Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1851 to 1875 of 4943 results

1851. Because God Said So, That’s Why!

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

Characters (in order of appearance) Narrator David (or Rachel) Esther Shepherd 1 Shepherd 2 Shepherd 3 Shepherd 4 Shepherd 5 Lead Angel Angel 2 Angel 3 Angel 4 Angel Choir King Caspar King Balthazar King Melchior Mary Joseph Props Lectern or podium Chair Bundle with jar inside Bundle with blanket inside Gifts for the Wise Men to give to Jesus Notes This production can be restructured to suit a cast that is predominantly male or female. The lead part of David can easily be transformed to Rachel. In the ...

1852. Being a True Disciple

John 8:31-36

Sermon

David G. Rogne

I attended a church recently where the pastor was lamenting the fact that the Christian church has many members who are fans of Jesus but too few who are committed disciples. He described a fan as an enthusiastic admirer who wants to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits but not so close that it requires sacrifice. Fans may feel fine about repeating a prayer, attending church on the weekend, and slapping a fish emblem on their bumpers. Jesus, the pastor said, is not interested in recruiting ...

1853. Tale of the Tares

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 9:35-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Summer and fall are the times when we love to bond with the land. Even if we are not farmers, in the summer, we get a little closer to our agricultural forbears –we pick strawberries at our favorite nearby orchard, we garden and grow vegetables or flowers, we gather apples or other fruits, we go on excursions to find wild berries or wild mushrooms. The problem of course with venturing out of our neighborhood market and into the wilds of the woods is that identification of tasty food versus poisonous food ...

1854. What's in It for Me?

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Michael Milton

This message comes both to a rich young ruler and to the disciples. It comes to them after a teaching on becoming as little children in order to come into the kingdom of God. Right after this teaching, a rich young man runs up and we see the response of the disciples to Jesus’ teaching, and He has more to say. This morning Jesus has something to say to those who are seeking Him and want to have eternal life. But He also has something to say to those who have been found by God and have eternal life And as ...

1855. RSVP—By Invitation Only

Luke 14:15-24

Sermon

James Merritt

Several years ago a book came out entitled "The Greatest Story Ever Told". I am sure that millions of people knew the subject of the book before they even opened its pages. Because it was the story of Jesus Christ. Quite frankly, the greatest story ever told is the story of how God the Son left heaven and came to earth in the form of human flesh, lived a human life, died a human death, was raised from the dead supernaturally that He might come and live in the hearts of those who would receive Him by faith ...

1856. A Four Word Memoir

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Human beings are a terrific source of creativity. Even at the time of death. For example, consider this epitaph on a grave from the 1880s in Nantucket, Massachusetts: Under the sod and under the trees . . . Lies the body of Jonathan Pease. He is not here, there’s only the pod . . . Pease shelled out and went to God. Or this one from a more recent burial: Here lies my wife . . . Here let her lie. Now she’s at rest . . . And so am I. Or this one from the grave of a dentist named John Brown: Stranger! ...

1857. Personal Rights and Christian Testimony

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: Personal rights must be put aside when they hinder an effective witness to unbelievers, or if they endanger the faith of immature believers. Even theological arguments that disclose certain behaviors as immaterial to the Christian faith become irrelevant in light of the greater assignment to imitate Christ. Understanding the Text The transition from chapter 8 seems quite abrupt. Is Paul taking a ninety-degree turn from a question about participation in Corinthian parties (eating meat) to his ...

1858. Men in Black

Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43

Sermon

James Merritt

Have you ever wondered why Lie Detectors are not allowed as evidence in a Court of Law? Well according to one of the top criminal hunters in America, they are too easy to manipulate. First of all, they don't detect lies; they detect stress through pulse, blood pressure and perspiration. But if the subject is not particularly stressed out by fear of punishment, he can beat the machine. He goes on to point out that even if a person is stressed there are still other ways to disguise stress. One is to coat the ...

1859. Choosing

Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

Argile Smith

Do you remember the generation gap that existed between you and your parents when you were a teenager? Do you sense the same kind of gap widening between you and your children? When we consider the story of Joshua in his old age calling on Israel to serve the Lord, we have to factor in the reality of a generation gap. It presents a challenge for people of different generations when they try to communicate with each other. Parents who grew up in the seventies and eighties regularly have difficulty talking ...

1860. Worship is Your Rest Stop

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Psalm 92:1-15, Luke 5:33-39, Luke 6:1-11, Galatians 3:1-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Today, we’re going to delve a bit into our imaginations. I want you to imagine for a moment that you are in your favorite place –that place where you feel relaxed and calm and refreshed and happy. Can everyone think of a place like that? Is it by the sea? In a garden? In the mountains? Maybe for you it’s a real place, or maybe it’s an imaginary place. But I want you to take time and imagine that place right now. What are some of those places for you? [Give people time to answer.] Okay, now close your eyes ...

1861. Chapter IX

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

"You will not lie about your neighbor" Exodus 20:16 The eighth Commandment consists of only five words in the Hebrew. But despite its brevity, don’t be fooled into thinking that it is unimportant. It speaks to the heart of a fundamental human problem. Its intention is to prevent one man from destroying another with his tongue. In all probability, the original purpose of this guide for living was to assure truth in the law courts. Even today before a witness takes his place before the bench he usually must ...

