Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1326 to 1350 of 4972 results

1326. The Importance Of Asking The Right Questions

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

... afraid of growth, than we are of becoming stuck in our present level of development. Better a comfortable rut than the risks of the journey. Yet God is a God of the living, not of the dead. God is always there nudging us to get out of our ruts, to leave false comfort and security behind, and take the risks of faith by following him into the future. The future is only frightening if God is not there ahead of us. If God is there, then what do we have to fear? What looks from our angle like a risky business ...

1327. Love And Friendship

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Mark J. Molldrem

... over the years, but it is only now that I am beginning to see the depth of your heart. I don't deserve you." Edgar was choking back the lump of grief gathering in his throat. "No, perhaps you don't. But I'm here and I won't leave you, Edgar." Her hand returned to the glass. Edgar reached for it with his. Five years of glass now separated them. Pressing hard against its smooth surface, Edgar could already feel her gentle hand penetrate the barrier, sifting the grain and the chaff of his life, keeping what is ...

1328. The Victory Of Faith

1 John 5:1-12

Sermon

Mark J. Molldrem

Planes drop out of the sky, killing all passengers. Mini-dictators initiate programs of genocide against neighbors. Forces of nature storm across the landscape, leaving devastation in their path. Bizarre individual behavior leaves heads shaking, "How can anyone do such things?" Accidents at home and on the highway steal loved ones away. All this gives credence to the sardonic line of a poem, which begins, "It's a wonderful world to be born into, if you don't mind a touch of hell ...

1329. Adoption Into God's Family

1 Peter 3:8-22

Sermon

Mark J. Molldrem

... into the family. The relationship is changed. You are now children of the Heavenly Father with other brothers and sisters to Jesus himself in this family of love. A seven-year-old boy tugged at the sleeve of his new adopting father as they were leaving the courtroom, where the final papers had just been signed. "I love you," the boy said. "Thank you," the new father said, and added, "but in these past several months during all these proceedings you never once said that. How come now?" The boy responded ...

1330. Made New By 180 Degrees

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... in a chapel, or just hold the loved ones you most cherish. If the illness is another's, listen for the time to hold silence -- to take it to your bosom like a dove. There is a time to assault God, accuse God, but also a time to wait and leave God free ... you did not make yourself, and you cannot raise yourself. But what you cannot do, God can. A member of this congregation came to me recently and said, "The last lesson we learn in the church is the art of suffering silently with a friend without trying to ...

1331. Getting The Face We Deserve

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... time to do that, to face in, to really look at ourselves. It is a hard thing to do. A mother in her mid-thirties died, leaving two little boys with their father. The funeral was over and they went home. It was bedtime. One of the little boys came tugging at ... New Testament. And Jesus does say in the Gospel of John, "I am the light of the world." Then he says he is going to be leaving. Then he says, "You're the light of the world." He entrusts to us this light and asks us to take it forward. Instead, the ...

1332. 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 ...

1333. Forgiven!

John 12:1-11

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 ...

1334. Sermon In A Word

John 20:10-18, John 20:1-9

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... . She had seen the Lord and that was the last thing they seemed to want to hear. But John persisted. "What did Jesus say?" "He said, 'I have not yet ascended to my Father.' I don't know what that means. Maybe he will be with us yet before he leaves." That did not encourage the disciples at all. John asked, "What else did he say?" First Person: She looked around at the men and then said, "Tell my brethren that I am ascending to my Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God." Second Person: "Tell ...

1335. Law and Gospel

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

... me (Romans 7:7, 8-10)." The law always kills! That was Luther's dictum about the spiritual use of the law. The law always leaves me helpless, consigned to wrath, doomed to death. This is the proper use of the law and is therefore the proper use of the law in ... preaching. To preach the law is to render people helpless in their relationship to God. The law kills us and leaves us dead in the eyes of God. The third use of the law is the law as a guide to Christian living. For Calvin this was ...

1336. To The Father's House

John 14:1-4

Eulogy

James McKarns

... just as difficult to accept, for we are never ready to say goodbye to a dear person who is close to us. So we remember Paul's words that we are the tent-people and when we come upon the scene, in birth, we know before long we will be leaving. The real spiritual dimension, which is the happy side of life, now comes with the gospel message. Here John says there is a kingdom where we can dwell securely forever. No more tent living. We have moved into the Father's house. He quotes the words of Jesus, stating in ...

1337. Lent 1

Luke 4:16-30 · Psalm 103:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Jack Brownlee

... ah ... go ... talk ..." "No, Caleb. They are talking about what happened today. With Jesus. Joshua wants to know why." "Why what?" "Why the village was so upset with Jesus." "The guy's an idiot, Mary. A blasphemer." "What did he do ...?" "Look, a guy leaves town, leaving his kid brothers to marry off three sisters and take care of his widowed mother. If he makes a name for himself, makes some money, sends some home, helps out, fine. I say fine and dandy." "Caleb!" "I'm serious, Mary. If he were teaching ...

1338. A Larger Design For Living

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

Clement E. Lewis

... all of us will do well to understand that being a good servant may be the highest honor which we may attain. Only a few can be chiefs; most must be braves. There are some lyrics that begin with, "Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul; leave thy low-vaulted past." This is a wonderful reminder of what we mean when we talk about a larger design for living. We should all, regardless of circumstances, aspire to a larger design for living, and an ever enriching perspective of life. An architect once said to ...

