Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1651 to 1675 of 4977 results

1651. Reinforced With Joy

John 15:1-17

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

... he got lost. This is one way people resemble sheep. And this is the way we drift into danger, into sin, and into heartache. We get lost because we have wandered from the shepherd. We get lost because we are misled by that devil who tells us to keep our eyes on the grass. Looking at the grass we begin to question our goals and purposes. We say, "Why should we live up to high standards of values when nobody else does? Why should we submit to disciplines when there are no foreseeable results? Let’s enjoy ...

1652. An Unusual Legacy

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Roger Prescott

... leadership (2 Samuel 23:3-4); and (3) an everlasting relationship/covenant (2 Samuel 23:5). 1. Good words Language specialists claim that the five sweetest phrases in the English language are: "I love you." "Dinner is served." "All is forgiven." "Sleep ‘til noon." "Keep the change." And there are those who choose to add: "You’ve lost weight!" Words are good if they add dignity and confidence to people. King David’s words did that. The ascription of nearly half the psalms to David is testimony to the ...

1653. The Mystery of His Presence

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Richard Patt

... this man give us his flesh to eat?" I fear that most of the time you and I not only practice our religion at a distance, but that we prefer it that way! We do not stay away from church - from the Word and the sacraments. But we do keep them at a proper distance! We are ready to comment about the Word of God we hear, either criticizing the boredom its presentation brings in sermons and classes, or praising that favorite preacher of ours, who makes things interesting, who says it all in a way I can understand ...

1654. Heal the Sick; Cast Out the Demons

Matthew 10:5-8

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... was fully understood by Jesus. We do not understand it fully. "Heal the sick; cast out demons" is not two commands, but one. Sometimes the only way to heal is to cast out a demon or a whole host of them. For example, the demon of resentment can keep us from getting well. Resentment is internalized anger. If we have resentment for a short time, after something unjust or unfair happens to us or a loved one, that is natural; but if we cling to a resentment for months or years, we do serious damage to our ...

1655. John Was not like Gene

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

... who don’t think the way I do). Rather, to "Prepare the way of the Lord" is to point out where he is. It is to lead the sinners, the non-Christians, people with different insights, those in need of the salvation he brings to him. It is not to keep them away. It would be as though Gene Hickerson came charging around the end pointing to Jim Brown saying, "There he is! Go get him, guys!" John the Baptist was a transition figure; his role of preparing the way of the Lord was to call attention to Jesus and to ...

1656. You CAN Take It With You

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

... Son - not at the cutting board of the Cross, nor at the grasp of the grave. God did nothing that day, nor the next day, to keep the reality of death from his Son. But on the third day, God showed his purpose for opening the wound by opening the grave. He showed ... of wounds that are healed, rather than as symptoms of a disease that persists! For the healing power of forgiveness is that it keeps us in remission. We need not fear that sin will come back to claim us once again as its victim. The resurrection of ...

1657. Man, Where Are You?

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

... the world away. No fences could be high enough, because the world is not out there. It is here within the heart. The opportunities to sin are not out there. They are in here. So Dad’s goal was not to build the fences that would keep the world away, but to fill my heart with Christ who would enable me to sift the world - be in it, yet not of it. Today I thank him for his trust, not in his son, but in God’s Son. I confess that Dad was often disappointed in his ...

1658. Home Economy

1 Kings 17:7-24

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

... want to teach this style of home economy in our home economics classes. Much to our regret and loss, God seems to have been sent off into space aboard Columbia and left to float there. It would be useless to concern him with our small concerns - those questions that keep popping from our lips like, "What’s to eat? And what’s to drink?" What would he know about it anyway? The God of Sunday morning is the God who tells us in the Apostolic Word to "live in the Spirit!" What good is he across the week when ...

