Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1326 to 1350 of 2665 results

1326. The Tenth Commandment: How Zacchaeus Got His Groove Back

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... was an offer he could not refuse. Once more the excitement of acquisition exploded within him, and on the night before, he could hardly sleep a wink. The moment the sun rose the next day he set out in a dead run from the place where the chieftain had dropped his fur cap, and began to see fertile field after fertile field that he quickly encompassed, saying to himself, "Now this is mine. Now, this is mine." So intoxicated was he by this easy method of acquisition that he did not bother to rest or eat all day ...

1327. Love: The Greatest Commandment and the Greatest Challenge

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... . Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe you love him. After you''ve convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb. Tell him that you''re getting a divorce. That will really hurt him." With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, "Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!" And she did it with enthusiasm. Acting "as if." For two months she showed love ...

1328. The Power of Remembrance (Part III)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

All Saints'' Day Message A few years ago, Dr. Fred Craddock went back to the little town in Tennessee where he grew up. His brother was ill, so he wanted to visit him. Late one Sunday afternoon, Craddock decided to drop by the small Disciples Church where he had worshipped as a child. He went in, saw a friend, and they walked around together. Dr. Craddock noticed the church had installed some new stained glass windows in the Sanctuary. He examined them carefully; they were beautiful. But he did not ...

1329. The Test of a True Testimony

James 1:19-27

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... , you may not have the spiritual gift of using your anger for the work of God. Almost 1600 years ago, St. Augustine wrote, "Correct interpretation of the Word of God always increases the love of God and neighbor." Only a very gifted spiritual leader could use anger to do that. Drop the rocks from your hands--fold them in prayer and take your anger to God. This is where we seek the wisdom to overcome anger, so that we can get back to listening to God. God''s word cannot live in a heart as hard as a rock. The ...

1330. Tired of Trying?

James 5:7-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... . Three weeks after this entry, the hiding place was found and the Nazis sent all the inhabitants to concentration camps. Seven months later, Anne died in the camp at Bergen-Belsen. She wrote that day in July: It''s really a wonder that I haven''t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can''t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery ...

1331. The Tender Touch (Part 2)

James 5:13-20

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... as the taller girl got her candles lit, she walked around the altar, and stooping down, picked the smaller girl up around the waist and lifted her as high as she could. The congregation was breathless: Would it work? Would the taller girl drop the shorter girl? Would the candles get lit? After some struggles and second tries, the shorter acolyte formally lighted all the candles--whereupon the congregation gave a deep sigh of relief. It was the tender touch of another human being assisting another. I think ...

1332. A Cup Overflowing

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... by an entourage of supporters. That was then, but what about now? A sportswriter visited Ali and found the photos and posters recounting Ali''s achievements lined up on the floor of his barn, leaning against the walls. On the pictures were white streaks--bird droppings from the pigeons who roosted in the rafters. Ali walked to the door of the barn, stared at the countryside, and said, "I had the world, and it wasn''t nothing. Look now." Another testimony to the truth of the Scripture: "For what does it ...

1333. The Other Side of Christmas

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... the print media is looking for to demonstrate the spirit of loving and caring that Christmas brings about. Unfortunately, there was a follow up story. The local Salvation Army office began getting phone calls about the gold coins. It seems they were stolen. A thief had only dropped them in the kettle to get rid of them. He then told another story about a man driving home from work on Christmas Eve. He saw a young boy who had fallen through the ice in a nearby lake. He stopped the car and jumped out, tore ...

1334. Biblical Insights for Being a Christian Father

Deuteronomy 1:1-8

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... be. This decline has taken its toll. Dr. Armand Nicholi, Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, summarized findings from his own study of this phenomenon: "About ten years ago, I began to study several hundred young men who had dropped out of Harvard for psychiatric reasons. Three predominant items were consistently observed." 1. Marked isolation from their parents--especially the father. 2. An overwhelming apathy and lack of motivation. 3. An inability to control sexual drive and impulses. Then ...

1335. Staying Focused--Traveling Light

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... threatens to lower the men into the sea. One man has an idea: they can tie the ropes that hold the passenger car and sit on those ropes. Then they can cut away the basket beneath them. As they sever the very thing they had been standing on, it drops into the ocean, and the balloon rises. Not a minute too soon, they spot land. Eager to stand on terra firma again, the five jump into the water and swim to the island. They live, spared because they were able to discern the difference between what really was ...

1336. Reverse Direction

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... that we won't let go of. For some of us, it is even too much religion in the form of false piety and arrogant self-righteousness. The specifics of what God calls each of to change is different. But they do have something in common: we are called to drop the barriers that we erect in our lives which prevent us from being open and sensitive to the spirit of God! As long as we have erected barriers in our lives against other people, the net result will be a barrier against God! My friends, if you're looking ...

1337. The Ministry of Fading

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... the talking; it's as though that person has no ears and only a mouth. As we like to put it, it's hard to get a word in edgeways. If the person's loquaciousness goes on long enough, others begin to simmer, and still others will drop out of the group. Interestingly, when the preacher in Ecclesiastes is going through his litany of opposites and how each has intrinsic value, he mentions silence before speech. Everything in its season, he says, "A time to keep silence, and a time to speak ..." (3:7a). Minimally ...

1338. Too Good to Be True?

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... sometimes feel their lives are unfolding in too good a way. They may even say that the goodness scares them a bit. The implication is clear: They are not sure life has the right to be that good. Consequently, they wait for the other shoe to drop. The Peanuts cartoon I have in mind finds Lucy saying her prayers. When she is finished, she walks into the kitchen where Linus is eating and comments: "I was praying for greater patience and understanding, but I quit ..." In the last frame, she continues: "I was ...

