Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 126 to 150 of 2664 results

126. Lifestyles of the Rich and Faithful

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... , an older man stepped up to try his strength. Other observers looked at one another and smiled slyly, knowing this fellow didn't stand a chance. The older man took the crushed orange and began to squeeze. Do you know, he didn't get one single drop, he got six more drops from that flattened orange. The strong man and the spectators were amazed, but the older man looked the strong man in the face, shrugged his shoulders and humbly said, "Oh, it's no big deal. I'm the treasurer over at First Church, and I do ...

127. A Second Chance

Illustration

James Newton

... . The story goes that when Edison was finished with one light bulb, he gave it to a young boy helper, who nervously carried it up the stairs. Step by step he cautiously watched his hands, obviously frightened of dropping such a priceless piece of work. You've probably guessed what happened by now; the poor young fellow dropped the bulb at the top of the stairs. It took the entire team of men twenty-four more hours to make another bulb. Finally, tired and ready for a break, Edison was ready to have his bulb ...

128. When? All the Time

Matthew 25:31-46

Illustration

J. Howard Olds

... look at the individual. I can love only one person at a time. I can feed only one person at a time. So you begin with one. If I didn't pick up that one person, I wouldn't have picked up 42,000. My whole work is only a drop in the ocean. But if I didn't put the ...

129. They Are Biting

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... fishers of men, fishers of men...." And the conclusion is simple: "So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him." Which is more the miracle here? The incredible catch of fish or the incredible catch of these men? They drop it all, give it all up — their business, their home, their way of life, and, if tradition is correct, their very lives themselves — all to follow Jesus. To "catch people." And down through two millennia of Christian history, that is how every generation of ...

130. The Truth about Warren Buffet's Secretary

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... in on the guy and asked him about his return. I thought he’d become nervous like most of them do, but not this guy. “Have you a receipt from the church?” I asked, figuring that would make him squirm. “Sure,” he replied, “I always drop them in the drawer.” And off he went to get his checks and receipts. Well, he had me. One look and I knew he was on the level. I apologized for bothering him, explaining that I have to check on deductions that seem unusually high. As I was leaving he ...

131. What the Ascension Tells Us

Luke 24:50-53

Sermon

King Duncan

... ordinary French word which means witness. The idea was that the runner who reached the tape had to have the baton as a “witness” that the full distance had been covered by each of the runners. (4) The jury is still out about whether this generation will drop the baton when it comes to witnessing for Jesus Christ. In most of our churches, congregations are getting older and older. We are slowly going out of business it would appear. Does anyone care? Do you care? We see on the Day of Ascension who Jesus ...

132. Learning to Live Like Jesus

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others. When the lead goose tires, it drops back in the formation and another flies to the point position. This is how the leadership of a church ought to work. We ... churches where there is encouragement, production is much greater. Individual empowerment results from quality honking. When a goose gets sick, two geese drop out of formation and follow it to help and protect it. They have this goose’s back. They stand by each other ...

133. The Landlord's Dilemma - World Communion Sunday

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” Then Jesus drops the bomb: “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has ... called him to do. Step aside, melt into the crowd. Let someone else save the world. He could have, you know. Those were real drops of sweat, like drops of blood that fell from his brow in the garden on the night he was betrayed. He had a decision to make. Would he ...

134. In Praise of Perseverance

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... the painting, but when he arrives, the front door is locked. He uses the huge iron knocker on the door to notify those inside of his presence. There is no answer when he drops the heavy iron on the door, so he drops it again and again. He is certain people are inside. He keeps banging on the door. Finally after lifting and dropping the heavy door knocker more than fifty times, a monk comes to the door and lets him in. Somewhat perturbed, the visitor asked why it took so long to have the door answered. He ...

135. Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

Luke 22:39-46

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... as a martyr.) The appearance of the angel from heaven is probably meant to be understood as an answer to Jesus’ prayer in vv. 41–42. The descriptive sentence, his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground, should be understood as describing the size and quantity of the drops of perspiration (like drops of blood) and not as a statement that Jesus’ perspiration was actually bloody. 22:45 exhausted from sorrow: Luke may not intend this addition to excuse the disciples’ failure to watch and ...

136. A Word to Busy Parents

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... the most important task that is assigned to any person. Let your offspring know that you will always be there for them, regardless of the situation. And continually seek to be sensitive to their needs. Raising a family is a glass ball. If it is dropped, it can shatter. So take care. Handle it gently and with love. Someday you will thank God for such a wonderful gift. 1. Adapted from Laugh & Lift, http://www.laughandlift.com. 2. Contributed. Source unknown. 3. Richard Watson, Future Files: A Brief History of ...

137. What to Do With Human Failing

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... who have failed to live up to God’s standards, we are given another chance. In response to our miserable failings, God offers radical grace. We experience the grace as a loosening of the hard-packed soil around our hearts. God deals with us sinners, not by dropping a tower on us, but by giving us a big dose of unconditional love. This is radical grace as another chance, a new opportunity. The Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr put it so well: “Most of us were taught that God would love us if and when we ...

138. Real Power

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... town in California and made his demonstration of juice-squeezing prowess and his challenge. A small, wizened, ninety-eight pound weakling type man came forward and said he'd like to take a try at the challenge. He took the crushed orange and proceeded to squeeze six more drops of juice from it. The strong man was amazed. He could hardly believe his eyes. He asked how he was possibly able to do this. The man shrugged and said, "Oh, I'm the treasurer down at the Baptist church and we do this all the time."

