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 1226 to 1250 of 2844 results

1226. Ready for the Big Date?

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

A young woman busied herself getting ready for a blind date. She was to have dinner at an exclusive restaurant with live music and dancing. She was excited. She went out to have her hair done, spent time getting her makeup just right, put on her best dress and was ready for her date’s arrival. However, his expected arrival time came and went. After waiting an hour, she decided she had been stood up. Disheartened, she took off her dress, let down her hair, put on her pajamas, gathered a box of chocolates ...

1227. Uncertain Certainties

John 20:19-31

Sermon

John Jamison

It was Sunday evening. Easter morning had come and gone, and the disciples had spent the entire day talking about the fact that Jesus had actually been raised from the dead. They were all fired up and making plans for how they were going to go out and spread the word of God and continue the ministry that Jesus had taught them to perform. Right? Not quite. As the sun went down Sunday evening, some of the disciples had gathered together. They were still hiding in a small room somewhere with the doors and ...

1228. Hope for People Who Are Angry

Ephesians 4:30-5:2

Sermon

King Duncan

A man came to work one day with a bad limp. One of his coworkers noticed and asked him what had happened. The man answered, “Oh, nothing. It’s just an old hockey injury that acts up every once in a while.” The coworker was surprised at his answer. “I never knew you played hockey,” he said. The man explained, “Oh, I didn’t play hockey; I hurt it last year during the Stanley Cup play‑offs. When I lost five hundred dollars on the final game, I put my foot through the TV set!” (1) When we’re angry we do some ...

1229. Characteristics of Christ That You and I Need

Mark 8:27-35

Sermon

King Duncan

Some of you will remember a delightful story Pastor Chuck Swindoll once told about a missionary who was sitting at her second story window when she was handed a letter from home. As she opened the letter, a crisp, new, ten-dollar bill fell out. She was pleasantly surprised, but as she read the letter her eyes were distracted by the movement of a shabbily dressed stranger down below, leaning against a post in front of the building. She couldn’t get him off her mind. Thinking that he might be in greater ...

1230. The Year of the Woman

Genesis 2:18-24

Sermon

King Duncan

Pastor Billy D. Strayhorn tells about a certain church which held a Sunday service patterned after those in colonial America. The pastor dressed in long coat and knickers, and the congregation was divided by gender: men on the left side of the aisle and women on the right. At collection time, the pastor announced that this, too, would be done in the old way. He asked the “head of the household” to come forward and place the money on the altar. The men instantly rose. To the amusement of the entire ...

1231. Flying High

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

In the backwoods of the Appalachian Mountains, you don’t see too many people hang gliding. But ol’ Zeek decided to save up and get a hang glider. He goes to the highest mountain, and after struggling to the top, he gets ready to take flight. He takes off running and reaches the edge‑‑into the wind he goes! Meanwhile, Maw and Paw Hicks are sittin’ on the porch swing talkin’ bout the good ol’ days when maw spots the biggest bird she had ever seen! “Look at the size of that bird, Paw!” she exclaims. Paw ...

1232. The Ascension Day Experience

Luke 24:50-53

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

The official ecclesiastical designation for this day is “The Feast of the Ascension.” In keeping with its name, it commemorates the day the risen Christ ascended into heaven. Saint Augustine contended this holy day was first observed in the apostolic era. That would make it one of the earliest Christian holidays. By tradition, the date was established as the 39 days after Easter. That means it should always fall on a Thursday. In many European nations, Ascension Thursday is widely celebrated as both a ...

1233. Speaking with Prophetic Authority

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Richard Gribble

"Free at last, free at last -- thank God Almighty, we are free at last." These words were spoken by Martin Luther King, Jr., when he concluded his famous "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington, D.C., in August 1963. Dr. King was a man of many talents who did great things, but he will be most remembered as one who lived for his people by speaking and acting for them with prophetic authority. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in January 1929. He followed the path of his ...

