Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1751 to 1775 of 2561 results

1751. Broadway

Matthew 7:13-14

Sermon

Robert Beringer

Many of our large cities across America have a street which is called "Broadway." Broadway in New York is the center of the theater district; Broadway in San Francisco is the center of the tenderloin; and Philadelphia has its "Broad Street" in center city. But I wonder how many people realize where that term, "Broadway," came from? Many might be very surprised that it came originally from the lips of Jesus Christ. For it was Jesus who put "Broadway" in contrast to the narrow roads that were familiar to the ...

1752. Summer Fruit

Amos 8:1-14

Sermon

Richard L. Sheffield

Charles Swindoll says, "... it's a mad, bad, sad world."1 You knew that already? He quotes Barbara Johnson who writes in her book Splashes of Joy in the Cesspools of Life: "The rain falls on the just and also on the unjust, but chiefly on the just, because the unjust steals the just's umbrella."2 The Prophet Amos, who lived and told it like it was about 750 years before the birth of Jesus, agreed with that assessment of life. There is a lot about this world that's mad or bad or sad or even "all of the ...

1753. Week Three Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Monday Week Three2 Kings 5:1-15Luke 4:24-30 Expectations -- What Should They Be? Expectations are one of the unavoidable realities of life. Although expectations will differ from person to person and from situation to situation, everyone has certain expectations. This is true in how we view events, material things, specific situations, and especially people. If we are honest, most of the time our expectations are high, especially when it comes to results desired and the usefulness and/or effectiveness of ...

1754. Signs Of Christ's Return

Matthew 24:1-35

Sermon

Phyllis Faaborg Wolk

After a long hike from Jerusalem, Jesus and the disciples found a resting place on the Mount of Olives. As they relaxed and enjoyed the peacefulness away from the crowds of the city, the disciples asked Jesus a question about the end of time. "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Those questions have been repeated over and over since the first time they left the lips of the disciples. "When will God end this world? What will be the signs of its ...

1755. The Promise Of The Spirit

Sermon

John A. Stroman

As a mainline church we have been told to the point of weariness what is wrong with us. Many articles have been written about the demise of the mainline churches with their dwindling membership and attendance. Someone has figured out mathematically that if the United Methodists continue to lose members at the present rate, the last Methodist will leave the face of the earth in the year 2037. This is a very sobering thought. The Dilemma Of Decline To borrow a line from Dickens, these are, for the mainline ...

1756. The Seven Last Words Of Pilate

Sermon

Thomas Long

Some stories in the Bible are so essentially visual that they almost demand that we act them out to understand them. Like the rest of the Bible, such stories are intended to be read and heard, of course, but they have the added quality of being vivid, pictorial, perhaps even theatrical, and they seem to release their full power only when they are seen in action. In order to grasp their truths, we are compelled to scramble up on a stage -- at least one constructed in our imagination -- to don a costume, to ...

1757. Behold The Man Who Takes Away Sin

John 1:29-34

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

G. K. Chesterton was once asked the question, "Why did you join the church so late in life?" He answered, "To get rid of my sins."1 That is a wonderful answer. It is still the solution for so many of the world's problems and the problems of people everywhere. So many of us know that there is something wrong, something which must be set right at some point along the way. And we want someone to set things right. Yet, many times we have the feeling that we cannot break through, cannot make the connection, ...

1758. Screaming For A Reason Why

Matthew 26:36-46; 27:45-46 · Job 3:1-26

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

There are three rooms in the city of Raleigh, and though they are different in size and shape, they have one thing in common. The three rooms are located in three hospitals. They are intensive care waiting rooms. Let me describe one of these rooms. It is on the second floor of the Wake Medical Center. Surrounding it are three units: cardiac care, surgical intensive care, maximum intensive care. A lot of us have seen the inside of that waiting room. It is divided into small seating areas, so that the ...

1759. Take Dead Aim

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

Robert R. Kopp

My wife and I were discussing the state of affairs in America. I said every child of the 1960s knew there was a credibility gap when he said he didn't inhale. I said every golfer knew character would be a continuing issue after correspondents for several golf magazines caught him cheating during a round with two of his predecessors. I said everybody knows he cheated on his wife for years and lied to family, friends, colleagues, and employees. I said he admitted to an inappropriate -- s-e-x-u-a-l -- ...

