Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1751 to 1775 of 3160 results

Exodus 32:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... the years about the almightiness of God. Because if God can't stop this, then I have to come to some new understanding of God's almightiness, or perhaps reject it altogether. I haven't had time to think about this because I am too busy dealing with all sorts of survival questions. But I am going to work on it." And he did. He counted the number of times God's "almightiness" is mentioned in the New Testament. He discovered it is only ten times. Nine of the ten times are in the Book of Revelation, the last ...

1752. Eye Exercises

Matthew 6:25-33

Sermon

Mark Trotter

1753. Fathers in Their Generation

Psalm 103:13

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... . Besides that, as you have heard, this is Choir Recognition Sunday, and I wanted to be here also for that occasion. In the past, when Bob Cooper was the director of music, he used this Sunday as an opportunity to work the choir a little harder; they presented sort of a mini-concert for you, and you all appreciated that. But we had the opportunity this year to simply honor the choir, not make them work any harder. I hope that you will join the others at Linder hall to express your appreciation. Also, I want ...

1754. How about Something Different?

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... person would not have to encounter a leper. They were to cry, "Unclean! Unclean!" to warn people to stay clear of the contaminated area. It makes sense that this incident should take place along the border, because borders in every country are sort of "no-man's lands." You keep away from the border, because it is where you would be sure to encounter something unsavory: outcasts, fugitives, criminals, or lepers. Jesus is walking along the border. Some lepers approach him. But instead of shouting, "Unclean ...

1755. Imagine a World

Matthew 18:10-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... , that community founded by Methodists over a hundred years ago in upstate New York as an opportunity for religious inspiration in the summertime by the lake, and also an opportunity for enrichment of one's life with culture, art, and ideas. It was sort of a northern version of the southern camp meeting. Families would go to their summer houses at the lake in an idyllic setting. In some places that still happens. Pacific Grove, incidentally, up the coast at Monterey, was founded by Methodists as a Chatauqua ...

1756. Let Us Pray

James 5:13-20

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... saying, because he uses simple, straight-forward prose, giving advice to a church on how to arrange its life together. In our text for this morning, the fifth chapter, he is talking about those who are suffering, those who are sick, and those who are sinning. Sort of the cross-section of a typical congregation: the suffering, the sick and the sinful. He gives one prescription for all of them: prayer. If you are suffering, he says, pray. If there are sick among you, pray for them. If there is someone among ...

1757. Moving on Up

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... are going to be surprises. As the spiritual put it, “Everybody talkin’ about heaven, ain’t goin’ there.” This story from Luke gives us the best clue as to how you can get there, who is going to be there. I mean, if you are interested in that sort of thing, whether you are going to make it or not. Here is the only clue that there is. The humble will make it. “For everyone who humbles himself will be exalted and everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. That’s it. That’s all that we know ...

1758. Poor Mary

Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth." I imagine Mary came to the older woman because she thought Elizabeth would have some wisdom as to what all of this meant. At "The Annunciation," it said, "Mary was greatly troubled, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be." That is why she went to Elizabeth, to ask her, "This has happened to you, too. What does this mean?" Luke says as soon as she walked into Elizabeth's house, Elizabeth's baby "leaped in her womb." Elizabeth cried ...

1759. The Sin of Being Less

Colossians 3:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... . Now that is also a selective list. In other letters Paul lists other qualities of the Christian life. This list is tailored for the Colossians. You read that, and you get the impression that they are having a church fight of some sort. They don't like each other. There is some issue that has divided them. So his list includes: compassion, kindness, lowliness, patience, forgiveness. The qualities that will bring about reconciliation between you and people that you are estranged from. And especially love ...

1760. This Is the Day

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... " from them. They'll tell you about all their operations and how bad things are going for them. Some of those people, if you don't ask them, they'll ask you, "Why didn't you ask me how I am feeling today?" They are always in misery. They have sort of a low-grade malaise all the time. And you wonder, has what happened to them shaped their attitude, or has their attitude shaped the way they see the things that happen to them? There is a story about a barber who had a negative attitude about all things. A ...

1761. Where Can I Find the Church?

Acts 2:1-8; 4:32-37

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... are all phonies, you know, every one of them." He was quiet for a moment, and then said, "You're not Roman Catholic are you?" I said, "No, I'm a Methodist." He said, "A what?" "I said, "Well there aren't many of us in Germany, but we're sort of like Lutherans." Which gave him the opening that he needed to dump on the Lutherans. Then he returned to his more familiar ground, the Catholics, and to his favorite target, the priests. He said, "You can never find a priest when you need one." We got to the airport ...

1762. Who Is This Man?

Mark 14:43-52

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... crowd to arrest him. Peter draws a sword to defend his Lord. We assume it's Peter. In John's gospel he's identified as Peter. Mark just says, one of them drew a sword. But we know it was Peter. It's got to be Peter. It is the sort of impetuous, dumb thing that Peter would do. Then Judas kisses Jesus to identify him. Then they arrest him. And Jesus says to the mob, "Have you come out against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching ...

1763. A Pilgrimage To Bethlehem

Matthew 3:1-12

Drama

Matthew Powell

... behind my companion. Forgive me, for God's sake. Storyteller 1: Ivan's family heard of Gregory's return and came for news of him. Gregory: Ivan is a fast walker. We parted three days before Peter and Paul Day. I meant to catch up with him, but all sorts of things happened. I lost my money and had no means to get any further. So I turned back. Storyteller 2: The villagers were astonished that so sensible a man as Gregory should have acted so foolishly and lost his money. But they soon forgot all about it ...

