Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1901 to 1925 of 4935 results

1901. What Are You Bananas About?

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

I don’t think I’m making a controversial statement this morning when I say that most sports fans are crazy. Of course, I’m not talking about any sports fans in this room today. I’m talking about fans of other teams. They’re nuts! Doesn’t matter if they’re cheering for preschool T-ball teams or professional athletes in the Super Bowl or the World Series. Sports fans are just plain crazy. They paint their faces in the team colors. They spend hours in a stadium, enduring freezing cold, as well as pouring rain ...

1902. Gracious

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Lori Wagner

The Starbucks car line is famous for its habit of “gifting.” Someone arrives at the window to pay only to find that the person in front of them has already paid the bill, even without knowing the total. When it happens, it gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling of companionship with other human beings. It gives you hope for the world and gives your trust in humanity a little boost. It makes you want to do it in return, to give that warm, fuzzy feeling to someone else too. Gratitude fosters graciousness. When ...

1903. Job Hears the Whispers of God’s Works

Job 26:1--31:40

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: When Job considers God’s greatness, he realizes how little he himself knows. Understanding the Text When Bildad says in Job 25:6 that humans are mere maggots and worms before the transcendent God, Job apparently interrupts him. Although Job agrees with much of Bildad’s lofty view of God, he draws different implications from their shared theology. Bildad claims that God’s greatness means nothing can thwart his justice, so life in God’s world is thoroughly predictable, but Job declares that God’s ...

1904. I Am The Bread Of Life

John 6:24-35

Sermon

Brett Blair

There is a bit of Jewish humor that goes like this: An old man goes to a diner every day for lunch. He always orders the soup du jour. One day the manager asks him how he liked his meal. The old man replies, "It was good, but you could give a little more bread. Two slices of bread is not enough." So the next day the manager tells the waitress to give him four slices of bread. "How was your meal, sir?" the manager asks. "It was good, but you could give a little more bread," comes the reply. So the next day ...

1905. The Gospel According to Christ’s Enemies

John 11:1-16

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

John begins his story, "A man named Lazarus, who lived in Bethany." "Lazarus" means "God helps," and "Bethany," some scholars suggest, is a figurative play on the word that means "House of Affliction."1 Thus the plot of the story is prepared for us. God helps a man in a house of affliction. All of us dwell in that same house, and our affliction is that, like Lazarus, one day we will die. We will be struck down, carried out, and placed in a tomb. It will be sealed with a stone of sorrow. And the haunting ...

1906. Let God Do the Rest

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Once there was a boy who loved to look at the birds of the air, the flowers of the field, and the clear blue sky. These delighted him and he spent the majority of his time outside wandering about the countryside. One day he saw a crowd of people gathered and as he drew closer he saw that they were listening to a man. He was not sure what it was, but there was something magnetic about this man that drew the boy closer. He sat down on the grass and listened to what the man said. Never in his life had he ...

1907. A Peaceful Mind

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

One of the most bizarre true stories to hit the news media in the 1990s was that of Tracy Lippard, a contestant destined for the Miss Virginia beauty pageant after winning the title of Miss Williamsburg, VA. Unfortunately, Tracy never made it to the Miss Virginia pageant. Instead, after crowning her successor as Miss Williamsburg, Tracy got in her car and drove 275 miles to Lewisburg, W.Va. Her goal was to seek revenge against her boy friend who had jilted her for another woman. Reportedly she carried with ...

1908. Wicked

Luke 20:9-19, Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: plant with fruit (olive tree or fig tree or grape vine) ”Then God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply.” (Genesis 1:22) "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Most of us today are not much familiar with the idea of “tenant farming.” But it was a popular practice in many countries up until the 20th century. The term referred to a landowner who hires tenants to live on and ...

1909. How To Become What You Are

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Erskine White

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. (Luke 21:28) What are you? If I asked you that question right now, you might come up with many different answers. You might say, "I am a wife," or a husband, a mother or a father, a grandmother or grandfather. You might say, "I am someone's son," or daughter, or a brother or sister to so-and-so. In other words, you might define yourself in terms of your family relationships or other relationships which are important to you. You might say, "I am Italian- ...

1910. The Hiddenness Of Life’s Truths: Christian Life As Surprise

2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

The ashes of Ash Wednesday are icons proclaiming the hiddenness of God’s ways. And God’s ways are hidden. Paul tells us that in our lesson: We are treated as imposters, and yet are true; as unknown, yet are well known; as dying, and see — we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything (6:8b-6:10). It does not make sense, does it? How can we be imposters and yet the real thing, sorrowful but ...

1911. The Rebirth

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Ron Lavin

The story of Nicodemus is fascinating and intriguing. Nicodemus came to Jesus secretly by night, probably because he didn't want anyone to see him. He came to Jesus with a compliment. He said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him" (John 3:2), thinking that Jesus, like most people, would be impressed by a compliment. He came wanting to discuss theology, assuming that Jesus would be interested in a ...

1912. Loch Ness, Locusts, and Bread

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Bill Mosley

An atheist was spending a quiet day fishing on Loch Ness when suddenly his boat was attacked by the legendary Loch Ness monster. In one easy flip, the beast tossed him and his boat high into the air. Then it opened its mouth to swallow both. As the man sailed head over heels, he cried out, "Oh, my God! Help me!" At once, the ferocious attack scene froze in time, and as the atheist hung in mid-air, a booming voice came down from the clouds, "I thought you didn't believe in me!" "Come on, God, give me a ...

