Sermon and Worship Resources

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Luke 6:27-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to us to be wicked. For that is our job. It’s basically Discipleship 101 in the Jesus Book of the “Way.” And guess what….I don’t have to tell you….Jesus’ challenge is not easy. So, what do you do when loving is difficult and forgiveness feels impossible? Well, our scripture today leaves us with a few clues. I like to call it Jesus’ “Big 7”: 1. We must treat every human being with due respect and to see them the way God sees them, as a person of worth, created by God. 2. We must “do ...

1502. Couldn’t Be Easier

Matthew 11:2-11 · Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... 35:8). We are insulted if the term is applied to us. But it is used here to suggest that the road back from exile will be so easy even we can’t get lost. In our age of GPS and smart phones, we act as though it’s nearly impossible for us to get lost, but still, we do. This verse suggests that with God’s goodwill those of us marching to Zion will get there, no matter how we insist we’re not going to ask for directions. Is there a road back to normalcy? Despite all appearances, Isaiah ...

1503. A Gift With YOUR Name On It

Romans 1:1-7

Sermon

Heather Sugden

... excitement level seems to inch higher and higher every minute! I grew up in a large family, as one of six children. Having six children in a house during the days leading up to Christmas meant an ever-growing level of chaos that seemed nearly impossible to contain! I remember lying awake in my bed at night, too excited to sleep, imagining what particular joys the upcoming Christmas festivities would bring. Of course, my joy at that age was solely concentrated on what gifts I would soon be opening. One of ...

1504. God Is Like...Bread

Joel 2:23-30 · John 6:25-35

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

How does one speak of God? Humankind has been trying to do that ever since it first discovered language. To speak of God is to attempt the impossible. Human language is inadequate to express what our minds and spirits can only dimly comprehend. But still we must try to speak of God. We must. Otherwise, we can never be fully human, all that we are meant to be. We try to speak of God, the divine mystery. And ...

1505. Calculated Christianity

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Jill J. Duffield

... and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” he was asking them, and us, to do the impossible and perhaps that is exactly the point. It is exactly the point because calculated Christianity is not about our grit or our smarts. It is about surrendering to God’s will, power, grace, compassion, mercy, and love. Discipleship is not about what we can attain ...

1506. Eternally Yours

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... t persecute or send away the scribes who come to hear him or even to watch him. Ever notice that? Because Jesus wants to “find” everyone who is lost. Even the Pharisees. Even the scribes. Even the Chief Priests. Even those who find it nearly impossible to understand why he does and says what he does. Every one matters. In a sense, that’s Jesus’ “secret sauce.” Everyone has a favorite meal – something you just can’t wait to taste, because it just makes your day. Maybe it’s your grandmother ...

1507. A Name To Be Remembered

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

Everyone born into the world has a name. Some names are easy to pronounce while others represent varying degrees of difficulty. On some occasions we find the need to change our names due to marriage or religion. Then, there are those who do not particularly like their name, but the fact remains that everybody has a name. A name to be remembered. Some years ago, the students at the University of California began to protest, insisting that “nobody knows my name.” Classes with 500 to 1,000 students tend to ...

1508. A Sign Of Divine Protection

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

There is an American insurance company whose advertisements seek to convince consumers that they are in good hands when insured by them. All companies, including insurance companies, are in business to make a profit, not to do the consumer a favor. They may receive a benefit as a result of your doing business, but if the company is not profitable, it ceases to exist. Capitalism is at the heart of the American society. The cost of protecting houses and contents, automobiles and boats as well as life itself ...

1509. In The Presence Of God

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

Have you ever wondered whether God was really present in your life? Times were hard and seemingly your misery was endless. You worked long and hard everyday and yet the need was always greater than your means. The pay raises never quite measured up to the escalation in the cost of living. You made more, were taxed more, but had less to spend. Then you cried, God where are you? The poem titled Footprints tells the story of a person on a long journey. Sometimes joy was felt along the way; things went well in ...

1510. Holy Unto The Lord

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

The challenge of every Christian believer is to live a holy life. Ralph P. Martin has defined holy as, “That person or thing that is separated from all that is profane, common or defiling. Yahweh alone is ‘the Holy One.’ Those persons, places or things that belong to God are holy -- they are sanctified by God for divine use or they manifest God’s presence or activity.” In other words, one who experiences a holy life has, out of necessity, that life connected with God. In the Christian experience the ...

1511. God’s Ultimate Concern

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

The Bible records one of the most moving stories ever told. It is the account of God’s giving the ten commandments to Moses. This mountaintop experience was a most excellent setting for the revealing of such a historic document. “The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain… (Exodus 19:20 NIV).” In other words, God and man had a summit meeting -- God came down and man had to go up. We must note that God had a very special relationship with Israel. They were no ...