1339. Together, But Not Enmeshed

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... of this imagery. Pruning involves cutting off what is dead, and sometimes what is living, too -- all with a view to increasing fruitfulness. Churches are quite reluctant to put members on inactive lists, and even less inclined to take measures whereby one is dropped from membership. Ministers spend a fair share of time over the years chasing after inactive church members. But sometimes there comes a point where it is better to allow people to drift way, because not to do so can mean we are neglecting those ...

1340. God Help the Fish

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... Baptists practice total body immersion to baptize a person. Ray notes that he is a big man, so he was concerned about finding a baptistry in a church that could handle an oversized load. Luckily he knew a Baptist minister, having dated his daughter in college. Ray dropped by to see this pastor and asked him if he would consider performing the service. The good pastor paused a minute or two, gave Ray a long thoughtful look up and down and said, “Ray, if you’re serious about this, a dipping just won’t ...

1341. A Higher Calling

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... never have started our enterprise with the kind of men Jesus chose. They weren’t scholars. As far as we know, they weren’t leaders in their community. They were fishermen, earning a living with their hands. But, when Jesus called them, they dropped everything, and followed him. He spoke and they listened. He commanded and they obeyed. That’s no little thing, is it? Jesus calls many, but only a few heed his summons. In most churches, only about twenty percent of the congregation is really involved ...

1342. Listen to Him

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... would claim his life. A huge crowd gathered at Yankee Stadium to pay their respects. The governor was there, the mayor, and many other celebrities. Just before Gehrig was asked to address the crowd, Tim--by this time 12 years--old, walked out of the dugout, dropped his crutches, and with leg braces walked to home plate to hug Lou Gehrig around the waist. Following this, Gehrig spoke these immortal words, “They say I’ve had a bad break. But when the office force and the ground keepers and even the Giants ...

1343. It's Happening!

Mark 4:30-34, Mark 4:26-29

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... to the office of the principal of the high school their son was attending. "I know how disappointing it is for you to hear these things about your son," said the principal, "but I've talked with his teachers, and we think you should let him drop out of school." The parents, both successful in their fields, were not surprised. For years they had been despairing over their son's poor report cards. "In other words," the father said sorrowfully, "you're telling us he'll never amount to anything." On a June ...

1344. To a Life Beyond

John 6:51-58, Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... . I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14). Hear that? "A place for you." "Prepared." By Jesus. He is doing all this for you right now. Will We Recognize Each Other? A third question is: "Will we recognize each other in heaven?" Some say we are like a drop of water returning to a faceless sea. To die is but to merge into obscurity. An elderly widow once told me, "I don't think I could enjoy heaven unless my late husband was there. Will I see him again? Will we know each other?" In Revelation 7:9, John ...

1345. The Impossible Option

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... plenty to follow him -- so what will they have to show for it? And sometimes we're just not in synch with the sweeping nature of Jesus' command or his invitation. Sell everything and give all the proceeds to the poor? Follow Jesus? How? Are we supposed to drop everything to become a missionary or evangelist? Our minds boggle. "You've got the wrong person, Jesus!" we protest. "I'm no great saint or preacher or anything, I'm just little old me, trying to muddle through the best I can." No easier is it for us ...

1346. When Nothing Is Everything

Mark 12:35-40

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... income and their apparent choices. Some rich people contribute generously to religious institutions. Look at the parade of wealthy donors in today's Gospel. Mark makes a point of noting the sheer size of their gifts. Some poor people give very little. The widow in our story drops in two tiny coins -- a pittance, even for the poor. Who are we to judge the circumstances, motives, and values of anyone who gives (or doesn't) to the church? Only God can see into the heart and know what's there. And there's the ...

1347. The True Story of the Magi

Matthew 1:1-17

Sermon

John Jamison

There is a beautiful old tradition about the star in the East. The story says that when the star had finished its task of directing the wise men to the baby, it fell from the sky and dropped down into the city well of Bethlehem. According to some legend, that star is there to this day, and can sometimes still be seen by those whose hearts are pure and clean. It's a pretty story. It kind of makes you feel warm inside. There are other legends about ...

1348. The Road Less Traveled

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... has not been taught to pray. You, fellow Christian, have been taught to pray. How we need to thank God for those who taught us. But, please remember that if we do not keep up the practice of prayer, all the lessons we have had will soon drop from us. Is it any wonder Saint Paul exhorts us, "Pray without ceasing"? Earlier I suggested that prayer was perhaps the foundational quality in the Christian journey out of which the other important pursuits flow. Why do I say that? Perhaps it is because of a statement ...

1349. What a Resume!

2 Corinthians 2:12--3:6

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... today the winter winds will blow and snow will begin to fall and cover the earth. If you were to stand outside as the snow is falling you might catch a few flakes on your outstretched hand, but in a moment they would be reduced to simple drops of water. But if you were to go outside with a powerful microscope, allow ten or more flakes to fall on a cold glass slide, then view them under the microscope, you would discover something quite interesting. Every snowflake would have a pattern different from all the ...

1350. Do You Hear What I Hear?

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... most dramatic moments that happens again and again in the Summer Olympics is the passing of the baton during relay races. What an exciting and anxious moment it is when the athletes exchange that baton! A sloppy hand-off loses precious seconds. A dropped baton will most likely cost the team the race altogether. Passing on genes for nest building and the passing of the baton are great images symbolizing the important process of passing on vital skills and traditions and information. One of the most difficult ...

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