Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1876 to 1900 of 2844 results

1876. Affecting Eternity

Romans 12:1-8

Eulogy

Richard F. Bansemer

Death of a teacher The meditation text is Romans 12:6-7: "Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching . . ." It is a peculiar meditation text for a funeral celebration, unless one remembers ___________. That's half our duty now, during this brief worship. We must fix our minds what ___________ meant to the rest of us. She was, among many other good things, a teacher. ...

1877. Work and Worship

Luke 10:38-42

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Sometimes we need to sit still, listen, and worship and not let the cares of this world draw us away from God. Props: A pot and a ladle. All other props are imaginary. Lesson: [As the children sit down, you look busy and distracted stirring and cooking.] Oh, I am so glad I came to church this morning! Motion to a place behind one of the children. Hand me some of that garlic over there. (response) The children will likely play along with you. If not motion again: Some of that garlic right ...

1878. Oh Me of Little Faith

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Johnny Dean

A couple of years ago, the scientific community announced yet another earth-shattering, history-making discovery. It seems that a group of scientists were studying a meteor that supposedly originated on the planet Mars and had crash-landed on Earth some 13,000 years ago. In a small fragment of the meteor, the scientists found organic compounds that appeared to be bacteriological life forms. Perhaps the most famous scientist of our era, Carl Sagan, said, "If the results are verified, this is a turning point ...

1879. Humility

Luke 3:1-20, Isaiah 40:1-31

Drama

Martha L. Leach

Characters: Moses John the Baptist Narrator Theme: Humility Narrator: At one point in their career, the disciples asked Jesus, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" We suppose they were hoping Jesus' answer would be, "Why, you, of course. You who gave up everything to follow me." Instead Jesus called to him a child and told the disciples, "Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the ...

1880. Where is the Nearest Sycamore Tree?

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Johnny Dean

Theologian John Killinger has written that Zaccheus is just about the only person in the New Testament who is singled out for comment on the basis of his physical appearance, the fact that he was small in stature. Whenever I read this passage of scripture, I can’t help but think about the song about short people that was popular a few years ago, remember? Maybe that’s part of the appeal of this story, because so many of us are not happy with our physical appearance. How else could you explain the immense ...

1881. The Sound of Weeping

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

Have you ever conducted a private survey of the human ear? It is a fascinating experience. It's an interesting way to pass the time while waiting for your appointment in a doctor's office, or for your mate to finish some shopping, or for a plane to arrive at the terminal, or if you are sitting in a meeting that begins to drag. This exercise is more a comparison than a survey. It involves looking carefully at human ears to see their differences in size and shape, and in the ways they are attached to the ...

1882. Encounters With Christ VII (Easter): Jesus & Mary Magdalene

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

Bill Bryson has written a fascinating book called… The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America. In the book, he tells of traveling to Hannibal, Missouri to visit the boyhood home of the noted author Mark Twain. He described the house as a “trim, white-washed house with green shutters… set incongruously in the middle of downtown.” It costs two dollars to visit Mark Twain’s home and to walk around the site. Bill Bryson said he found the home to be a disappointment. He expressed his disillusionment like ...

1883. The Last Days

Luke 21:5-38

Drama

Pamela Urfer

Cast: PREACHER and CONGREGATION, three WOMEN and three MEN Length: 7 minutes Seven stools are arranged in a "V" shape leading away from the audience with the PREACHER's stool at the apex. The PREACHER takes his stool first and settles himself self-importantly. The members of the CONGREGATION file in slowly and take the remaining stools. The CONGREGATION will keep their eyes on the PREA CHER throughout their time on stage but their stools should be arranged so that they will not have to turn their faces too ...

1884. When God Disappears

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Robert Allen

Like most fathers, when my children were small, I used to play a lot of games with them. There were afternoons when I attended an imaginary tea party given by a little girl. There were times when we played "horsey" and one of the kids would crawl on my back and I would give them a ride all over the house. Sometimes they would sit quietly while I read them the fascinating stories of Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss or "David and Goliath" from the book of Bible stories. However, their favorite game was "Hide ...

1885. After A Lost Election, Field Of Dreams

Jeremiah 8:4--9:26

Sermon

James Angell

Iowa is an Indian word meaning "beautiful land." And that's where it all began for me. I started out on a legal career and passed the Iowa bar. Long before, though, I had harbored thoughts of one day becoming a preacher. Sunday school had not been a bore as it often is for many kids. Attending summer youth conferences, then Bible classes in college - taught by Dr. Howard Legg, who looked like he belonged in the Senate rather than in a college classroom - set the stage for an invitation one August to give ...

1886. The Aim Of Preaching: To Bestow The Kiss Of Life

John 20:19-23

Sermon

James Angell

The Los Angeles summer of 1965 produced the frustration-generated Watts riots - or Watts "revolt" as I was taught to call those days. That was the year our family went to England for a pulpit exchange. We were in London the day after Adlai Stevenson dropped dead on Oxford Street, the victim of a heart attack. Mr. Stevenson never became president, but he won a special place in the hearts of the American people. Those of us old enough to remember his campaigns will never forget him - especially the night he ...

1887. ASAPH: The Fish Who Taught Courage

Jonah 1:1-17

Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Jonah 1:15 & 17 So they took up Jonah and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging ... And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. What is your very favorite place to hide in the whole world? You do have a favorite hiding place where you like to go when you want to be all alone, don't you? I can remember when I was a little boy that I liked to hide behind my garage, or beneath some steps in our basement. It ...

