Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1326 to 1350 of 3099 results

1326. Giving Everything: The Widow's Might

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Brett Blair

... to the building fund.” She said, “Hold on for just a moment—I think the big pig just walked in the door.” Now I am sure the secretary wouldn’t treat me like that, some of the laity perhaps but not the secretary! But we all are subject to changing our tune when substantial amounts of money are offered. That is why this passage of Scripture has been an enduring image throughout the ages. We play favorites. We treat those who give more as if they are the pillars on which the church is erected. But ...

1327. Two Blessings for an Unwed Mother

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

William G. Carter

... biology than most adults did in my hometown ... including my minister. A few days before Christmas, I stopped in to see him. He received me warmly and asked how I had fared in my first semester. “Okay,” I replied, skillfully avoiding the subject of my mediocre grades. “But I’ve come home with some questions.” “Really?” he replied. “Like what?” “Like the virgin birth,” I said. “I’ve taken a lot of biology, as you know,” skillfully avoiding that “a lot” constituted a single ...

1328. Home for the Holidays

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

William G. Carter

... our families. And yet, Luke is clear that Jesus learned this obedience from Mary and Joseph (2:51). Thanks to them, his daily life was firmly rooted in the life and faith of Israel. The birth of Jesus, set within the context of world events, is also subject to obligations of the Torah. The child was circumcised, named, and dedicated, according to the Law of Moses. Growing up, it was his custom to attend the synagogue on the Sabbath day (4:16). As an adult, Jesus did not quickly dismiss the traditions of his ...

1329. Divide and Destroy

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... , possess a rather narrow perception of “the gospel.” They view the gospel as divided into four quantities and share a story from one of the four canonical Gospels. Consequently the appointed passage is taken from one of these four Gospels and becomes the subject of the Sunday sermon. Certainly the good news or “joy” in Christ transcends any one of the four stories about Jesus that have been preserved from earliest times.2 Tradition has it that there is only a single gospel, not four. We possess ...

1330. Old Favorite

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... of those in the community, a preacher who does not love the congregation, an accountant who does not love the unlovely, is to find no meaning in life whatsoever. Said Paul, “If I lack charity I count for nothing.” Paul was on target in broaching the subject of love with these Corinthians. They did not need a parable on evil or racism or knowledge. He was dealing with the age-old problem of the well-to-do: Charity tends to decrease as incomes increase. That has always been a strange fact of life. Even ...

1331. Why Earthly Powers Need No Longer Enslave

Daniel 7:15-28, Daniel 7:1-14

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... important (wealth, power, reputation, your image in the community) do not matter as much. Relativizing earthly powers with the gospel sets you free from those powers, because the gospel puts you on the winning team. The gospel makes you a “lord of all, subject to none,” as Martin Luther would say — one who receives the Kingdom and possesses it forever (Daniel 7:18).11 This sort of confidence that though earthly powers do their worst they will not ultimately prevail has been a great source of comfort ...

1332. A Blood That Passes Over

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... their enemies because the blood of the lamb, the sacrifice of the lamb, has wiped clean the ledger of death. And so it is with Christ. No longer need we be prosecuted in the eternal courts of damnation and judgment. No longer must we be subject to the humiliation of arrest, incarceration, and punishment in the courts of evil. If the devil is our adversary, Christ is our ally and mighty counselor. If evil is our antagonist, Christ is our protagonist. If prosecution is our sentencer, salvation is our supreme ...

1333. Deformed, Disfigured, and Despised: A Marred but Magnificent Messiah

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... and divisiveness among the people as a weapon of conquest. Someone we would want to cuddle and embrace but who would put a permanent hurt on our enemies. The new Messiah would usher in the new age and all would bow at his feet and be subject to his dominion and authority. How could our conquering hero be a suffering servant? Could this little, scrawny hunch-backed man become our savior for the ages? Why would God play such a cruel trick upon his people? He is ugly and unattractive. He cannot save himself ...