1659. On the Night when He Was Betrayed

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... my blood is poured out for you just as this wine is poured into the cup. You may forget many of the words I have spoken and many of the deeds I have performed. You may forget Cana and Capernaum and Bethany, but never forget the hill of the cross. Keep ever undimmed before you the crucified Savior. This is precisely the way in which he has made his supreme appeal to human hearts. He is convinced that we cannot look into the face of the Crucified and go our way untouched and unchanged. "I, when I am lifted up ...

1660. The Word of the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... the money changers in the temple and demand that religion be sincere? Did he not say in effect: put your life where your mouth is? And what is our share in this? Do we not crucify Jesus because he disturbs our way of living? He will not let us keep our religion and our life in separate compartments. Either we get rid of our sins or we get rid of Jesus. Look next at the crowd of ordinary people who shout, "Crucify him, crucify him." Why this shout? Had he not moved among them doing good, healing their sick ...

1661. Dealing With The Dividing Walls

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

James W. Moore

... I’m a proud man. I’m a man of my word. I vowed that I would never speak to that boy again… and I’m going to keep my word!” Isn’t that sad? Isn’t that pathetic? Isn’t that pitiful? What do you think Jesus would say to that man? I think he would ... a divisive wall of hostility? Are you alienated from anybody today? And by the way, do you feel estranged from God? Is your pride keeping you away from God? If so, give it up! Let it go! If you will swallow your pride and turn to God in humility, God ...

1662. Dying to Become

2 Corinthians 5:17

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... . The way of thinking that insists upon "killing" in order to survive "dies hard." Persons choosing to "die" to old understandings are expressing courage. The willingness to let the past die in order to become new persons includes laying aside the security operations that keep us safe from risk. Hanging on to the security of the "sure thing" is like the wild geese in Kierkegaard’s story. On their migratory flights, some wild geese stopped off to feed in the yard of a farmer who already had some domestic ...

1663. On Loneliness

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... of life that will allow no one to get close to him. But other parts of the wall were constructed frantically in haste out of whatever he could find - scrap lumber, barbed wire, whatever - when it seemed as though someone were getting too close, and he had to keep them away. As this man described his wall, he said that now he was looking for a way to build a gate in the wall. He was tired of the isolation, the loneliness. Other people have used other symbols to describe similar feelings. One person feels as ...

1664. Open Up To Life

Mark 7:24-37

Bulletin Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

... what is fair and what is right. In the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen. Prayer of Confession Even when we yearn to go about unrecognized or without social responsibility, you, God, are there calling to us. Keep us open to the life around us. Keep us open to finding ways in which we can make a difference. Keep us open to your wisdom. Amen. Hymns "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior" "Pray For A World Where Ev'ry Child" "Christian, Rise And Act Thy Creed" 1. As a congregational introit throughout September, sing one ...

1665. Finding Love

Mark 10:2-16

Bulletin Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

... yet our choice to love is honorable. Because you first loved us, we also have the capacity to love others. Amen. Prayer of Confession Dear God, loving is not always easy. Keep especially near to you those who associate love with its absence, with friction, or with disappointment. Keep especially near to you those who grieve a lost love. Keep especially near to you those who day by day are daring to season their love with ever-strengthening commitment. Amen. Hymns "Jesus Loves Me" "When Love Is Found" "I Am ...

1666. When the Sermon Turns Sour

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

William G. Carter

... got back to the church, they wrote a letter and said, “Mr. Jordan, you are no longer welcome in our church, because you keep bringing in the wrong kind of people.” As one commentator notes, “Jesus is not acceptable in his own country because his mission extends ... that you have learned all you need to learn, to affirm that the way you have always done it before is a good way to keep on doing it. That is a satisfying way to ride through the whitewater of change. Just hang on and coast for a while. It works ...

1667. Getting It Together

Luke 6:37-42

Sermon

William G. Carter

... people who came from their own troubled households. On the other hand, the people who saved my life were those who knew what it was like to go through something like that, and they helped me come through it alive.” Jesus says: “Take the log out of your eye. Keep your grubby fingers out of the eyes of others, and deal with your own blind spots.” It reminds me of the day when Snoopy was sitting on the roof of his doghouse. Charlie Brown came up and said, “I hear you’re writing a book on theology. I ...

