Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1826 to 1850 of 4963 results

1826. Feeding the 5000

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... human condition that we can produce by ourselves as we get ready to hear the gospel. It would be better to say, as has been said earlier, that faith arises at the intersection of the Sower's sown seed and the soil of human hearts. How that happens remains a mystery for us until this very day. We dwell here in the realm of the work of the Holy Spirit. The text for this Sunday fits precisely the dictionary definition of the word pericope: "cutting all around." Today's text "cuts around" Jesus' feeding of the ...

1827. Outsiders and Insiders: A Gospel Surprise

Mark 9:38-41

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... brief in the Markan text, but we can expand it quite easily by imagining the disciples eavesdropping on this man, watching what he does, detailing their plans for presenting their case to Jesus. The disciples are diligent! They want to be sure that outsiders remain as outsiders. In fact, the disciples seem to be the experts in naming outsiders. They also rebuke those who would bring children to Jesus (10:13) when Jesus has already told them that to receive such a child is to receive him. Story Three could ...

1828. A Lack of Faith

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... ministry we hear that they cast out many demons and healed many that were sick (6:13). The ministry of the twelve will be much like that of Jesus. Some will receive them, some will not (6:10-11). The mystery of faith remains! It is very interesting that Jesus sent his disciples out dependent upon the hospitality of strangers! Missionaries dependent upon the hospitality of strangers. That must also mean that people engaged in mission are called to carry out that mission in a hospitable manner. Homiletical ...

1829. Holy Thursday / Maundy Thursday

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... to prepare two life-size silhouettes from cardboard cut-outs. The silhouettes should be of Peter and Jesus, where Jesus is washing Peter's feet. An alternative to cardboard cut-outs would be to project the silhouettes onto a sanctuary wall. This visual should remain throughout the worship service. Ask someone who does calligraphy to prepare a worship bulletin cover with a cross and the words, "Having loved his own ... he loved them to the end." Anthems and Special Music We Come to the Hungry Feast An Upper ...

1830. Hearing the Difficult News

Mark 9:30-37

Bulletin Aid

Robert D. Ingram

... us ears that hear, hearts that understand, and the faith to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Prayer Lord, there are days when you talk to us, but we do not understand, and are afraid to ask you to explain.And there are days when you question us, but we remain silent, because we know you will not like our answer.Lord, help us to trust you, and to be honest with you, so that we can have a real relationship with you. Amen. Prayer (Have the choir sing the hymn "Were You There" as the response in this prayer ...

1831. Son of David, Open Our Eyes

Mark 10:46-52

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... to the sick, and this person could serve as the leader of the group. Offer the worshipers a chance to come forward to pray for illumination and vision for some decision or circumstance in their lives. Realize that many people will prefer to do this while remaining seated in the pews. Their prayers will be just as genuine as those who come forward, and God will give them just as much attention. People have different needs at times like this. Some pastors will be contrasting the beggar Bartimaeus who sees and ...

1832. Christmas Eve / Christmas Day

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

... and is the source of life and light to all who believe" to raise their hands. Point out that by doing this they are also witnessing just as John witnessed. Then ask those who not only believe, but who have also accepted Jesus as their life and light to remain seated and sing the hymn "Christ Is the World's Light." Ask those who have not yet accepted Jesus to consider the testimony of those who are singing. When the hymn is finished, invite those who have yet to accept the life and light of Jesus Christ to ...

1833. A Solitary Witness

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... They said his act became a condemnation upon all those who did not express a conscientious objection. Still other people saw it only as a senseless waste of human life. Historian Reinhold Schneider wrote: "When the commission of sin [intersects] one's sacred duty, there remains nothing else to do but to refuse and thus to bear witness, even solitary witness. But where such witness is, there is the kingdom of God!" Each one of us is involved in "solitary witness." It is because of a promise made, perhaps in ...