1334. A Song of Promise

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... make our hearts glad. The world will be singing Christmas carols lustily again this year. The carols have been ringing out in McDonald’s and Burger King since the first of December. The Christmas music expands and grows yearly to be the largest repertoire devoted to one subject in all the world. People want their songs to bring them joy in the season meant to create joy. Yet many of those songs are ditties with no message of hope or promise. The song of promise the prophet teaches us is one we can sing ...

1335. Light for Beauty

Isaiah 62:1-12

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... precipitated the exile. However, at the close of the exile a Second Prophet Isaiah could herald the good news to these people that God was going to restore this people and return them to their homeland. It is that message about restoration that is the subject of the reading we have before us today. What the prophet wrestled with is how the people could understand the nature of their reconciliation with God. This was no easy task. A nation destroyed, taken into exile, and disgraced as being a nation no more ...

1336. The Attic

James 5:13-20

Drama

Dave Marsh

Director's Notes: Some of my dramas feature characters that are a bit over the top. In fact, they carry a particular subject to the extreme. The Attic is one of those dramas - no one really has a box of 'miracle stuff' but it's these extremes that provide an awesome contrast to the real answer: If we want miracles to happen, we need to pray. James 5:16 tells us the the ' ...

1337. The Final Answer

Drama

Dave Marsh

... an excellent series on asking people what their final answer is when it comes to marriage, kids, and career. Well, naturally, I had to do a 'Millionaire' knock-off. I thought it would be interesting if the final million dollar question was totally subjective and, more importantly, eternally important... Cast: Regis: (Host of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?) Jim: (A contestant) Laura: (Jim’s wife) Ray (Your pastor): (A life line) Props: 2 chairs (about 4 feet apart facing each other) Setting: The set of a ...

1338. Oh, How The Mighty Have Fallen

Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Brett Blair

... mighty and lifts up the lowly. It is this reversal of fortunes that reminds us we are all equal before God. No greater example of this can be seen than in the land of Iraq. For the past 25 years a brutal king cared more for himself than his subjects. In a press conference after the capture of Saddam Hussein, President Bush noted how he had treated his people: He murdered them, he gassed them, he tortured them. It would be a mistake for me to stand here today and tell you that God was involved in the United ...

1339. Box O' Jesus

Drama

Dave Marsh

Director's Notes: As I mentioned earlier, you can alter many of my existing dramas to work with a new subject. With that in mind, I decided to alter 'The Attic' to focus on why how people know that we are Christians. When you hear the old song 'They will know we are Christians by our love...' what does that mean to you? How do we show others that we are ...

1340. Rich Man or Poor Man?

Drama

Dave Marsh

Director's Notes: This drama presents no answers to the question: Poverty or Prosperity: Which is Biblically correct? But it is a good setup to a message about the subject of money, the Christian, and why some people are blessed financially more than others. I wrote this drama to support a series on stewardship and what God expects from us in terms of how we handle time, talents and treasures. Cast: Dave: A clueless Dad Teri: Dave's wife Kim: ...

1341. The 7th Day (A Drama about Priorities)

Drama

Dave Marsh

... the "busyman." The Bible says that a man dies and leaves behind all his busy activities. Sometimes when I write a drama, God uses it first and foremost in my own life. There are a few laughs in this one but that's about it. Nothing really funny about this subject. I ended it as I'm apt to do - the Everyman can't make up his mind as the lights fade... Cast: Dave: A workaholic Dad Jimmy: Dave's Son Props: A phone Some papers A chair A desk A laptop (if available) Setting: Home office (LIGHTS UP CENTER STAGE ...

1342. The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

James W. Moore

... want to express something special to someone you care for… try it… say, “I treasure you so much!... and see what kind of response you get. Jesus treasured Bartimaeus personally! He stopped for Bartimaeus. I love that! I want to preach a sermon sometime on the subject “Jesus Stopped!” And in it look through the scriptures at all the places where Jesus stopped what He was doing to help people. Jesus was on His way to the cross, but He stopped for Bartimaeus when He stopped that was His way of saying ...

