Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1676 to 1700 of 1795 results

1676. VALS

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

According to William Meyers in The Image Makers, Madison Avenue's most widely used categorization of people in our society is that suggested by SRI International's VALS (Values and Life-Styles). This divides people into five basic groups, as follows: Belongers: The typical traditionalist, the cautious and conforming conservative. Archie Bunker is a Belonger; he believes in God, country and family. These are those who are the staunch defenders of the status quo (33 percent of the population). Emulators: Not ...

1677. Luther on Mother

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

In commenting on the nature of women, Martin Luther is reported to have said: "When Eve was brought unto Adam, he became filled with the Holy Spirit, and gave her the most sanctified, the most glorious of appellations. He called her Eve, that is to say, the Mother of All. He did not style her wife, but simply mother, mother of all living creatures. In this consists the glory and the most precious ornament of woman."

1678. The Poor Man in the Mercedes

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... , but poor, rich Dives went to Hades. Obviously, the very affluent Dives couldn’t believe what had happened to him. He had made it a personal rule in his early life never to experience any discomfort. It was his conviction that he deserved to travel in style—after all, in the words of the popular commercial a few years back, he was worth it! But now he was experiencing an eternity of stark discomfort. The air conditioner had failed and the water was turned off. “Please father Abraham,” he cried out ...

1679. A Strange, New Math

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Glenn E. Ludwig

... ... People call company politics a "game." But it's a game you have to play, like it or not, if you want to survive and succeed. Listen to the contents of this book that is going to put me at the top of the corporate ladder: Why style -- rather than performance -- is the key factor in determining who makes the boardroom. When teamwork isn't the answer. How to make points with the boss without being obviously on-the-make. How to learn needed inside information without being unethical. And it goes on and on ...

1680. Hug and Kiss Blessing

Illustration

Bill Glass

... hugging, kissing, touching, and blessing mentioned in the Old Testament has carried over to the modern-day Jew. They have a very strong sense of family. We, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, should have received this heritage. But I think we have been influenced more by the Prussian-German life-style, and also a sort of Puritanism that says don’t touch anyone or show emotions.

1681. Playing It Safe

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

... to have muted colors. They can see a cardinal, but red is not necessarily a food color to them. Even though I can see it on my plate, I don’t eat purple food! Two friends of mine in Athens, Ohio used to sing on stage a beautiful Mexican-style ballad they wrote. I always liked to hang around after their performances to watch the dreamy-eyed freshmen girls come up to them and ask what the English translation of the song would be. They were always crushed to hear that the song was titled, “Why Are There No ...

1682. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... away from the things that keep us from loving and forgiving others. We decide to do it and then we do it. We toss out those old attitudes that separate us from God’s other children according to the color of our skin or the sound of our accent, the style of our clothing, the size of our paycheck or the location of our house. If we have two coats we give one to our neighbor who has none, and we do the same with food and with shelter. We make an effort, a real and sincere effort to live according ...

1683. Patches

Luke 5:36

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... is the idea that Jesus had about His Father in heaven. Most people who knew Him thought that He was an angry old man who was always trying to get even and punish the poor people on earth. Jesus said that this kind of thinking was old and out of style. The new thought is that God is a God of love and forgiveness and not hate. There were lots of old ways. For instance, the old way to think about life was that the sick were being punished by God. Jesus said, "No, God heals the sick and makes them ...

1684. The Gospel in Miniature

John 3:16

Sermon

King Duncan

... , http://www.bethquick.com/sermon8‑15‑04.htm. 2. Gene Shalit, Great Hollywood Wit (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2002), p. 127. 3. “Four Castaways Make a Family” by Rene Denfeld, Aug. 11, 2017, The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/11/style/modern-love-four-castaways-make-a-family.html. 4. “10 of the Most Heroic Acts of Self Sacrifice in History” by D.G. Hewitt, History Collection, https://historycollection.co/10-of-the-most-heroic-acts-of-self-sacrifice-in-history/4/. 5. Ibid.

1685. Broken Yet Sincere

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the page. For her, that memento may not be beautiful to anyone else. But in her eyes, it bears the sign of her husband’s love and devotion even in the face of death. The letter was “sincere.” It lacked proper grammar, good handwriting, style, and wasn’t written on the best of paper. It was torn in multiple places, taped together at the corner. Without aesthetics, it was an authentic, beautiful symbol, one that kept this woman’s husband alive through many long years. The scripture today has been ...

1686. Lord of the Sabbath

Luke 5:33-39, Luke 6:1-11, Luke 7:18-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in a very different interpretation of the way in which one behaved during Sabbath time. When Jesus reminds the Pharisees that God made the Sabbath for humans as a gift, Jesus is hearkening back to a definition that means “sanctification,” blessing, garden-style rest, worship and time for relationship with God only. To “remember” that you are God’s people should be a delight, a time for feasting and celebration, a recognition of God’s great gifts. As work was the “punishment” for the fall ...

1687. Bittersweet

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . Fred honored his mother by wearing those sweaters on every show. No matter how famous he became, he never lost track of who he was, his roots, and his family. No matter how unstylish those sweaters his mother made may have seemed to others, (as the styles changed over the years his sweaters stayed the same) he proudly wore them for 40+ years. Why? His sweaters always reminded him that relationships were the most important gift of all. Your blessing of God’s grace in your heart must be worn too for all ...

1688. The Lamb

Luke 19:28-44, Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, John 12:12-19

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... you?? Can you let go your money (asks Jesus of the rich young ruler)? Can you let go the new shoes you just bought so someone else has shoes? Can you let go of your security, your safety, your comfort, your convenience? Can you let go of your worship style? Your musical preferences? Can you let go of your place on committees? How about letting go of your favorite pew? Can you let go and give your heart to Jesus? This is the only thing God asks us to let go --our stubbornness, our pride, our hard-heartedness ...

