Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1876 to 1900 of 3160 results

Luke 1:5-25

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... be entertained, maybe even edified. They come…even the ones who in their secret hearts believe very little, with the idea that just maybe there is a God who keeps track of who comes and who doesn't, and it's just as well to keep on his good side." Sort of "makin' a list and checking it twice, finding out who's naughty and nice" I guess. "They come year after year, and who is to say how, if at all, their lives were changed as the result? Yet they keep coming anyway; and beneath all the lesser reasons they ...

1877. From the Tomb

John 20:1-18

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... I am sure was a sleepless night and a day of reclusive mourning. You've been there, haven't you? Been there with a family and circle of closely-knit friends in days like this? Sitting around the dining room table, then moving toward the family room, sort of bumping into each other, no one quite knowing what to say. Then someone says, "Remember when he…" and it trails off into choked tears or warm laughter which brings on its own tears. Another recalls, "Ah, you know I used to love it when…" And another ...

1878. From Father Failure to Divine Father

Romans 8:12-17

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... of meaning and sustenance. Instead, something else is drawn in as a source of meaning — family, sports, career, nation, pleasure seeking, and of course, the most persistent of all substitute gods — money. Who is it that lives without a support system of some sort? Who is it that is truly independent, truly self-made, truly self-reliant? We all are dependent to some degree, but the religious question has to do with the nature of our dependency. What kinds of dependency and independency are there? II ...

1879. The Paradoxical Power of Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... Song, we think of him and his faith and courage. Paul experienced a similar fall from glory. He had seen powerful visions of God, had entered into the third heaven to be filled with spiritual ecstasy. Nevertheless, he experienced a severe weakness, a sort of Achilles' heel, a dent in his shining armor that he called his "thorn in the flesh." What it was we do not know. Epilepsy perhaps, or semi-blindness, malaria, or uncontrollable stuttering. Whatever it was, it embarrassed him and brought humiliation and ...

1880. Modeling a Necessary Future

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... which, because of its color, was aptly named "Prune Dip." My friend never went! And yes, as I said, there was matins, which means morning prayers and devotions, at the camp flagpole. It was at matins one morning that my friend saw it, and when he saw it, it sort of jolted him awake. One of the tall, lanky teenagers was wearing a black T-shirt with bold, white letters which said, "No One Gets Out Of Here Alive!" At first, my friend thought it was a reference to the quality of the camp food, which left much ...

1881. That’ll Show Us

Acts 10:44-48

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... bounty! Who'd have guessed? Who would have dared guess that our Lord is so merciful he will touch all lives! Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Thanks a lot, Lord God Almighty. Sending your Spirit where you want, among the Gentiles, and raising up all sorts of problems. This was a fine church when you limited it to just your people, by which we mean, just us. Our close circle. Not the others who are just a bother. There's no telling what they will do. Just you and me, Lord, just you and ...

1882. When Life Isn't Fair

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... a news report on the crime, Ms. Blythe is quoted as saying, “It was horrible knowing they were in my house, but the idea of them trying to get high on a dead dog’s ashes certainly made me feel a bit better.” (2) Sometimes things do sort of even out, but, at least it seems that more often than not, they do not. Former business star and Chrysler Corporation chairman Lee Iacocca tells about an incident that occurred when he was in the sixth grade. The incident involved the election of the captain of the ...

1883. Christ’s Twin

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... you squeeze his left front leg, instead of giggling like many other stuffed animals on the market, Eeyore responds drearily, “Go ahead. Ask a question. If you want.” His twenty random responses include, “Don’t count on it,” “Doesn’t look good,” “Outcome looks sort of gloomy,” “You can’t win them all,” “Looks good for you. Must be nice,” and “I’d tell you if I knew. But I don’t.” And sometimes Eeyore will ask the child a question: “You wouldn’t want me for a friend ...

