Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1776 to 1800 of 2962 results

1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... prepare our young people to adapt to their changing world by providing unique experiences and opportunities. They develop our youth morally, intellectually, socially, and spiritually in a way that is consistent with becoming responsible and productive individuals. Saint Benedict designed a set of rules for ordinary young Christians to live by, not necessarily for those who chose a cloistered lifestyle. The rules are patterned on living out biblical values such as prayer and service to neighbors within our ...

1777. Abraham Believed God

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... . God is one. And God, from a powerful position, replies like a secure ruler. A polite ruler. A mannered ruler. The advice columnist known as Miss Manners once pointed out that manners are not, as some people might describe them, arbitrary rules designed to shackle ordinary folks. Just the opposite. The purpose of manners is to protect the powerless from the powerful by linking everyone in a network of responsibility and accountability. God sets the example by being polite to Abram. God makes an enormous ...

1778. He Will Abundantly Pardon

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... covenant God has made with the people, which is the source of the good things God has shared in the past and will share in the future. He is writing to a shell-shocked people who have suffered great trauma and after the manner of a road sign designed to catch our attention, Isaiah uses an image which can't help but cause them to take notice. Isaiah phrases his memorial as an invitation. Just as Wisdom in the book of Proverbs cries aloud to get the attention of the people, so Isaiah hollers out an invitation ...

1779. God's Call for All

Acts 9:35-43

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... semblance of private ownership, but perhaps stewardship would be a better word. It is expected that in greater and lesser ways that we take care of each other and put our stuff at each others' disposal when the need is there. This mutuality is designed to protect God's people as individuals and a community. It's found, for instance, in the Ten Commandments. The rules set up the framework for a just and equitable society, but Exodus 20:12 is especially helpful in understanding mutual aid. The verse reads ...

1780. What Are You Looking At?

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... a visible Jesus? So where is Jesus? Where did he go? These are the essential questions that Luke has for new converts, and especially for someone named Theophilus. While no one is quite sure if Theophilus was a single person, or was a fictional person designed to represent all Christians, Luke opens the Acts of the Apostles with what sounds like the standard dedication of his time. Remember that one did not publish a book the same way then as now. Luke didn't submit sample chapters of a manuscript to ...

1781. The Undoing of Babel

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... spoke the same language. The people had heard God's command to fill the earth and spread out over the land. Some, however, thought they knew better than God. They didn't want to scatter over the earth, so they built a city with a high tower, one designed to cause them to be praised as a great people, and to make them powerful enough to defy God's command. What they were doing was an act of rebellion against God, so God came amongst them and confused their language so that they could no longer understand ...

1782. When Nothing More Can Be Done

Amos 8:1-12

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... know that something has happened, but for the moment, the ship appears to be steaming on as usual. The passengers, after having been jarred a bit by the bump, have returned to their activities and things are carrying on as before. The ship's designer is on board, however, and he goes below to inspect the damage. He sees the water pouring in and makes some quick calculations. Then, in the movie, he meets with the captain and other officials. After explaining his calculations, he states his conclusion: within ...

1783. Tales of the Spiritually Stupid

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 18-22

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... no light from the heavens have shifted from poetic language to an all-too-real possibility in our own world. In the days since then, humans have not only split the atom but we have spliced the genetic code and trod on other divine mysteries, as well. Designer babies may soon be an option for those who can pay. Gene-specific germ warfare (killer viruses which can target a specific ethnic or racial group) may well be added to future war arsenals. Jet travel in the modern age means a deadly virus can be passed ...

1784. What a Deal: Investing in Hope

Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... to pillage our treasures, or carry us into captivity. Or do we? Check out the national dialogue about church-state relations in our country and you'll find a lot of folks sounding the alarm. The present furor in the classroom and courtroom over "Intelligent Design" is a case-in-point. Judeo-Christian values that were once the cornerstone of our society are being challenged in our court system and assaulted in the popular media. Prayer in public schools is nearly a thing of the past (except for exam time ...

1785. Time for Bifocals

Mark 10:46-52

Illustration

Keith Wagner

... my life but to wear lenses with little boxes in them didn't appeal to me at all. But then I learned of something called, "no-line" bifocals. That meant you couldn't see lines in my glasses and no one would know the difference. Also, my new glasses are designed to let me read, see close and see far. Instead of bifocals I now have trifocals and fortunately I am still able to have lenses with no lines. At first I was unwilling to hear the news that my eyes had gotten progressively worse. A few tests enabled me ...

1786. Tears Are Our First Words

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... .com/tearbottle.html Mourning tears were believed to have extreme powers—-of solace, of sustenance, of spiritual healing. There were beautiful, delicate lachrymatory tear bottles for women and more masculine cigar-shaped tear bottles for men. Traditionally all were designed with an evaporation chamber. When the last of the gathered tears finally evaporated, the official mourning period was over. In Roman times women were paid to cry into tear bottles, so that as many filled bottles as possible could ...

1787. Hebrews 9:24-28

Hebrews 9:11-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... was right, and that his 1633 trial as a heretic was a “mistake.” In mid-October of this year, the Vatican rather cheekily opened a “Galileo exhibit” to mark the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s telescope and to support the UN designated International Year of Astronomy (the exhibit runs through 16 January 2010). Within the lifetime of some of our parishioners, some physicists would prefer to ride the falling apple of Newtonian physics into the ground, rather than to jump into the paradoxical and ...

1788. Mark 13:1-8

Mark 13:1-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... encourages his followers with the directive, “Do not be alarmed.” All the evolving events are “necessary.” They are part of the divine plan and are evidence of God’s power. Chaos is not encroaching. Rather, God’s design for the cosmos is unfolding. Instead of proclaiming an eschatological “end,” Jesus announces that these apocalyptic events — both political (nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom) and ecological (earthquakes and famines) — are merely the first signs, the earliest ...

