Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1501 to 1525 of 1533 results

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Carl Jech

The Shadows: Low Self-Esteem Introduction One of the most popular programs in the history of old time radio was The Shadow. "The Shadow" was the alias used by fictional crime-fighter Lamont Cranston. A creaking door introduced each show, followed by the sinister and now-famous words: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" then came a sinister laugh. (The preacher might risk an imitation.) Have you noticed that the Bible does not seek to cover up the darker side of even its ...

1502. The Magic Ingredient

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

King Duncan

I don’t know if any of you ever read the obituaries. My guess is that the older you are the more likely you are to let your eyes drift over to that section of the newspaper. As the comedian would say, “just to make certain your name’s not printed there.” Of course, some of our younger members are asking, “What’s a newspaper?” An interesting obituary appeared in the Chattanooga Times-Free Press recently (12/18/2019) that, in my estimation, was good for a chuckle or two. It was for a Katie McDonald, 80 years ...

1503. Welcome, Inc.

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

The lady of the house was giving last minute instructions to her butler before the start of a huge dinner being held at the estate: “Bentley,” she said, “I want you to stand at the front door and call the guests’ names as they arrive.” “Very well, madam,” replied the butler, “I’ve been wanting to do that for years.”1 One of the occupational hazards of being a butler is that you have to be welcoming to people who aren’t particularly welcome-able. Actually, it isn’t just butlers who have that experience. ...

1504. Lord, Let My Heart Be Good Soil

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

The song “Lord, Let My Heart Be Good Soil”[1] by Handt Hanson, is a beautiful piece that suggests a deep sense of longing for something important. The melody, tone, and words all come together perfectly as an interpretation of the gospel reading for today. While it is tempting to want to move on immediately to what a story like the parable of the sower means that reaction is usually an attempt to distance ourselves from the personal impact of the story. The story is safer if we can intellectualize it and ...

1505. All Are Invited, but…

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Albert G. Butzer III

Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.— Matthew 22:9 When you arrive at the church to attend a wedding, most often someone will hand you a program or a bulletin, which contains not only the order of the service but also the names of the wedding participants. It’s a helpful thing to have in hand, especially if you struggle to remember people’s names. Maybe you ask yourself: “What are the first names of the groom’s parents?” “Is that young woman the maid or ...

1506. The Heartbeat of a Christian

1 John 3:16-24

Sermon

King Duncan

We all know that there are certain physical characteristics that are totally unique to each individual. Your fingerprints, for example, are entirely unique—no one else has fingerprints exactly like yours. The pattern of your iris, the colored part of your eye, is totally unique. So is your DNA. But did you know that your heartbeat is completely unique too? Every person on earth has a different heartbeat pattern, or “cardiac signature.” Your cardiac signature cannot be altered or disguised. So, if someone ...

1507. The Mighty Mustard Seed

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

King Duncan

I have a question for our retirees this morning. Did you pick up any new hobbies when you retired from your job? Most people I know say they are busier in retirement than they were in their working years, so taking up a new hobby may be difficult. So, let me ask our non-retirees, what hobby do you hope to adopt in your retirement years? I ask this because I was inspired by reading about a retired Canadian man named Young S. New. New picked up an interesting new hobby when he retired. His new hobby was ...

1508. Hungering for Some Time Off

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

King Duncan

How many of you have a hard time taking a vacation? We all want a vacation. We all need a vacation. But do you have trouble finding the time for one? Do you have trouble leaving work back at the office when you go on vacation? Do you feel like your vacation is re-charging you or draining you? Futurist and author Faith Popcorn claims that, compared to the rest of the world, Americans suffer from a condition called “vacation starvation.” The average employee of a large business gets about two, maybe three, ...

