Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1801 to 1825 of 4490 results

1801. Chapter V

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

"Give weight to your father and your mother that you may live long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you." Exodus 20:12 One of the things about the Commandments is that even though there is only a handful of them they speak to nearly every area of life. Though in some instances they are only a few words or phrases long, they touch virtually every basic relationship that a man has with his fellows, as well as with God. The longer that perceptive and sensitive people study and live with them the ...

1802. The Miracle of Salvation

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

I suppose that one of the classic poems on sin is the one titled, "This Side of Calvin" and it goes like this: The Reverend Dr. Harcourt, folk agree, Nodding their heads in solid satisfaction, Is just the man for this community. Tall, young, urbane, but capable of action, He pleases where he serves. He marshals out The younger crowd, lacks trace of clerical unction, Cheers the Kiwanis and the Eagle Scout, Is popular at every public function. And in the pulpit eloquently speaks On diverse matters with both ...

1803. Which Self Are You?

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

You no doubt have heard the old story of the three inmates of a mental hospital who were having a discussion. The first insisted that he was Napoleon Bonaparte. The second asked how he knew he was Napoleon Bonaparte. The first replied, "God told me!" And the third chimed in, "I did not!" And then there was the patient who appeared unexpectedly at his psychiatrist’s office, and asked what was wrong by the doctor, he replied, "I just HAD to come today, Doctor. For some reason, I just feel myself." Well, ...

1804. A WALL OF ROCK AND THE EVERYBODY GAP

Drama

William McKee Aber

A Dialogue - Drama for presentation in the church chancel This dialogue-drama was written by Dr. William Aber and the Rev. William Myers and was adapted from a presentation given at the First Congregational Church of Downers Grove, Illinois. It was first presented in this form at the Hiland Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the conclusion of a series of sermons on "The Gaps of our Age." The theme of this dialogue-drama is that people build walls between themselves in everyday life. They ...

1805. Advent 2: Let Us Go Over To Bethlehem And Find The Promise of Christmas

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

James W. Moore

This sermon is based on Matthew 1:18-25: Perhaps you have heard the one about the attractive young woman who boarded a plane in Los Angeles heading toward New York. The young woman was tired. She knew it would be a long flight, so immediately she asked the flight attendant for a pillow and a blanket. She hoped to be able to sleep most of the way to New York. Her head had just nestled into the pillow when an obnoxious man with a loud, booming voice boarded the plane… and sat down beside her. He tapped her ...

1806. Report of a Secret Meeting

John 3:1-21

Sermon

George Bass

Nicodemus should have stayed home and gone to bed early that night long ago, but instead he secretly made his way to where Jesus was staying in Jerusalem and became a part of whatever was happening there. Something prompted him to address Jesus as "Teacher" a divinely appointed teacher who worked miracles in the name of God. Only one sent by God could do the things that Jesus did, according to Nicodemus. And he was right, of course. But what he said immediately prompted a retort from Jesus: "Unless a man ...

1807. Francis of Assisi

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

"The message of Christ’s death on the cross is nonsense ..." 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Characters: Lector Announcer Antagonist Protagonist (Participants enter and take their places in the chancel. As they come forward, the congregation sings the hymn "Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated." When the hymn is completed, the drama begins.) LECTOR: The message about Christ’s death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for us who are being saved, it is God’s power. For the scripture says, "I ...

1808. Struggling with God

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

In all of scripture, and even in all of literature, you would be hard pressed to find a character more interesting than Jacob. We meet him first before he is even born - his mother Rebekah is in such agony during her pregnancy carrying him and his twin brother that she wants to die. When the babies finally make their appearance, little Esau comes out first, but his brother is holding on to his heel, and, as the legend has it, that is why he was given the name Jacob - it meant "heel" or "trickster" or " ...

1809. The Powerful Moments that Change Your Life Forever

Matthew 4:12-23

Sermon

James W. Moore

I am a collector of lists. I want to share with you this morning my favorite list of all time. It’s a list of answers given by English school children on their religion exams. Noah’s wife was called Joan of the Ark A myth is a female moth. Sometimes it is difficult to hear in church because the agnostics are so terrible. The Pope lives in a vacuum. The Fifth Commandment is “Humor your father and mother.” This is my favorite of all: Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day and a ball of fire by night. The ...

1810. Our Magnificent, Mysterious, Mischievous God

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

David E. Leininger

This is a fun story, one of many in scripture that are good for giggles if we allow ourselves that reverent freedom when we encounter them. Engaging characters, international intrigue, and finally a denouement that is just pure fun. It is one more affirmation that our God is not only magnificent and mysterious but occasionally mischievous as well. The cast. Naaman. His name means charm or pleasantness. Apparently a relatively nice fellow as standards of his day would define nice. A powerful personage too ...

1811. The Forgiveness Factor

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Did you happen to see that wonderful story in Thursday's paper about five-year-old Branden Lake in Youngsville who called 9-1-1 last Sunday morning to get help for his Mom who was lying unconscious on the bathroom floor?(1) Adding spice to the account was the fact that the emergency dispatcher on the other end of the call was the boy's Dad, Todd Lake. Everything turned out all right - mother Karen's collapse was due to dehydration brought about by a viral condition, and she was back home from the hospital ...

1812. Overcoming "Work-avoidance Syndrome"

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever noticed how some people are lazy? Oops ” how many people have work-avoidance syndrome? I heard about two men who were talking about going to Australia. One of them said, "Did you hear? The news says there's a diamond mine in the Outback where diamonds lay all over the ground. All you have to do is bend down and pick them up." The other guy looked offended and said, "You have to BEND DOWN?" There was a PEANUTS cartoon several years ago. Linus is addressing Snoopy who is asleep on the roof of ...

