Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1201 to 1225 of 1533 results

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship All: Lord, we gather today, in the words of the apostle Paul, as your saints. Left Side: Sometimes it is hard for us to see ourselves as saints. (Note: NIV uses the word holy) Right Side: Other times we know that with your help we have done a good job. All: It is our hope and desire that you be glorified in our actions. Left Side: We mean to glorify you in our worship. Right Side: We strive to glorify you through our prayers. All: Descend and live among us, God of power and might. Collect ...

1202. The One and Only

Matthew 16:13-20

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship One: Who do people say that the Son of Man is? All: Some people say Jesus is only a teacher. Some people say Jesus is only a healer. Some people say Jesus is only a prophet. Some people say Jesus is only an example. One: But who do you say that he is? All: We say Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Collect Today we proclaim that Jesus is Lord. Receive from us this proclamation and in our worship and praise mold us into your witnessing people. Touch our hearts. Heal our wounds. ...

1203. Landing Instructions

Isaiah 40:25-31

Sermon

Mark Trotter

We were all attracted to the story of Lance Armstrong winning the Tour de France last weekend, that grueling bicycle race. It is one of the great endurance races in the world today. Lance Armstrong won it in record time, two years after undergoing surgery and then chemotherapy for cancer that spread throughout his body, including to his brain. It is a testimony first of all to the wonderful advances that medicine has made in curing cancers, but everyone recognizes as well that it is a terrific testimony to ...

1204. This Nation, Under God

2 Samuel 7:1-9

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The sermon for this Sunday is taken from the Book of II Samuel. If you want to look it up, it's right after I Samuel. The two together comprise one of the first histories ever written, written around 1000 years before Christ, so this is important historical stuff. It is political history, written by someone to record the reign of David. It is thought to have been written by Abiathar, who was David's companion during the wars, and when David was made king he made Abiathar his high priest. That would be ...

1205. Lessons for Year A Epiphany 4

Micah 6:1-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Micah 6:1-8 Yahweh has a controversy with his people for their forgetting past blessings and what God requires of his people. This scene is a cosmic law court. Yahweh takes his people to court for he has something against them. The elements of nature are the witnesses to the trial. Yahweh has been offended and asks his people, "What have I done to you?" that you have deserted me. Since there is no answer, he reminds them of past blessings: freedom from slavery and entrance into ...

1206. Lent 2

Genesis 12:1-8, Romans 4:1-25, 2 Timothy 1:1-2:13, John 3:1-21

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Genesis 12:1-8 By faith Abraham accepts Yahweh's promise and obeys his command. Around 2000 B.C. a man named Abraham lived in Haran. Yahweh came to him and called him to leave his home and family to go to a strange, unknown land where he would become the father of a great nation. Abraham proved his faith in Yahweh by trusting his Word of promises and obeying. He left all for a great adventure in faith. Yahweh promised to bless him and to make him a blessing to all nations. Abraham ...

1207. Proper 28

Judges 4:1-24, Matthew 25:14-30, Zephaniah 1:4-13, Zephaniah 1:14--2:3

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Judges 4:1-7 Deborah, a prophetess of Israel, promised victory to Barak. When the Israelites settled in Canaan, they were oppressed from time to time by indigenous nations. When the people cried to God for help, he sent a leader, known as a judge. In this instance the judge was Deborah who enlisted the help of Barak to defeat Sisera. Old Testament: Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31 A woman's godly example. Old Testament: Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 Sin will cause destruction and death. Old ...

1208. Sharing the Pain of Others

Matthew 26:14-27:66

Sermon

Richard Gribble

“Rags, rags! Give me your tired, dirty, and old rag and I will give you a fresh, clean, and new one. Rags, rags.” That was the cry to which I awoke one bright sunny Friday morning. I sprang from my bed and peered out my second-story apartment window. There he was: the Ragman of our town. He was 6’4" if he was an inch, youthful in appearance and strong of build. I had heard so much about him but never actually seen him. I threw on some clothes, bounded down the stairs, and ran out the front door of my ...