1689. The Gardener

John 20:10-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... with God! It doesn’t come naturally after eating of the tree of knowledge. Now, there are choices. And God spends all of scripture trying to get humans to make the right choices and be in relationship with God, follow God’s ordinances, lead a “garden” style life. The garden image is everywhere in scripture, in the Temple, in the songs, in arkwork, in the design of the Shabbat candles, which represent the tree of life. The garden image is put in fact onto the “arc of the covenant” in order to ...

1690. Slow Burn

Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... (Proverbs 4:24-26) Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:6) Jesus’ teaching and healing go hand in hand. In the scriptures, on a mountaintop, Jesus, in rabbinic style, interprets the scriptures using metaphors to help people understand what he is trying to get across. In these first teachings as we have them from Matthew, Jesus moves from one theme to another, obviously choosing them based on current issues of the day ...

1691. She Waits

Acts 1:1-11, Luke 24:50-53, Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in Hosea or Jeremiah). But we see the master story in the story fulfilled with Jesus, which mirrors the Jewish/Hebrew betrothal and wedding customs in a masterful way. When Jesus meets with His disciples in the upper room, he completes a covenant style meal with them (bread and wine), a sacramental and covenantal type of meal, significant not only in the Passover or in the tradition of Melchizedek from Genesis, but in the Jewish betrothal ritual. In fact, Jesus refers to Himself several times in scripture ...

1692. Pilate's Ruse

Matthew 27:1-26 · Luke 22:66--23:25 · John 18:28-40; 19:1-16 · Mark 15:1-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... her plea, but acts as though the decision is “out of his hands.” Yet at the same time ….. in the custom of Rome (for Pilate is in no way bound to the Jewish custom of hand washing) …. Pilate “washes his hands” in Roman style --in preparation for a victory, in preparation for the destruction of a dangerous opponent. For Pilate, sentencing Jesus is now one more notch in his political doorpost. For in a crafty and cunning political move, through this “hand-washing” tactic, Pilate has won. He ...

1693. Identity Crisis

Genesis 32:1-21, Genesis 32:22-32, Genesis 33:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of a scoundrel, the “Frank Underwood” of his tribe, and it’s time for him to confront himself in the “mirror” that is God’s face. Or rather in the waters of the Jabbok that will become his baptism. If we were reading this tale in literary style, we would imagine that Jacob has encountered his “doppelganger” –and has engaged in mortal combat for who will rule his life. But in the biblical story, Jacob must confront the very being of God, in the form of an angel, who challenges him, and with ...

1694. Third Day

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . Until God breathes….into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life. Then “adam” (clay) becomes Adam, a living being. On the Third Day. Third Day is a metaphor for life. Not just any life. God-given life, Spirit-breathed life. Miraculous, garden-style, creation-from-nothingness life! The miracle of Life itself. Life from death….from nothingness…..from the deep, the void, the dry ground, the essence of creation itself….of seed, and being, future and time, livingness, and a new kind of relationship ...

1695. House of God

Ephesians 2:1-10, Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in our lives and in our churches, the way we make beautiful “music” to the Lord can be as different as all of those ingredients in that pesto. But together, it’s a symphony of smell, taste, enticement, and excitement! You can have garlic music mixed with a basil worship style. You can have pine nuts in your bell choir, or a bit of onion in your mission team! You can have an oily kind of budget but with a bit of vinegar in your finance manager. And you come up with a great group of people on a Jesus ...

1696. Heart of a Pelican

Matthew 17:24-27, Exodus 30:11-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... means for the benefit of the church and its ministries and missions, because we are a community. And our community desires to be the Church together in this way and in this time. We do ministry together, we serve a hurting world together. We enjoy our style of worship, our own meeting place, our rituals, and our traditions, our songs, our food, our liturgy, yes even our beautiful stained-glass windows. These exist all to help remind us of that One True Thing that truly matters –that we have a ticket to ...

1697. Be Strong

John 21:15-25, John 21:1-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.” (Isaiah 40:29) “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, Who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn And to the quarry from which you were dug. Then I blessed him and multiplied him.” (Isaiah 51:1-2) one I called him,was but heWhen And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain; “Look to Abraham your father Passing the mantle usually means a cloak or tunic, receiving the honor of carrying on the work of the one before you ...

1698. You Are What You Wear

Luke 24:1-12, Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49) The fashion industry is one of the largest money makers in the world. From jeans to Cartier pearls, your fashion is your statement. Your dress is your address. Style is a statement about who you are and what you stand for, a form of visual and tangible identity that flags the viewer to a specific image you want to create, the way you want to be “viewed” and seen in the world. Your clothing is your credo ...

1699. The Dwelling Place

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... your omega. And he is everything in between. May your days be blessed, and your ministry and mission be His tabernacle of love. For wherever you go, and wherever you pray, Jesus goes with you. *Many synagogues and some churches are designed in “tent” style after the tent of meeting or tabernacle. Based on the Story Lectionary Major Text Jesus’ Transfiguration (Luke 9:18-36) Minor Text Let There Be Light (Genesis 1) Moses and the Burning Bush on God’s Mountain (Exodus 2) Witnesses to Moses on Sinai ...

1700. Raison d’Etre

Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... . Out of fear, we arm ourselves, willing to love our neighbor but just as willing to kill them if we feel threatened. Our federal law enforcement agencies are afraid to enforce the law for fear of an armed and violent confrontation with self-styled militias and survivalists. Armed adult men and women stand at our borders, wrap themselves in our flag and hurl threats and insults at children whose parents are so miserable and desperate that they have sent them here, unaccompanied, hoping that they will find ...

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