Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 101 to 125 of 1185 results

101. The Freedom to Sing

Mark 10:17-31

Illustration

Gerry Pierse

... took the coins and hid them. But then he would be worried and go back to check if the coins were still there. Then he would be worried in case someone had seen him, and he would move the coins and hide them in another place. During all this, he ceased to sing. Then one day he realized that he had ceased to sing because of the gold coins. He took them back to the rich man and said, "take back your coins and give me back my songs."

102. What's in a Name?

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... would always be with us and some have taken that to mean we'll always have the poor so there's nothing you can do about it. You can see, however, that Jesus was quoting the law to say that since we will always have the poor we must never cease giving. The people who were criticizing the woman for what she did needed to mind their own business and set about helping the poor with their own cash instead of worrying about hers! We are a people of abundance. Even though there are those of us who struggle to pay ...

103. Gateway to Grace

Joshua 5:9-12

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... of how we were lost in the slavery of sin, and how we were reclaimed, renamed, and restored to our heritage. The manna of the law, the belief that everything can be divided into a clear right and wrong without our having to make any mature decisions as believers, will cease. Instead we will claim the grace that saves us, and allows us to view others whose faults are no worse than our own, to be seen with the eyes of grace as well. We'll understand that our God is in charge, not us. That there's no telling ...

104. Star-spangled Justice

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... comfortable, or politically correct is to invite judgment and even destruction. National hypocrisy, like personal hypocrisy, is an abomination. We must be who we say we are, practice what we say we value, and put our money where our mottos are, or we will cease to be. "If you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword," God said to Judah and says to us. Fancy worship that dazzles and entertains won't cut it. Neither will strict dispassionate adherence to doctrine and regulations. Worship without ...

105. I Am the Bread of Life

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... than that. Life demands relationship; caring and sharing, tenderness and affection, giving as well as receiving love. There must be shared values and commitments. I don’t believe people fall in love. People grow in love. And people don’t fall out of love, they cease to love because they cease growing in love. Now I don’t know how much good there is in the whole of Islam, one of the world’s great religions. We’ve had some doubts cast on that in recent years by what’s going on in Iran and Iraq ...

106. Who Touched The Remote Control?

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. When our remote control lives suddenly go on the blink and tragedy or disaster strikes, how do we handle it? How do we ... fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit." As Christians our faith is planted deep. We believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and that means ...

107. The Obligation to Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Illustration

Cecil G. Osborne

We can not, and should not, escape the obligation to love, because when we cease loving, we cease being human. Ralph W. Sockman once noted that Toyohiko Kagawa, the Japanese Christian leader, distinguished three levels of love. The first of which is physical love, which holds people together in families. "Above this level is a plane which Kagawa calls psychic love. Psychic love includes our association in friendships, ...

108. A Priesthood of Believers

Galatians 6:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... people’s agonizing questions. He did enable people to find answers but those answers were more often than not within the persons themselves or within the possibility of a relationship, or in the person’s linkage with God, or in the straightening out of values, ceasing to do things that you shouldn’t do and begin to do some things that you are not doing that you should do, the setting of goals or the clarifying of perspectives. Jesus kept saying, “The kingdom of heaven is within you.” And he kept ...

109. Being and Doing as the People of God

1 Peter 1:13-2:3

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the group by suggesting that all of them were being dishonest, and were not really sharing their own feelings and convictions. “As for me,” he said, “nothing tonight has been meaningful and I think we ought to either get honest or go home.” When the gawfing had ceased, lie continued, “I don’t know much about this theology we are discussing, but in my own experience this is the way it is. Before I met Christ I didn’t give a damn, and now I care. Some may think that word a bit irreverent for a ...

110. My Country, Is It of Thee?

Psalm 9:9-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... and the founders of this country got down on their knees to pray and when they arose they had the phrase “E pluribus Unum" — Out of many, one. Under God is a matter of goodness. America is great because America is good. If America ceases to be good, she will likewise cease to be great. Shakespeare put it this way: Goodness is not a sudden blaze of glory won Goodness is the accumulation of days in which good deeds are done. “The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug, their feet are caught into ...

111. When the Winds Are Against Us

Mark 6:45-56

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... line, believing that who Jesus says He is, He is; and what He says He will do, He will do. Our scripture lesson, the Sea Story from Mark 6, closes with these words, verses 51—52: “And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not under stand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.” It’s a sort of puzzling word, even when we register the fact that this experience comes immediately after Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish and feed the ...

112. You Can't Stay on the Mountain Forever

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... when it is joy and celebration, when it takes us out of ourselves and the beauty of our world is a sacrament and love is large enough for everyone (Donald J. Shelby, “Ecstasy, Agony and Baloney”) To be sure, those experiences are not everyday affairs — if they were they would cease to be ecstasy - but they come - we need them, we need to order our lives. Our worship should provide at least a hint of that — and we should never apologize for feeling in our experience of the Christian faith. We need to ...

113. Hard Words to Hear at Christmas

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... implored God to "Lay Thy hand upon the neck of Thine enemies."1 How does this work for us as preparation for Advent? We usually think of the Christmas season as a time for peace. During a war, both sides often honor a cease-fire around Christmas. We hope Christmas will be a kind of cease-fire in the stress and strain of life. We are used to quotes from the Bible in our Christmas cards. How often do we find Christmas cards that talk of the chaff being burned in unquenchable fire? Not only do John's words ...

