Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1751 to 1775 of 4972 results

1751. The Vastness of Relationships

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... is a mysterious prediction to be pursued. Nicky Gumbel, of the Alpha Course, tells the story of the Cockney who could not decide to which of two girlfriends to propose. One was Sally and the other was Maria. He was attracted to both. Although not a religious person, he stopped into a church one day and decided to pray. "'elp me God," he prayed, "to choose the right woman. Whom shall I 'ave Lord, Sally or Maria?" And he got his answer as he looked up at the stained-glass window and saw the words, "Ave Maria ...

1752. Hidden in Plain Sight

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... Jesus,' because we are concerned with a process rather than a product." It is never either/or, always both/and. We proclaim the gospel simply, Christ crucified, so that all may see the mystery of the gospel just waiting to be discovered. But we do not stop with being babes in Christ. We must be attentive to the promptings of the Spirit, learning from Jesus, growing in our understanding so that we may affirm with Paul that "we have the mind of Christ." Amen. 1. Paul Tillich, The Shaking of the Foundations ...

1753. Freedom and Slavery

Romans 6:15-23

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... of candy. What was the name of Jesus' mother? A child answers: Brittany! Correct! You win a piece of candy. Then one of the children stops me. "But Pastor, those aren't the right answers and you still gave pieces of candy!" "You're right! I like giving candy away, and ... you are a pastor, you're not supposed to do things that way. You can't do that, can you?" Before he went any further, I stopped him and said, "No, you've got it wrong. I want to pay for that software. I want to do what is right. I wouldn't ...

1754. A Spiritual “Re-formation”

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... one evening, and her dad wanted to know why she was late. Cathy explained that her best friend, Anna, had dropped her china doll on the sidewalk and the doll had broken into several pieces. "Oh," said her dad. "Did you stop to help her pick up the pieces?" "No," explained Cathy. "I stopped to help her cry." The rule about being home for dinner at six had been broken, but due to prevailing circumstances, Cathy's offense was forgiven. Martin Luther read the book of Romans with an open mind and heart, acting ...

1755. Help Me, I'm Lost

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... was devastating to young Billy. He was a sensitive kid and he could not believe how the other students were treating Mr. Johnson. Suddenly he stood up in the middle of the bleachers and shouted: “Shut up! That’s my father!” Instantly, the jeering and the booing stopped. After school, Billy went home. When he saw his real father, he began to cry. “Dad, I told a lie at school today,” Billy said. He told his dad about the incident and how he had said that Mr. Johnson was his father and how he had ...

1756. Heroes of Faith

Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... who tried out but were only a fraction of a second slower than the top five or ten which were chosen. Did that stop them from training, No! Will that be the end of their career? Probably not. They will still work hard and persevere because they ... is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer." Heroes of Faith are those who work and hang on until Christ says it's time to stop. And that's what Paul means here. We do what it takes to win the race of fait. We continue to hang on every day. IV. Winner ...

1757. The Burning Question

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... go to bed. The next morning, the power was still off. Mom got us up and got us ready for school. We waited at the bus stop but no bus. Mom got ready for work and decided she better take us to school. As we drove down our street and turned on the ... lots where there used to be houses and the closer we got to my High School the more damage there was. When we pulled up to the stop light across from the school and saw an empty parking lot, I think that's when it really dawned on my Mom that something was wrong. ...

1758. On Your Mark, Get Set . . .

Mark 13:1-8, 32-33

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... says: "GET ON YOUR MARK, GET SET . . ." III. Stay Ready A. And then He says: "STAY READY." That's the hard part. [Show Noah clip. Stop the clip before the company logo.] (2) It's not easy to STAY READY, but like the Noah clip shows us, nobody said it would ... He spent an enormous amount of money. But, as luck would have it, as soon as he spent the money for the shelter, tornados stopped coming in his direction. Oh, sometimes a warning would be posted on the news and he would go down into his cellar, but ...

