Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1351 to 1375 of 3160 results

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

John W. Wurster

... , authoritative, cool, popular, funny, acceptable. We learn what to say, and we learn what cannot be said. As we master the codes for proper behavior in these different contexts, we file this information alongside our passwords and PIN numbers and create for ourselves a sort of security blanket, a safe zone in which we live and move and have our being. It’s a zone in which all is pretty predictable, pretty comfortable, and pretty enjoyable. We like knowing what to say. But what do you do when something ...

1352. The ABC Gospel

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... disease of this nature, in Bible times as the disease progressed, lepers were usually consigned to quarantined colonies. There, separated from family and friends, lepers lived out their days watching each other suffer and die. Often the Bible uses leprosy as a sort of synonym for sin. The implication is that both are highly contagious, destructive, and lead to death. Are you getting the picture? Perhaps now you begin to identify more with this man Naaman. His leprosy would eat away his exterior. Maybe yours ...

1353. Plumb Line Prophecy

Amos 7:1-9, Amos 7:10-17

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... ’s design for us. The words of another ancient prophet need to be sounded again in America: When the Lord your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors ... a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant — and when you have eaten your fill, take care that you do not forget the Lord. — Deuteronomy 6:10-12 Even in the church we ...

1354. Father Knows Best?

Luke 6:17-26

Drama

Dave Marsh

Director's Notes: This drama works for the topics of: the Beatitudes, understanding the Bible, or wisdom Cast: Dave: A man with questionable knowledge. Adam: Dave's Son Props: A Bible A chair A cup of coffee A kitchen table of some sort Setting: Family kitchen (LIGHTS UP CENTER STAGE on Dad. He is sitting on a chair, drinking coffee and reading the Bible. Adam comes walking up…) Adam: Mornin’ Dad. Dad: (never looking up) Morning Adam. Adam: Whatcha doin’? Dad: Reading the Bible. Adam: Really? Don’t ...

1355. The Business of Deception

Luke 4:1-13

Drama

Dave Marsh

... some mandatory overtime. Get him a raise, too, so he can buy more stuff that he can spend more time with and worry more about. Also get him some more charity events so he has to cancel the small group a little more. Start a new hobby, that sort of thing. Demon #2: Ah, you’re the greatest! (leaves) Satan: It’s rough being so good. (He looks at his watch and closes his briefcase). Well, time to go to that planning meeting. (phone rings). Deception Central, they’re not lies if no one cries! Lucifer here ...

1356. Worship Worries

Drama

Dave Marsh

... call these hymns? Where’s that one about the wandering cross or amazing graces and stuff? Ok, don’t panic. Looks like things are going to start. Dave: Hmmm. Where’s the organ? You gotta have an organ right? I must be in the wrong place. This must be some sort of rock concert or something judging by those drums and all those guitars. Maybe I took the wrong turn on 29 and… oh. Here comes the guy with the guitar. Wants us to stand and sing. Ok. Must be the right place. But I don’t want to seem to ...

1357. Father Knows Best?

Matthew 5:1-12

Drama

Dave Marsh

... clueless dad testifies... Also, this drama works for the topics of: the Beatitudes, understanding the Bible, or wisdom. Cast Dave: A man with questionable knowledge. Adam: Dave's Son Props A Bible A chair A cup of coffee A kitchen table of some sort Setting: Family kitchen (LIGHTS UP CENTER STAGE on Dad. He is sitting on a chair, drinking coffee and reading the Bible. Adam comes walking up…) Adam: Mornin’ Dad. Dave: (never looking up) Morning Adam. Adam: Whatcha doin’? Dave: Reading the Bible. Adam ...

1358. The Dilemma (A Drama about Tithing)

Mark 10:17-31

Drama

Dave Marsh

... way! Gotta get rid of that 6. Gotta cut that 6 off! So let’s cut it in half! Let’s see, that would be $30. Thirty sounds okay I guess. Except it rhymes with dirty. I mean, it would be like giving God dirty money! Like I’m some sort of drug dealer or something! No way, I’m not going to do that to God. So, what’s a good number? Hmmm. Let’s just make it $20. Dave: (Beginning to panic as he sees Mark walking in with the basket) Oh no, here he comes! Is $20 right ...

