Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1701 to 1725 of 2844 results

1701. The Real "Lord's Prayer"

John 17:6-19

Sermon

King Duncan

Here’s a question for any of our women who have been mothers. Do you remember your favorite gift that you ever got at a baby shower? A woman named Louise Cramer tells the story of opening gifts at the shower for her first child. Among all the necessities and toys, Louise found one very special gift. It was a baby quilt hand-sewn by her grandmother, who had passed away years before. As Louise marveled over the beauty of the quilt, it hit her that her grandmother had planned this quilt, and spent weeks ...

1702. The Transformative Power of God

1 John 1:1--2:2

Sermon

Richard Gribble

The resident bishop at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, who was known to be a great evangelist, reaching out to cynics, unbelievers and scoffers, told the following story. It seems that years ago there was a young man who would daily stand outside the cathedral and shout terrible words and derogatory slogans against God, the church, and anyone who entered the cathedral. He would call these people fools and all sorts of other names. People tried to ignore the man, but it was rather difficult. One day ...

1703. Why Did Jesus Come?

Luke 2:21-52

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

My parents did not attend church when I was a child. A godly aunt and uncle asked my parents if I could attend church with them in 1951 when I was four. Fast forward to Christmas 2018 and I could probably count on one hand the number of times I have missed church. I entered pastoral ministry in 1970 while in seminary and have preached dozens of Christmas sermons. Each time I preach an Advent message I have to ask myself the same question, “Why did Jesus come to earth?” The ending story of our text tells of ...

1704. It's All About the Messiah

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

I read an old legend about a Christmas party that Satan and his pack of demons were having in hell. As the demonic guests were departing, one laughed and grinned and sarcastically said to Satan, “Merry Christmas your majesty!” At that, Satan replied with a growl, “Yes, keep it merry. If they ever get serious about it, we’ll all be in trouble.” Today the focus is all about the Messiah and we need to be serious about it. It is the birth of the baby Jesus, the Messiah. It is the coming of God…the doctrine of ...

1705. Faith and Freedom

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

During World War II, a General and one of his Lieutenants were traveling from their base to a base in another state. They were forced to travel with civilians aboard a passenger train. They found their compartment, where two other folks were already seated. There they found an attractive young lady and her grandmother. The four of them had a friendly visit for most of the trip, at least until the train entered a long and rather dark tunnel. Once inside the tunnel, the passengers in this particular car ...

1706. Not Guessing

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

In his book George Lucas: A Life author Brian Jay Jones tells the story about how the famed filmmaker rose from obscurity in the small California town of Modesto to become the world-famous creator of the Stars Wars series. Lucas, an indifferent high school student, became serious about pursuing a career in film after surviving a devastating car crash. His college student films attracted some attention, but initially only a few people recognized that he had the potential to become a great filmmaker. However ...

1707. Righteous Woman

Genesis 38:1-27

Sermon

Will Willimon

I have told you we were going to preach through the story of Joseph, right through from beginning to end. Genesis 37 to Genesis 50. Those of you who may have been following along in your Bibles know that I lied. We had a sermon on Genesis 37 (Joseph's coat and his dream) and then a sermon on Joseph in Egypt beginning with Genesis 39. What happened to Genesis 38? I have never preached on Genesis 38. To my knowledge, after a thorough search in the library, no one has ever preached on Genesis 38. Get ready. ...

1708. The Baptism of the Lord

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

Rummaging through some of my old memorabilia I rediscovered a post card with the picture of a church on it. I well remember the church because it was the one where I was baptized. As a child of eight I asked Jesus to come into my heart at the altar of my small local church. It was an important time in my life and it started me on my Christian walk. The small church where I put down my spiritual roots did not have a baptistry in it. My pastor told us that it was important for new Christians to be baptized ...