1789. Christmas: Before And After

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... 2 King 3 Props Two chairs Small table Medium sized piece of black cloth, plain on one side, stars painted or pinned to other side Two glasses “Logs” for fire Three crowns Small piece of rope or cord Notes “Christmas: Before And After” is simple, spare theater, designed to be performed by a small group of older youth with no set and only a handful of props that are moved around the stage by the cast, and used in different ways in each scene. It is based on improvisations by its original cast and, as ...

1790. A Squirrely Holiday

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... whole anti-squirrel industry — the manufacture of "squirrel-proof" bird feeders. If you have ever attempted to feed just birds and not squirrels from your backyard feeder, you know that no one has yet succeeded in creating a truly "squirrel-proof" feeder. Products designed to Baffle don't baffle them for long. Weighted feeding slots don't get them discouraged. Squirrels aren’t rocket scientists. But they use all their squirrely attributes to get to the prize. They dig in with their toes. They balance on ...

1791. History of Christ the King Sunday

John 18:28-40, 1 John 2:15-17

Illustration

Brett Blair

... Catholic Church at the time wrote a letter in which he dedicated the world to Christ the King. In the letter, he reminded the empires that God is present with the whole human race, even with those who do not know God. After World War I, Pope Pius XI designated the last Sunday in October as Christ the King Sunday, a day to remember that Christ received power and honor from God and was thereby made ruler of the universe. Christ the King Sunday is the last Sunday of the church year for good reason. It's a time ...

1792. Every Kiss Begins with K

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... tradition named them in words more familiar: Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthassar. The gifts these long-traveled Gentile strangers brought to the child weren’t “useful” little items the new baby might need. Although each gift was costly, they were designed to symbolize the identity of the child these magi sought. Gold, most obviously, meant kingship. Frankincense was the scent used to invoke the divine presence, so that offering frankincense to the child recognized his divinity. Myrrh had two different ...

1793. Change in One’s Life

Luke 3:7-18

Illustration

The famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright created an idea called organic architecture. He believed that buildings should be blended into the surrounding natural environment. If you stare at the buildings that he designed on the campus of Florida Southern College in Lakeland, it is very difficult to tell where the edifice stops and the environment begins. It merges and blends. Perhaps we should start talking of organic Christianity. If you look at the life of Jesus you see no sharp line of ...

1794. The Wonder of It All

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... has had more books written about him than any other person in all of civilization. The wonder of it. Other persons are remembered by, by the imperishable works of art that they have left. Yet, Jesus left none. This man never painted a picture, never designed a building, never wrote a note of music. Yet he has inspired the most treasured possessions in painting, architecture and music. Still other persons are remembered because they’ve amassed a fortune. Jesus died a poor man. He didn’t even have a house ...

1795. The Word that Changed the World

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... say that the communists had offended God. Nothing in this world is random according to Heraclitus. Everything is ordered by the Word. He held that nothing moves with aimless feet; in all life and in all the events of life there is a purpose, a plan, a design. And what is it that controls events? Once again, the answer is the Logos or Word. Heraclitus went even further. What is it in us individually that helps us choose right over wrong? What makes us able to think and to reason? What enables us to recognize ...

1796. Every Day God Empowers

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... ! And, what the outcome will be. It's for this reason that Jesus went to the cross. To show us just how much God loves us and how much God wants us to belong to family of God. Conclusion: You have been created by a loving God. You are a designer original. There are no plain label or generic brands in God's eyes. Each of you is a unique creation. You have been created in the Image of God, therefore, you each have a famous maker label. It doesn't matter if you have a checkered past. It doesn't ...

1797. A Crib, A Cross, And A Cave

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... empty. The Tomb is empty because nothing can hold the Son of God, not even death. The tomb is empty to remind us that the fear of death is an empty fear. The Tomb is empty because the seed of hope, Christ Jesus, bore the fruit God had planned and designed. Jesus conquered even death and offers us resurrection and eternal life with Him. That's what the Crib, The Cross and The Cave all have in common. They are empty so that the promises of the Savior would be fulfilled and fill us with faith and hope and new ...

1798. Shaped By The Fire

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... our baptism. Through our baptism we are bathed, cleaned and polished. The physical water may dry up but the spiritual waters of our baptism still run and flow through our hearts and souls as Christ shapes and molds us into God's own unique design. IV. Etching That brings us to one last phase of the Waterford Crystal Factory. Sometimes special pieces are created or chosen to have further enhancement added through etching. The etchers are true artists of the craft. They turn beautiful pieces of crystal into ...

1799. Seeing God In The Ordinary: Work

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Jason discovers in the movie the Ultimate Gift. Jason is a Trust Fund baby who loves all of life's gifts as long as they are bankable. But when his wealthy grandfather, Red, dies, Jason receives a rather unusual inheritance, a series of twelve challenges which Red calls gifts, designed to grow Jason into a man. The very first gift Jason discovers is the Gift of Work. He's sent to Red's old friend in Texas, where he learns about work first hand. He doesn't get it at first. At all. It takes some real prodding ...

1800. Is There Room For A Prophet?

Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... to serve the elements to come forward. As he handed the trays to the servers, he looked up. Standing before him was a tough-looking fellow with numerous tattoos on his arms. The pastor had never seen him before, but he figured he was someone who had been designated to serve and he just didn't know about it. He handed the stranger two trays, one holding the bread and the other, the wine. The stranger gave him a strange look but took the trays and walked off with the other servers. In a moment he was back ...

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