Sermon and Worship Resources

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John 20:19-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's gospel text contains two complete pericopes, plus a conclusion. Most scholars contend that the conclusion read in 20:30-31 marked the "earliest" ending of John's gospel, with chapter 21 a "later" addition to the text. If this were the case, the resurrected Jesus' first appearance to his disciples (vv.19-25), coupled with his return appearance "a week later" (v.26) before the doubt-ridden Thomas, constitutes the whole of John's original resurrection tradition. Instead of focusing on the popular ...

1277. Jeremiah 2:4-13

Jeremiah 2:4-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The call of Jeremiah, described in 1:6-10, came to the young man in the year 627-626 B.C. during the waning years of the Assyrian Empire. The emerging, neo-Babylonian power, in fact, would shortly break away from the Assyrian grasp to become an independent state. The situation in the Mesopotamian area had become what Gerhard Von Rad describes as "dangerously fluid" (The Message of the Prophets [New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1967], 161). Von Rad goes on to observe that there were two primary factors ...

1278. 1 Timothy 2:1-7

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Today's epistle reading is located in a portion of this pastoral letter that focuses primarily on issues of worship (2:1-3:16). The church is faced with disruptive personalities ("false teachers") and the hazardous, haphazard upwelling of wrong doctrine not to mention its precarious position amidst first-century opposition. It is telling that the body of this letter (2:1-6:19) opens with a deceptively simple command to pray and to make that prayer all-inclusive. In today's text Paul asserts that there are ...

1279. Life Is a Test

Mark 1:9-13

Illustration

Richard Carlson

One of my favorite posters says, "Life is a test. It is only a test. Had this been a real life you would have been instructed where to go and what to do." Whenever I think of this humorous bit of wisdom, it reminds me to not take my life so seriously. As an experiment, see if you can apply this idea to something you are forced to deal with. Perhaps you have a difficult teenager or a demanding boss. See if you can redefine the issue you face from being a "problem" to being a test. Rather than struggling ...

1280. Proper 27

Hebrews 9:11-28, Ruth 3:1-18, Ruth 4:13-22, Mark 12:35-40, Mark 12:41-44

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 With the guidance of Naomi, Ruth gets Boaz as a husband. She puts on her best clothes and waits until Boaz has eaten and drunk. Then she lies down at his feet. When he awakens, he promises to do the work of next of kin. Boaz arranges to buy Naomi's lot which then allows him to marry Ruth. Out of this union comes a son, Obed, the grandfather of David. Epistle: Hebrews 9:24-28 The author of Hebrews uses the cult to explain the atonement and return of Jesus. As ...

1281. John 10:11-18

John 10:1-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

John’s gospel is known for its “I Am” sayings. Among the most familiar of all Jesus’ “I am” sayings is this one: “I am the good shepherd.” This comforting, caring image of the good, guardian shepherd is imprinted on the youngest children in Sunday school and carried forward into adulthood by the crozier, the shepherd’s crook, held by popes, cardinals and bishops. Sheep and shepherds are everywhere in the Old Testament. Abraham, Moses, David—all took their turn at shepherding. It doesn’t seem surprising, ...

1282. Lent 5

Psalm 51:1-19, Jeremiah 31:31-34, John 12:20-33, Hebrews 5:5-10

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 51:1-12 First Lesson—The prophet Jeremiah forecasts a new covenant of the heart to replace the broken one. Jeremiah 31:31-34 Second Lesson—Jesus is praised as a sincere and suffering high priest appointed by God to serve all who obey him. Hebrews 5:5-10 Gospel—John reports the interest of some Greeks as the occasion for the explanation by Jesus of what suffering love will accomplish in the divine purpose. John 12:20-33 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be ...

1283. Seventh Sunday of Easter

1 John 5:1-12, Acts 1:12-26, Psalm 1:1-6, John 17:6-19

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 1:1 First Lesson—Spiritual transformation, not merely new rituals, are what the Eternal One desires from God’s people. Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 Second Lesson—The greatest affirmative action in history is the sending of Jesus as the confirmation of God’s gracious promises. 1 John 5:9-13 Gospel—Only God has the final authority to forgive our sins and that authority was shared with the Son of Man, Jesus of Nazareth. John 17:6-19 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be ...