1759. What'll You Have?

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... her. Their unusual job, a hobby, the item he or she invented. Something like that. Today's passage has always reminded me of those game shows. As they are traveling from village to village proclaiming the Good News and healing those in need, one day Jesus stops, turns to the disciples and asks, "WHO AM I?" Actually he says: "Who do people say that I am?" That was the question on everyone's mind. That was the one thing everyone wanted Jesus to answer. That was the question gossips and scholars alike wanted ...

1760. I Doubt It

John 20:19-31, Act 4:32-37

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. For whatever reason, whether it was because of his learning style or what not. Thomas had a moment of doubt. But if you stop and think about it, it's not surprising because every one of the disciples reacted differently. When the women got there, they were afraid. When Peter and John ran to the tomb and saw it was empty, they were astounded. They didn't know what to think. They ...

1761. License to Steal

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . But there is one bankable economic disclosure. US currency is still stamped with the assertion “In God We Trust.” The question is, do we? Well, do we? “In God We Trust” doesn’t mean you don’t wear your seat belt, or stop paying your life insurance premium, or stop recycling, or ignore getting your flu shot. What “In God We Trust” does mean is that our faith points us towards something higher, a top drawer beyond the bottom line. “In God We Trust” challenges us with a broader and higher ...

1762. Scratching God’s Hand

Luke 23:26-43

Illustration

King Duncan

... kept on driving, but his children wouldn't quiet down. He tried to reason with them. The kitten was probably someone's pet. It might have a disease. The family already had too many pets. It did no good. The children insisted that a loving father would stop the car for a stray cat. So finally the father drove back to the spot and reached for the scraggly kitten. The ungrateful little beast scratched him! Fighting an instinct to strangle the kitten, the father packed it into the car and took it home. Once at ...

1763. Metro Moments

Matt 24:36-44; Genesis 6-8

Illustration

Charles Hoffacker

... . The people gathered there, whether many or few, have this common point of reference, and all of them are aware of it. There on the platform the coming and going of the trains is inescapable. The train has either left; or the train has stopped, however momentarily; or the train is expected to arrive. People on the Metro platform have an awareness which sets them utterly apart from Noah's distracted neighbors. Those neighbors were preoccupied by the ordinary business of life, enough to miss the train, or in ...

1764. Adopted! Thank God!

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... teacher’s pet.” His new status was a mixed blessing. His next triumph came in sixth grade when he was chosen to be a member of the safety patrol. He could wear that white belt and a badge and order his fellow fifth and sixth graders to stop and start at will at street crossings. However, he says, he also bore, with the other patrol members, the stigma of being part of “the establishment.” At recess they were often teased and avoided. Being chosen, again, had its bitter side. Later, as a member of ...

1765. You Bring Me Great Pleasure

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the “wrong” people, preaching a “wrong” message, healing people on the “wrong” day, encouraging righteous “wrong” behavior. In everything Jesus said and did throughout his ministry, the illogic and unconsidered consequences of the cross played the decisive role. Let’s make 2011 the year when Christians stopped wearing the cross as a decorative emblem and started bearing the cross as a sacrificial commitment. It is not enough just to turn away from bad-news dead-ends. It is not enough to ...

1766. Troubling Humbling Questions

Matthew 5:1-12

Illustration

Rabbi Harold Kushner

... 's like a rock falling into a pool of water. For a few seconds, it makes ripples in the water, and then the water is the same as it was before, but the rock isn't there anymore. Rabbi, I've hardly slept at all since then. I can't stop thinking that it could happen to me, that one day it will happen to me, and a few days later I will be forgotten as if I had never lived. Shouldn't a man's life be more than that?" This man had just experienced a wake up call! For ...

1767. Daring Thomas

John 11:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... ] to someone else. A Pew Potato catalogs the mistakes of others but misses his/her own. A Pew Potato has not only forgotten what he/she used to be but has also lost sight of what he/she could become. New Potatoes become Pew Potatoes, says this observer, when they stop growing and just vegetate. (2) I’ve known a few Pew Potatoes in my day. A story is told of a pastor years ago whose daughter came to him and announced that she wanted to go to Uganda as a missionary. He told her that he would not allow her ...

