Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1851 to 1875 of 2844 results

1851. Wedding: The Beauty of Marriage

Sermon Aid

John M. Braaten

(Name) and (name), this is a very special day in your lives. You have gone to great lengths to make it beautiful. Now if only there were some way to insure that your marriage would be beautiful, all the days of your life. I say this, remembering what one wit said, "There's entirely too much worrying about unhappy marriages. Everyone knows that all marriages are happy. It's getting along together after the marriage that creates the problems." I think you would agree that almost every marriage begins ...

1852. Proper 6

Galatians 2:11-21, 1 Kings 19:1-8, 2 Samuel 12:1-31, 2 Samuel 11:1-27, Psalm 32:1-11, Luke 7:36-50

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The theological clues coming from the church year state that the Lord will return to rule over the earth - and direct the ministry of God's people to include the earth and everything in it, not simply ministry to other human beings. Christians must love and care for others in positive and practical ways, not merely mouth a few prayers of thanksgiving and lift petitions for the benefit of others, if their liturgy - in and outside the worship service - is to be pleasing to God. The gospel of ...

1853. The Transfiguration

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon Aid

Wayne B. Keller

Liturgical Color: White Theme: The Transfiguration of Jesus The Community Gathers Suggestion: Begin, Be still: be aware of God's Presence.(Give several moments of silence.) After several moments of silence, ask the people to respond, verbally, with the message they heard from God. The Act of Confession Try this: Again, begin, be still; listen for God's voice. (give three minutes of silence) Ask, what did you hear about yourself as one of God's disciples? Focus on your brokenness. Offer a prayer of ...

1854. Breakfast on the Beach

John 21:1-14

Sermon

Steven Burt

There is a handful of narratives about Jesus’ appearance after the empty tomb. Several center around the empty tomb itself, like the one in which the angels say Jesus is risen, or the one where Jesus himself appears and says to Mary Magdalene, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” And there’s an appearance to the disciples when he says to doubting Thomas, “Go ahead, stick your hand in my wound and be sure it’s really me.” Another time Jesus walks along the road to Emmaus with two ...

1855. Small Church Communion

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Steven Burt

A while ago I attended a wedding at a Roman Catholic church on suburban Long Island. I had never been there before, and when I drove into the parking lot and saw the church, I was stunned. It was huge, almost twice as big as the high school I attended, where our graduating class consisted of 76 students. Inside it was more of the same. The sanctuary was like a small cathedral and it awed me. It could seat between 1,500 and 2,000 comfortably, and the 125 who came for the wedding were swallowed up in it. The ...

1856. He Preached Good News

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

James Garrett

Last Sunday we examined the beginning of John’s sermon where he said the King is coming, prepare! Today we continue with that sermon. Hear the words of John, the son of Zachariah, recorded in Luke 3:7-18. John, austere preacher, calls for the multitudes to prepare the way for Christ’s coming with severe earnestness. His message is a call to repentance with actions that demonstrate an altered life. “Bear fruits that benefit repentance,” he says. “We have Abraham as our father,” is not a valid claim or an ...

1857. Our Christian I.D.

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Given that you and I are reasonably good people, it probably does not amaze you to read that Jesus was able to overcome temptation. After all, like me, you've probably been able to do it yourself, many times. Admittedly, we have also caved in to temptation innumerable times, but for a person with Jesus' devotion and strength, eluding the tempter's entrapment must have been a piece of cake. That assumption is based on that belief that temptation is merely the urge to do something wrong. It is the desire to ...

1858. Portrait Of A Powerful Servant

John 13:1-17

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Jesus loved to paint portraits for the soul. He did it through his actions as well as his words. Indeed, his whole life was a powerful illustration. On the particular night to which our texts bear witness, the image Jesus will etch into the memories of his disciples will be so powerful that they will never again be able to think of him without reference to this event. Writer Walter Wangerin suggests that the atmosphere of that evening was shrouded in mystery and filled with intrigue. There was the meal ...