1284. Lent 3

Exodus 20:1-21, Psalm 19:1-14, John 2:13-22, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 19:1-14 First Lesson—Moses discloses the covenant God makes with the former slaves brought out of Egypt. Exodus 20:1-17 Second Lesson—Paul affirms to the Corinthians the strength and wisdom of God over against the weakness and foolishness of humanity. 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Gospel—Jesus cleanses the Temple by chasing out the commercial entrepreneurs. John 2:13-22 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: God calls us ...

1285. Easter 5

Psalm 148:1-14, John 13:31-35, Acts 11:1-18, Revelation 21:1-6

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 148 First Lesson—A mysterious vision opens Peter’s heart to include Gentiles in the church. Acts 11:1-18 Second Lesson—John describes a vision of the new heaven and earth: the New Jerusalem. Revelation 21:1-6 Gospel—Jesus says that the distinguishing feature of his disciples should be their love for one another. John 13:31-35 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: Praise the name of the Eternal One, People: for ...

1286. Proper 5

Galatians 1:11-24, 1 Kings 17:7-24, Psalm 146:1-10, Luke 7:11-17

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 146 First Lesson—The "bottomless barrel" is a sign of God’s providence to the widow and the prophet who is her guest. 1 Kings 17:8-16 (17-24) Second Lesson—Paul defends the authenticity of his gospel as being truly a revelation of God. Galatians 1:11-24 Gospel—Another resuscitation of a widow’s son gives the people a reason to have hope that another prophet like Elijah has come. Luke 7:11-17 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also ...

1287. Proper 19

Psalm 14:1-7, Jeremiah 4:5-31, Luke 15:1-10, 1 Timothy 1:12-20

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 14 First Lesson—The prophet scolds the nation like naughty children. Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 Second Lesson—Paul describes the grace of God that converted him from a persecutor to a proclaimer of the Good News of Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Gospel—Jesus tells the first of a trilogy of parables that express joy at the recovery of the lost. Luke 15:1-10 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: Bring to the ...

1288. Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

Psalm 15:1-5, Micah 6:1-8, Matthew 5:1-12, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter--Psalms 15:1-5 First Lesson--Micah comes to the heart of the matter in the conclusion of this reading. Micah 6:1-8 Second Lesson--Paul speaks of the paradoxical power of the gospel of the cross. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Gospel--Matthew gives us the values of Jesus in a series of blessings we call the Beatitudes. Matthew 5:1-12 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: Depend upon God to grant your heart's desire. People: We ...

1289. Proper 23

Exodus 32:1-14, Psalm 106:1-48, Matthew 22:1-14, Philippians 4:2-9

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter - Psalms 106:1-6, 19-23 First Lesson - Aaron and the people succumb to idolatry in the absence of Moses, who is communing with God on the mountain. Exodus 32:1-14 Second Lesson - Paul urges the Philippians not to get bogged down in petty quarrels but to find joy in the appreciation of good qualities in people and in themselves. Philippians 4:1-9 Gospel - Jesus continues speaking in parables to stimulate human readiness for divine judgment. Matthew 22:1-14 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace ...

1290. All in the Family

1 Timothy 3:14-15

Sermon

James Merritt

Howard Rutledge, a United States air force pilot, was shot down over North Vietnam during the early stages of the Vietnamese War. He spent several miserable, terrible years in the hands of the Vietnamese before being released when the war ended. He shares a testimony of something God taught him in that terrible place that really relates to where we are this morning. "During those longer periods of enforced reflection, it became so much easier to separate the important from the trivial, the worthwhile from ...

1291. What If It Happens To Me? The Fear of Suffering

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

I want to talk to you today about perhaps the most thorny issue confronting the Christian faith. In fact, it is the single biggest obstacle for non-Christians to overcome in order to become believers in Christ. George Barna, who is the George Gallup of the Christian world, conducted a national survey in which he asked this question, "If you could ask God only one question and you knew He would give you an answer, what would you ask?" By far and away the number one response was this one - "Why is there pain ...

