Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1476 to 1500 of 2844 results

1476. What Are You Looking For?

John 1:35-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a world where spirituality has become a consumer item, we must confess Jesus as Lord. Why are you sitting here in church this morning? What possibly possessed you to climb out of your warm bed on a dim, cold and quiet Sunday morning and come to church ... again?! Christmas is over, remember? The tree is down, the ornaments put away, even the pine needles have pretty much worked themselves out of the carpet by now. There is no big liturgical holiday scheduled for this Sunday. And yet there you sit. I see ...

1477. Easter Completes

Colossians 3:1-4

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

When Easter happens, our "incompletes" turn into "completes." On Easter Sunday, two time-honored rituals rush headlong into each other. In households that are Christian and filled with small children, there is the generational debate about which comes first attending the early "sunrise service" that celebrates the dawn of Jesus' resurrection, or scampering about the house look- ing for celluloid "grass" nests filled with brightly colored eggs and candy treats. Did you ever stop to think how the "secular" ...

1478. Was Jesus the First Buster?

Matthew 21:23-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

As the first, in-your-face Buster, Jesus said: "Don't listen to people's WORDS; look at their DEEDS." 1996 is a very significant year for baby boomers because it is the year the first wave of boomers hit 50. Boomers like rocker Bruce Springsteen and actor Diane Keaton, director Steven Spielberg, basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and singer Dolly Parton (to name a few) are squinting into the sun of their golden years with a mixture of joy, fear and modulated anticipation. Boosters, the GI generation born ...

1479. Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

All of this quarter's Gospel readings are from Luke - a fact that makes focusing on any of the other weekly texts quite difficult, for Luke is one of history's most masterful storytellers. Thoroughly steeped in Jewish Scripture, Luke's descriptions are so vital, his characters so pungent, his scenes so artfully set, that our whole being is drawn into the flair and fascination of these stories. It is no surprise that Luke's Gospel is most commonly read at Christmas, or that our most beloved parables are ...

1480. Hebrews 12:1-2, 12-17

Hebrews 12:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The homily to the Hebrews is full of dire warnings and extravagant promises. Both of these extremes are punctuated by the writer's almost frenetic pleas for the people to press on in faithfulness so that they may bring the promises to fruition in their own lives. The first two verses of chapter 12 establish a motif that the author continues through verse 13. Using familiar physicality, he creates an image that translates into the 20th century pulpit with as much power as it had in the first century. By ...

1481. Exodus 24:12-18

Exodus 24:12-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Among all the deliverance miracles within the Exodus story of Israel, perhaps none is more astonishing than the fact that the Hebrews never developed a Moses-centered religion. As the one who repeatedly confronted and bested Pharaoh, the one who led the procession out of Egypt, the one who found his people dry pathways, drinking water, a constant food source, the one who generally seemed to be in direct contact with God every step of the way - how is it that Moses himself escaped virtual deification? While ...

1482. Matthew 18:15-20

Matthew 18:15-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Matthew's conspicuous concern for ecclesiastical good health and the growth of true discipleship faith is evident throughout chapter 18. While in Mark's gospel, issues of inter-disciple relations are pared down to the argument over "Who is the greatest?" (9:33-37), Matthew crafts an entire chapter around how disciples of Christ should live together in a faith community and how the church should conduct itself and treat its own members. Today's pericope, Matthew 18:15-20, deals specifically with issues of ...

1483. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

In this week's epistle lesson, Paul continues to deal with a series of specific questions the Corinthian church has posed to him. He prefaces each of these responses with a characteristic phrase, peri de, "now concerning." Previous questions concerned marriage (7:1), the married state versus that of singleness (7:26) and the issue of meat offered to idols (8:1). Having addressed those, Paul now moves on to the topic of manifestations of the Spirit in this Christian community. It may be hard to imagine just ...

1484. Philippians 3:4b-14

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Although scholars have generally considered Philippians as one of the books composed during Paul's Roman captivity, there is reason to suggest that it may have been penned later, sometime after the Corinthian correspondence. Considered as a later work, Philippians reflects Paul's matured thought and doctrine, with this week's text certainly revealing the depth of Paul's theological wisdom. In Philippians 3:4, Paul begins by recounting his past religious life. He may have been responding to some arguments ...

1485. 2 Kings 2:1-12a

2 Kings 2:1-12a

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

In the First Testament text we read of the sudden and miraculous end to Elijah's active career. We also are reintroduced to his chosen successor Elisha. The preceding chapters do little to prepare us for either the conclusion of Elijah's work - especially in such a dramatic manner - or to have much confidence in his replacement Elisha. In 1 Kings 19:15-16, Elijah was rather matter-of-factly told by the Lord to go and anoint Hazael as the new king of Syria, Jehu as the new king of Israel, and Elisha "to be ...

1486. Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

1487. 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's text tells the familiar, moving story of a boy's call by the Lord. In some ways this text is almost too rich and deep in detail, tempting interpreters to read layers of meaning into words and images that might not have been intended by the author. We need to remember that if we would "listen in" on Samuel's call into a life of active service, we had better listen carefully. Only after keeping in mind that the divisions between chapters and verses were much later additions to the biblical text ...

1488. Jeremiah 31:7-14

Jeremiah 31:7-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Anyone who has ever pored over the book of Jeremiah knows that it is not exactly what you would call a "cheery read." The English language has even adopted the term "jeremiad" to describe any excessively woeful, wrathful, bad-news-bearing message or messenger. Jeremiah is renowned as a prophet of doom and gloom. He berates the people for a litany of sins and bad behavior. He preaches constantly about the divine judgment and destruction that awaits them because of their attitudes. Frankly, Jeremiah had good ...