1834. Choosing Your Spirituality

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... slavery, child labor and keeps women in the delivery room.4 In my struggle with the Garden of Eden, I see its truth in a different perspective. My departure from Eden is an advance, not a retreat, a step up, not a plunge down. The beasts remain in Eden where there is no choice, only instinctual obedience. I feel far more positive, hopeful, and moved by God walking forward, eager to be “like God,” hungry to experience the choices between good and evil, ready to risk freedom and willing to pay the price ...

1835. Mission Ready!

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... home. You who have made such a move know how painful it is to discard favorite pieces that have taken on the character of personal collector’s items’ for you. And the problem is bigger when two of you have your own favorite items. But the fact remains, you have to jettison all items that the smaller space cannot contain. One of my toughest decisions involved my books. When I no longer had an office, I had hundreds of books I could not take home. Having no space to contain them, I donated boxes and ...

1836. Bread For The Journey (Bread of Life III)

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... are for me? And am I offering my new day to God? These little journeys affect all the other journeys and everything I do. My first airflight was across country from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. Taking the benefits of a scholarship to attend USC in 1957 will remain a memorable journey in my life. Most of the vacation trips my wife and I take are short. The farthest we have ever gone, I think, is to Toronto. Usually we go to places like Myrtle Beach, Virginia Beach, Gatlinburg, or Orlando. One of the finest ...

1837. Celebrating Eucharistic Time

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... ready for what God wants to give us forgiveness of sins, strengthened faith, and hope of eternal life. The challenge is to intentionally direct our devotion, our meditation, so that words like “God Almighty ... forgive you all your sins ....” do not remain words, words, words, but do as they are intended - bring release, lighten the burdens of guilt, and assure us that God loves, forgives, and accepts us as we are. Fourth and finally, promising time. Throughout the Bible “covenant” is the word for ...

1838. What’s a Sunday For?

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... a call to Role Search seek and scan, and find, the role or roles you can fill as a citizen in God’s wonderful universe. Two participants in the 1988 Olympics made a world-wide witness for what they determined was their role in God’s creation. Remaining completely committed to the disciplines of their art, they vowed that one day in the week they would not work. That vow was part of their spiritual discipline. One was a Hebrew. One was a Christian. Their message to their peers and to the world was quite ...

1839. What’s Going on at Your House?

Mark 3:31-35

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... She replied, “I just keep my eye on the horizon of God’s promises and keep putting one foot in front of the other.” One way to work through your explosive happenings is to have well-defined, achieveable, goals. But the most important thing is to remain true to your fundamental loyalties. And that brings us back, full circle, to what Jesus declared to be his ultimate loyalty, the Father in heaven, the universal Family of God. Our basic loyalties in life begin in our family and extend to the church and ...

1840. Teach Fear To Say Its Prayers

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... to calm down. A little boy and his father were with some passengers aboard a sailing ship when a storm came up at sea. They were at the mercy of the waves. Passengers were panicky, rushing here and there in dread and fear. Only one little boy remained calm and cheerful. Someone commended the little boy for not being afraid. The little boy replied, “Why should I be afraid? My father is at the helm.” That boy obviously had a trusting relationship with his dad. And dad had done a good job of training the ...

1841. Speaking Truth to Power: The Ministry of Nathan

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... and burning characteristics, has a liberating quality. The little girl I have in mind got caught in a lie. The person who blew the whistle on her left the matter in her lap. She now knew that someone else knew she had misrepresented a matter and it remained for her to make the next move. Next day she did. She was driving down the road with her parents when she suddenly burst into tears. Dad pulled over, her parents heard her confession of the stinging and burning truth, but the little girl also began to ...

1842. Leading as Loving

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... I offer you my ten closest companions. Their friendship is worth more than all the gold I have ever possessed. I urge you to treat them kindly.” With that, the man died. When the period of mourning had ended, the nine took extended vacations. The youngest remained home and was deeply disappointed. When the young man paid off his debts, he had only four coins left. Feeling obligated, he spent the last four on a dinner for his father’s ten closest friends. When the meal was over, the old men said to each ...

