Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1526 to 1550 of 1967 results

1526. On Being a Hot-Fudge-Sunday Church

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

There is an old Southern gospel song "There Ain't No Middle Ground." It is time the church gave up trying to find safety in big middles and risked ministry on the edges. In 1890, a Wisconsin merchant named Smithson came up with a creative way to cope with his Sunday afternoon shortages of ice cream. With no Sunday deliveries but with crowds of people with a welcome day off wanting ice cream, he thought of a way to stretch his supply. He began cutting back on the amount of ice cream he scooped and added ...

1527. 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Paul's admonitions, advice and arguments before the Corinthian church serve not only to reveal what was wrong in that community, but also to celebrate what was right. By straightforwardly dealing with the contentious claims and competing camps, Paul can give us the impression that he was frantically involved in just keeping this church from self-destructing. We forget what the Corinthians were doing right especially as detailed by today's epistle lesson. This community was experiencing vital manifestations ...

1528. Remember Your Baptism

Acts 19:1-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

A new way of measuring the body’s “health” is being touted as the next “big thing.” It’s still not in use yet. But they tell us it’s coming soon to your home. Instead of taking your body’s temperature, the doctor or pretend-doctor “takes your breath away”— and then analyzes it. You exhale deeply into a device that measures every component of your breath, and that one breath reveals the health of your whole body. “The breath is a window into the blood,” says Joachim D. Pleill. Pretty soon we’ll be able to ...

1529. An Unpopular Preacher

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

Mike Ripski

I. Rev. Ike’s “gospel” There was a professor at my theology school, who was on the mailing list of “Rev. Ike.” Professor May posted Rev. Ike’s literature on his office door for all to see. Rev. Ike was an early proponent of what has come to be called the “prosperity gospel.” Rev. Ike preached that it is God’s will for you to be wealthy now. God doesn’t want you to wait for the sweet by and by. You can have what God had given Rev. Ike: diamond rings on every finder – see the picture, a mansion – see the ...

1530. The Good News about Money

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

King Duncan

There is one good thing about a recession. It sobers us up. If we’re lucky it causes us to turn our back on things we don’t need and to hold close the things that really matter. After all, periods of recession usually follow periods of wretched excess. Martha Bolton and Phil Callaway, in their book It’s Always Darkest Before the Fridge Door Opens, tell about strolling through a mall one day laughing at all the things in the mall they didn’t need. Here are some of the things they found that they could do ...

1531. Follow Me (Series: An Invitation to Christian Discipleship)

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

“Sing with all the saints in Glory. Sing the resurrection song.” It is Easter. It is the day “yes” got up before the sun. It is the day we know our victory over death was won. Over eighty percent of Americans call themselves Christians. And over 100 million of us will gather in tiny churches or elaborate cathedrals throughout the land to proclaim the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We will announce that life is stronger than death. “Christ is risen; He is risen indeed!” Countless others around the world will ...

1532. Hunger and Politics

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

Yogi Berra, the great baseball player of an earlier age, was known for his unusual and creative use of the English language. In giving directions to his home, for example, he often told people, "When you come to the fork in the road, take it." His formula for success, as some heard it, was this: "Ninety percent perspiration, and the rest mostly just plain hard work." Then there was the time he went to a restaurant by himself and ordered a large pizza. The waitress asked if he would like it cut into four or ...

1533. Pentecost ... Again!

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

They had been waiting so long for this. It was an interminable fifty days since Jesus had risen from the dead. It had been ten long days since Jesus had ascended into heaven from that mountain outside of Jerusalem and that angel had told them to go back to Jerusalem and wait. They had to wait again for what must have seemed like an eternity to finally receive what they had been waiting for - the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then it happened. In the midst of a sound of a rushing wind with tongues of fire ...

1534. It Was Only Fair

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Larry Lange

The blizzard was kind enough to have shown up on Friday evening, so that when it had finished rattling our windows and dumping about ten inches of perfectly packable snow, we were not in school and had an entire day to enjoy it. By Saturday afternoon, we had shoveled our own driveway and sidewalk. Our neighbor, Mr. Schmidt, had finished hours before, because he apparently made enough money to afford a snowblower. His was the first snowblower on our street. Mr. Schmidt felt he needed a snowblower, because ...