1859. The King Who Came To Die

Sermon

John M. Braaten

"The King of the Jews." That was the title which Pilate nailed above the cross where Jesus hung. You would have thought the Jewish priests would have been glad to see this so-called king humiliated so. But no, it must be changed, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' " they said, "but, write, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.' " Without hesitating Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." Perhaps Pilate's mind still burned with the memory of his encounter with the strange man whom he ...

1860. The Blessed Hope of Everlasting Life

Philippians 3:1-11

Eulogy

James G. Cobb

Preached Just Prior to Pentecost/Confirmation About the person: She was a life-long member of the parish, mid-fifties, with children and grandchildren in the congregation. Diagnosis had been sudden and death had come quickly to a vigorous woman. The sermon was given just prior to Pentecost and Confirmation. When _______ was confirmed at Trinity church, a prayer was spoken for her and to her that we still retain in this season when we confirm other youth. The words said, "the Father in heaven for Jesus' ...

1861. Marked In God’s Book

Sermon

George Bass

“Their names are written in the book of life.” (Jerusalem Bible) Philippians 4:1-9 “The cross is still there” upon your forehead, and because it is, it is burned into your heart, mind, and soul by the Holy Spirit assuring you that your “names are written in the Book of Life.” God knows us and our names, and believers may rest assured that there is a place for them in God’s eternal kingdom. God will never forget his people or their names, according to St. Paul. One of the last things my wife and I did at ...

1862. How’s That Again, Jesus?

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Larry Goodpaster

A misguided bird gets loose in the sanctuary and every eye in the congregation drifts toward the ceiling. Never mind that the choir is continuing to sing the anthem they have been working on for weeks just for this special occasion. The lost bird has totally interrupted the proceedings and besides, most would have to admit, its flight was much more entertaining. “I was so afraid that bird was going to land on your head -- but I’m sure the choir understands,” is the comment heard from a number of people at ...

1863. “Lucky” Is The Saddest Word

Jeremiah 20:7-18

Sermon

Keith Hammer

I race off to the convenience mart a few blocks from my home to pick up some milk for cereal for breakfast. I hurriedly go to the dairy case and snatch two plastic gallon jugs and turn for the checkout to pay for them. Suddenly I am confronted by “The Machine.” “The Machine” in this case isn’t a machine at all. It’s a huge display which overpowers everything else near the checkout, telling me that I can get all of the tickets for all of the state lottery games now at this store. All I have to do is hand ...

1864. He Lights Up Our Life

John 1:8

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Objects: Some light-bulb packages with the light bulbs. Good morning, boys and girls. Today is a good day for us to continue to understand something about the person of John the Baptizer. We are only a short time away from the day when Jesus will be born again into our world as the Christmas child, but before then we need to get ready, and no one helps us more to get ready than John the Baptizer. John knew who he was. He did not try to kid anyone into thinking that he was the most important person in the ...

1865. Wash Up First For The Meal Before You Eat!

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

"People just do not take the Lord's supper as seriously as they should. Perhaps it is the frequency with which we celebrate it. Too often we are merely going through the motions and not really getting out of it what we should. The problem is that we are not adequately prepared!" Oftentimes I run across Christians who think this way and even explain their feelings. I am not advocating these sentiments if they are taken as an argument against frequent celebration of the sacrament. We can never receive too ...

1866. Are You Born Again?

John 3:1-15

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

It was late, almost bedtime, when the Jewish leader came to Jesus' residence. Into Jesus' presence came Nicodemus, one of the best-known Jewish professors in all of Israel (a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin). Nicodemus finally reached the short ruddy-faced leader of the disciples, and he said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him (John 3:2)." However, Jesus then said something very strange. It really amounted to a put- ...

1867. The Best Offense Is A Good Defense

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

Richard Hasler

Reading the title you may jump to the conclusion that I do not know football. To be sure, the saying usually goes: “The best defense is a good offense.” But consider the plight of Joe Paterno when he became head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions in 1967. He realized that he did not have a squad of outstanding athletes, particularly defensive players. To Paterno, defense was the key to winning football games. What was he to do? In his own words: “I had to find a way of playing great defense without ...

