Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 1176 to 1200 of 4963 results

1176. All-Surrounding Grace

John 3:14-21

Sermon

Elaine M. Ward

... is in yours is to trust and love God." The disciples in the boat in the storm were worried and Jesus said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" The author of the book of Hebrews wrote that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Charlie Chaplin mixed his comedy with tenderness. In the film City Lights, Chaplin is a tramp whom a rich man, intoxicated, rewards financially, but when he sobers up, he charges Charlie with the theft of his money ...

1177. Wedding: Deciding To Love (for a marriage after divorce)

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

... child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. Just think, (Bride) and (Groom), about a year ago, you each thought you could never love again. You had been hurt and disappointed by "love." But the end of previous relationships did not mean the end of love ...

1178. Wedding: To Join Your Paths (for a widowed/divorced, older couple)

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

... arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends... ... So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (Bride) and (Groom), I hope you can tell the joy that it gives all of us here to see your joy, your love for each other. The road to this moment has been a long and winding one for both ...

1179. Wedding: Miracles Of Marriage

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

... will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. I don't know if you believe in miracles, (Bride) and (Groom). But if ... yet to come. It is the miracle of loving. You may think you already have that, and you have begun. But the kind of loving I hope you will aim for is what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians. It is more than being a friend to each other. It is more than ...

1180.

Drama

Betty Lynn Schwab

... a new land promised to them. Child: What would the green herb mean for Jesus? Reader 1: As Jesus ate his last supper with his disciples, Jesus knew that new life would come after his death and that the kingdom of God would break through filled with promise and hope, abundant living and eternal life. Child: What does the green herb mean for us today? Reader 2: To hold up a sprig of green herbs is to hold up the new life that blesses us all. Our unemployed find work. Our sick are restored to health. Those who ...

1181. God's Gift Is For All

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

Rodney Thomas Smothe

... who need to hear this message don't go to church," some said. After a long debate the question was asked: "Why should the church be bribed with money to do what the gospel of Jesus Christ compels it to do?" Ouch! Christ's message of redemption and hope begins with a personal response to share the story of Christ's salvation in the midst of a hurting and hostile world. God's gift is for all; not just people like us, not just for people we feel comfortable around, not just people who will join our churches ...

1182. Christmas Letters

Drama

Karren Boehr

... me, a virgin, in a lowly stable. Yet, he is a King. I write you this note, Emmanuel, to share with you my feelings of hope on this your birthday. Even in my confusion, I know the salvation of the world rests in your hands. The prophets have called you the ... It's gone! It's unreal! Well, anyway I just wanted to tell you -- thanks. And to let you know I'm back, I hope for keeps. Your peace is the best Christmas present anyone could receive. Your friend forever, James. (Takes Bible from under stool and opens it ...

1183. On Getting Out Of The Way

Luke 3:1-20, Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... rescue you." "I baptize you with water," he continued, "mine is just a physical symbolic act. All the water in the Jordan River can't save you. But one is coming who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The real baptism, conversion, salvation, hope is not in me; it is in Jesus." Shortly thereafter John disappears from the scene. He bows out so Jesus can bow in. Our text goes on to report that when Jesus came to John and was baptized, God confirmed Jesus' Messiahship as the heavens opened up ...

1184. Moving At The Speed Of Light: Nazareth: Family Ties

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

... anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19). What hopeful words from the prophet Isaiah and how pleasantly they fell on the ears of Jesus' kin. And then he said, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." And the townspeople spoke well of him and were astonished at the gracious words spoken by this son ...

1185. You Meant Evil; God Meant Good

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... all generations (Psalm 33:10-11). This awareness of God's workings is summed up in aphorisms such as "Man proposes, God disposes." More importantly, it is lived out in the lives of faith. Most of us start out our lives with common dreams and hopes -- a spouse, a family, everyone healthy and happy. Then we deal with reality. As life unfolds, its plot takes strange twists and turns. There is so much hurt, disappointment, and just plain cussedness woven into our stories that we begin to wonder. Maybe there is ...

