Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1951 to 1975 of 5000 results

1951. LENTEN LITANY TO BE USED PRIOR TO ASH WEDNESDAY SERMON.

Drama

Michael J. Anton

Responsive Prayer of Confession and Forgiveness for Lent. Pastor’s lines are marked "V" (verse) Congregation’s lines are marked "R" [response] V: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. There is the smell of death in the air. R: It is death we smell. Jesus, our Lord, is walking toward his death. V: It is a slow walk, a heavy walk that our Lord steps off toward Jerusalem. R: A ...

1952. BRICKMAKER

Exodus 5:7, 16

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... feet, and were then molded into oblong or square units. They were then either sun-dried or kiln-fired. Quite often rulers had their insignia or initials or some other royal mark stamped into the bricks made in their own lands. Still today, it is not unusual for a farmer to be working in his fields and unearth an ancient brick marked with the sign of a pharaoh or of a Babylonian or Assyrian monarch. Often, both the Egyptians and the Babylonians painted their bricks for decorative purposes. In the ruins of ...

1953. CARPENTER

Isaiah 44:13; Mark 6:3

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... it with a compass; he shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house." Mark 6:3 - "Is not this the carpenter, the son ot Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" 2 Samuel 5:11 - "And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who ...

1954. Who Do You Say I Am?

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Brett Blair

... , two men from the past came back from the grave to speak to him——Moses and Elijah. But there was yet another reason why people thought that Jesus was Elijah? It was a commonly held belief among the Hebrews that one day Elijah would return and that that would mark the end of the world. In the very last passage in the Old Testament, the book of Malachi contains these words: “Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.” Clearly Elijah’s coming would ...

1955. Song of the Vineyard

Isaiah 5:1-7

Illustration

Larry Powell

... observations about Isaiah’s "Song of the Vineyard": 1. It was a song. That is to say, it was a marked variation in the prophet’s manner of proclamation. Isaiah was an eloquent, forthright orator, not a balladeer. It has been ... to be sour fruit. 3. The song was the basis for Jesus’ Parable of the Vineyard. Compare Isaiah’s song of the vineyard with Mark 12:1-12. For both accounts, Jeremiah 2:21 provides a fitting epilogue: "I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate ...

1956. Some Rules Need to be Broken

Mark 2:13-17

Illustration

Larry Powell

... carry the expectant mother into the hospital. As I mentioned, there must always be individuals to remind us of the rules, but it is an additional gift of grace if they have a minimum of common sense. The Pharisees scolded Jesus for associating with sinners (Mark 2:16), chastized him for plucking grain for nourishment on the sabbath (23-28), and rebuked him for healing a man with a withered hand on the same day (3:1-6). Jesus was threatening their security, their positions, and assuming their authority. Not ...

1957. Why Don’t You Send Somebody?

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... followers to be alert and watchful for the coming of the Son of Man. "It will be like a man who goes away from home on a trip and leaves his servants in charge, each with his own work to do; and he tells the doorkeeper to keep watch" (Mark 13:32ff). The watchfulness he describes is not mere idleness, but the work of faithfulness and discipline. God comes to those who watch expectantly; who do not give up or fall idle, or simply go to sleep. Those who anticipate the coming of the Lord do something to prepare ...

1958. A Prophet Like Me

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... astounded at his teaching. He taught them as one who had authority. But part of the same story is that after he left the synagogue he went over to the house of his friend Simon, and found that Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever. Mark tells us that "he took her by the hand and lifted her up." That is an important aspect of prophetic ministry that we must always keep in mind. Our prophetic words will be effective only if we keep in mind that we must always uplift people. Performing the prophetic ...

1959. All We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... the woman with the sick baby? Or been the person in uniform? What kind of evil forces these terrible and tragic decisions upon us? We are nearing the end of our journey to the cross and to Easter. It has been suggested that the cross of Christ marks the end of the "masquerade ball of humanity." At the cross, our masks come off and we see behind our pretty poses and pious disguises. To encourage us once again to "stand beneath this cross" and contemplate its meaning for our lives, we have the mysterious, yet ...

1960. Early on the First Day

Drama

G. Franklin Gray

... you, they sing praise to your name. (Psalm 66:1, 2, 4, NIV) The Prayer The Hymn Crown Him With Many Crowns Early on the First Day Mark 16:1-3 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the Mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go ... . And for fear of him the guards shook and trembled and became like dead men. (Guards shake and tremble, fall down, lie very still.) Mark 16:4 And the women looking up, saw that the stone was rolled back; for it was very large. John 20:2-10 So ...