114. Time’s A-Wasting

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... baseball and career success and bringing home the bacon. But what we used to rely on as a given is no longer so. A new reality has intruded itself into the world for those who are in Christ. We do not cease buying and selling, grieving and rejoicing, working and playing. We do not cease doing all those things that every other mortal around us must also do, but we do them more as though we were involved in a mystery, the outcome of which we happen to know is already settled. We realize that these everyday ...

115. The Eternal Sanctuary

Hebrews 9:11-14

Sermon

Patrick J. Rooney

... us could best be experienced in the act of worship itself. In this worship, there is the limitation of neither time nor place. Time and again he speaks of Jesus as eternal. Over and over he addresses the role of Jesus who intercedes for us without ceasing. As we enter into worship, in a place and at a time, we enter into this timelessness and this holy place of which the author speaks. Working with confirmation students on the Apostles' Creed always gives me a chuckle as they try to get their minds around ...

116. Building Moral Communities

Illustration

Georgia Anne Geyer

... simplifies life immensely; you do not waste and spend your days fighting for turf, for privilege, for money and power over your fellowman. Alexis de Tocqueville said it best when he realized even at the very beginning of our national life, "America is great because America is good. If America ceases to be good, she will ...

117. A Little Privacy Please

Mark 6:30-56

Illustration

Charles Swindoll

... plenty of food, water, and an absence of disease. After the research psychologist reported on his experiment, a couple of significant questions arose. Q: "What were the first activities to cease?" A: "The most complex activities for mice: courtship and mating." Q: What results would such overcrowding have on humanity?" A: We would first of all cease to reproduce our ideas, and along with ideas, our goals and ideals. In other words, our values would be lost." This is a parable of modern life. For many people ...

118. The Handiwork of God

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... to assist the legions of dying men he saw on the battlefield. He knew the great risk he was taking as he entered the field of conflict, but his act of courage had a sobering effect on both armies. Upon entering the battlefield, the intense gunfire suddenly ceased. The shock of an enemy offering aid to the opposition struck both armies with amazement. Back-and-forth Kirkland went from battlefield to water station, aiding every soldier along his path. Each time he stepped back on the field of battle, fighting ...

119. Advent 1

Psalm 25:1-10, Jeremiah 33;14-16, Luke 21:25-36, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... , and moneys to support this place and to provide for people in need. Doxology "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" All glory be to God on high, And to the earth be peace; Good will to all from highest heaven Begin and never cease! Begin and never cease! Prayer Of Thanksgiving For all we have, for all we are becoming, thank you, God. For money, for families, for this church home, we are grateful. Amen. Intercessory Prayers Energy of the Universe — see this world and its pains; look at the violence ...

120. Advent 2

Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 1:68-79, Luke 3:1-20, Philippians 1:3-11

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... moneys to support this place and to provide for people in need. Doxology While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks (v. 6) All glory be to God on high, And to the earth be peace; Good will to all from highest heaven Begin and never cease! Begin and never cease! Prayer Of Thanksgiving For all we have, for all we are becoming, thank you, God. For money, for families, for this church home, we are grateful. Amen. Intercessory Prayers (Leader or Various Readers) Energy of the Universe — thank you for setting us free ...

121. Advent 3

Isaiah 12:2-6, Zephaniah 3:14-20, Luke 3:1-20, Philippians 4:4-7

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... we share what we have — food, money, clothes, hope, and passion. Doxology While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks (v. 6) All glory be to God on high, And to the earth be peace; Good will to all from highest heaven Begin and never cease! Begin and never cease! Prayer Of Thanksgiving Eternal God — we are thankful for the many ways good news is passed along. Use our moneys, our space, and our energies to make heaven a possibility. Amen. Intercessory Prayers Energy of the Universe — we pray for ourselves and ...

122. Advent 4

Luke 1:47-55 or Psalm 80:1-7, Micah 5:2-5a, Luke 1:39-45, Hebrews 10:5-10

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... . Let’s combine resources so we can minister here and in other places. Doxology While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks (v. 6) All glory be to God on high, And to the earth be peace; Good will to all from highest heaven Begin and never cease! Begin and never cease! Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Leader) Ever living God — we are thankful for money and jobs, talents and skills that make life together good and provide for others. If only no one would go to bed at night hungry! If only everyone would have a roof ...

123. What God Expects From Worship

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

... of bearing them. — Isaiah 1:12-14 By Isaiah's time, the worship life of Judah had disintegrated into a series of rites meant to appease a God whom the people no longer seemed to know. They had lost touch with the God of their ancestors. They had ceased to respect God's core values of justice and mercy, especially toward those who were at risk in their society. Their many worship services and token religiosity were so far from what God intended that God was sickened by all of it. Psalm 22:3 declares that ...

124. Face to Face

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... has been “transfigured” into a life that reflects the radiance of God’s presence, as the “face” that God puts forward to the world. Yet a major irony of Christianity is that we who have been sent by Jesus into the world as transfigured people don’t cease being ordinary people, vessels of clay, even though we are entrusted with a gospel of gold. We comport a glory that is not ours, with the greatness found in the gift and Giver, not the bearer of the gift. What is this “face” we are called to ...

125. Ignite: Burning Love

Acts 5:17-42

Sermon

James Merritt

... ESV) Just let those verses sink in. Did they have a pity-party? Did they say, “Maybe discretion is the better part of valor?” Did they say, “If I want to live to a ripe old age I’d better keep my mouth shut.” No, but their reaction never ceases to make me both amazed and ashamed. They rejoiced that they were worthy to suffer dishonor for Jesus. They went right back to doing the very thing that got them beaten to begin with. Now here is how this story relates to us in our culture and in our country ...

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