Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1726 to 1750 of 4977 results

1726. The Joy Of God

Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:1-7

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

... him to faith? A couple of years ago Dr. Ishida answered this question as he addressed a mission gathering here in the United States. Dr. Ishida told the group that he was a teenager during the Second World War. He came from a Buddhist family and he was quite devout. He spent much time at the Buddhist Temple in his city. The temple was a quiet place for meditation and devotion. It was a safe place. He liked being around the temple, he said. There was a security there for him as he gave expression for his ...

1727. Hear No Evil

Luke 1:46-55 (53); 4:18-16; 19:1ff; 16:14-15 et al

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

... , for example, while the staff is busily serving a marvelous banquet the butler is called aside. His father, who also works and lives at the estate, has taken ill. The butler goes quietly to his father's room. He finds his father is dying. He takes care of matters quite efficiently and goes back to the demands of the banquet. Not a tear is shed. The head of the estate in these pre-war years in England is a man who has great sympathy for the German cause. Many meetings are held at his estate as he seeks to ...

1728. The Body

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... : Are you kidding? REV. RALPH: No. You know I don't know anything about cars. All I know is to bring it to you. Can I get along without fixing it? EARL: Oh, sure, you can, but your engine performance will get worse and worse until the whole thing just quits some day. REV. RALPH: How much will it cost me? EARL: Rough estimate -- about $300.00. REV. RALPH: Ouch! Maybe I'd better drive it a while like it is. EARL: Like I said, you can but I wouldn't advise it. Look at it this way: what would you ...

1729. The Rules

Luke 6:17-26

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... . STUDENT 1: I thought more about food than I had ever thought about food before. It was horrendous. STUDENT 3: Are you sad? STUDENT 1: Of course I'm sad. STUDENT 2: Rule #3 -- In sadness there is happiness. STUDENT 1: What about that rule? I can't quite figure that one out. "In sadness there is happiness." Am I stupid or what? How can a person be sad and that equals happiness? Am I missing something? STUDENT 2: Yes, you are. You're missing the deeper meaning of sadness. STUDENT 1: I thought the deeper ...

1730. Cost Analysis

Luke 6:27-36

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... you love ... MADGE: Inflation hits K-Mart! HERMIE: He's joshin'. JESUS: No, I'm Jesus. All who want to follow me must love their enemies. Do good to those who hate them. And lend to others without expecting them to repay, otherwise they cannot be my disciples. MADGE: Quite a long list, honey. JESUS: Do you still want a cross? HERMIE: Maybe it's not such a bargain. Do I have to give up my Thursday evening bridge club? JESUS: No. The point is you must love me more. And do what I say. MADGE: Kinda stuck on ...

1731. Temptation

Luke 4:1-13

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... kind of a lonely guy. ANGELA: Oh, that sounds disturbing. GUY: Well, it shouldn't. I mean, I didn't mean it to be. I guess I'm just lonely out here. That's all. ANGELA: Been out here awhile, then? GUY: I've lost track of time, really. Yes, quite a while. ANGELA: Have you lost track of where you are, too? GUY: It doesn't really matter. I'm supposed to be here, I know that. I came here to get away from people. I thought it would be great to get away from everyone, and it was for ...

1732. Charade Parables

Luke 6:37-42

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... things up. Summary: A group of Christians are playing Parable charades but the person holding the Bible, which is referred to often by the person doing the charades, keeps closing the Bible and then opening it to another passage, so the parable becomes quite muddled. They still get some good from it. Playing Time: 8 minutes Setting: The church Props: The Bible Costumes: Contemporary, casual Time: The present Cast: 1st Player 2nd Player George Jane Greg Sam (A GROUP IS PLAYING CHARADES. ONE PERSON IS HOLDING ...

1733. Who's The Neighbor

Luke 10:25-37

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... Levite is a temple worker. LEVITE: Well, I just wanted to know. It will help me to interpret the character. MILTON: Yes, yes. May we continue now? LEVITE: By all means. (HE LOOKS AT CERTAIN MAN WITH MAGNIFYING GLASS) Hmm, yes, I see. Interesting. Quite interesting. Yes, yes. Obviously dead. CERTAIN MAN: Half dead. Half dead. LEVITE: (TAKES OUT NOTEPAD AND MAKES SOME NOTES) I must remember all the details. Yes, yes. This will make an interesting story. Hmm, yes. ANNOUNCER: And he passed by on the other side ...

