult. The journey from Jerusalem was very difficult. The Babylonian soldiers who had herded us together saw to that. There were not enough horses or donkeys to carry us all, and ...

1095. Recollections of Abdul, Camel Boy for An Eastern Potentate

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Drama

Robert A. Morgan

Dramatic Monologue I'm glad I'm home. That's the first thing for me to say. I'm really glad I'm home. What with one thing and another, there were many moments - even hours and days - when I was not sure I would ever see home again! And considering what home is for me now, and what home life is like now, it's a wonder I'm so glad to be back. But I am glad. For more reasons than I can count, I'm glad to be home again. The other thing for me to say right at the outset is that I'm glad I went. I am so very ...

1096. A Chosen Vessel

Acts 9:1-19a

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

Exegetical Aim: To show that God uses unlikely people for his work. Props: A designer vase with a small mouth, one very plain (maybe even ugly) vase with a larger mouth, and a number of wrapped flowers that can only fit in the plain container (because of the size of the bouquet). Lesson: I have some very nice things to show you this morning. What are these? Show the vases. (response) Pick up the designer vase. This vase is very pretty, isn't it? What do you see on the vase? (response) Discuss the ...

1097. Step Eleven - Spirituality

Mt 26:36-46 · 1 Thess 5:12-22 · Ps 25:1-15

Sermon

John A. Terry

This past week I had a new adventure. I did some plumbing work I had never done before. But I got out my handy homeowner's guide, and followed along step by step. It took longer than I thought it would. But at last it was almost complete. Close to the very end came the time when I put on the nuts and bolts that held it all together. As we reach toward the end of this series, we are approaching the step that tightens down and holds in place all the other work. The 11th step is: "Sought through prayer and ...

1098. The Rights of an Apostle

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

Johnny Dean

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense." Hopefully none of you have actually heard these words spoken to you directly but maybe you've heard them on a TV show or in a movie. They are called the Miranda Rights. A police officer will recite these magical words ...

1099. At the Foot of the Cross

Sermon

Ron Lavin

"I hope this damn thing doesn't last too long. I've got things to do, people to see." These were my thoughts as I was waiting for the criminals. I am a Roman soldier and part of my job is to help with the crucifixion of criminals. My name is not important, but what happened to me is important, and I'd like to tell you about it. I remember how they walked along the road with the people watching them. Some of the people looked sorry for them. Others enjoyed the cross-carrying ceremony as much as they enjoyed ...

1100. Peter. Rock. Follower of Jesus.

Matthew 16:13-20

Drama

Thomas Blowers

Dramatic Monologue My name is Simon Bar-Jona. And for years I carried that name with pride. Simon-- a strong name, said my mother-- a dependable name, said my father-- a name you can be proud of, said friends and neighbors. "Your great-grandfather's name," everyone reminded me. And I was proud to carry his name as my own. Then one day Jesus began calling me "Peter" and the name stuck. Soon that's what everyone was calling me: Peter. Funny how nicknames get started. We called the old man down on the corner ...

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