1186. You Can Be Beautiful

Hosea 14:1-9

Sermon

Michael B. Brown

... for this brief moment while you have hold of me, I feel safe for the first time in years." Leo Buscaglia is a man on a mission, his life devoted to helping us learn how to love one another. Countless millions have discovered peace and joy, healing and hope because of him. He may not be pretty, but he sure is beautiful. "Your beauty shall be like the olive tree," Hosea told the people of Israel, and your fragrance like that of Lebanon." Things in Israel were not pretty, but Hosea knew that "pretty is only ...

1187. The Meaning Of Advent

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... expectations of Christ's coming again. As a family looks forward to a son returning from a war and as a bride anticipates her wedding day, so a Christian looks forward with joy to Christ's coming. Yet, this is a different kind of joy -- a joy of hope amid solemnity. It is the quiet joy of anticipation and not the joy of celebration of a past event. This type of joy is expressed in the Advent hymns: "Joy to the World, the Lord is come(ing)," and "O Come Emmanuel . . . Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to ...

1188. Pentecost

John 20:19-23, Acts 2:1-13, Acts 2:14-41, Genesis 11:1-9, John 14:5-14, Romans 8:1-17

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... In many churches Pentecost is the day for the reception of new members by baptism, confirmation, or transfer of membership. It is the hope that today's disciples will receive on this day a renewed and increased gift of the Holy spirit. 1. Is there time ... 14-17 1. Are you sure you are a Christian? (8:14-16). Need: Some Christians are not sure they are true Christians. They say, "I hope I am," or "I think I am," or "I believe I am." In these responses there is no certainty or assurance. People need to know for ...

1189. Proper 22

Psalm 137:1-9, Lamentations 3:19-26, Luke 17:1-10

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... with humanity than to take some responsibility for what we could do to calm the distressed, relieve the anger of the disturbed, or pacify the hostility of the aggressive. Forgive our lack of hope that the future could be better than the past and that our faithfulness could make some difference, through your ever-hopeful Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Prayer of Assurance Eternal God, we live in the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ claiming our own immortality only through the victory of the Risen One, who ...

1190. Would We Rather Be Comfortable Or Comforted?

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... God comes to you. The signs of his coming are hidden, as they were hidden to the people in the time of Isaiah, Jesus and John. But now as well as then God's promise is trustworthy and true! That promise and that presence simply is your hope, rugged and durable. That promise and that presence come to you today, hidden again, under the forms of bread and wine. The advent of the messiah, the promise and the presence -- means by which God makes us not comfortable, but comforted. And thus comforted, we are truly ...

1191. The Wheat Among The Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon

Marc Kolden

... take heart. If people see only atheism and evil in the world, they will despair. Cynicism can be contagious; but so can faith and hope. God needs us as a faithful minority for the sake of the world. We live by faith now, in any case, not by sight. ... this cup, we proclaim Christ's death until he comes again (1 Corinthians 11:26)]. In this way God builds us up in faith and hope, so that we might endure, and as we endure, others also may take courage and keep growing alongside until the harvest. For as it is ...

1192. How Unexpected Can Christmas Be?

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... around the out-of-sight, out-of-mind poor. Neighborhoods are closing their hearts and doors to centers where AIDS patients can spend their final days in dignity. And people of all kinds are still yearning for a center to their lives that will bring more hope and meaning than we have been able to find elsewhere. It will be easier to celebrate Christmas than to celebrate the coming of the Lord. We know that the coming of the Lord into our lives, churches, and communities will mean change. We have made Jesus ...

