Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1676 to 1700 of 4972 results

1676. Welcome to My House

John 14:15-31

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... day. How do you get into your homes? (Let them answer.) Right. We open the door and walk in, but first we have to unlock the door. I always carry this key with me so I can unlock my house. (Hold up key.) Most people lock their homes when they leave. When they go back home they have to unlock the doors. Why do we lock our houses? (Let them answer.) That's right, to keep other people out. We don't want strangers walking into our houses. There are certain people who don't need keys to come into our ...

1677. Swoosh

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Drama

Dave Marsh

... me that you never noticed that everything you own has a ‘Swoosh’ on it. Look at you. Your hat, your shirt, your coat, the bag, your shorts, your socks, and your shoes! Jim: (fidgety) Yeah. Heh. Look at that. Weird. Sarah: Whatever. C’mon let’s go. You can leave the bag. Jim: No, I’ll bring it with. Sarah: Come on, we’re going for a jog, not a workout. Jim: Yeah, all the same, I’ll bring it along. Sarah: (suspicious) What’s in the bag Jim? Jim: Nothing. Sarah: Give me the bag. Jim: No. Sarah ...

1678. The Bigger They Are...(A Drama about Overcoming Obstacles)

Drama

Dave Marsh

... is from my best friend. She says that all I need to do is work harder at getting around it – show perseverance and it will eventually go away. Yeah right. (gives Jeff the paper - in the same fashion) Jeff: But… April: This is from my mother. She says leave it there. It’s not that bad. She loves me. Everything will be fine. Yeah right. (gives Jeff the paper - in the same fashion) Jeff: But... April: And this one is from my husband. His wise council was that he’s tired of hearing about it, to just ...

1679. God’s Will? (A Drama about Using the Lord’s Name in Vain)

Drama

Dave Marsh

... UP CENTER STAGE where Mark and Jenny are sitting on a couch. Mark is casually flipping through TV channels.) Jenny: Mark? Are you listening to me? Mark: Hmmm? (not listening to her) Jenny: Mark? I’m going to leave… Mark: Hmmm? (still not listening to her) Jenny: (Tests him) Here I go, Mark. I’m leaving…. and never coming back… Here I go…. MARK! Mark: What? Jenny: Would you put that stupid thing down? (takes remote and turns off TV) I’m trying to talk to you! Mark: I was listening! Jenny: No ...

1680. Good News

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Brett Blair

... That's a fact - no exceptions, no extensions." "Nevertheless, there is reason to hope," Doctor Gomes promised. "The future is God's gift to you. God will not let you stumble or fall. God has not brought you this far to this place to ABANDON you or leave you here alone and afraid. The God of Israel never stumbles, never sleeps, never goes on sabbatical. Thus, my beloved and bewildered young friends, do not be afraid." What Doctor Gomes did for the senior class at Harvard, Isaiah does for Israel. This is the ...

1681. Eager For The Journey

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Brett Blair

... on occasion, give as much of your money away to the poor as you reasonable can, while still taking care of your family and when you leave home each day make every effort to tell the world that the reason you are doing all this is because some guy 2000 years ago ... . Jesus astonishes the fishing crew by telling them exactly where the fish are. Peter falls to his knees and asks Jesus to leave. Apparently, Peter thinks to himself, this is a very holy man. But Jesus has other plans. They will continue to fish but ...

1682. Experience the Mountaintop But Don't Forget the Valley Below

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Brett Blair

... lady, what words of comfort he can give her to prepare her for her eminent death. He arrives at the hospital, goes up to her room for the visit. He sits and talks with her a few minutes, just small talk really, nothing earth shattering. When he makes ready to leave, he asks if she would like him to have prayer with her. She answers, "Yes, of course. That’s why I wanted you to come." He then asks politely, "And what exactly would you like me to pray for?" "Why, I want you to pray that God will heal me ...