1913. Who is That Crouching at Your Door?

Genesis 4:1-26

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“If thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee.” — Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil Envy is perhaps the deepest root of all evils. Envy is the desire to have what someone else has, to be like someone else, to be given what someone else has received, to obtain what one perceives one deserves. Envy is the opposite of satisfaction in and surrender to God. And it’s at the core of human nature. It’s stimulated by the eye, and desires of the gaze. The gaze here is not the feminist concept of ...

1914. Having The Last Word

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Some have called it "The Worship Wars," In the past the church has always been involved in its share of conflicts. Some might even call them wars. There have been battles over slavery, over the role of women, and even over the Bible. Today many congregations and even denominations find themselves caught up in a war over styles of worship. Many criticize the church for being out of touch with modern society. Its strange language, customs, and traditions make it seem foreign and alien. In order to relate to ...

1915. Advent 3

James 5:7-12, Isaiah 35:1-10, Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 35:1-10 A message of promise and hope comes to the captive children of Israel. Yahweh is going to free them from their oppression and open a road through the parched desert to the holy city of Jerusalem. The writer (not Isaiah) poetically pictures the entire creation participating in the redemption of God's people as the desert springs to luxuriant life, free of ravenous beasts. In this second exodus from the land of captivity to the promised land, the redeemed leave their ...

1916. The Wisemen

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

January 8, 1984 Comment: This was the first story sermon for adultsthat I wrote and dramatized during worship. I had written anumber of story sermons for children, but the breakthoughcame because an old sermon I had been revising every half-dozen years was not taking shape. I started to write.Usually, I have just outlined sermons and "talked" them tothe congregation. When I got started on this one, I found atext forming with which I decided to stay. There were two major problems that I had with this one. ...

1917. Persevering In The Faith

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

Many years ago, a friend of mine remarked that several years earlier he and his wife had quit attending church. I asked him why. He explained that his wife had become quite ill and, as they were occasional church attenders, they decided to pray for healing. As part of this effort, they attended worship every Sunday, became otherwise involved in their church, doubled their pledge, and in general made church and prayer a central part of their lives. However, as time went on, the wife became sicker. There was ...

1918. Fourth Sunday In Advent - Joy!

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Bulletin Aid

David M. Oliver

Introduction to this Service On this fourth Sunday of Advent, joy is theme of the service. Everyone is asked to bring a joyful spirit and a willingness to sing to the Lord. Not everyone feels what we commonly associate with joy. The holidays are difficult for some people. A meaning of joy that does not rely on pleasant circumstances is explored in this message. People may wonder what joy is, true joy, godly joy. We get a sense of the meaning of joy by hearing some contrasts. True joy is oftentimes quiet ...

1919. Physical Fitness For The Soul

James 3:1-12

Sermon

Erskine White

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. (James 3:10) Americans of all ages are on a physical fitness craze and many people are paying a great deal of attention to their waistlines. They worry endlessly about their weight and want their bodies to be just the right size. If your name is not Michael Jackson, it seems the fastest way to earn a fortune in this country is to write a new diet book. The next-fastest way is to open an aerobic dancing studio or an exercise club. Today I speak about another ...

1920. St. Jim, Your Halo Is Tipped

Sermon

Ron Lavin

1. The sermon for the festival of St. James, the Elder, Apostle is included in this volume for two reasons. First of all, a saint's day affords a good opportunity to look at the story of a person's life. Second, this sermon weaves together three stories: James, Elijah and Jimmy. It is a proclamatory sermon in a three-story mode. The same kind of approach can be taken on any saint's day. Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus. "Teacher," they said, "There is something we want you to do for ...

1921. Treasure's Tug

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

There you are, standing in the check-out line at the grocery store, shifting your weight from one foot to the other while the people ahead of you seem to be going on like a movie in slow-motion. You are already late. You consider switching lanes but quickly dismiss the idea, knowing that at that precise moment, everyone in the lane you just left will go through in an instant. Then you discover the problem. The third person ahead of you just bought an Iowa lottery ticket. That's okay, but she doesn't just ...

1922. Epiphany 7

Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 5:38-42, 1 Corinthians 3:1-23, Leviticus 19:1-37

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE As the Epiphany season nears its conclusion, the homiletical framework of the season con-tinues to thin out and the role of the readings becomes more important for the establishment of the theme for the day. Under the older church year, this would be Sexagesima Sunday, the second of the "three-to-get-ready for Lent" Sundays. They were removed from the church year's "Pre-Lent" and added to Epiphany simply because they had become part of Lent, making Lent, in effect, nine and a half weeks ...

1923. The Christian’s Style - 1960

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Kent Moorehead

What do you consider the most important and revealing fact to know about a person? Is it his antecedents, heritage, background? Certainly that is not to be overlooked. Or would you be most interested in his possessions, the position he occupies, the nature of his reputation? Unquestionably this factor would seem to be of no little practical consequence. Or would it mean most to know his possibilities, his promise, what he might become? That surely is highly significant. But there is something more ...

1924. Blessed among Women

Luke 1:39-45, 1 Samuel 2:1-11

Sermon

Erskine White

"And Elizabeth ... exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.’ " (Luke 1:42) No one knows what she looked like. European artists have made her look European. African artists have made her look African. Native American artists have drawn her in their image, as have artists from South America, the Far East and nearly every other part of the world as well. In a sense, she has become the universal woman, adapted in every generation to every race and culture ...

1925. Good News, Release, and Comfort

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

Richard L. Eslinger

Advent rushes to a finish. You know how hectic this next week will be. "Only (you fill in the blank) more days until Christmas," and there is an awful lot to be done. There is the last-minute shopping, rubbing shoulders with all the other last-minute people. Then, toward the end of the week, the planning and procuring for the big Christmas dinner begins. But we’ll probably forget something essential to the menu and be back at the supermarket on Christmas Eve, too. Here at church there is as much bustle as ...

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