1709. Nose Hairs And Disney

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Sermon

Mary Austin

We continue listening to Paul’s letter to the early Christians in the city of Corinth. In this reading, he continues with his vision of the church as a body with many, equally important members. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but ...

1710. Christ’s Call to Discipleship

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

Throughout my academic career I struggled. Nothing came easily, but I determined to be the best pupil possible. The Greek culture considered a disciple a philosopher’s follower or sometimes an apprentice learning a trade. The New Testament writers used the term in different facets. Don Campbell shared the uses of the word disciple in The Theological Wordbook as: First, describing the twelve. Radical demands were placed on these men as Jesus was always on the move. He constantly challenged, motivated, ...

1711. Rules for Basic Living

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

Rules! Rules! Rules! We have a love/hate relationship with them. They bring order to chaos…stability from unpredictability…soundness to erratic changes. However, rules can frustrate, overwhelm and discourage us because we view them as concrete, never-bending or always rigid. At times we resist them with a passion while at other times we embrace them with vitality. How often has this conversation been played by a parent to their child? Parent: “I told you not to do that, it’s a rule in our house!” Child: “ ...

1712. Finding Your Place

Romans 12:1-12

Sermon

Will Willimon

“Some days the world is a tuxedo and you are a pair of brown shoes.” Do you know the feeling? You are the extra wide tie when everyone else has gone narrow, the three piece suit when everyone else heard that it was to be casual, the only one who didn't weep during E.T. Is it too much to simply find a place, to be like others, to, chameleon-like, blend with the landscape? So Ernest Becker sees humanity caught between the tension to, on the one hand, make something out of ourselves, to “stick out,” be ...

1713. Peter Asks A Question

John 13:1-7 · 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

A Sermon To Prepare The Congregation For The Service Of Feetwashing And The Love Feast I like it whenever Peter appears in a New Testament story. He's going to do something. He's going to say something. He will not be content to remain a passive spectator. When Jesus asks the question, "Who do people say that I am?" I can picture the other apostles hemming and hawing and looking at the ground, sort of like school children who do not want to be the one who answers the question for the teacher. Everyone is ...

1714. Transformed

John 4:5-42

Sermon

April Yamasaki

In the Orthodox Christian Church, the woman at the well in John’s gospel is remembered as Saint Photini, which means “the enlightened one.” Apparently her passion for sharing Jesus as the Messiah sent from God did not end with the people of her own town. Instead, church tradition recounts her travels as an evangelist to the city of Carthage in northern Africa and then to the city of Rome where she sought an audience with the emperor Nero. While the emperor agreed to see her, he rebuffed her attempts to ...

1715. When the Way Is Hard

Matthew 26:14-27:66

Sermon

April Yamasaki

In the gospel of Matthew, the sweep of events from Judas’ decision to betray Jesus, through his arrest, trial, crucifixion, and burial takes less than fifteen minutes to read aloud. Yet the emotional intensity of these events makes for an exhausting read. Alone in my room, I could hardly make it through. If I were to read this as part of worship in my church, I’d want to skip the regular sermon and plan some silence to reflect and recover before we’d sing a song of response. Just imagine living and dying ...

1716. The Just-In-Case God

Acts 17:22-31

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Everyone likes a good compliment, don’t they? So long as it’s sincere and not overdone. We like it when people notice good things about us. A compliment can instantly improve your mood, give you energy, make your whole day brighter. But have you ever been the recipient of a backhanded compliment? That refers to a compliment that somehow seems more like an insult when you think about it. The editors at Reader’s Digest magazine compiled a list of backhanded compliments submitted by their readers. A woman ...

1717. Singing the Lord's Song

1 John 3:16-24

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A father took his little girl to Church for the very first time. After the service he asked her if she liked it. She replied, "I liked the music, but the commercial was too long." I promise that this mornings commercial won't be very long. We are celebrating Heritage Sunday. As Methodists part of our heritage is music. So this morning, I would like to take Wesley's directions for singing and interpret them for everyday life through this passage from John's first letter. In 3:18 John writes: "Little ...

