Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1876 to 1900 of 4977 results

1876. God Will Take Care of You

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... it means to serve. Ordained ministry isn't about meeting people's needs, although that's a dimension of the whole church's ministry to the reign of God. Still less is it about accommodating people's bondage to the powers of death so that we can keep our jobs. Ordained ministry is quite simply that we wait on table, where Christ is already embracing us with his victory, and eating and drinking new with us in the Father's kingdom (Matthew 26:29). And as table waiters, "God continues to call all of us, even ...

1877. A Talent for Life

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... limitations, to experience the selflessness of Christ first-hand, and to feel and channel the energy of God's love that animates the universe. No wonder Paul calls this the Spirit of life. It's the Spirit that created life and sustains life. Our fleshly existence may keep us from ever experiencing the depth of the oceans or the tops of the trees. But the indwelling Spirit enables our souls to both touch the stars and touch the hearts of others. We live in two worlds at the same time. The world of the body ...

1878. Quarterback 101

Jeremiah 32:1-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the significance of his cousin's offer and the opportunity it afforded the prophet to make a bold statement to the beleaguered people of Israel. Jeremiah exercises his right of redemption, the Levitical law that favored selling property to kinsmen in order to keep properties within an established patriarchal line. Far from making this a quiet, casual deal, Jeremiah makes this sale into a public event. He pays a generous price for the land. Although we don't know the size of the field, seventeen shekels was ...

1879. Low Carb Christianity

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... -toast types to blindly follow well-worn paths towards piety or inner peace. Discipleship is a call to strike out on new, even unexplored routes as directed by the divine will for advancing the kingdom. We need a kind of spiritual Atkins diet, a Low-Carb Christianity, to keep us fit for the rigors of such a road. There's no room for a soft, squishy, comfort food Christianity. In a disciple's diet, only high protein, meaty fare will see us through. Do you claim to be a disciple of Jesus this morning? If you ...

1880. From Black Holes to Red Holes

Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... back some new havoc gravity is wrecking on my jowls, or my neck, or my backside, or my stomach, or my ears (which keep growing until I die). Gravity, it seems, is slowly but inevitably winning its tug-of-war with my muscles and skin. The fight ... to us as simply a force of tremendous destructive power, the black hole may actually be the only force strong enough to keep our expanding universe from pulling itself apart. The black hole is the positive sticking point at our center. The most controversial thing ...

1881. Others

Romans 9:30--10:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... first world and third world; high-tech and teched-off; Boomer and Buster - means opening ourselves up to ambiguities and misinterpretations. That is why Paul's words carefully loop back again and again to one central, all significant truth: Jesus is Lord. Only by keeping Jesus at the center can we boldly move to erase lines that divide, to reach across boundaries that separate. Will you get in line? Line up behind Jesus. Then... Will you toe the line? Follow him wherever he takes you. Then... Will you cross ...

1882. Poison Control

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... point is that we can never fully clean up our act. No matter what we do, no matter how hard we try to keep ourselves clean, we're so permeated by the poison of sin – the bacteria cafeteria of selfishness – that we can never escape their ... s called "What You Already Own." I want to read you the words first (if you use a screen, put the words up on the screen and keep them there for them to sink in). The first stanza is this: I give you my heart broken and bruised, But still beating strong and Wanting to ...

1883. The CatWalk Church and the CrossLove Church

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Peabody Hotel is famous for its schooled entourage of fowl who arrive every day at noon via elevator from their penthouse home to the dining room. To the sound of a John Phillip Sousa march, a dozen ducks march down the red carpet single file, keeping rhythm with the march. The ducks then take a short, stately swim in the hotel fountain. Then march out again in single file to enter their waiting elevator and return to their rooftop home. Ducks just swimming in a hotel fountain would never elicit anything ...

1884. Ever Been Robbed?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... stolen is a sort of dazed disbelief. · Surely, our car is here somewhere. Maybe I just didn't remember correctly where I parked it. · Well, if my purse isn't where I set it down, it must have fallen on the floor, or under the table, or maybe if I keep looking at the same spot long enough, it will reappear. · How could my bicycle NOT be leaning where I left it. Maybe it fell over. Maybe a friend is riding it around the block. Maybe if I run up the block I'll spot it. But no. Sorry. They're ...

1885. Who Put It There? (Mother's Day)

1 Peter 5:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Christians, regardless of gender, are called to mother the world for Christ's sake. Jesus himself claimed the image of a mother hen who longs to cluck and call her scattered chicks up under the safe protection of her wings. Like good mothers we must all keep alert, a constant vigilance against the ravages and rampages of evil in this world. Like good mothers we will suffer for the sake of this resistance. Like good mothers we must always be known by our love. I love Erma Bombeck's little essay, ‘When God ...

1886. Son-burned, Wind-blown, Earth-Stained

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... resistance) are the only requirements for travel clothing. Who cares what you look like? Wear long pants with big zippers around the knees that you can zip-off into shorts if the weather heats up; Wear bright, puffy sneakers with everything to keep your feet well supported and slip-free; Wear T-shirts with expensive logos on them to every occasion; Wear multiple layers of the baggiest clothing possible; Spray all your clothing with sticky, water repellent finishes and bug-proofing aerosols; Above all, males ...

1887. My Precious, My Precious

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... before coming into the sanctuary, "Come on in and bring your coffee with you. You can add your stain to everybody else's." Here was a carpet that was in ministry. It wasn't a carpet that existed for itself, and for the church to serve it and keep it clean. It was a carpet that was dedicated to the ministry of the church . . . and was developing a patina of service that made that carpet all the more valuable. 3) Add your own examples here of artifacts that evidence a service church rather than a self-service ...

