Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 1626 to 1650 of 4942 results

1626. Epiphany

Isaiah 60:1-22, Psalm 72:1-20, Ephesians 3:1-13, Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The Epiphany was originally a unitive festival, an observation of Jesus' birth, his baptism, and the first miracle he performed at Cana; Coelius Sedulius' fifth century hymn, "When Christ's Appearing Was Made Known," (Hymn 85, LBW) illustrates this three-fold nature of the Epiphany. Twelfth Night now concludes the Christmas season, the First Sunday after the Epiphany commemorates the Baptism of Our Lord, and the first miracle at Cana is assigned to the Second Sunday after the Epiphany only ...

1627. Proper 7 & Pentecost 5

Jeremiah 20:7-18, Psalm 69:1-36, Psalm 91:1-16, Genesis 28:10-22

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Only the name of this Sunday, the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, gives any theological clue from the church year; the church is moving eschatologically and continues to anticipate the last times and the return of Christ. The Pentecost cycle/season is roughly one-fifth completed today, so there's a long way to go, as well as a long time to wait for the eschaton. The business of the church continues to be proclaiming "the Lord's death" - in worship, preaching, witnessing, and working - until ...

1628. Proper 22 & Pentecost 20

Matthew 21:33-46, Philippians 4:2-9, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Numbers 27:12-23, Psalm 81:1-16, Isaiah 5:1-7

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Without the readings assigned to this day - and to this part of the cycle and season - the eschatological clue of the church year would be quite indistinct. The readings, particularly the Gospel for the Day, with its setting as one of Jesus' teachings during Holy Week, point beyond Jesus' suffering and death to the last things, when God shall hold everyone accountable for his/her deeds and life-style. Veteran preachers, who have journeyed through this portion of the church year in the past ...

1629. The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost

Isaiah 25:1-12, Psalm 23:1-6, Psalm 135:1-21, Deuteronomy 34:1-12, Philippians 4:2-9, Philippians 4:10-20

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE If there are any chips out of, or cracks in, the eschatological framework of the church year - which admittedly becomes quite brittle by itself at this time of the year - they are restored by the readings of this Sunday. These lections point to the last things and, specifically in the first reading and the Gospel for the Day, to the incredible feast over which our Lord will preside in the new heaven and the new earth. "This is the feast of victory for our God, for the Lamb who was slain ...

1630. Doctor Thomas Dooley

Matthew 9:1-8

Sermon

Carroll Gunkel

From time to time people will ask, "How long does it take to write a sermon?" Generally, I cannot attach a specific time to the preparation of a particular sermon. Every sermon is a composite of everything a preacher has read and studied on a subject. In the case of this particular sermon, however, I can give at least a general response to that question: This sermon was begun more than twenty years ago. It began when I was in college, and it began under unlikely circumstances. Our professor of English ...

1631. Journey To The Cross II: Jesus And The Hemorrhaging Woman

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

James W. Moore

One of my favorite authors today is a professor at Loyola University in Chicago. His name is Father John Powell. In addition to being a best-selling writer, he is also a highly popular lecturer, teacher, and counselor. In his book entitled Through The Eyes of Faith, he tells about his prison ministry. About once a month, he visits a prisoner in the state penitentiary. He describes how difficult that is for him personally… the atmosphere is dismal, dark, depressing… and charged with suspicion. However, on ...

1632. "Can Do" Christianity

Philippians 4:10-20

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

Those who lived through the long years of World War II remember a remarkable group of men called the Seabees. "Seabees" was their nickname, based upon their official designation as the U.S. Naval Construction Battalions. These were the men who went ashore right behind the Marines during the Pacific island battles, constructing the new facilities necessary for the support and establishment of our nation's combat forces. They referred to themselves as "can do" people, and were often quoted as saying, "The ...

1633. Justification and Reconciliation

Romans 3:21-31

Sermon Aid

T. A. Kantonen

Two fundamental and interrelated concepts in Paul’s message of salvation are justification and reconciliation. When the apostle speaks of salvation in terms of vicarious sacrifice and redemption, he is describing salvation as a purely objective salvation-occurrence. The saving sacrifice has already been made. The redemptive deed has already been done. The victory over the forces of evil has already been won. Justification and reconciliation, on the other hand, show how what Christ has done can become for ...