1734. Talk Show I

Luke 10:38-42

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... . PHIL: And how often do you call each other? MARY: Once a day. PHIL: So, what is your estimate of your time spent in prayer each day? MARTHA: I'll answer that one. Five hours a day! That's what it is! PHIL: Five hours a day! Mary? MARY: Not quite that much. Probably only two hours a day. MARTHA: She can't count either. PHIL: So, Mary, you are saying that the two hours a day ... MARTHA: It's five if it's a minute! PHIL: ... that the two hours a day is worthwhile. In what ways? MARY: In Isaiah ...

1735. Reward Time

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... reward. \nRIDGE: No, no. That is a common misconception. No, no, not at \nall. \nGEORGE: How does it work, then? \nRIDGE: This is a kingdom. God is the King. That's how it \nworks. \nGEORGE: God is the King? This is all new to me. I don't quite \nget it. \nRIDGE: You know, God is King. God rules. \nGEORGE: What about this ... isn't there a list of certain good \nthings a person might do and then beside it a reward that person \nwould receive? There must be something written down somewhere. \nIt all must be ...

1736. Prayer Power

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... : There were many more that wanted to go, but Rinnahel \nrequested that he go alone disguised as a human so he could \nrescue Jesus. \nLOQUE: No, I hadn't heard that story. It is just like him, \nthough. But we haven't had any big battles for quite a while. \nHOM: This division is here to answer prayers. We will have \nbattles sooner or later. We fight for God and for the believers. \nLOQUE: Yes. Sooner or later. And then we will need Rinnahel's \nstrength and expertise. \nHOM: Well, here comes your warrior ...

1737. Mr. Roberts Meets The Master

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... I -- would you just help me with this ladder, \nMr. Roberts? (HE SETS THE LADDER AGAINST HIS CHEST) I just \nclimbed up in a tree. (HE CLIMBS UP ON MR. ROBERTS' HEAD) And \nstarted looking. (ZACCHAEUS SQUIRMS AROUND ON MR. ROBERTS' HEAD) \nMR. ROBERTS: Are you quite comfortable up there, Mr. Zacchaeus? \nZACCHAEUS: I was just getting settled, Mr. Roberts. Now I'm all \nright. As I was saying, I started looking for Jesus, and when He \ncame into view, do you know what He did? \nMR. ROBERTS: I think I do, Mr ...

1738. Beware Of Your Piety

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... . Lenten reading was popular, and people talked a great deal about their Lenten fasting. "What did you give up for Lent?" was a common question. Very often that was done with little thought. In the Chicago area in the '50s, where and when Lenten piety was quite prominent, a woman was shopping at the bakery. While she was waiting her turn to be served, a young lad told her he was going to buy some brownies instead of cream puffs. That, he said, was his Lenten sacrifice. The woman suggested that was not ...

1739. Which Way To Jesus?

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... observe the Feast of the Passover. They were not Hebrews who spoke Greek. However, they did have the good sense to seek out a disciple of Jesus, who had a Greek name and who came from a region where the Hebrews did speak Greek. We all know how that works. Quite commonly we say, "It's not what you know. It's who you know." That is true whether you are looking for a job, trying to get tickets to the Final Four, or trying to meet the guest soloist backstage at the symphony. The Greeks went to someone who could ...

1740. Easter Understanding

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... propel them into their great movement of witnessing and missionizing. That was the conclusion made by the Roman Catholic scholar Schillebeeckx. After a thoughtful and studied examination of the rule for communication, the whole business of language and its implications, he stated it quite aptly. He wrote that theology, that is a system of study about the word of God, is nonsense without faith. At the same time, faith without a theology is "hardly worthy of the name of faith." What we should come away with ...

1741. You Are My Witnesses

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... how the hoped-for ideals of the new regime will succeed in the future. However, history has very few parallels to match the experience of Mandela. To be sure, the collapse of communism in the Soviet Socialist Republics was historic, but no one emerged in quite the same way as Mr. Mandela. We can go on rummaging through history for those individuals who left dramatic impact upon their society, people, or nations, but none will match the accomplishment of the One whom we honor on this day. The ascension of ...