1292. Workaholics Anonymous

Genesis 2:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

Are you a workaholic? See how many of these questions you answered yes to: Do you get more excited about your work than about family or anything else? Are there times when you can charge through work and other times when you can't get anything done? Do you take with you to bed, on weekends, on vacation? Is work the activity you enjoy most and talk about most? Do you work more than 40 hours a week? Do you turn your hobbies into money making ventures? Do you take complete responsibility for the outcome of ...

1293. The King and I

Isaiah 6:1-9

Sermon

James Merritt

I read about a man who was on a television game show called "The One Million Dollar Question." The host said to him, "Bob, you haven't had a wrong answer all week on the "The one million dollar" question. You are one of the best players we've ever seen. Now you've chosen American History as the category for your final question. Are you ready?" He said, "I sure am." He said, "Okay, for the $1 million prize, you have a two-part question, and as you know you can answer either part first. Which part would you ...

1294. What Child Is This?

Isaiah 9:6-7

Sermon

James Merritt

The melody to the Christmas carol "What Child Is This?" goes all the way back to the 1500's. It was known at one time as "Greensleeves." But most of the world would never have known the melody of this song, much less the words as we know it today, if it had not been for an insurance salesman named William Chatterton Dix. In 1865 as Christmas was approaching, this insurance salesman sat down and wrote a poem in one afternoon that he entitled "The Manger Throne." Dix imagined visitors walking by a manger 2, ...

1295. A New Hope

Jeremiah 18:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

Amazingly, George Lucas, who created one of the most famous villains of all time in Darth Vader, could not resist the storyline that even with the Darth Vader there is always "A New Hope." There is always the hope that anyone who has gone over to the dark side, no matter how far or how deep, can once again reemerge to the light side and the right side. Thousands of years ago God told the Prophet Jeremiah of a land that we could call "The Land of New Hope". To illustrate that land, He told Jeremiah to go ...

1296. Dead Man Walking

John 11:38-44, John 11:17-37, John 11:1-16

Sermon

James Merritt

In 1927, an S-4 Navy submarine was accidentally rammed by a Coast Guard Cutter, sending it immediately to the bottom of the bay. The entire crew was trapped. Every effort was made to rescue them, but every effort failed. Near the end of the four day attempt, to bring these men to the surface, a diver placed his helmeted ear to the side of the vessel and heard a man tapping Morse Code from inside. This was the last question that he heard. "Is...there...any...hope?"[[1]] If there is any day of the year and ...

1297. No Doubt about It

John 20:24-29

Sermon

James Merritt

It was without a doubt, the single, most miserable time I've ever experienced in my life as a follower of Jesus Christ. I was a freshman in college. I had a professor of philosophy, who was an atheist (what he was doing teaching at a Baptist college I still haven't figured out). After finding out, the first day of class, he was an atheist, I took it upon myself to be his personal Billy Graham and show him the light and bring him to God. I walked in, quite frankly, full of pride, thinking that the ...

1298. The World’s Favorite Scripture

Matthew 7:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

Everybody knows about the famous comedian, David Letterman, and his "top ten list." As you know, God also has a "top ten list" and it goes like this: 1. You shall have no other gods before Me. 2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image. 3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 5. Honor your father and your mother. 6. You shall not murder. 7. You shall not commit adultery. 8. You shall not steal. 9. You shall not bear false witness ...

1299. Pro-Choice is No-Choice

Proverbs 24:11-12

Sermon

James Merritt

The Declaration of Independence says: "All men are created equal," and goes on to say they are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights." Now those rights specifically are "the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Now this may shock you, but did you know that every person in America is protected by these words except two groups: convicted felons, and pre-born children. Now my question is: For what crime does a pre-born child forfeit his or her constitutional rights? I ...

1300. A Song for Tomorrow

Psalm 1:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

It occurred to me the other day just how much God loves music. Think about this – the only art of earth that we take to heaven is music. I don't know what all we are going to do in heaven, but if you sing or play an instrument already I know one of the things you are going to be doing. Even if you don't sing and you don't play, you are going to learn very quickly - perhaps to do both. The Bible makes it very plain there is always music in heaven. Of all the arts and crafts that human kind has learned over ...

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