1888. ASAP

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... historical constant: the comfort of prayer, the solace of frequent and lengthy contact with God on behalf of those so far away. Before instant messaging, email, even before the wonder of the telegram, people of faith kept in touch with the whole world by keeping in touch with God. Knowing that God was hearing the prayers of loved ones far away made the traveler, the soldier, the missionary feel closer and in communication with those at home. Take the tradition of the prayer closet, a quiet space set aside ...

1889. A Case for Living Together

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 's name," these authorities still could not accept his authority as the messianic figure they had longed for. "How long will you keep us in suspense?" they wail, even as the blind have their sight restored and the lame are made to walk again. Jesus ... mile course in the Mojave Desert . . . although the Red Team out of Carnegie Mellon University did go seven miles. So they're going to keep offering the money until someone wins the race. So here's my idea: why doesn't the church offer an inducement prize to get ...

1890. The Christian's Wild Card

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... back! This is the greatest news in the universe, the essence of the good news: God's Back! Hatred, cruelty, pain, suffering, even death itself, couldn't keep God away from us. God's back. And no matter how much every age tries to drive God away and keep him away with our rejection and disobedience and hyper-business, the Easter message is that God's back. You can't keep God down. If poetry is "news that stays news," as Ezra Pound once said, then Easter is the Greatest Poem in the Universe. The news that God ...

1891. Inward, Upward, Outward

Romans 9:30--10:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... serve only him" (Deuteronomy 6:12-14). The devil knew that there is no such thing as a split allegiance; that once he was enthroned there would be no other deity in Jesus' life. Second, in order for Jesus to worship the devil he would have to keep his eyes and spirit cast downward, focused on the devil's domain. When Jesus rejects this temptation the lure of fame and power beyond the comprehension of any human being he not only affirms the authority and singularity of God, but he proclaims his intention to ...

1892. The Naked Christian

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , he promises blessings, a radical realignment of the experience of those whose lives are a struggle for the mere basics of life: The hungry will be filled. Those who weep will laugh. The poor, those with nothing, will have no less than the kingdom of God. Jesus keeps it simple, too, for those in the crowd who currently live at the top. The rich, have received their consolation and have no promise of any more recompense in the future. In plain terms Jesus spells out how those who are now full will be hungry ...

1893. Wherever You Are, You Are Always at Home

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... today's text the twelve year old child could not fathom his parents' frantic search for him, the adult Jesus surely understood how powerfully their love for him had driven them. Let's try a little experiment, shall we? Let's read Jesus' story of the lost sheep, keeping this temple experience in mind. So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has ...

1894. Are You a Leg-Grabbing Christian?

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... leg grabbers. But turkey legs aren't the only legs that attract little children. At our six year old's last soccer game, one of the parent-coaches was striding up and down the sidelines, shouting encouragement and instructions to his son's team. This soccer-Dad's ability to keep up with the ball's rapid back-and-forth progress was hampered by one factor. Firmly attached to his left leg was his eighteen month old daughter, while glued to his right leg was his three year old son. Watching him struggling to ...

1895. Salted with Fire

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... gain a servant-disciple a reward. Jesus doesn't paint a rosy portrait of genuine discipleship. Following the way of true service may require significant sacrifices on the part of would-be followers. Do whatever it takes, Jesus cautions in today's text, to keep yourself and your actions from being roadblocks instead of street signs along the path of faith. Jesus' suggestions are shocking. In order to be a genuine disciple he warns, we must be willing to sacrifice our whole self to the task of mission. Better ...

1896. Do You Have a GPS - A God Positioning System?

Galatians 3:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... pileups when stress-induced conditions overload our coping capabilities. Those parts of the brain that are responsible for keeping track of where you are and what you're doing there (parietal lobe) and those that process the ... to constantly be reprogrammed and rebooted by God's word. In today's epistle lesson Paul employs his own Global Positioning System to keep the Galatian Christians from getting lost on the way to redemption, sidetracked by shortcuts. Paul's opponents had taught that circumcision was the ...

1897. The World's Best Hearing Aid

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is used, kids can always fail to hear mom calling them away from the basketball game for dinner, just as all of us can keep directives to pick up socks and towels from ever crossing our eardrum's threshold. One of the most enduring legacies of the raucous 60s ... to get back to the shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized." The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye ...

1898. The Oneness of Twoness

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... tell people stories from my own life and ministry about how things have changed and these stories don’t seem to register. Here’s one story: It used to be that if you wanted to attract people to you, you’d carry a Bible on a plane. Nowadays, want to keep people away from you? Carry a Bible on a plane. Here’s another: At a wedding rehearsal not too long ago, a 7-year old girl stood outside the church, crying hysterically at the top of her lungs: “I DON’T WANT TO GO IN THAT PLACE.” If you would ...

1899. Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

James McCormick

... me to say that only strawberry can be ice cream, and that those who prefer vanilla or chocolate are not real Christians - I mean, not real ice cream lovers. I say all of this not to prepare you for some radical changes we intend to make. No, we will probably keep on doing much of what we have been doing. Most of our congregation is fairly traditional, so most of what we do will continue to be traditional. I say all of this to explain why we at least attempt to do a variety of things and embrace a variety of ...

1900. Are You Getting Hymns Out of Your Lions?

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... most stressed out people who ever lived. To occupy his mind, and to give it some direction, Newton proposed that they write hymns for use in weekly services. Newton wrote about a hymn a week, which also stressed Cowper out (he couldn't keep up). But Newton handled the stress exactly the opposite of Cowper. The more stressed Newton became, the more he channeled the creative tension into hymn writing. The more stressed Cowper became, the more dysfunction and depressed he became. Newton even brought this wreck ...

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