Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1376 to 1400 of 1409 results

1376. A Pep Talk for a New Year

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

I’d like to start this morning by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year. I can’t think of a better way to start this New Year than gathering with other believers and worshiping God. Most of us try to go into the New Year with a positive attitude. Sometimes it helps if we get a little encouragement, maybe a “pep talk” to get us in the right mindset. If so, we’re in luck. There is a kindergarten class in Healdsburg, California, that runs their own free hotline which they call “Peptoc,” P-E-P-T-O-C. The ...

1377. What About Me?

John 1:29-42

Sermon

John Jamison

The scripture today is another one of those interesting passages from John, this time giving us John’s version of the story about Jesus being baptized. The other gospel writers tell the story in fairly clear ways, describing what Jesus and John said and did. After reading their stories, we can close our eyes and see what it must have been like. And then John writes his version and instead of telling us about the river, he says things like, “This is the man I told you about who comes after me and would end ...

1378. When Darkness Covered the Land

Matthew 27:11-54

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Do you know what was the darkest moment of the year all over the earth for 2022? An organization called EarthSky.org does. Their computers determined that on the night of December 6, 2022 maximum darkness, they called it “global darkness,” cast almost 9 out of 10 people in the world in darkness. At some point during that night Africa, Asia and most of Europe were dark. In fact, there was a precise point on that night in which 85.92% of the people in the world were in total darkness. (1) That’s fascinating ...

1379. Living the FIRE Life

John 17:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

That’s so fire! That’s current Gen Z teen slang for “off the charts awesome!” When something happens that is dynamic, amazing, and, as we older generations might say, “really, really cool,” it’s now “SO fire!” People in the workforce recognize “FIRE” as a different concept. For many, FIRE means “financial independence, retire early,” a lifestyle aspired to by many. The idea is to work hard and long in your early years so that you can retire early and enjoy your later years. Sadly though, this strategy has ...

1380. Let's Get Together

Acts 2:1-21 · Genesis 11:1-11

Sermon

Will Willimon

A few days after we bombed Libya, a letter to the Durham Morning Herald urged citizens to unite behind our President. ''This is no time for criticism,'' she said. ''This is a time to unite against those who are evil.'' The letter was unnecessary, for we were already solidly united behind our leader. War does that to people. Even as we Americans were uniting behind our President, dissident Libyans were reported to be suppressing their differences and uniting against the American enemy. War may seem a heck ...

1381. You've Got Spirit

Luke 3:15-22 · Acts 8:14-17 · Psalm 29 · Isaiah 61:1-4

Sermon

Will Willimon

"Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit." Let us pray: "O Lord, how can we know Thee: Where can we find Thee? Thou art as close to us as breathing and yet art farther than the furthermost star. Thou art as mysterious as the vast solitudes of the night and yet art as familiar to us as the light of the sun. To the seer of old Thou didst say: Thou canst not see my face, but I will make all My Goodness pass before Thee. Even so does Thy goodness pass before us in the realm of ...

1382. Jesus' Final Exam

Luke 20:19-40

Sermon

Will Willimon

Have any of you visiting alumni ever had a dream in which you dreamed that you were back here in school at Duke during an exam? It's a fairly typical alumni dream. The dream often involves some problem you have with the exam. You have studied all night for the final in organic chemistry. But now, on the morning of the exam, you find that the classroom door is locked by Dr. Wilder. You pound on the door, but you can't get in. Another such dream involves your sauntering into class one day and discovering to ...

1383. The New Family

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

Will Willimon

''An angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.' This is a desert road. And he arose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch,...had come to Jerusalem to worship." Some time ago I wrote an article, in a church publication, criticizing my own denomination's infatuation with racial, gender, ethnic quotas. So many Asian women for this committee, Native Americans for that board. I don't like quotas. I don't mind them for the government ...

