Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1551 to 1575 of 4943 results

1551. Giving Up Our Comfortable Customs

Luke 12:35-48

Illustration

Carveth Mitchell

One of the favorite stories of the great Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegard, concerns an emperor, touring his domain and receiving the accolades of his people. When the entourage reached the market square of one village, his carriage was surrounded by cheering villagers and peasants. To the amazement of his neighbors, one brash young farmer stepped out of the crowd and approached the emperor's carriage. "Give me a boon, Sire," he pleaded. "Grant me a special blessing." The villagers were even more amazed ...

1552. You Can Dress Them Up...

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Several years ago, a barbers' supply company held a large convention in a metropolitan city. To show the world how good their products were they organized a publicity stunt. They went to the worst section of town and brought back the dirtiest and most helpless drunk they could find. They presented him on the stage. Everyone saw how dirty and unkempt his hair and beard were. Then they took him out and cleaned him up. They shaved him. They shampooed and styled his hair. They sprayed him with cologne. They ...

1553. Don't Give Up Now!

2 Corinthians 4:16 - 5:2

Sermon

Have you noticed that some people can’t seem to win, no matter what they do? It’s like one lady I heard about. True story. In 1957 Richie Ashburn, center fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, swung and hit a foul ball that went into the stands and hit a spectator named Alice Roth. As she was being taken away on a stretcher, Ashburn slammed another foul ball . . . and hit her again. (1) Poor Alice. I guess it just wasn’t her day. I’ve had days like that, haven’t you? I would guess we all have. Pastor Alan ...

1554. Have You Ever Screwed Up?

John 20:1-18

Sermon

John Jamison

Have you ever screwed up? I mean, really, really screwed up? It may have been fully well-intentioned or not, but the simple fact is that you knew you screwed up and so did everyone else. If you have, then you may have a slight idea of what the mood was in that little group of people who walked down the road that morning. Only a few of them had actually been there to see what had happened on Friday; the rest had already run away or gone into hiding. As many times as those few told the story of what they had ...

1555. For Your Part

Matt 5:17-37

Sermon

John Jamison

I walked to the bank the other day. I made my way over to one of the desks and sat down to talk to a guy whose name tag said "Andy." I said, "Andy, I need some money, and was wondering if you could help me?" Andy smiled and said he would be glad to do what he could. I told him what I needed and he left the room for a few minutes to run the credit check and whatever else it is that they do at a time like that. Minutes later he walked back in and said, "No problem, John. I've got your check right here!" He ...

1556. Keep Looking Up

Illustration

A house painter was at work atop a tall ladder that leaned against the second-story gable of a house. A small boy playing about the yard, discovered the ladder, and as is natural for small boys, he began to climb. Coming out to check on her son, his mother was shocked to find that he was more than half way to the top of that ladder. As the woman stifled a scream of panic, the man at the top looked down, saw the child, and instantly perceived the danger. Signaling the mother to be silent, he calmly said to ...

1557. It's Time to Get Up

John 11:1-45

Sermon

Brett Blair

We could all use good news right now and I have Good News for you: God has a resurrection for you! He wants to bring you out into the light again. He wants to bring you out of that tomb of oppression and give you a new start. And listen! He has the power to do it. He can bring you back to life. This powerful story in John 11 speaks to this. Remember it with me. Mary and Martha who live in Bethany are some of Jesus’ closest friends. They send word to him that their brother, whose name is Lazarus, is ...

1558. 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 ...

1559. Lighting up Lent

Ephesians 5:8-14

Sermon

David O. Bales

Can you recall a significant event that changed many things about you: maybe a natural disaster like a flood that swept away your house, maybe you had a car accident that left you with a limp, or a happier change when you got married? Either way, on the next day you are different and now you must start living life differently. That's how Paul begins our text. "Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light." He starts off with our profoundly changed situation now that ...

1560. Clever Christians

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Richard Patt

There is nothing unusual in talking about faithful Christians, active Christians, committed Christians, obedient and humble Christians, about Christians who are loving and loyal. But clever Christians? Some of us may never have heard it put that way. This is what surprises us about the parable here in Luke 16. Toward the end of it Jesus says that the "sons of light" (v. 8), that is, the people of God, ought to be clever in their religion, like the "sons of this world" are in their business dealings; the ...

1561. Moving On Up

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

A quick way to start a fight among sports fans is to ask who is the greatest. For example, since this is football season, who is the greater football quarterback, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? Among golfers you might ask, how would Jack Nicolaus have done against Tiger Woods? To go back a few years, how about Magic Johnson and Larry Bird? I was reading recently about a Larry Bird fan named Eric Torpy. Let me tell you just how much Torpy admires Larry Bird. In 2005 when Torpy was sentenced to 30 years in ...

1562. Rise Up

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

November 2019, the virus we know as the “Coronavirus” or “COVID-19” appeared in Wuhan, China. Today, nearly five months later, that same virus is affecting people around the world. At nearly 400,000 cases worldwide, COVID-19 is on a trajectory that will continue to infect people in 150 countries for months to come –their health, their finances, and their weary spirits. This event, next to Sept 11, 2001, may be the most devastating world event of the 21st century and is already being compared to two ...

1563. Wake Up! Get Ready!

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

King Duncan

Do you ever feel like you spend your life waiting on other people to get ready? Or are you on the other side of this equation? Maybe you’re the one who can never be on time, and other people are constantly nagging you to hurry up. Parents often feel like their life is one long cycle of “hurry up and wait.” A dad named Rodney LaCroix posted the following thoughts on Twitter: What I say: Be ready, we are leaving in five minutes. What the child hears: Get undressed. Start finger painting. Lose at least one ...

