Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1826 to 1850 of 4977 results

1826. A Law We Can Live With

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... do us much good to stay here. To be rather blunt, one cannot understand this passage from a casual, philosophic distance -- for the Commandments are not a set of abstract regulations thundered down from the mist-shrouded heights of Sinai by some impassive deity. Quite the contrary. They come from the same God who heard the Hebrews crying out in their captivity, who reached down with merciful hands so that these people could be lifted up, and who lovingly bestowed the gift of life to those struggling to find ...

1827. Life's Loose Threads and The Tie That Binds

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... is that of one willing to be condemned vicariously for the sins of the people, he hardly plays the part consistently, or for that matter, with much resolve. Even a casual reader of the story soon realizes that dying is not his first or favorite inclination. Quite the contrary. Just as at the burning bush Moses wants to know God's name, and after the Golden Calf to see God's face, he is equally persistent in wanting to reach the Promised Land. Indeed, he repeatedly implores Yahweh to reconsider -- evidently ...

1828. Recalling, Remembering, And Rejoicing

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... , you can hardly blame Moses for wanting to rummage through the files a bit. After all, who among us has not done the same? Who among us has not dreamed of days gone by as we floated lazily down the river of nostalgia? It's quite common, perfectly normal, and basically harmless. Granted, with the passing of time, our strolls along memory lane tend to become somewhat idealistic. When my brothers and I were kids, for example, we used to spend the summer evenings out on the front porch listening to ...

1829. Epiphany 5

Matthew 5:17-20, Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... the church preserved civilization and eventually brought the invading tribes into it. 6. Artificial Light. In Tucson, Arizona, the city has regulations against light pollution. The street lights are covered so that the light does not go into the sky. It is quite a contrast with Phoenix with all its garish neon signs along business areas. Tucson has regulations against light pollution because a major telescope is located on a nearby mountain. If all the artificial light of the city brightened the sky, it ...

1830. Sowers Of The Seed

Psalm 119:1-176, Romans 8:1-17, Genesis 25:19-34, Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... the rejection of the people of Nazareth (verses 53-58) and the Pharisees of the earlier chapters. Context of the Lectionary The First Lesson (Genesis 25:19-34) The story is of the birth of two sons to Isaac and Rebekah. They are twin brothers but quite different in their characteristics. They become types for the true descendants of Abraham and the rest of the people of the world. Even though Esau was born first and, under the rule of primogeniture, should have had the inheritance, he sold it to Jacob for a ...

1831. Service And Reward

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... People should find satisfaction in having opportunity both in serving others in the church and through the church reaching out to serve others. Unhappy is the person who has not learned the joy of service. Points to Ponder 1. The Pharisees or the Disciples. It is not quite clear who the persons are in the parable who were hired to work at different times during the day. Was it the Pharisees who had sought all their lives to be faithful to God and now envied Jesus and his disciples? Was it the disciples who ...

1832. Christ the King

Psalm 100:1-5, Ezekiel 34:1-31, Ephesians 1:15-23, Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... the peoples of the earth are on trial and sentence is being pronounced. On the other hand, the image is from a simple pastoral scene that could be seen every day in Palestine. The picture is of a herd of sheep and goats. They are animals quite different in temperament and activity. Even the casual observer could tell them apart. The contrasting imagery was striking and would stick in the memory of those who heard it. It contains for us the same striking quality. At the same time it communicates some of the ...

1833. The Scope Of The Spirit

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... wind blows and you cannot tell where the Spirit comes from or where the Spirit is going, this affirms the unpredictability of the Spirit. It is this quality of the Holy Spirit that makes the Spirit's presence so dynamic among us. One is never quite certain where the Spirit is leading us. The Spirit's Activity Today What about the Spirit's activity in today's world? Norman Pittenger has suggested that wherever there is a concern for justice, truth, and love -- there the Spirit of God is at work. Pittenger ...

