Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1726 to 1750 of 3160 results

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... and financial advisor is in. No longer a radically disturbing presence (asking the rich young ruler to sell all he had, give the money to the poor and follow him), the New Jesus is a kind of cosmic, life-enhancing partner. He has become an additive of sorts, like STP. You put him in your tank and get wherever you’re going faster and with fewer knocks. Exactly where you’re going doesn’t seem to matter much.” (2) Dr. Meyers is right on target. Our culture worships success. Even in church. There was an ...

1727. Pigs Get Slaughtered

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... suddenly wanted to become Gordon Gecko. “Greed is good,” says Gordon Gecko. His last name is suggestive. A gecko is, of course, a lizard--not to be confused with a certain insurance company. A lizard. A reptile. In the same family as a snake. The sort of creature that tempted Eve. Even on Wall Street, most people will tell you that if greed is your ultimate value, you will eventually pay the price. Stock market guru Jim Cramer, host of television’s Mad Money, says, “Bulls make money.” Then he adds ...

1728. Divine Dinner Party Decorum

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... at this dinner party. We should expect that. Jesus was an unknown quantity to the Pharisees. They needed to know "Is he one of us? Is he going to harm or help our efforts to keep our identity pure?" The Pharisees are the ones in charge of this sort of thing. If Jesus did anything to degrade the purity of their religious practice, they had a duty to stop him. They were the religious elite and they took their job very seriously. "On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees ...

1729. Letting Go

Acts 7:55-60

Sermon

Bill Mosley

... about medicine and being a student, but rejoices in the new things he gets to do as he finds new places to explore, new things to write about, new issues to grapple with. He says, "Quitting medicine assured me that I would be forced into all sorts of changes I might not otherwise have made."1 Besides lots of books and movies such as Andromeda Strain and Jurassic Park, Crichton is probably best known as the creator of the television series, ER. One of the troubles with being human is our reach sometimes ...

1730. Some Things Ought Not to Happen

Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon

James L. Killen

... the people on both sides of the conflict wish that the conflict could stop and they could find a way to live together in peace. But some people on both sides, who are obsessed with hate, keep the conflict growing. And that conflict has become a sort of a caricature of a wider conflict that is growing between the advantaged and the disadvantaged peoples of the world. What would happen if the whole world could stop living out the tragic drama of conflict between the outcasts and the chosen? What would happen ...

1731. Surprised by God

Genesis 28:10-19a

Sermon

James L. Killen

... would make a difference in the shape of Jacob's life from that time on. God is still alive and at work in our lives and in our world, too -- even when we are living as if he doesn't exist. Sometimes, God pushes into our lives in all sorts of life experiences. Sometimes, God's judgment pushes into our lives in those experiences that show us that we are not the people we would like to think we are. A certain clergyman traveled to India to help his church prepare to do something about the massive poverty of ...

1732. Can You Hear Me Now?

Exodus 3:1-15

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... Western culture, respect is shown by removing one's cap or hat. In Moslem cultures, the sandals are removed before entering a mosque. Old Testament priests often performed their duties barefooted. "Does anyone have the foggiest idea," wonders Annie Dillard, "what sort of power [Christians] so blithely invoke? ... It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets."5 We cannot really understand the grace and mercy of God unless we acknowledge the ...

1733. View from the Mountaintop

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... 34 to the top of Pisgah is actually Moses' second chance to see the view. In chapter 3, God tells Moses to go to the top of Pisgah and to look all around at the land. The tone of Moses' first trip up the mountain seems almost to be a sort of chastisement from God. God firmly tells Moses that he will not enter the land. Joshua will lead the people into the land. Moses protests, but God is adamant. This second trip up the mountain seems to be more of a reassurance from God. Moses will not cross over himself ...

1734. Writing the Law on Our Hearts

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... couldn't do it. He felt as though something had shut down inside of him, almost as though he had died spiritually. In an attempt to understand why his ability to pray had shut down, he went to visit Lischer, hoping that a fresh perspective could help him sort out his pain and his agonizing questions. He told the young pastor that trying to pray was like trying to touch something when your arms and hands are wrapped in gauze. As he said in the conversation, "I couldn't break through to whatever it was that ...

1735. Might as Well Be You and Me

Judges 4:1-7

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... call forth leadership in our midst. Grant us the wisdom to follow your prophets wherever they might be found. Amen. Prayer Of Confession At times of crisis there are always those ready to surrender. It is easier to give up than to believe God calls leaders of the least likely sort. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. Amen. Hymns "What Wondrous Love Is This?" "My Jesus, I Love Thee" "Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind"

1736. A Gift for You

Romans 1:1-7

Sermon

James L. Killen

... or will of their own to direct their destiny.2 In order to be truly human, we need a purpose to live for that is big enough to be worth the investment of our lives. When we read the newspaper and learn of wars and corruption and suffering and all sorts of things going wrong in our own hometowns and around the world, we want to cry out, "Why doesn't somebody do something about all of this?" God is at work in the world to do something about it -and God calls those who are set apart for his service ...

1737. With a Song in Your Heart

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

James L. Killen

... for all of the bad things he had done. He was given a new way of life and a new purpose to live for and he found great joy in it. Paul's life was no longer an easy one. He traveled all around the ancient world enduring all sorts of hazards, to share the Christian faith. The young man, who had once had all of the advantages, suffered beatings, imprisonment, shipwrecks, persecution from his own people, and abuse from the Roman authorities. But he did his work with a joyful song in his heart. Even when he knew ...