1843. God’s Great Final Day

Daniel 7:1-14

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... ruler, based on fragments of a gigantic statue found lying in the Egyptian desert, bearing the inscription, “I am Ozymandias, king of kings.” Despite the great king’s achievements, Shelley observes, the statue’s broken face and trunkless legs are all that remain of the once-great ruler or his kingdom. There were three other beasts in the seventh chapter of Daniel. They represent, it is thought, Babylon, Media and Persia. Here is what happened to them, as reported by Daniel in his vision: “As for ...

1844. Renewal of the New

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... look, a new model, a new taste. If it is “new,” we reason, it must also be “improved.” The preacher of Ecclesiastes does not agree. He wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun.” There is an old saying, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” On the other hand, Jeremiah in our text claims there is something new. Speaking for God, he promised a new covenant. The old covenant made at the time of Moses was broken by Israel. God’s promise of a new covenant was fulfilled by ...

1845. David's Turn From Wisdom

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Sue Anne Steffey Morrow

... , the beginning of the end of David's reign. The text opens with David, King David of all Judah and Israel, rich and at the height of his power. It is spring: "The time when kings go out to battle." But David has sent Joab out to battle and remained in Jerusalem, so spring in the air means something besides battle for him. David is taking a stroll on the roof of the royal residence, late in the afternoon of a leisurely day, when from his vantage point, his eyes chance to fall on an arresting and intriguing ...

1846. The Temple Of Wisdom

1 Kings 8:22-61

Sermon

Sue Anne Steffey Morrow

... , as someone has said, "that God's moral claim is at the heart of God's being, and is the essence of God's presence." This is the truth which is threaded throughout the whole of 2 Samuel and 1 Kings: that, in a manner that remains mysterious, God is present when we live within the framework of God's intention for us. We place ourselves in jeopardy when we do not. An undergraduate writes from her summer service project, "The people here are modest and hardworking, filled with questions and with doubts ...

1847. Wisdom In A Proverb

Sermon

Sue Anne Steffey Morrow

... is filled with contradictions, and so is Proverbs;that life is filled with ambiguity and so is Proverbs;that life is sometimes exaggerated, and so is Proverbs; that life is neither simple or simplistic and when Proverbs appear to be, it's best to remain flexible, for the proverb will soon be deepened or be qualified or discounted. There are moments of almost slapstick humor in Proverbs and there are moments of holiness and it's important to understand which is which. So I suggest that we approach Proverbs ...

1848. God As Wisdom

Proverbs 1:20-33

Sermon

Sue Anne Steffey Morrow

... intimate moments and our hearts' deepest longings, so our images of God are often difficult to determine, to describe, to talk about. Now I'd like to push us a little further. How has your image of God changed through the years, or has it? Sometimes, our images remain the same as the ones we receive when we are children especially if those images work, are ones that give us comfort and sustain us. It is the old proverb, "If it isn't broke, don't fix it." At other times, we have an experience that forces ...

1849. Living By Faith And Trust

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... of both worlds, so thought the angler of those Middle Ages. And the Protestant Reformation was born, in part, in response to this simplistic thought that one's religiousness is structured only by an affirmation, a formula of words spoken. Unfortunately, there remains some of that simplistic sentiment today. Religious "code words" do not a Christian make. Whereas there are some people who think that only a repetition of words is necessary, so there are other folks who think that Jesus' ethical example is the ...

1850. Forgive One Another

Ephesians 4:26, 32

Children's Sermon

... of this arguing. She said that she was going into her house. She would never play with her friend again. The other girl said the exact same thing. Both girls went home mad. Has anything like this happened between you and any of your friends? (Response) The girls remained angry with each other for the rest of the day. By bedtime, both girls felt a little sorry about the argument. Just before bedtime, one of the girls asked her parents if she could go next door for a minute. She went to her friend's house ...

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