Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1726 to 1750 of 4943 results

1726. Trinity Sunday

John 3:1-21

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... Is a Day of New Beginnings." Have the soloist sing the first two verses of this Brian Wren hymn. Then have another person begin reading the gospel lesson. The accompanist can continue playing the hymn softly as the lesson is read. After reading verse 6, the soloist interrupts and sings the first and third stanza of the hymn. Then the reader continues to the end of the lesson. Then the soloist concludes by singing the first, fourth and fifth stanzas of the hymn. The congregation might be invited to join in ...

1727. First Sunday After Christmas

Luke 2:21-40

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... teach us to live lives that are open to you. As your Spirit rests on us, let us hear your voice speaking to us. Lead us into paths of righteousness and devotion to you. Open us to the prayer that never ceases, and to the worship that continues day and night. Strengthen us as we fast from the world's excesses. And fill our mouths with songs recounting your faithfulness, and our lips with praise for your promises kept, now and forever. Amen. Commissioning and Blessing Just as Simeon and Anna pointed to Jesus ...

1728. Christmas Eve / Christmas Day

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... among us,Lft: and we have seen his glory, Rgt: the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth." All: (Sing the "Gloria in Excelsis") Responses to the Word Have the people join in singing "Of the Father's Love Begotten." Then as the singing continues, invite people to come forward to the altar rail to pray quietly to God. After a sermon on John's witness to the light of Christ, ask those who believe that "Jesus is the Word of God become flesh and is the source of life and light to all who ...

1729. Teach Fear To Say Its Prayers

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... way I feel about the storm. I tell her God is in control. That is my firm belief. Sure, a storm may be dangerous and we may have to take special measures to protect ourselves. By the time we have talked a few minutes, even though the storm may be continuing, she begins to calm down. A little boy and his father were with some passengers aboard a sailing ship when a storm came up at sea. They were at the mercy of the waves. Passengers were panicky, rushing here and there in dread and fear. Only one little boy ...

1730. Swansong as Themesong

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... of it all? Swansongs make good themesongs. It is well for us to soak our minds and souls and hearts in the wisdom of those who have approached the top of the mountain of truth. They give us the supplies we need for our journeys, the staples we need to continue. They give us themesongs that can be sung in our hearts. Then one day, when we rise to give our swansong, we can do for someone else what others long ago did for us. In that way, our faith is transmitted and the good news of God”s salvation is ...

1731. An Untouchable God?

1 Samuel 6:1-7:1

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... we encounter something that troubles us and let it sit on the side of the road, pretending it away. After a time, David hears that the ark has not been a source of trouble, but instead a blessing for Obed Edom’s family, and so determines to continue with his efforts to get it to Jerusalem. Initially, David is extremely guarded and cautious. Wouldn’t we be, too? “After the men carrying the Covenant Box had gone six steps, David had them stop while he offered the Lord a sacrifice of a bull and a ...

1732. A Sleeping Bag God

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... too, should it be with our religious ideas. They should always be tentatively held, pending the disclosure of future insight. I submit that this, not a frenzied defense of orthodoxy, is the essence of trust. Such a stance is informed also by the joyful conviction that God continues to reveal truth to his children. We worship not an idea about God, but God, and it is our encounters with God and God’s grace that should shape our notions. It is not our notions about God that should place us in the posture of ...

1733. What Ever Happened to Wisdom?

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... there is no room left for evil. To think and do only good is to be in the image of God. An illustration of how doing so much good can crowd out evil comes from the life of Robert Louis Stevenson. This nineteenth-century author of Treasure Island could not continue to live in England because its damp, cool climate was bad for his health. So he took his family to live in a house on a hill on the beautiful South Pacific island of Samoa. At the foot of the hill two villages of Samoans were constantly at war ...

1734. Adam’s Prime Rib

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... Adam and Eve had an ideal marriage. He didn’t have to hear about all the men she could have married, and she didn’t have to hear about how his mother kept house. There will never be another marriage like that. The Scripture in Genesis continues, “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife.” That verb, “cleave,” has two opposite meanings. One is to cling to; the other is to separate. Naturally, the first is meant here, but the second is what too often happens. There ...

