Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1076 to 1100 of 2962 results

1076. Taking Ourselves Lightly

Illustration

Lori Johnson Rosenkvist

... the freedom to allow the stiff wind of the Holy Spirit to blow through our too-often stuffy and serious lives, tugging at our clothes and messing up our hair. The God who created a perfectly synchronized universe also took time to fashion and paint each bird, to design each cloud formation, and to give us the gift of laughter. These are not the actions of an all-work-and-no-play God. The God of detail and delight, the God of mountain and mud puddle can expect nothing less of us, for we are creations of ...

1077. Just A Whisper

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... pictures of the planet Neptune and its rings and moons. Though the news broadcasts gave it not much more time than national sports, the pictures sent from space to earth in those few days changed forever our concept of Neptune. Even the scientists who designed Voyager never dreamed what was going to be revealed. They knew the spacecraft would work for five or six years, fulfill its then intended mission, and lapse into silence never to be heard from again. But now we know its power supply will keep ...

1078. The Scandal Of Redeeming Love

Hosea 2:2-23

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... on a long trip. And Hosea had quite a lot to think about, considering the sad state of his home life, and the equally sad state of the nation. He apparently saw some striking similarities, and put his prophecy in the form of poems designed to call people back to their obligations of their covenant with Yahweh. Lest anyone doubt the power of poetry to move people, Bible historians hold that Hosea’s prophetic work was instrumental in saving Israel from absorption into the baal cults, the indigenous sexually ...

1079. Coming Down The Mountain

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... in their voices and some disillusionment about the church that sent them, declare, "Why can’t the church be like that?" Well, maybe it could be if an occasional week-end retreat was all it did. Retreats are often rarified atmosphere. They are designed to be mountaintop experiences, composed of a select group of people who are going with a special purpose and perhaps prepared with some expectations, and away from the pressures of everyday life, with a program that can be recycled for each new group ...

1080. Courageous Preaching

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... can bring suffering. Living our Christian convictions in a time of affluence can bring suffering. That is the way of the cross, but it is also where our true home is. Amen. 1. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, (New York, Harper and Row, 1954), pp. 97-99. 2. H. Grady Davis, Design for Preaching, Fortress, 1958, p. 7. 3. Walter Brueggemann, Hopeful Imagination, Fortress Press, 1986, p. 42. 4. Ibid, pp. 92-127.

1081. Dual Citizenship I - What Do We Owe To Our Country?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... or herself? That, my friends, is the reason that we must reclaim that phrase from our creed "One Nation Under God. l' This does not mean that we will cram religion down anybody's throat. But it does mean that we will openly praise God and unapologetically design policies and laws based on a Judaeo- Christian ethic. The soul of America depends upon it. NOW, LET ME SUGGEST A SECOND ITEM WE OWE TO AMERICA: TO GOSSIP SOME GOOD NEWS. Poor old Uncle Sam could use a good public relations agent . His reputation has ...

1082. The Path of Maturity

Drama

William Grimbol

... and vulnerability, or they might expose the frightening child that lurks within that tough and together exterior. Our neighbors are not to be trusted. They might steal our piece of the pie. They might get a higher rank on the success ladder. They might wear more designer labels. Loving our neighbors, well, Lord, once again You prove how out of touch and unaware You are of reality ... the real world. READER 3 When it comes to loving the world, You just expect too much ... way, way too much. You were such an ...

1083. The Path of Integrity

Drama

William Grimbol

... consider living a bland - boring - predictable life as a simple piece of unleavened bread. What a horrible image ... what an absurd analogy ... what an offensive concept, to go through life needing only a pinch of leaven. Maybe if they could make it designer unleavened bread, then the idea might sell, it might have a viable market. Ralph Lauren unleavened bread. Pierre Cardin unleavened bread. Bill Blass unleavened bread. It just might work. READER 2 What Paul was trying to teach, was that Christ’s own ...

