Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1801 to 1825 of 4963 results

1801. The Final Questions

John 6:60-71

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

... go away?" Think about it as asking you, "Will you? Will you, too, go away?" It is a potentially frightening fact that while only the heavenly Father can draw us, every one of us can withdraw. Go away. After one of the twelve betrayed him, all the remaining eleven fled. It is an equally comforting fact that all eleven were drawn back and were thereafter faithful unto death. Of course, most of them were martyred. If the question is phrased, "Will you also go away?" we would have to answer, "Yes and no." Out ...

1802. A Taste Of Life

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

William G. Carter

... old inference has been that if you can watch, wait, and stay faithful on a night like Maundy Thursday, then you must truly belong to the inner circle of Jesus' followers. If you can survive the telling of Mark 14, then you may be worthy to remain within the fellowship of the church. Unfortunately, that has not always had the desired effect of producing committed believers. A middle-aged woman tells how she first joined a Lutheran church as a teenager on Maundy Thursday. "I had to sit through a lot of boring ...

1803. Looking A Little Bit Crazy

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

William G. Carter

... has seen the true social dimension of God's kingdom more clearly than Martin Luther King, Jr. King confronted the evil house of racism with a clear word of gospel justice. His work provoked allegations against his character and threats against his life. Yet he remained faithful to his vision until the day someone shot him. The key, as he said in a number of his speeches, was a certain maladjustment. There are certain things within our social order to which I am proud to be maladjusted and to which I call ...

1804. Shouting At A Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

William G. Carter

... pull us through." Who is this, who falls asleep while wind and wave pound into the boat? That may be the most troubling question. Whatever the storm, we want everything to always turn out okay. We want a happy ending for every disaster. We want a God who can remain accountable for our damages. In the wake of Hurricane Hugo, a radio commentator interviewed a man who lost everything in the storm. At one point, the man said, "If God's in charge, I'm angry. But if God's not in charge, I'm worried." Yet Mark ...

1805. When We Feel God Has Moved And Left No Forwarding Address

Job 23:1--24:25

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

... her death her pastor stood by her bedside. As he made conversation about ordinary things, a look of eager longing came into her eyes. "Tell me," she pleaded, "where is God now that I need God the most?" Like Job, she was faced with the challenge of how to remain faithful when it seemed that God had moved and left no forwarding address. To be sure, this is the challenge which faces us in the midst of any crisis in life. It is a challenge which tempts us to ask: Where is God? What is God doing? Well, God ...

1806. From Rejection To Redemption

Ruth 3:1-18

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

... and support that Ruth gave to Naomi that eventually won for Ruth the notice of Boaz, who was Naomi's kinsman on her husband's side. Ruth had gone to work as a gleaner in the fields of Boaz. Thereupon she gained favor with Boaz, who told her to remain in his fields close to the reapers. Furthermore, he offered her protection from the young men. When Ruth asked why she had found such special favor from Boaz, he said: "All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully ...

1807. Pass It On

John 1:43-51

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... witness is weak and ineffective. Ron Fraser, who until his retirement last year, was the baseball coach at the University of Miami for over twenty years. He won numerous national championships. He had several opportunities to manage in the majors, but he remained at Miami where he maintained an outstanding record. When he was asked the reason why he was so successful as a baseball manager, his answer was simply, "I teach my players the basics." The basics for him were pitching, fielding, and running ...

1808. What Shall We Do With The New Wine?

Mark 2:18-22

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... elasticity and flexibility needed. Hard to Give Up Old Ways Each generation must pour the new wine from one perishable vessel to another while preserving the wine (the message) and the old wineskins must be discarded. The message of God's love in Christ remains the same while the forms and structures that communicate that message are ever changing. If not, Christianity becomes merely a creed, a polity, a form, instead of spirit and new life in Christ. It is a pity that we would hold to old forms, allowing ...