1359. G.O.D. (A Drama about Tough Choices)

Drama

Dave Marsh

... is roughly 56,500 square feet and employs 1432 full time non-union workers. You are a shift manager with 340 people underneath you. Today is a slow day in the plant. Do you: a. Work harder and find other things to do because others follow your lead. b. Sort your push pins by color. c. Surf the internet for all the fan sites of the band the Goo Goo Dolls. d. All of the above. Dave: Okay, well, this is getting easier by the minute. A again. Dave: Question #4: Ridgemont High is a high school in Southwest ...

1360. The Remote (A Drama about Obeying Your Parents)

Drama

Dave Marsh

... are. You are so wonderful, a shining star. You are my mother, oh yes, my mother! There is no other, my mother… Beth: Stop! (Beth presses the remote and Diane freezes.) Mother is getting ill! This isn’t what I wanted. I don’t want some sort of sweetening-sick zombie-daughter. I just want her to obey me. Hmmm, okay, last try. (presses some buttons – Diane goes back to where she was.) Beth: Okay, GO! Diane: (Enters listening to the Beatles) Beth: Diane? Diane: Yeah? Beth: Would you please turn that off ...

1361. The Healing of Jairus' Daughter and the Hemorrhaging Woman

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

James W. Moore

... peace.” Notice how gentle and loving Jesus is with her as He gives her a new lease on life. He doesn’t chastise her for interrupting Him. He doesn’t critique her theology or her superstitious expectations. He doesn’t rebuke her for seeing Him as a sort of last resort. Rather, He gives her act the most gracious possible reception. And although we know the healing came from Him, He humbly gives her the credit. “Your faith has made you well,” He says to her. Now, the rest of the story is even more ...

1362. The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

James W. Moore

... REMINDS US THAT CHRISTIAN LOVE MEANS TO TREASURE OTHER PEOPLE PERSONALLY. “Love? What do you mean by love?” shouts the cynic. The word has lost its meaning. We’ve used it too freely, too frequently, too lightly. We’ve tossed it about for every sort of feeling… from the mildest preference to the wildest passion. · We love potato chips and we love the Bible. · We love pepperoni pizza and Tom Hanks. · We love the Rockets, the Astros, and the Texans …when they are winning. · We love our children ...

1363. His Death

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Brett Blair

... the Via Appia, or we call it the Appian Way, on either side of the road for 100 miles. Another Emperor had crucified over 2,000 rebellious Jews around Jerusalem. The cost of rebellion was death. This thief on the first cross was an anti-social rebel of sorts, although the term “rebel” perhaps gives him too much credit. The only cause that he was fighting for was himself. He was simply a criminal of the streets. No one, Jew or Roman, was sorry to see him go. Even in his death he is rebellious. He joins ...

1364. His Resurrection

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

Sermon

Brett Blair

... for fear of the Jewish authorities, to courageous apostles who stood before the thousands in the presence of the Jewish authorities proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. Some years ago a college student came by one afternoon to discuss theological issues. That sort 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 ...

1365. Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Brett Blair

... ." The specific problem with religious hypocrites is that they are not only "holier-than-thou"; they are also "holier-than-themselves." They are really just as sinful as the secular types who have partied like jackals on Saturday, slept late and then pondered what sort of toppings should go on the Domino's pizza during halftime of the football game. In fact, I consider those who stay at home on Sunday as actually morally superior to the hypocrites who drag themselves out of bed and show up for Sunday school ...

1366. It's O.K. To Be Extravagant

John 12:1-11

Sermon

James W. Moore

... t end there. Mary (after doing this beautiful thing) is criticized by some of the folks in the room. Judas reprimanded her for being so wasteful. And then Jesus reprimands Judas for being so “stingy.” Stinginess means being overly concerned about money… sort of like the kidnapped man’s wife, who obviously felt that money is real important. Maybe she reasoned like this: “Which is easier to replace, a husband or $100,000?” That is stingy thinking, materialistic thinking. That is the Judas mind-set ...

