Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1726 to 1750 of 1967 results

1726. Master Teacher

Matthew 15:10-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

The Christian Testament scriptures are the most fascinating set of inspired and brilliant stories we can possibly read and learn from. The scriptures are amazing. But too often, we miss the best parts. This can happen when we read either from habit and read over clues that we’ve never noticed before or when we don’t see the entire picture and have a hard time imagining what’s happening in real-time. I like to employ two “clues” or “helps” therefore when reading scripture. These can deepen our understanding ...

1727. How About Some Applause for the Creator?

Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Author Fleming Rutledge tells about a time years ago when she was serving as pastor of a church in New York City. She says that during those days, she used to hang around with some people, “urbane literary types,” as she called them, “most of whom were somewhat disdainful of religion.” She remembers one man in particular. When he discovered that Rutledge was a pastor, he made a confession to her. He confessed very sheepishly that he had done something behind his wife’s back. Apparently, his wife had long ...

1728. A Place at the Table

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Jill J. Duffield

Preacher’s kids, PKs for short, know a lot about church. Earlier this year, I was given the best church tour of my life by a young PK. I was in a town just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, to do a preaching series and the pastor of this church, a colleague and friend for many years, went to check on a worship detail while I waited in his office. As I waited, his eight-year-old daughter seized on the opportunity to show me around. I was escorted by a church expert in a princess costume into Sunday school rooms ...

1729. Weather Signs

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

The government spends millions of dollars to launch weather satellites. They observe the patterns of weather systems around the world. Meteorologists use the data to try to predict what the weather will be so as to plan for what may be coming. The predictions are fairly reliable in the short term. They prove to be less reliable for the long term. Even in the short term the weather produces surprises. Tornadoes show up unexpectedly. A few years ago flash floods killed people and destroyed property with ...

1730. Milestones And Mustard Seeds

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

John G. Lynn

One bright day in March a young man awoke at 4:30 a.m. Crystal clear sunlight poured into Jack's room, like a great river leading him to a new day. He was too high up for any river to flow -- springs or small streams, yes, but no rivers. Kurseong, not far from Darjeeling, stood 8,000 feet above sea level, in the foothills of the Himalayas. As he rubbed his eyes in that radiant dawn, he looked out his window to the highest spot on the face of the earth. There, far in the distance, sparkling like a diamond ...

1731. The Witness Of Pilate

Drama

Dann J. Ettner

Invocation Hymn Responsive Dialogue 1 Corinthians 2 P: When I came to you, brothers, I did not come witheloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimonyof God. C: We have not received the spirit of the world but thespirit who is from God, that we may understand what God hasfreely given us. P: For I resolved to know nothing while I was with youexcept Jesus Christ and Him crucified. C: This is what we speak, not in words taught us by humanwisdom but in words taught by the Holy Spirit, ...

1732. Great Africans Of The Bible: The Shulamite

Drama

Pamela Urfer

Cast: SOLOMON and his BELOVED, the Shulamite Length: 6 minutes SOLOMON, a young white man, and his BELOVED, a young black woman, are seated on their stools. He gazes lovingly into her eyes. SOLOMON: How graceful are your feet in sandals, O queenly maiden! Your eyes are pools in Heshbron by the gate of Bathrabbim. Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon, overlooking Damascus. BELOVED: Oh, Solomon! You say the sweetest things! SOLOMON: You are black and beautiful. How fair and pleasant you are, O loved one, ...

1733. A Lesson From A Shell

Proverbs 10:7

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To remind the children of the importance of each day and to make the most of each day. Material: Seashells or pictures of seashells. (If you have a large quantity of seashells, you may want to share one with each child.) Lesson: Have any of you ever been to Florida? One of the things people like to do in Florida is to walk the beach and look for shells. There are all kinds of shells to be found every day on the beaches, and shells come in all kinds of shapes. (Show actual shells or pictures of ...