1809. Discovering The Unexpected

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... comes as an angel that troubles the waters. He comes as he did in the first century -- the tormentor of men's and women's souls. We can feel quite satisfied with our lives until Christ comes along. In the day that we confront him we discover we cannot remain as we are. We must either change or flee from his presence. He offends our prejudices and challenges our basic axioms; he reveals our shabby respectability for what it is. Today, he is not a figure of history who lived 2000 years ago. He is not a Christ ...

1810. He Abides In Us

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... What we should appreciate about God's judgment is that it is more than likely quite different from what most of us expect. We have our own standards of judgment. They are not necessarily like God's. For example, we may know of two quadriplegics. One remains completely helpless, sits in the chair, or lies in bed. The other is a talented and gifted painter, who does beautiful landscapes by taking the paint brush into the mouth to achieve his work. We may compare only the two, and we miss the fact that ...

1811. Jesus Transfigured

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... It would have been strange indeed if any of us looked forward to suffering. We think those people are sick who find delight in suffering. We all do what we can to avoid suffering. Peter was saying what we all think, "Who needs the cross? Let's remain where it is safe and we can pray and avoid all the trouble." Besides who can understand the resurrection? No doubt you have read in newspapers, books, and journals that people believe in the immortality of the soul. Who needs the resurrection? We do not like to ...

1812. The Sponge And Wine

Mark 14:1--15:47

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

... hours of darkness, that Jesus realized the awful abandonment of God in death. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" By faith, by trust, by surrender to God his Father, he would not be abandoned even in death. God was still his God. By faith he remained the Son of God. By faith he would not let go of God. By faith he would not be separated from God. In that terrible moment as Jesus was suspended upon the cross, heaven and earth were drawn together in this tattered and bruised body and cemented together ...

1813. Proper 21

Matthew 21:28-32

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Notes RSV and NEB give two very different versions of this passage, reversing, in effect, the sons' responses and accordingly, changing the crowd's reply to Jesus' question. The point, however, remains the same: outcasts are far more ready to accept God's coming Reign than are the overtly religious, ostensibly because the latter's self-righteousness prevents them from responding to God's graciousness. Liturgical Color Green Suggested Hymns Lord, Keep Us Steadfast In Your Word O Jesus, I Have ...

1814. The One Who Radiates God

Matthew 17:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

... Lord, nothing in our experience will help us comprehend what happened on that mountaintop with Jesus. We have no point of reference. It must have been exciting and terrifying at one and the same time! Clearly, the moment was a special gift which would remain wrapped until after the resurrection. All of Jerusalem was waiting on tiptoes for Jesus to make his next move. The journey into town would be inspirational, but the city would prove to be a disappointment. The cross loomed on the horizon. Yet the cross ...

1815. Called out of Death

John 11:17-37

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... sing one or more hymns about the love of Jesus. Have the congregation join in reciting one of the creeds that emphasizes Jesus' power over life and death. Let this response flow right into a hymn that praises this power of Christ. Instruct the worshipers to remain seated as they sing the hymn "Sing with All the Saints in Glory" until the third verse. Tell them that if they believe what they are singing to stand at the third verse, and sing out strongly what they believe. The same could be done with ...

1816. Reach Out

Mark 5:21-43

Illustration

Harold H. Lentz

... . We, too, can reach out to Christ and as a result receive innumerable blessings. In fact, throughout our life there are so many things that we can possess if we only reach out to secure them. Many of the greatest names in history would have remained unknown if they had failed to reach out when opportunity presented itself. Examples of this include William Shakespeare, who was the son of a bankrupt butcher and a mother who could not even spell her own name. The great musician, Beethoven, was not born to ...