1735. Here They Come, Singing

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... come true. One of the greatest promises he has ever made occurs earlier in this same chapter of Jeremiah. It is one of the most important verses in the Bible. “I have loved you with an everlasting love,” God promised his people; “therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” It is an Old Testament parallel to John 3:16: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” True, Jeremiah’s prophecy speaks of only “the ...

1736. Changing The Rules

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

... a fine man, but when he suddenly died 10 years ago that left all of the responsibility on your mother. Billy, your mother has done a fine job raising you and your sister." Billy reached over and grabbed his mother's hand and held it gently. The judge continued, "She's done an excellent job despite the handicap of not having your father during all these years. Billy, she has sacrificed for you. She has worked hard, overtime, in order to give you the things that you need to have. And she has raised you in the ...

1737. The M And M Factor

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... Samuel 21) The sabbath is to provide opportunity for humanity to rest and to have time to meditate upon God. "Sabbath was made for humankind, not men and women for the sabbath." (Mark 2:27) The Pharisees would have nothing to do with such discussion. They continued to hound him. They watched as Jesus' presence in the synagogue brought strength to a man's withered hand. Jesus saw the Pharisees watching and he tried to reason with them once again. "Tell me, Learned Ones," Jesus said, "is it allowed to do good ...

1738. There's A Man Going Around Taking Names

John 1:19-28

Sermon

Thomas Long

... , but they finally have no lasting power, because our case has been pled before another judge in whom there is no condemnation. "There stands among you," said John to his accusers, "one whom you do not know," and when, the next day, John saw Jesus himself, he continued his testimony in the trial which really matters, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" The accusers of the world try to take our names, but in Jesus Christ we have been given a new name, and the world cannot ever ...

1739. Easter 4

Psalm 23:1-6, Acts 4:1-22, 1 John 3:11-24, John 10:1-21

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... key interpretation is not that the enemies of Jesus were in control by their ability to take his life. Rather it is that Jesus by an act of the will of God could lay down his life for his followers and take it up again. Their mission is to continue as his flock under his leadership as eternally present. They are to identify his other sheep and bring them into his flock. The full meaning of the "I am the Good Shepherd" claim could not be understood by the disciples prior to Easter. At that time they could ...

1740. The Fruitful Vine

John 15:1-17

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... inactivity and lack of connectedness that they are no longer in living fellowship with that congregation. 5. Abiding in Christ. If a vine is cut off from the source in its root, it dies. Likewise the new life in Christ withers and dies unless it is continuously nourished by drawing on the source of life. The fellowship with Christ needs to be renewed regularly. That needs to be done in a variety of ways. One way to renew the spirit is by participating in the worship of the church. Through the reminders in ...

1741. Eating Living Bread

John 6:25-59

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... little time is left to volunteer for the tasks of the church. Women earlier provided much of the volunteer time for teaching Sunday school, quilting and sewing for missions, preparing food for fellowship meals, and other such tasks. Now they work at paying jobs and continue to do most of the household chores. They now have more money than time in many instances. A consequence for the church is that people have little time for the life of the spirit. The church has often moved to a kind of professionalism ...

1742. Tying Up A Strong Man

Mark 3:20-30, 1 Samuel 8:1-22, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18, Mark 3:31-35, Psalm 138:1-8

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... in the world, why would he allow one of his agents to overthrow his workers? Jesus reverses the argument and rebuts the scribes. 8. "A House." (vv. 25, 27) A house was used as an image for a political domain. In the Old Testament, for example, the continuation of the house of David represented the persistence of his dynasty as the rulers of Israel. 9. "His Property." (v. 27) What belongs to the devil? If creation is from God, nothing really belongs to the devil. 10. "Blaspheme." (vv. 28, 29) The term is not ...

1743. The Healing Of Simon Peter's Mother-In-Law

Mark 1:29-34

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... -in-law: What women do share in Jesus' time and in the new millennium is the call to define and redefine who we are, whose we are, that is, that God has made us, and what God calls us to be. I use the word redefine because society continues to evolve. Life brings many accidents and other changes. I would challenge women of your time to study both the negative and the positive connotations of service and being servants. Explore the simple, obvious ways we fulfill what God means for us to be. Asker: What was ...

