Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1551 to 1575 of 4977 results

1551. Judgment and Justice

Amos 5:18-27

Sermon

... to God." Many, and faithful Christians, will answer the same question with, "I go to church to find something that will sustain me and keep me going from Sunday to Sunday." That is not all bad, because our faith should be able to support us in the struggles and ... of a catechism, in Chinese, of course, and at the end of a nearly three week stay in mainland China, he promised to keep in touch with them. What began as a routine job for the two national tour guides became a pilgrimage into the Christian faith. ...

1552. A Glimmer in the Distance

Illustration

Staff

... his train back to the city. As he arose to go, his farmer host walked with him to the front gate. There the farmer gave him a lighted lantern, pointed to a light in the distance, and said, "Yonder light is Saddleworth Station; make for that. The lantern will keep you from falling into the ditch; but keep your eye on the glimmer in the distance." In the daily walk of our life, sometimes in darkness or storm, we have to give a lot of attention to staying out of the ditch. We need to use what light we have to ...

1553. Healing And Forgiveness

Luke 5:17-26

Sermon

... I thought you had forgiven me?" The wife replied, "I have forgiven you; I just wanted to make certain that you don't forget that I have forgiven you." This is not the kind of forgiveness that Jesus was talking about, for this sort of forgiveness, which keeps a file on past trespasses, will not bring healing, either to an interpersonal relationship or to a physical body. God's grace forgives us completely; we are called to do the same so that we might be set free from the encumbrances and bondage of the past ...

1554. Real Strength

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... been reached. The farther you travel in life the more opportunities, not fewer, you have for wrongdoing. You think it's easy to lose your moral fiber at 18? Wait until you're 38 or 48 or 58. How does a person find real strength in life? How do we keep from getting trapped, from leaping at the first thing we see or from feeling like an ingrate, a slob, or a rip-off artist if we say "no?" Essentially, whether we practice them or not, I think we all come to realize the truth in Jesus' teachings. We do live ...

1555. Coping With Anger In A Close-up World

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... friends. Here was a man, the Son of God, who could calm an entire sea in the middle of a raging storm and tell a leper he was healed. Yet, as our Scripture for today indicates, he could not prohibit a jealous woman from making an idiotic statement or keep the other 10 disciples from getting angry at her two boys. That's life, isn't it? We can often run a business or recover from surgery or complete a great service project or make the dean's list easier than we can dissipate our feelings of anger towards ...

1556. The Foolish Farmer

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

... of God’s name. There are sixty-one words in this procession of abundance; twelve of them are the first person singular: my. A grand Christian man once said, "It is not how much of my possessions I use for God; it is how much of God’s possessions I keep for myself." Recall the nursery rhyme: Little Jack Horner sat in a corner Eating his Christmas pie. He stuck in his thumb And pulled out a plumb And said [of all the ridiculous things to say!] "What a good boy am I." Not "What a good farmer my father is ...

1557. Changing Bad to Good

Romans 12:21

Children's Sermon

... want to, you can do bad things back to the people who have done them to you. Maybe you can make them quit, but usually they forget that they did it first and they just blame you for starting it, and since they did something bad to begin with, they keep doing worse things. Nothing ever gets better. It only gets worse. But that is one way to work against the bad things. Jesus said that there was a better way. He told us to do good to the people who did bad and that we could change them. Now that ...

1558. The Poor in Spirit

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

... in bridges. He capped and crowned. He worked on my gums. In fact, after he finished with me, he took an impression of my mouth. He was so proud of it. On the last day, he brought the impression with my name penciled in and said, "I'm going to keep this on my shelf for as long as I practice dentistry." Until I accepted the poverty of my dental condition, I was not really ready to get my teeth fixed. I had to accept the poverty of my dental condition before I could be free to decide to get something ...

1559. Epiphany 7

Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 5:38-42, 1 Corinthians 3:1-23, Leviticus 19:1-37

Sermon Aid

... you see this, find a church some place where you can be alone; then read this again. Know that God forgives you and that my family and I forgive you (emphasis, mine); then go out and make something worthwhile out of the rest of your lives. God bless and keep you. That letter spells out so clearly "Father, forgive...." and "Forgive us as we forgive," doesn't it? "Be perfect as your Father in heaven in perfect!" 3. Concealed in this combination of the "But I say to you" teachings of Jesus is what amounts to a ...

