Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1751 to 1775 of 5000 results

Sermon

John R. Bodo

... love of God could not go too far. "Master, how many times shall a man forgive...?" The Good Old Days. Hosea's prophecies reveal a deep bias against cities. He longs for the wilderness -- for the days of innocence, simplicity, faithfulness to God, communal solidarity which marked the people during their wanderings. Do we share his nostalgia sometimes? If so, do we have the option? Is there a way back to "Our Town"? Or, if there is not, what can we do to recover some of that lost quality of life? 2. Apollos ...

1752. The Lord Has Need Of It

Mark 14:1--15:47

Sermon

Elaine M. Ward

... people to look up Anson's Voyage and Psalm 98. Anson's Voyage was a popular work of natural history and one of its illustrations showed flat fish jumping out of the water and seals with fins as hands. Christopher Smart was a foolish man. So was Mark Twain who admitted such, "Ah, well, I am a great and sublime fool ... but then I am God's fool, and all His works must be contemplated with respect." On Palm Sunday a foolish people followed a foolish messiah. From where does our "wise foolishness" come today ...

1753. The Assumption Of Discipline

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

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... a means of self-deception as we try to convince ourselves that our selfish desires are really God's doing. But, as in the case of almsgiving, the abuses do not negate the practice. "In the morning, while it was still very dark," we read in Mark 1, "(Jesus) got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed." When the apostles were tempted to invest their time and energies in other very necessary and important tasks in the exciting days of rapid expansion in the Jerusalem Christian community, they ...

1754. Guilt And Grace

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

Alex Gondola

... Yes," he says, "this one, the sinner, deserves to die. But I have already claimed this one for myself -- not because of this one's goodness but because of this one's faith. I've already paid the debt for this one. And Jesus shows the nail marks in his hands and the spear mark in his side. And the onlookers gasp. And then God, the Great Judge, looks down upon his beloved Son, who pleads on your behalf, who has already paid for your sins on the cross; God looks down on Jesus and you, and raises the gavel and ...

1755. How Not To Throw A Party

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

Alex Gondola

... runner! When he left, he smiled and said it had been a good day. One guest, only a teenager herself, showed us pictures of her baby. Because she didn't think some of the women of the church believed she was a mother, she showed them her stretch marks, too! Another guest took me aside before leaving. He said he wanted to make a contribution to the Day of Hospitality. I watched him as he picked through the meager wad of bills in his pocket. It was mostly ones, probably everything he owned. I was stunned and ...

1756. Prayers for Memorial Day, Election, Thanksgiving

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

... to patriotism. Despite our country's faults we remain proud of her and gladly advance her position within the world community any way we can. We also know, Eternal Spirit, that war is not glorious. The rows and rows of white crosses in our national cemeteries, marking the graves of those who died for our country, eloquently remind us of the ugliness of war. There is something appalling about the corpse of young men or women who have had their lives snuffed out at the very time they would have begun their ...

1757. Pontius Pilate,Pragmatic

Drama

Peter C. Garrison

... are read.) Opening: Greeting and introduction of "The Conflict Of The Will: Our Doubt Of God Became Flesh Among Us." Hymns: "What Child Is This" or "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel" Read: Introduction to Chapter Four, page 41 Reading: Luke 13:1-5; Mark 15:1-15; John 18:28--19:16; 1 Timothy 6:13 Meditation: Pontius Pilate, Pragmatic Discussion: Break into discussion groups and follow "Questions About The Story/Questions For You" or read aloud for group silent reflection. When finished, quietly return to worship ...

1758.

Drama

Betty Lynn Schwab

... Egypt, the Israelites -- at God's command -- slaughtered and ate roasted lamb whose blood had been smeared on the front doors of their houses. Reader 1: When the first born of the Egyptians died that night, none of the Israelite children died because their homes were marked with the Lamb's blood. God passed over their houses on the night the Egyptians died. Child: What would the shankbone mean for Jesus? Reader 2: As Jesus ate the last supper with his disciples, Jesus knew his blood like the lamb's would be ...

