Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1301 to 1325 of 2561 results

1301. Turf Fights and Rewrites: That's What Stiff-Necked People Are Made Of

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails….that’s what little boys are made of.” (Nursery Rhyme) Anyone ever try to give a pill to a dog or cat? Dogs are especially astute at eating an entire bowl of food and leaving the small miniscule pellet still in the dish. Ever notice that? They’re masters at it! Try to mix the pill into their food, and phewy …you realize he just spat it out, and get this --it’s still whole! It’s a struggle to get Rover or Fido or Lola to take the medicine that you know will relieve them ...

1302. Beyond Fairness

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Roy Howard

I’ve run enough long-distance races to take joy in this passage — including the 200 mile Ragnar Relay; not the first shall be last; that has never been my burden, but the last shall be first. Now that gives me hope! As well it should even though I’m confident this parable has absolutely nothing to do with running or any other athletic endeavor, unless one considers gardening to be such. It should be noted too, for the sake of honesty, that I may well be misreading the parable by taking hope instead of ...

1303. Don't Fall

Luke 22:39-46

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

After New Year’s Day an office worker decided to go on a diet. She did fairly well for about a week then she started to think about her one guilty pleasure. It was a cream filled donut from a certain bakery she passed on the way to work. For years she had stopped there regularly to get coffee and a cream filled donut. Not every day but a few times a week. On this one particular morning as she was getting dressed she had a craving for one of the donuts but at the same time she wanted to be strong. And since ...

1304. Harmless Hospitality

Luke 10:38-42 · 2 Kings 4:8-17

Sermon

Will Willimon

A few weeks ago I was to speak at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. I took the last flight out of Durham. We landed late. A hair-raising, fifty-dollar, one hour cab ride later, I was deposited at a now utterly dark, locked up tight, Lutheran Seminary. Had no idea where I was supposed to sleep. Wandered about, Willy Loman-like, bag in hand, trying this door and that, everything locked and dark. Midnight. Finally, I saw one last light in a house on campus. In desperation I knocked on the ...

1305. An Unbreakable Christmas

Philippians 4:4-7

Sermon

King Duncan

I don’t want to cause you any stress this morning, but we are just a couple of weeks away from Christmas. Are you ready? What does “being ready for Christmas” look like for you? I read about a class of six-year-olds who were putting on the annual Christmas concert for family and friends. The kids were singing “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” with gusto. They came to the line “Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” One child, the loudest singer in the group, belted out, “Peace on earth ...

1306. Public Sex

Mark 10:2-16

Sermon

Will Willimon

''Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.'' While you were away over the summer, the Presbyterians (P.C.U.S.A ) discovered sex. They issued a big report on sex at their General Assembly, voted it down by a margin of 95 to 5, the report that is. But not before Presbyterians captured many headlines, so shocked was the media to see staid Presbyterians talking in public about a subject like sex. The report advocated ''justice-love'' for ...

1307. Listen!

Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)

Sermon

King Duncan

Where are you most likely to get important news and information that you rely on each day? From a print newspaper? From an app on your phone? From social media? From a cable channel? What about from a man or woman standing in the middle of your neighborhood and shouting out the latest headlines? Not likely. If you’d lived about 1,000 years ago in England, you would have gotten the latest news and headlines from a town crier. The job of town crier began officially in the year 1066. What happened in 1066? ...

1308. Family Reunion

Genesis 29:15-28

Sermon

Will Willimon

"I wish I had no history to report. I've pretended for so long, that my childhood did not happen. I had to keep it tight, up near the chest. I could not let it out. I followed the redoubtable example or my mother. It's an act or will to have a memory or not, I chose not to have one. Because I needed to love my mother and father in all their flawed, outrageous humanity, I could not afford to address them directly about the felonies committed against all of us. I could not hold them accountable or indict ...