1888. The Box

Drama

Cynthia Mercati Prigge

Cast of Characters: First Person* Second Person(Female) Third Person* *These parts may be played by either a man or a woman Time: The Present Place: A street corner Setting: A large cardboard box with a false back stands in the center of the playing area. A sign reading MAIN STREET may be hung for effect. Neither costumes nor props are required. [The FIRST PERSON, alone and forlorn, stands inside the box. The SECOND PERSON enters L, and starts briskly across the stage.] FIRST PERSON: Ma'am! [The SECOND ...

1889. Take Up Your Cross

Luke 8:1-15

Sermon

Robert V. Dodd

It'll make you undefeatable! In Luke 8:4-8, our Lord tells a parable about "the sower and the seed" to illustrate the proclaiming of the Word and human response. It is curious to note the audacious, almost reckless way in which the seed is sown. The sower must have been really throwing wildly, because we are told that some seed fell on the footpath, some on shallow rocky ground, some among thistles, and some in good soil. To many people the sower's haphazard way of sowing would appear wasteful. Couldn't he ...

1890. V.I.P.s

Philippians 2:1-11

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A series of cards that can be taped to a board. The names should be George W. Bush, Joe Namath, Fred Flintstone, Neil Armstrong, The Beatles, the pastor's name, one of the children's names and Jesus. Lesson: Card with the word JESUS held till appropriate time. Good morning, boys and girls. How are you on this wonderful Sunday called Palm Sunday? It is only a week away from what Sunday? That's right, Easter Sunday, the most special Sunday of all. But Palm Sunday is a very special day, too. It begins ...

1891. Barefoot in the Palace

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

The late J. Wallace Hamilton preached a sermon titled, "Bare Feet in the Palace." Borrowing an image from the author, Agnes Newton Keith, he suggested that this illustrates our times. The palace has undergone a radical change. The privileged who used to live there are gone: in their place have come the have-nots of the earth. They are now "barefoot in the palace." They have taken over the privileges of the few, and they do not intend to return to their former places of misery and destitution. If you want a ...

1892. Mission to Unbelievers

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

Dives, if we can take tradition’s name for him, first wanted personal relief from his eternal torments. But when Father Abraham, God’s stand-in, refused, Dives asked for a weekend pass to return and warn his brothers. Request denied! Abraham simply said that Moses and the prophets were sufficient. And even if Abraham should go himself, it would not lead Dives’ brothers to repentance. They would only see it as an extraordinary event making no claim upon their lives. So Dives and his brothers, and their ...

1893. Real Security

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

One of the multitude said to him, "Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me." But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?" And he said to them, "Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down ...

1894. The Day You Were Healed

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

That was a good day, wasn’t it, the day you were healed, when your physician wrote your exit visa from the hospital, when the nurses wheeled you to the front door where your spouse was waiting in the family limo, and you were on your way? Almost forgotten now is the pain, the apprehension, and the helplessness that you had felt when the paramedics brought you in with siren screaming, the intravenous feedings, the wires and the tubes that made you feel like an electrical appliance. Almost forgotten, too is ...

1895. 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 ...

1896. If Only We Would Be Disciplined ...

2 Kings 13:10-25

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

"That’s what we need for the kitchen," Mary whispered to her husband, Carl. The table, among other pieces of furniture, was to be auctioned off to the highest bidders. No one thought that anything coming out of the old farm house had much value. Like Mary, the other bidders were there to supplement the furnishings of their summer cottages in the mountains of western North Carolina. "I’ll start the bidding off and won’t go too high," she continued to whisper. Mary did not want the auctioneer or any ...

1897. If Only We Would Accept Responsibility ...

Ezekiel 33:1-20

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

"Are you the minister?" he asked as I came through the courtyard toward the entrance of the church. I wanted to say no, because there were dozens of things that needed my attention that Monday morning when I got to work. With a bit of dumb resentment at the interruption of my planned agenda, I acknowledged that I was one of the pastors of that downtown church. He followed me into the office complex. "What can I do for you?" I asked, hoping that a meal ticket or perhaps a quick referral to another helping ...

1898. The Bells Of Christmas Eve

Drama

The Cast (in order of speaking) Sebastiano Franco Sister Sophia Bruder Hans Antonio Francesca Mario Marchesi Pietro Vermelli Giuseppe Synopsis Scene The First in which Father Sebastiano Franco is bemoaning the non-ringing of the church bells on Christmas Eve and is visited by a panic-stricken nun and a strange monk from Germany. Scene The Second in which a girl and her brother stumble upon a man dying in the cold. Scene The Third in which a rich man and a poor man commit insufficient acts of love. Scene ...

1899. Proper 9

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

The Hebrews who went down to Egypt settled there as guests of the Pharaoh. To those semi-nomadic people, the land, even though passing through a period of exceptional famine, must have seemed lush and green compared with droughtstricken Canaan and the desert which they had crossed. They were there as resident aliens, but at the time it was easy to forget that fact, because they were accorded special privileges, thanks to Joseph's position at the Pharaoh's court. However, the time came when this favorable ...

1900. God Is a Mystery

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd; because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down for I must stay at your house today." So he made haste and came down, and received ...

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