Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1901 to 1925 of 5000 results

1901. Shaped by the Future

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

Joe Pennel

... believed that their lives were shaped by the Second Coming of Christ. They were convinced of their need to be ready for Christ's arrival, just as St. Luke's Church knew that it must be ready for the Vice President's visit. This conviction was one of the towering marks of the early church. If we believe that the Son of man is coming, then that belief will determine how we live in the present. But if we do not believe that the Son of man is coming, we will shape the present like the past. Or, we will shape ...

1902. The Message of Christmas

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

... of the Gospel. Luke gives us some details about the birth story including angels, shepherds, cradles, songs, and the people's response to the birth of Christ. This Luke does in a very sensitive and telling way. Mark, on the other hand, doesn't care a thing in the world about the birth stories of Jesus. Mark is interested in the crucifixion, so he says nothing about Christ's birth. John's account of the birth of Christ waxes with eloquent poetry: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God, and ...

1903. Responding to Christ's Birth

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

... this joy happens is as full of darkness as our own world, and that is why when it happens it is as poignant as grief and can bring tears to our eyes. It can bring tears to our eyes because it might so easily not have happened. Today marks the first Sunday after Christmas, often the most undervalued celebration of the Christian year. It is this day that proclaims the purpose of the Incarnation: the manifestation of God through Christ to the world. As Chrysotorn preached in A.D. 386, "Up to this day he [Jesus ...

1904. Epiphany 3

Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Psalm 27:1-14, Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon Aid

... or not, like it, or not. The church is his, not ours. 2. Division in the church is of the devil, who persuades people to place their loyalty in human pastors and charismatic religious leaders rather than in Christ. 3. Baptism creates unity in Christ, because it marks us with the cross of Christ forever. There is only one baptism and one Lord (as Paul told the Ephesian congregation). 4. As we gather round the table of the Lord, The Table of Unity, we pray that God will help us resolve theological differences ...

1905. Lent 1

Genesis 3:1-24, Romans 5:12-21, Matthew 4:1-11, Genesis 2:4-25, Psalm 130:1-8

Sermon Aid

... use his great strength upon it, break free, bend the bars of his cell, escape and lead a revolt to over-throw the invading army. But suddenly a wail of horror came from his cell; as he ran his fingers over the chains, he came across his own trade-mark and he knew that those chains would have no weak link; he had made them himself. He could not escape by himself; he would be there in the dungeoncell until someone came, removed the chains, and set him free. That, Roberts pointed out, is the human condition. 2 ...

1906. Good Friday

Matthew 27:45-56

Sermon Aid

... cross, or had he been confident that God was there sharing in his suffering, he might have simply asked, "Why?" That's what Martin Quarrier did, in Peter Mattheissen's At Play in the Fields of the Lord, when he lay dying of a blow from a cross-marked machete wielded by one of the natives he was attempting to "save" in the wilderness of South America. It shouldn't have made any sense to Jesus, because it never really makes sense to us; there's an impenetrable mystery connected to the death of Jesus on the ...

1907. Easter 2

Acts 2:14-41, Psalm 105:1-45, 1 Peter 1:1-12, John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Sermon Aid

... "group of ministers." He went on to say, in this startling introduction, "My name is Thomas." In this first-person narrative sermon he moved from "Doubting Thomas," the person who said, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe," to the man of faith who cried, "My Lord and my God!" That man he called "Doubtless Thomas," the person that God would make of all of us. The text lends itself beautifully to ...

1908. Proper 16 & Pentecost 14

Isaiah 22:1-25, Psalm 95:1-11, Psalm 138:1-8, Isaiah 51:1-16, Exodus 5:22--6:12, Exodus 17:1-7, Romans 11:33-36, Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon Aid

... the liturgy of the church. "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." On this note, he ends this first section of his letter to the Romans. Matthew 16:13-20 When Matthew took over this account from Mark's Gospel, he changed it radically. He has Peter answering Jesus', "But who do you say I am?" with "You are the Christ," adding, "the Son of the living God." Scholars seem to be convinced that this is a post-resurrection redaction, and not anything that Peter said ...