1309. Poor Old Thomas

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

Well, it’s over. The eggs have been hidden and gleefully found. The leftovers are mostly eaten. Family visits are complete and we’re all looking forward to warm weather — and to settling back into our routines. This whole Easter celebration thing is a little bit tiring, don’t you think? I note that a few folks have chosen to stay home this Sunday. Don’t worry. I am not trying to mention names or point fingers! In fact, many pastors take this Sunday off after this time of intensity and worship. Who doesn’t ...

1310. The Most Important Thing

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

If you’ve ever hosted an event at your house—a Super Bowl party, a holiday meal, a book club meeting—you know that there are a hundred little details that need to be taken care of before the guests arrive. And one or two details could make the difference between a great event and a hosting nightmare. So it takes a certain spiritual gift and an inner fortitude to be a good host. Not everyone is cut out for this job. A woman wrote to a humor website to share the story of visiting her son at his first-ever ...

1311. God So Loved

John 3:16-17

Sermon

Will Willimon

Driving through the mountains of North Carolina, winding my way carefully along a narrow, circuitous mountain road, I looked up and saw painted on a rock, large white letters: PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD – READ JOHN 3:16. Fortunately, I already knew John 3:16; but I shuddered at the thought of some other motorist madly thumbing through his Bible trying to find John 3:16 when he should have been watching the road! Right after I saw the painted religious rock, the next hairpin curve took me to the very edge of a ...

1312. No Forks Or Napkins

John 13:1-17 · Philippians 2:5-11 · 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

A Sermon On Feetwashing Recently I had two messy experiences that were nevertheless great fun. I attended the Feast of Will at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. A meal was prepared based on foods which would have been eaten in Shakespeare's England. There was rabbit and bread and vegetables and candies that were half soap called comfits and soup served in cups. And there was no silverware. You got greasy fingers while you ate. And there were no napkins, so you licked them to get them clean. The same thing ...

1313. Christmas Is Out of Control

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

John Jamison

After hearing the scripture reading, the thought going through your head may be, “What the heck does that have to do with Christmas? Isn’t this the first Sunday of Advent? Why are you talking about Noah? And didn’t Jesus say those things during holy week, like on Palm Sunday? Where is the Christmas story?” Let me try to explain. There is a thing called the lectionary; some of you are probably familiar with it. The lectionary is a list of scriptures for each Sunday of the year, and other special days as ...

1314. Day of Pentecost

John 20:19-23

Sermon

William G. Carter

One Sunday after Easter, some children were playing in a Sunday school room. The class was about to start. The teacher was pulling together a few things for the lesson, and he heard them playing over in the corner. They had built a small wall out of cardboard bricks, and one of them was hiding down behind it. Apparently the little guy was playing the role of Jesus after Easter, which he must have heard about in a worship service. He called out, “Hey Pontius Pilate, I’m back.” The kid who was playing Pilate ...

1315. Mind Your Manners

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 14:1, 7-14 If you are new here you have been subjected to what is called Freshman Orientation. That's when PISCES, ASDU, DCM, CAPS, and every other campus acronym tries to orient you to life at Duke, tries to put you in your place, so to speak. If you are a Freshman, you have already been subjected to long hours of sitting in auditoriums, listening to speeches, and standing in lines at receptions. I also ...

1316. Redeem the Time

Matthew 24:36-44 · Romans 13:11-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

"For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them away, so will be the coming of the Son of man." A man I know, a professor at a nearby university, has decided not to do any reading, writing, or speaking, until we get a total freeze on nuclear weapons. The way he sees it, the Bomb is so awful, the dangers that it poses to life on earth are so awesome, that ...

1317. Master Teacher

Matthew 15:10-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

The Christian Testament scriptures are the most fascinating set of inspired and brilliant stories we can possibly read and learn from. The scriptures are amazing. But too often, we miss the best parts. This can happen when we read either from habit and read over clues that we’ve never noticed before or when we don’t see the entire picture and have a hard time imagining what’s happening in real-time. I like to employ two “clues” or “helps” therefore when reading scripture. These can deepen our understanding ...