1668. Your Sins Are Remembered No More! You Are Free!

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... will remember our sin no more (v. 34). The errors of the past are forgotten and forgiven. Forgive and forget. Can you really do it? Of course we forgive the wrongs done to us. That is the Christian way. But do you really forget the indiscretion? Do you not keep your eye on the one you forgave, just in case, even if you sincerely forgave them? On this side of the Fall into sin, only a “rube” acts like the indiscretion done to you did not happen. Even when you forgive yourself for a bad decision or a bad ...

1669. God's Gifts Are Free: Enjoy

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... best things we have produced by our deeds: the good and beautiful things that we have made; the acts of kindness and love that we have done.1 You might say, then, that the first fruits are works of Law, the righteousness that we think we have earned by keeping the Commandments of God. The first fruits are our very best deeds; they are the sort of things you do because you believe that God, society, and common decency require you to do them. We are proud of these good deeds. I am. Are you? Luther makes a ...

1670. At The Potter's House

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15

Sermon

John W. Wurster

... wholly gave ourselves to God, how do we know God would really take care of us? It seems to me it’s a better idea to keep all the gods happy, not just one. I don’t care what Jeremiah says. And I wish he’d stop saying it. Is God really going ... potter’s house anymore. No longer can we just watch the potter work and have a good time. Now we’re also preached at. Still, I keep going back down there. I just can’t stay away. I guess I’m just fascinated by what the potter does with the clay, the infinite ...

1671. Bad News from a Good Man!

1 Kings 21:1-29

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... knowing full well that they would just as soon take off his head as shake his hand. His commission was to confront them where they were wrong in the name of the Lord and tell them that God would bring his wrath upon them. Listen to this verse that keeps many preachers awake at night: “If the sentinel sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any of them, they are taken away in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at the ...

1672. The Promise of a Son

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... God would love us so much that he would give his only son is continuation of that covenant promise he made to his people many generations ago. The gift of Abram is God’s promise of a son and the establishment of a covenant whose promises God would keep. The gift of Christians is what his son Jesus promises through the establishment of a new covenant. God promises to give Abram a son as a sign of God’s continuing favor and prosperity. God gives us a son who promises to fulfill all that God has promised ...

1673. The Fruit of Forgiveness

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... homage to himself. That was even too much for Jacob, the father. Jacob did not think it was a bright idea for Joseph to share this kind of stuff with him and Joseph’s brothers. He remonstrated with Joseph about that. At the same time, Jacob did keep the matter in his mind. The brothers could not forget the matter either. The Rough Years Joseph paid a price for the favored position he enjoyed in his father’s household. On one occasion Jacob sent Joseph to visit his brothers to see how they were doing ...

1674. There Is Hope (A Christmas Communion Meditation)

Luke 1:67-80

Sermon

Brett Blair

... one of the truckers overnight sleepers. It was there that she gave birth, assisted by Floe the waitress downstairs, just off duty who was coming down with a bad head cold. They wrapped the child in motel towels, which they wondered if it was right to keep, having the truck stop emblem on it an all, and there they laid him in a drawer in the cabinet. And they asked themselves, “What now?” They asked themselves what all couples ask themselves in such times: “What does it all mean?” What will this mean ...

1675. Avoid Temptation

Luke 4:1-13

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... to forget God and to think only about ourselves. That seems to be easy. All of us like ourselves, and we spend a lot of time trying to make ourselves look good. It is easy to think of ourselves first. I want to show you how hard it is to keep from being this way. We call it denying. When you deny yourself something you are supposed to think of others and of God. That is one of the things you should do during Lent. But the devil is tempting you all of the time to think only of yourself and ...

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