1234. The House on The Rock

Lk 6:12-49 · Mt 5:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18) Props: river stones (rocks) passed out among the people at the beginning of the service or beginning of the sermon OR small tools (such as small hammer, nails, concrete trowel) OR bricks Setting: Consider holding your service outdoors on the lawn today. One option may be to read the entirety of Jesus’ sermon (scriptures ...

1235. Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Animation: a skunk (if you dare) or a stuffed animal that looks like a skunk [don’t show them what’s in the cage until they come up to see] I have here a friend I’ve brought with me today. He’s here in this cage, and I’m going to take him out for a bit. Come on up some of you. Here he is. His name is Sandy. [Take the skunk out of the cage ….make sure it’s a de-fumed one J….and hold him out to those gathered] What! You are backing away. You don’t want to hold this skunk? [Walk down the aisles with him ...

1236. The Healer

Matthew 4:23-25, Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) “I am the Lord, who heals you.” (Exodus 15:26) Prop: stethoscope [Hold up the stethoscope.] How is your heart? [Have a volunteer come up. Listen to the heartbeat. Put the stethoscope to the mic.] What do you hear? [Allow people to listen to the beating heart.] Listen to that. That’s the sound of a living heart. It’s the sound of a heart alive in Jesus. When your heart is synchronized with Jesus, it will be alive in ways that ...

1237. Masks Off!

John 7:25-45 and 8:11-59

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Soul, soul, an apple or two, If you haven't an apple, a pear will do, One for Peter, two for Paul, Three for the Man Who made us all. (Ancient English Begging Song for All Hallow Tide) In the early church holidays like Pentecost and Christmas and the Triduum of Maunday Thursday through Easter Sunday were not one-day events but three-day festivals. So was All Hallow Tide, three days of honoring those whose lives were lost in time of trial. All Hallow Eve was the start of this time of worship and prayer for ...

1238. Liminal Space

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!” (Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss) Was it a dream? Or wasn’t it? Ever wake with that strange feeling? You wake and wonder if your dream is still going on? A discomfort gnaws and nags at you---maybe it wasn’t a dream after all? It seemed so real! Sometimes those dreams are hard to shake off. A kind of “dream dust” settles on your reality and your sense of time. You find yourself in a kind of “liminal space,” unsure whether a part of your ...

1239. Christmas Snapshots

Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Sermon

King Duncan

We all know what a special evening this is—especially for our boys and girls as they await a visit from Santa Claus. I understand that some children let Santa know what they want for Christmas by e-mail. In fact, I have some actual e-mails that some boys and girls have sent to the North Pole. “I’m sorry, [Santa]” says Jon, age 7, “but I don’t have a chimney. I’ll leave the cat flap unlocked for you, but please watch out for the litter box!” Good advice. Here’s another e-mail: Writes Christian, age 8, “ ...

1240. A Nod of Recognition

John 3:14-21

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

There was a game show on television. Some of you may remember the 1970’s remake of it, and a few may even remember the original from the early 1950’s. It was one of those shows that keeps cycling back into our lives in different formats. Today, iTunes even has a version of the game. It is called “Name That Tune.” The rules were simple, the host would play a few notes from a popular song and the contestants tried to be the first to guess it. There are some songs that are easy to recognize from the first ...

1241. Are Ye Able?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

Although Christianity was an illegal religion during much of the first three centuries of the faith, there were both times when authorities turned a blind eye to their existence, and other times when persecution was intensified. During the reign of the Emperor Trajan (98-117AD) persecution intensified. In 108 AD, one of those arrested and condemned to be thrown to the wild beasts for the entertainment of the cheering crowds was Ignatius, the overseer of the church at Antioch. Antioch had been a center of ...