1718. Converts Or Disciples?

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

William G. Carter

Whatever else we want to say about this story, it is an Easter story. At dawn on the day he was raised, the risen Christ said, “Tell my brothers to go to Galilee.” When they did, they saw him, just as he promised. Our text is the only Galilee appearance that Matthew reported. It sounds like other Easter stories. Christ is present...and the disciples have mixed feelings. As Matthew noted, “When they saw him, they worshiped him, and some doubted.” It’s like every Easter Sunday, for it’s a mixed house. Have ...

1719. Simeon (A Monologue)

Luke 2:22-40

Sermon

David E. Leininger

I am old and ready to die. To be truthful, I have been ready to die for years, but right now, I feel ready as I have never been before. You see, earlier today, in the temple in Jerusalem, I met a young couple who had come with their young son for the ritual of purification, and I knew when I saw them that a promise which God had made to me had been fulfilled. Now I am ready to die. I suppose I should explain. Perhaps you know me; perhaps you don’t. My name is Simeon. I am a rabbi, a member of the Sanhedrin ...

1720. We Need Another Miracle

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Do you believe in miracles? Psychology Today reports of a study that surveyed almost 36,000 Americans, aged eighteen to seventy-plus- years-old, and found that 78% of people under the age of thirty believed in miracles versus 79% among those older than thirty (Pew Research Center, 2010). With respect to religious affiliation, 83% of those who were affiliated believed in miracles in contrast to 55% of respondents who were unaffiliated. Although people from all religions believe in miracles, over 80% of ...

1721. Jews and Christians: All in the Family

Romans 15:4-13

Sermon

Will Willimon

“May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another...as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Any law enforcement officer will tell you that a policeman would rather try to stop a bank robbery than to intervene in a domestic argument. Bank robbers want only to take the money and run. But an estranged husband or ...

1722. The Interpretation of the Vision

Daniel 8:15-27

Understanding Series

William Nelson

The Vision of the Ram and the Male Goat: Here in chapter 8 the language reverts back to Hebrew. When the Aramaic section began, the narrator introduced it by saying, “The astrologers answered the king in Aramaic” (2:4). There is no explanation given in chapter 8 for the change back. The author inherited the Aramaic material (2:4b–7:28) but shaped it for his purposes. He then added chapters 1 (actually, 1:1–2:4a) and 8–12 in Hebrew. Chapter 8 is linked to chapter 7 explicitly by informing the reader that ...

1723. Schadenfreude

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

Lori Wagner

How many of you grew up watching either the originals or the re-runs of Wile-E-Coyote and the Roadrunner? Throughout the series of cartoons, we laughed, as Wile E Coyote was continually foiled in his attempts to catch the super-fast and super sly roadrunner. Time and again, the coyote’s efforts and plots come back to bite him, so to speak, as he blows himself up, plunges off of cliffs, and gets pounded by boulders. Every trick up his sleeve backfires, and he never does catch the Roadrunner! (Beep, beep). ...

1724. Kingdom Mystery

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

David Coffin

An older man in his early sixties of age has been working for his company for over 25 years. He attended college and later went back for a master’s degree so he could better serve his employer. He has earned his own office due to his hard work. While he is not a regular church worshiper, he does practice the Christian work ethic he learned earlier in life regarding working hard today for a better future. He is honest and will help people who in are need. He tries to model this work ethic for his family and ...

1725. Gathered Around Jesus

Mark 6:30-34; 53-56

Sermon

David Coffin

There are both perks and problems for a congregation that is located near a military base. As the families of military personnel are constantly in a state of flux due to assignments and deployments, there are constant rotations of the local population. One particular congregation that worships with less than one hundred people per Sunday was fortunate enough to have three families move into their worship community. This enhanced the ministry of the congregation both in terms of financial giving, volunteers ...

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