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 1701 to 1725 of 4977 results

1701. Blessings for a Defiled People

Haggai 2:10-19

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... and the restoration of Judean independence on that occasion constituted a fulfillment of these promises (cf. Sweeney, The Twelve Prophets, Volume 2, p. 550). Yahweh here raises two issues that are superficially quite different from what has preceded in that neither relates directly to the building project, and they are quite different from each other—though both actually do relate to the rebuilding and motivate it. 2:10–14 Once more the interaction between Yahweh and the people starts with a question ...

1702. Zerubbabel the Lord’s Signet Ring

Haggai 2:20-23

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... and the restoration of Judean independence on that occasion constituted a fulfillment of these promises (cf. Sweeney, The Twelve Prophets, Volume 2, p. 550). Yahweh here raises two issues that are superficially quite different from what has preceded in that neither relates directly to the building project, and they are quite different from each other—though both actually do relate to the rebuilding and motivate it. 2:20–23 The book closes with a further twofold promise from this same day, though it ...

1703. Prophet Without Honor

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

David Coffin

... eye on her. Their little sister wandered off and fell into an underground mine shaft. The only hope they had of retrieving the little girl was from a drunken mining engineer who knew the coal mines quite well. But his character remained suspect throughout the episode until the little girl was rescued. Quite often until a traumatic event occurs, we might overlook those people within our community who do have abilities to further the mission of our church. Walnut Grove, the little town in the story, did not ...

1704. The Loaves

John 6:1-21

Sermon

David Coffin

... provided enough loaves of bread for us to have life and have it abundantly. God still watches over us into the future and for eternity. After five years, I grew weary of working in an office at an area manufacturer. My wife and I were quite active in our inner city church congregation and I had felt the urge to explore the possibility of being called into the ordained ministry. After many denominational hoops to jump through and probationary acceptance into the seminary (I needed to take Greek and I did ...

1705. When the Rules Change

7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

David Coffin

... fluid as to who was part of the in-group and out group as well. The fortunes of one’s family and extended family could change with a bad crop or foreign country invasion. Quite often, this made people instant outsiders of their time as such as the people who lost their jobs and less than supportive extended families. As one watches the news, in the foreseeable future, artificial intelligence may displace more people in their jobs, education opportunities, and may challenge the power arrangements ...

1706. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

Mark 9:30-37 · Proverbs 31:10-31 · Psalm 1

Sermon

Thomas C. Willadsen

... he did during World War II. He worked as an electrical engineer, designing equipment for planes. He had several patents to his credit and was quite proud of the work he had done in the war effort. But he also told me how hard he had tried to enlist in the ... doing so. The government and his employer conspired to keep him out of uniform and keep him at his drafting table. It was quite a story, — and when I heard it the third time I realized that he felt guilty, embarrassed, maybe even ashamed — 40 plus years ...

1707. The Legacy

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Upset and confused by what he was telling them and worried about him and the mission, the disciples afterward began whispering among themselves about who was the greatest among them and who would take over the mission if something happened to their leader. This caused quite a debate. Jesus, who always knows what they are up to, asked them point blank what they were arguing about. Embarrassed, no one spoke. Of course, he already knew and said to them: “Whoever wants to be first must be last and servant of ...

1708. Faces at a Funeral

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... , don’t we? In fact, even at the end, when Jesus is on the cross, when Jesus dies his horrible death, we do not want to quit. For the end is not the end, and Easter is just around the corner. Yet today is Good Friday - or Death Day. Or the day of ... hung open and she wore wrinkled skin several sizes too big over a shrinking frame. A musty afghan draped her carelessly. She couldn’t quite catch what my mom tried to tell her in a stage-whisper shout. We touched her hands and she seemed to fumble for ours ...

1709. You Can Talk the Game, but Can You Play the Game?

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Sermon

Will Willimon

... you want to be ranked in tennis you: can't do it alone, you need to get with some master of tennis who can guide you, form you, critique you, help you to get the moves and the grooves, the habits and the heart to win at tennis. It's quite closely analogous to what you need to do to survive as a disciple of Jesus on this campus. It's a game worth winning. Richard Hays tells us (in his First Corinthians: Interpretation, 1997, pp. 155-166)-that at the Isthmian games in Cornish, the winners received wreaths of ...