1634. The Light that Shines Within

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Mann

The story of the birth of Jesus has been variously told. Luke has told it in relation to the appearance of angels and the visit of shepherds. Matthew has told it in the context of a brightly shining star and the coming of wise men from the East. Others may very well have associated the story with other signal happenings mentioned by neither of these; for any event of importance is attended by a variety of incidental circumstances, and in telling of it, one witness will choose to relate one of the ...

1635. Is There Life After Christmas?

Luke 2:21-40, Isaiah 12:1-6

Sermon

Erskine White

"This child is destined ... to be a sign that is opposed, so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed." (Luke 2:34b) During his tenure as head football coach at the University of Arkansas, Lou Holtz once had his team play a bowl game on Christmas Day. When a reporter asked him how he felt about playing football on this day, rather than being at home with his family, Coach Holtz was honest and to the point. "Frankly, I’d rather be doing this," he said. "Once you’ve been to church, had dinner and ...

1636. Stewards and the Hungry

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

So God called into existence his creation and then, according to Genesis 1:28, he said to us humans, "I’m putting you in charge." That makes us caretakers of all which God has given to us. That includes the Earth and all its natural resources. In the days ahead, we’ll discover that being a caretaker and steward involves a lot more than whether we tithe or not and what we put in the church offering plate. It involves our caring for our bodies, how we use our skills, how we apportion our time, and what we do ...

1637. A Fresh Start

Joel 2:28-32, Joel 2:18-27

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Have you ever felt that you were absolutely at the end of your rope, left without hope? Sometime during the years of 539 B.C. to 331 B.C. that is the way the people of Judah felt. It seems that their land had been ravaged by a plague of locusts which had had catastrophic consequences. Once a harvest has been destroyed, you cannot repair it. If a building has burned to the ground, you cannot repair it. In those instances you need to start from scratch with a fresh start. Have you reached the end of your ...

1638. Twelve O'Clock Rock: When the Jailhouse is Rocked

Acts 16:16-40

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

The prisoners and the jailers had their world rocked one midnight 2,000 years ago. The report includes the following details: 1:00: Paul and Silas while on their way to a place of prayer see a slave girl who was popular for telling the fortunes of others. She made much money from this enterprise and a fortune for her owners. Each day she would go to the town square and as people passed by she would shout out her readings of their future. Some revered the slave girl for the accuracy of her predictions. ...

1639. The Healing of Jairus' Daughter and the Hemorrhaging Woman

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

James W. Moore

A business executive became depressed. Things were not going well at work, and he was bringing his problems home with him every night. Every evening he would eat his dinner in silence, shutting out his wife and five-year-old daughter. Then he would go into the den and read the paper using the newspaper to wall his family out of his life. After several nights of this, one evening his daughter took her little hand and pushed the newspaper down. She then jumped into her father’s lap, wrapped her arms around ...

1640. The Ten Commandments #8: No Stealing

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Have you ever been robbed? Someone broke into your home or business or car or locker at school and took something? I have. A few years ago, someone broke into my car while it was parked on the street and took some things from the back seat. They were not expensive or irreplaceable, but it was a rotten feeling none the less...not so much that something I owned was stolen, but the feeling that part of ME had been violated. Has that ever happened to you? There is a tie between us and our property that has ...

1641. Of Rubble and Trouble

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Hmmm. "Wars and insurrections, nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, earthquakes, famines and plagues...arrests, persecution, some put to death...days of vengeance...great distress on the earth...People will faint from fear and foreboding..." Whoa! What season are we in? What about "Peace on earth and mercy mild?" Actually, BOTH images are at play this morning. Yes, Christmas is coming - a beautiful time. But juxtaposed against that is a life of great uncertainty for all of us, a time when our ...