1759. The Word Of The Lord Came To The Prophet Haggai

Haggai 1:1-15

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... we can write a check that fits our budget to send to our denominational hunger programs. For sixteen years the people of Israel had done very little towards rebuilding the kingdom. Along came a prophet who spoke for barely sixteen weeks. He made a permanent mark. Emotionally it is easier to commit for the short term. Many times we think a commitment to the church has to be lifelong. If we're a Sunday school teacher once, we serve for life. Board chair once, board chair for eternity. Sometimes the greatest ...

1760. Easter Day

John 20:10-18, John 20:1-9

Sermon Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... authority by reconciling black and white, rich and poor, ambitious and lazy, intelligent and stupid, hopeful and hopeless, sinner and saint ... The authority of God came to life in a manger, hung on a cross, broke loose from death, and lives for all ... That marked the beginning of a new way of life in which I'm invited to share.' "1 Note: Sometime during worship, invite the people to participate in Monday's Bright Monday celebration, and in the second Sunday in Easter. Encourage them to wear the brightest ...

1761. Gifts of Lent VII: Joseph Gives His Tomb

John 19:38-42

Drama

Donald Neidigk

... there's nothing I like better than telling others about my Lord. I haven't always been such a bold disciple of Jesus. My friend Mark says I "boldly went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body." But let me assure you, I was as frightened as anyone on that Friday ... where my heart lay. The governor, Nicodemus, the Sanhedrin, the women, the disciples -- they all knew. Jesus was my Lord and Savior! Mark says I was bold. If I was, my boldness was simply that of a forgiven sinner confessing Jesus even when I was afraid ...

1762. On Getting Out Of The Way

Luke 3:1-20, Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... be here long after I am gone. If it depends on me, it is not the church I think it is. There is a good reason for pastors not to stay too long in the same place, lest the church be known as "Rev. X's church." One of the marks of a faithful ministry is how few people depart when Rev. X does. Even so, the cult of the personality in the modern religious scene is widespread. John the Baptist was an impressive figure -- not necessarily attractive, but impressive nevertheless. When he appeared at the Jordan River ...

1763. Moving At The Speed Of Light: Nazareth: Family Ties

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

Frank Luchsinger

... your brothers are outside, asking for you." And Jesus asked, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" Then looking at the crowd seated about him he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother" (Mark 3:32-35). What a welcome! Imagine how his family felt. So when he did return home to his kin in Nazareth and attended a synagogue service, a mixture of feelings about this young rabbi welcomed him. At first things went reasonably well. The service on ...

1764. The Divine Advocacy

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... the divine light. It is by the gentle nudging of Christ's Spirit that we are saved from the suffocation of obsessive materialism and the exhaustion of compulsive achieving. Many Americans are so caught up in the obsession with success at any cost that they want to make their mark, even if it is only as brief as a Roman candle on the Fourth of July. Many Americans are typified by drama critic Walter Kerr's friend who said that he was afraid that if he did not hurry up he would not achieve his goals before he ...

1765. Silly Love Songs

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... four weeks Margaret started to loosen up. One afternoon she even asked one of the boys about an idea for a term paper. The next step in this experiment was for the boys to start dating Margaret. Bill started out by inviting her to lunch after class one day, and Mark took her to a play on campus a week or so later. After the boys' experiment had gone on for a couple of months, an amazing thing began to happen. Margaret began to look better. A few changes were easy to notice, like the way she changed her hair ...

1766. Epiphany 2

1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Isaiah 62:1-12, John 2:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... name from her husband. Israel is the bride and Yahweh is the groom. Married to Yahweh, the bride-Israel will no longer be desolate or forsaken but she will be a delight to her husband. Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 The gifts of the Spirit. This marks the beginning of Paul's teaching concerning the Spirit and his gifts. (11-14) The Spirit is the theme of the pericope: the Spirit enables one to confess Jesus as Lord and provides nine spiritual gifts. Among these gifts, speaking in tongues comes last on the ...