1764. Willibald Krautman's Trip To Heaven

Matthew 11:2-11

Drama

Matthew Powell

... rolled off onto the floor. Then, of course, a certain justifiable anger came over me. Saint Peter: But, the things you said at those times were anything but quick prayers. Willibald: Oh, for goodness sake. Who thinks about what he says in anger. That's not the sort of thing you should put on the golden scales. I have never done any real damage in anger (Pauses), like other people. (Pauses) I never cut off anybody's ear. Saint Peter: (Coughs in embarrassment) Well, now. If you want to make a court case out ...

1765. The Burglar's Christmas

Luke 15:22-24

Drama

Matthew Powell

... Man: Got any folks anywhere? Now's the time to put the bite on 'em if you have. Will: Never mind if I have, they're out of the question. Young Man: Well, you'll be out of it before long if you don't make a move of some sort. A man's got to eat. See here, I am going down to Longtin's saloon. I used to play the banjo in there and I'll squeeze him for some of his free-lunch stuff. You'd better come along. Perhaps, they'll fill an order for two. Will ...

1766. Hoodoo McFiggin's Christmas

Luke 2:1-14

Drama

Matthew Powell

... : and all his own size. The boy was so pleased that you could see his face crack up with pleasure. He waited a few minutes until his intense joy subsided. Then he tried again. This time, the package was long and hard. It resisted the touch and had a sort of funnel shape. Hoodoo: It's a toy pistol! Narrator: said the boy, trembling with excitement. Hoodoo: Gee! I hope there are lots of caps with it! I'll fire some off now and wake up father. Narrator: No, my poor child, you will not wake your father with ...

1767. Home For The Holidays

John 1:1-14

Drama

Matthew Powell

1768. In the Darkness of Anxiety, There Is the Light of Peace

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... you find God’s peace? We have put ourselves in all kinds of other places, sometimes at great expense, and we did not find it there. Having tried everything else in an attempt to alleviate our anxiety, I wonder now, would we try God? Some do this in a glib sort of way. They have been into tennis, and into jogging, and into therapy, and into various forms of drugs. They think, “I’ll try God now,” in the way they might try on a pair of shoes. That is not what I mean. I mean, would you put yourself in ...

1769. Proper 5

Matthew 9:18-26, Matthew 9:9-13, Hosea 6:1--7:16, Hosea 5:1-15, Romans 4:1-25, Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... chosen by God. Out of Abraham came the Hebrews and Christians to whom God revealed himself and to whom God gave his Son for the world's redemption. For us today, we need a model of our faith that can be an example for our devotion to God. Outline: The sort of man our father of the faith was - a. A man of courage - vv. 4, 5. At age 75, he leaves all for a strange land. b. A man of faith - 1. Obedience to God's command - vv. 1, 4. 2. Trust in God's promise - v. 2. c. A ...

1770. Swept Away!

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

... rich and peaceable kingdom on earth. After all, the church in Jerusalem had been waiting for eighty years and nothing had happened. And so their faith and their commitment and their connection to God had cooled off. The believers in Jerusalem had become lukewarm - sort of like us - middle-class agnostics living in one of the most affluent counties in America, cushioned by so much comfort, programmed by so much self-importance, that we, too, manage to keep God at a safe distance. When we first hear it, this ...

1771. God, Or the World?

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... , for it is already his. Jesus' temptations in the desert have been understood by scripture scholars in three different ways. Some suggest that the confrontation was Matthew's way of explaining Jesus' inner turmoil after his baptism - his need to sort out his experience and come to grips with his Messianic consciousness and his future public ministry. The most popular scholarly opinion concerning Jesus' temptation is ethical in nature, suggesting that the events recounted are presented as a model for Jesus ...

1772. Jesus, Our Rock Foundation

John 14:1-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... down the road or see what the long-term effects of our actions may bring. The common contemporary desire for instant results and satisfaction tempts us to take shortcuts and other paths that, in the end, are really detours and dead ends; they lead us in all sorts of directions, but not along the path of life. We must truly take to heart Jesus' words, that he is the one and only way that leads to salvation. Jesus tells Thomas that he is the truth, but this reality also seems to allude our consciousness. We ...

1773. What Is Success?

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... I used to be!" What is success? What does it look like? How much does it cost? Where do I find it? If it is not in length or width, perhaps it is in ... Height Height says that success is in fame, popularity, wealth, the size of your house, the sort of car you drive, and in your wardrobe. Yet there are those who hustle to get all of those things only to find themselves strangely empty. Poet Robert W. Service in his poem, "The Spell of the Yukon," admits, I wanted the gold, and I sought it; I scrabbled and ...

1774. Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired?

Matthew 9:35-10:8

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... comes they struggle against it. Where they are is warmth and food and security. The outside world is new to them. They are afraid to be born, and they fight it. We do that with death, too, don't we? Here we have our loved ones, a home of sorts, and a familiarity with the way things are. When a sickness unto death comes upon us, we struggle against it like an unborn child. Yet our death is but a birth into heaven. Your Response To Sickness There are many different kinds of sickness and there are many ways ...

1775. In Our Pastor's Success, So Is Our Own!

Matthew 10:40-42

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day - and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus." Just listen to the action verbs: He often refreshed me. He was not ashamed. He searched for me. He found me. He rendered service. May we be that sort of person to one another, and especially to our prophets!

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