Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1201 to 1225 of 4963 results

1201. Doing The Right Thing

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

... must define that for ourselves, of course. But for me, it has to do with what I think Jesus was referring to when he said, "I came that my joy might be in you." Not freedom from stress, nor exemption from hard work and occasional failures. No one can hope for that, nor, if we only knew, would that bring happiness anyway. For me happiness refers to an inner confidence that I can face whatever comes my way because I know that I have the courage and resourcefulness to do my best, plus the confidence that I'm ...

1202. Bread In Our Baskets

John 6:25-59

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... thousands was no big distribution problem for the Son of God, for God regularly satisfies the desires of every living thing. But, clearly, it was food that perishes. Even the twelve baskets that remained probably met the same fate the next day. What Jesus hoped for was that these people -- what Jesus hopes for -- is that all of us, in the front rows, in the safe center, on the fringes, would come to him for "the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man gives. For it is on him that God the ...

1203. A Voice Crying In The Wilderness

John 1:1-18, John 1:19-28

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... as a "cold war"? Feeling, love, and emotion have evaporated, leaving merely a skeleton of an existence. What about that sobbing suicidal teenager who is making that last desperate call on a telephone hotline to a counseling center? The message of Advent is one of hope. Hope, because it reminds us that we are not alone. We have not been left to the mercy of devastating circumstances. The word is Emmanuel, God is with us. Jesus Comes To Put Our Lives Together What do these words of the advent of Jesus Christ ...

1204. Jesus Transfigured

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... God would do the same for us. It is apparent from this story, however, that as plainly as Jesus did tell that to the disciples at that moment they did not believe it. And we have to admit that we all struggle with the truth of it also. Our Hope However, in spite of our struggles like those of the disciples, Jesus did accomplish what he said he would. The transfiguration event was not what Peter wanted to make of it. This was God's special moment for the strengthening of this unique Son to prepare Jesus for ...

1205. Earthen Vessels

2 Corinthians 4:6-7

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... 's a good guess. They are very much like glass vases and jars. But they are made of something else." "Clay!" a more certain child pronounces with a hint of "Aha!" in his voice. "Clay. That's right. Where do we get clay?" In asking this question I find myself hoping no one comes back with, "At the store." "We get it out of the ground," comes the welcome answer. "Yes, we get it out of the ground," I agree. "So, clay comes from the earth; it is a type of earth. We could say these little clay jars are made ...

1206. The Peacemakers

Ephesians 2:11-22

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 ...

1207. John Prepares the Way

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... to Israel by the prophet Nathan speaking to David. (See 2 Samuel 7:4-17.) It is this promise of God to David which fueled Israel's hopes and expectations for the 1,000 years between the time of David and the time of Jesus. "Are you the One who is to come or ... us: 'I am the Christ. I am the Messiah. I come to bring God's eternal kingdom to you. I come to bring you eternal hope.' Will we today move away from this message in fear and astonishment? Will we move away from this message with a whisper? Or will we ...

1208. Choosing Your Spirituality

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... the Garden of Eden, I see its truth in a different perspective. My departure from Eden is an advance, not a retreat, a step up, not a plunge down. The beasts remain in Eden where there is no choice, only instinctual obedience. I feel far more positive, hopeful, and moved by God walking forward, eager to be “like God,” hungry to experience the choices between good and evil, ready to risk freedom and willing to pay the price of knowing death. Yes, I am an ego-centered creature. I do resist trusting God my ...

1209. Bread For The Journey (Bread of Life III)

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... bread alone. There is something else. We do not yet know what it is; but some day we shall find out; and then we will live on that alone; and there shall be no more digging nor spinning, nor fighting nor killing ...”1 I call that vision! I call it hope! I call it possibility! I call it faith! Shaw’s portrayal of Eve reminds me of the girl who came home from her first day at school saying to her mother, “I think I started something today which I’ll never finish.” How right she was! None of us know ...