1509. The Good

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

I always hold my breath on Sundays until I find out which texts are assigned by the ecumenical lectionary. Look, I realize that your high tuition pays my modest salary, so naturally I want to make a good impression on visiting parents. (And let me take this opportunity to thank all of you parents for your tuition payments. Without you, not only your Duke sons and daughters, but even this preacher, wouldn't be here!) At any rate, I want to look good for the visiting parents, to reassure you that your kids ...

1510. Winner And Still Champion

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

I know we’re talking about a text from the gospel of Mark, but forgive me if I begin by quoting from the Acts of the Apostles because it makes a point about childhood in that era. In Acts 22:3, the apostle Paul begins to make his defense before a hostile crowd of his countrymen. He had been falsely accused of bringing a Gentile into the inner court of the temple in Jerusalem, and it was his intention to show that he had been diligent in his practice of the faith his whole life. So he began: “I am a Jew, ...

1511. Righteous Woman

Genesis 38:1-27

Sermon

Will Willimon

I have told you we were going to preach through the story of Joseph, right through from beginning to end. Genesis 37 to Genesis 50. Those of you who may have been following along in your Bibles know that I lied. We had a sermon on Genesis 37 (Joseph's coat and his dream) and then a sermon on Joseph in Egypt beginning with Genesis 39. What happened to Genesis 38? I have never preached on Genesis 38. To my knowledge, after a thorough search in the library, no one has ever preached on Genesis 38. Get ready. ...

1512. In the Wilderness of Temptation

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I had the strangest dream the other night. I found myself standing at the gates of heaven talking to St. Peter. I thought, "Oh, man, there's still a bunch of stuff I haven't done yet." St. Peter grinned and said, "Don't worry, you're just here for a guided tour." And sure enough that's all it was. St. Peter took me around showing me all the sights. The streets really are paved with gold. Everything was more beautiful than I could ever describe. But there was one really strange aspect about heaven. ...

1513. When Good People Pray

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

King Duncan

According to the Gospel writer Luke, John the Baptist was baptizing people on the banks of the Jordan River. Then Luke makes one of the most startling pronouncements in the New Testament. He writes, “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too.” Each year on the First Sunday after Epiphany, liturgical churches celebrate the Baptism of our Lord. For us, it is a major event. The Son of God submits to being baptized at the hands of a somewhat eccentric preacher called John the Baptist. ...

1514. Grace Under Pressure

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

I’d like to ask you a question this morning. Who is a good example to you of grace under pressure? I’m talking about someone who can rise to a challenge without panicking or taking shortcuts. How would you rate yourself at handling pressure? We’d all like to think we could pass a sudden test or challenge with ease, but then we read the news story about a woman in Illinois who gave birth in the middle of taking her bar exam and we wonder. Brianna Hill was scheduled to take her bar exam at about the mid- ...

1515. One More Year

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

Have you ever been judged and found wanting? No? Well, I have. I remember about a thousand years ago when I first went off to college. It was a heady time. I had grown up in a fairly controlled environment and the sudden surge of freedom caused me to, well, go a little crazy. I will be honest with you. I did more partying than I did studying. The result of this was that I was soon on academic probation. Moreover, I got called into the academic dean’s office for what was called a “conversation.” I showed up ...

1516. Beware! Angels

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Will Willimon

''Angels are big this Christmas," said the florist as he placed yet another cherub on the tree. An outburst of bestselling books testify to our current infatuation with angels. Why does the whole world seem so interested in angels, and at this time in human history? The word ''angel'' means, in the Greek, ''messenger." Angels are messengers of God. That's why artists portrayed them with wings. Angels, messengers from God. But in one Mercedes Benz TV commercial, angels are depicted as cute, hermaphroditic ...

1517. When the Doors Were Shut

John 20:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

The Rev. Dr. Steve Griffith, a British pastor, tells about the first time he worked in India. This was more than 20 years ago. He was there for just over 3 months and worked in lots of different areas: some urban, like Delhi, and others very rural. And, for a short time, he was working in a place, along with a group of other Christians, that was basically just a clearing in the jungle. This mission consisted of a collection of wooden huts with verandas set out into a square with a cleared, sandy area in ...

