Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 151 to 175 of 928 results

151. Audacious Faith

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... that the leper knew his condition. We raised the question, “Do we? Do we know our condition?” Jerry and I were in Edinburgh, Scotland, the first part of December there for 3 days vacation following my work in London with the Evangelism Committee of the World Methodist Council. There’s hardly any time, whether on vacation or not, when I’m not thinking about preaching and looking for that which will communicate the word. I knew this particular sermon was in the offing. So, when John Birkbeck and I ...

152. Should America Repent?

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... -to-bumper with a highway patrolman sitting under a No U-Turn sign. The trooper got out of his cruiser, walked over to my car, and said, “Didn't you see the sign that is right here by your window?" “I'm from Kentucky," I replied. “Furthermore, I am on vacation and the place I am supposed to be is back there." He looked at me for a long time and with a great sense of grace said, “Just go on back to the hotel where you belong." On God's highway, U-turns are not only permissible, they are desirable ...

153. What Would Jesus Say About Materialism?

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... may be, I suggest to you today that you are just about one cookie away from being happy. It is inherent in the human situation and we learn it extremely young. I spent most of this last week with my grandson, Caleb, down in south Georgia on a little vacation. He immediately found the toy store that was up the street from the condo in which we were staying. Of course, I took him to see the toy store and to play like good, friendly grandfathers are supposed to do. After he had played with the free stuff he ...

154. Repent

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... and particularly not about driving. When I spotted an emergency crossover, I immediately pulled in only to find myself sitting under a NO U-TURN sign bumper to bumper with the Virginia Highway Patrol. “Sir, did you see that sign?” asked the trooper. “I’m vacationing here from Kentucky,” I replied. “Furthermore, the place I need to be is back there.” The trooper heard my plea and let me go. Sometimes the best we can do is stop, turn around, and go back. That is what repentance is. Repentance is ...

155. Living on Full Alert

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17. 20-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . There is no door like the one to your own house. There are no faces like those of the ones you love. There is no meal like the one at your own table; there is no bed that feels like your own bed. That is the wonder about vacation. The best thing about vacation is getting back to your own bed and coming home again. Then Max moves over into the Book of Revelation and begins to talk about the old Apostle John. John is old now; his body is weary, his friends are gone. Peter is dead; Paul has been martyred ...

156. Luke 9:51-62

Luke 9:51-56

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ?” With the cost of gasoline so high, and the construction-congestions choking our interstates, most of us opt for the get-there-as-fast-as-possible vacation. Going round-about on the blue-highways, winding and wandering from one location to the next, making the journey as much a part of the experience as the destination — that is a real “road trip.” Today’s gospel text marks the beginning of Jesus’ “road trip” to Jerusalem. The Galilean ...

157. Habakkuk: The Problem of Evil

Habakkuk 1:1-4

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... 's message to the people, Habakkuk delivers the people's complaint to God. So the book opens with a troubling question: HOW LONG? How long, O Lord, how long? It's the question of every child traveling on vacation. It's the question of every mother in her ninth month of pregnancy. As I took an extended vacation at Vanderbilt hospital this week with a cough that wouldn't stop, I found myself asking, too, how long, O Lord, how long? Of course, Habakkuk had deeper things on his mind. He wanted to know. “How ...

158. Fanning the Flames of Family

Ephesians 5:8-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... asking me what I did with my time, says Will. I replied, “Aside from preaching and leading worship on Sundays, I also became involved in innumerable family squabbles. Summer vacations can put a lot of stress on families. In the usual course of things, families have very little contact with each other. Forced together in a tent or mobile home on vacation, they suddenly realize how little they enjoy each other's company. It's a stressful time for many." I think he's right. When Sandy was teaching school and ...

159. The Names by Which He Is Known

Exodus 3:1-15

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... brother." Then "Danny's other brother." And then, of course, there was "Danny's mother" and "Danny's father," as well as "David's mother" and "David's father." We even had "David's sister's dog." The pattern continued for several summers as our families vacationed across the street from each other. It was a playful way that the members of the two families referred to one another. What we did playfully for a few years, however, is what Israel did quite seriously for centuries. Danny's brother, Jeff, was not ...

160. A Vision Vanished

Philippians 3:4-14

Sermon

Larry Lange

... an eye. As Arnold reached the crest of a hill, at a place where the road curved off to the right into the woods, he saw Jesus standing by the side of the road. Now Arnold didn't know how he knew he was looking at Jesus. According to the Vacation Bible School poster he had once seen in a grocery store in town, Jesus looked a little like Robert Redford with sandy hair and blue eyes. But it was dark and Jesus was a dark and shadowy figure, and Arnold stared at him in disbelief, but he let the accelerator ...

161. Control

Acts 2:1-13

Illustration

Randy Hyde

... foot and lower it slowly into the water until she barely had her big toe submerged. Then she repeated the act with the other foot. Then, having satisfied her minimal urge for a swim, she would retreat to her chair and umbrella and spend the remainder of the vacation curled around a book. I'm afraid that may be a parable of our Christian commitment. Are we afraid to give in to the Pentecost experience, fearful that we might lose control? That's what it is really all about, isn't it? Control. We want to be ...

162. A Community of Practice, Not a Community of Perfection

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... brings ecstasy and enchantment. Music that channels creativity and sparks the imagination. Music that fills a lonely evening. Music that brings a party to life. Okay, okay: the hope of that mystic connection to music is why you DO pay for that instrument over the summer vacation. When it sounds good, it looks easy. But it took a lot of practice to get to that point of sounding good. Why is it we will put up with the imperfections and disruptions of “practice” when it comes to learning to play a musical ...

