Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1351 to 1375 of 4936 results

1351. A Moment Of Decision

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

John A. Stroman

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. -- Mark 1:9 Experiences have the effect of changing the direction of our lives. These experiences are so casual they are frightening. They are critical experiences because they are life-changing. Albert Schweitzer casually walked into a library and sat down at a table to study. He picked up a magazine that someone had failed to return to the rack. It was a publication of the London Missionary Society. As he thumbed ...

1352. Proper 18

Mark 7:24-30, Mark 7:31-37, Proverbs 22:1-16, James 2:1-13

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Faith active in good works. COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 (C) Practical advice concerning values. A good name is better than riches. The person who shares his wealth will be blessed by God but the unjust will experience calamity. God will judge those who beat down the poor. Lesson 1: Isaiah 35:4-7a (RC, E) Lesson 2: James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 (C); James 2:1-5 (RC) The Church is warned of the dangers of showing partiality to the wealthy and making the poor take a back seat. James ...

1353. I Am Zacchaeus

Luke 19:1-10

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

Theme: Zacchaeus was a man who loved power, wealth, and status. As a tax collector, however, he was shunned by polite society. Inwardly, he had not found satisfaction in his accumulation of wealth. Whatever it was that made him climb a tree to see Jesus, he found what his inward man longed for. Setting For The Sermon Monologue: Zacchaeus is in the lectionary readings. He is a fascinating little man about whom children sing. He can tell his own story better than I can preach about him. I AM ZACCHAEUS Hello ...

1354. The Story Of The Scandalized Neighbors

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

John M. Braaten

I don't know what this world is coming to. It seems to me that parents don't do as good a job raising their kids as they used to. Consider my neighbor. His punk kid ran off with a wad of money last year. A couple of days ago he came back looking like death warmed over and what are they doing? They're throwing a party for him. From what I've heard they are going to spend a bundle on it. Sounds like the affair will be bigger than a wedding bash. If you ask me it's scandalous, celebrating as though he was a ...

1355. Step Three - Faith

Mt 8:5-13 · Heb 11:1-7 · Is 55:6-9

Sermon

John A. Terry

Step three: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to God as we understood him. In seminary I was preparing to take the final exam for my course in Theology 101. In any survey course there is always far more to study than is possible to cover. I tried to study the entire field of theological thought. I reviewed all my class notes. I even resorted to prayer. But neither the study nor the prayer prepared me for the only question on that final exam. The question went something like this: A man ...

1356. How Did It Come to This?

Jeremiah 2:1-3:5

Sermon

Not long ago, there was a biography on television of Adolph Hitler. It showed material on Hitler’s childhood. You can’t help being drawn to that kind show. The underlying question that comes to mind is, what happened? A vile and repulsive man, to be sure, but seeing photographs of this man as an infant, as a child growing up, is somewhat disarming. It reminds us that the story did not start off bad. Lest we forget, every wasted life started off as a creation of God, planted as a unique vine among us. There ...

1357. At Table With The Lord

Drama

Production Notes The drama may be presented either as a reader's theater presentation, with all parts read, or as a dramatic presentation with parts memorized. If produced as reader's theater, be certain that all parts are read with animation, in a mood appropriate in each case to capture the character of the person and the part. If offered as a dramatic presentation, characters may want to consider costumes and some simple props and staging. At those places where action is suggested (such as Jesus washing ...

1358. Then He Went Home

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

Ron Lavin

Sometimes when we go home, things seem strange. For example, if we have been away a long time, things aren’t the same when we get home. Sometimes home looks better when we arrive after being away a long time; sometimes things look worse; usually things look different. We gain a different perspective, having moved to a new area, or just having taken a vacation. Sometimes the relatives back home don’t understand us. That happened to Jesus in his town of Nazareth.1 Jesus had launched his ministry from ...