1884. Jesus the Iconoclast

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... vision turned the art world upside down, sideways, and gave it three eyes. Picasso defied all established schools of thought on art and beauty. And yet, because of his social intelligence, his personal charisma, his world-shrinking connections with all sorts of different people, Picasso enjoyed great personal and financial success. What is exceedingly rare among iconoclastic artists, he received both respect and wealth within his own lifetime. There is only one problem with Bern’s thesis. And it’s a ...

1885. Tricky Questions

Matthew 22:15-22

Illustration

Johnny Dean

... price for our ignorance. (But at least I got a pretty good weather change indicator out of it! The wrist that broke when I fell against the curb still aches every time a storm front moves in.) A group of Pharisees, showing their ignorance by assuming that Jesus had some sort of political agenda ("Why else would he be touring the countryside, making speeches, and hugging all those children?") came to Jesus one day with a tricky question.

1886. Denial Ain’t a River in Egypt

Isaiah 64:1-9

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... they have "become like one who is unclean, and all their [our] righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth." (Isaiah 64:6). One senses, in these words, a profound yearning for a God whose presence is not felt. It is, in no small way, a chicken and egg sort of question. Which came first? The people's turning away in denial of God, or God's apparent abandonment of the people? It brings to mind a pastor who was working with some seminary students who were questioning God's presence. He said, "If you're feeling ...

1887. Day One: a New Beginning

Genesis 1:1-5

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... nod your heads too quickly, because I'm not talking about belief in the way you may be thinking of it. I'm not talking about belief in the sense that you agree with something or you admit that it exists. That's easy. I believe in God. It's sort of like believing in ghosts or goblins. You believe in them, but the bottom line is that it doesn't change a thing, either in your heart or in this world. No, the kind of belief that this calls for is a belief that causes you to trust. In fact ...

1888. Following a God Who Flip Flops ...

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... to light; circumstances and situations change. It seems to me that remaining flexible and responsive to the card that life deals may be a better way of going. But then I'm just a preacher. To me, this consistency thing gets carried too far. It's sort of like saying, "My mind's made up. Don't confuse me with the facts." Philosopher Bertrand Russell, who was known for traversing a broad range of viewpoints during his long life, once responded to criticism by saying that "consistency is the hobgoblin of little ...

1889. Setting All the Idols Down

Hosea 2:14-20

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... no longer will you call me, ‘My Baal.' For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth ..." (Hosea 2:16). The people of Israel struggled with the strange gods they found when they inhabited the promised land. A sociologist would write it off as some sort of melting pot, where an advancing people couldn't help but be influenced by native religion. Yet this is not how we receive it. For us, the relationship with God is primary. It is focused, and not shared. In fact, in Exodus 34:14, the people are ...

1890. Final Instructions

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... The god who causes wars or doesn't take care of innocent children," you can say, "I don't believe in that god, either." Chances are, the god that people say they don't believe in is not the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. People have all sorts of illusions about God. They need to be freed from those illusions. "To the ends of the earth" for the apostles meant taking the gospel to strangers. That was the hardest thing of all. For them it meant even taking the good news of Christ to the Gentiles and ...

1891. Tasting the Gruel of Love

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... In a sermon on the Internet, Pastor Len Niehoff, tells about a man who reached out to someone most of us would agree did not deserve his help. The man who reached out was named Louis Saunders. “He was not a rock star or a political leader or some other sort of celebrity,” says Niehoff. “He was just a Disciples of Christ minister who lived quietly and served as a pastor in Texas. But when he died in 1998 a long memorial to him appeared in The New York Times because of a single act of love he performed ...

1892. Funny You Should Mention It…

Matthew 23:1-39

Illustration

King Duncan

... , "Our two sons, whom we have raised to be devout followers of the Law, have come home from college full of Gentile ideas. What can we do about it?" The Rabbi answers: "Funny you should mention it! My son also has come back from college with all sorts of Gentile ideas. I assure you my friends, this problem is beyond human solution. We must go into the place of worship and pray." The three go in and spread their hands in supplication to the Lord. No sooner have they articulated their common lament that their ...