1710. God Encounter

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the upper room in Jerusalem. Neither the men nor the women imagined that what Jesus had told them would be true. Far-fetched after all, wasn’t it? Quietly, they mourned the dead. The last three years had been quite a ride. But in the quiet aftermath of Jesus’ death, they didn’t quite know what to do next. So, they did what any friends and family would do. They mourned, they wept, and they followed Jewish tradition. When the women reach the tomb however, a surprise awaits. The adjectives used in this ...

1711. Is This Any Way for a King to Behave?

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 · Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Will Willimon

... grand temple to show its close relationship with the greatest of all Gods. The response of God is shocking. God tells King David that he has been quite content to live in a tabernacle or a tent and that lie has no need for a grand house of cedar. God reminds King David: It ... profession. The little boy stood up and looked over at his father, standing at the back of the classroom, not knowing quite what to say. But then he brightened and said, 'My daddy is ... my daddy is here!' “Before the simple words 'My ...

1712. The Art Of Transition

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... . “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 out, start living lives of their own, and forgetting to call us for days on end. We knew that our parents were getting older, but we weren’t quite prepared for them to slow down the way they have and become so dependent upon us. We knew that we were getting older but… well, you know. No matter how much change ...

1713. You Are the Christ....Now What About Them?

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Will Willimon

... they may in turn ask us to share what we have learned of God in Christ. With the awesome responsibility of knowing that they are quite right in judging the claims of Christ by watching how we live. From what I've seen, most people do not believe in Jesus, not because ... am?” That mechanic who worked on my car last week, the chef who prepared my lunch, who do they say Jesus is? But then, quite quickly, Jesus moves to the heart of the matter. “Who do you say that I am?” That's the question. The ultimate fate ...

1714. The Dangers of Going to Church

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

Will Willimon

... -image! Martin Luther King loved to tell his story. He didn't want to be a national civil rights leader. He had gone into the ministry mostly because his father was a pastor and he always did what Daddy King wanted him to do. Martin wanted a quite life as a professor, possibly President of Morehouse College someday. Through an odd turn of events, as a young pastor he was thrust into the forefront of the Montgomery bus boycott. He came home late one night, tired, frightened. The phone rang. An angry voice on ...

1715. The Spirit Blows Where It Will

John 3:1-10

Sermon

Will Willimon

... . I don’t know about preaching. And it's tough to invest yourself in an activity which you don't understand. A couple of years ago I did a book on burnout among clergy. I interviewed clergy who had called it quits and those who had thought about calling it quits. To my surprise (why was I surprised?) they listed preaching as one of the most debilitating, frustrating, discouraging pastoral activities. Why? Well, for one thing, what good does it do? You hurl your voice against the silences, year after year ...

1716. Witnesses For The Lord

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... you, too." Instantly, the phone went silent. After a long pause, the elder said, "Do you know that this is the first time you have ever said that back to me?" The minister reflected on that conversation a great deal. He had felt love for this elder for quite some time. Why then had he been so reluctant to express his love? A couple of weeks later a pillar of the church went into the hospital with serious heart problems. This woman had been a mainstay of the church for many years. She was dear to everyone ...

1717. A Call To Community

Acts 16:6-10

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... outside and chase the dogs off. Cocoa would sit and watch them leave and still he could never figure out how to get out of the fence. Or maybe it's just that there was no place else that he would rather be. In time Cocoa grew to be quite large and much more courageous than the family had ever dreamed possible. The wife used to push their little girl in her stroller when she did her walking. On numerous occasions a neighborhood dog would race up to the stroller barking furiously, only to be backed down by ...

1718. In Pursuit Of The Promise

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... was kneeling in prayer. Indignantly, the man asked, "What on earth could you be praying for? I'm the one in danger here!" The lion very calmly said, "I am giving thanks for what I am about to receive."1 We are like that too, sometimes. We aren't quite sure if we should tremble in fear and anxiety or if we should give thanks for the opportunity that lies before us. That must have been part of what the disciples were feeling when Jesus left them. They were fearful at the loss of their leader. Yet this also ...

