Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1751 to 1775 of 1967 results

1751. Let the Journey Begin

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Dean Lueking

Another Lenten journey begins this Ash Wednesday. A Tradition to Cherish I say, another, because for many the keeping of Lent is a treasured tradition, and these mid-week hours set aside for worship and prayer are a blessing year after year. We journey toward Easter. The purpose of these forty days of spiritual preparation is to hail again the decisive deed of God for the redemption of the world and the renewal of our lives in Christ's grace. May it be so for you, and for countless others of the Christian ...

1752. Maundy Thursday

John 13:1-17

Bulletin Aid

Theme: The cleansing crucifixion Exegetical note John's account of the Last Supper differs from the Synoptics in placing it on the day before the actual Passover meal and in recounting a footwashing, an act that for the evangelist symbolically entwines two principal symbolic themes: cleansing and mutual submission. The former of these appears to refer mainly to the import of Jesus' crucifixion for the disciples, while the latter bespeaks the attitude that the disciples should display to one another. Call ...

1753. God's Best Gift In The Worst Times (Sermon Series No. 2)

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

On Hampton Plantation in coastal South Carolina there used to live an elderly sharecropper, illiterate but very wise. One of his favorite sayings was this: If you ain’t in trouble, your prayers ain’t got no suction.” The Bible declares that our extremity is God’s opportunity. God is most likely to be found at your wit’s end, just when you need Him most, when you have run out of answers and almost out of hope. Consider the great prophets of the Old Testament: Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, and Isaiah. ...

1754. Worthy Is The Lamb

1 Timothy 2:1-15

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

I am especially excited today! While preaching is almost always a joy, sometimes it is an absolute delight, especially when I am declaring the heart of the Gospel, the good news of the cross. Why, I could hardly sleep last night. I feel like a bird-dog on Thanksgiving morning or a racehorse in the starting blocks at Churchill Downs. I love to talk about the cross! The Gospel is so simple that even a child can grasp it. It's so profound that no Ph.D. can fully plumb its depths. Here is the heart of it: ...

1755. God's Best Gift in the Worst Times

Micah 5:1-4, Micah 5:5-15

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

On Hampton Plantation in coastal South Carolina there used to live an elderly sharecropper, illiterate but very wise. One of his favorite sayings was this: If you ain't in trouble, your prayers ain't got no suction." The Bible declares that our extremity is God's opportunity. God is most likely to be found at your wit's end, just when you need Him most, when you have run out of answers and almost out of hope. Consider the great prophets of the Old Testament: Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, and Isaiah. ...

1756. With What Shall I Come?

Micah 6:1-8

Sermon

James Bjorge

On that wondrous night long ago a ragged little boy watched the three wise men bring their costly gifts for the Christ Child. His eyes filled with tears as he thought, "If only a pearl would fall from the hand of a king, then I could go too. But I am ashamed to go. I have no gift for the Saviour." The little lad was about to turn and run for the hills. Suddenly an angel appeared before him and said, "Give a gift that is closest to your heart." So he did. They say that the Bethlehem star gave an extra ...

1757. A Real Pepper-Upper

Sermon

Michael J. Anton

PENTECOST I’m tired. I’m tired of slugging it out every day in that office or on that line where nobody really cares whether I live or die. I’m tired of being treated like a number. I’m tired of being called nosey when I’m just trying to help. I’m tired of being unappreciated and taken for granted. I’m tired of being an armchair psychologist and trying to figure people out. I’m tired of yelling and screaming at my kids. I’m tired of yelling and screaming at my parents. I’m tired of cooking meals and ...

1758. POTTER

Jer. 18:4; Rom. 9:21

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

Jeremiah 18:4 - "And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do." Romans 9:21 - "Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lamp one vessel for beauty and another for menial use?" The exact origin of pottery is not known, although its use is traced to Neolithic times, and probably discovered accidentally that clay could be shaped by hand and then that it could be hardened by the sun. ...