163. Celebrate This!

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Steven Molin

... on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. His goal that month was to build a new bathroom for the community there. On the last day of his vacation, a small Indian girl approached him and, in her outstretched hand she held a nickel. "Here," she said, "I want you to have this." "No" the pastor said, embarrassed. "I can't take your nickel. You keep it." "Please take it," the girl insisted. "Besides, I have another one!" And ...

164. Sherlock's Cracked Case

Humor Illustration

... . The driver said, "No sir, I have never seen you." Puzzled Doyle asked how the driver knew he was Conan Doyle. The driver responded, "This morning's paper had a story that you were on vacation in Marseilles. This is the taxi-stand where people who return from Marseilles always wait. Your skin color tells me you were on vacation. The ink-spot on your right index finger suggests to me that you are a writer. Your clothing is English, not French. Adding up all those pieces of information, I deduce that you are ...

165. Playing By the Rules

Humor Illustration

Cathy and her boyfriend, Irving, who is a golfing fanatic, are on vacation. They are on the golf course. Cathy: "Here's your ball, Irving! It was over in the weeds!" Irving: "AACK! You moved the ball! You're not allowed to move the ball, Cathy ... a SPORT! It's no fun without rules! It's pointless unless everyone plays by the exact same rules!" As Irving walks away, Cathy follows after, writing in her notebook, "To do after vacation. Get relationships declared a "sport" and print up rule book for all the men."

166. The Power of Observation

Mark 10:46-52

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

... I have never seen you before." Doyle was puzzled and asked him how he knew that he was Arthur Conan Doyle. The driver replied: "This morning's paper had a story that you were on vacation in Marseilles. This is the taxi-stand where people who return from Marseilles always wait. Your skin color tells me you have been on vacation. The ink-spot on your right index finger suggests to me that you are a writer. Your clothing is very English, and not French. Adding up all those pieces of information, I deduce that ...

167. Mary AND Martha, Heart AND Home

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and your vocation are one and the same, when you are paid to play. If you first and always love the Lord, and sit at his feet, then every act of discipleship is “play.” Your vocation IS your vacation. There is no disjuncture between living your life and loving the Lord. All of life becomes a playground of the Spirit, whether you’re in a Martha or a Mary role. So I send you out this morning: to play. Go Out and Play. Show others what it means to ...

168. Go Hard or Go Home!

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon

King Duncan

... it slowly into the water until she barely had her big toe submerged. Then she repeated the act with the other foot. Then, having satisfied her minimal urge for a swim, she would retreat to her chair and umbrella and spend the remainder of the vacation curled around a book. (1) She reminds me of many Christians I have known. They have the stuff of greatness in them, but they never really wade into the waters of Christian discipleship. Maybe a toe. Sometimes an ankle, but rarely do they become so stirred ...

169. I'm Listening

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... president said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning," the diplomat responded softly, ''I'm sure she had it coming to her." Nope. Nobody listens. Even to people who are important to us. A young woman tells of a time when her father went on a three weeks’ vacation to London, England. He called her one evening just to check up on her and see if all was okay. The phone callsignal wasn’t that good. For the life of her, she says, she didn’t recognize his voice. She heard the person say something like ...

170. Everything Must Go: Striking It Rich

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... determined to be able to afford things for my kids that my dad could never buy for me. I wanted to be able to wear the kind of clothes that the other kids wore. I wanted to be able to travel to some place other than Florida for a vacation. (Don’t get me wrong I like Florida – I just hate Gators!) I am not unique, because with rare exceptions we all either have dreamed or still dream of striking it rich. Maybe you are a college student with visions of landing your dream job after graduation. There are ...

171. Mary and Martha: Nine to Five and Five to Nine

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... said Mary chose the better portion. For her the issue was not so much living to eat, as eating to live; not so much the daily bread, as the bread of life. For her it was not so much a question of how we look or dress or eat or vacation or exercise, but how we think and pray and worship and nurture and teach and share and relate and serve and yes, how we love. Do we really love anyone but ourselves? Woman: However, the spiritual breakdown of our society surely isn't due only to working women. Most of ...

172. The Life You've Always Wanted

Acts 5:27-32

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... if you look around your neighborhood, work- place, and community you will find those who fulfill the English epitaph. They have already died and are just waiting for burial. Their life is without meaning, purpose, or direction. They live pay- check to paycheck, Friday to Friday, or vacation to vacation. They are like the man who wrote: I get up each morning, dust off my wits Pick up the paper, and read the obits. If my name is missing, I know I’m not dead So I eat a good breakfast — and go back to bed ...

173. Ten Commandments for Parents

Illustration

Kevin Leman

... . Don't do things over for me; that makes me feel that my efforts didn't measure up to your expectations. I know it's hard, but don't compare me with my brother or my sister. 9. Don't be afraid to leave for a weekend together. Kids need vacations from parents, and parents need vacations from kids. Besides, it's a great way to show us kids that your marriage is something special. 10. Take me to Sunday school and church regularly, setting a good example for me to follow. I enjoy learning more about God.

174. Are You Suffering from FOMO?

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... and it refers to a recent phenomenon in our society. It’s called “FOMO”—the Fear of Missing Out. It’s the idea that someone somewhere is having a better time than we are, living a richer life than we are, attending a better party or taking a better vacation than we are, and that we’d better cram as many experiences into our life as possible so we don’t miss out on the good life. After all, “You only go around once in life....” FOMO is popping up in other areas of our society as well. When ...

175. Get the Garbage Out!

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... preaching in this morning’s Bible passage--“Garbage out!” How do you prepare people for the coming Messiah? “Get the garbage out!” That’s like a funny list I saw of the top signs that your pastor needs a vacation. The number one sign on this list of ways you know your pastor needs a vacation is that his [her] first words to the congregation on Sunday morning are, “All right, you heathen, listen up!” (2) If you hear me start off a sermon like that someday, you’ll know it’s time for me to ...

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