Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 1676 to 1700 of 4986 results

1676. Rest

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Sermon

William G. Carter

... attached to their smart phones than have an intelligent conversation. Go the shore to get away from it all, and when you realize that others had the same idea, take note of how many of them are staying tethered to email and internet. It is simply the next extension of what I discovered about two weeks after I bought my first laptop computer some 25 years ago: because we can do work anywhere, we never stop working, especially if the work is mental, emotional, virtual, or expected of ...

1677. Revising The Agenda

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

William G. Carter

... . Jesus did not swoop down from heaven ready to snatch us from the earth. Rather, he came down to earth and stayed here until he was buried in the ground. Immediately before our text, Peter made his great confession: “Jesus, you’re the Messiah ... How can I let the whole world know the life of Jesus is the hope of the world?” Once I thought those three commands had to stay in the same order as they appear in the Bible: Deny yourself, go looking for a cross, and then follow Jesus. But the more I reflect ...

1678. Imperfect Pastors

Exodus 32:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... questions about his family’s theology and practices. When a childhood friend was diagnosed with cancer, Costi asked his father to visit her and pray with her. In spite of the family’s world-renowned faith healing services, his father said they could just stay home and pray for the child from afar. Unsuccessful attempts at healing were blamed on the lack of faith of the sick person. When Costi questioned why his family spoke in tongues without an interpreter, he was told that he was quenching the Holy ...

1679. Nothing Special Friday

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

Mary Austin

... … but not to anyone else. The gospel writers spent as much time on Jesus’ last few days as they did on everything else put together. Out of Mark’s sixteen chapters, six are about the last week of Jesus’ life. These memories must have stayed with Jesus’ friends in sharp detail, and we get them in the same painful detail. There’s nothing special about Jesus — crucifixion was a common form of death. The words “cross” and “crucify” come from the generic Latin word for torture. This kind of ...

1680. Who The Heck Is Melchizedek?

Hebrews 5:5-10

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... tied, dipped in tubs of oil, and tied to poles in the main courtyard of Nero’s house. That night, those Christians were used as torches to provide the light for Nero’s parties. For more and more members of the church, It was just too dangerous to stay. Staying in the church was made even more difficult as more people argued that even if they did remain true and sacrifice their lives for their faith, it wouldn’t do any good because Jesus was not the one who could really help them. He was great, yes ...

1681. You're In the Army Now

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Will Willimon

... , not because we're happy, but since we helped build the camp, we are so proud of how it looks. We may be slaves here, but who knows what lies outside the gate? So we stay. Paul tells the Ephesians, us, “You aren't contending against minor obstacles, a few little hurdles. You are at war. So you had better be ready. Get outfitted with the necessary armor or you won't make it.” Frankly, this Pauline talk of “principalities,” “powers,” “this present darkness,” sounds a ...

1682. Taking the Long Way Home

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

Will Willimon

... Israel. Jesus led his disciples out to Galilee, into Gentile territory. Out in Galilee, places and people got mixed up, no one stayed put. Out here life isn't always by the rules, orderly and fixed. Out here, ns the healing of both the ... m over here looking for poems by Auden, not for an encounter with a cynic.” From now on I'm going to keep out of the library and stay in the chapel where I won't meet people like you. Jesus got to the Sea of Galilee by going north and east when he needed to go ...

1683. Anointed and Appointed

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in order to be your best physical self, you need to tap into your source of internal energy. You need to practice good and consistent nutrition and take care of your body. And you need to stay active. The same could be said for an effective apostle. An “limber” apostle is filled with Dynamic power of Jesus, stays Nourished by the true vine (there’s that abiding word again), and always ready for Action. Always attuned to God’s word and call. Dynamic power: Jesus breathed on his disciples in his post ...