1738. Thank God for the Church

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

James L. Killen

... He had once been a devout Jew who actually persecuted the church. But after his conversion, he became the chief missionary to the non-Jewish world. He had learned how to articulate the teachings of the Christian faith and to interpret them to people from all sorts of national and religious origins. You remember when Paul came to Corinth. It was a number of years ago. He was on one of his missionary journeys and he recognized the openness to the gospel and also the strategic importance of this place for the ...

1739. Still Under Construction

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Sermon

James L. Killen

People print all sorts of things on T-shirts, from advertisements to obscenities to affirmations of faith. One fellow was seen wearing a T-shirt with the words, "Christian Under Construction," printed on it. We can all appreciate what he meant by that. We can talk about the difference faith in Christ is supposed ...

1740. A Christian's Resumé

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... talents since leaving the farm? Will they care that you were president of your senior class and yearbook editor, or is the fact that you sold subscriptions door-to-door more important? In the text from 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul presents a resume of sorts that is written from the perspective of God's point of view. Paul includes many descriptions in his resume that would not impress most prospective employers. Today's resume experts would probably have a field day with Paul's resume, using it as an ...

1741. Light Is as Light Does

Ephesians 5:8-14

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... we forget to do the work of the church? It doesn't matter how well we have down the routine of running a church, if we are not a running church. We can master the budget, the music, the worship, the fellowship groups, the Sunday school curriculum, and all sorts of committees, but if we are not running our light outside the church building, then it is all for nothing. Light is as light does. And light cannot help but to shine outward. You cannot hide your light under a bushel basket and expect it to be seen ...

1742. Sheep that Count

1 Peter 2:19-25

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... behind one of the trees. He had never seen a fox before, so he didn't know that he was supposed to be afraid and run from it. "Who are you? And how did you know my name?" "Everyone calls me Destiny. And I guess you could say I'm sort of your destiny. I know all the lambs in your flock by name. That's part of my work on earth, to get to know you all." "You look different. Are you a sheep?" "Not really. I could have been a sheep, I suppose, but I chose to be who ...

1743. Effective Suffering

Romans 8:26-39

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... demand, or at least a certain amount of begging, for divine intervention to take the place of the lapses in studying - listing of a failure and an inventory of troubles and a desire for help. And many, if not most, of our prayers are like that. Not the sorts of prayers we should be making, but the ones we can manage, often under pressure, even though we know our prayers are less than perfect, even less than they ought to be. And, before it seems we are getting too personal here, consider a comment of Martin ...

1744. Beautiful Feet

Romans 10:5-15

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... other contexts. There is a classic folk song about an old lady who swallowed a fly, and then swallowed a spider, a bird, a cat, and an increasingly diverse series of animals to get rid of the fly and each other. This is only one example of the same sort of thing Paul is doing with his questions. And how are we to expect that people could come to believe in someone they have never heard of? Obviously the situation is an absurdity, but Paul goes on to ask the next question. "And how are they to hear without ...

1745. Heaping Coals and Virtues

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... It is likely that taking either of these uses as romantic love would be very misleading. In fact, this is more than simply two comments on two different types of love. This lesson begins with some rules for Christian behavior. In many ways this list is a sort of "Ten Commandments for Christians." The list begins with "Let love be genuine." In many ways this injunction is also a summary of the entire list. The word used for love here is agape, a word which is difficult to translate fully. It means love, but ...

1746. No Idea

Philippians 4:1-9

Sermon

Rick Brand

... to divide the church. Abortion, homosexuality, praying with your hands up in the air, bringing in a band for jazzy hymns, making a place in the church for handicapped people, war with Iraq: There are always enough reasons for Christian people to get out of sorts with each other. But it is probably just as true to say that they probably had no idea that they would be remembered down through the history of the Christian Church as the two women who were fussing and feuding. They probably never imagined that ...

1747. A Radical Faith

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... who was converted to Christianity and later became a bishop. He was famous for taking an ax and destroying pagan shrines and altars. Many people would feel that it was prophetic, that Luther would be baptized Martin, because he, too, would become an iconoclast of sorts, destroying those doctrines and practices in the Christian Faith that he felt were not Christian. But instead of an ax, he would use a pen. Luther's father, Hans Luther, was a miner, a peasant. As you approach Eisleben today you can see giant ...

1748. Beware of Crowds

Mark 1:29-39

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... . He didn't want to be labeled as a miracle worker, because miracle workers work miracles to attract attention to themselves. That was true in Jesus' day, and I suspect it is even true today. I read last week in the newspaper that there is a church, of sorts, up in Fresno, that's attracting crowds because it is claiming that lead fillings are being changed to gold. The place is packed now. The pastor is advertising this because, he says, he wants to attract crowds. I don't know what you are going to do with ...

1749. Blind Ambition

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... House is a magnet for ambition. I suppose it has always been that way, because the White House is the symbol of power in our society. Remember John Dean, one of the several aides in the Nixon administration, who after the Watergate crisis, had a conversion of sorts, and then wrote a book about the experience. John Dean's book was entitled, Blind Ambition. And that is what our text for this morning is about. Jesus is on his way with his disciples to Jerusalem. Walking along the road he is talking about what ...

1750. Dig In

Jeremiah 29:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... who we are. We are people who believe that the only good a city is for is opportunity, opportunity to find your own pleasure and your own wealth. Not only was community not mentioned or illustrated in that series, it was studiously avoided. Any sort of commitment or obligation to anything, or anyone, beyond the self was impossible. It could not happen. The city exists for opportunity. But cities will become uninhabitable if they don't also create community, concern for one's neighbor, sacrifice of a portion ...

Showing results