1834. Don't Sweat The Numbers

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... message was this: "Don't sweat the numbers. Numbers are not where it's at. The Infinite cares for you infinitely, no matter what your number!" Some of the people, especially those with little numbers, were intrigued by the Stranger and his message. Quickly, he developed quite a following. He spoke to the people of The Infinite's love and benevolence. He told them their needs were cared for because it was the nature of The Infinite to give and give and give and still be undiminished. And, he added, it's the ...

1835. Country Songs and Easter Hymns

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Thomas Long

... his or her place."3 In this sense, then, every place where the church is planted is, in its own way, a "city." There is no village so small, no place so isolated, that there is not at least some taste of the richness, the challenge, and, quite frankly, the grating difficulty, of human differences. It is there in the wild diversity of the "city" -- wherever it may be found -- that the church gains true power, the power that is like Jesus' power, the power that does not protect itself from the stranger, does ...

1836. Two-and-a-Half Cheers For Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-2, Matthew 6:5-6, Matthew 6:16

Sermon

Thomas Long

... pray for the sick and the lonely, but they pray. Hypocrites may let it loudly be known that they volunteer a day a week to Habitat for Humanity, but they do build houses for the homeless. Two-and-a-half cheers for hypocrites; not quite three cheers, but applause nonetheless. Indeed, Jesus does not attack religious hypocrites because they are so ruthlessly opposed to the gospel truth but rather because they have just barely missed it. Jesus says harsh things about the hypocrites not because they are so far ...

1837. Knowing The Voice

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Thomas Long

... and sooty chimneys of nineteenth century London. When the audience gathered and were handed their programs, some were amused to note that the part of the tightfisted Ebenezer Scrooge was being played by the chairman of the church board, a gentle man of quite un-Scrooge-like generosity. They were impressed, though, by the skill and energy he brought to his part. He growled his way through the opening scenes, ringing out every "Bah! Humbug!" with miserly ill will. He shivered with fright and dreadful self ...

1838. Words, Words, Words

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Thomas Long

... that's all. Words, words, words. But the words he spoke were so radically different from the other words she had heard, words so filled with grace and truth, that she was never the same again. It is important to note that this story does not begin with words. Quite to the contrary, it begins in silence. Not gentle, tranquil silence, but hard, cold silence. Because she who came to the well was a Samaritan; he who rested at the well was a Jew. She who came to the well was a woman; he who rested at the well ...

1839. Good News, Bad News, Good News

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Thomas Long

... them in baskets on the communion table. Half of the money goes to local hunger needs, the other half to global programs. This is a fairly affluent congregation and one deeply committed to social causes, so the monthly hunger offerings are usually quite substantial. The congregation is rightfully proud of the amount of money they have raised over the years, the hunger programs they have helped finance and the difference their offerings have made. One Sunday morning, however, as the final hymn was being sung ...

1840. Since He's In Charge, We're In Luck

Psalm 33:4-5, 8-9, 13-22

Sermon

Robert G. McCreight

... is planned. Everything that happens is accidental. Two events may appear to be related in some way, but in actuality they are random happenings that we suppose are connected to each other. But in reality, they are just coincidence. Neither view seems to quite fit the world which we experience. But there is room for a viewpoint somewhere along that spectrum which suggests that order has been built into the Creation and that living creatures are given a measure of freedom as well. People who believe that ...

1841. Confidence To Spare

Psalm 27:1-6, 13-14

Sermon

Robert G. McCreight

... or I, and enjoyed every moment of it. A newspaper reporter at the party asked her, "Do you have any children?" She responded without any hesitation, "Not yet." That was a cute thing to say in light of the occasion for the question. But I don't put it in quite the same league as Mabel Yark's response. For the 100-year-old woman without children really doesn't have much of a chance of ever giving birth. It's a pipe-dream to think she might. But there was a good chance that Mabel Yark would celebrate her 100th ...