1209. Pentecost! Slow ... and Sure!

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Have you ever noticed how we preachers often promote the early church as if it were the ideal? "Why, they did a miracle a day in the early church." "When they had a prayer meeting, everyone came!" " They spoke in Greek then!" (As if it were some sort of superior language!) On and on we can go browbeating ourselves by comparison. Yet, when one really studies the Bible, he discovers that early believers weren't perfect either. Moses had his temper. Noah got drunk. David fell into adultery. Peter couldn't ...

1210. Trip Questions

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

At some time every older sibling has pulled this on a little brother or sister who had a nickel they wanted. "Okay," older child offers, "let's flip for it. Heads I win, tails you lose." The little kids agrees: "Sure!" Then when heads appears the older proclaims "Heads, I win!" Of course if tails comes up the declaration is "Tails, you lose." At this point it suddenly dawns on the younger child that this is truly a no-win situation. Whatever way the coin lands it's going to land in their sibling's pocket. ...

1211. The FUD Club: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Theme: In a world of doomsayers, where Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt reign supreme, disciples of Jesus are doom-slayers. EXEGESIS of the Text: Part 1: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 The 2 Thessalonians Epistle text for this week skips about in chapter two, cherry-picking verses first from the opening lines of the letter (vv.1-5), then landing on the concluding remarks of this first section (vv.13-17). This edited reading of 2:1-17, however, does succeed in focusing on the author’s primary concern throughout this ...

1212. Don't Forget the Mustard

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Not so very long ago the pharmacy and the pantry were one and the same. Curatives and restoratives were cooked up at home, not picked up at the drug store. It is hard for us to realize that 1914 was really the first year when a trip to the doctor made you better. Long before scientific discoveries revealed the inner workings of penicillin, digitalis, or even aspirin, old wives and herbologists prescribed moldy bread for coughs, supplied foxglove for the faint-hearted, and urged headache sufferers to chew ...

1213. Set Life Free

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It's one of those June "mornings." It's 3:45 a.m. in the Pacific Northwest. The eastern horizon is pink and puffy with promise. Kids refuse to go to bed at 10:30 p.m. because "it's not dark yet!" In the north country, June is no the season for sleeping. It's the season for growing. Dedicated gardeners have anticipated this insomniac season (the real meaning of "Sleepless in Seattle") since December and January when the seed catalogs started to arrive...along with sky-high winter heating bills. There are ...

1214. Is God Showing through You?

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Do you remember how fascinating and fun transparency books were? Especially grizzly, gross, and so, of course, great, were those that showed what lay inside the human body. Those books, with their series of clear pages that overlaid one on top of another--adding the veins, the arteries, the muscles, the internal organs the nervous system--revealed a hidden world to curious kids. Now there are moving, revolving, 3-D images kids can call up on the family computer, images that are much more accurate and ...

1215. Go Meditate!

Revelation 19:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

I love commercials. I watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. I watch TV for the commercials. I read magazines for the ads. I love commercials. And the more I love a product, the more invested I get in the product's commercials. Take Prego pasta sauce. I love pasta. And I love Prego pasta sauce. Prego's latest popular tug-at-your-heartstrings TV commercial has already gone through three different incarnations. Prego pasta sauce started out a new commercial series with a sentimental, sepia-colored, sweet ...

1216. Be Ready!

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

King Duncan

Mr. Smith is riding through Manhattan with a reckless cab driver. At the first intersection they come to, the cab driver runs a red light. “Hey, what’s the big idea?” Mr. Smith yells. “That was a red light!” “Don’t worry, fella,” the cabbie replies, “My brother drives a cab too, and he does that all the time.” Mr. Smith grits his teeth and tries to remain calm, but he loses his cool when the driver runs a second red light. “Are you insane? You’re just asking for trouble,” he yells. “I know what I’m doing, ...

1217. Wherever You Are, You Are Always at Home

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In just a few days we will all be faced with the annual challenge: learning to write a new year date on all our important papers, letters, checks. '07 will become '08. I don't know about you, but my neurons are still not comfortable with whole "0" thing. Every now and again I have a brain fritz (as opposed to an ice induced brain freeze) and find myself writing 1996 or 1987 or some other decade-deleting date. Its as if occasionally my mind simply cannot fathom the incredibly swift passage of time that ...

