Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1651 to 1675 of 1679 results

1651. The Wild Within

Luke 4:1-13, Mark 1:9-13, Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Then as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out…through all that vast and dreadful desert that you have seen…” (Deuteronomy 1:19) When writing and thinking, your imagination is your “wild place.” It’s that disorderly place of imaginative dreaming in which we let our mind roam the wilderness of images, a wide open range teeming with randomness of thoughts, synthesis of uncommon ideas, mines of raw intuition, then swirling it all up into a mind tornado that can forge any number of new directions, creative ...

1652. The Pardoning of Jezebel

Mark 7:24-30, 1 Kings 9:10-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

One of the most traumatic practices of some churches of the past (and sadly, in some cases, the present) is shunning. In fact, shunning today might be considered a form of emotional abuse. Shunning occurs when someone is labeled as having transgressed the rules and guidelines of the church in some way. When someone in the church is “shunned,” they are stamped as a sinner and dismembered from the body. Until he or she repents (if at all), he or she is thrust out of the faith community and essentially “ ...

1653. Our Strange, Strong Peace

John 14:15-31

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

Reflecting on her experiences with the Holy Spirit, pastor and educator Marian Plant once wrote, “There are times when the last thing I need in my life is the activity of the Holy Spirit. That “presence” of God which has a way of seeping into the psyche and unsettling one’s accepted ways of carrying on life. That manifestation of the Holy which alights on one with the innocence of a summer firefly, but whose motive is to transform the unsuspecting believer into something akin to a fiery dragon on behalf of ...

1654. The Magic Ingredient

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

King Duncan

I don’t know if any of you ever read the obituaries. My guess is that the older you are the more likely you are to let your eyes drift over to that section of the newspaper. As the comedian would say, “just to make certain your name’s not printed there.” Of course, some of our younger members are asking, “What’s a newspaper?” An interesting obituary appeared in the Chattanooga Times-Free Press recently (12/18/2019) that, in my estimation, was good for a chuckle or two. It was for a Katie McDonald, 80 years ...

1655. Good for What Ails Us

Matthew 9:35-38

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

Before modern medical science really took off in the last fifty years of the past millennium, there were a lot of home and folk remedies being prescribed by well-meaning individuals, but also by con artists and charlatans. The remedy was often administered accompanied by the phrase that the supposed cure was “good for what ails you.” The classic, all-purpose remedy for nearly every condition was a table-spoonful of castor oil. Perhaps some of you suffered through that treatment or gave it to someone else. ...

1656. Enduring the Trials of Faith

Romans 4:13-25

Sermon

Richard Gribble

“In the seventh year of his reign, two days before his 65th birthday, in the presence of a full consistory of cardinals, Jean Marie Barette, Pope Gregory XVII signed an instrument of abdication, took off the fisherman’s ring, handed his seal to the Cardinal Camerlengo and made a curt speech of farewell.” So begins the power novel The Clowns of God, the second volume of a trilogy of tales about popes and faith written by Morris West, the Australian-born author. In the story the pope has seen a vision of the ...

1657. When We Are Weak

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Today our nation celebrates Independence Day, which commemorates the day that the 13 original colonies joined together to declare their independence from Great Britain. In fact, the first time we were ever referred to as the “United States of America” was in the Declaration of Independence, which was accepted by the leadership of the 13 colonies on July 4, 1776. July 3, we were a collection of colonies. July 4, we were the United States of America. That’s why we call July 4 the birthday of our nation. So, ...

1658. The Dean's Dilemma

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

King Duncan

When you were a kid did you ever fantasize about finding a magical being who would grant wishes for you? Kids see endless possibilities in the world, yet their power is fairly limited, so they get a lot of satisfaction from imagining a magical being, like a genie or a fairy or an angel, who can instantly give them whatever they desire. But the movies and stories along these lines almost always come with a moral: Be very careful what you wish for—you just might get it. It reminds me of the story I like to ...

