Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1626 to 1650 of 1679 results

1626. The Last Supper

Luke 22:7-38

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

22:7–14 With the sinister conspiracy between Judas and the religious authorities in the background, Jesus and his disciples begin making preparations for the Passover meal. Luke notes that Jesus sent Peter and John (Mark 14:13 says only “two of his disciples”) into Jerusalem to meet a man carrying a jar of water (which was a task women usually performed), to whom they will convey the word of the Teacher. The owner of the house, the disciples are told, will show them a large upper room, all furnished. There ...

1627. Joab Murders Abner

2 Samuel 3:22-39

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

The Murders of Abner and Ish-Bosheth: 3:6–11 Although Ish-Bosheth was titular head of the northern tribes and Abner seemingly made no attempt to change that, real power centered around Abner. The fate of the country lay in his hands, and verse 6 implies that he took action to ensure that this remained the case. It is not surprising that Ish-Bosheth, who seems to have left all the decision making to his general (3:8–17), felt threatened by Abner (v. 11). Whether or not Abner had a relationship with Saul’s ...

1628. Ish-Bosheth Murdered

2 Samuel 4:1-12

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

1629. Suffering for Doing Good

1 Peter 3:8-22

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

To All of You 3:8 Finally (not to end the letter but to complete this passage) there comes a general exhortation to the whole Christian community, married and unmarried alike. Peter commends a set of attitudes which together depict what relationships within the Christian fellowship should be. Christian believers must live in harmony with one another, literally, “being of one mind” (a single word in the Greek). The term is intended to convey a unity of aim and purpose, a oneness in attitude. Idealistic? But ...

1630. The Siege Lifted

2 Kings 7:3-20

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

The Siege of Samaria: The Aramean threat has been hanging over Israel for some time. The uneasy peace of 2 Kings 5 gave way in chapter 6 to sporadic Aramean raids into Israelite territory—themselves curtailed because of the events of 6:18ff. There has been an accumulating tension; it is no surprise to read of full-blown invasion, as the king of Aram, long anxious for a fight (5:7), encamps his army at the very gates of Samaria. Our only question is how long Elisha will continue to help doomed Jehoram. It ...

1631. Later Opposition Under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

Ezra 4:6-24

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

A Temporary and Typical Setback: So far, so good. The return home, the construction of an altar to get worship started, and the laying of the temple foundation had marked the first phase of fulfilling the mission given through Cyrus to rebuild the temple. The second phase, building the temple itself, was to last longer than twenty years. We have to wait until 6:15 to read of its completion. This second phase, with its long delay and fresh start, is narrated in 4:1–6:22. Echoes of 4:1–5 in 6:21–22 reveal ...

1632. A Prophecy Against Egypt

Isaiah 19:1-25

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Poems about the Southern Powers: For three chapters we turn to the far south. Cush covers an area corresponding to the very south of modern Egypt and the northern part of Sudan. A Cushite dynasty ruled Egypt itself at the end of the eighth century, so this poem about Cush is as much a poem about Egypt (cf. 20:1–6). 19:1–15 It is not surprising that Egypt should feature in these prophecies. It was Israel’s old oppressor and would in due course be Judah’s biggest temptation. It seemed a resource for ...

1633. The Lord, Not Idols

Isaiah 44:6-23

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

The Restoration of a Blind and Deaf Servant, II: After Job and his “friends” have spent chapter after chapter arguing with God and with each other as to the meaning of the calamities that have come to Job, God appears and puts Job in his place at some length (Job 38:1–40:2). Job submits, and might have expected this was the end of the story. Instead, as one imagines Job’s groan, God starts again (Job 40:6). There is a parallel dynamic in the new beginning here at Isaiah 43:22. It seems that 42:18–43:21 ...

