Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1226 to 1250 of 4972 results

1226. Our Constant Companion

Hebrews 13:5

Children's Sermon

Robert B. Lantz

... about Jesus. The author of the poem is unknown. The poem is called "Footprints." (Read poem.) What does that poem teach us about Jesus? (Responses -- mostly it should evoke the response that Jesus is always with us.) The Bible says of Jesus in Hebrews, "He will never leave us or forsake us." And it says, "The Lord is my helper; I will never be afraid." We ought to take confidence from the story of "Footprints" to know that even when we feel as though we are alone, Jesus is always there to help us through ...

1227. Better Than A Shadow

Romans 8:38-39

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... if we are sad, God is there to help us feel better. The love of God is just like my shadow here. It will never leave us. I could probably tell God to go away if I decided I didn't want him around anymore, but God's love would remain. ... I could become a really nasty person and do all sorts of bad things -- like rob banks, cheat people, tell lies -- but God would not leave me. God wouldn't be very happy with me, though, would he, boys and girls? (Let them answer.) No -- God would rather have us live lives ...

1228. Being Ready

Matthew 24:36-44

Children's Sermon

Teresa L. Major

... . A loud speaker blared, "Attention! Attention! This is an emergency! Smoke has been detected on your floor. Find the nearest exit and leave immediately!" We were scared! We jumped out of bed so we could get dressed and get out of there. But I was ... your mom gave you chores to do before you could go. You didn't do them and you were not ready when it was time to leave. What would happen? (Children respond.) What happens if we're not ready to meet Jesus and learn about him? We'll miss out on something quite ...

1229. The Darkest Hour

Drama

Pamela Urfer

... of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said: JESUS: (Aloud) "It is finished." NARRATOR: Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. The stage is darkened and JESUS, the WOMEN and the MAN leave the stage. NARRATOR: The darkest hour has arrived. Jesus is dead. There was only one among the twelve present at his death, he and the women. The others were in hiding, fearful for their lives. The one person they had counted on to keep them safe, to fulfill ...

1230. Play The Fool

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... more should all Christian disciples feel the need for a balanced life between the rational and the emotional, between work and play, between seriousness and the carefree spirit! Let us not be so proud in our own wisdom that we cannot play the fool, that we cannot leave our public image and relax and be renewed and become the person that God wants us to be. Such a charge is for all of us who call Christ, Lord, but especially the words are pertinent to pastors and other church leaders. What an antidote to ...

1231. Empowered By A Vision

Genesis 28:10-22

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... trying to stay clear of Esau. He has been such a rogue, he fears his brother wants revenge. To avoid that, Jacob leaves Beersheba, where he has been living, and flees North to Bethel. It is an unsettled area, a place of desolation dominated ... in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you" (28:13-15 NRSV). Jacob awakes inspired. "Surely God is in this place -- and I did not ...

1232. God's Power Over Death

Exodus 1:1-22, 2:1-10

Sermon

Steve Burt

... sink below the surface or float downstream? Will she summon her guards? What will the princess do? Moses' mother and sister, after they leave the basket in the reeds at the river's edge, try to console each other and try to convince themselves to trust ... the pleading of Moses' sister's eyes, and she nods at the girl and says, "Go." No need to tell Moses' sister twice. She's gone, leaving only a trail of dust in her wake. As she nears home, she starts yelling out the good news to her mother, "Mama, mama! He's ...

1233. But You Can't Get Water Out Of A Rock!

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

Steve Burt

... ," but with a slightly different spin. The war was over, and a soldier trudged toward home. He approached a town as another soldier was leaving it. "Have you anything to eat?" the first soldier asked. "Not a thing," said the second. "And the townfolk have nothing. The war has ... . The town came alive as it hadn't in years, and laughter rang out like church bells. When the time came to leave, the soldier presented the stone to the townspeople, suggesting they use it once a month the way they had just done. He ...