1535. Leaders Worthy of Imitation

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

"Repent! Be saved! The end is at hand!" These are familiar words hailing from the "Brickyard" preachers at North Carolina State University. The university plaza, affectionately known as the Brickyard, is a centrally located gathering place for campus and community activities. Freedom of speech is exercised frequently in the Brickyard as wandering street preachers avail themselves of an opportunity to announce the end of the world with their Chicken Little "the sky is falling" flair. The message is always ...

1536. Jesus the Sin Stealer

John 1:29-34

Illustration

Michael L. Cobbler

The primary emphasis of John's declaration is to say who Jesus is (the Lamb of God) and also to say what Jesus does (takes away the sin of the world). This is all well and good, but the old Adam in me gets nervous when I have an encounter with a "sin stealer." I want to be as graphic and as plain as I can be about this Jesus is the ultimate sin stealer, and that troubles me. You can certainly use language that describes this reality in different terms, like "Jesus removes our sins," or "Jesus washed my ...

1537. When Did This Start? — Part 1

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

The four gospels each have very different ways of introducing the story about Jesus. Matthew begins his gospel with a long genealogy, tracing Jesus' lineage — "son of David, son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1-16) from the time of Abraham through fourteen generations, through the line of Mary's husband, Joseph, all the way to Jesus. Luke's gospel begins differently, first with stories of the foretelling of the birth of John the Baptist and of Jesus, the more familiar portions of what we think of as the Christmas ...

1538. Death Is Swallowed Up Forever

Isaiah 25:6-9

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

All Saints is a time to celebrate the victory over death we share with all the saints and our risen Lord. Still, we must never think that victory is an easy one. Death is an overwhelming power that interrupts our communion with God and with one another. It is the destroyer of all that is true and good. Israel had known that power at work in her own communal disaster, the destruction of Jerusalem. Those kings anointed to be shepherds of Israel fleeced the sheep, and those appointed to care for the welfare ...

1539. Don’t Burn The Cookies!

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

Today we enter the season of Advent. The countdown has begun as we once more anticipate the celebration of the birth of Christ. Advent is a time to prepare, not just our homes but our hearts. What joy floods our hearts as we sing "Joy to the world, the Lord has come!" The Son of God entered our world so quietly — no one, except those searching the heavens, saw the star that announced his birth. However, today's gospel tells us that when Christ comes again, it will be a like a hurricane or a tornado. The ...

1540. Don’t Touch Me With That Water!

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

"Fill the glasses with water, honey. Daddy's guests will be here soon," Mother said. Her young son carefully filled the fragile, crystal goblets. "How's it look, Mom?" Surveying the elegantly set table, she smiled and ruffled his hair. "You did great work, honey. Daddy will be so pleased." The boy grinned in anticipation of his father's approval. The door bell rang. "Our guests have arrived. Let's go greet them. We're done in here." Opening the door, the boy took his father's hand. "Come and see! Come and ...

1541. Religion and Politics

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Religion and politics - in years past we were told those were two subjects that were not good for pleasant conversation. In the church, many of us grew up hearing that religion and politics should be kept strictly apart - "separation of church and state," after all. But in recent years, we have been treated to regular helpings of both from every point on the partisan spectrum. There are regular references to personal faith by candidates on the right and left. The relationship between religion and politics ...

1542. O Holy Night

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

You are probably familiar with the story of the woman who went to the post office to buy stamps for Christmas cards. She said to the clerk, “May I have 50 Christmas stamps?” The clerk said, “What denomination?” The woman said, “God help us. Has it come to this? Give me 6 Catholic, 12 Presbyterian, 10 Lutheran and 22 Baptist.” It never ceases to amaze me that around this world on this night among Christians of every nation, and yes, every denomination, people of every age and race and language are bowing ...