1683. It Doesn't Have To Be This Way

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

James W. Moore

... this Canadian hotel, he craters. He hits bottom. Filled with anxiety, completely immobilized, paralyzed by his emotional despair, unable to leave his room, lying on his bed, he moans out loud: “Life isn’t worth living this way, I wish I ... Well, the man is still prone to anxiety. He still has to work hard. But, now he has a source of strength. During the week, he often leaves his work-desk and goes to the church near his office. He sits there and prays. He says: “It clears my head. It reminds me of who ...

1684. Neighbors Who Never Met

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Brett Blair

... to warn his brothers. We get the impression that they are on the same path as he was. He had five brothers we are told, but for our purposes we are going to assume that this was act ally 3 brothers and 2 sisters. WE don’t want to leave the women out. The point is that he wants to warn his family about their impending fate. Yet, he is denied that privilege. Now why couldn’t Jesus have let the story end like Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol”? In that story Morley, Scrooge’s business partner ...

1685. I've Got a Strong Case of the 'Can't Help Its'

John 1:35-42

Sermon

James W. Moore

... came to the funeral to support his friend Miss Donna in her grief. At the reception in the Hines Baker Room after the memorial service, John stood beside Donna and held her hand. She had been there for him and now he was there for her. He would not leave her side. It was a beautiful moment and people in the room had tears in their eyes, so touched by John’s intense commitment to lovingly stand by Miss Donna, his friend and mentor. Some of us saw John eyeing the goodies on the reception table – punch and ...

1686. Struggling with God

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."(1) Wow! I guess we should not be surprised by Jacob's response. He took that ... a threat. Misbehave? May God gethcha! (Remember that the next time you stand in a circle holding hands as you prepare to leave the class.) The journey continues. Jacob is about to be reunited with Esau. What would big brother's reaction be? Jacob decides ...

1687. A Mother's Gift

1 Samuel 1:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... told her husband about her vow of returning the boy to the service of the Lord. God had taken her on as a partner, as, in a sense, God does all mothers. Hannah felt that it would be unworthy to take the lad to the Tabernacle without planning to leave him there. No, neither she nor Samuel would celebrate the feast until the boy was ready to begin his training. The caravan of pilgrims had now made its way to the Tabernacle precincts. Hannah's heart raced as she took in the sight once more. She remembered the ...

1688. Be Careful What You Wish For, You Just Might Get It!

1 Samuel 8:1-22

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the nest to embark on a new stage of life." I know. Someone has suggested that God made teenagers the way they are so we parents won't mind so much when they leave. Well, for me anyway, it has not worked out that way. Away with the maudlin!!! Graduates, I trust you learned your lessons well. In keeping with the spirit of the season just completed, let me share some answers to test questions as compiled for posterity by dedicated teachers to show ...

1689. It's All in the Perspective

Psalm 8:1-9

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... - just one of six-billion-plus; through the eyes of faith, we are incredibly important - God knows us so intimately that even the hairs of our heads are numbered (a figure that changes by the hour for some of us). With what eyes will you leave this place this morning? But before you leave, come to the table. That might make a difference. Remember, it is all in the perspective. Amen! 1. Earth's Answer (New York: Harper and Row) 2. Bradford Keeney, Everyday Soul, (New York: Riverhead Books, 1996), p. 30

1690. A New Look at an Old Treasure

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... they have been with me all along; I cannot imagine them being gone. "And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." My destiny is sure. My present, my past, my future...secure. And all because "The LORD IS MY SHEPHERD." Now, I suppose we could leave it at that - flows nicely, neat little three-point package - but, in the process, you might have noticed, we had to make some major mental leaps which make me want to think about it again for a moment. It starts out with, "The Lord is my shepherd," through ...

1691. Of Rubble and Trouble

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... that I wouldn't spend my whole life on the Hill. And I woke up one recent morning and said, `Schroeder, you've gone from toilet-training your children to menopause in this place. You're getting real close to being a lifer.' Unfortunately, the Washington I'm leaving is meaner than it was when I arrived - and that's not good for any of us." (5) Our American political process used to be a lovely temple; it is fast becoming rubble. The temple of religion, the temple of government. Most of our cities are fallen ...