1489. Weakness into Strength

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

James McCormick

Occasionally I stumble across wisdom in an unlikely place. Some time ago, when we were living in Arizona, I was driving from one appointment to another. My mind was wandering in a dozen different directions, as usual. The radio was playing, but I was not paying much attention to it – that is, until the commercial came on. It was a catchy little advertisement for a Savings and Loan Association. A man, obviously unschooled in the complexities of finance, was being interviewed. He was asked a lot of questions ...

1490. Refusing to Quit

2 Timothy 4:5-8

Sermon

James McCormick

Years ago, a Midwestern University unveiled a plaque honoring an undistinguished alumnus. During his college years, this alumnus had participated in a variety of campus activities, but he had never been president of any organization. For four years he had gone out for football, but he had never made the first team or played in an important game. His scholastic average was in the B’s. When World War I came, he served in a minor capacity in a medical unit, and one day met his death trying to help a wounded ...

1491. Matthew 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's gospel text presents one of the five head-on collisions Jesus had with the religious authorities. The first was in Matthew 21:23, where the chief priests and elders challenged Jesus' authority to teach and heal. There are also confrontations over the rising of the dead (22:23-33), the most important commandment (22:34-40), and the identity of the Messiah (22:41-46). But Matthew 22:15-22 isn't about anything as peripheral as the possibility of resurrection or the coming of the Lord. This ...

1492. John 20:19-31

John 20:19-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's lengthy gospel text contains two distinct pericopes and a separate conclusion. The content of each of these two stories may be distinct, but they intentionally mirror each other closely in form. The extreme importance of the Johannine message delivered by these two scenes is evident by their placement. The final two verses read today (vv. 30-31) constitute John's original ending to his gospel before the events in chapter 21 were belatedly added. Thus, the events and reactions described in 20:19 ...

1493. The World's Worst Bargain

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

King Duncan

A single lady was asked for her favorite verse of scripture. She said it was Matthew 16:24, “If any man will come after me, let him....” She was referring, of course, to the verse in Matthew’s Gospel that reads like this in the King James Version: “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Mark records this same teaching. It reads like this in the New International Version of the Bible: Then he called the crowd to him along ...

1494. A Violent Wind

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

In May of 1997, a powerful tornado swept through parts of Texas, flattening buildings and overturning cars. Shoppers at the Albertson’s supermarket in Cedar Park, Texas, were in a state of panic. Then a commanding voice come over the intercom, the voice of Larry Fore, the manager of Albertson’s. This is what he said: “Don’t leave the store or you will die . . . Your only chance of survival is to do exactly what I tell you.” Fore then directed the shoppers to enter the nearest meat locker. They did just as ...

1495. Proper 19

Psalm 19:1-14, Proverbs 1:20-33, Mark 8:27-38, James 3:1-12

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 19 [OR] Wisdom of Solomon 7:26–8:1 First Lesson—Wisdom is personified by the writer as the Word of God, and will, thereafter, be incarnate in a human person. Proverbs 1:20-33 Second Lesson—James describes the havoc created by uncontrolled talk and vicious cursing. James 3:1-12 Gospel—Jesus clarifies the nature of his mission as Messiah as that of a sufferer rather than a conqueror, and calls his disciples to continue to follow in similar fashion. Mark 8:27-38 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: ...

1496. Proper 18

Psalm 139:1-24, Jeremiah 18:1-11, Luke 14:25-35, Philemon 1:1-21

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 First Lesson—The prophet declares the Creator’s privilege of breaking and remaking a flawed nation. Jeremiah 18:1-11 Second Lesson—Paul suggests that a slave may be freed by brotherhood. Philemon 1:1-21 Gospel—Jesus defines the absolute, bottom-line cost of discipleship. Luke 14:25-33 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: Come and speak to our gracious Monarch, People: God listens to the prayers ...

1497. What Is 40 Days Of Purpose?

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Sermon

James Merritt

We are about to begin a journey, a forty-day journey that I believe will change your life more than any other forty days that you have ever lived. In that forty days we are going to ask and answer the single most important and fundamental question anyone can ever ask in this life which is, "What On Earth Am I Here For? What Is My Purpose? Why Am I Alive?" The Bible says God never created anything without a purpose or a reason. Whether it is animal, vegetable, or mineral, everything that God created has a ...

1498. Why Believe the Bible?

John 17:17

Sermon

James Merritt

Today we are going to enter into one of the most interesting, fascinating, and perhaps controversial series that we will ever do that we are entitling, "War of the Worlds". Actually, you could even call it, "War of the World Views." World views act just like contact lenses; if you've got the correct prescription for contact lenses or for glasses then you can see the world clearly and correctly. A world view should provide the correct prescription for making sense of the world just as wearing the correct ...

1499. Minority Report

Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23

Sermon

James Merritt

Put on your thinking caps for a moment; become an amateur pastor or theologian, if you will, and see if you can give an answer to the following three questions: 1. If the gospel is the power of God—why doesn't everybody that hears the gospel become a Christian? 2. If the Bible is the Word of God—why doesn't the Bible have the same effect on everyone who reads it? 3. If Jesus is the Son of God—why doesn't everyone believe in Jesus? We can even narrow those questions. Why don't most people who hear the ...

1500. Finish the Drill

Nehemiah 4:1-23

Sermon

James Merritt

I want you to complete this sentence: ". It's not how you start, it's how you finish that counts." I am convinced that is true because of an article someone sent to me that said the best way to achieve inner peace is to always finish things that you start.ed. This person that sent me the article said "it is definitely working for me. I now make a point of always finishing what I start and I am well on my way toward finding inner peace. Here are the things I have finished today:" Two bags of potato chips A ...

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