1543. Remembering Then; Anticipating When

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Tony Everett

Today is called Maundy Thursday by Christians throughout the world. As some of you may already know, “Maundy” is an English form of mandatum, the Latin word for commandment. The scripture theme for this day comes from Jesus celebrating a Passover meal with his disciples on the night that Jesus was betrayed. Here Jesus told them, “I give you a new commandment; that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John 13:34, see also John 15:12-17). Maundy Thursday is a ...

1544. Buried Treasure

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A Treasure Map (This can be very simple; a drawing of 2 roads intersecting with an "x" drawn near one will do). Good morning, boys and girls. I brought with me this treasure map. I read somewhere* that there is over $4 billion worth of treasure buried in various parts of our country. Some of it was buried by robbers, or pirates, or simply goldminers who never returned to recover their wealth nor ever disclosed to anyone else where it was located. For example, one miner buried a wash tub filled with ...

1545. Exclusion From the Assembly

Deuteronomy 23:1-8

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

Community Laws: Defining and Protecting the Community · These last chapters of the central law code have a “flavor” of concern for a compassionate and caring community that takes seriously the claims of kinship and the needs of the weak and vulnerable. That community itself, however, needs clear definition and measures to protect its religious distinctiveness and purity. This need explains the presence, alongside laws that immediately appeal to us by their charitable nature, of other laws that appear much ...

1546. Ancient of Days and Son of Man

Daniel 7:1-14

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

Big Idea: Envisioning the person and kingdom work of God through the Son of Man can bring comfort and assurance in a dark, unjust, and uncertain world. Understanding the Text Daniel 7:1–28 is woven into the book’s overall literary structure in several ways. First, it resets the chronological narrative of chapters 1–6 by returning to Belshazzar’s first year as its historical marker. Second, it completes the first of three parallel pairs of chapters (2 and 7) in the book’s concentric, Aramaic center section ...

1547. If Only You Were To Me A Brother

Song of Songs 8:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

In escorting the shepherd to her mother’s home the maiden accomplishes two goals: she gains approval from her mother and the brothers of the shepherd, and she fulfills her dream of consummating their vows in the place where she was “schooled” by her mother in the art of romance and lovemaking. “Spiced wine” and mandrake apples were renowned aphrodisiacs in Egypt and Mesopotamia. The phrase “nectar of my pomegranates” (8:2) has distinctly erotic connotations, the woman’s breasts being identified with ...

1548. The Baptist’s Ministry: Preparation for the Lord

Luke 3:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The historical introduction in 3:1 signifies the real beginning of the gospel story (cf. Acts 10:37). Luke is the only Gospel writer who clearly sets the events into the context of world history. Tiberius’s reign extended from AD 14 to 37. The reference to Tiberius’s fifteenth year (3:1) is not definitive because there were different ways of calculating chronology in the ancient world. One possible date is AD 28/29, though AD 26/27 could be correct as well. Pontius Pilate ruled as the governor of Judea ( ...

1549. Jesus: The Original Superhero?

John 18:33-37

Sermon

April Yamasaki

When Warner Brothers released the latest Superman movie, part of its promotion included a special online Pastor Resource Site on the Man of Steel. Critics complained it was one more blatant Hollywood attempt to use pastors and churches to market a movie, complete with free screenings for pastors, sermon notes, and movie clips. Promotion aside, is it even appropriate to compare Jesus to Superman? Even if we think of him as "the original superhero," doesn't the term itself reduce Jesus from Christ the King ...

1550. Good-Bye Mardi Gras, Hello Lent

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Lent, the season of preparation for Easter, begins today. Traditionally, Lent is marked by prayer, fasting, self-reflection, and repentance. Lent is sufficiently serious that some Christian calendars have installed a season to prepare for it. It is called Mardi Gras. Whereas Lent projects a somber, almost lugubrious mood with a theme of denial and self-discipline, Mardi Gras is just the opposite. It is a time for parades, parties, and dancing in the streets. The celebration called Mardi Gras is, of course ...

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