1817. Listening and Paying Attention

Matthew 13:1-23

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... to the steps just now?" I inquire, fully expecting at least one child might say, "Because you asked us to." But whether it's a case of it's-early-on-a-summer-morning-and-I'm-not-awake-yet or simply an unusual shyness for this bunch, the children remain silent. "Could it be that you came up here to listen to something?" I continue. Finally a few heads nod in agreement. Then I hold up a bag I've brought with me and ask the children what it contains. "Sunflower seeds!" several reply. "Well, suppose I wanted to ...

1818. The Better Part

Luke 10:38-42

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... your Bibles, praying, or just sort of hanging out with God. I've brought this Bible to represent that part of our lives, only our basket is so full, I'm not sure it will fit." Precariously I balance the Bible on the other items in the basket where it remains for just a moment, then slides off. "Oops! The basket is too full. Adam, if this basket represented your life you'd find it hard to fit anything else in, wouldn't you?" Adam nods wearily. "You may put the basket down now," I tell him, helping him to ...

1819. What's Inside

1 Corinthians 1:28-31

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... he's actually helped me with his negative attitude. "Well, if it sounds that bad, John, let's set it aside for a minute while I ask everyone about something else. Does anyone know what it means to boast?" Several of the older children grin, but everyone remains silent as I begin to wonder if this is going to be "one of THOSE days." "If I were boasting," I rephrase my question, "what would I be doing?" "Bragging," Rick answers. "Ah, so boasting is bragging," I reply. "Well, then, I wonder if any of you ...

1820. The Righteous

Psalm 107:1-43

Sermon

John A. Terry

... and water were precious commodities. People would hardly find their hunger and thirst satisfied with something as abstract as "righteousness." In one manner or another, we all have hungers and thirsts we seek to satisfy. But we can seek satisfaction in ways that never remain satisfying. I once spoke with a man who owned a chemical company. He told me about chemicals he sold to beverage makers that they put in their drinks so that our thirst is never quite quenched. Remember the ad that had as its slogan ...

1821. The Pure In Heart

Psalm 42:1-11

Sermon

John A. Terry

... student made in response, Phil said, "No words have ever meant more to me than the words my friend then uttered." The friend said, "Phil, no matter how God chooses to reveal himself to you, never be ashamed of it." The friend went into the library while Phil remained looking up at the night sky. But this time, he did not see confusion in the stars. Instead, he saw an orderly universe. And he wondered how he had been so blind. God had always been present. The universe had always had order. It was he who had ...

1822. The Persecuted

John 15:18-27

Sermon

John A. Terry

... from what we warn youth about -- peer pressure? Many of us work places where we have to show financial profit for our work. Seldom will someone say you cannot ask questions of ethics about how the money is made, but questions of Christian ethics usually remain in our mind without passing over our lips. "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." But the threat of scorn from colleagues and reviling looks of peers hardly feels blessed ...

1823. The Adventure Of The Empty Tomb

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... as he retrieved the cane and cloak belonging to his guest. "Much obliged," the reverend said, "and God bless you, Mr. Holmes." They bowed respectfully toward one another and the clergyman was gone. "All the credible are not possible, thus leaving only the incredible remaining to be true. Watson, it appears there is to be a most peculiar journey ahead." There was indeed. We had some difficulty working our way to the laboratory of Dr. Wells because there were only a few carriages available due to the holy day ...

1824. Paul, The Great Missionary

Philippians 1:1-11

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose. I am caught from both sides. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing; but it is much more important, for your sake, that I remain alive. I am sure of this, and so I know that I will stay. I will stay on with you all, to add to your progress and joy in the faith. So when I am with you again you will have even more reason to be proud of me, in ...

1825. The Temptation of Christ

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... of Israel's rebellion. Many passages in the Psalms also picture Israel in the wilderness as a time when Israel failed the test of obedience. It may be, therefore, that Mark presents Jesus as the head of a New Israel who is driven into the wilderness and remains obedient to the testing of God. Besides Moses the other Old Testament figure who spent time (forty days and nights) in the wilderness was the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-18). It may be that Mark intends to call both Moses and Elijah to remembrance ...

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