1560. Lent 3

Psalm 142:1-7, Isaiah 42:10-17, Isaiah 42:18-25, Ephesians 4:17--5:21, John 9:1-12, John 9:13-34, John 9:35-41

Sermon Aid

... , is connected to the passion of Jesus, particularly to his agony on the cross, despite the fact that this is only the third week of Lent. Such an interpretation affirms once more that Lent ends with the crucifixion and death of Jesus outside of Jerusalem; it keeps the faithful going in the right direction whether they know it or not. The Psalm Prayer (LBW) Lord Jesus, hanging on the cross and left alone by your disciples, you called on your Father with a mighty cry as you gave up your spirit. Deliver us ...

1561. Easter 3

Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:42-47, Isaiah 43:1-13, 1 Peter 1:13-2:3, Luke 24:13-35

Sermon Aid

... was read every day of the first week after Easter Sunday, concluding with the John 20 gospel on the Second Sunday after Easter). The present arrangement of Luke 24 for two years and John 21 on the third year of the Third Sunday of Easter keeps the resurrection theme before the people for one more week. Preaching on the triumph over the tomb, which God worked in Christ, will help the faithful continue the Easter celebration and, also, get their theology straight. The risen Lord makes himself known to his own ...

1562. Proper 4

Deuteronomy 11:1-32, Genesis 12:1-8, Matthew 7:15-23, Matthew 7:24-29, Romans 3:21-31, Psalm 31:1-24, Psalm 33:1-22

Sermon Aid

... God's intention than does the traditional prayer for the Sunday: "that the darkness may be overcome by the power of your light" instead of "that in keeping thy commandments we may please thee, both in will and deed." The Psalm of the Day - Psalm 31:2-14, 17, 25 (R); 31:31, or 31 ... 18-21, 26-28 (E, L), 11:18, 26-28, 32 (R) This reading was chosen because it sets out the consequences of keeping or breaking God's covenant in terms of blessings or curses upon those who are bound by the covenant. The setting has to ...

1563. Pentecost 4

Psalm 100:1-5, Genesis 25:19-34, Exodus 19:1-25, Romans 5:1-11, Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon Aid

... the Israelites, and how he "bore them (the Israelites) on eagles' wings and brought you to myself." Without the help of the Lord God, they would still be in Egypt, or they would be dead. And once more, Moses hears God call for obedience to his "voice" and the keeping of his covenant, the terms by which they would be God's "possession" among all peoples. Moses went to the elders and the people and gave them the message that God had delivered to him, and the people and their leaders promised to obey God and ...

1564. Proper 18 & Pentecost 16

Ezekiel 33:1-20, Psalm 119:1-176, Psalm 95:1-11, Psalm 115:1-18, Exodus 19:1-25, Romans 13:1-7, Romans 13:8-14, Romans 12:9-21, Matthew 18:15-20

Bulletin Aid

... of many Sundays. The section selected for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost accommodates the theme in the first reading and the Prayer of the Day quite well, praying, "Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding and I shall keep your law; I shall keep it with all my heart." It is the prayer of an individual that is meant, in worship, to refer to and include all the people of the church in its response to the first reading and the movement toward the ...

1565. Pentecost 7

Matthew 18:21-35, Romans 14:1--15:13, Exodus 20:1-21, Psalm 19:1-14, Psalm 103:1-22, Genesis 50:15-21

Sermon Aid

... certainly lose the gift of grace - forgiveness - which is promised to them. Christians are to share all the gifts that God has given them with others, and forgiveness is by no means the least of these; it is the warrant of salvation in Jesus Christ. To keep and retain this gift, the Christian, in short, must give it away. That's what Jesus is saying in this parable; failing to share the gift of forgiveness will result in having it taken away from any unforgiving person. SERMON SUGGESTIONS Matthew 18:21-35 ...

1566. Proper 21 & Pentecost 19

Ezekiel 18:1-32, Psalm 25:1-22, Psalm 99:1-9, Exodus 32:1-33:6, Philippians 2:1-11, Philippians 2:12-18, Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon Aid

... beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us,..." (Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity/Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost), and could become the prayer of people who truly repent of their sins: God of love, you know our frailties and failings. Give us your grace to overcome them; keep us from those things that harm us; and guide us in the way of salvation. Obliquely, it speaks to the Gospel for the Day, with its note of Jesus' authority and the call to repent and obey the Word of the Lord. The Psalm of the Day ...