1343. There Had to Be a Father

Luke 1:39-45, (46-55)

Illustration

William G. Carter

... knew more biology than most adults did in his hometown ... including his minister. A few days before Christmas, he stopped in to see his minister, who received him warmly and asked how he had fared in his first semester. “Okay,” he replied, avoiding the subject of his mediocre grades. But then he told his pastor, "I’ve come home with some questions.” “Really?” the pastor replied. “Like what?” “Like the virgin birth. I’ve taken a lot of biology, as you know,” which meant one semester in ...

1344. His Triumphal Entry

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Brett Blair

... means the Sufferings of the Christ. So here Jesus stands before this throng of people who are looking to him for leadership. They have just celebrated a kind of King’s reception with the donkey, the palm branches, throwing there robes to the ground in humble subjection to this king. And he know he must disappoint them. He knows he must walk away or they will try to follow through with the ceremonies and pronounce him king. So begins the sufferings, or the Passion, of the Christ. The crowds will begin to ...

1345. His Cleansing Of The Temple

Luke 19:45-48

Sermon

Brett Blair

... , by Andy Rooney. Other critics called the film a “simplistic, obvious, overbearing waste.” While there are many reasons for the criticism it has received, some of which are valid, I can’t help but think that a major reason is simply due to the subject matter: The Cross. The Apostle Paul said, “We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to us who are being saved it is the power and wisdom of God.” Paul recognized our capacity to miss great moments cause ...

1346. His Resurrection

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

Sermon

Brett Blair

... of thing does not happen often, I must confess. I hope it will not disappoint you to hear that most of my days are spent in meetings and with budgets, and staff issues and reports and not discussing theology. Eventually the conversation came around to the subject of Easter. After all, if you take Christianity seriously, it will ultimately always lead you to Easter. “What do you think of the resurrection, he asked. I replied: I believe that it happened in reality and not just in the minds of men. What is ...

1347. Truth - How Do You Know It When You Hear It?

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Brett Blair

... as an expert witness at a trial. During cross-examination a lawyer demanded, "What are your qualifications as an expert witness in this case?" The normally modest and retiring professor replied quietly, "I am the greatest living expert on the subject under discussion." Later a friend well acquainted with Rowland expressed surprise at the professor's uncharacteristic answer. Rowland answered, "Well, what did you expect me to do? I was under oath." The church must speak the truth, like the Physics professor ...

1348. The Temptation To Pass By On The Other Side

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Brett Blair

... temple obviously came before his obligations to this beaten man, a man whom who didn’t even know. It was ceremony before charity for this particular priest. So he passed by on the other side. Not long ago on the Today Show a clergyman interviewed on the subject of AIDS. His position was: These people are not victims; they got themselves into this mess. They have no one to thank but themselves. Why should we help? That might well have been the position of the Priest on the Jericho Road: He took his chances ...

1349. The World Is Crowded With Gethsemanes

Luke 22:39-46

Sermon

Brett Blair

... , "John Donne/ Anne Donne/ Undone.") Later, he endured a long illness, which sapped his strength almost to the point of death. In the midst of this illness, Donne wrote a series of devotions on suffering which rank among the most poignant meditations on the subject. In one of these, he considers a parallel: The sickness, which keeps him in bed, forces him to think about his spiritual condition. Suffering gets our attention; it forces us to look to God, when otherwise we would just as well ignore Him. That ...

1350. All I Want for Christmas is a Savior

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

James W. Moore

... , arrogant, greedy, hard-hearted, mean-spirited, uncaring, unsympathetic, unchristian tightwad. His now famous response to Christmas, “Bah! Humbug!” has become the sad symbol of such disillusioned spirit. As the story unfolds, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited one night by some ghosts who subject him to a haunting the likes of which few characters in fiction have experienced. Scared out of his wits by the ghosts, Scrooge is forced to see himself as he really is. The visits of the ghosts and the Christ-like ...

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