1359. From Tears To Triumph

John 20:10-18

Sermon

King Duncan

It was difficult for Jesus to watch people he loved experience such heartache. Never was there a heart more tender than his. When the crowds begged for healing, he complied. When Mary and Martha wept for their brother Lazarus, he called forth Lazarus from the tomb. When the multitude hungered, he gave them fishes and loaves. When they cursed and crucified him, he asked the Father to forgive them. Now his closest friends were grieving. They were grieving because he had been nailed to a cruel cross on a hill ...

1360. Where the Bread Loaf Is Not a Stone

Matthew 7:7-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

It was always a pleasant experience when we lived in the Easton area, motoring down Northampton Street past Maier''s Bakery in the early spring with the car windows open, being able to smell the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread lingering in the air. There are few things in life so inviting and delicious as freshly baked bread. My mouth is watering from just thinking about it. During my 5 days of retreat recently, I had the joyful experience of eating many kinds of delicious bread products: Italian bread ...

1361. What If He Shows Up?

John 2:13-22

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I know that you remember Murphy's Law, which said, "If anything can go wrong, it will." There are a thousand variations of that law, such as, "Buttered toast, when falling to the floor, will always fall face down." But it seems that one day in this particular house the toast fell to the floor, and to the amazement of the family, it landed buttered side up. Immediately the scientists were called in to analyze this. Did this really refute Murphy's Law, which said that "buttered toast, when it falls to the ...

1362. When to Hold On

II Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Our text for this morning is from II Timothy. I have to say up front that II Timothy is not considered by biblical scholars to be one of the great masterpieces of biblical literature. Some have even raised the question of why it is there at all. The main problem that they have with it is its conservatism. It defines faith as holding on to the past. By the time II Timothy was written, faith had become a tradition. Faith is now a set of doctrines. In other words, faith had become a noun. It's "The Faith." In ...

1363. A Clock or a Compass?

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

David T. Ball

Do you all have your compasses with you? What? You don’t have compasses? Well, I guess neither do I. How about your watch? Okay! A much better response that time. I have my watch, too — but don’t get your hopes up that I’m planning to keep a closer eye on how long my sermons are taking! I really just wanted to make a point about how much we rely on our watches in comparison to our compasses. And I doubt that very many of us have a compass that we can carry around — we may have one on our car. We know our ...

1364. Investing in God’s Future

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Chris Ewing

(Note: At the time of reading this passage to the congregation, explain that a single talent was worth more than fifteen years' wages of a laborer [per NRSV footnote to Matthew 25:14] — in other words, easily a cool quarter of a million dollars in today's terms!) "I was afraid," quavered the third servant, "because I knew that you were a ruthless businessman, expecting profit even when it is impossible. I was so afraid of losing your money that I put it in a box and buried it. Here is your money, exactly ...

1365. Curiosity and Questions

John 3:1-7

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

When I was sorting through household items in Minnesota, preparing for a move to Florida, I came across my old Nancy Drew mysteries. The pages were worn, some had my childhood scribbles on them, the pictures on the covers had started to fade. The question was, "Should I keep them or not?" Reluctantly, I decided not to keep them. I took the books to an antiquarian bookstore where a man offered me $30 for the 25 books. I took the money and walked out the door. When I got to the corner, I turned around and ...

1366. Don’t Touch Me With That Water!

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

"Fill the glasses with water, honey. Daddy's guests will be here soon," Mother said. Her young son carefully filled the fragile, crystal goblets. "How's it look, Mom?" Surveying the elegantly set table, she smiled and ruffled his hair. "You did great work, honey. Daddy will be so pleased." The boy grinned in anticipation of his father's approval. The door bell rang. "Our guests have arrived. Let's go greet them. We're done in here." Opening the door, the boy took his father's hand. "Come and see! Come and ...

1367. Can't Stay Away

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Scott Bryte

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a ...