1218. Transmission

1 John 3:11-24

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In our house, having a fresh grapefruit for breakfast is much more than a delicious, healthful, eye-opener. It's a painstaking reminder of the legacy of love that one generation can pass along to the next. A grapefruit? In my own past (when I was president of United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio from 1984 to 1995), I was taken under the wing of an amazing woman/gardener/philanthropist/ environmentalist named Marie Aull. She taught me so much, and we became such close friends, I dedicated a book to ...

1219. Looking for Shoots or Roots?

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The more we move into the Advent season, the more our scripture texts bring the Christ-child’s birth closer and closer to us. Yet here in Matthew 11:2-11 we are back to the relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist. Yet even though this is not part of our text for this week, the mere mention of John’s name should remind us of their cousinly kinship, even of an in utero jump for joy that marked their first meeting--making cousin John the first person to celebrate Advent. As out text opens Jesus has ...

1220. Lent 4

Jn 9:1-41 · Eph 5:8-14 · Ps 23 · 1 Sam 16:1-13

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The Old Testament texts explore what it means to be anointed by God. I Samuel 16:1-13 is the account of the anointing of David by Samuel and Psalm 23 is a prayer song in which the worshiper who has experienced threatening events also experiences the security of God through anointing. I Samuel 16:1-13 highlights the risks that accompany the anointing of God, while Psalm 23 outlines the unique security that God offers each of us. 1 Samuel 16:1-13 - "The Risk of Anointing" Setting. I ...

1221. Pentecost

John 20:19-23, Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13, Psalm 104:1-35, Numbers 11:4-35

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Pentecost Sunday provides a fitting conclusion to the Easter Season because it shifts our focus from Christ to the Holy Spirit, from the event of salvation to the breaking in of a new creation. The linking of Easter and Pentecost is a strong affirmation of how salvation and creation are inextricably related. The Old Testament texts provide important commentary on the central relationship of salvation and creation. Numbers 11:24-30 explores how the people of God structure community, ...

1222. Proper 18

Psalm 149:1-9, Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 18:15-20, Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Exodus 12:1-14 is one of the central descriptions of how the Passover is to be celebrated and how it functions in the life of Israel. Psalm 149 is a two-sided hymn of praise in which God's ability to destroy and to save is acknowledged. Exodus 12:1-14 - "The Passover" Setting. The confusion of the present form of Exodus 11-13 confronts any reader with immediate obstacles to interpretation. At least three different traditions have been brought together in these chapters (by at least two ...

1223. The Lost and Found Celebration

Luke 15:15-24

Sermon

James W. Moore

There is a fascinating story that comes out of World War II. U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, Great Britain’s Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and Soviet Union Premier, Joseph Stalin, met together in The Teheran Conference to shape a common policy to work together to win the war. The discussion went well and the three great nations for the most part reached cordial agreement on their strategy to end the war and to create a lasting peace. However, there was one point that Roosevelt and Churchill could ...

1224. EXEGESIS: 1 Peter 4:12-14; 6:6-11

1 Peter 4:12-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Participation in the right religion, being a member of the correct cult, was a key ingredient in the first century's recipe for success. Well-timed sacrifices to the proper deity ensured benevolence and blessing for the believer. Secret Gnostic sects relied on special "gnosis" ("knowledge") to give them a boost up in life. Conversely, displeasing the gods, disregarding their whims, disobeying their directives, invited disaster and destruction into one's life. Even within Judaism the hardships endured by ...

1225. Is It Well with Your Family? - Sermon Starter

Rom 16

Illustration

Brett Blair

I must candidly confess that when I was in seminary the 16th chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans didn't do much for me. It struck me as being boring nothing more than a long presentation of people's names, most of whom I could not pronounce; I usually skimmed over that part so I could get to what I considered to be the real Gospel. Over the years I have greatly changed my attitude about this particular chapter and I have discovered that there is much more to it than I had first imagined. For example, it ...

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