1242. Rejoice: Hints Of Heaven Are Here On Earth!

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Heaven: Have you ever wondered what it’s like? The majority of Americans (72% of us in 2014) believe in heaven, according to a Pew Research poll. Our second lesson from the book of Revelation has some insightful, comforting and refreshing clues. They will shatter our misconceptions as well. What do you think of heaven? It does not seem to be a very exciting or fun place to be, does it? Oh it seems like a nice place. What could be better than to live in the presence of God? But on the whole, it seems like ...

1243. Unconditional Commitment

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Anyone ever visit a water park? It’s that time of year when people flock to parks and stand in hour-long lines to go down the biggest, best water slide in the entire region. You wait and you wait until finally you get to the top of that slide, look down, and….panic! It looks like a long, long way down. You look back. The line is thick and there’s no way you can turn back. You’ve got to go ahead, close your eyes, and risk it, despite the paralyzing fear! Maybe you’ve experienced something similar when you ...

1244. You Don't Have to Yell

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

What is the loudest event you’ve been to lately? Was it a ballgame, a concert, a family dinner, a party? I ask because I read an article this week about the incredibly strange way that the employees at Yahoo Inc., the Internet service provider company, chose to celebrate their 20-year business anniversary. They had a group yodel. And not just any group yodel. They gathered 3,432 employees at their California headquarters and had everyone participate in a 1-minute yodel. I don’t know about you, but for ...

1245. A Good Name

Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9

Sermon

Will Willimon

“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold." Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9 Do you believe that? It's from the book of Proverbs. You get this sort of moral platitude there. "A good name is better than silver or gold." Sounds a little quaint, this talk of "a good name." But this is typical of Proverbs. Here is ethics done the old-fashioned (600 B.C.) way -- an older person telling a younger person how to live in order to have a good life. The book of Proverbs is, ...

1246. Love And Boundaries

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

William G. Carter

Let’s face it. This story is difficult to understand. I have been struggling with it all week. But then I heard a short phrase that offered some help. I am not sure if the phrase came to me in a dream or a conversation. I cannot recall if I heard in a Top 40 tune or a country and western song. Nevertheless the phrase has given me an angle to understand this text. The phrase is “love with boundaries.” Have you ever heard those words? Have you ever used them yourself? Before I read this story, it never ...

1247. Soul Testing Kits

John 15:1-8

Sermon

Mary Austin

In this Easter season, we return to the scriptures where Jesus is saying goodbye to the people closest to him. They happen before his death, but they also have special meaning in the Easter season. Soon, the people who followed Jesus were going to have to live without him in their midst, in the same way that we do. We live with his resurrected presence. Here, he was giving them instructions about how to live in the world without him right there. Jesus was speaking, and he said: ‘I am the true vine, and my ...

1248. Gifts You Can’t Return

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Mary Austin

As we near the end of the Easter season, we hear Jesus speaking as part of his farewell message to his disciples. He originally spoke these words just before his death, to prepare his friends. These same words have the same special resonance for us now. The disciples have to learn to live in the world without Jesus’ physical presence, just as we do. We listen in, as Jesus spoke to God about his followers. John 17:6-19 ‘I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, ...

1249. A Basket of Ripe Fruit

Amos 8:1-14

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

The Prophet’s Visions and Encounter with Amaziah (8:1-3): While this section contains two different types of visions and a biographical insert, it should be regarded as a unit that has been given its present form by the disciples of the prophet. The first two visions, in 7:1–3 and 7:4–6, are “event visions,” portraying what is about to happen, and they are identical in their form. The third and fourth visions, in 7:7–9 and 8:1–3, are “wordplay visions,” in which the meaning of what is seen depends on ...

1250. Into the Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

Jesus was tempted. We know the story is there, but it isn’t our favorite, is it? Somehow it tarnishes our ideas about Jesus. Was he as wimpy as we are, almost ready to step over the edge of whatever morality we might have left, at the first offer? Ray Stedman, great twentieth-century preacher, remembered a morning at a restaurant. He was the featured speaker at a large church conference out east and was finishing his presentation notes as he ate breakfast. The eatery had unique décor, including good ...

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