1842. Behold The Man Who Taught By The Sea

Mark 4:1-20

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... for us today -- using the ears we have and catching the ear of our society. The Christian gospel has a difficult time getting through the clamor of today. Most people are being bombarded by words and information. The age of communication makes communicating some things quite difficult. But, those who have ears to hear -- listen! Would you listen to what Jesus has to say to us today? Would you receive what he says in the sense that you will let it filter through and speak to your heart and mind, your ...

1843. Stop Being Afraid

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Marc Kolden

... :26-27). Oh, my. We don't want to be heroes, especially not religious ones. It's all we can do to get to church on Sundays and we're supposed to be shouting the word of God from the housetops? No way. We're afraid. But Jesus doesn't quit. "Stop being afraid" (that's the force of the verb); "stop being afraid" -- not just once but always. "Stop being afraid of people who can kill the body but not the soul." The point is, people can hurt us only temporarily because life comes from God. Even if they kill ...

1844. Welcoming Christ

Matthew 10:40-42

Sermon

Marc Kolden

... awfully close to home, however. This would seem to suggest that as we welcome Christian workers today, as we welcome other Christians bearing witness to their faith, we receive Christ. Yes! And also, those who welcome us, who receive us, receive Christ. That's quite a claim! But it shouldn't surprise us, if we think about it. The Christian faith spread for centuries without a written New Testament. The sixteenth century reformer Martin Luther once said that it was a shame that God's Word had to be written ...

1845. The One Thing That Would Make The Biggest Difference

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Roger G. Talbott

... all that person wants is to use us? "Well, good riddance," we say. Who wants to have a relationship with someone like that? That's not what the Bible says, however. We are always hearing that we don't need relationships with unhealthy people. That isn't quite right. We don't need unhealthy relationships with unhealthy people. Matthew's gospel tells us not to give up on people as easily as we often do. If we cannot straighten out a relationship with a one-to-one meeting with another person, or maybe a series ...

1846. Second Sight

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

David Belgum

... if it should be our fate to be thus transformed or to see some helpful vision. On the other hand, we should not be surprised if a vision should suddenly confront us. Some brilliant scientists have made their great breakthrough discoveries quite by accident. While pursuing one question, suddenly an answer to a much different question emerges as if from nowhere. We should also remember that Peter, James, and John were ordinary fishermen by background and trade. They were not noblemen, great generals ...

1847. Seeing The Whole Person

John 4:1-26

Sermon

David Belgum

... ; this you said truly." Layer after layer of her life unfolds in the conversation to the point where she exclaims that Jesus must be a prophet of some kind. What kind of impact did Jesus' encounter with the woman have? It was very positive, and very likely quite different from the many negative experiences she had with relatives and neighbors, who would have said, "If I told you once, I've told you a thousand times, if you keep on like this you'll come to no good. You'll end up like a common prostitute ...

1848. Seeing Light In Darkness

John 11:1-16

Sermon

David Belgum

... our friend Lazarus." And he himself wept at the loss. Not only would Jesus have blessed the sisters but himself with the restoration of Lazarus to their midst. But no, this socio-emotional and personal benefit is not mentioned as a reason for raising Lazarus. Jesus states quite clearly four times in this short story the purpose and meaning of this miraculous raising of Lazarus: ... it is for the glory of God (v. 4). ... so that you may believe (v. 5). Did I not tell you that if you believe you would see the ...

1849. Preaching On Biblical Personalities

Sermon

John R. Bodo

1850. Yearning For A Loyal Friend

Job 6:14-30 · Matthew 26:69-75

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... listen. I failed. I did more talking than I intended to do. I discussed the faith when I did not intend to discuss it. I could have avoided the conversation if I had made the effort. Oh, it was stimulating to both of us. But I've never been quite sure that I offered any comfort to someone who was hurting because of rejection by a mate. The failure of that pastoral visit still haunts me, and I could see my portrait clearly painted when I read about Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. These were the three friends of ...

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