1734. The Christian Journey III: The Desert

Sermon

John N. Brittain

Exodus 17:1-7; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Mark 1:1-13 Years ago I visited a university which was really in the middle of nowhere. That is to say the university was the town -- except for the grain elevator and a 25 employee factory that assembled sporting goods. I had a very cordial visit and at the end of my few days there, I was driven to the nearest airport, about three hours away. The flight was late, then quite late when a crew member came in to tell me, the sole passenger getting on the plane, that it ...

1735. The God Of Naomi

Drama

Karren Boehr

Theme: God Draws His People To Himself This drama is enhanced by the Biblical character, Ruth, wandering about the sanctuary as she talks. The strength in this piece lies in the individual portraying Ruth and her ability to convey heartfelt feelings. No staging is needed, other than a lapel or portable mike. Setting: Biblical times, when Ruth is older Character: RUTH: Middle-aged or older woman, gentle in nature, a sincere heart for God Costumes: Biblical dress Props: Basket with fruit, flowers RUTH: ( ...

1736. A Call To Worship

Drama

Karren Boehr

Theme: What Is True Worship? This drama, to be used at the beginning of the worship service, brings back into focus the real reason church families gather together every Sunday. Setting: A normal Sunday worship service Characters:FOUR READERS: 4th Reader must be emphatic, not afraid to make waves, to be honest. Readers may be male and/or female. Costumes: Usual Sunday attire Props: Four similar stools, scripts Scene: Four stools are set in a row in front of the sanctuary. Readers are lined up from 1 to 4. ...

1737. Easter 5

John 13:31-38

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Note: One of the many peculiarities of John's Gospel (as compared to the Synoptics) is that there are no Last Supper eucharistic words of institution. John's equivalent to "Do this in remembrance ..." is his "new commandment" in verses 34-35. This is apparently not the Synoptic Jesus' more general, sweeping commandment to love neighbors and even enemies, but rather a call for "in-house" love among the faithful; and it is precisely this kind of familial love that will be for outsiders evidence of ...

1738. When Saints Go Marching Forth

1 Samuel 15:1-35

Sermon

Arthur H. Kolsti

Sometimes when reading you come across words that just leap off the page and grab you. Here is a comment by C.S. Lewis I encountered in his book, Reflections On The Psalms. If the Divine call does not make us better, it will make us much worse. Of all bad people, religious bad people are the worst. Of all created beings the wickedest are those who originally stood in the presence of God. Let these words hover over our thoughts this morning. They are not comfortable words, for they remind us of some dark ...

1739. Ragman

John 13:34

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

Object: A piece of cloth and a quilt block. (An entire pieced quilt would also suffice.) Lesson: Unconditional love. "Have you ever heard the word 'remnant'? No? Well, I'd like to talk about remnants this morning. A remnant is a leftover, a scrap. A good place to find remnants is at the fabric store. Often a small piece of material, usually a yard or less, is left on the end of a bolt of cloth after the rest of the bolt has been sold. This leftover piece is called a remnant. "Remnants are not usually big ...

1740. Mary: After The Angel

Drama

Arlys M. Winkler

A Christmas Play Notes This play explores the thoughts and feelings of Mary, her peers, her parents, and Joseph as they learn that Mary is expecting a child. Each act takes place in someone's house, making the changing of props simple (for example: different tablecloths would signal a change of location). Programs could provide scene changes as well. Simple wooden tables and stools and costuming of the period are all that is needed. All scripture quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version of the ...

1741. Lessons for Lent 3

John 2:12-25

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme For The Day: A call to spiritual renewal and cleansing. Since God has come to us as holy redeeming love, our response is to be cleansed of our sins and live holy lives. The Ten Commandments (First Lesson) are guidelines for such lives. Jesus' cleansing of the temple (Gospel) constitutes a call to moral and spiritual renewal, beginning with God's house and God's people. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Exodus 20:1-17 The decalogue, the Ten Commandments, is presented as Israel's response to God's act of ...