1634. Everlasting Salvation for Zion

Isaiah 51:1-16

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Four Wake-up Calls and a Departure Call: In 50:4 the subject suddenly changes again—in two senses. The grammatical subject is once again a human “I” rather than a divine “I,” and the thematic subject is the pressure upon this human “I.” In both respects the passage parallels 49:1–6, and it will emerge that 50:4–52:12 forms a sequence parallel to 49:1–50:4, analogous to double sequences we have noted earlier in chapters 40–55. The arrangement of sections is not as tightly parallel as in earlier instances, ...

1635. Excuses! Excuses!

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Excuses, excuses! We all make excuses. Here is a list of excuses that public schools have received from parents of students through the years: “Teacher, please excuse Mary for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.” “My son is under a doctor’s care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him.” “Please excuse my son’s tardiness. I forgot to wake him up and did not find him until I started making the beds.” “Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper ...

1636. Extreme Humility

John 13:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to begin with a serious question: How accurate would you be if someone asked you to evaluate yourself? For example, if you were asked to describe your athletic ability, or your appearance, or your intellect--how would you rate yourself? I ask that because a survey of nearly two hundred sociologists found that about a hundred of them, about one-half, expected to become one of the ten leading sociologists of their time. Obviously this is a mathematical impossibility for 100 of them to be among the top ...

1637. A Divided Family

Mark 3:20-25

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a wonderful time-honored story that many of you will remember, but I don’t think you’ll mind hearing it again. Some of our young people may not be familiar with it. It’s truly a golden oldie. It’s about a country preacher who announced that on the following Sunday he would preach on the story of Noah and the Ark. He gave the scriptural reference for the congregation to read ahead of time. However, a couple of mischievous boys in the church noticed something interesting about the placement of the ...

1638. From Deep Unto Deep

Luke 22:14--23:56

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

On the Christian calendar, today begins the last week of Lent.1 The forty days between Shrove Tuesday, at the end of Mardi Gras, and the Saturday before Easter are intended as a time for prayer, meditation, reflection, and repentance. Generally speaking, the serious nature of Lent makes it emotionally a rather dreary time. During Holy Week, the mood moves from dreary to downright lugubrious. Next Sunday morning, of course, we will awake to the joyous news that “Christ the Lord is risen today. Alleluia! He ...

1639. On Welcoming the Imperfect

John 10:22-30

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Our gospel lesson for the day opens with John telling us it is time for the Festival of Dedication. Over the centuries, this festival has evolved into what we know as Hanukah. It commemorates events that occurred about a century and a half before the birth of Christ. Since Hanukah is usually in November or December some Christians mistakenly think of it as Jewish Christmas. It is not. If anything, the meaning of Hanukah comes closer to the Fourth of July than to Christmas. Both celebrate revolutions that ...

1640. Grabbing the Bull by the Horns

Luke 9:11b-17

Sermon

King Duncan

In his book Soul Keeping, John Ortberg tells about riding a mechanical bull at a street fair. The bull operator explained that the bull had twelve levels of difficulty, and that Pastor Ortberg’s best bet for not getting bucked off was to shift his center of gravity to match the bull’s movements. Ortberg climbed up on this mechanical bull and he held on as tight as he could. The bull started to sway and buck, and Ortberg focused on moving his center of gravity with the swaying of the bull. He thought he was ...

1641. Beauty Tips

Illustration

A New Year resolution adapted from a prayer from the World Healing Organization (Blackpool, England): For attractive lips, I will speak words of kindness. For beautiful eyes, I will look for the good in others. To lose weight, I will let go of stress, hatred, anger, discontentment and the need to control others. For poise, I will walk with knowledge and self-esteem. To strengthen my arms, I will hug at least three people a day. I will reach out to someone and touch them with love. To strengthen my heart, I ...

1642. Joseph, When Did You Know?

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

We are just days away from Christmas, and I hope that this season has been full of hope, joy, love and peace for you. I hope that you have had time to reflect on the promises of the Advent season, the season in which we prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus. It’s funny that the modern Christian church spends four weeks—the season of Advent—preparing for Christ’s coming, because the first Christmas was a total surprise that sort of snuck up on everyone involved. And it’s funny that this fourth Sunday of ...