1367. Good Friday: The Three Crosses

John 18:1-11

Sermon

Brett Blair

1368. Do You Love Me?

John 21:15-25

Sermon

Brett Blair

... started months before with Christ saying to Simon at the seashore these words, “Follow me!” Isn’t that a great story? Jam-packed with the stuff of life powerful symbols, strong emotions, and dramatic lessons. There is a very real human quality to this story. Let’s sort this out with three basic human questions: I. FIRST, WHAT DO WE SEE HERE PHYSICALLY? Let me first turn our attention to a minor point. And let me admit that I will be guilty here of majoring on a minor but I hope for good reason. It ...

1369. All I Want for Christmas is Peace

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

... This is Number One. First of all, Christmas offers us the gift of inner peace, peace within.., but we have to accept the gift. II. SECOND, CHRISTMAS GIVES US PEACE WITH OTHERS. Isn’t it sad when you stop to think about it... how “out of sorts” people can get with one another, how estranged people can become, how hostile they can feel toward one another? When will we ever learn? When will we ever learn? We spend weary days and sleepless nights brooding over our resentments, calculating ways to get even ...

1370. A Tsunami Appeal

Sermon

Eric Hudson

... grown more and more used to, especially in the past three years, we are still seeing the depths of goodness that the human spirit is capable of. We have just seen the celebrations of Bandaid 20; more record-breaking donations for Children in Need; and all sorts of human generosity. Now it is all happening again, as people do the only thing they can do in these circumstances, and give with all their hearts to alleviate suffering, and try to save some human dignity for the victims. At one point, we are told ...

1371. Jesus and Andrew

John 1:35-42

Sermon

James W. Moore

... song that still needs to be sung today -- the song of inclusive love, gracious love, compassionate love, accepting love, unconditional love. The question is: Have we learned to sing it? Andrew had learned it well, and he sang it boldly by bringing people, all sorts of people, into the presence of Jesus Christ. He brought his brother, he brought a child, and he brought the Greeks – people different from him. Let me ask you something. How long has it been since you brought somebody into the presence of ...

1372. Jesus and Mary Magdalene

John 20:10-18

Sermon

James W. Moore

... the grave was empty. Alarmed, Mary ran to find Simon Peter and John. Together, they ran back to the grave site and found it just as Mary had described it. The stone pushed back and the tomb empty. Peter and John turned back toward home, trying to sort out what on earth this could mean, but Mary, so crestfallen, stayed there in the garden just outside the tomb to grieve and mourn alone. She wept softly. She thought someone had stolen Jesus’ body. She wondered aloud: How could they do this? Haven’t they ...

1373. Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... one of these open-air sessions, we from the Jerusalem council sought to question him as to his authority to do what he was doing. Some had wondered whether or not he might be the Messiah who would be the deliverer of the nation; some who believed in that sort of thing wondered whether or not he could be the reincarnation of Elijah the prophet. We wanted to find out. To be sure, we did not mind itinerant preachers for they were all over the land; we DID want to keep tabs on them though. John responded to our ...

1374. Sight for Blind Eyes

John 9:1-12, John 9:13-34, John 9:35-41

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... what that meant. You did not have much time to do any wondering, for suddenly, you felt something cool and soothing being put on your eyes. The rabbi had spat upon the ground and made a muddy paste and applied it to your darkened sockets. What sort of magic was this? Many believed that there was some special power in the spittle of a famous man - the scientists of the day all said it had curative qualities. It was said to be protection from the poison of serpents, a guard against epilepsy, leprous spots ...

1375. The Imperatives of the Resurrection

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... it could make any difference in their lives, and people would ONLY hear if someone were to TELL them. Yes, there would have been the temptation to keep quiet had not the angel specifically told us to do otherwise. After all, why open yourself up to all sorts of snide remarks from a world that says, "When you are dead, you are dead - there is no such thing as resurrection?" Why let people think you are a crackpot? Why not just keep the news to yourself and save all that potential embarrassment? Why not ...

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