1084. Peter Becomes the Rock

Drama

G. Franklin Gray

... is recommended for entire cast. For contrast Jesus wears white clothing. Properties Needed Fishing net Short sword about 24 inches long with broad blade tapering from 2 1/2 inches to a sharp point, painted gold. Lights and microphones as needed. The play is designed for presentation in a sanctuary with no scenery. Choir O Come and Mourn McGlohan Narrator Jesus has been crucified and it is now the third day ... Sunday. For three days Peter has been in a state of agony, wandering from place to place, trying ...

1085. Stewards of Creation

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

About the second Sunday in November each year, after mailing out a flood of brochures, putting up posters, twisting arms of the faithful to make visits, and designing a banner, there comes from this pulpit what I like to call, "The Sermon on the Amount." Members sit in the pews and squirm on their billfolds, hang onto their checkbooks and purses, fill out a pledge card reluctantly, and sing the hymn: "Take my silver and my gold, not ...

1086. Resurrection: From Burn-Out to New Vision

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... to play in all of these things perhaps, but we are not in control of the ultimate results. We are, in some ways, like an assembly-line worker who makes one weld in one part of an automobile. We are not asked to lie awake at night worrying about the design of the car. We are not asked to constantly run up and down the line making sure that everyone else is doing his or her job. We are called to be faithful to one task. For most of us that means just being ourselves and doing what God has placed ...

1087. Augustine, Defender of the Faith

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... people who gather in hospitals and uneducated people in schools, we sinners gather in churches. Only Christ is holy and perfect. Only his word and sacraments are his pure, undiluted presence in the world. This is the reason no one political candidate or party can be designated "of God" and the other of "the evil one." In fact, it seems clear that the human organization of the church so blunders and limps along with its human organization that it would have died out years ago had it not been "of God." This ...

1088. In Control

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... , and helping them with simple chores. I was deeply affected by his response. Richard’s mind, emotions, and body were weak from his breakdown. It must have taken extraordinary effort just to place one foot before the other. His drab quarters seemed designed to worsen, rather than improve his condition. The mental state of his companions could easily have an adverse affect upon his outlook. Much of the time they seemed oblivious to their surroundings, to each other, and to Richard’s good words and ...

1089. Inevitabilities and the Last Days

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... turbulence. The town fathers opposed the undertaking. The leaders of the team requested, and were granted, a meeting with an unsympathetic mayor and an equally unsympathetic police commissioner. The team leaders prepared, in advance of the meeting, a presentation designed to "sell" their project. But they were unprepared for the vehement opposition of the two town officials. The mayor and commissioner were so angry at the youth, who invaded their town and tarnished its image, that they obstinately refused ...

1090. God’s Dwelling Place

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

... waiting in the right way seems part and parcel of his purpose. What would we miss if waiting were eliminated from life? The deepest love stories, for one thing. You cannot name one that is not filled with this strange but common mystery: waiting is worked into the design of any true lover’s life. How could we ever find life if we were too impatient - too eager for a shallow species of gusto - ever to wait for it?* * (Eugene Kennedy, A Time for Being Human, New York, Simon and Shuster, 1977, p. 193) To be ...

1091. All Dressed Up and No Place To Go

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

... this little passage of Isaiah is the good news of God shining forth with exquisite splendor. We need not wonder why the New Testament writers looked back to this as a preview of God’s work in Jesus. In the fullness of time God has carried forward different designs in the garments of salvation with which he clothes those he loves. Look and see how he clothes us in the life of Jesus Christ, opening to us the mystery of the incarnation so that we can live in Christ and Christ in us - our garment of salvation ...

1092. It’s as Simple as That

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

... and the world which God so dearly loves. We can liken this process to that of weaving cloth. The Word is the warp and the daily efforts the woof, and in due process the shuttle of time flashes back and forth, back and forth, weaving the tapestry of God’s design. It’s as simple as that.