1659. Consuming Fire

Hebrews 12:18-29

Sermon

Will Willimon

Some of you are new here. If you are...welcome! If you are a new student, a particular welcome to you. After all, this is your Chapel. I want you to feel...what is it I want you to feel? I almost said, "This is your Chapel and I want you all to feel right at home." That's what I almost said. "I want you to make yourself at home, comfortable." But it's hard to feel that way in Duke Chapel. The place is big, real big, and dark, real dark, and the organ plays loud, real loud, and the preacher is up, way up. ...

1660. The Days Are Coming

Jeremiah 33:14-16

Sermon

King Duncan

Every actor deals with the fear that something will go horribly wrong when they step out onto the stage. Forgetting a line. Tripping over your own feet. A wardrobe malfunction. Fortunately, actors are taught to think on their feet and improvise if something were to go wrong in a scene. Actress Jennifer Laura Thompson recalls how her cast mates in a stage play of “The Wizard of Oz” tried to improvise when the set machinery didn’t work. Thompson was playing the role of Glinda, the Good Witch, who is supposed ...

1661. It Helps If You Laugh

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Here it is, "Mother's Day," a day to celebrate the women who raised us and the women who are raising our children. On this Mother's Day I want to make a confession: "I HAD THE MEANEST MOTHER IN THE WHOLE WORLD" That's right. I had the meanest Mother in the world. While all the other kids ate candy or cookies for breakfast, I had to eat healthy stuff like cereal, eggs or pancakes. When they got cokes and chips for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. And to top it off, I had to eat supper with the family. My ...

1662. Fathers Need A Giant Sized Faith

1 Samuel 17:1, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A Sunday School teacher was telling the class the story of David and Goliath. He really got into it and told it with lots of gestures and movements and sound effects. He finished by telling how little David killed the giant Goliath with a rock from his sling. At the end of the story he asked the class what lesson they had learned. One of the little boys popped up and said: "Duck!" Goliath should have ducked. The story of David and Goliath is probably the best known story from the Old Testament. Kids love ...

1663. If It Helps You Laugh

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

1664. One More Year

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

Have you ever been judged and found wanting? No? Well, I have. I remember about a thousand years ago when I first went off to college. It was a heady time. I had grown up in a fairly controlled environment and the sudden surge of freedom caused me to, well, go a little crazy. I will be honest with you. I did more partying than I did studying. The result of this was that I was soon on academic probation. Moreover, I got called into the academic dean’s office for what was called a “conversation.” I showed up ...

1665. Places That Have a Memory

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Do you believe places have a memory? I know that seems like a strange question this morning. Don’t worry, I drank my coffee. I’m firing on all cylinders. But are there places in your life that evoke such strong memories that when you go back to them, you can almost see and feel and smell past experiences there? Or have you ever stood in a place and felt the stories emanating from its walls? I feel that way inside this church building sometimes. I think back to all the people who prayed here, who wept here ...

1666. Righteous, Dude!

Matthew 5:13-20

Sermon

John Jamison

The first thing I need to say is to point out that the story today picks up right where we left off last time. Jesus was sitting somewhere near the Sea of Galilee teaching a large crowd of people who had come to hear him. Along with the usual people who lived and worked in the villages and towns around the sea, there was a group of Pharisees and Sadducees who had been sent up from Jerusalem to check this Jesus out and determine if he was going to become a problem. So far, they had taken a lot of notes. ...

1667. Seeds

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

William G. Carter

I am always astonished at the tenacity of vegetation. The dandelion pops up overnight, blossoms in a burst of yellow, then explodes in a puff and scatters across the yard. There’s a vine that wraps itself around the back fence. Every year it gets snipped down to the soil, but every year it returns and grows taller. It’s well planted. Or there’s the blade of grass that pokes its head out of the crack in the driveway – how did the seed get there? A good seed, given the right conditions, can grow just about ...

