Sermon and Worship Resources

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1176. The Apostles Creed: "The Holy Catholic Churc"

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... raises the most questions. Let us take it one word at a time to see if we can make sense of it. "The holy, catholic church." HOLY. What do we mean when we call the church holy? The word "holy" literally means "separate" or "set apart." It is used to designate anything or anyone that belongs especially to God and thus is separated or set apart from the world. In the Bible the priests of God are holy because they have to do with God. The temple is holy because it is a place set apart for the worship of God ...

1177. A Labor of Love - Labor Day

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... might well involve personal sacrifice. I admit, I still wish discipleship did not have to be quite so demanding. In the words of one old Texan, "The problem with the Christian life is that it's so daily."(2) Indeed. But perhaps this is all by divine design. Perhaps this work is simply preparation for the glory that awaits us. There is a remarkable lesson in a true story about a butterfly: A family brought in two cocoons that were about to hatch. They watched as the first one began to open and the butterfly ...

1178. The Judas Gene

Matthew 26:14-16

Sermon

David E. Leininger

As part of a study, a group of researchers from Harvard contacted an elementary school teacher at the beginning of a school year. They told the teacher that they had designed a test that would correctly predict which students were going to grow intellectually during the coming school year. (Someone called it "The Harvard Test of Intellectual Spurts" because he said it told which students were going to 'spurt' that year). The researchers promised it would indicate the right students. The ...

1179. The Pleasure of Your Company

Matthew 26:17-30

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... re-enactment of a meal he had with them. It is so much more. It is a meal he has with you. When you read Matthew's account of the Last Supper, one incredible truth surfaces: Jesus is the person behind it all. It was Jesus who selected the place, designated the time, and set the meal in order. "My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house." And at the supper, Jesus is not a guest, but the host. "And [Jesus] gave to the disciples..." The subject of the verbs ...

1180. I Am Sombody!!!

Mark 1:9-13, Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... Feast of the Three Kings on January 6th - Epiphany (which for many has become the Feast of Taking Down the Decorations!). This morning I want to suggest that there is one more holiday we should be observing - THIS day, the one the liturgical calendar designates to remember the Baptism of the Lord. If the witness of scripture is to be taken seriously, this day must be even MORE important than those others. After all, only Matthew and Luke record anything about Jesus' birth, but all FOUR Gospels report his ...

1181. Jesus and Divorce

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... are those who were a party to it forever shut out from God's gracious intention of `oneness?'" ...Neither the Confession of Faith nor the Bible wrestle significantly with the troublesome fact that although it is possible to affirm marriage as an institution "designed and ordained of God for the welfare and happiness of [hu]mankind," there is no certainty that God is the instigator of any specific marital union or that God intends the continuation of the union regardless of the personal consequences to the ...

1182. The Trouble with Stables

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... you ARE thinking about it, and you are wondering what you might get for that special someone who is difficult to buy for, I may be able to help. This week on the internet was news you can use.(1) Now available: an eight-inch hand-painted "Jesus Bobble Head", designed to sit in the space on a car's back shelf. The manufacturer says, "Of course, nobody knows what Jesus really looked like, but this is our best guess since we know he had a head that moved." Yup. I think I'll pass on that one, but I know ...

1183. A Christmas Envelope

Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... them together, presented a sharp contrast to Kevin's team in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, Kevin's folks were alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, the better-equipped team ended up walloping their poorer opponents. Every weight class. But as each of the inner city boys got up from the mat, he ...

1184. Gold, Circumstance, and Mud

Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... say the economy is turning around, there are still no jobs out there. Circumstance. Listen to Barbara Brown Taylor: I know...this is a hard time of the year. There is that empty chair to deal with, that stocking that stays folded in the box. All the rituals that were designed for two or more are now up to you alone, and it is like the sound of one hand clapping. Christmas is the season you wait to see if the hurt has let up any since this time last year -- and you want it to, so you can get on ...

1185. Fish Bait

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... to get home after a long day, replied, "So I have heard. But I was passing your church last Sunday, looked in the window, and noticed you had not caught too many..." Too true. Too true. Of course, our lesson is the source of that "fisher of men" designation. It too is a "fish story" of sorts. It starts out with Jesus being pursued by the curious crowd, folks who have heard about this amazing young man - his healing miracles, casting out demons. What does he have to say? So they press close, as the text says ...

1186. A Meal with Friends

Luke 9:10-17

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... were just plain shy and not all that comfortable being forced to open up to new acquaintances. In other words, they were normal. Those THERE on THAT day are also HERE on THIS day. "Make them sit down in groups..." NO ONE ALONE! That was by design. There is something about the gospel that is utterly and completely communal. Jesus started by gathering friends around him - 12 of them - and relied on them to help spread the word. As the time came for him to end his earthly ministry, his instructions were to ...

1187. Would a Loving God Really Let Anyone Go to Hell?

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... is an indication that there will be different degrees of punishment,(9) and of course, simple justice would demand that - the punishment has to fit the crime. Perhaps Dante had the right idea in The Divine Comedy. He portrays sinners living in Hell in circumstances designed to show the nature of their sins: gluttons must lie in the filth of a pig sty; hypocrites go about in heavy cloaks that are gilded over; traitors (who coldly planned their treachery) are more or less encased in ice. You get the idea ...

1188. Pentecostal Power

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... where his team was building churches. His translator and guide was named Eger. Eger told Pastor Malcomb that the Russian words, “Dos-Vee-Don-Ya” and “Pa-Ka” were old-hat. He needed to get with the times and say good-bye the modern way. They were designing seven churches and at the end of meeting with the pastor of each church, Pastor Malcomb used the new phrase he had learned, “Val- EE-Et-Suda.” He could tell by the look on their faces they were quite impressed with his Russian. However the last ...