1719. A Maturing Faith

Acts 16:16-40

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... . For the next hour and a half this young man poured out his heart. In tears he shared all the sordid details of how he had been sucked into a life of cocaine addiction and now the cocaine was sucking the life out of him. He desperately wanted to quit. He wanted to stay straight. But he needed help. Gary was married with three children. He had grown up going to church. He wanted to do the right thing and he could not understand why, no matter how hard he tried, he kept slipping up. He could not bring ...

1720. Naaman Is My Name!

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... stand offering psychiatric help for a nickel. Charlie says, "I need help! Tell me a great truth. Tell me something about living that will help me." Lucy responds by asking, "Do you ever wake up at night and want a drink of water?" "Sure," Charlie responds, "quite often." Lucy then offers her advice, "When you're getting a drink of water in the dark, always rinse out the glass because there might be a bug in it! Five cents, please." Charlie pays, and walks away saying, "Great truths are even more simple than ...

1721. Unusual, To Say The Least!

Amos 7:1-9, Amos 7:10-17

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... the sermon they wanted. They wanted God to bring down wrath on "other" nations. They were mad at the preacher and even tried to throw him over a cliff. Of course, we don't treat preachers that way today. We just stop going to church, ignore the sermon, quit paying tithes, and tell the folks at the Sunday dinner table that "this preacher is sure not as good as the last one we had!" Preachers are not the only witnesses for Christ who can be unpopular and in disfavor with others. Many of the fine laity could ...

1722. When Self-esteem Gets Out Of Hand

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

J. Will Ormond

... he was thankful. "God, I thank you...." That seems to be a good start for a prayer. Don't we often begin a prayer with "O God, I thank you for all your many blessings" without being too specific about what those blessings are? But this Pharisee was quite specific about the things for which he was grateful. He was grateful for those things which he thought set him apart from and above other people. "God, I thank you that I am not like other people." Then he began to list the ways in which he was different ...

1723. The Collapsing Circle

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

... Africa on a business trip to advise American companies as to how they might best respond to pressures to do something positive in this world of apartheid. As a church-going man he determined to go to church somewhere in the city on Sunday morning. Quite intentionally he sought a place to worship in a black South African congregation. He wasn't at all sure he would be welcome in such a congregation. But he knew his scriptures. He knew that in Jesus Christ the barriers that separated people should be broken ...

1724. Choices

Luke 10:38-42

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

... 's call her Beverly Washington. She was the first woman Lieutenant Governor ever elected in her state. Such a first brought much deserved media attention. There were many demands for photo opportunities and interviews. Beverly Washington had never experienced the limelight quite like this before. One of the interviews with Lt. Governor Washington was conducted by a much younger woman who was obviously taken with the Lt. Governor's success. "I see you have a degree in law from Harvard," the interviewer began ...

1725. Disarming Evil

Colossians 2:6-23; John 8:44-45

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

... was the same gun." Dr. Peck was stunned. Bobby's parents were all but telling him that the whole matter with Stuart was his fault and things would be best if he would commit suicide too. Dr. Peck called the parents to his office. They seemed to be quite normal, blue collar, church-going, hard-working folks. Dr. Peck confronted them with their deed. "Don't you see that giving Bobby this gun was like telling him to go out and kill himself?" Dr. Peck inquired. The parents, Dr. Peck tells us, could see no such ...

Showing results

Showing 1701 to 1725 of 4977 results

1701. Blessings for a Defiled People

Haggai 2:10-19

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

1702. Zerubbabel the Lord’s Signet Ring

Haggai 2:20-23

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... and the restoration of Judean independence on that occasion constituted a fulfillment of these promises (cf. Sweeney, The Twelve Prophets, Volume 2, p. 550). Yahweh here raises two issues that are superficially quite different from what has preceded in that neither relates directly to the building project, and they are quite different from each other—though both actually do relate to the rebuilding and motivate it. 2:20–23 The book closes with a further twofold promise from this same day, though it ...

1703. Prophet Without Honor

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

David Coffin

1704. The Loaves

John 6:1-21

Sermon

David Coffin

1705. When the Rules Change

7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

David Coffin