1368. Godlessness in the Last Days

2 Timothy 3:1-9

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

With this paragraph Paul shifts his focus from Timothy to the false teachers themselves and sets them against the backdrop of the eschatological urgency that runs throughout the letter. The only personal word to Timothy is the reiterated imperative in verse 5—that he should have nothing to do with such people—which functions to tie the two parts of the paragraph (vv. 1–5, 6–9) together. Timothy is again reminded (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1) that the presence of the false teachers should come as no surprise; they ...

1369. Do Not Forget the Lord

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

Not by Bread Alone: Like chapter 7, this chapter is also very skillfully organized in a loose chiastic fashion, with the same “in and out” pattern as in chapter 7. A The land sworn to the forefathers; command given today (v. 1) B Wilderness as place of humbling, testing, and provision (vv. 2–6) C A good land (vv. 7–9) D You will eat and be satisfied (v. 10) E Bless the LORD; Do not forget (v. 11) D′ You will eat and be satisfied (v. 12a) C′ A good land (vv. 12b–14) B′ Wilderness as place of humbling, ...

1370. Ask Jacob!

Matthew 6:25-34, Genesis 25:19-34

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Steady as she goes” the ship’s helmsman cries, hoping to keep the ship on its current course. The nautical term urges the helmsman to first observe where the ship lies and its current direction, and then to maintain that course steadily going forward. What lies out there? No one knows. Sometimes in a storm, a sailor cannot see in front of him or her, let alone further ahead. That’s why the compass is so important. Like an internal clock, the compass is the ship’s true North that can perceive the direction ...

1371. Fruit Production

Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

John B. Jamison

I’d like to tell you about a trip I made the other day, down to the Jordan. You know it isn’t all that far, but it is a challenging walk, so I took plenty to drink and an extra jacket because I knew it would be cold by the time I get back. I threw a couple of snacks in my jacket pocket too, just in case I got hungry. Well, I heard there were a lot of people planning on going, so I left Bethany early to avoid the crowd on the road. You know, some of those places along the road near Jericho are pretty narrow ...

1372. Choice, Chance, or the Hand of God?

Genesis 50:15-21

Sermon

Will Willimon

“You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good,...” In the last few weeks, at the round of receptions, convocations, and introductory gatherings for our new students I've enjoyed asking people, “What led you to Duke?” My mother went to Duke. I like ACC basketball. I want to get in a good graduate school in four years. I couldn't get in Stanford. I'll tell you faculty, very few told me that they came here for the faculty. Of course, absolutely no one told me that he or she came here for the preacher ...

1373. A Light In The Darkness

Matthew 5:14-16

Children's Sermon

Teresa L. Major

Object: A flashlight. Lesson: Even one light can make a big difference in the darkness. Have you ever been someplace that is dark? I mean really dark. So dark you can't see your hand in front of your face? So dark someone could be standing five inches in front of you and you would never know? So dark you feel totally and completely alone? When I was in college, I worked as a summer missionary at a camp in the mountains. We did all sorts of neat things. We went canoeing, hiking, and camping, but the neatest ...

1374. Forgiveness Freely Given

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Erskine White

As a minister, I am continually reminded of the many burdens people bear in this life - the emotional scars, the painful memories, the gut-wrenching guilt and feelings of regret. Sometimes the stories I hear are staggering. Really, there are three kinds of people in this world: those who need to be forgiven, those who need to be forgiving of someone else, and the largest group is those who need to be both forgiven and forgiving. Forgiveness must come before healing. That's why, in our New Testament story ...

1375. Epiphany 2

John 2:1-11, Isaiah 62:1-12, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Psalm 96:1-13, Psalm 36:1-12

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The Epiphany theme of the manifestation of God in Jesus is expanded in another direction on this Second Sunday after the Epiphany (once more, the Sundays ought to be thought of, if not actually named, as the Sundays of Epiphany), as Jesus' ministry is about to begin. The Gospel for the Day used to be the Gospel for the First Sunday after the Epiphany (Luke 2:41-52) in the classic, one-year lectionary; that, in itself separated Jesus' response in his ministry from God's action in his birth ...

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