Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1126 to 1150 of 4972 results

1126. You are Anointed

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... bookmarks. You can make your own by buying fragrance testing papers ($9.99 on amazon for 100), or you can purchase scented bookmarks. What are your favorite smells? Your favorite scents? For some, it may be the smell in the fall of wood-burning chimneys, or dry autumn leaves. It may be the smell of a home-cooked meal. Or for those in the south –the smell of BBQ! (By the way –BBQ it one of God’s favorite smells!) For others, it may be a favorite perfume, or the smell of incense. In fact, you can ...

1127. Heart of a Pelican

Matthew 17:24-27, Exodus 30:11-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... your way maybe? Some of the habits you could do in being single that don’t work so well when you live with someone else? Living with someone instead of living alone? Seeing other people intimately? Making your own decisions? Many of you opted to leave behind a “single” life in order to enter into a different kind of relational life, in which you will need to behave and communicate and interact differently than before. You do this, because you feel that what you are gaining is worth far more than ...

1128. Dangerous

John 12:12-19, Zechariah 9:9-13, Zechariah 9:14-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages. He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only ...

1129. The Well Watered Soul

Ezekiel 17:1-24, Ezekiel 47:1-12, Matthew 12:1-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... (Genesis 8) The Hand of Jeroboam is Shriveled and Powerless in the Face of the Lord’s Prophet (1 Kings 13:4-6) Elijah and the Dry Land of Ahab / Elijah’s Power Over Water (I Kings 17:1-16 and I Kings 18) Psalm 1: In Streams of Water Leaves Don’t Wither Psalm 73: The Lord Holds Me by My Right Hand and Saves Psalm 74: The Sovereignty of God Psalm 99: The Lord’s Power and Sovereignty Psalm 102: A Prayer of the Afflicted Whose Heart Has Withered Psalm 107: The Lord Controls the Waters Psalm 118: The ...

1130. Immersed

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to God. But God requires a “sign,” an act of “sacrificial” immersion, for God is about to bring the people out of Egypt and into a new life, a new place, a land of milk and honey, and a new kind of relationship. The people of God will leave their old life behind and will take on a new identity as “people of God,” people of the promised land. And so, God elicits this pledge through a “blood sacrifice” –an experience in which those willing to take the 40-year journey will give up the gods ...

1131. Fake News vs. Fantastic Good News

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... of God, and it allowed him to go on living with renewed hope and determination. This isn’t fake news. This is fantastic good news. God has placed us in a world where we sometimes must struggle mightily against forces we don’t understand, but God doesn’t leave us alone. God is with us and, if we will let Him, God will use those times of struggle to grow into persons who are fit to share eternity with Him. But here’s the final thing to be said: when you meet Jesus in your struggles and understand ...

1132. Trapped!

Romans 6:15-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... know if they lose their job, they are unlikely to find another unless they move to another community far away from their family and friends, and few of them want to do that. They feel a loyalty to their family and their community and they don’t want to leave. Or you may know someone who will tell you they spent years trapped in an abusive marriage. It’s easier to escape such marriages now than it has been in the past, but it’s still not easy. Wives can be abusive just as husbands can be, of course ...

1133. The Next Big Thing

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... a relationship or a job, even in our traditions, habits, and ways of doing things, that it frightens us to think about any kind of change. This is why we need God so very much. When we face change in our lives, the kind of change that requires us to leave behind our rooted hopes and dreams, we need to draw upon our faith. Only God can lead us into a new place, a new reality that will nourish us and restore us. Because God’s dreams are not like human dreams, not marinated in power and prestige, but soaked ...

In a bad marriage, friends are the invisible glue. If we have enough friends, we may go on for years, intending to leave, talking about leaving - instead of actually getting up and leaving.

Erica Jong

1135. How Could We Possibly Forget?

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... woman suffering from Parkinson’s disease who hadn’t left her nursing home in seven years. When she heard about his Thanksgiving dinner, she hired an ambulance to drive her to his house. She had a great time at his dinner and cried when it was time to leave. Scott says that he wants the theme of his life to be “Brighten the Corner Where You Are.” He is a great example of how the spirit of thankfulness spreads joy to others. (7) When we put our thankfulness into action, we brighten the corner where we ...

1136. What Really Matters

John 3:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... was a celebrated explorer during the first part of the 20th century. In his writings he describes some of the tasks he and his companions faced in preparing to return from an expedition to the South Pole. They knew they would have to leave some possessions behind. He writes that he was profoundly impressed with the things his companions considered important, as contrasted with the things they threw away. For example, they took their money out their pockets and left it behind. Even food knapsacks they threw ...

1137. The Sign of Noah

Mark 1:4-11 · Song of Songs 6:9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... one, is unique.” Song of Songs 6:9 If you’ve ever spent time in any large city, no doubt, you’ll at some point find yourself amidst a bevy of pigeons. In our city culture, we often see pigeons as an annoyance, somewhat dirty birds that leave droppings all over our sidewalks and strut leisurely across our path. And yet, we honor the “dove” as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, a sign of peace, restoration, and love. These birds, all species of the Columbidae[1] family, are one and the same. While we ...

1138. The Eleventh Commandment

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... last week with his friends, and the Last Supper, and how he knelt in agony in Gethsemane, how they arrested him and all night tortured him, and how he died. I get very near to Jesus then, Sir, and when I go home, he comes with me.” (3) When we leave this room and return to our homes I hope we will each take Jesus with us as well as the knowledge that we are part of the family of Christ and that we have a responsibility for one another. 1. (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, Inc., 2006), pp. 135-136. 2 ...