1744. Stilling The Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... more than anything else, being a disciple of Jesus has meant constantly learning. Following Jesus around all day humbles one. I sometimes want to go far out to sea to escape the responsibilities to which my commitment to him calls me. Asker: Then why do you continue to be a disciple? What are the benefits of following Jesus? Is your faith as empty as you felt it to be when terror overcame you in the boat? Disciple: Despite the fear that occasionally overtakes me, or possibly because of the presence of fear ...

1745. Proper 12

John 6:16-24, John 6:1-15, 2 Samuel 11:1-27, Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... above verbs aptly describe what David did when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. He was looking from the roof of his palace and saw Bathsheba in all her glory. Lust starts with the look. You can't help but see something at times, but you don't have to continue to look when something arouses your desires. Next, the text says that David sent his servants to Bathsheba and they took her (v. 4). He had no right to take her; she was the wife of one of his own soldiers. This led to adultery, deceit and murder ...

1746. Ascension Day

Acts 1:1-11, Luke 24:36-49, Luke 24:50-53, Mark 16:1-20, Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... ascended into heaven so that he might grant his blessing to all his people, of every nation, race and tribe, down through the ages. Blessed to be a blessing. Luke relates the reaction of the disciples after Jesus ascended to heaven. They worshipped him and were continually in the temple blessing God (vv. 52-53). When a person is blessed of God, that same person becomes a blessing to God and to others. PREACHING POSSIBILITIES Lesson 1: Acts 1:1-11 Sermon Title: A Time For Waiting And A Time For Working ...

1747. Epiphany 5

Job 7:1-7, Isaiah 40:1-31, Mark 1:29-39, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... a Gentile; to the weak, he also lacks strength. The apostle's aim of sharing the gospel dictates almost everything that he does. Gospel: Mark 1:29-39 (C, RC, E) This lection continues last Sunday's text. Jesus leaves the synagogue in Capernaum and enters the home of Peter and Andrew. The ministry begun in the synagogue continues in a home. Peter's mother lies ill with a fever. Jesus takes her by the hand and restores her not only to health but service; she commences to serve them dinner. After sundown ...

1748. Epiphany

Ephesians 3:1-13, Isaiah 60:1-22, Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... so filled with star dust that they couldn't recognize transcendent reality in a very lowly and earthly shape and form. They fell down at the feet of a peasant child, not yet weaned from his mother's breasts, and paid him kingly homage. Outline: 1. The wise men continually looked up to the stars. 2. Their transcendent vision set them on an earthly quest for meaning and authority. 3. Christians look up to the Word of God for light; we look down on the earth and find him. 4. In Christ we see the light of God's ...

1749. Proper 28

Mk 13:1-32 · Heb 10:11-25 · 1 Sam 1:4-20 · Ps 16

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... became pregnant. After she weaned her child (Samuel), she brought him to Levi, together with the appropriate sacrifices. Samuel stayed with Levi and became the last of the judges and a great prophet. Epistle: Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25 The text continues to hammer home the same point that we have dealt with the past several weeks. Christ's priestly ministry is superior to that of the Jewish faith. The sacrifices in the temple needed to be repeated daily but Christ's priestly ministry was accomplished ...

1750. Proper 7

Mk 4:35-41 (5:1-20) · 2 Cor 5:14-21; 6:1-13 · 1 Sam 1:32-49 · Job 38:1-11, 16-18 · Ps 9

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... he finds himself, he aims to please the Lord. The love of Christ motivates him to proclaim the gospel; that Christ died for all people so that they might no longer live for themselves but for Christ. Gospel: Mark 4:35-41 (5:1-20) The Gospel continues where last week's left off. Jesus instructs the disciples to get in the boat and go to the other side of the lake, probably for rest. In the crossing a sudden storm, for which Lake Galilee is infamous, sweeps down upon them. The wind threatens to swamp ...

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