1318. Leaving Home

Luke 15:11-32

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

Setting: Mom and Dad discuss their feelings when each of their three children left home – a career son, a runaway daughter, and a soldier. Scene: Center stage at a table Players: Mom – Gladys, Dad - Homer, Son - Jim, Daughter - Lola, Son - Lance GLADYS: Next week is our wedding anniversary Homer. Can you believe it? HOMER: Seems like yesterday. Time sure flies. GLADYS: When we’re having fun?? HOMER: (laughs) Yeah – some of the time. Really Gladys it’s been quite a ride! Our marriage that is. We’ve had our ...

1319. Is This All There Is?

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Will Willimon

“Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people.” Last week I came to the office early, disposed of some correspondence, returned a few telephone calls, and had time on my hands by ten thirty. The students were in exams so it was unusually quiet around here. I decided to escape, to take the rest of the afternoon off. The warm April sun shone through the sun roof of my little Japanese bubble as I soared down 751, wind tousling my hair, sailing toward freedom, ...

1320. Flow

John 15:1-8

Sermon

Lori Wagner

In 1970, psychologist Mihaly Robert Csikszentmihalyi coined a mental state in which a person would be entirely immersed, energized, focused, fully involved, and fully engaged. He first became interested in the phenomenon as he observed artists at work, some of them so excited and engaged with their work that they didn’t know what was going on around them, sometimes forgot to eat or sleep, and seemed driven by curiosity and exhilaration. They exhibited a total immersion experience. Dr. C as we’ll call him ...

1321. It Is Blessed To Receive

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

William G. Carter

In the small town of Mapleville, the ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve service was poorly attended. Once it was a popular event for the whole town, gathering people from a variety of denominations and faiths. In recent years, attendance had faded to a faithful few. Most of those who came in any given year were members of the host congregation. What began as a spirited occasion that brought together a variety of clergy, choirs, and congregations had shrunk in numbers and dwindled in enthusiasm. One minister was ...

1322. Named And Claimed

Isaiah 43:1-13

Sermon

Tony Everett

Have you ever watched children choosing up sides for a game? It seems as if certain children always get chosen first: the taller, stronger, more athletic, more intelligent, more popular. As more names are called and teams are formed, inevitably there is a small huddle of children standing off to the side trying to pretend that it doesn't matter. But it does. It matters and it hurts. These children can't help but overhear the scornful laughter and humiliating names aimed in their direction. Remember that ...

1323. The Hands And Arms Of Grace

Luke 15:1-7, Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Glenn E. Ludwig

There is a wonderful story out of the Middle Ages that goes something like this. It seems people were putting pressure on the Pope, saying to him, "Your Holiness, this is the capital of Christendom. There ought to be only Christians in Rome. Let's get rid of the Jews." The Pope however, replied, "I don't know. Before I do anything, I will have a theological discussion with the chief rabbi of Rome. If the rabbi says the right things, the Jews will be allowed to stay. If he says the wrong things, they will ...

1324. Fire Wood

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

John G. Lynn

Stretching south for hundreds of miles from Glacier National Park lies a majestic mixture of valleys, rushing streams, and gargantuan mountains called the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Backpackers have hiked there for decades looking for elk, grizzlies and golden eagles. Fortunately the grizzlies stay up in the high country, but a golden eagle may be spotted and the elusive wolverine may be tracked. The Bob Marshall Wilderness hosts some 90,000 packers and hikers each year, most of them in the months of July ...

1325. Friendship? Yes, Please!

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

According to a recent poll only about ten percent of American males say they have a good friend. And while women fare somewhat better, neither do they set a record. Why is this? I believe it is because we place such an emphasis on doing, producing, and having that we have very little time and energy left for developing relationships. In short, we'd rather have things than people. Actually, the Bible predicts this is how it will be in the end of times. Revelation 18:11-13 describes the economy of Babylon, ...

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