1684. Can I Get a Witness?

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon

Mary Austin

... under her wing anyway. When her husband died, she sent a note to my boss saying that we were going to be friends for life …and we were, until the time of her death. Of all the hundreds of hospice families I’ve known, maybe thousands, I’ve stayed in touch with only a handful …and she chose me, for some reason. Mrs. Low, with the gaps in her teeth and in her education, taught me something about faith, and trust, that I couldn’t have learned from someone with more resources. Her life, and her prayers ...

1685. Lord To Whom Shall We Go?

John 6:56-69

Sermon

David Coffin

... Jesus as the giver of new life is one recurring theme in John’s gospel. The young man in the opening illustration had to deal with bitter legal and embittered ex-spouse opposition. Jesus dealt with opposition which led to his death after he healed Lazarus. Jesus stayed on mission. His hour (John 2) had not arrived yet. In our lesson today, the bread and wine symbolize and represent the new life Jesus provided when his hour of crucifixion would arrive John 3:16; John 18-19 (RSV). His death would not be the ...

1686. But, Why?

Titus 3:4-7

Sermon

Scott Bryte & Kimberly Miller van Driel

... that simple. God came to us to be close to us, to understand and unite with us. God came to us because God couldn’t stay away. God came to his broken and imperfect world because he made it, loved it, and called it “very good.” God was born among us ... go through? Because God loves us, pure and simple. God loves us. God made us, loves us, and calls us his very own. God cannot stay away. So when you see your friends and family this Christmas, see the God who loves you. When you miss those long gone, see the ...

1687. It’s Lonely At The Top

Mark 9:38-50 · Esther 7:1-10; 9:20-22 · Psalm 124 · Numbers 11:4-29

Sermon

Thomas C. Willadsen

... trusted leaders received some of the Spirit that Moses had. And there were those two new leaders, El-dad and Me-dad, who did not get the memo. They did not go the tent to get the Spirit; they stayed in the camp. What should Moses do about that? I imagine a weary Moses muttering, “What? They stayed here and got it? Fine. Good for them, now let me get some rest.” In the gospel lesson a similar thing happened. John, a member of Jesus’ inner circle’ was upset because he had seen someone casting out ...

1688. Good News

Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Jerusalem (now covered over by the Dome of the Rock). The threshing floor had become a symbol for many, not of God’s retribution, but of God’s grace, favor, compassion, and salvation of the people of Israel! A place in which the power of death had been “stayed” by God’s own decision! What we need to understand is that the All Powerful God has the right in any circumstance to create or destroy at will. But….that God gives up that power out of love and compassion for God’s people! This…is what ...

1689. Finding the Sermon

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... with God against enemies for as long as anyone could remember. And now it was Jesus’ time to stand. Jesus could have stayed in Nazareth. He could have taken over the family business, had a family, and enjoyed what might have been a nice, long, ... , and then to Easter. It ends up being just as joyous and miraculous, but it can be a tough trip getting there. We have a choice to stay here in the safety of a Christmas faith, or to take the steps we need to take to become who God intends us to become. For me ...

1690. Seating Arrangements

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... doing the things to mistreat God’s people. And he said it was going to happen soon. Now they were back at the place they were staying on the Mount of Olives. It was one of those increasingly rare moments when they were alone, and the disciples could ask Jesus about things they ... , shouldn’t those people really do more for themselves? If we take care of them, aren’t we just encouraging them to stay like they are, and not get to work and learn how to earn their own way?” But I think those people probably ...

1691. Messiah’s Community

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... . The first is our surface friendliness in group settings because we are nice people. Most churches are probably at least an expression of this. But bring any conflict, and tensions flare. At this point, according to Peck, we have the options of staying together and working things through or going our separate ways. God and the Bible point in the former direction, but our experientialist society mostly pushes us the other way, because we want pleasure, not pain. The committed few who grapple with conflict ...

1692. Remember

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... her book the “healing power of memory” in helping us to emerge from grief in a healthy and positive way. Evoking memories, sharing those memories with others, gives us fodder for helping us through our grieving process. Our memories comfort us and help us stay connected to our loved one in a new and healthy way. If “death” or “loss” can be viewed as a kind of “disconnection,” then memory can be viewed as a means of “re-connection.” This is why memories and memory sharing is encouraged in ...