1909. Lent 6

Matthew 21:1-11

Bulletin Aid

... in this account of Jesus' triumphal entry when in v. 9 he changes his predecessor's "Blessed is the coming Reign of our father David" (Mark 11:10) to "Hosanna to the Son of David!" That shift in focus from the Reign to the Christ reflects the transition in emphasis in the early Church from the teachings of Jesus to the message about Jesus, precisely because the earliest believers saw in his deeds the active Reign ...

1910. The Resurrection of Our Lord

Mt 28:1-10 · Col 3:1-4 · Acts 10:34-43 · Ps 118

Bulletin Aid

... of the resurrection of the Christ. In his holy name we pray. Amen Gospel Lesson: Matthew 28:1-10 Theme: Women as witnesses of the risen Christ Exegetical note Among the many nuances added to Mark's earlier resurrection account by Matthew's redaction is a heightening of the role of the women in the event. Mark had ended his account (in its original version) at 16:8, with the women's fearful silence. Matthew, however, has the women departing with joy, not fear, and bearing the first testimony to the fact ...

1911. Proper 17

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon Aid

... or to get laughed at; and let's not expect immediate or complete success." Bonhoeffer: "I invite you to come and die with me." (Cost of Discipleship, p. 7 [paraphrased]) Christ: "The person who loses his/her life for my sake and the Good News will find it." (Mark 8:35) It is in dying to self and living for others that we discover the meaning and purpose of life, and we will stand amazed that we didn't learn that truth sooner. Planning for Your Congregation I. Other Scriptures Psalm 114 Psalm 26 Psalm 63:2 ...

1912. Three Secrets of A Life Well Lived

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

Brett Blair

... taught Helen Keller how to communicate. It was during the 1890’s, in the hills of northern Alabama, that she struggled with Helen and her handicaps—deaf, blind, and mute. Helen Keller was the miracle, but Ann Sullivan was the miracle worker. What was the quality that marked her life? Was it that she fought a good fight? Clearly she did. It is hard for us to even imagine not only the primitive care and the prejudices of that day, but also the fact that Helen’s parents saw her as a hopeless case. Was ...

1913. "The Return"

Drama

... the 31st verse. You forgot the trumpet; you better go back and get it. Gabriel is supposed to blow it; did he forget? You’ll have to go back and do this right; it has me really confused; the answer must be here somewhere. Let’s see - maybe Mark, chapter 13, verses 21 to 27, or Revelation; it’s got to be Revelation. Everything is in Revelation. Jesus (He firmly closes her Bible.) You’ve done just fine. You have identified me. Perhaps now you should stop reading for just a while and look carefully at ...

1914. An Unhappy Homecoming

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... were teenagers." Much of Jesus’ healing power is a mystery to us, but we do know that it increased when faith was present. There was little faith in Nazareth, just familiarity. In Mark’s account of the Nazareth homecoming, he tells us that Jesus could not perform many miracles there, and was amazed by the lack of faith. (Mark 6:5) Jesus knew what the people were thinking---"Why aren’t you doing miraculous things like we heard you did over in Capernaum?" He reminded them of a proverb—"Physician, heal ...

1915. A Brass Cross and a Barometer

Luke 6:1-11

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... this. Now I ask you, is it better to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath Day? Is it better to help somebody or just criticize?" Then Jesus threw down the gauntlet and healed the man. In Mark's gospel we are told that Jesus was angry and deeply distressed at the stubborn hearts of the Pharisees. (Mark 3:5) The Pharisees needed to be offended. Their lack of compassion was nauseating to God; it stank in his nostrils. In verse 9 Jesus pointed out the real purpose of the Sabbath -- to glorify God and to improve ...

1916. The First Council

Acts 15:1-21

Sermon Aid

CSS

... carry its decree to the churches in Syria and Cilicia, as well as to Antioch. However, perhaps only Judas returned to Jerusalem, for Silas later makes the journey through Syria and Cilicia in company with Paul. What happened at the council and afterward marked one of the great turning points in the life of the early church. The Council took place about A.D. 48 or 49. Its decision was never challenged. There were still differences within the church, particularly among a group of hardshell Jews who continued ...