1767. Passion Sunday

Isaiah 50:1-11, Luke 22:14--23:56, Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... in our right minds. Paul felt that way about members of his Philippian church they were haughty and proud. This resulted in divisions. The solution was a change of mind to one of humility as illustrated by Jesus. "Have this mind among yourselves" what mind? Outline: Marks of being in your right mind a. A mind of humility "he humbled himself." v. 8. b. A mind of obedience "became obedient unto death." v. 8. c. A mind of consecration "every knee should bow ... every tongue confess" vv. 10, 11. 2. Going down ...

1768. Pentecost As A Festival

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... and to indicate that they were cleansed by the Spirit. Observance Of Pentecost The Christian's Pentecost is related to the Jewish Pentecost. The Jews had a Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10; Leviticus 23:15-22) seven weeks from the Passover. It marked the giving of the law and the founding of Israel. In like manner, Christians celebrate Pentecost as the day of receiving the Spirit and the founding of the New Israel. For the Jews Pentecost was also the Feast of First Fruits. (Exodus 23:10) It ...

1769. Doubting Thomas

John 20:19-23

Illustration

Richard A. Jensen

... few more months. One Sunday the gospel reading caught him up short. It was about Thomas. That was his name. Thomas had doubts. So did he. He liked what Thomas had to say about Jesus being raised from the dead. "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." Tommy Russo couldn't have put it better himself. "If only I could see his body," he thought to himself. "If only I could touch his body. That's the way ...

1770. How Blest Are Those Who Know Their Need Of God

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... him from time to time. Among other things, they discussed their choice of colleges and careers. An astounding 58 of them finally attended college. I have heard only periodic updates since that time, and all indicate the same: the lives of these individuals are markedly better than what they would otherwise have been. Do you see what happened in the lives of these young people? Because the shape of their future was changed, thereby also was their present. In place of a conditional future ("If you work hard ...

1771. Light From And For The East

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... facts alone cautions us against absolutist claims about our religion versus their religion. For it is not finally our or any religion that saves us. It is precisely and irreplaceably the one who is Lord of all: Jesus! All for now. Blessed Epiphany to you and yours. In his love, Mark 1. Winn, Albert C. and Joseph A. Burgess, Proclamation 2 Commentary -- Epiphany, Fortress Press, Philadelphia, 1980, p. 12.

1772. Greed - Putting Things In Their Proper Perspective

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

... someone else's book." I responded, "Well, the way I look at it, this is my book, I own it, it doesn't own me. If I can only get it to help me by marking in it, then I do that, and I'm giving you permission to use this book as I do. Write in it all you want to, if it's helpful. Your marks in fact may help me to see something in it I've overlooked!" It is the same way with money or anything else we have. It is for our use. We possess it; don ...

1773. The Lamb of God

John 1:29-34

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... they are right now. Jesus came for the first kind, offering comfort, peace, and hope. Jesus was killed by the second kind. Jesus talked about his own suffering, but there is some question whether Jesus saw his death as an intentional sacrifice. Especially in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus' prediction of his own demise seems to have more to do with "what the world does to those who follow God's way ... The world does not love you if you question its ways. It may even kill you...."7 That is not speculation, but a ...

1774. Epiphany 7

Mt 5:38-48 · 1 Cor 3:10-11, 16-23 · Lev 19:1-2, 9-18 · Ps 119:33-40 · Ps 71 · Ps 62

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... a balancing act. On the one hand, we must take Jesus' call to perfection seriously through the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet, on the other hand, we must hold high the promise of forgiveness for all of us sinners who fall so miserably short of the mark. PREACHING POSSIBILITIES Old Testament: Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18 1. Sermon Title: Like Parent, Like Child. Sermon Angle: The Israelites are commanded to be holy as the Lord, their God, was holy (v. 2). They were to reject the values of the world and reflect the ...

1775. Good Friday

John 18:1-11, Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Genesis 22:1-19, Hosea 6:1--7:16, Hebrews 10:1-18, Hebrews 4:14-5:10, John 19:17-27

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... to judge by appearance. Good-looking people have an advantage in this world. Why else would we spend billions of dollars on products that purport to improve our appearance? The usual pictures of Christ that show a ruggedly handsome visage may be far from the mark. This may be his way of telling us to look deeper. "Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases ..." (53:4a). The image that the prophet has in mind may well be that of the leper, with his hideously deformed body. Jesus carried ...

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