1642. Do You Hear What I Hear?

Luke 1:46-56, Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Years ago, a wise teacher of preachers advised us to prepare our sermons with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. His point was that sermons had to be relevant to the day-to-day lives of our people, and the best way to insure that would be to focus on what is going on in our people's world. Good advice, don't you think? So what has the newspaper (or the TV or radio or internet or whatever) had for us this week? Well, early on there was the story of the failed mission to Mars. After the ...

1643. Temptation

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Temptation. Oscar Wilde is quoted a saying, "I can resist everything -- except temptation!" Humorist Robert Orben has observed, "Most people want to be delivered from temptation but would like to keep in touch." Another wag has asked, "Why is it that opportunity knocks only once, yet temptation bangs on the door constantly?"(1) Once there was a small boy who wanted a pair of skates. His parents, hoping to teach him the value of money, informed him that he would have to save the required amount from his ...

1644. Would a Loving God Really Let Anyone Go to Hell?

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Before I read the scripture, let me make a few introductory remarks. I read somewhere recently that one of the problems with the modern pulpit is that ministers are afraid to preach what they believe. They have been thoroughly educated in current Biblical interpretation and Christian doctrine, but then they get into their churches and learn very quickly that, if they take their learning seriously and preach and teach accordingly, they get into a peck of trouble. Stay away from controversial subjects. Do ...

1645. Good Neighbors

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

During his sermon, a pastor quoted Jesus, "Love your neighbor as yourself." To emphasize the point, he asked three times, with increasing intensity: "Who is my neighbor? Who is my neighbor? Who is my neighbor?!" Each time he asked this, a young boy in the congregation answered quietly: "Mister Rogers! Mister Rogers! Mister Rogers!" (1) Fred Rogers of children's television fame was a good neighbor. But the lawyer's question to Jesus is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. Who is our neighbor? ...

1646. Bearing The Right Fruit

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

There was an absurd newspaper item quite some time ago from Iowa City, Iowa. It concerned a woman whose palms suddenly started bleeding. A researcher who examined her said that the wounds resembled a certain stigmata that often appears on very religious people. Some of you may have heard of the stigmata. It refers to a condition where people bleed from the palms, especially around Good Friday, resembling the bleeding hands of Jesus on the cross. And this lady in Iowa City had these same kind of wounds on ...

1647. At The Edge Of Broken-ness

Job 1:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

Series on the Book of Job, #1 This dramatic reading takes place in two seemingly different spheres. The Reader (most likely the pastor) stands behind the pulpit. The Reader needs to read these passages from the Bible, so that the congregation realizes that the scene has shifted back to the story of Job each time. The other readers Male 1, Male 2, Female 1, Female 2, and Female 3 are off to the side of the pulpit. They are seated in folding chairs placed in a semicircle facing the congregation. The ...

1648. The Total Steward

1 Chronicles 29:1-9

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

Years ago multitudes read the book, "The Total Woman." That was the book that suggested that wives meet their husband at the door when he comes home from work, dressed only in saran wrap. That book was followed by one called, "The Total Man." I don''t know if the author had a comparable suggestion for husbands or not. Our concern for the day is not about the total man or the total woman, but about "the total steward." So often Christians reflect the values of society. If materialism is in--driving the ...

1649. The Taming of the Tongue

James 3:1-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

A pious woman with a rather sharp tongue, who professed to be a Christian but gossiped like an old hen--approached the rector of her church in London. She complained that the white bands which he wore with his pulpit gown were altogether too long and that this annoyed her greatly. She wanted permission to shorten them and had come armed with a pair of scissors. The pastor agreed, handed over the bands, and the woman snipped away with her scissors and then handed the garments back to the rector. He said, " ...

1650. The Dangers of Being Religious

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Jeff Foxworthy has made a career of telling "redneck" jokes. For instance, "You might be a redneck if someone asks you for some identification and you show them your belt buckle." The South doesn't have a lock on rednecks. The North has them also. For instance, "You might be a northern redneck if you've ever burned a tire on the hood of your car in winter to help get it started." Here in the church I'd like to poke fun at some of the straight-laced, self-righteousness that passes for Christianity. So, ...

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