139. Learning to Walk in the Dark

Matthew 26:14-16

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

... writes, “Whether you decide to explore the dark alone or with company, your job is as simple and as hard as this: drop what you believe about the dark, or have been taught about the dark, to see for yourself what is true.” Many ... how to walk in the dark. 1. Love God, love neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40; 25:31-40) 2. Love neighbor (Matthew 25:31-40) 3. Drop the sword, literally and figuratively. It’ll come back to bite you, and it squanders energy and drive that you need for loving your neighbor (Matthew ...

140. Vetted

Luke 3:21-38, Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... m not even happy writing it. If you’re reading this, it means I just got back from my last car ride with my Lab after dropping him off at the shelter. He knew something was different. I have packed up his pad and toys before and set them by the back door ... love. I hope I honored him by my service to my country and comrades. All right, that’s enough. I deploy this evening and have to drop this letter off at the shelter. I don't think I'll say another good-bye to Tank, though. I cried too much the first time ...

141. The Stone is My Witness

Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... is nothing more, nor less, than faith in moving (and removing) stones. Christ is Risen. Easter is the hinge of history, the point in time where the world said to Love and Life “Drop Dead!” But God said something else . . . God did something else . . In the original drop-the-mike moment, God did something else . . . [Here you Drop The Mike . . .] God did resurrection! God did Life! [If you’d like to conclude with an Easter altar-call, have your people come up to the altar, and take one of these stones ...

142. Touchdown in the Wilds

Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... is a repentance we all need –a cleansing of the soul, a re-commitment to God as our sovereign and Lord, a removing of the debris of guilt and shame that we carry with us day to day and year to year, a renewal of our spirit. Just as that drop of water reverberates through the pond, God’s salvation energy reverberates through each and every one of us reminding us that God is near, God is active in the world, God is making change, and God wants to make that kind of change within us. Just as in our baptism ...

143. Good News/Bad News

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... , then some changes might need to take place in our list of priorities. It was decision time for the disciples. Of course, it was decision time for Jesus as well. In a very short time, the Master would be kneeling in a garden. Sweat would be dropping from his brow like great drops of blood as he prayed, “Father, if it be thy will, let this cup pass before me, but nevertheless let thy will, not mine be done.” Jesus knew what lay before him. He came to do the work of his Heavenly Father. And that included ...

144. Immediately, They Followed

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Will Willimon

... dark, enigmatic figure of Jesus was moving down a dusty, Galilean road. He sees some fisherfolk toiling over their nets and calls, "Follow me!" There is silence. They stare rather dumbly at Jesus. "What did he say?" they seem to question one another. Then one, now another, drop what they're doing and follow after Jesus who has by now moved on down the road. I wondered then, could it have been like this? Just a word from someone of whom they had hardly gotten a glimpse? Could they have left all and followed ...

145. In the Mirror

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... who lived long ago and far away, wasn’t it? And then Jesus told the tale of a woman who lost a coin. It dropped and rolled out of sight. She crouched and looked, she swept and moved furniture. She pointed her light into dark corners. Finally, the coin ... the son! • So what happened next? I want to know! You want to know! We all want to know! But Jesus did not tell us. He dropped the father’s words on us like a blanket of love and then went quietly. He looked us in the eye until we grew uncomfortable. We ...

146. Let Us Make A Name For Ourselves

Acts 2:1-13, Acts 2:14-41

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

... gods always come crashing down. So did Burt Reynolds. And he was miserable. "You're going to find yourself so unhappy after you're No. 1," he was quoted as saying. "There's only one way to go. You can't stay there, so you're going to drop eventually, and you have to prepare yourself for that." 71 Mr. Reynolds paid a steep price for falling from his No. 1 ranking. Being god, he discovered, was very hard on his body. "I was tired, depressed, hyperventilating, fainting all the time," he said in the interview ...

147. When All Is Said And Done

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

William G. Carter

... do this," the first teacher said. The second said, "The kids need to be prepared in case the Russians drop the bomb." "Listen," said the first. "Rumor has it that we are half a mile from ground zero. The IBM plant down the hill is on the top ten list for ... Russia's targets. If they ever drop the bomb, none of us will ever get the chance to duck and cover." By the time most children get to third grade, they have heard ...

148. A New Kingdom Coming

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... the inside of every gum wrapper these words were printed: "I shall return. MacArthur." Although there is a shortage of natural chicle for chewing gum (they're using a plastic substitute), there is no shortage of gum wrappers. We ought to acquire them and drop them all over our "enemy-occupied" world with these words on them: "I shall return. Jesus." In the midst of our current pessimism and enslaving despair, we are here to announce a new kingdom coming. We have a liberator, a King whose kingdom is coming ...

149. Lent 3

Luke 13:1-9, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Psalm 63:1-11, Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... read more spiritual signs. John 1:48 -- Nathaniel is called while sitting under a fig tree. James 3:12 -- A fig tree only produces one kind of fruit. So the character of a person produces only one fruit. Revelation 6:13 -- The image of a fig tree dropping its winter fruit in a gale is used to describe catastrophic events in end times. Context of the Lectionary The First Lesson. (Isaiah 55:1-9) The prophet offers comfort to the people in the midst of the trials and tribulations of captivity. If they come to ...

150. Sow's Ears And Silk Purses

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... also produced hospitals, care of the poor and elemental justice. That makes religion powerful and potentially dangerous stuff. It is not to be played with or taken lightly. The same is true with wine. There are people around us and in our midst who shouldn't take a drop -- some of them know it and some play the dangerous game of pretending it isn't so. Likewise, those who are tempted to use religion as a way to rally our kind of people against some national enemy, so that we can go off and kill them with ...

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