1862. The Tinsel Time Machine

Drama

Edward Long

Production Notes A minimum of characters are needed. No elaborate costuming, make-up, or stage setting are involved. The play can be performed in chancel or on stage. "Extras" may be readily incorporated at the last minute (wearing winter coats) into the "carolers" in the England segment. It can be performed books in hand, or some or all of the cast may wish to memorize their lines. Only three rehearsals are needed for an effective presentation. The action is simple. The actors and actresses are urged to ...

1863. Caiaphas and Pilate

Drama

Jon Joyce

Setting The balcony of the Herodian Palace at Jerusalem overlooking the city. A coffee table or cocktail table covered with a linen cloth holds a silver dish of fresh fruit - grapes, olives, your choice. There is a small bowl of fresh flowers in the center of the table. Stage right of the table there is a chair befitting the position of Pontius Pilate; it may be an overstuffed chair, a chancel chair as found in some liturgical churches, or another highbacked chair covered with gold or violet cloth. Stage ...

1864. The Light that Shines Within

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Mann

The story of the birth of Jesus has been variously told. Luke has told it in relation to the appearance of angels and the visit of shepherds. Matthew has told it in the context of a brightly shining star and the coming of wise men from the East. Others may very well have associated the story with other signal happenings mentioned by neither of these; for any event of importance is attended by a variety of incidental circumstances, and in telling of it, one witness will choose to relate one of the ...

1865. Overcoming Loneliness

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

In the overcrowded conditions of our modern world loneliness has possessed us: "He’s a real Nowhere Man, Sitting in his Nowhere Land, Making all his Nowhere Plans for nobody." Such emptiness, such frustration, such loneliness depresses us. What’s to be done about it? This feeling of hopelessness has been around a long time. The ancient writer of Psalm 22 cried out: Dear God, right now I feel like a worm, not a person. I feel so used by other people. And to make it worse, I feel resented by the very same ...

1866. Keeping Sunday

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

David G. Rogne

One of the churches where I served was located next to a Jewish synagogue. That synagogue was served by a rabbi who quite typically walked to the synagogue on the Sabbath, though his house was some distance away. It was not that he didn't have a car, but that for him it was improper to drive on the Sabbath, for that constituted work. Sometimes I would see him riding a bicycle to synagogue. I suggested to him that that was a lot more work than simply turning on the ignition in an automobile. He said that ...

1867. Even God Can Change His Mind

Exodus 32:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I was stunned by the Old Testament lesson for this morning, where it says the Lord changed his mind about the disaster he planned to bring upon his people. I have read that passage before, and there are many others just like it in the Old Testament. But I guess I never paid much attention to them. I thought that they were simply vestiges of a more primitive stage of religion, and something that we in the modern age need not take seriously. But then I read a book a few weeks ago by Richard Friedman, a ...

1868. Eye Exercises

Matthew 6:25-33

Sermon

Mark Trotter

1869. On the Ropes: Round 3 - Defending God

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Sermon

James Merritt

It is a man that I have never heard of before until I came across his name preparing this final message in Habakkuk. You would know him very well if you were a devote Anglican or if you knew very much about South Africa. He was the founder of the South African Mission Society. An Englishman, he felt the call of God to go to an unreached tribe in one of the most remote parts of the world to preach the Gospel in the middle of the 19th Century. Alan Gardiner set sail in 1851 with five other missionaries. ...

1870. Joy Giver

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

James Merritt

[Open gift of stopwatch] Christmas is my favorite time of the year, but like many of us it is absolutely one of the busiest times of the year. If there is ever a season where you always feel like you are short on time, where you get frustrated and angry in having to wait in line, and where you almost feel like right up to the holiday you are trying to enjoy, you still can’t get it all done - it is Christmas! Christmas is so different when you are a child as to when you are an adult. When I was a child, it ...

1871. Do Not Lose Heart

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

A psychology professor was giving his students a test. He asked one question concerning manic depression. "What would you call someone," the question read, "who walks back and forth screaming at the top of his lungs one minute and then sits in a chair and weeps uncontrollably the next?" One of the students answered, "A basketball coach." Coaching basketball must take a terrible toll emotionally. That's why Indiana's Bobby Knight is famous for his tantrums, and Las Vegas Nevada's Jerry Tarkanian chews on a ...

1872. The Mechanics Of Prayer

Matthew 6:5-15, Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Note: This isn't a sermon but it's a good primer if you are preaching on the subject. Our goal is to pray like Jesus. We want to improve the effectiveness of our prayers. That is our objective, but what are the means of reaching the goal? We have come to the time when we need to consider the nuts and bolts of Christlike prayer. What do we say? When do we say it? Where do we say it? How long should we pray? How often? These are some of the mechanics of prayer. They are important as means to the end. The ...

1873. How To Plant An English Garden

Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

William G. Carter

A service club gathers for lunch each week in a nearby hotel. After lunch and a little business, someone from the group usually introduces a speaker. Club members rarely know in advance what the program will be. They may hear from a Mexican exchange student, a tax attorney, or a team of skydivers. They discover the topic when they arrive. Anticipation was high when one speaker arrived with a carousel of slides. Much to the chagrin of many, he was introduced as a landscaper with an interest in English ...

1874. Creative Preaching

Sermon

Michael Rogness

I would urge every preacher to attempt an experimental sermon occasionally, especially if he or she is normally a very routine, conventional person.51 -- John Killinger Change attracts attention. Every preacher knows this after watching people's attention shift to a child walking up the aisle and out the door to the bathroom. I was in a church once where a bird was flying around the sanctuary. The pastor could just as well have been reading out of the phone book for all the attention the sermon retained. A ...

1875. Nag, Nag, Nag!

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Pentecost XIII And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And ...

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