1760. Dad, Does God Play Football?

Drama

Karren Boehr

Theme: When Life's Priorities Need Changing Victory in one's Christian life often comes down to priorities, priorities that the world parades before God's people as everyday fare. However, sometimes "everyday fare" can rob us of the very life of Christ. Setting: An ordinary family living room Characters:FATHER: Energetic, an obvious football fanaticSON: Twelve to fourteen years old, warm, open, serious thinker Costumes: Modern casual at home dress; Son has on a football cap Props: Two chairs, or a chair ...

1761. Life

John 20:19-23

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: If we trust Jesus He is with us empowering us with the Holy Spirit just like the disciples when Jesus breathed on them. Summary: Peter, confronted with the death of a girl, relies on what Jesus taught him. A reader's theatre presentation. Playing Time: 9 minutes Place: A neutral reading area Props: Four stools Wine skin Four glasses Bread Costumes: Contemporary, casual Time: Storytelling time Cast: First Reader -- female, soprano Second Reader -- male, bass Third Reader -- female, alto Fourth Reader ...

1762. A Light Verse

Matthew 17:1-13

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: Does knowing Jesus change a person's life? Summary: Two Christians are busy learning Bible verses and ignore Ollie, who is slow. They learn patience and kindness from the one they have hurt. Playing Time: 5 minutes Place: A work place Props: Two coffee cups Costumes: Contemporary, casual Time: The present Cast: Greg Mark -- Greg's friend Ollie GREG: (ENTERING WITH TWO COFFEE CUPS) Well, here's your coffee, just the way you like it, double cream and no sugar. Are you ready for this week's verse? I ...

1763. For I Have Chosen You!

Haggai 2:20-23

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

When I was a kid the night before Christmas was the longest night in the world. There were only one or two clocks in our house as a general rule, and eventually eight of us kids. To forestall endless repetition of the question "What time is it?" our parents loaned us one of the clocks, and many times we'd sleep in only one or two rooms, waiting together. Each in turn would wake, and quietly, so quietly, attempt to turn the luminescent dial towards ourselves, believing it possible that we would not rouse ...

1764. Advent 3

John 1:1-18, John 1:19-28, Isaiah 61:1-11, Isaiah 65:17-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon Aid

E. Carver McGriff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 61:1-11 How dear this passage is to Christian hearts, echoed as it was from the lips of Jesus (Luke 4:17-19). These words are, in many ways, as timely today as they were to those disappointed people returning to Israel from their long exile. Excited, they were filled with high expectations when they began to arrive. But social and political disappointments quickly followed. Bone-weary, discouraged, deprived of hope, they trudged in thousands to their fields, probably ...

1765. Moving At The Speed Of Light: Unknown Apostles

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

How many people are helpful to us in a given stretch of time? How many are helpful to you in a given stretch of time? Folks whose names you may not know who go out of their way to help you out. A while back a mother was driving home, and an eruption of discontent came from the back seat -- two little boys who could not get along. She pulled off to the side of the road and stopped. Sensing there might be a mechanical failure, a police cruiser with two officers pulled up next to her inquiring if she needed ...

1766. The Divine Advocacy

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

The Festival of Pentecost long has been neglected within American Protestantism. Often coinciding with Memorial Day weekend, it tends to be overshadowed by parades and visits to cemeteries and memories of those loved long since and lost a while. Even more than that, it is overshadowed by the official opening of summer for those of us in northern states. Memorial weekend is for opening cottages, launching boats and for getting a good start on a summer tan. But the Festival of Pentecost has been around about ...

1767. The Narrow Gate

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

John G. Lynch

One long, shadowy afternoon, when the light was more smoke than light, a young American of Russian descent wandered along a canal in Leningrad, searching for the Palace of Prince Yarosof, where the monk Rasputin had been killed. Leningrad in winter is not a cheery place. The sun rises late in the morning and sets about 4 p.m. Daylight, always weak and wintry, never rises above a sinister haze. In that light Alex sought his narrow door. He didn't realize quite what he was seeking. Only when he found it did ...