1234. When The Saints Come Marching In

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... comprehending Revelation lies in the fact that it is a work fraught with mystery, and like all mysteries I suppose, it is at times compelling and at other times confusing. Filled with truth, but nevertheless teasingly enigmatic. Of course, thinking of this book only as a mystery leaves the impression that it doesn't need so much to be studied as it does to be solved. However, to be honest, such an endeavor is like trying to analyze a sunset or dissect a rainbow. At best, it's a wearisome task to scour John ...

1235. Life's Loose Threads and The Tie That Binds

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... . I mean, allowing Moses to approach the Promised Land without ever actually arriving in it appears to serve no other purpose than that of adding insult to injury. Of course, I suppose one could claim that every life is filled with unattainable aspirations, and simply leave it at that. You might even argue that the text practically invites a sermon on our making the best of broken dreams. However, I'm not entirely sure we can exhaust the meaning of this passage with a stoic shrug of the shoulders. Nor, to ...

1236. The Shepherd And His Flock

John 10:1-21

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... might climb over the stone wall and take the animals if no one was standing guard over them. 4. "Gate." (vv. 2, 7) An opening in the stone wall allowed both persons and the animals to enter and leave in the normal way. Often no obstruction prevented either the animals or persons from entering and leaving freely. A shepherd would sleep across the entrance so that no bandits or wolves would enter easily or the sheep wander out from the security of the sheepfold. 5. "Hear his voice." (v. 3) Often a shepherd ...

1237. Proper 12

Mt 13:31-33, 44-52 · Rom 8:26-39 · Gen 29:15-28 · Ps 105:1-11, 45b

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... basket the church into which the good is gathered? Will history come to an end when the net is full and the time for the separation of the good and bad fishes has come? Are we to do the separation of the fish or are we to leave it to God's especially appointed agents outside of history? 6. Scribes in the Church. The Presbyterian Church has at times made a distinction between the Teaching Elder and the Ruling Elders. The Ruling Elders are lay persons who govern the local congregation. The Teaching Elder is ...

1238. Proper 19

Matthew 18:21-35, Romans 14:1--15:13, Exodus 13:17--14:31, Psalm 114:1-8

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... a new town. They stopped near the town to talk to a farmer working in a field. They asked him what the people were like in the town. He in turn asked them how they liked the town they had left. They said that the people were terrible. They were leaving because they did not like the town and were looking for a better place. The farmer told them they should look for another town since they would find the people in his town just the same. A while later another family came along and stopped to talk to the same ...

1239. Service And Reward

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... . The issue is not to which pastor the congregation owes loyalty. It is rather a question of all giving loyalty to Christ and following him. Otherwise envy and jealousy may leave a congregation divided and struggling over who is rewarded with power in decision making. Those holding loyalty to early pastors may eventually leave the church. 3. A Gap Between Professionals and the Laity. Many churches have moved increasingly to professional leadership. Earlier the church may have only paid the pastor. Now they ...

1240. The Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... also misses the opportunities for gain. 10. "Outer Darkness." (v. 30) Throwing out the slave to outer darkness is the act of the divine judge, not the man who had gone on a journey. Not to be in the presence of the Lord who is light ultimately leaves the excluded person in darkness. Contemplation: Insights 1. Personal Freedom. The Master provides us with the resources to use for divine purposes. We are left with the freedom to use them or abuse them. If we know the Master's will and are about his business ...

1241. Toward A More Sensuous Christianity

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... is to say that the Spirit is not always visible, and there is an element of mystery in the Spirit's coming. But you "will hear the sound of it." Although the wind itself is unseen, yet the effect of the wind is evident in the movement of the leaves, clouds and weather vanes. The same can be said about the wind or breath of the Spirit upon a person's life, the Spirit is visible from the effect that the Spirit has upon a human life. Where there is no sound, whistling, swirling or rustling, one can conclude ...

