Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1301 to 1325 of 4933 results

1301. Try a Little Kindness (Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness)

Galatians 5:22

Sermon

James Merritt

After Confederate General Robert E. Lee retired from the military, he was named President of Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, originally named Washington Academy because of a gift from George Washington. The name was changed in 1871 in honor of General Lee. While Lee was president of the University, a new student came into his office and asked for a copy of the school's rules and regulations. Lee looked at him and said, "Son, we don't have any rules and regulations in print." The young ...

1302. Bystanders or Standbys

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Crime scene investigators (which we now know as “CSI”) acknowledge that if all the witnesses to an event report exactly the same information there is only one conclusion to draw: They are lying. Human individuality, the uniqueness of individual perceptions and eye-witness, the unrepeatability of each person’s own experience, makes it impossible for any group of individuals to see and report an event with the exact same language and coherence. If each rendition becomes a simply repetition — something is ...

1303. What Difference Does It Make?

John 14:15-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I ran across a story this week about a seven-year-old granddaughter who said to her grandfather, "In this family we are kind of serious about God, aren't we?" Grandpa said, "Yes, we sure are." And the little girl asked, "Why?" Grandpa wrapped the little girl in his arms, hugged her real close and said, "So that I can hug you and tickle you and try to tell you how much I love you and how glad I am that God gave you to us." The little girl grinned and said, "That's cool." I'm not sure that hugging and ...

1304. No More Tears

John 11:17-37

Sermon

King Duncan

You may have noticed that our lessons for today from Revelation and from the Gospel of John both involve tears. In one passage Jesus weeps. In the other, God wipes away tears from His children’s eyes. All of us can relate to the idea of crying. We’ve all done it at some time in our lives. Of course some people cry easier than others and people cry for different reasons. “You don’t love me anymore,” said one poor guy’s wife as she turned on the waterworks. “When you see me crying, you never ask why.” “I am ...

1305. Born at Bethlehem — Hope

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

Ellyn Sanna was twelve years old when she went on a camping trip to New England with her family. Four children and two parents were packed inside the family car. The tent was stowed away on top of the vehicle traveling from site to site. Each night they set up camp as the light faded. She tells that there were many happy memories from that vacation, but there was also the deep feeling of loneliness and being misunderstood. She was the youngest of the four children and too young to go on the long hiking ...

1306. Have You Had Your Caffeine Today?

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Pastor Scott Hippler tells about a day when he was about 7 years old. His grandmother had taken him and his cousin to the grocery store. On the way, his grandmother stopped at another store for a few minutes. Young Scott and his cousin stayed in the car. Scott Hippler blames his grandmother for what happened next. She was gone longer that she had said she would be. Back then, he remembers, they put prizes in laundry detergent boxes as an incentive for people to buy those detergents. His grandmother always ...

1307. Manasseh King of Judah

2 Kings 21:1-18

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

Manasseh and Amon: First there was a good king who went bad and lost most of his kingdom (Solomon). The remainder of the kingdom (Judah) was ruled by good kings mixed with bad (Rehoboam to Jehoshaphat). The LORD kept faith with the Davidic house through the bad times, because of the Davidic promise. He continued to do so even through the very bad times when that house was allied with the house of Ahab (Jehoram, Ahaziah). By the time of Ahaz, however, divine patience was wearing thin. Hints that Judah would ...

1308. Holding to the Lord’s Paths Amidst Threatening Stalkers

Psalm 17:1-15

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

This prayer psalm of the individual concerns Yahweh’s judgment and enemies like a pride of lions who threaten the speaker. It opens with a prayer to have a hearing with God and for him to pass his final judgment or verdict (vv. 1–2). It then declares the speaker’s innocence by confessing that Yahweh has already “examined” him (contra NIV; vv. 3–5). The next section prays for refuge (vv. 6–8), and the following lament makes the reason plain: the wicked hunt him down (vv. 9–12). The final section prays for ...

1309. Amon King of Judah

2 Kings 21:19-26

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

1310. Of Mice and Men

Hebrews 10:11-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. William P. Barker tells about a story that appeared in the newspapers back in 1972. The story was datelined Salonika, Greece. The city of Salonika had a real problem on its hands. It seems that many pending court trials could not be held as planned because mice had devoured files in the civil court archives. The evidence against the alleged criminals had totally disappeared. Imagine how those scheduled for trial felt knowing that all records of their crimes had been permanently destroyed. They could ...

1311. Born of the Spirit

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: Baptismal Font Name a villain. Whatever villain you name, it’s likely that villain will be living in some way in the dark. Dracula –fears the light and lives in the darkness of his coffin and castle The Joker (of Batman lore) --hides his scar-ridden face in the darkness and behind a mask The Phantom of the Opera –hides his deformed face in the darkness beneath the opera house Voldemort (of Harry Potter fame) –lurks in the darkness and hides behind other forms he takes Gollum (of JJR Tolkien’s ...

1312. The Real "Lord's Prayer"

John 17:6-19

Sermon

King Duncan

Here’s a question for any of our women who have been mothers. Do you remember your favorite gift that you ever got at a baby shower? A woman named Louise Cramer tells the story of opening gifts at the shower for her first child. Among all the necessities and toys, Louise found one very special gift. It was a baby quilt hand-sewn by her grandmother, who had passed away years before. As Louise marveled over the beauty of the quilt, it hit her that her grandmother had planned this quilt, and spent weeks ...

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. Defining Justice with Jesus

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Will Willimon

My colleague, Alasdair MacIntyre got it right. When you talk about “justice,” the real question is whose justice? All accounts of justice are subservient to some social order, some vision of the world, of what ought to be, where we're all headed, of who’s in charge. Christians get our accounts of justice from Jesus. Just after telling us that the "first will be last and the last will be first" (an odd sense of justice, that one!) in this morning's gospel Jesus says, a far1c1er has a job to do. His ...