1193. The Lamb of God

John 1:29-34

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... pay for a faithfulness that challenges corrupt systems and crooked policies, but Jesus didn't flinch from that price. Walter Brueggemann once said that there are two kinds of losers -- those who have given up hope and those who don't want things to be any better than they are right now.6 Those who have given up hope have lost, but often for reasons beyond their control. People who don't want things any better than they are right now know that any change may disrupt the comfortable lifestyles they have built ...

1194. Been There, Done That

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... through the presence of Jesus. We can say some things to them out of our experiences that they desperately need to hear. We embody hope and promise for those who are hurting because we have endured and survived our troubles. As real as their pain is, we are able ... over. "I want what you have," Shelly told Martha, "I want what you have." Shelly wanted the compassion and depth and hope which Martha knew, but she may not have realized fully how Martha came to know those things. Martha learned compassion from ...

1195. All Saints' Sunday

Mt 5:1-12 · 1 Jn 3:1-3 · Isa 26:1-21 · Rev 7:9-17; 21:9-11, 22-27; 22:1-5 · Ps 24 · Ps 34 · Ps 149

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... hazy view of the afterlife. Sheol was thought of as a pit, a hazy nether world of shadows. God's people, his holy ones, his saints, will rise from their graves. Some see in this passage only a national revival, while others see here a brilliant new hope of personal resurrection, later realized in Christ. Epistle: 1 John 3:1-3 1. Sermon Title: What Do You Know? Sermon Angle: My dad would often use this phrase as a greeting. I wonder what he would have done if someone had really attempted to tell him what ...

1196. Epiphany 8

Mt 6:24-34 · 1 Cor 4:1-13 · Is 49:8-18 · Ps 131

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... condition through the lens of our feelings; they can be deceptive. The time we feel most distant from God may be the time when he is doing his best work in our lives. For those times when we do feel God forsaken, Isaiah pens wonderful words of assurance and hope. "Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget; yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands ..." (vv. 15-16a). Like a loving mother, God is attentive ...

1197. End times

Mt 24:1-14 · 1 Thess 3:7-13 · Jer 26:1-6 · Ps 105:1-7

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... and hardship, they can celebrate the faith and love of those whom they have discipled. Paul makes a rather extraordinary statement: "For we now live, if you continue to stand firm in the Lord" (v. 8). This could mean that the fortitude of their faith is a source of hope and strength for Paul's group. Or this could be a way of expressing the truth that we live in others. We live in our children, we live in those whom we have profoundly touched, and we live in those whom we have discipled. Living in others is ...

1198. Seder Service: The Passover Haggadah

Bulletin Aid

Robert L. Linder and Rabbi Sol Ester

... died, but was carried up to heaven. The life of no other character in Jewish history is so surrounded with a halo of mystery and wonder as is that of Elijah. In Jewish legend, the ubiquitous Elijah is the champion of the oppressed; he brings hope, cheer and relief to the downtrodden; and he performs miracles of rescue and deliverance. It is Elijah who can explain all difficult passages in the Bible and Talmud and will settle all future controversies. The prophet Malachi says of him: "He will turn the hearts ...

1199. The Peacemakers

Sermon

John A. Terry

... kingdom described in the Old Testament by Isaiah, put in the same cage a lion and a lamb. Someone asked how he did it. He replied simply, "Every morning I put in a fresh lamb." Peace is our vision, but war is more often our reality. Even the hope of peace may only seem possible through war. Those first hearing this beatitude were being held captive by Rome. They were not looking for peace. They were looking for a way to throw off the yoke of Roman oppression. They were yearning to be free of the foreign ...

1200. Cain's Sentence

Genesis 4:1-26

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... still, I screamed. And then I ran through the corn shocks and cut myself up some. Then it hit me what I had done. I went back, hoping he would be still alive, maybe even moving around okay. But he was just as I had left him. And he wasn't breathing. Why did I ... does come after you, there are some guards who will love to have an excuse to bust heads. There are always a few who just hope for a riot. Here, wear this cross. They'll razz you, but no one will come after you. Cain (putting the cross around his neck ...

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