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 101 to 125 of 1044 results

101. What Kind Of God Is That?

John 9:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

You have to wonder what kind of God some people have! Kathryn Lindskoog has suffered for two decades with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic disease that gradually weakens and paralyzes the body. She has been amazed at some of the advice she has received from friends and relatives. A few typical examples: "You must really like to be sick; you bring so much of it on yourself." That comment was from a nearby relative who never so much as sent a get-well card. "The reason I have perfect health is that I think ...

102. Who Needs a Doctor?

Mark 2:13-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Sometime ago Sydney Harris, the syndicated columnist, wrote a "fascinating piece about Anita Bryant that I would like to read to you this morning. As you know, Anita Bryant was a self-appointed crusader against gay rights a few years ago. Then she went through a divorce, and acquired a drug habit, and was hospitalized for a long time. And today, she's not the same person she was back then. This is what Sydney Harris wrote: He said, "Now that her world has come unstuck, and she is beginning to reglue it, I ...

103. Proclaimers Of The Gospel

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Let me introduce you to the story of a great man. These are his words, “My first night on the campus,” he said, “a student came to see me. The student said, ‘I’ve come to welcome you here and to tell you that if there’s anything I can do for you to make your stay here more pleasant, I want to do it.’ Then he asked me where I went to church, and I told him I was a Catholic. He said, ‘Well, I can tell you where the Catholic Church is, but it’s not easy to find. It’s quite a distance away, let me draw you a ...

104. Who Needs A Doctor?

Luke 5:27-32

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

105. Eleven Plus One

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Say "March Madness" and everyone knows what you're talking about. The NCAA Basketball Championship fills the minds of fans and the sports channels on TV. Say "Super Bowl" or "World Series" and a whole host of images come to mind. Whether college or pro ball, every tournament singles out one or two teams that are dubbed a Cinderella team. Some have unexpected, unlooked-for strings of victories; some go beyond their individual abilities to teamwork; and suddenly, a team destined for the dumpster is sitting ...

106. Tiny Pencils

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Richard Dawkins is one of the most respected scientists in the world today. He is also rabidly anti-religious. In his most recent book, which he proudly titles A Devil's Chaplain (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003), he devotes 6 of his 32 chapters to denouncing religion as a malignant infection of the human mind. He condemns all religions for being dangerous and insidious illusions. "Modern theists," writes Dawkins, "might acknowledge that, when it comes to Baal and the Golden Calf, Thor and Wotan, Poseidon and ...

107. Be Kind

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

James McCormick

Since before I can remember, I went to Vacation Bible School every summer. I loved Vacation Bible School and I have many fond memories of my experiences there. I remember rousing games of “Red Rover” in which the boys tried to impress the girls. I remember making first century houses out of clay. There were times when we dressed up in bath robes and re-enacted Biblical dramas. I remember spatter painting – I loved spatter painting! We would get a leaf or a flower or some other object and put it on a piece ...

108. When Extravagance Is Beautiful, and When It Is Not

John 12:1-8

Sermon

James W. Moore

You probably heard about this – it was in all the papers; it was in radio and television news reports; it was a “hot topic” on the call-in-talk shows. A minister in North Carolina had members of his church voted out of the church because they had voted for a Presidential Candidate different from the one he voted for and supported. In October last year (2004) he preached a sermon in which he told the congregation who he was supporting for President of the United States… and he said that if any of them were ...

109. God's Workmanship

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Not too long ago a listener called a disc jockey while he was on the air at a local radio station to ask about an upcoming lunar eclipse. “The eclipse can be seen at 1:30 in the morning,” the DJ told the caller. “That late?” the caller snapped. “Why can’t they schedule these things earlier so kids can enjoy them too?” (1) I wonder who at the station she thought was in charge of scheduling lunar eclipses? A mother tells about her precocious six-year-old in his first day of parochial school. His teacher made ...

110. Saturday: The Week Of The Cross: Lazarus, Come Forth

John 11:1-7, 17-44

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

There was a guy riding in a cab one day. He was new to the city and was looking for a good place to eat, so he leaned forward, tapped the cabby on the shoulder and said, "Hey, Buddy." The driver let out a blood curdling scream and lost control of the cab. He nearly hit a bus, jumped the curb and stopped just inches from going through a huge plate-glass window and into a crowded restaurant. For a few minutes, there was dead silence in the cab. All you could hear was two hearts beating like bass drums ...

111. Reconsider

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Have you seen the cartoon featuring a gentleman and his cat? The man is holding his pet feline over a kitty litter box shouting firmly, “Never, never, never, ever think outside the box." What's good for cats may not be so good for people. The hope of the world lies with creative dreamers who are willing to think outside the box. At least that seems to be the case surrounding the birth of Jesus. While people complained that things never change and nothing new ever happens around Nazareth, the angel of the ...

112. Job Is for Real

Job 1:1, 2:1-10

Sermon

Donna Schaper

We find Job on the edge of town, his money gone, his children dead, picking at his innumerable sores and scabs. In the Joni Mitchell version of his sorrow, Job speaks of how the children of the wicked frisk like deer while his are dead and gone. In her version, we are also told that Job sees the diggers waiting, leaning on their spades, at the site of his grave. Job's three friends, Eliphas, Bildad, and Zophar show up to comfort him but they do so in a way that only pours iodine on his wounds. God is just ...

113. The Unwanted Christmas Gift: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

“Survivor” is a reality tv game show that has proven to be one of the most successful franchises in television history. Starting in 1992 as the brainchild of a British tv producer, Survivor has spread throughout the world to play in over 50 countries as diverse as Chile and China. If you’ve watched CBS’ “Survivor” with its $1,000,000 prize, you notice how quickly the sixteen to twenty strangers separate out into two groups, no matter how many “tribes” there are. In one group are those who, in the face of ...