1868. Is Anybody There? Does Anybody Care?

Isaiah 49:8-26

Sermon

Robert Beringer

In 1976 when our nation was celebrating its bicentennial, there was a delightful musical produced about those uneasy weeks in Philadelphia more than 200 years ago when our Declaration of Independence was being written and signed. Throughout the whole production of "1776," a courier from General Washington keeps breaking in on the proceedings of the Continental Congress with increasingly disheartening news from the New Jersey encampments. The seemingly endless debate drags on ... 85 changes are made in the ...

1869. Questions

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

John Jamison

Have you ever had news to tell someone that you were afraid to tell them because you really didn't know how they would respond? You don't want to tell them, but you know eventually you will have to? In my mind, that is how it happened. All the way back from the well, Mary stewed. Would he be angry or sad, or say nothing at all? Would he go away, or stay here? For months he had been paying close attention to everything John had been doing. He had questioned every traveler through town for news of John, the ...

1870. The True Story of The Magi (Old Title: Just The Facts)

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

John Jamison

There is a beautiful old tradition about the star in the East. The story says that when the star had finished its task of directing the wise men to the baby, it fell from the sky and dropped down into the city well of Bethlehem. According to some legend, that star is there to this day, and can sometimes still be seen by those whose hearts are pure and clean. It's a pretty story. It kind of makes you feel warm inside. There are other legends about this story of the wise men from the east. For instance, how ...

1871. On The Night He Was Betrayed

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

Erskine White

And when it was evening, He came with the twelve. (Mark 14:12-16) We are gathered here in the evening, after the sun is down, so perhaps we can use the darkness around us to better imagine the events which took place on this sacred night so long ago. The story actually begins earlier in the day, when Jesus sends two disciples into Jerusalem to make preparations for the Passover meal. You may remember a sermon from a few weeks ago ("The Boy Who Ran Away") in which I mentioned that Jesus has to use an " ...

1872. Chosen For Good News

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

Jesus had just told the disciples that “he is the vine and they are the branches.” To disciples Jesus is speaking. The very people he chose to be with him those three years of his ministry are the ones who hear these words. While they are wondering how they got into this mess, our Lord assures them they didn’t choose him, he chose them! “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete (v. 11).” So the disciples have the assurance that they have not chosen God ...

1873. For a Thirty-three-year-old Cancer Victim

Matthew 13:24-30

Eulogy

Harold Warlick

The Backside of the Mountain John 14:1-7 The following meditation was preached at the funeral of Charles Whitlow, age 33. Mr. Whitlow died after a prolonged battle with cancer. He underwent several painful and experimental last-resort bone marrow transplant attempts in Duke University hospital. His father, grandmother, and grandfather, all charter members of Emerywood Baptist Church, died and were eulogized by Dr. Warlick within the three years preceding Mr. Whitlow's death. He is survived by his wife, age ...

1874. Athanasius Faithful Teacher

Drama

Thomas A. Renquist

Reader 1: In the early part of the fourth century it suddenly became a lot less dangerous to be a Christian. Constantine was made Roman Emperor and in 311 he issued an Edict of Toleration. Christians would no longer be persecuted for their faith. Conflict with the empire had ended, so Christians were now much freer to fight among themselves! There is both cynicism and truth in that statement. The truth is that a certain false belief, a heresy, had crept into the Christian faith, and the church spent the ...

1875. Perfect Strangers

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

Justin Tull

Today we leave the book of Genesis to begin the saga of Exodus. First we examine two stories: one about the plight of the Hebrew people following the death of Joseph and the other concerning the birth of Moses. Both are about strangers. One story entails slavery and suffering, the other compassion and adoption. One is about “imperfect strangers” who remain such. The other is about complete strangers who become very close as adopted child and mother. Story number one sets the scene with one short verse: “ ...

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