1693. The Art Of Transition

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... ’t take even a nail file on board an airplane. This month the nail file is fine, but you can’t get a tube of toothpaste through security. Oh, and now you have to wear a mask. The only way most of us can endure the airline ordeal is to stay focused on the destination. “Yes, this is torture,” we say to ourselves. “But in just a couple of hours I’ll be in Las Vegas, or Sarasota, or Corpus Christi…” or wherever. We knew our kids were getting older but we weren’t quite prepared for them to move ...

1694. Last Things First

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... Jesus said “…your redemption is drawing nigh (20:28),” not your destruction. The key thing, Jesus maintained, is to stay alert. Be on guard. Be aware. As I said earlier, Babylon was conquered by the Persians. Afterward, some of the ... but infighting between the various factions led them to invite the Romans to help calm down the situation. The Romans didn’t leave. They stayed to rule with an iron rod. This King descended from David would be none other than Jesus, who would come again in glory, after ...

1695. An Up-Close Nativity

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Heather Sugden

... that scene, right alongside the shepherds and angels, the sheep and donkey. Imagine that you bring something unique to the story to enrich it — that you need to be up close, and to see the gift coming into the world tonight. Because we do not worship a God who stays high and far away, and watches from the top shelf. No, we worship — we proclaim — a God who chose to come right here into our world — to be born in a shape like ours — to feel highs and lows like we do — in order to draw us close: to ...

1696. God Is Like...Fire

Malachi 3:1-4 · Luke 3:1-6, 9,16-17

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

... the loving Father who heals, who forgives, who nurtures. This was a God, who, in another parable, was depicted as a woman searching for a lost coin, as a shepherd seeking the lost sheep. This heavenly father loved the prodigal as much as he loved the son who stayed at home. Jesus dared to use a term unheard of in his prayers to the Heavenly Father. He addressed God as “Abba.” It’s an intimate form of address. In English it can be translated “daddy.” It’s like a little plaque I saw in a gift shop ...

1697. Easter as an Earthquake

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Will Willimon

... to face facts. You want some lunch?” The world is in the tight death-grip of the “facts." All that lives, dies. The good get it in the end. Face facts. It may be a rather somber world, but it is our world where things stay tied down and what dies stays that way. ·And there are few surprises. This is us. But Easter is about God. It is not about the resuscitation of a dead body. That's resuscitation, not resurrection. It's not about the “immortality of the soul,” some divine spark that endures after ...

1698. Return To God

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... so he could travel anywhere in Western Europe for a month. He went everywhere. He was determined to make the most of his time in Europe. He went to Paris, Stoc_esermonskholm, Helsinki, Munich, and Salzburg. He spent Easter in Innsbruck. There was a ski village there. He stayed in a hostel. He was all alone. He called home Easter Sunday night and talked to his sister for a long time. Then he talked to his mother. Finally, his father got on the phone. The longer he talked, the more emotional he got. From deep ...

1699. Living A Triumphant Life

Joshua 5:1-12

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... is rich and rewarding beyond belief. The Israelites had grown accustomed to the manna in the wilderness. But their faithfulness brought them to the promised land. Beginning at that point, they were able to feed off of the fruit of the promised land. We too can stay in the wilderness, barely surviving on the meager diet of manna. Or we can come into the promised land and enjoy the succulent treats of a greater variety of richness. If we are going to do God's work, we must be spiritually prepared. Instead of ...

1700. Allowing God To Do A New Thing

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... constituents that need to experience God's grace and the healing power of God's love? Don't you think it is ironic that the Church limits God by its lack of faith? I know a minister who went through a difficult time last year. His wife had an extended stay at a hospital that was thirty miles away from their home. It was difficult for him to take care of his three young children, drive to the hospital to be with his wife each day, and also carry out his responsibilities as a pastor. He sat alone in a rocking ...

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