1210. Bread of Unwavering Commitment (Bread of Life V)

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... disability in his leg, but he was determined to walk. And so he walked, slowly, but often long distances. Once he was out in the countryside rolling hills, rough, rocky, and uninhabited. He was a couple miles from home. He felt exhausted, more than usual. He hoped someone would come along soon who could offer him a helping hand. Eventually, he saw someone riding a donkey. He whistled his attention and the man came to him. He was the ranch owner making his daily round of the ranch. The crippled man explained ...

1211. What Can I Do for You?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

... be a servant of all. When it comes to marriages, we know that nothing less than letting go of anger, pride, hurt will even begin to meet the problem. In addition, we know that until a person begins to serve the good of the family above self there is no hope. We cannot guarantee a happy marriage or that the other spouse will change and make it easy; but, we do know that win, lose, or draw, the person we counsel will be in a position to live a good life. As for being an outstanding artist, we probably have no ...

1212. The Saving Grace Of Gratitude

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... volunteer in the various ministries simply reply that they feel it's the least they can do in light of all of God's blessings which they enjoy. In other words, they are grateful. Gratitude motivates them and enables them to be beacons of hope to those without hope. D. T. Niles, the Indian theologian, once defined evangelism as "one hungry beggar telling another hungry beggar where to find bread." When we are grateful enough for the bread that we have received that we are willing to reach out to the lost and ...

1213. Easter 3

Luke 24:36-49, Acts 3:11-26, 1 John 2:28--3:10

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... right and it hurt. But! There wasn't any good news in the spiritual bludgeoning on Peter's audience. It was all law and guilt. However, once he got their attention he introduced the gospel with a but: "but God raised him from the dead" (v. 13). There was hope that the Lord could undo what they had done. He makes the further point that it was by the name of Jesus that the crippled man was healed. They had all sinned in condemning Jesus BUT God raised Jesus and offers new life to all who repent and believe ...

1214. Proper 18

Mark 7:24-30, Mark 7:31-37, Proverbs 22:1-16, James 2:1-13

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... at the city gates or perhaps the gate of the temple to beg for help. They were at the gate, but outside the gate. Though our cities no longer have gates, the poor and needy still gather outside the gate, the place of commerce, the busy street corner. They are hoping that someone will open the gate for them, that they might be accepted as citizens and not aliens in the city. Today they wait at the gate; tomorrow they might try to knock the gate down. Lesson 2: James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 Love is blind. James ...

1215. Twelfth Night

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

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... a madhouse ever since this census was put into effect. The innkeeper and his wife are good people. They may be able to help you. I hope you find what you are looking for. (Light 3 is turned on.) Field Announcer 1: Thank you for your help. As I head over toward the ... comes to meet him.) Field Announcer 1: Let me knock on the inn's door. Innkeeper's Wife: Yes, what can I do for you? I hope you aren't looking for a room. We're full up. Field Announcer 1: No, let me reassure you. I don't need lodging. Maybe you ...

1216. The Things Which Remain When All Is Lost

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Eulogy

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... where she is." We can say that today. We know where ____________ is now. A wise old retired preacher told me once that he had a funeral for a child who died at the age of six. It was obviously a heart-breaking time for that family. They said, "We hope when we see her again she will not have changed any, and will still be just like she is now." He thought a minute and said, "Oh, you know you don't mean that. You would not want her to always be like she is now. The next time you ...

1217. Mystery Of Death

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Eulogy

John A. Terry

... of a brother or a sister. Nothing can separate us, Paul says, from the love of God. Nothing. That is our faith. That is our hope. May God grant us all the courage, the wisdom and the strength so to know, and so to be. (A prayer may be read here ... infant in Jesus Christ in the family of Joseph and Mary, we thank you for this family who grieves this day. You know of the hope and promise that they felt in the coming of this child, and the defeat and anguish which overcomes them in this loss. Remind them that ...