1917. Paul’s Midnight Ride

Acts 22:30--23:11

Sermon Aid

... barracks and once again in confinement, he could only wonder and worry about what was to come next. Obviously, the tribune was not willing to release him because he feared that this might cause the Jews to riot or react badly and thus give a black mark to his record as military commander in Jerusalem. On the other hand, Paul was a Roman citizen and Tribune Lysias knew that he had no legal grounds for keeping him in detention, except possibly for his own safety. Even if there was some kindness and concern ...

1918. Let’s Face It

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Michael L. Sherer

... for them. Their relatives wondered why the end was taking so long to come. Matthew may have intended (as may have the writers of Mark and Luke as well, who also have this parable) to admonish the church that the end will not come as quickly as had been ... first overcame death with a resurrection. - God does not forsake us when we die. Jesus’ words on the cross - in Matthew and Mark his only reported words, to the effect that God had abandoned him to evil - were Good Friday words, not Easter morning words ...

1919. Power to Forgive

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... 11:26) God will not answer our prayers unless we are ready to forgive. "And when ye stand praying, forgive if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." (Mark 11:25) We cannot even bring a pleasing gift to God without forgiveness. "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee ... first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." (Matthew 5:23-24) Beside ...

1920. Isaiah’s Interruption

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Richard F. Bansemer

... some of the most tender words in the Old Testament. There is quite some debate as to where the quotation marks go in this response by the prophet. It’s important to put them in the right place, so stick with me for a half minute of Hebrew grammar. Believe ... it or not, the Hebrews didn’t use quotation marks, so all of them had to be placed into English by scholars who argued their point of view. The issue here is simply, who ...

1921. Elijah’s If

Mark 9:2-13, 2 Kings 2:1-18

Drama

Richard F. Bansemer

... Kings, the second chapter, the 10th verse, we find Elijah saying to Elisha: "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if you do not see me, it shall not be so." From Mark 9, the 7th terse, we read: "... a voice came out from the cloud, ‘This is my beloved Son; listen to him.’ " While the Old Testament lesson was read today we heard a story about Elijah, Elisha, and two separate schools of prophets. The first school was located in Bethel ...

1922. The Importance of Unity

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

Hubert Beck

... around the light. He will gather still eight more. If ever you have paid much attention to this band of men, you will know that disunity is a constant threat to them. There are the "sons of thunder" as Jesus called them, James and John (Mark 3:17). Evidently they were men of strong opinion and vehemence about what they considered right and wrong. There is Peter, so headstrong and impetuous. There is Levi, named Matthew, the tax collector, and one must remember how hated the tax collectors were among the ...

1923. Discerning the Way of God

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Sermon

Hubert Beck

... bills paid or hoping that some day we will finally "arrive" in prestige or wealth or in whatever way we consider the ultimate mark of earthly "success." Our hopes are foreshortened, and instead of seeing the will of God, we see the will of man which has ... taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit." This is the path of life on which the Spirit leads us. This path is marked out in the Scriptures we read and share. Poor mortal words of human vocabulary are put together under God’s Spirit to instruct us ...

1924. The Gospel According to Christ’s Enemies

John 11:1-16

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

... is the only one of the gospel writers who records this event. Because of this, the critics argue that if a deed as decisive as this actually happened, it should have somewhere found a place in the framework of the gospel accounts presented by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Van der Loos offers no solution to this problem. He simply states, "The difference between the Synoptics and the Fourth Gospel as regards content, form and outlook is so great that it will always remain a source of discussion."3 Parable Become ...

1925. What It Takes to Stay Christian

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... his brow, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me" (Matthew 26:39). There was the dreadful moment on the cross when the sun dimmed and death’s dark hell approached and he cried out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). There were those moments when Jesus knew the turmoil of heart which we feel today as we, too, seek to be faithful, to stay Christian. Recently a young matron in our congregation shared a letter with me which she had received from a Christian friend who ...

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