1813. Connected

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

A newspaper reporter went to interview a successful entrepreneur. "How did you do it?" he asked. "How did you make all this money?" "I'm glad you asked," the entrepreneur replied. "Actually, it's a rather wonderful story. You see, when my wife and I married, we started out with a roof over our heads, some food in our pantry, and five cents between us. I took that nickel, went down to the grocery store, bought an apple, and shined it up. Then I sold it for ten cents." "What did you do then?" the reporter ...

1814. You're A Good Kid!

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Harriett Beecher Stowe was a most successful writer. She achieved her first triumph as an author at the age of twelve. She was a student at Litchfield Academy. With the other Litchfield students she was required to submit an essay at the end of the term. Her essay was awarded first prize by the unanimous vote of the judges and was one of two read at the graduation exercises by the headmaster, John Brace. So outstanding was her paper, the audience applauded when it was read. When it was revealed that ...

1815. Like A Big Happy Family

1 Peter 3:8-22

Sermon

King Duncan

It was just after Ben Franklin's kite flying days. Some Frenchmen were experimenting with electricity. They wanted to know how fast it moves. The Abbot of a large monastery volunteered his monks for the experiment. The monks had taken a vow of obedience so they had no choice. They lined up a thousand of the monks, each holding the hand of those next to him. Then the electric current was applied to the first man in line, and according to an account of this experiment, every one of those 1,000 monks jumped ...

1816. Passing The Ultimate Test

Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

A pastor was making a wooden trellis to support a climbing vine. As he was pounding away, he noticed that a little boy was watching him. The youngster didn't say a word, so the preacher kept on working, thinking the boy would leave. But he didn't. Pleased at the thought that his work was being admired, the pastor finally said, "Well, son, trying to pick up some pointers on gardening?" "No," he replied. "I'm just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer." (1) That's a tricky ...

1817. The Servant Who Delivered the Mail

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Today I want to share the story and testimony about one of God''s most faithful servants. His name is Epaphroditus. According to some scholars who share his name, it was common in the era and culture he lived in. It is certainly not a common name today. As Max Lucado shares: "`Epaphro-what-us?'' you say. Just ask the apostle Paul. He''ll give you the correct pronunciation. He''ll also give quite a character reference. To describe this fellow with the five-syllable name, Paul used more succinct words, like ...

1818. Grace in the Midst of Unanswered Prayer

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

No one ever really prepares you for your first theological bull session. Usually it arrives without fanfare or advance warning. Usually it happens long before you enter the relative clear-headedness of your adult years, or before you take that philosophy course in college. Usually it happens when you're a junior high school student, up late with friends at a sleepover, or camping out in somebody's backyard. There's just something about a smoky fire and charred food and stars out overhead that turns twelve- ...

1819. In the Cross of Christ We Glory

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Michael Milton

Patrick Morley has said that the turning point in our lives is when we stop seeking the God we want and start seeking the God who is. Peter would come face-to-face with the God who is. This would be a turning point in the life of the disciples. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But ...

1820. Bear Love

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Bill Mosley

Do you remember everything your mother told you? Here's a list which sounded familiar when I first heard it. It's called Things My MOTHER Taught Me My Mother taught me LOGIC ... "If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can't go to the store with me." My Mother taught me MEDICINE ... "If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they're going to freeze that way." My Mother taught me TO THINK AHEAD ... "If you don't pass your spelling test, you'll never get a good job!" My Mother taught me ESP ... "Put ...

1821. Seeing Just Enough of God

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

Life never stands still. It can crawl along too slowly, zip past us before we know it, torture us with opportunities we can never get again, or bewilder us with which path to take. But it never stands still. A woman who learned about life's twists and turns shared her story with a pastor friend of mine. Shortly after her marriage, in full flush of love, she went out for a jog. Bursting with a feeling of how delicious her life was, she offered up a prayer of gratitude to God for her marriage, her health, ...

1822. The FUD Club: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Theme: In a world of doomsayers, where Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt reign supreme, disciples of Jesus are doom-slayers. EXEGESIS of the Text: Part 1: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 The 2 Thessalonians Epistle text for this week skips about in chapter two, cherry-picking verses first from the opening lines of the letter (vv.1-5), then landing on the concluding remarks of this first section (vv.13-17). This edited reading of 2:1-17, however, does succeed in focusing on the author’s primary concern throughout this ...

1823. Inward, Upward, Outward

Romans 9:30--10:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Stuck in an endless traffic snarl the other day I punched on the radio just to hear another voice. The news channel was just finishing up a long in-depth report on the nasty mad-cow threat. Mad cow meat. Cancer causing farm fish. Avian flu chicken. What's left to eat any more? Pretty soon they'll find deadly bacteria on broccoli. The radio news channel, staying on the theme of American eating habits, moved on to a special segment on obese kids. Because of obesity, "This may be the first generation of ...

1824. The Bridge over Troubled Water

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

James W. Moore

On Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed with devastating and amazing force into the Gulf Coast just east of New Orleans, Louisiana. With screaming, shrieking 175 MPH winds, Katrina smashed ashore and… - destroyed houses and buildings, - turned over cars, trucks and boats, - swamped Mississippi’s beachfront, - blew out windows in hospitals, hotels and high-rises in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, - submerged entire neighborhoods up to their roof-tops in flood water, - separated families ...

1825. God's Prescription for a Healthy Christian

Jude 1:17-21

Sermon

James Merritt

I heard a story one time about a young doctor just getting started in his first practice out in the country. This was back in the days when doctors made house calls. Late one night he got a call from a farmer who said, "Doctor, come quickly, my wife is seriously ill." Well, grabbing his little black bag he hurried out to the farm. The farmer met him on the steps, rushed him into the house, and upstairs into the bedroom where his wife lay sick. The doctor took a look at her, told the farmer to step outside ...

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