1189. Merry XMas

John 1:1-18

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... . As a lover of architecture he envisioned the beautiful cathedrals of Rome, Paris and Milan; he saw what was once Westminster Abbey. In each case the only thing remaining was a huge, gaping crater of a cellar. After all, they had been constructed in the design of a cross, and without the one who had been sacrificed on the cross, there would have been no call for constructing a building in the shape of one. He considered the greatest poems of Dante and Milton, of Wordsworth and Tennyson and again found ...

1190. Rejoice

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... the responsibilities you will have when you leave this room. The Lord is at hand. This is a time of yielding ourselves to his blessed presence. What does Paul mean when he says, "Rejoice . . . The Lord is at hand"? The four Sundays before Christmas are designated as Advent which means literally, "coming to . . ." During these four Sundays we are to look forward not only to the celebration of Christ's birth, but also to the climax of history when Christ shall reign over all. When Saint Paul tells us to ...

1191. God's Plan For Empowerment

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... . He suggested they send a bare framework of a schedule, together with a shopping list of things for them to do, and then let the guys on board figure out the best way of doing them. When Houston decided against letting the astronauts design their own calendar of activities, the crew protested with a day long sit-down strike. The first one ever in space. (1) One of the hot words in society today is empowerment. Companies are empowering their workers. NOW ” the National Organization for Women ” wants ...

1192. Two Parades

Luke 22:66--23:25

Sermon

King Duncan

... UNDERSTAND THAT AND THUS DO NOT LET SETBACKS DETER THEM. Jack Matson, a University of Houston professor, developed a course his students dubbed "Failure 101." Matson deliberately had his class build ice-cream-stick mockups of products no one would buy. "They designed hamster hot tubs and kites to fly in hurricanes," says Matson. The ideas were ridiculous, but once Matson's students equated failure with innovation instead of defeat, they felt free to try anything. Since most students would have at least five ...

1193. Finding Glory

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... IN SOMETHING, DON'T WE? Some people glory in their accomplishments. Their shelves are filled with trophies. Their walls covered with plaques. Nothing wrong with that. Sir Christopher Wren lies buried in St. Paul~s Cathedral, the great church that he both designed and built. On his tombstone is a simple Latin inscription which means, "If you wish to see his monument, look around you." Some people are achievement oriented. They glory in the things they can accomplish. Others glory in their possessions. This ...

1194. Jesus Says, 'Just Do It'

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

Dr. Chane M. Hutton

... in a German munitions factory. Upon realizing that the very bombs they were building were being used to destroy their beloved homeland, they made the decision to create a malfunction in the devices that detonate the bombs. The bombs were designed to explode on impact. But with the changes that the prisoners made, the bombs were harmless ” no explosion occurred. Puzzled by so many failed attacks, the French government finally conducted an investigation. Upon opening the bombs, they found slips of paper ...

1195. Living With The Aches And Alleluias

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... . Sue Monk Kidd tells about when her daughter was small and got the dubious part of the Bethlehem star in a Christmas play. After her first rehearsal, she burst through the door with her costume, a five-pointed star lined in shiny gold tinsel designed to drape over her like a sandwich board. "What exactly will you be doing in the play?" her mother asked her. "I just stand there and shine," her daughter answered. Sue Monk Kidd says she has never forgotten that response. (2) Jesus' disciples were concerned ...

1196. When The Waters Begin To Rise

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... Maier's "Lutheran Hour" radio broadcast. He also wrote rhymes for Christmas cards and helped in the shipping department at Concordia Publishing House. Two years later Herman was manager of Concordia. He wrote ads, prepared catalogs, developed book jackets, designed Sunday church bulletins, and helped launch several new Christian magazines. Then Mildred became critically ill. Twenty-six times she was hospitalized. Six times she came to the brink of death. Herman kept believing Romans 8:32. His books and ...

1197. Long Range Planning

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... enormous leap of faith to believe they would. You have to work at it to doubt the existence of God. Even if you believe that evolution is an indisputable fact as many fine people do, where did the pattern for that evolution come from? Who put the design in the DNA? Paul tells us in our text from Ephesians, everything started with a plan. As Paul puts it, God is working out "everything in conformity with the purpose of his will . . ." Nothing that is happened by chance. Behind all of creation there is a plan ...

1198. A Soap Opera For Saints

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... , because of the controversial material in the Bible, NO FURTHER SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS WOULD INCLUDE THE BIBLE. (1) Well, that's one solution ” take the Bible out of school, Sunday School that is. There are some stories in the Scriptures that are designed for mature audiences. In fact there are some full-fledged soap operas within these pages. You and I are fortunate. We can be smug and self-righteous toward those who while away their afternoons watching soap operas on television. Trashy stuff ” filled ...

1199. In Search Of A Reason For Being

Hebrews 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... eyes of God. Certainly this is a gift that Christ shared with his Father. Jesus knew the young man's heart. He knew what this young man needed. The prescription that Jesus gave this young man is not a prescription Jesus would give to everyone. It was designed to meet this particular young man's need. Mark tells us that Jesus looked on the young man and loved him. Jesus saw his sincerity, his humility, his obvious potential. But he also saw a gaping hole in his life. And Jesus took direct aim at that hole ...

1200. A Pre-christmas Faith

Jeremiah 33:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... living room to see what the jolly old elf has brought them this year. For your pastor there is an added note that brings to mind the coming of this unique event in the year “the church calendar. This is that season in the church year that is designed to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ Child. And it is never too early to begin preparing for that kind of Christmas. This time of year there are usually two kinds of sales being advertised in the newspaper: Post-Thanksgiving and pre-Christmas. I ...

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