1512. Saved By Grace

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

This subject causes one to focus on two significant theological expressions having a direct bearing on the quality of human life: salvation and grace. The apostle Paul adds a third expression that he calls faith; “For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast… (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).” So then, Paul contends that salvation is realized when grace is activated and faith comes alive. All three are ...

1513. Keeping In Touch… With The Lord

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

God created us to be social beings. Life is not intended to be experienced in total isolation though moments of solitude are therapeutic. We live on the planet earth with other people and so it is essential for every person to develop meaningful relationships with significant others. Each person is introduced into society through a family unit, the most fundamental organism in existence today. Human relationships do not automatically survive and certainly do not thrive without constant nurturing. In other ...

1514. Heaven on Earth

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Richard Patt

"So [the people] said, ‘This man is Jesus, son of Joseph, isn’t he? We know his father and mother. How, then, does he now say he came down from heaven?’ " (v. 42, TEV) This little story calls to mind the age-old truth that you can’t always judge a book by its cover. Most of us do that more than we’d like to admit. We draw conclusions about others on the basis of outward appearance. We neglect to take into consideration important information about people before forming an opinion about them. We allow our ...

1515. The Mystery of His Presence

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Richard Patt

"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (v. 52, TEV) In these times of world hunger, when many even within our own prosperous land find it difficult to put food on the table, we ought to be careful when complaining about our daily bread. But some of the "come-ons" that so-called quality restaurants advertise these days can irk any of us. The other evening my wife and I visited a local restaurant that had an attractive advertisement, claiming the "best of everything" in town. The meals were offered for ...

1516. Give Me Jesus!

John 6:60-71

Sermon

Richard Patt

"Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life." (v. 68, TEV) Most of you are acquainted with that beautiful body of American musical literature called Spirituals, Christian songs created by African Americans. Who among us doesn’t like to sing the old spiritual at Christmas, "Go, tell it on the mountain"? Or how about another one that we used to sing at summer church camp, "We are climbing Jacob’s ladder"? Today I’d like to share with you the words of my favorite American spiritual ...

1517. What’s Happened To My Dear Old Church?

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Richard Patt

"Why is it that your disciples do not follow the teaching handed down by our ancestors, but instead eat with ritually unclean hands?" (v. 5, TEV) There’s a grand old hymn I haven’t seen in many hymn hooks, but we used to sing it in my boyhood church. The opening words are these: My church, my church, my dear old church, my fathers’ and my own. On prophets and apostles built, and Christ the cornerstone. All else beside by storm or tide may yet be overthrown, But not my church, my dear old church, my fathers ...

1518. Return to Glory

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

Richard Patt

And all who heard were completely amazed. "How well he does everything!" they exclaimed. "He even causes the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak!" (v. 37) An interesting aerial photograph was printed on the front page of our city’s evening newspaper recently. You must have noticed it. In a single, striking frame, the entire shoreline of Lake Michigan from Milwaukee to Sheboygan was pictured. The photograph encompassed an area of fifty miles from north to south. With some kind of X-ray-like film, the picture ...

1519. Religion in Focus

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon

Richard Patt

"Tell me, who do people say I am?" (v. 27b) Every photographer knows the importance of having the camera lens in focus before triggering the shutter. You can set the right shutter speed. You can open the lens to its proper setting. But if that lens is not in focus, the picture will be worthless. Anyone who’s trying to sell something these days knows the importance of having an accurate focus on the market for which a product is intended. Whether you’re trying to sell soap or soft drinks, it’s necessary to ...

1520. Worthwhile Arguments

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

Richard Patt

"What were you arguing about on the road?" (v. 33) Today we tackle what is probably one of the most common activities of our daily living: having arguments with one another! According to Webster’s dictionary, the word "argue" has an agreeable as well as a disagreeable side to it. Although it can mean "to accuse, to contend, to dispute" (not very inviting terms), it can also mean "to reason, to make clear, to give evidence of, to indicate." These can be inviting and attractive concepts. There can be two ...

1521. Total Commitment

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

Richard Patt

"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?" (v. 50a) The theme "Total Commitment" arouses deep questions within us. How committed a person am I concerning the ideals I hold dear? How much do I really stand up for the truths I have learned? Am I really convinced about my "religious convictions"? What are my commitments in life anyway? A chicken and a pig were having a conversation one day. They were discussing how each of them provided for their master’s daily breakfast. ...

1522. Do Children Like You?

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

Richard Patt

"Let the children come to me." (v. 14) What’s the test for human success? How do you measure good personality? When do we say that a person knows about interpersonal relations? In short, who is the attractive person - the one who draws the best out of people, and therefore draws others to himself? In our day we might look to the psychology books for answers. Maybe we would read the latest issues of Cosmopolitan or Redbook. They always seem to be having articles about personality-development and achieving ...

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