1218. If We Are Dreamers

Joel 2:18-27, Joel 2:28-32

Sermon

Clement E. Lewis

... word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.' " (KJV) Whether our dreams serve to warn us, to inspire us, to help us in solving problems; as a reflection of the enjoyment of life and pleasant memories, or to help us in the fulfillment of a hope, ambition, or the need to serve; let us thank God for dreams, and for the waking hours in which to deal with remembered dreams and duties alike. And old people can dream dreams as well as anyone else. Why not? They add a sense of excitement to life.

1219. Living The Alternatives

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

... a single baby eagle which he had found in the wilderness. He raised it with his chickens and it grew strong. But alas! this king of birds came to think of itself as a chicken rather than an eagle. Each day the farmer would throw it into the air hoping to see it fly, and each time it would return to the earth to eat the chicken feed thrown on the ground. One day, however, something began to stir in the bird's memory when it was launched aloft; a strange and fearful excitement surged through its breast. It ...

1220. Proper 23

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

George Paul Mocko

... on to the reference to the bruising of the head of the snake as meaning the promise of the ultimate defeat of the power of evil. But even John Calvin thought that was stretching things well beyond what was literally said. No, to verse 19 there is no real hope for us held out at all. But in one verse beyond, verse 21, there is. "And the Lord God made for the man and his wife garments of skins, and clothed them." How beautifully, how touchingly, in what simple, down-to-earth terms, the Bible can express and ...

1221. Wedding: Creating a Happy Marriage

Sermon Aid

John M. Braaten

... minds have focused on the "better" - and that's good - but because we are sinful human beings, there's a lot of "worse" in marriage as well. You will need to practice forgiving. Next you vow to accept each other "for richer, for poorer." Of course, we all hope that your lot in life will be richer, rather than poorer. But you know, rarely does any of us think we have enough, and determining what you are going to spend those precious dollars on can put a strain on the best of relationships. You will need to ...

1222. Wedding: The Love which Makes a Marriage

Sermon Aid

John M. Braaten

... If suddenly one or both of you awaken one morning to realize that marriage is not all you dreamed it would be, then what kind of love is the answer? Many people have been in love just as you are, ___________ and ________, and they had high hopes for their marriage. But something happened along the way to erode their love, or to undermine whatever feelings they had for each other. Part of the problem is we are confused about this matter of love. Through the media we are presented with love which is largely ...

1223. Advent 3

Zephaniah 3:1-20, Philippians 4:2-9, Luke 3:1-20, Isaiah 12:1-6

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... for the salvation of all people. Faithful Christians rejoice and give thanks because the Christ, whose first advent occurred nearly 2,000 years ago, will come again in God's good time. In the meantime, the living and eternal God keeps their hearts and minds in faith and hope. Luke 3:7-18 (E, L, C); 3:10-18 (RC) The story of John the Baptist takes up this week where it ended last week, fleshing out what John preached to the people who came to hear him and be baptized. His was a powerful law/gospel sermon ...

1224. Proper 6

Galatians 2:11-21, 1 Kings 19:1-8, 2 Samuel 12:1-31, 2 Samuel 11:1-27, Psalm 32:1-11, Luke 7:36-50

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... of Baal; she sent a death threat to him, vowing that he would be dead within 24 hours so Elijah headed for the wilderness in the hope that she wouldn't be able to find or catch up with him. When he became exhausted and discouraged, he sat down under a broom ... in Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. 3. But, like it or not, we are to live the good life, not in the hope of gaining heaven, but because we know that heaven is ours already. "Right" living is a consequence of our salvation by God's grace! It ...

1225. The Faith Of Outsiders

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

William J. Carl

... of God and her love for her child that opened the heart of the Messiah to do something great for her, to change his plans and later his mission. So that night in the parking lot, that woman from the outside finally got through to that pastor. Her persistent faith, hope and love would not let him go as she pled for milk for her daughter. So they held up the wedding to find the formula, and you know, not a single person seemed to mind. As she headed out on foot to find and feed her baby, “She said with ...

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