1384. Wherever The Messiah Is

Matthew 16:13-23

Sermon

William G. Carter

When you were a little kid, did you have a favorite super hero? The kind of super hero that you could read about in the comic books? Batman was pretty cool, sticking to the shadows of night but full of ingenuity and agility. He had all those nifty gadgets in his utility belt! Or there was The Flash, who could run faster than the speed of light. Or the Incredible Hulk with his radioactive strength. Of course, the favorite for a lot of us was Superman. Faster than a speeding locomotive, he could leap tall ...

1385. Will God Be With Us?

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Have you ever felt desperate for just a few minutes of time by yourself? We all need “alone time” occasionally to clear our head and relieve a little stress. So it is hard to imagine what it is like for prominent people, like the President of the United States, who never get a single moment alone. There are approximately 1,300 Secret Service agents who serve as the security detail for the President, the Vice President, and their family members. It is their job to ensure that our nation’s most powerful ...

1386. A Courageous Leader

Judges 4:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

I’m sure most of you have served in a leadership position at some time in your life. I think you’ll agree with me that leadership is hard for many reasons. But one of the biggest stressors for leaders is always being in the public eye. Which means your mistakes are public too. And all of us have had those moments where we wish our brain and our mouth had been working as a team. I heard an old joke about a politician who was out campaigning when a journalist pushed a microphone in his face and asked, “Are ...

1387. Trouble in the Vineyard

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

In 2015, Maximillian Potter wrote a book called Shadows in the Vineyard. The author told of the true story of the vines of La Romance-Conti, the most famous, finest, and most expensive Burgundy in France. One day, the owner received an anonymous note threatening the destruction of his world-class vineyard if he did not pay a one million Euro ransom. The owner thought it was a joke. Sadly, it was not. The crime shocked the entire region of France. Such is the power of greed, envy, jealousy, and anger. Jesus ...

1388. Dynamic Preaching January 2024 Sermons

Sermon

King Duncan

[Note: While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.] Original Title: Preparing for a Royal Visit New Title: Getting Ready Mark 1:1-8 January 7, 2024 (Baptism of the Lord) A little boy attended his first symphony concert. He was excited by the ...

1389. Click to Unfriend

Hebrews 10:16-25

Sermon

John B. Jamison

Mary Magdalene stood at the edge of the road and cried. She knew this was going to happen. Jesus had told them over and over that he would be arrested and killed. She thought she had prepared herself for it but she was not at all prepared for what had actually happened. As she stood at the edge of the road, her eyes moving back and forth from the men lowering his body from that cross to his mother standing just behind them watching it happen. She thought about all that had happened since last night. After ...

1390. I Want To Remind You — Easter Sunday

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sermon

John B. Jamison

We have heard it before, but let’s hear the story again. The law of Moses said that if a person was killed by hanging on a tree, their body must not be left there overnight but must be buried before sundown. The Romans in charge of the crucifixion did not care at all about what Moses said, and usually left the bodies hanging there for the animals to remove. That set the best example for people walking past to understand what happened to criminals against Rome. But, maybe it was Joseph of Arimathea, an ...

1391. Let's Go Fishing

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

An old-timer sat on the river bank, obviously awaiting a nibble, though the fishing season had not officially opened. A uniformed officer stood behind him quietly for several minutes. “You the game warden?” the old-timer inquired. “Yup.” Unruffled, the old man began to move the fishing pole from side to side. Finally, he lifted the line out of the water. Pointing to a minnow wriggling on the end of the line, he said, “Just teaching him how to swim.”[1] Mark Twain once spent a pleasant three weeks in the ...

1392. The Glory of God

Romans 11:33-36, Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Will Willimon

If you are new here, as I am, you're part of this marathon of words which universities call ‘’Orientation.'' Orientation -- that's when everyone tells you what's what at Duke. Professors telling you about courses, seniors telling you about Professors. It's natural for you to think that, since you're the Chapel, I'll tell you what's what about religion. It's tough to be a Freshman. There are so many questions: Will I like it here? How will people treat me? Have I brought the right clothes? Should I go out ...