1768. At The Right Place At The Right Time

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

Sherry was struggling with some personal issues in her life. She would tell you that she was having a difficult time forgiving someone at work who purposely wronged her, leading to her eventual demotion. Sherry was upset with the person and could not even think of forgiving him. Her loss of income placed a financial hardship on her family. She was really struggling and trying to do what was best, but it certainly was not easy. Sherry and her family were in church one particular Sunday morning when during ...

1769. The Christmas Sign

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

Ever need a sign of hope? Ever need a sign that things are going to be all right? Ever need a sign that you were going to pass the test, or that she wasn't going to break up with you? Ever need a sign that God was still around or that life was still worth living? Ah, we all know of the need of a sign, don't we? It's funny how we are built. Inside, I mean. We can have proofs and explanations and insistent documentation, but that's not what we really need deep inside, is it? We want a sign. The most subtle, ...

1770. Epiphany 4

Lk 4:21-30 · 1 Cor 13:1-13 · Jer 1:4-10 · Ps 71

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Jeremiah 1:4-10 Even before his birth Jeremiah was appointed a prophet. Jeremiah tells us of his call to preach. It came at the time Josiah was king of Judah (c. 627 B.C.). His call came as a dialogue with Yahweh who even before Jeremiah's birth knew that he was destined to be a prophet. In this dialogue he heard the voice of Yahweh and felt his hand on his lips. There was no human initiative in the call. The words he was to speak were totally the Lord's words. The message he was ...

1771. Advent 3

Luke 13:1-9, Exodus 3:1-22, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Isaiah 55:1-9 Yahweh will have mercy on all sinners who come to him. This lection is in the last chapter of Deutero-Isaiah. It is a fitting and beautiful invitation to the Exiles in Babylon to return to Yahweh. If they return, they will receive the mercy of forgiveness. Lesson 1: Exodus 3:1-15 Moses is called to deliver God's people from bondage in Egypt. While tending his father-in-law's sheep, Moses is called by Yahweh to return to Egypt to lead out his oppressed people. First Yahweh ...

1772. Proper 7

1 Ki 19:1-18 · Lk 8:26-39 · Gal 3:23-29

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7), 8-15a Threatened by Jezebel, Elijah flees for his life and is fed by an angel on his way to Mount Horeb. To understand this pericope, we need to get the background in chapter 18. On Mount Carmel, Elijah calls down fire from heaven to prove that Yahweh is the only true God. This is followed by his slaughter of the 450 prophets of Baal supported by King Ahab and Queen Jezebel who sends a messenger to Elijah to tell him that within 24 hours she will have his ...

1773. Lent 2

Luke 13:31-35, Psalm 27:1-14

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

CALL TO WORSHIP Come seek God's face...Wait for the Lord... Take courage... Be strong. PRAYER OF CONFESSION Creating Spirit, hear our confession. We are often forgetful of who we are and in whose likeness we are created. We regret the imbalance in our lives that too often allows our appetites to run away with us, so that we seem to live for eating and drinking and love-making. Our minds are too busy with plans to get ahead and satisfy bodily desires to the exclusion of the refreshment of the spirit, the ...

1774. Proper 7

Luke 8:26-39, Galatians 3:15-25, Galatians 3:26--4:7, Psalm 43:1-5, Psalm 42:1-11, 1 Kings 19:1-8

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

CALL TO WORSHIP Come to God's dwelling as to a beacon on a holy hill. Let God's light and truth lead you. Come to the altar of God, to offer your joyful praise with heart and voice and instruments of music. PRAYER OF CONFESSION Living God, you hear as well as speak, you feel as well as act. We are sometimes aware of hurting the feelings of our closest friends, but rarely do we consider that our bad behavior breaks your heart. We are too often like thoughtless children whose actions bring disgrace to the ...

1775. Whispering The Lyrics

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Thomas Long

Stashed away in a drawer somewhere around my house, now nearly forgotten, is a batch of old 45 rpm records from the '50s and early '60s. Worn and scratchy, long since outmoded by the flashy digital technology of compact discs, these primitive vinyls were once the jewels of a great treasure trove. Elvis' grinding out "Hound Dog," Buddy Holly and the Crickets' hiccuping "Peggy Sue," Chuck Berry's joyful hot licks in "Maybellene," the Coasters' slapstick tour de force "Charlie Brown," the mournful "Tears On ...

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