1339. Managing Disappointment

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Clement E. Lewis

... his or her feelings with you. 5. Disappointments rising out of misunderstood circumstances may turn out to be blessings in disguise, because they afford an excuse to learn from each other, and arrive at the truth. Let us always remember that when we trust in God, and leave the thread of life's design to his guidance, the pattern of life turns out much better than we expected. It is needful that we seek to be prayerful, forgiving, and ever willing to accept that which comes to pass as a result of love and ...

1340. Epiphany 3

Mark 1:14-20

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

... Green Suggested Hymns O God Of Light ''Come Follow Me,'' The Savior Spake By All Your Saints In Warfare Jesus Calls Us, O'er The Tumult God, Whose Almighty Word From God The Father, Virgin Born Prayer for Epiphany 3 Leave it all, Lord? Family? Friends? Work? Possessions? Leave it all? The call sounds simple.''Follow me.'' Why does our response become so complicated? The disciples left everything and followed you. It is difficult for us to let go of the things which provide us with stability and security ...

1341. The Politics Of Love

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

... stratification in which the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The lack of educational opportunities, lingering racism, inequality of taxation; all contribute to the complex malaise of poverty. Personal acts of love may salve consciences but they leave the disease untreated. A piety that cultivates personal virtues such as love and sensitivity to the needs of others - without addressing the societal causes of human suffering - fosters counterfeit love. Loving our neighbor forces us into the political ...

1342. A Seeking Savior

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

... them in her mouth out of harm's way. So, which is it? Monkey-hold salvation or Cat-hold salvation? Does God sound the alarm in Jesus leaving us to come running and hold on tightly, or does Christ take us by the nape of the neck and carry us to the throne of ... at us and say, 'My, how like Jesus they are!' " We have God's word on it and that Word has become flesh. "I will not leave you desolate;" Jesus says, "I will come to you ... because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in my ...

1343. A Faith That Burns

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

... for people of privilege and power, because in Jesus, God provides a higher authority than the law of the land or religious practice. The Word enfleshed in Jesus gives all oppressed people permission to live as free men and women. When Jesus says, "Peace, peace, I leave with you. My peace I give to you, but not as the world gives (John 14:27)," he is not talking to tired, hassled executives who deserve a little rest. On the contrary, he is offering himself as that higher authority to those who labor under ...

1344. What's Important?

Job 1:21

Children's Sermon

Mark A. Hultquist

... from what the Bible says our lives were like when they began and what they will be like when they are nearing an end. God says that when we came into the world we had nothing - just the bodies He had given us. When we leave the world, we will take nothing - even leaving those bodies behind to go into Jesus' presence. That reminds us that we need to be aware of what is really important in life. The most important things are not the possessions we have, or the things we can accumulate, or the house we live ...

1345. Death Of A Dream - Birth Of A Church

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... his whip quietly. "Why didn't you use your whip on those wasps?" asked the boy. "Well," the expert answered, "I thought I'd leave them alone. You see, they're organized." Even with such a poor reason for building a tower, the men were likely to succeed ... the spring, to his dismay, he found new shoots had sprouted from the trunk. He said to his son, "I thought sure it was dead; the leaves had dropped, the twigs snapped, it seemed as if there was no life there. But now I see there is still life at the taproot ...

1346. Healing For The Past

Joshua 5:1-12

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... us look at God's way of dealing with our past ... The Past Erased These almost obscure verses in Joshua give us some clues as to how our past can be healed with the help of God. The Hebrews have crossed the Jordan, and finally, 40 years after leaving the bondage of Egypt, they have reached the borders of the Promised Land. Gilgal is their first stop as they begin to establish a beachhead in Canaan. In front of them is Jericho and a hundred other places to be conquered before the land is fully theirs. Gilgal ...

1347. Liking the New and Improving the Old

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... to the "good-old-days" that actually were not all that good if you had to live in them now? I remember that when I was a small child my mother put the ice-card in the window of our house, indicating how much ice for the ice man to leave for the ice box in our kitchen. On most days the side indicating 25 pounds would be turned to say we would take that much that day. On a Saturday, providing mother had enough money, she would turn the card upside-down, showing a 50 pounds sign, so that we ...

1348. Pianos and Whole Christians

Ephesians 6:11

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... well, it sounds like this. (Play the piano again with both hands.) There really is something good about using all parts to make it complete. St. Paul talked to the early Christians about being whole Christians. Don't leave any of the parts out, he said. Make sure that you have faith and truth included. Don't leave out peace, or doing right. You must remember Paul said that Jesus died for your sins and the Spirit of God is always with you and never forget to pray. These are the things that make up a whole ...

1349. Squirrels and Nuts

1 Corinthians 4:1

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... have big responsibilities to take care of, because of what we know and feel about God. I don't think that the squirrel knows when it is going to snow or rain or how the trees are going to make nuts and leaves. The squirrel just eats the nuts and lives in the branches of the trees with all the leaves. The squirrel does not understand the mystery of the nut, but he takes care of what is given to him. That is the way the Christian should be with the mystery of God. Live with God, enjoy what God gives you ...

1350. Who Short-Circuited the Good News?

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

James Weekley

... nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, "Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them." So they went out and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed ...

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