1742. Let The Children Come To Me

Psalm 42:1-11

Eulogy

Mary Venema Swierenga

An Infant ____________ graced this earth for three months and four days. Not a long time at all when compared to the biblical span of three-score and 10 years. Three months and four days is not a long enough time. They'll agree: three months and a few days is too short. Too short for ____________ to learn to walk and talk, to read and ride a bike. That's part of our pain as we mourn ____________ too-soon death: we expect and assume that children will flourish and grow, but ____________ life was too short ...

1743. The Things Which Remain When All Is Lost

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Eulogy

Thomas A. Pilgrim

Child There is a story in the Old Testament book of 2 Samuel which I want to share with you. When King David and his wife Bathsheba had their first child it became apparent the boy would not live very long. For seven days the child lay near death. During this time King David was in a period of mourning and fasting. He lay all night upon the ground asking God that the child might live. Finally, on the seventh day the child died. The servants of King David were afraid to go in and tell the king what had ...

1744. Learning to Forgive a Lot

Luke 7:47

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A small bag of potatoes and a twenty-pound bag of potatoes Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to have a little experiment that I hope will prove something about the way that God loves and takes care of us. I need two volunteers to help me this morning. (Choose two, one of them a lot smaller than the other if possible. We want to give the larger sack of potatoes to the smaller child.) Now the only thing that you must do to help in this experiment is to each hold a sack of potatoes. ( ...

1745. Help!

John 7:39a, John 15:26a, Acts 2:1-13

Children's Sermon

Object: a dish towel Lesson: The Helper will come. Good morning, boys and girls. I brought a special towel this morning because I want to talk about a special word. What kind of a towel is this? (Let them respond.) No, it's not a towel for drying your hands. It's a dish towel for drying dishes. How many of you dry dishes? (Wait for show of hands.) Some of you do and some of you don't. Drying dishes is one of those things around the house that we all do sometimes to be a good helper. That's our special word ...

1746. Marked For Ministry

Sermon

George Bass

“We do nothing that people might object to, so as not to bring discredit on our function as God’s servants. Instead, we prove we are servants of God….”2 Corinthians 6:3-4a “He said, therefore, to the crowds who came to be baptised by him, ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the retribution that is coming? But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruits….”Luke 3:7-8a The congregation of which I am a member encourages its members to celebrate their baptismal anniversaries every year by ...

1747. In The Valley

Eulogy

Joe Barone

Psalm 23, Psalm 94John 14:1-3 and Revelation 7:13-17 A Scriptural Sermon ForOne Who Died Through Violence Sometimes we need the refuge of familiar Scripture. There's nothing more obscene than the wanton taking of a human life, and so, in the face of that obscenity, we look to Scripture. I'm not here to defend God or to address the question, "Why do such things happen?" They happen because of human sinfulness, and they grieve God. God's own Son died a violent death, and so have other faithful people through ...

1748. Great Africans Of The Bible: The Shulamite

Song of Songs 1:1-17, Song of Songs 2:1-17

Drama

Pamela Urfer

1749. Benjamin: The Little Peoples Friend

Luke 19:28-38

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: None How many people here this morning wish that they were older than they are? (Wait for an answer) You do? How old would you like to be? Would you like to be ten or sixteen or twenty-one? What could you do if you were older that you can't do now? (Get some answers and try to lead them to the kind of jobs that they would have if they were older.) I see. If you were older you could have a job, go to work, stay up late, eat the kind of food you like and wash your hands and brush your teeth whenever ...

1750. Competition and Success

Luke 22:54-62

Illustration

Here is an example of power: Jesus, a young carpenter, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. His disciples vie for the best seats and he takes a towel and basin to wash their feet. On the cross he meets their evil with a prayer of forgiveness. Methodist Bishop Jack Meadors of Mississippi tells a wonderful story of an incident that occurred during the Special Olympics. Nine children lined up for the 100 yard dash. The gun sounded and the race was off. But only a few yards into the race, one of the children ...

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