1643. We Go Up to Jerusalem

Matthew 20:18

Illustration

Jon L. Joyce

Here is a living example of fearlessness, of unwavering loyalty, and of determination to finish a task. At Jerusalem an ugly cross was waiting to inflict its cruel anguish upon Christ. Yet without flinching or hesitation he set his jaw and started for the city. Here was discipline of the first order, and an example to every follower of Christ. Discipline is not popular today. The discipline of the armed forces is being eroded. Children are not to be warped by domination and so permissiveness runs full sway ...

1644. The Surrogate

Matthew 1:1-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Props: Ring (engagement ring preferably) or letter from a prior wartime soldier (if you can find such) Have you heard the riddle? Question: In a bacon-and-egg breakfast, what's the difference between the Chicken and the Pig? Answer: The Chicken is involved, but the Pig is committed! Commitment is sometimes a “dirty word” in our culture today. People are wary of making commitments that may not last. Our marriage rates are going down. More people are renting homes than buying. Many are buying gold, fearing ...

1645. Seat of Power

Mark 10:35-45, Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Animation: Ring and/or Ruby Slippers and/or a Ladder “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.” (James and John…according to Mark) How many times have we said this to God? “Lord, we want you to do whatever we ask!” We humans are creatures that want our way. We want what we want and we generally want it “now.” We like to be independent. We are self-assured. And we are ambitious. And ambition is a squirrelly thing. It means that if someone won’t give us our way, we will strive to get whatever we ...

1646. The Lamb

Luke 19:28-44, Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, John 12:12-19

Sermon

Lori Wagner

[Optional Prop: Door frame and Cross] If you’re like many people at this time of year, you are anticipating the great Easter Feast, especially if you gave up something you love for Lent. What was it for you? Was it chocolate? Did you go on a special diet? Those are the most popular. But I’ve heard a couple of really unusual ones too, like not using your curling iron for the duration of Lent. Or declining to watch your favorite tv show. And then there are the really strange ones. In fact, if you google ...

1647. Slow Burn

Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. (Ephesians 1:18) “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50) Everyone will be salted with fire. (Mark 9:49) Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow? (Job 6:6) Prop: large salt ...

1648. The Sign of the Servant

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Props: on screen images of the pictographs for shepherd’s staff, ox, and yoke (both together) What do you get when you cross a shepherd’s staff and an ox? A yoke, of course! At least, that’s what you get in Paleo-Hebrew, the pictographic forerunner of the Hebrew language and image-rich metaphorical roots of the Hebrew scriptures. [Put the symbols on screen if you can. Show people the symbols for staff and ox….together they mean "yoke."] So, a Yoke is something that "guides" and "harnesses" the ox –two oxen ...

1649. Stop the PANIC!

Luke 15:1-32 · Exodux 15:1-27--16:36 · Psalm 23

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Optional Prop: Shepherd’s crooked staff Stories about hikers lost in the woods have some common features. At some point, everything starts to look and feel the same. Instead of moving forward, the lost hikers circle around and around endlessly until, exhausted, they collapse in tears, resigned to never getting out, sure that the journey is impossible, complicated, and ultimately vexed? Thankfully, the helicopter or rescue vehicle snatches them from their lostness. And to their amazement they discover they ...

1650. Living a Jesus Powered Life

Genesis 9:1-17, Genesis 6:1-8:22, Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands…” --Hebrews 4:1 The story of Noah is one of great depths, no pun intended. Actually, maybe it was intended! We all know it’s a covenant story, the story of yet another attempt God makes on establishing a lasting and binding relational covenant with God’s self and God’s people, those created in the image of God. But it’s also a story of relationship, love, bonding, and a brand-new start in a fresh, new place. A place without the turbulence of ...

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