1393. Dinner with God

Luke 24:36b-48

Children's Sermon

Various Authors

Object: Peanut butter & jelly sandwich You know what I have here? It’s a snack. I’m getting a little hungry, so if you don’t mind... (take small bite ) Mmmm, yummy. Can you guess what I’m eating here? (let children guess) Good guesses. This is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but you know what else it is? It’s God. I’m eating God! Think about it: God makes the grain grow, and that is made into bread. God also makes the peanuts and the grapes grow, and those are used in the peanut butter and jelly. Even ...

1394. Vengeance: Human and Divine

Matthew 13:1-9 · Isaiah 44:6-8 · Psalm 1-12, 17-18, 23-24

Sermon

Will Willimon

We began this service of worship by reciting Psalm 139. Well, not really. For we only recited part of Psalm 139, the nice part. Our hymnal leaves out the last part of this psalm, the part that isn't so nice. After speaking of the Spirit of God, the wings of the morning, the precious thoughts of God, there is a jolt: O that thou wouldst slay the wicked....Do I not hate them that hate thee,... do I not loathe them that rise up against thee? I hate them with a perfect hatred! As John Wesley said, perhaps ...

1395. Loving Against the Grain

Mark 3:20-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“You’re mad, bonkers, completely off your head. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are,” said Lewis Carroll in his famous story, Alice in Wonderland. A couple of weeks ago, I took a day trip to Ocean City, NJ. Once there, I looked for some new and different things to do and discovered that the town has a “historical museum” of the shore’s history. Being a lover of history, I walked several miles to the museum to take it all in. The entrance to the museum was free but one was asked to sign in. ...

1396. Gathered Around Jesus

Mark 6:30-34; 53-56

Sermon

David Coffin

There are both perks and problems for a congregation that is located near a military base. As the families of military personnel are constantly in a state of flux due to assignments and deployments, there are constant rotations of the local population. One particular congregation that worships with less than one hundred people per Sunday was fortunate enough to have three families move into their worship community. This enhanced the ministry of the congregation both in terms of financial giving, volunteers ...

1397. The Loaves

John 6:1-21

Sermon

David Coffin

One of the hardest lessons in life I had to learn was never to get a job at the restaurant I enjoyed eating in since childhood. There was a particular fast food restaurant that had plenty of vegetables and condiments on their sandwiches that I had always looked forward to eating since I was twelve years old. When I got out of college in the 1970s, the job market in my area had a glut of four-year college degree graduates. I applied for a manager trainee position at the restaurant I have cherished since ...

1398. Belonging at the Table

John 6:51-58

Sermon

David Coffin

Have you ever had a “bad communion experience in church?” I sure did, when I was told that my employer was no longer able to pay me and I needed to seek a position elsewhere. I was broken. This was also my source of medical insurance and housing provisions. Being a long time Christian of faith, I attended a Saturday night worship service at a local church. They were to serve Holy Communion that evening. I asked the clergyman if I could take communion. Once I told him my denomination, he told me he would ...

1399. New Year's Advice from Kids

Matthew 2:13-23

Humor Illustration

Angela Akers

It’s a great idea to start the New Year with advice from children because they often see things with fresh eyes. A few years ago, Men’s Health magazine celebrated the New Year by publishing a list of advice from kids. Gavriella, age 7, had this advice for folks who wanted to get in good shape: “Run around the backyard like the dog does. He seems like he’s in pretty good shape.” For men who want to improve their relationship with their wife or girlfriend, Charlie, age 5, had this humorous advice, “Don’t put ...

1400. Seating Arrangements

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

John B. Jamison

Jesus and his disciples had spent the day at the temple again. As had happened every time they went to the temple, they were confronted by the temple priests, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and a lot of others, all wanting to argue and try to make Jesus and all of them look like a bunch of radical losers. On most days, Jesus just dealt with them and then left. But today, as they had left the temple, Jesus had said that God was going to come back and destroy the temple, as well as all of those people who had ...

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