1692. Hope for Hurting Hearts

Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... as his beat-up Pontiac. But he never quit looking. Ever since the Levi's factory closed, he had been unemployed, and with winter raging on, the chill had finally hit home. It was a lonely road. Not many people had a reason to be on it, unless they were leaving. Most of his friends had already left. They had families to feed and dreams to fulfill. But he stayed on. After all, this was where he had buried his mother and father. He was born here and knew the country. He could go down this road blind, and tell ...

1693. Make It Right!

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... God without drawing closer to other people, and no way to approach other people without coming near to God?"(9) Listen once more to Jesus' instruction: "when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift." MAKE IT RIGHT!!! After all, the same Bible that says BELIEVE also says BEHAVE. Amen! 1. Mark 3:1-5 2. Matthew 21 ...

1694. The Lord's Prayer: Please Forgive Us as We Forgive

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... was all right. As Mrs. Stevenson recounted it in the book, her husband WAS all right, but he was feeling a sense of shock and anger at learning of some unexpected treachery on the part of one whom he had every reason to trust. He told her, "I had to leave. I am not yet fit to say, `Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.'"(1) Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt unable to pray that prayer because of some harbored grudge, some pent-up hurt? Or, more likely, have you just tended to mouth ...

1695. Regis and Jesus

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... those things is that there will come a day when they will NOT be yours. As the old Spanish proverb has it, "There are no pockets in a shroud." A rich man in town died one day, and two men were talking about it. "How much did he leave?" asked the one. The reply came back, "All of it." Good common sense wisdom: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth..." But Jesus did not stop there. He continued, "store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves ...

1696. What Is Truly Important

Matthew 6:25-34, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... City Editor of the Greensboro News for a number of years until his retirement. But his A-vocation was helping desperate people, alcoholics who had come to the end of their rope. You see, he knew what that was like; he had been one himself. Slick leaves behind a remarkable legacy. He personally organized several of the 12-step meetings in Greensboro that are continuing to this day. In the late '60's, Slick and a couple of friends realized the need for an inpatient facility in this community to care for those ...

1697. Stay in the Boat!

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... Lord IS there saying, "Take heart. It is I; don't be afraid." Only Peter has a problem with that - he gets out of the boat, and that gets him in trouble. The point is simply this: there is safety in this boat...the church. It gets dangerous when you leave. I wish I could assure you that you will never be tempted, but that is not the case. For some folks, the storms of life make their faith stronger; for others, the storms cause them to abandon ship - I have seen both. Matthew's message is STAY IN THE BOAT ...

1698. The Ultimate Question

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... surely do not want to hear, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross..."(6) Those are all a part of the Biblical picture, but "No, Lord. Let us simply say, `You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,' and leave it at that." I suspect Lorenzo Minoli and his screen writers would agree with the wisdom of the remark that "The only way to make a good statue is to throw away good marble."(7) You and I might or might not agree with what was "chipped away" in this ...

1699. Peace in the Midst of the Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... that you are and all that you have, and he does not seem to be bothered about your trouble at all. It is not hard to imagine that feeling. People have had the same reaction for centuries in facing the storms that buffet their lives. A young mother dies and leaves a bereft husband and two small children and people wonder if the Lord is sleeping through it all. A little child is hit by a car and crippled for life and the family wonders if perhaps God might have been taking a nap at the time. A home is broken ...

1700. Ephphatha...Be Opened

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... is...`There's a Bomb on the Bus.'"(1) Now, I realize that the strange title for the sermon today may not meet Professor Macleod's standard - Mrs. O'Leary might keep on riding. But it is a quotation from Jesus that the gospel writer chooses to leave in the original Aramaic to call attention to it in a big way, much bigger than normal. EPHPHATHA! It is a command that probably should be repeated and repeated and repeated and repeated. But more about that as we go along. Our lectionary gospel lesson introduces ...

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