1567. All Saints' Day

Revelation 7:1-8, Isaiah 26:1-21, 1 John 2:28--3:10, Revelation 21:1-27, Matthew 5:1-12, Psalm 24:1-10, Psalm 149:1-9, Psalm 34:1-22

Sermon Aid

... , which was probably written a century later than his prophecies, look to a day when "Thy dead shall live, their bodies shall rise. O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy!" Truly, as the prophet sings, "We have a strong city," and LBW "Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in thee." This first reading surely is in harmony with All Saints' Day, speaking to it some six and a half centuries before Christ's words, death, and resurrection gave new meaning to ...

1568. A Most Amazing Night

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

... rugged hillside. Mary rides the donkey and Joseph walks beside her, making sure the animal does not stumble. They stop when Mary needs to rest. With her swollen womb nearly ready to deliver, Mary feels every bounce, every rock or rut in the donkey’s path, as they go to keep their date with Caesar. The trip takes many days. The daytime sun is warm, but the nights are cold. As darkness falls, they look for a cave to sleep in, or at least a tree to shelter them by the side of the road. As they get closer to ...

1569. Pentecost 27

Matthew 24:1-35

Sermon Aid

... by which we can fall by the way: through neglect, business, fighting the wrong battles, no prayer, superficial fellowship, etc. Conclude with a hymn of forgiveness and commitment. Message with the Children of All Ages Try this: Ask, "Is there anything you do that nothing else will keep you from doing? When the coach insists that you be there for every practice, you're there? When you want to do something, you do it, don't you; and if mother and dad say 'no,' or 'later,' you make a fuss, don't you? Jesus ...

1570. A Fool’s Tools

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

... At that moment I knew I had just heard a young boy being his own boy. I hoped I could be as much my own man. Being your own person is crucial to staving off a full performance of Act III. Without this kind of personal determination we will not keep the opportunity either to use our own tools or to help anyone else use theirs. Act III has not yet reached full-performance, and I would pray that it never does. Perhaps at times here, when I’ve talked about leaving tools in dark corners, I might have given the ...

1571. Paul’s Midnight Ride

Acts 22:30--23:11

Sermon Aid

... that this might cause the Jews to riot or react badly and thus give a black mark to his record as military commander in Jerusalem. On the other hand, Paul was a Roman citizen and Tribune Lysias knew that he had no legal grounds for keeping him in detention, except possibly for his own safety. Even if there was some kindness and concern in such protective custody, Paul must have felt forlorn and forsaken. He was in jail, alone and amid unfriendly surroundings. His friends were all in danger, because the ...

1572. This God’s For Real!

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

... Peter, "Who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." The God whom Peter saw in Jesus was the God who bothers with his universe. He hasn’t merely made the world and then absconded. He lives. He keeps the spheres in order and the seasons on their course and life and love abounding. This God interferes creatively with us. This God’s for real! B. He’s Addressable A lifeless God, for better or for worse, cannot be spoken to and will not tell you anything ...

1573. Welcome to the Training Table!

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

... : In the harried pace of life - and it was so in ancient times as often as it is today - mealtime, which everybody had to take time for anyway, became as convenient a time as any to communicate, to take care of things, to check signals, and generally to keep in touch. In fact, many families only see each other when they’re eating and, at that, often only at certain meals in the day or week. Another reason for the fact that significant things happen at mealtime is that mealtimes tend to be good times. We ...

1574. The Blessing Of Bondage

Genesis 2:4-25, Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... is not a harsh despot who gives us difficult laws to obey just so he can frustrate us. Nor does God make rules for us to keep in order to assure that we remain subservient to him, lest we "become as God." What a stupid lie of the devil to think that God ... to his well-being as the first two, but he didn’t think so. It remains true that the laws of God are given to keep us from falling into trouble and disaster. What a pity, that our willfulness against God causes us to enslave ourselves. And now that the ...

1575. "A" Lamb to "the" Lamb

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then ...

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