Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 1876 to 1900 of 4490 results

1876. The Answering Machine

Drama

Timothy W. Ayers

Topic: Serenity, stress, bills, hard times, troubles, caring God Characters: One female Props: Answering machine, table, chair, Bible, mail, letter opener Scene: Living room Character walks in with a briefcase, purse, bag of groceries, and a stack of mail in hand. As she comes in, the bag of groceries breaks. As she is leaning over to pick it up, the purse opens up and dumps its contents. When she tries to put her briefcase down, it opens up. Papers and flies fall out. She finally gives up and sighs. Still ...

1877. Saved By Grace

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

This subject causes one to focus on two significant theological expressions having a direct bearing on the quality of human life: salvation and grace. The apostle Paul adds a third expression that he calls faith; “For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast… (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).” So then, Paul contends that salvation is realized when grace is activated and faith comes alive. All three are ...

1878. Lessons From The Mountaintop

Exodus 24:1-18, Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Robert Beringer

Frederick Buechner in his book, Peculiar Treasures, writes about Moses in the following way: "Whenever Hollywood cranks out a movie about Moses, they always give the part to somebody like Chariton Heston with some fake whiskers glued on. The truth of it is, he probably looked a lot more like Tevye the milkman after 10 rounds with Mohammed Ali. Moses up there on the mountain with his sore feet and aching back serves as a good example of the fact that when God puts the finger on people, their troubles have ...

1879. Encounters With Christ III: Jesus and Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

James W. Moore

His name was Paul. He lived in a small town in the Pacific Northwest some years ago. He was just a little boy when his family became the proud owners of one of the first telephones in the neighborhood. It was one of those wooden boxes attached to the wall with the shiny receiver hanging on the side of the box… and the mouthpiece attached to the front. Young Paul listened with fascination as his mom and dad used the phone… and he discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device called a telephone lived ...

1880. Windows Of Wonder

Sermon

James Angell

I feel life is so small unless it has windows into other worlds.- Bertrand Russell "Windows On The World" is the name of a classy restaurant atop the World Trade Tower in New York. It has tall panels of windows, and it is one of the best places - especially around sunset - to see what the Apple looks like from 60 or 70 stories up. "Windows" is also a metaphor in preaching that describes the role illustrations play in making sermons concrete, powerful, and memorable. They let the light in. Through them we ...

1881. The Quality of Mercy

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

"... Forgive your brother from your heart ..." - Matthew 18:35 A very long time ago a ruler of many people, a king, decided to settle accounts with all who were in his realm. As they came one by one before him, one of those who came was found to owe the astronomical sum of 10,000 talents. Now that was a lot of money, literally an imponderable amount - something like the "national debt," I suppose. Of course, the man was unable to pay. In those days a citizen who owed more then he was able to pay could be ...

1882. Booby Trap

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live." But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" ...

1883. A Crippling Spirit

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Brett Blair

I want to encourage you to do something. If you have never read Victor Hugo’s memorable novel the “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” pick up a copy and read it. Hugo uses an interesting literary technique in the story. The reader is allowed to see the basic decency and humanity of Quasimodo, the hunchback, while the crowd sees him only as a monstrous freak. The story, in its essence, is part tragedy, and part hope. Our text this morning, not surprisingly, comes from Luke’s Gospel. This story also, is part tragedy ...

1884. "The Return"

Drama

A Worship Drama Characters In order of appearance The Woman The Man Average Man Bible Lady Liberal Lady Child Beggar Scientist Woman of Means First Teenager Second Teenager Politician Properties At one point during the drama, all characters except the Woman and the Man will pick up large stones to hurl at the Woman. These are prominently marked with labels such as: Ingratitude, Expediency, Envy, Pride, Scorn, Apathy, Gluttony. The Return (Scene: on a park bench is seated a good-looking, modest but sexily ...

1885. Which Way?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

There is something contradictory and unexpected - inexplicable, in fact - about the way that leads to life. Given the two choices Jesus offers in this text, we on our own would not, not in a million years, make the right choice. Given the options of redemptive suffering on the one hand and, on the other, strongarming the enemy for Jesus’ sake, we’d choose the latter every time. Simon Peter chose plan B even after Jesus gave him all the clues he needed to reject it. It should not surprise us that humanity, ...

1886. A Liturgical Drama For Advent

Drama

Tom Eberle

Advent The seasons of the church calendar are like the headings for each act of a theater production. They provide the particular setting in which one element of the divine drama of God’s revelation in Christ is presented to us. The liturgical seasons are sometimes thought of as optional observances, like a fancily-iced cake. They make worship more attractive, but are not part of the basic recipe. This collection of liturgical dramas for worship is written, not as frosting, but with the intention that the ...

1887. Claudia Procula, Peter, and Centurion

Drama

Jon Joyce

Setting Near Golgotha, but far enough away from the three crosses that there are few people. The background may show the three crosses and some observers, if you want to paint a backdrop. Cast and Costumes Centurion: knee-length white or tan robe; at the bottom of the robe is a four-inch decorative hem of bright colors. He carries a small sword, sheathed at his left side. Sandals. If available, he also wears a Roman helmet. If a Roman soldier’s outfit is available from a costumer, it would be ideal. Peter ...

1888. For Losers And Cowards

Judges 6:1-40

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

You know what a "loser" is, don’t you? A loser is a woodpecker in a petrified forest. A loser is a guy who sticks his hand out to make a left turn and smacks a traffic cop in the face. A loser is a guy who plays hide-and-seek and nobody goes to look for him. That’s what Gideon was - a real "loser," before he teamed up with God. This story is a lesson for all losers, all little people, all those who feel they are too timid to ever be brave, all insignificant people, all fearful people, all defeated people ...