1742. The Agony And The Ecstasy Of The Family

Mark 3:20-35

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. -- Luke 4:16-30 Were family members there when Jesus preached and got thrown out of the synagogue in Nazareth? Very likely. Did they participate in trying to throw him over the cliff? Quite possibly. The family conflict went from bad to worse. The conflict reached fever pitch. If Jesus had conflict and enmity in his family, we should not expect to escape the agony of the physical family. There are misunderstandings and conflicts in every family I know ...

1743. The Parables About Response

Mark 4:30-34, Mark 4:26-29

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... called to plant. God gives the growth. God gets the credit. We cannot boast about the success that comes when the seeds are planted. We must be very cautious about taking too much credit for apparent success in the spiritual area. A visitor to the Vatican was quite impressed with the beauty and power of the place. He asked Pope John XXIII this question: "How many people do you have working here?" With a twinkle in his eye, the pope replied, "About half of them." We must never get puffed up with ourselves in ...

1744. The Compassionate Healings

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... experienced surprise, even shock, that Jesus would heal this woman. The nameless woman with bad theology would have flunked Religion 101. We would have expected Jesus to correct her. Instead he healed her. When I was in seminary, one of our professors was quite stiff in his bearing and rigid in his theology. One time when the students sang Christmas carols at his home, they discovered that he wore his clergy collar even with his pajamas and robe. I can imagine that seminary professor saying something like ...

1745. The Sending Plan (Alternate title: Our Human Predicament)

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... observed, "but they will never do it. They are too sinful, flawed, and weak. What is Plan B?" "There is no Plan B," Jesus replied. "Sending out my followers in my name is the only plan I have." To our protest, "We can't do it," Jesus responds, "You are quite right. You are not strong enough, but I will do it to you; then I will do it through you." Jesus repeatedly said, "Come unto me." He also said, "Go for me." The church is not only called to be a welcome place, it is also called to be a ...

1746. Himself The Real Presence

John 6:25-59

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... at the assertion, "I came down from heaven." Those first hearers did. But we don't -- most of us. Nor do we tilt our heads in a questioning way at the direct statement, "I will raise them up on the last day." We -- most of us -- accept in faith, quite unquestioning faith, that the second person of the Holy Trinity, the Son, became incarnate, that is, that divine being "was made man" as the Creed states it. Not simply a man, a male child, a boy baby, although that we accept as true, but more than that, the ...

1747. It's OK To Stir Up God

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Richard Patt

... case for at least two reasons. First, we tend to be fiercely independent. We want to do things on our own. In the second place, we fear that others might view us as being inadequate if we have to ask for something, even when the predicament is quite understandable. Along with these two reasons there is a general, vague feeling that we don't want to be a bother to someone else. Sometimes prayer means asking for something. For that reason alone, people may hesitate to pray. When they consider that it is God ...

1748. The Fear Of Taking The Plunge

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon

Richard Patt

... precisely that: fragmented, broken, disgustingly status quo and going nowhere. Longing to walk in the sweet-smelling lilies of the field, they continue groveling in the paralyzing pollution of their own anxiety: They are afraid to move. That last statement can be taken quite literally. I once was in a conversation where one person in the group announced that he and his wife were moving to a more remote area of the state. Immediately others in the group objected, sounding as though they feared for the couple ...

1749. Sabotaging The Sabath

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Richard Patt

... to turn out "nice," so we over-discipline them to the extent that we sometimes profoundly injure their inner spirits and fill them with fear and distrust. We want our children to be "good students," but we burden them with so much study and homework that they never quite have time also to learn how to relate pleasingly to their peers; after all, "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." There are so many occasions in life when we want things "to turn out well." The trick is to refrain from forcing the ...

1750. Dinner Parties With A Difference

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... taxes. Furthermore, they kept up to date on their religious teachings, even to the minutest detail of their religious law. If anyone had earned the right to belong to an exclusive dinner party, they had. Without dispute, they were good men. The prostitute had led quite a different life. Somewhere in her past, she may have been sexually abused, or she may have lacked love, or may have fallen into self-loathing, and then desperately sought some kind of warmth or affection. Or it might be she was trying, in ...

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