1759. A Mountain-Top Experience

Mark 9:2-13

Illustration

Larry Powell

Our primary focus will be upon the divine Sonship of Jesus of Nazareth. Notice that we say Jesus of "Nazareth" here instead of Jesus "Christ." Prior to the events which we shall take up, Jesus had been identified simply as "the Nazarene," "the carpenter," or "the carpenter’s son." Following two specific events, his identity is enlarged upon to include "divine Sonship." What happened? There was a baptism and a transfiguration. Baptism. The practice of baptism was not the peculiar invention of Christianity. ...

1760. Clear and Clean and Good

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

A television commercial advertising a soft drink says, "Sprite is what you want the world to be - clear and clean and good." Whether or not Sprite deserves such praise, certainly that is what we want the world - and our own lives - to be, clear and clean and good. And it is precisely in these terms that the apostle describes what the coming of Christ means to us. The apostle uses the word epiphaneia, the original for our word epiphany, to describe both the first and the second coming of Christ. He tells us ...

1761. Come, Let Us Worship

Luke 4:14-30

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A napkin and a tissue and a paper towel. Good morning, boys and girls! I brought some things along with me this morning that I thought might help us learn something about each other and also about Jesus. All three of the things I have are made of paper, but I think you use them for different things. Let me see if you can tell the difference between then. (Take out the napkin and show it to the children.) What is this? (Let them answer.) That's right, it is a napkin. What do you use a napkin for? ( ...

1762. Who Could Forget That?

Mark 14:32-42

Sermon

King Duncan

A mother and her young daughter were driving to the zoo during Lent. On their way, the little girl began counting out loud the crosses on various church steeples. "Mom," she asked, interrupting her counting, "how many times did Jesus die?" "One time, dear," her mother answered. "Then why are there so many crosses?" the little girl asked. "To help us remember how much Jesus loved us," her mother replied, "He died on a cross for us." "Well," the child responded, "how could we forget something like THAT?" (1 ...

1763. Behind Closed Doors

Joel 2:12-17

Sermon

King Duncan

We have come behind closed doors this night. In a few minutes we will have the cross of Christ applied to our foreheads. This ceremony is not for public display. It is for those who love Christ, not for the world outside. This is the one time in the year when we hide our light under a bushel, as it were. Ash Wednesday could be a dangerous time spiritually. It could be a time when we parade our piety for others to see. How inappropriate that would be. Our Lord said, "Beware of practicing your piety before ...

1764. The New Commandment

John 13:31-38

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

Call To Worship Friends, Christ showed us his love by becoming a humble servant. As we prepare to gather at the Lord's Table, let us resolve to show our love by serving Christ as we minister to the hungry, the sick, and all those in need whom we can help. Collect O Christ, as we recall how you washed the feet of your disciples, we learn how reluctant we are to serve each other. As we partake of this holy sacrament, give us grace to serve one another in all lowliness. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Lord, we ...

1765. Where's Your Spirit?

Acts 19:1-7

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I love that story read to us this morning as our epistle lesson from the Acts of the Apostles, telling of Paul's visit to Ephesus. The first people that he happens to run into are Christians. He asks them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit?" They said, "We never even heard of the Holy Spirit." Paul must have slapped his forehead in despair, saying, "Do I have to do everything myself to get it right." Then he asks, "What about when you were baptized?" Which is the clue that in the early Church, receiving the ...

1766. Proper 4

Genesis 6:1-8:22, Deuteronomy 11:1-32, Matthew 7:15-23, Matthew 7:24-29, Romans 3:21-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Genesis 6:9-22; 7:24; 8:14-19 We begin today a series of twelve readings from Genesis. It is a story of the Patriarchs from Noah to Joseph. The series lends itself to narrative and biographical sermons. The disadvantage is the length of the series. It may be difficult to maintain interest over twelve weeks. Old Testament: Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28 Life or death depends on obedience to God's laws. Epistle: Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-28 (29-31) The righteousness of God is not received ...