1315. Let Our Kids Pray

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Carl B. Rife

Quite a few years ago I saw a bumper sticker on a car that said, "Let Our Kids Pray." I had an immediate reaction and I acted immediately on the reaction. I went to my car and got a pen and paper and wrote on the paper "Who's stopping them?" and put it under the windshield wiper. Now that bumper sticker and my response get us into the whole area of prayer in the public schools. I would like to preface everything I have to say this morning with the understanding that committed Christians can differ on this ...

1316. Gifts of Lent IV: Simon Gives His Strength

Mark 15:1-15

Drama

Donald Neidigk

Dramatic Monologue You need directions to Golgotha, the place Jesus was crucified? Sure, I'd be happy to show you. No, I don't live here in Jerusalem. But I know the path to the cross very well. You see, I helped Jesus carry the cross. Perhaps you could say it was my gift to him. Oh, I didn't consider it a gift at the time, although I do now. At the time, I considered it both an inconvenience and an insult. It was the last thing I wanted to have happen on my pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a trip I might make ...

1317. Gifts of Lent, Ash Wednesday: A Man Gives His Donkey

Matthew 21:1-11

Drama

Donald Neidigk

Dramatic Monologue Come in! Come in! Do come in! Far be it from me that I should deny a visitor the hospitality of my little home. After all, it isn't really my home. I'm just a tenant. It belongs to the Lord, as does everything else you see around here, although I admit it isn't much. If I have an extra mat for a bed, or loaf of bread, or skin of wine, and you have need of it, consider it a gift from God to you. Now why is it you dropped by? Oh, yes! You want me to tell you about the time I let that ...

1318. Lasting Impressions

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

During his first visit to the United States, Albert Schweitzer found himself at Pennsylvania Station in New York City, waiting for a train that would take him, his wife, and some friends to Colorado. It was the first time he had seen an immense American railroad station, and there was much to do and look at while they waited. Then Schweitzer saw a broom and, in the middle of the big crowded place, quietly began to sweep up the rubbish on the ground. After a little while he realized that in the meantime the ...

1319. What’s Inside Comes Out!

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

My subject is, “What is Inside You Has to Come Out!” Human behavior is very much like the natural order. We sow seeds, set plants, fertilize and attend our gardens. We enroll our children in school to educate their minds. Every day we learn morality, form habits, build character. At our tables we train our tastes for the foods we prefer. The Good News Bible version of the Gospel says: “what comes out of a person makes him unclean ... from the inside, from a person’s heart, come the evil ideas which lead ...

1320. Proper 27

Psalm 17:1-15, Psalm 9:1-20, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17, Zechariah 7:1-14, 1 Chronicles 29:10-20, Job 19:1-29, Luke 20:27-40

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The so-called "new" church year and lectionary make a significant contribution to liturgical and theological order in the last three Sundays of the year. Those churches, which employed lectionaries before the ORDO was developed, were not in agreement about the necessity for providing separate propers for these last three Sundays. The Roman Catholic Church had propers for 24 Sundays after Pentecost. In the years when there were 26, 27, or 28 Sundays after Pentecost, the propers for the ...

1321. Believing is Seeing

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

When Jesus came to Galilee, he began his preaching with the message, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And the expectations of the people soared to heights not known since Solomon. They had been oppressed, depressed, distressed, and had been waiting for the day when from their midst a hero would arise to lay a left hook on the jaw of the hated Roman Empire, restore the glory of the dim and distant yesteryear, and make those good things happen that the prophets had foretold. The land should ...

1322. If Only We Would Be Disciplined ...

2 Kings 13:10-25

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

"That’s what we need for the kitchen," Mary whispered to her husband, Carl. The table, among other pieces of furniture, was to be auctioned off to the highest bidders. No one thought that anything coming out of the old farm house had much value. Like Mary, the other bidders were there to supplement the furnishings of their summer cottages in the mountains of western North Carolina. "I’ll start the bidding off and won’t go too high," she continued to whisper. Mary did not want the auctioneer or any ...

1323. The Fourth Sunday of Easter

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Kendall K. McCabe

A friend of mine has a staircase fetish. He admits he cannot resist descending stairs whenever they present themselves. His rationale is they always make him bigger than life; he can assume roles on a staircase forbidden him in everyday life Standing there alone he may be the gallant Sidney Carton, about to sacrifice his life on the guillotine, declaiming, " 'Tis a far, far better thing I do...," or the ambassador plenipotentiary of Great Britain, in its headier days, descending to meet his guests at some ...

1324. The God Who Doesn’t Give Up

Hosea 11:1-11

Sermon

"How can I give you up, O Ephraim!" (v. 8) Prayer: Dear Father, we cannot fool you or pretend to be something we’re not; you know us too well. Open our minds and our understanding to know you as best we can, and to grow in appreciation of your great mercy. Amen "I’ve given him a chance three times now. Three times he let me down. I’m not going to be generous any more. I’ve had it. I don’t want to get burned again." This was Douglas, a man usually willing to go the second mile. He was known for his good ...

1325. Jacob’s Dream - A Dream Come True W. Dexter Moser

Genesis 27:1-40

Sermon

Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed ... Genesis 28:11-12 Jacob, with much patience, after many years finally married Rachel. In their nomadic life as shepherds, they, Jacob and Rachel, could have understood a song we sang around the campfire during a summer gathering at Lutheridge. I had a dream dear, you had one too mine was the best dream I ever knew; Come, sweetheart, tell me now is the time You tell me your dream and I will ...

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