1889. The Centurion - Arranging Death, Announcing Life

Mark 15:33-41

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

Was I there, did you ask? Yes, I was there all right. I had to be. I was the man in charge of the soldiers who crucified Jesus of Nazareth. It was a day I’ll never forget, the day when the sun refused to shine. You won’t find my name in the Bible, but if you study any of the traditions associated with the death of Jesus, you may learn that I was called Longinus. But my name is not important. What you should know is that I carried out the arrangements for the crucifixion. As I did my job and watched what ...

1890. We Do Not Have To Stay The Way We Are!

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

"Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip?" (John 14:9). So Jesus responded to Philip’s question about wanting to know and sense the presence of God. It is a good question for all of us as we once again make our Lenten journey to Easter. How would you answer if asked to share your thoughts about God? What thoughts come to mind when we think about God? Do we take the time to think about God? Do we believe there is a God? Are we more confident this year than last, that there is a God ...

1891. Lift High The Cross

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

Last Sunday we left the people of Israel at Mount Sinai where they had received the commandments of God. They spent about a year at this holy mountain. (They arrived at Sinai in Exodus 19:1; they did not break camp until Numbers 10:11.) In our text for today, they are on the move again through the trackless wilderness. Their wilderness wanderings were the best and the worst of times for these chosen ones of God. On the one hand it was the time when God and the people were on close and intimate terms. God ...

1892. Egypt: Unlikely Refuge

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

If you plan a pilgrimage in the footsteps of Jesus, you probably will not include Egypt in your itinerary. What does Egypt have to do with Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Jordan River, and the Sea of Galilee? Egypt is exciting as the land of the pyramids and the Sphinx, but we don’t instinctively think of it as part of our Master’s story. But it belongs to his story, in a strange and wonderful way. You’ll find it in the Gospel of Matthew. When the wise men came looking for Jesus, they stopped in Jerusalem to seek ...

1893. THE MARRIAGE GAP

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

William McKee Aber

It’s interesting to me that the Christian Church, which makes a great use of symbols - both pictorial and verbal - has chosen to retain the symbol of sacrifice when describing the faith, and has rejected another symbol that is widely used throughout Scripture. I refer to marriage. Christ calls himself a "bridegroom"; the church (and also Israel) is referred to as the bride; the covenant relationship of God and Israel is allegorized in the story of Hosea and an unfaithful wife; and the very word "covenant ...

1894. Everyone Has a Somebody

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Charles L. Koester

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." How many times have we heard in our lifetime our Lord’s Eleventh Commandment repeated? How many sermons have I preached on love, and have you heard? Yet, in spite of words and commandment, everyone has a somebody whom they cannot love. Somebody is not always the same person, at the same time, in the same place. True as well for the comedian who jested, "There are people in this world who do not love one another, and I hate people like ...

1895. This Is Water

John 7:25-44

Sermon

Ron Lavin

What comes to your mind when you think about water? The seashore? A beautiful lake? Swimming? Fishing? A cool drink on a scorching day? If we could ask Helen Keller that question, she would probably say, "a water pump," because it was at a pump that this blind and deaf woman learned that things have names. "W-A-T-E-R," her teacher, Anne Sullivan, spelled into her hand for what seemed like the millionth time. "The thing has a name - W-A-T-E-R." And young Helen sprung to life, understanding for the first ...

1896. A Match Made In Heaven

Hosea 1:1-2:1

Sermon

John W. Wurster

I have a friend who wanted me to preach on this passage at his wedding. A good friend, a minister friend, someone I love and trust, wanted me to read and preach from Hosea before some 300 people, his own parishioners, at his own wedding: “Go take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord” (1:2). I protested loudly, not wanting to stand up and in any way imply that my friend was marrying a woman of dubious character. It’s just ...

1897. What If What They Say Is True?

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

John W. Wurster

Whether through the complicated process of socialization or good manners or simple maturity, somehow we learn how to respond appropriately to particular phrases in particular settings. “Paper or plastic?” “Cash or charge?” “Smoking or non-smoking?” We negotiate and navigate our lives by knowing what to say and when to say it: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” “And also with you.” “Excuse me.” “Please.” “Thank you.” “You’re welcome.” “I love you.” “I love you, too.” “I’m sorry.” “It’s okay.” ...

1898. Do You Love Me?

John 21:15-25

Sermon

Brett Blair

Let’s begin with Simon out on his boat fishing alongside the other disciples. He is brooding, thinking deep thoughts not quite sure what to make of all that had happened. Then there is a flashback. He recalls how some months earlier he left his fishing nets at the seashore to become a follower of Jesus and how Jesus liked him and included him and changed his name from Simon to Peter (Petros, the Rock) because Jesus felt that Simon was strong, stable, and solid like a rock. But then all of a sudden, things ...

1899. The Prod of the Past

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

David E. Leininger

"You shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance." or as the King James has it, "You shall observe it as an ordinance forever." The establishment of the Passover, one of the most important of all Jewish festivals. And they HAVE observed it forever. Every year since, and down to our own day, Jewish families have gathered at the traditional Seder meal. The patriarch of the household asks the children, "What makes this night different than all other nights?" The youngsters respond with the Exodus story of God's ...

1900. When God Is Gone

Job 23:1--24:25

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Job. Fascinating character. Fascinating story. Scholars tell us it is one of the oldest in scripture. And it wrestles with one of the oldest questions encountered by people of faith: WHY? Why me? Why my kids? Why my marriage? Why six-million Jews in the Holocaust? Why 17 US sailors in Yemen this week? Or even those poignant words of Jesus from the cross, "My God, my God, WHY have you forsaken me?" Not to bore you Bible scholars, but for the benefit of those who missed that day in Sunday School, the book of ...

Showing results