1768. Family Resemblance

John 14:5-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... her occupied for the hour long train ride home. But she spoke with them, and laughed with them, and they talked about their day, and they explored useless weather facts from far away places long after it must have stopped being interesting. As fate would have it, they were getting off at the same stop as Newman. They had backpacks and shopping bags, and Grandma in a wheelchair of course, so as they neared the station, Newman asked if they would like some help. The mother looked up at him and smiled, and ...

1769. Christ the King

John 18:33-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord! Lord — to the ancients it meant master or owner and was always a title of consummate respect. In the modern world, to call Jesus "Lord" is to say he is the chief, the boss, the main man, the head honcho. The buck stops with him; his decisions are final. Jesus Christ is Lord! These four words were the first creed that the Christian church ever had. To be a Christian then and to be a Christian now is to make that affirmation. If someone can say, "For me, Jesus Christ ...

1770. When Words Are Not Enough

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... New York subway: * You can punch my lips so I can't blow my horn, but my fingers will find a piano. * You can slam the piano lid on my fingers, but you can't stop my toes from tapping. * You can stomp on my foot to keep my toes from tapping, but my heart will keep on swinging in four/four time. * You can even stop my heart from ticking, but the music of the saints shall never cease.[5] After all, there are times when words are not enough. 1. Kemp P. Battle, Great American Folklore (New York: Barnes & Noble ...

1771. Winning Over Worry

Matthew 6:25-33

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... who die from the five most common contagious diseases combined. Twice as many people die by suicide as die by homicide. Fifty percent more people die because of ulcers than die because of murder. Another book by a noted physician titled Stop Worrying and Get Well[3] called attention to the fact that worry causes heart trouble, high blood pressure, some forms of asthma, rheumatism, ulcers, colds, thyroid malfunction, arthritis, migraine headaches, blindness, and a host of stomach disorders. Doctors today are ...

1772. The Miegakure Messiah

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , on paths scattered with stones. And the purpose of all this nonlinearity? To reveal only a portion of the garden or a particular view of the landscape at any one time. A mie-gakure garden would never have one of our favorites — the “scenic overlook” — that one-stop-shop where you pull your car over and see everything there is to see from a single vantage point. After 30 seconds you can then pull out and be on your way. In a Japanese garden, or a mie-gakure garden, instead of a big picture overview ...

1773. The Thoughts of Our Hearts

Luke 2:22-40

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... just what it was that was making him go to at that particular hour, he reached for his hat, combed his beard, and headed out. He knew everyone at the temple, since he was very nearly a daily visitor. But on this day, everyone seemed very busy — no one stopped to chat. So he rested in one corner of the outer courtyard, known as the courtyard of the women, and spoke for a few minutes with the prophetess Anna. Simeon was about the only person in the whole temple who would have very much to do with Anna. She ...

1774. A Whole City at The Door

Mark 1:29-39

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... to "proclaim the message." In a word, he came out to preach. He came out to proclaim the truth about God. Everything else about his ministry was secondary to that ultimate goal, to tell the world the truth about a gracious, loving God, who would stop at nothing to communicate his love for them. Marshall McLuhan was not the first to recognize the danger that the medium could become the message. Jesus knew it too, and saw the danger that his healing ministry might so overshadow his proclamation, that he would ...

1775. Looking Up: Looking Out

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... was transported. Then a dark thought crossed my mind, as if it had been a cloud passing between me and the sun. In a few years the woman would become old. The rose in her hair would die. Her soft hands would be gnarled and wrinkled by age. She would stop playing the instrument. She would be confined to a bed or a wheelchair. Then she, too, would die.1 Morbid sounding, isn't it, this line of thinking? But we all must surely know the moments in our own lives when for an instant the curtain is drawn back and ...

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