1139. Advice

Romans 12:2, 9-20; 13:8-9

Sermon

Will Willimon

... , as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man." (Act I, Sc. Ill) What is that supposed to mean? "To thine own self be true?" Act like yourself? Most parents hope that's the last thing their sons or daughters will do when they leave home. They would rather they act as the parents wish they were. Laertes, like most eighteen year olds, politely stands on one foot and then the other while his old man prattles about, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be;...to thine own self be true." After all ...

1140. Homecoming

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

Will Willimon

... , always on a journey, never at home, nowhere to lay his head. With a terse, "follow me," urging these tax collectors and fisherfolk to leave home and wander with him on a journey that seems to have no end. The couple of times Jesus manages to stop by home and ... every day at Duke. Yet they will die, from them. We can't operate here. All I've got to give them is Tylenol. When we leave here, these people will be just as bad off as when we came. It's so hopeless." Most of us could only agree with her despair. ...

1141. Wrong by Association, Right by Jesus

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... own good!” “Don’t believe what they say to you.” “They aren’t your real friends and family.” “They don’t really care about you.” Meanwhile, your “crowd” keeps saying: “This is where it’s at!” And the leader of the crowd tells you: “You can leave if you want! If you’re ashamed to be seen with me!” And now, you are trapped between a rock and a hard place. What do you do? You feel pressured by both “sides.” One wants you to tow the conformity line. The other wants you to ...

1142. Not Gullible; But Skeptical

John 20:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... ? And why didn’t He give us a guidebook that is not open to as many diverse interpretations as the Bible? Why doesn’t He just speak to us in a clear voice at the close of the service and reveal Himself so that, like those early disciples, we can leave here and tell our friends, “I have seen the Lord.” It seems clear to me that God intends for us to struggle with the great questions of life. It may be that such a struggle is essential to a strong, mature faith. Never to have doubted is never to have ...

1143. I Doubt It!

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

... life, at least for that time frame. You don’t doubt that he was a great teacher or a charismatic leader. These are easy to accept because they lie inside the normal, average, everyday portions of life. But the things that fall outside of that normal life leave you with a few questions, a few doubts. Over the last year, we’ve been hearing the term “fake news.” We are learning to doubt our news media on the truthfulness of a story and the bias behind it. We are growing into cynics, into Doubting ...

1144. Good Show

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

... it is a very, very good show?" I hesitate to speak for God--although I do so regularly from this pulpit- but I can't think of any reason why God should be opposed to a Sunday morning show--unless it's not a good show. Tell me, as you leave after service today, "Good show!" I won't take offense. Benjamin Smith will be positively pleased. We're putting on a show for God. Why do you think we're all dressed up and the candlesticks are polished and the linen is pressed and the timpani are tuned? We're ...

1145. Hungering for Some Time Off

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

King Duncan

... experienced what it’s like to have your vacation interrupted. It’s very frustrating, isn’t it? And I’m sure that when the disciples saw the crowd waiting for them on shore, their hearts sank. They probably felt a lot like modern celebrities who have to beg reporters to leave them alone for a day or two. But Jesus didn’t seem to be annoyed. He took it all in stride. In fact, he stayed there with the crowd and taught them. Maybe he knew why the crowd was there to see him. Let’s try and take a look ...

1146. More Than Enough

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... legal to sell food past its expiration date but most stores would just prefer not to, and many customers won’t buy it. Most stores, in fact, pull items two to three days before the sell-by date. 5) Food service and restaurants: On average, diners leave about 17% of their meals on their plates. The reason — gigantic portions. Restaurants also have to keep more food than they need on hand so they can meet all of the demands. Ten percent of all food cooked in fast food restaurants is thrown away before ...

1147. Clean and Unclean

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... , unclean even. According to the historian Eusebius a slave like Onesimus, on whose behalf Paul intervened in his letter to Philemon, became the person in charge of the Ephesian church. God is with us. God is with us all. God’s definition of clean and unclean leaves plenty of wiggle room for us to get together, no matter what barriers society has put up between us. As the gospel says about Jesus, “Thus he declared all foods clean.” And thus he declared all people clean as well. Let us remember that it ...

1148. Perks for Following Jesus

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... question to, “Will this choice enlarge me or diminish me?” Which choice will lead to personal growth or wisdom? Which choice will make a greater positive impact on society? When you look back at the end of your life, which choice will leave a godly legacy? As Burkeman wrote, “. . . don’t worry about burning bridges: irreversible decisions tend to be more satisfying, because now there’s only one direction to travel– forward into whatever choice you made.” (4) Jesus is asking his followers to ...

1149. It's A Wonderment

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... That way we'll never forget this moment." It was more than a Kodak moment and Peter wanted to capture it for all eternity and never leave. But just as quickly as it began, it was over. A cloud descended on them and a voice from the cloud, the voice of God ... we're like children who want every day to be Christmas. We don't want it to end. Neither did Peter. Peter didn't want to leave but he wasn't allowed to stay on the mountain top and neither are we. The transfiguration wasn't meant to last, but it was meant ...

1150. Not Guessing

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... the heavens and water from the rock. They had heard the thunder and seen the lightning and the smoke on the mountain when Moses climbed Mt. Sinai to receive the law. Even so, they grumbled and complained, and even turned to other gods when Moses would leave them to speak with God. Yet Rahab told the Israelite spies she hid from the vigilantes in Jericho that she knew all about how this slave nation had become a true nation thanks to the power of God. So what happens with Jesus? His disciples ask, puzzled ...

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