1093. Advent 4

2 Samuel 7:1-17, Romans 16:1-27, Luke 1:26-38

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... bless this house of worship! People: MAY THE GOD OF JESUS BLESS THIS FAMILY OF FAITH! Leader: Ours is a God who builds houses and kingdoms to last forever. People: MAY GOD REIGN OVER THIS HOUSE NOW, AND OVER THE KINGDOM YET TO COME! Collect God of design and destiny, who remind us continually that your ways are not our ways, teach us to trust, not houses made with human hands, but temples built by you; not human inventions, but your intentions; that we may be ready to recognize the coming Anointed One who ...

1094. Wednesday in Holy Week

Isaiah 50:1-11, Hebrews 12:1-13, John 13:18-30

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... Son, who persevered to the end and sacrificed all to be victorious, so that we might follow in his footsteps by your grace. In his name we pray. Amen Gospel: John 13:21-30 Theme: Betraying the Master Exegetical Note This Johannine account of Christ’s designation of Judas as betrayer is in many ways the most elaborate in the Gospels. Most distinctive about this version is that Satan enters into Judas, and does so after Jesus has handed the disciple a morsel. John, of course, does not report the words of ...

1095. The Tragedy of the Unprepared Life

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Brett Blair

... to shop around for the best rates. Diapers and wipes are not something you can put off until the last moment. In the 10 seconds it takes to make a tremendous mess, we have not the time to go the store, figure out the new size, color, and design, and get the proper quantity and dampness of wipes. A midterm exam is not something you can put off until the last moment. On the morning of the exam, there is neither the time nor the sobriety to understand two months worth of knowledge. When it comes to these ...

1096. The Seekers

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Theodore L. Yewey

... could symbolize the offering of our constant grasping after the material things in life to the Christ. Frankincense represents a sweet fragrance. And what could be more appropriate than to offer unto the Christ the "sweet fragrances of life" in art and music, design and love, beauty and creativity. The myrrh adds a further dimension to such offerings, for it is a substance of sorrow and suffering. Myrrh was used for embalming and preparation of a body for burial. This final gift reminds us that even those ...

1097. Broken Bread, Shared Cup

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... from friend to friend. The cup was large, and the edge rough where the crude pottery had broken away. But the wine was sweet, and burned in the back of our mouths as we swallowed it. It warmed. Jesus took the cup in both hands - looking deeply on the design of leaves pressed into the outer surface. He looked into the cup - the red wine catching the flames of the lamps about the room. The blood-red liquid was still upon my lips as he whispered, "This is as my blood, shared that the new covenant between God ...

1098. OUR LORD DENIED

Sermon

E. Jerry Walker

... his head, attracted no more attention than any other. Peter drifted without direction, a shadow moving among shadows on the dark streets. A few short hours before his life had held purpose. Now, it was as aimless as his wanderings. All life’s meaning and design had crumbled in an instant. His mind was clouded, too filled with sorrow and disappointment to understand the events that had led to that horrible moment. Could it have been as he pictured it? He strained to recall. It seemed that he, with Jesus ...

1099. Prepare The Way

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Brett Blair

... asked whether he completely ruled God out. He shook his head. “I cannot,” he said, “Because I once met Fletcher.” John Fletcher was an Anglican vicar and a close friend of John Wesley.. His godly life was a legend. It was he whom Wesley had designated as the successor to lead the Methodist people in the event of his death. But it Fletcher who died first and John Wesley preached his funeral. He referred to Fletcher as the perfect man. Historians comment on the amazing impact of his goodness. There is ...

1100. The Need for A Community of Healing

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... of a broken world -- of broken bodies and hearts and souls. Even now our hospitals minister to those in pain, those whom disease and accident and quirks of nature overcame. We do not understand why so many should be ill, but we do know it is your design that we be whole and well and therefore holy. Grant, we pray, the blessing of healing and wholeness to those close to us. We pray for all ministers and agents of healing, especially those of this community. We ask your wisdom and grace for our hospitals ...

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