1518. God's Bouncer or God's Ambassador?

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

If I were to start a sentence with the words, “There are two types of people in the world . . .,” how would you finish that sentence? “There are two types of people in the world . . .,” Somebody once said, “There are two types of people in the world—those who divide the world into two types of people and those who do not.” What say you? I think if I were to divide people into two types, I would say, there are rule keepers and rule breakers. Some people just have an internal compulsion to follow the rules, ...

1519. Get Your Third-Class Tickets Here!

Acts 1:6-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Pastor and writer James W. Moore gives us a wonderful story from the days of the old West when the major means of transportation across the country was the stagecoach. We’ve seen persons riding in stagecoaches in western movies. What we might not know, says James Moore, is that the stagecoach had three different kinds of tickets—first class, second class, and third class. If you had a first-class ticket, that meant you could remain seated during the entire trip no matter what happened. If the stagecoach ...

1520. Seeing A Familiar Friend All Over Again For The First Time

John 13:1-17 · Philippians 2:5-11 · 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

An Examination And Preparation For The Love Feast I'm a native Californian and I'm living in Indiana. I've lived in many different places in the country and one thing I'm impressed by is how each place can become home. There are so many different places to live, with their own customs, foods, and speeds. And they're all good. Recently I went to visit my folks in Silver City. That's a small town about a mile in altitude in the mountains of southwest New Mexico. The pace is slow in this very old part of the ...

1521. Have a Very Messy Christmas!

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

John Jamison

I’ll tell you, this had to be something to see. The Jordan River is not a big river like many that we might think of. At its widest, you could still easily thrown a stone across it, and in many other places, you could just step from one side to the other. The wide and deeper spots usually became places where people would gather to fill their water jugs, wash clothes, bathe the children… or just escape from the heat and dryness of the land around the river. Most of the land was a wilderness; narrow paths ...

1522. Stay Awake

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever fallen asleep at the wrong time or in the wrong place? That’s so embarrassing, but it’s a common experience. It’s hard to fight off sleep when your body decides to shut down. During the 2019 Super Bowl game, Karisa Maxwell, deputy editor and producer with Sporting News, spotted a man sleeping in the stands and took a photo. She kept an eye on the man and reported that he slept through the entire first quarter of the game. She posted the photo of the Super Bowl sleeper to Twitter that ...

1523. A Tattoo for the Heart

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

(A meditation for Ash Wednesday) It’s an old story, but it bears repeating. An armed robber accosted a French priest on a dark, back street in Paris and demanded his wallet. As the priest opened his coat to reach for his wallet, the thief caught sight of his clerical collar and immediately apologized. “Never mind, Father,” he said. “I didn’t realize you were a priest. I’ll be on my way.” The priest was relieved, of course, and good-naturedly offered the man a cigar. “No, thank you, Father,” the robber said ...

1524. The Flow

John 7:37-39 · 1 Corinthians 12:3-13 · Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

A breathtaking phenomenon! That’s the way most people describe the northern lights, otherwise known as the aurora borealis. The beautiful colors of the aurora are actually moving waves of light, energized particles from the sun that have bombarded earth’s atmosphere at approximately 44 million miles per hour. When they hit our magnetic field, they are pulled toward the poles and depending on the gases in the atmosphere, they form colorful, wavy lights that shimmer and shine. Strangely and ironically, this ...

1525. The Cost of Commitment

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

What is the longest distance you have ever walked? Try to picture that journey in your mind. What mental and physical reserves were required for you to keep going when you wanted to quit? More importantly, how did you feel when you finally stopped? Most of us are fortunate to have some form of transportation, whether it’s a bicycle, car, bus or Uber to take us where we want to go. Long journeys no longer require much effort or commitment. We can’t remember the last time we walked to the point of exhaustion ...

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