1668. Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

William G. Carter

One summer day, it was my turn to mow the yard. The dew had burned off, the grass was dry. I fired up the Briggs and Stratton, lowered the blade, and took it for a spin. The job took about 45 minutes and it was done. Yet as I circled the front yard for the first time, I realized my lawn is full of weeds. Now I knew there were a few. A weed-and-feed expedition earlier in the spring eliminated most of the dandelions. It seems other undesirables have invaded our plot of land. That is a big deal in the town ...

1669. Dying, We Live

1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Sermon

Will Willimon

"O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" It was a familiar story. A nice person like me with much work to do, trapped on a four hour flight from Denver to Durham, cornered like a caged animal, seated next to a person who is determined to set me straight before we land. Where does American Airlines get these people? Hardly had our wheels left the ground than she informed me that she was returning home from a ''Wellness Convention." ''You dig wells?" I asked cutely. That was my big ...

1670. Master Teacher

Matthew 15:10-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

The Christian Testament scriptures are the most fascinating set of inspired and brilliant stories we can possibly read and learn from. The scriptures are amazing. But too often, we miss the best parts. This can happen when we read either from habit and read over clues that we’ve never noticed before or when we don’t see the entire picture and have a hard time imagining what’s happening in real-time. I like to employ two “clues” or “helps” therefore when reading scripture. These can deepen our understanding ...

1671. Be Near, Ye Faithful

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sermon

Ronald Love

The origin of this well-known Christmas carol O Come, All Ye Faithful remains a mystery. For several hundred years it was maintained that it was written by a cleric in the Middle Ages. The earliest known manuscript of the hymn was discovered 1740. The discovery of the manuscript is attributed to John Francis Wade. In England he was a copyist and writer of church music. At this time there was a Holy War between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church. Ward, in 1745, left England and took up ...

1672. Dynamic Preaching January 2024 Sermons

Sermon

King Duncan

[Note: While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.] Original Title: Preparing for a Royal Visit New Title: Getting Ready Mark 1:1-8 January 7, 2024 (Baptism of the Lord) A little boy attended his first symphony concert. He was excited by the ...

1673.

Psalm 129:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Oppressed But Not Crushed 129:1–8 As with the other psalms of ascent, this psalm reflects a postexilic date (e.g., the use of Hb. še- instead of ʾašer in vv. 6, 7). As explained below, it has a three-part structure: a testimony regarding Israel and its wicked oppressors (vv. 1–4), wishes or statements regarding Zion and all who hate it (vv. 5–8a), and a closing blessing (v. 8b). The first half focuses on the people’s suffering and liberation, and the second on retribution. Key to identifying the psalm’s ...

1674. The Dream is Fulfilled

Daniel 4:28-37

Understanding Series

William Nelson

The King Becomes a Beast-Man and Then Recovers: In terms of form, chapter 4 starts out as a letter from King Nebuchadnezzar addressed to all people everywhere. It begins in the first person with praise to God (4:1–3). Next, the king relates in his own voice the story of his dream (4:4–18). Then the account shifts to the third person for Daniel’s interpretation (4:19–27) and for the narrative of how the dream was fulfilled (4:28–33). Finally, the text reverts back to the first person as Nebuchadnezzar ...

1675. The Seventy “Sevens”

Daniel 9:20-27

Understanding Series

William Nelson

Daniel’s Prayer and the Seventy Weeks: Chapter 9 is unique for three reasons. First, it starts with Daniel reading a prophetic text rather than receiving a vision as in the surrounding chapters (chs. 7, 8, and 10). Second, the particular name of Israel’s God, Yahweh, is only found in this chapter (vv. 2, 4, 8, 10, 13, 14, 20). Third, most of the chapter is taken up with a prayer. Elsewhere, the author makes clear that Daniel believed in talking to God (2:18; 6:10), but only here does he record the lengthy ...

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