1893. Keeper of the Springs

Proverbs 31:10-31

Sermon

Peter Marshall

... ,’ she began, ‘and it may help me to get things straightened out in my mind if I can talk to you.’ She put down her pencil and pad, and folded her hands. Then she took a long breath and started: ‘Ever since I was a little girl, I hated any sort of restraint. I always wanted to be free. When I finished high school, I took a business course and got a job–not because I needed the money–but because I wanted to be on my own. Before Joe and I were married, we used to say that we would ...

1894. Homeland Security and Watchfulness

Matthew 25:1-13

Illustration

Phil Gunther

The unofficial creed in the American homeland war on terrorism is this: ‘Be vigilant, be watchful, be prepared'. Be vigilant in matters of security, whether at an airport, a government institution or in the back sorting room of the post office. Be watchful for signs of terrorism: a back-pack left unattended, a strange request for chemicals at a fertilizer plant, a white powder in the mail or unusual behavior by a neighbor down the street. Be prepared to call the police or FBI. Be prepared ...

1895. Inevitable Delays

Matthew 25:1-13

Illustration

William R. Ellis

... at O'Hare airport in Chicago for over three hours while the folks in charge pondered whether or not to cancel the flight, reroute it, or just wait for the huge Midwestern thunderstorm that had come up to move on through. We all know about this sort of thing because it happens all the time. Whether it is getting tied up in traffic, building or remodeling a house, or waiting in line at the bank, grocery store or movie theater, delays happen; if they last long enough they are frustrating and even irritating ...

1896. Twas the Beginning of Advent

Mark 13:24-37

Illustration

Richard J. Fairchild

... longer excited. Oh, we knew what was coming no doubt about that. And that was the trouble it was all "old hat." November brought the first of an unending series of pains With carefully orchestrated advertising campaigns. There were gadgets and dolls and all sorts of toys. Enough to seduce even the most devout girls and boys. Unfortunately, it seemed, no one was completely exempt From this seasonal virus that did all of us tempt. The priests and prophets and certainly the kings Were all so consumed with the ...

1897. Mark 1:1-8

Mark 1:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... s sandals. That humiliating position was accorded to only the lowliest of Gentile slaves. Furthermore, Mark’s John the Baptist acknowledges the preparatory and temporary nature of the baptism he is administering to the people, a baptism “of water” only. An entirely different sort of baptism will be offered by the one he proclaims, a baptism both of water and “of the spirit.” This baptism “with the Holy Spirit” (v. 8) reveals that God’s presence and power will be released from this one John ...

1898. Getting Ready

Mark 1:1-8

Illustration

King Duncan

... there he was. When he got to the window he asked for a sheet of Christmas stamps. The clerk proffered a brightly colored set showing lots of candles and emblazoned with the word "Kwanzaa." "No," he said, "I'd like some Christmas stamps." The clerk did a sort of ‘oh-h-h yeah' thing and rummaged around in the supply and pulled out some jolly snowmen and made ready to ring up the transaction. "No," he said again, "I'd like some religious ones." Out came more candles, this time saying "Hanukkah," and also the ...

1899. MegaGrace

Acts 4:32-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... "crucial eccentricity of the Christian faith" (Frederick Buechner) that declares we are saved by grace is so hard for us to grasp that it has required repeated and sometimes radical reinterpretation over the centuries. There are all sorts of "mega" experiences and promises available to people today. A brief rundown of books with "mega" in their titles reveals the possibility of Megabrains (1986), Megalearning and Megateaching (1985), Megalopolis (1961), Megadollars (1990), Megasystems for Megabucks (1988 ...

1900. Wrong!

John 3:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , it finds itself either trying to tack Christian window dressing onto some pretty strange windows to the soul, or screaming "anti-Christ" at every slightly spacey concept that floats by. Confused by its competition, the Church is behaving like a yoyo manipulated by all sorts of jerks. One moment it tends to Pollyannacize the present, the next it Armageddonizes the moment. There is much good news for us to celebrate in the waning days of the second millennium. The good news is we are living in a time of ...

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