1564. Spice It Up

Matthew 5:13

Children's Sermon

Teresa L. Major

Object: A salt shaker. Lesson: As salt makes a difference in food, we, as Christian people, are called to make a difference in the world. What kinds of foods do you like to put salt on? (Children respond. Acknowledge each response.) We really like to put salt on scrambled eggs and french fries and popcorn. Anything else? French fries without salt taste kind of different, don't they? They taste kind of plain, like something is missing. The same with popcorn. It needs something to spice it up a little. And ...

1565. Fire Up!

Mark 1:8

Children's Sermon

Object: a burning flame. Good morning, boys and girls. You all look fresh and clean and glad to be here. I see you put on your best Sunday clothes, and I'll bet you combed your hair and washed your hands and faces before you came to church too. How many of you took a shower or a bath last night, getting ready for Sunday morning? (Let them answer.) Why do we do that? That's right. We want to be fresh and clean all over so we can come to visit with God in church. We want to get rid of all the dirt first. ...

1566. Sermon Opener - Connected to God

Luke 24:50-53

Illustration

Lee Griess

In his book On a Wild and Windy Mountain, Dean of the Chapel at Duke University William Willimon tells of being in New Haven, Connecticut, as a student in 1970, during the famous Black Panther trial. Perhaps you remember those days -- the 1970s? It was a turbulent time for our country -- a time of strife, discord, and agony that threatened to tear our country apart. Much of the unrest of those days came to a focus during the trial of those Black Panther leaders. It was just at that time that Willimon ...

1567. Polished Up For Christmas

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

It's not easy to get ready for Christmas. For one thing there is so much to do. For many of us this is the busiest time of the year. It is also the most nerve-wracking, particularly if you are a person who does not enjoy shopping. I read a statistic with which many men in our congregation will relate. The Mall of America published a poll recently that states that 31 percent of men believe they have a better chance of winning the Heisman trophy than finding the right holiday gifts for their wives. Only 18 ...

1568. Wake Up Call

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

Advent always seems out of place with everything else that is going on around us. While people are rushing toward Christmas in a shopping frenzy our observance is markedly different. Sometimes we get so lost in the sentiment and traditions of Christmas that we have difficulty connecting with the themes of Advent. Advent is about waiting expectantly while longing for God to act. However, we must admit that we grow impatient and demand immediate satisfaction. The first Sunday of Advent finds us not dreaming ...

1569. All Dressed Up

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Fashion is a trillion dollar industry. It makes up 2% of the entire world’s GDP.[1] Why does apparel, the clothing we wear, play such a large part in our lives? For this we can look to art and literature, and even to scripture and the church. Unlike other animals, for as long as humans have roamed the earth, we have been concerned with clothing ourselves. From the moment of the “fall” in Genesis 1, we began a journey of finding ways to conceal our original “nakedness” and to express ourselves instead ...

1570. Take A Second Look

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

Rodney Thomas Smothe

It is very difficult to think of the New Testament without thinking about the Apostle Paul. So much of his influence and thought is found in the letters and epistles of the New Testament writings. Apart from Jesus no person influenced the history of the Christian community more than Paul. Paul's teachings have formed the foundation upon which many of the disciplines of our faith are anchored. In our text today, we examine the transformation that resulted in Paul's conversion and surrender to the will of ...

1571. Christmas Questions

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

John Jamison

This passage has puzzled me. The story is pretty simple; John the Baptist sends some of his followers to talk to Jesus, to ask him if he is really the Messiah they have been waiting for, or if they should keep looking. Rather than getting into a bunch of theological jargon, which God's Son could probably do even better than most preachers, Jesus simply tells them to look around at what they see going on and decide for themselves. What they see is amazing; the blind are receiving sight, people who haven't ...

1572. Getting The Facts

1 Corinthians 15:3

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A scale and some packages of different sizes and weights. Good morning, children. How are you on this beautiful day? Have you ever played the game called "Telephone"? Someone whispers to you and you whisper it to someone else and by the time it gets to the end of the line it sounds very funny because it is different from when it was first said. That's the way rumors begin and what you hear may not always be true. When St. Paul preached he hardly ever whispered and his preaching was always based on ...

1573. He Lights Up My Life!

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

When this narrative begins, it is about as lacking in optimism and hope as the story my brother, B. J., tells about a farmer in southern Missouri who hired a man to split some post oak for his farm. Post oak is notoriously hard to work with, but it makes excellent fence posts and rail fences. It is so tough, that it's like trying to split rock. The farmer hired a man who was not too fast at thinking, and told him he'd pay him three dollars a dozen for the posts. After two or three days the farmer came to ...

1574. Lift Up Your Heads!

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Brett Blair

A.J. Gordon was the great Baptist pastor of the Clarendon Church in Boston, Massachusetts. One day he met a young boy in front of the sanctuary carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. Gordon inquired, "Son, where did you get those birds?" The boy replied, "I trapped them out in the field." "What are you going to do with them?" "I'm going to play with them, and then I guess I'll just feed them to an old cat we have at home." When Gordon offered to buy them, the lad exclaimed, " ...

1575. What It Takes to Do the Job

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

What is Job #1 in your life? We know what it is for Ford, right? At least they say it's Quality. What is Job #1 in your life? That's not all that bad a question to be asking at the beginning of Lent. Of course we get a lot of answers from our parents, from our teachers, from our politicians, and even from our pastors. Job #1 is being home on time, keeping your room clean, not talking back, doing your homework, getting an A, paying your bills, being successful, supporting the party, staying off drugs, ...

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