1242. The Promise Of The Spirit

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... When I arrived at the lady's room she said to me, "Are you surprised to see me here?" I told her that I was and she went on to explain that the test she was having could only be performed in that department of the hospital. As I was leaving she said to me with a twinkle in her eye, "Don't you underestimate this 82-year-old woman!" No matter how burdened or despondent we become we must not underestimate what the Holy Spirit can do. On the day of Pentecost the disciples received something that they never had ...

1243. Words, Words, Words

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Thomas Long

... and women became afraid, and because they became afraid, they began to hide -- from God and from each other -- behind fig leaves and behind lying words: "Where is your brother?" "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9). Now ... did." The woman had her arms crossed, and it was clear that this conversation was over. The minister left the house kicking herself: "Why didn't I leave it alone?" A few days later the phone rang; it was she. "We don't know where this is going, but would you come out and ...

1244. Who Lives In You?

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Lee Griess

... asleep in bed with Paul, the two of them breathing into each other's faces. And sure enough, Sammy caught the disease. The fever raged through him, and only four days later, Sammy died. Dr. Cronin remembered hearing about the tragedy while away on an extended study leave. He wrote his neighbors, expressing his sympathy for them, telling them that he, for one, would understand should they feel the need to send Paul back, after all the heartache he had caused them. A few months later, upon returning from his ...

1245. Forgiven!

Sermon

Lee Griess

... turns to the captain and very calmly asks, "Is there anything more?" The captain knows this is his cue to leave and he does, offering to the mother and aunt any help he can give them. But the father turns abruptly to him and says, "No one in this house ... will ask for help!" So the captain leaves. The father, still sitting at the table, turns to his sister and says, "Lock the door and bolt it and bring me the key. The ...

1246. The Peace That Jesus Gives

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Lee Griess

... fears. But the fear of abandonment, of being left alone, of having no one who cares about us, is a fear that all people share, and for many it just grows more acute the longer we live. To us Jesus says this morning, "That can't happen. I will never leave you alone. I am going to my Father, but I will send the Holy Spirit to be with you." Every basketball fan knows the name Larry Bird. An All-Star player for the Boston Celtics for many years, Larry Bird won nearly every award a basketball player can win. And ...

1247. Demon-Possessed Child

Matthew 15:1-20, Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

... , your words spoke a rebuff. You refused her because she was not of the house of Israel. Then you censured her as one as lowly as a dog. One rebuke would have been enough to send most people away. It makes me think of societal allotments that leave little room for the person but treat that person as a thing. With persistent advocacy, however, authorities have a chance to hear that person's needs. Was it the woman's persistence that finally convinced you? Was it her argument? Jesus: It is ironic that while I ...

1248. The Backside Of God

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... in their destruction. It is better for them to go on alone. I have heard stories told -- although I'm sure no one in this sanctuary has ever experienced such a time -- when a parent would say to a child, or one spouse to another, "Just leave me alone for now. Just leave me alone." And thus saith the Lord. When the people heard this news they were quite distressed. The loss of God's guiding presence on the journey is the equivalent of being stuck in the middle of the desert without a map -- sand as far as ...

1249. The Christian Journey III: The Desert

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... lets you down: when those you thought were your friends suddenly turn on you; when the activities that have always been exciting and rewarding don't have that old zing; when the devotional magazine or Christian group that has been such a source of inspiration suddenly leaves you cold; when you just can't seem to pray anymore. These are all desert experiences, when we find ourselves in an inhospitable and arid place, thrown back on our own devices. And when we are honest, we know that we spend a lot of time ...

1250. Meeting Jesus At The Well

John 4:1-26

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... for intimacy. Maybe there were other dark secrets that she was scared to death Jesus was going to spill out. But she knew that at some point Messiah would come, and Jesus said, "I am he." She knew enough to keep the dialogue going. And off she went, leaving her water jar behind. We all know enough to keep the dialogue going. You know that God loves all humankind, which God created. You know how over the long course of history God has worked for the salvation of persons. You know that in the fullness of time ...

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