114. How Many of Us Does It Take to Screw in a Light Bulb?

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

Someone once asked the profound question, “How many [Presbyterians] does it take to change a light bulb?” * The correct answer is, of course, “Change the light bulb? Why, my grandfather donated that light bulb!” (1) Well, [Presbyterians] are not the only ones who have trouble with change. Anytime change takes place in any institution, particularly the church, there is resistance. Pastor Pete Kontra tells about a small-town church in upstate New York. They’d had a rector in that church for over thirty-five ...

115. Stuck in Park

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

Tony Everett

Martha had lived alone for several years, except, that is, for her dog, Otto, a three-year-old miniature Shih Tzu. Martha and Otto went everywhere together. Even where dogs were not permitted, Otto was content to wait patiently in the car for Martha to return. One particular sunny afternoon Martha had to make a quick stop at the corner grocery store. As was her custom, Martha rolled down the windows to make sure the inside of the car would be comfortable. Otto curled up on the backseat, and Martha started ...

116. Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison

Acts 12:1-19a

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

This chapter illustrates both the suffering entailed in the service of Christ (12:1–19) and God’s judgment on those who inflict it (12:20–25). It also exemplifies the power of prayer. However, not for these reasons chiefly has Luke told the story of Peter’s rescue from prison, but for its own intrinsic interest and for the explanation it gives of Peter’s disappearance from the narrative after dominating the first half of the book. This has probably determined the placing of this material here and not ...

117. Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

Genesis 19:30-38, Genesis 19:1-29

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Rescue of Lot from the Destruction of Sodom: God finds it necessary to execute judgment again, and as was the case in the deluge, God rescues those who are righteous. The great difference in these two accounts of judgment is that this time God punishes only a small region where wickedness had increased intolerably, rather than the entire inhabited land. The narrator tells about Lot’s fleeing Sodom (vv. 1–29) and the children of Lot’s daughters (vv. 30–38). In the first section there are five scenes, in ...

118. Where Is He?

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Most parents are at some point familiar with children who hide when they’ve done something that they know they weren’t supposed to do. In fact, as a parent, you know something is up when your usual inquisitive, under-foot child has gone entirely missing in the house, nowhere to be found. At that point, it’s best to check the cookie jar, take note of windows and vases, make sure the cat is still safe, and see if anything else seems awry. Your hiding child is a sign that something has happened, even if you’ ...

119. Hungering for Some Time Off

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

King Duncan

How many of you have a hard time taking a vacation? We all want a vacation. We all need a vacation. But do you have trouble finding the time for one? Do you have trouble leaving work back at the office when you go on vacation? Do you feel like your vacation is re-charging you or draining you? Futurist and author Faith Popcorn claims that, compared to the rest of the world, Americans suffer from a condition called “vacation starvation.” The average employee of a large business gets about two, maybe three, ...

120. Going Into Labor

Mark 13:1-8

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

The Baldwin Hills dam was built on a steep hillside in Southern California overlooking a packed residential community. It was considered an architectural wonder, at least by its designers. It also rested squarely on an earthquake fault. The designers insisted that the fault line would not affect their structure. Nestled away on a hillside, where it would not interfere with development, it served as a storage facility for the waters that follow in the form of rain and snow melt. Then, on December 14, 1963, ...

121. When What You Signed Up For...

Acts 16:9-15

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to ask you a question this morning: how do you respond when God—or life itself—changes your plans? This question is relevant for everyone in the congregation because at some point in your life, God or life, if you will, will suddenly and unexpectedly change your plans for your day, maybe even for your life. There is an old “Peanuts” cartoon strip that I suspect we all can relate to. In the first panel Charlie Brown says, “I learned something in school today, I signed up for folk guitar, computer ...

122. The Art Of Transition

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:61-62) Someone once said that people do not voluntarily change until their level of discomfort is greater than their level of fear. I have a good friend, a fellow baby-boomer, who was required by the company he worked for to move to a different part of the state. The move meant a promotion and a sizable ...

123. Gifts of Lent II: Mary Gives Her Perfume

Matthew 26:6-13

Drama

Donald Neidigk

Dramatic Monologue You're here to speak with the friends of Jesus, are you? Well then, by all means, let's talk! Shall we sit here in my garden? It's the perfect place. The morning air is still cool and each gentle breeze brings with it the scent of my flowers. How I love my flowers, especially the lilies! Their sweetness always reminds me of that evening so long ago when I poured out an entire flask of treasured perfume on the head and feet of Jesus. It was the week of Passover. Our village of Bethany was ...

124. Moving Words

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Larry Goodpaster

On the surface, this reading from Matthew’s gospel is a strange sounding, and somewhat puzzling passage. It is one we could easily dismiss since it is specifically addressed to the original 12 disciples. The text is part of a lengthy chapter detailing the instructions Jesus gives to those 12 prior to that first “missionary” effort. Since this appears to be a private tutoring lesson for Jesus’ small class of first century followers, we excuse ourselves from paying attention to the words. What could they ...

125. Who Is God Anyway?

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Charles Schultz, the PEANUTS cartoonist, contributed a cartoon to a church magazine years ago. The scene is a church youth meeting. Standing in front of the group is a teenage character wearing a primitive, multicolored, witch doctor's ritual mask. The caption beneath the cartoon read: "My program tonight is entitled, It matters not what you believe, only whether you are sincere or not.' " (1) Most of us believe that it really does matter what a person believes. At the same time, few of us would consider ...

Showing results