1767. All God's Children Can Dance

Psalm 30:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

How many of you out there today have "Baptist feet?" I'm not asking how many of you were or are Baptists (though I confess: the Methodists raised me, but the Baptists saved me). I'm asking this: When you find yourself in a social situation which involves music and moving people, do you suddenly freeze to your chair? Wish yourself invisible? Get a sudden urge to go out for fresh air? Remember you are nursing an old football/tennis/gardening injury? If so, then you (like me) have "Baptist feet," a handy ...

1768. The Voice of a Stranger

John 10:1-21

Illustration

Verne Arens

I once knew someone who was a leader in the congregation. At one time or another he had filled most (if not all) of the important leadership positions in that church. More than that, however, oftentimes he was the one who would volunteer for those tough, dirty jobs that no one else wanted: washing dishes after a potluck supper, helping to teach the confirmation class, stacking shelves at the food bank. This is the kind of person you would like to clone and with whom you'd like to fill the congregation, ...

1769. Proper 12, Proper 13

2 Samuel 11:26 – 12:13

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship Let me tell you a story, one that will tug at your heart, one that will rouse your sense of justice, one that will cause you to tower and rage in righteous zeal. Let me tell you about a precious lamb, loved and cherished as a child, stolen by a thoughtless, rich neighbor. Let me show you the culprit. Hold up this mirror. Then come before your Lord with humility, begging for grace. Collect There is no mystery, Omniscient God. We come before you as sinners. We pray for your forgiveness. We ...

1770. Beware: Hypocrites on Premises

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

David T. Ball

Whenever I happen to be in a conversation with someone about why they don't go to church, it seems like the reason that they almost always give is that they can't stand all the hypocrites. I don't take this personally -- they aren't saying that all churchgoers are hypocrites -- just that there are usually too many hypocrites for their liking. I guess their reaction is understandable. Who would want to go to a church filled with people who don't practice what they preach? That would, at the very least, be ...

1771. Scissors, Paper, Rock

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

"Tough as nails." "Hard as a rock." "Solid as a brick." Those are our metaphors for strength and sturdiness. God, however, hardly ever seems to agree. The divine preference is for security in fluidity and victory in vulnerability, defying our concrete convictions. Do you remember as a kid playing the ancient game "scissors, paper, rock?" You and a friend would beat three counts into your palm with a fist, and on the third count would reshape your fist into either "scissors" (two fingers extended), "paper ...

1772. Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28

Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's gospel lection extends over two separate pericopes: Jesus' discussion about "What defiles?" and his encounter with the Canaanite woman who seeks healing for her possessed daughter. Although each unit presents a coherent story in itself, dovetailing the two suggests a logical extension of one to the next. Jesus' debate over ritual cleanliness begins in 15:1 with a direct dialogue with the Pharisees and scribes who are "from Jerusalem." By specifically identifying these authorities as "from" ...

1773. Blessed Are Those Who Hand Over Their Controllers

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The hundred miles of open water separates the most southern tip of Florida from the most northern coast of Cuba. It’s a stretch of water that has claimed hundreds of lives since the Cuban revolution. Flotillas of “boat people” seeking freedom and family in the US have created desperate “boats” out of anything that might possibly float long enough to reach US soil. The goal of these “boat people” is simple: hit dry land. As long as these refugees are in the water, they are Cubans. As of 1995 the US has ...

1774. Unusual Joy

Psalm 126:1-6

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

In a Dr. Seuss Christmas story, the small-hearted Grinch steals food and toys from all the Who's of Whosville in an effort to curb their Christmas joy. Yet on Christmas morn, the tall and the small sang without any presents at all. And the Grinch with his grinch-feet, ice cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags! And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of ...

1775. Mulliganeers, All

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Way back in cold old February, fourth grader Patrick Timoney came face-to-face with what “zero degrees” really mean. Not “zero degrees” Fahrenheit, but “zero degrees” of tolerance. It seems Patrick had taken some of his favorite Lego toys to school to show off to his buddies. Any parent of young children can tell you those little, tiny Lego guys are natural born killers. They hide in the couch to poke you when you sit down. They stab you in the foot as you cross the floor. They can single-handedly destroy ...

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