1961. Nazareth: The Hidden Years

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... dramatic experience in Jerusalem, Luke writes: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."3 Jesus was growing. The people in the village saw it. It was not simply a matter of a mark on the doorpost - one inch taller than six months ago - but those indefinable marks of the spirit, so difficult to measure yet so impressive and essential. Yet when I speak of Jesus growing during those Nazareth years, I confess that it’s easier to think about the years from two to sixteen or ...

1962. Resurrection: From Chaos to Order

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... making it the known. It was an age before the pyramids. It was a time before the Babylonians built an empire, or even before the ancient Ur was hometown of Abraham. It was before the flood that marked so many cultures of old. It was back at the beginning, and they talked of the beginning. It marked a unique understanding, an understanding that continues to affect us today. Its root is pre-history. Its fruition is even shaping twentieth century people. The story is of a Plan, a Mind that willed Order from ...

1963. Resurrection: From Sin to a Second Chance

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... was a man. He was no longer a shepherd; he was a king. He was no longer on a hillside outside of Bethlehem. He was on top of a palace in Jerusalem. Escaping the heat late in the day, he looked out over the city. He saw a woman bathing. Marking the house, he inquired who lived there. One of his soldiers, he was told. A brave man named Uriah who was helping lay siege to the Ammonite city of Rabbah. The woman must be his young wife, Bathsheba. David told his servants that he wished to meet Bathsheba - tonight ...

1964. A Reed Who Became a Rock

John 1:35-42

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... the twelve apostles, Peter is named first - always, without exception. (Take time to double-check this for yourself: Matthew 10; Mark 3; Luke 6; Acts 1.) This doesn’t mean, necessarily, that Peter was the most important. Nor does it mean ... and went toward the center of the garden to pray. However, he took with him three of his disciples - that’s right: Peter, James, and John (Mark 14:32, 33). That is why this trio is considered the "inner three." And Peter was one of them. I like Peter - and I think most ...

1965. Francis of Assisi: a Faith for Every Day

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... no response. The little brother went to check on him. The brother found Francis lying prostrate, still dazed by the vision of the Crucified which he had experienced. Francis discovered the marks of Christ’s crucifixion on his hands and feet and side. According to a recent biography, the rest of his life he tried to cover up these marks with clothing. Those who laundered his clothing used cold water to remove the blood from his wounds, called the stigmata. A saint who shaped the church with a religion for ...

1966. When Things Don’t Work Out, What Then?

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

Edward Chinn

... most of the people who knew him there when he was growing to manhood. "He was not able to perform any miracles there, except that he placed his hands on a few sick people and healed them. He was greatly surprised, because the people there did not have faith" (Mark 6:5-6, TEV). Furthermore, he failed to win his nation Israel to his way. During the last week of his life, he spoke of his nation’s capital: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem ... How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen ...

1967. Will Names Never Hurt Us?

Proverbs 10:1-32

Sermon

Edward Chinn

... names are discriminated against in school. To support that conclusion, he cites the results of a test done in 1973 by Herbert Harari, a psychologist at the University of California at San Diego. Eighty elementary school teachers were handed eight essays to mark. The essays, done by fifth and sixth graders, were of identical quality. There was only one variable factor: the names of the students which appeared on the essays. Four of the essays were signed with common names Michael, David, Karen, and Lisa ...

1968. Advent 2

Isaiah 40:1-31, 2 Peter 3:1-18, Mark 1:1-8

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... growth in the grace you have freely bestowed upon us. Forgive us our short-sightedness, and show us how we may assist the coming of your Kingdom, through your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen Gospel: Mark 1:1-8 Theme: Confession and repentance, cleansing and renewal Exegetical Note In this beginning to his Gospel, Mark uses (with some alteration) two Old Testament passages (Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3) in order to depict the ministry of John the Baptizer - his preaching and practicing a water baptism of repentance ...

1969. The Baptism of Our Lord

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Acts 19:1-22, Mark 1:1-8, Mark 1:9-13

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... faithlessness, O God; teach us to trust you and your Holy Spirit, without which all our words and deeds are hollow and meaningless. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen Gospel: Mark 1:4-11 Theme: The subjectivity and secrecy of the first epiphany Exegetical note Unlike the descriptions of Jesus’ baptism delivered by Matthew and Luke, Mark’s earlier version describes the opening of the heavens, the descent of the Spirit, and the voice of God as a private, inner experience of Jesus alone, rather than a public ...

1970. Epiphany 3

Jonah 3:1-10, 1 Corinthians 7:1-40, Mark 1:1-8, Mark 1:9-13, Mark 1:14-20

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... our short-sightedness and our failure to trust in your priorities rather than our own. Help us to live each day as though Jesus were near to establish your Kingdom. In his name we pray. Amen Gospel: Mark 1:14-20 Theme: Leaving old occupations for a new profession Exegetical note Mark’s version of how Peter and Andrew became Jesus’ disciples - very different from John’s account - implies that a positive response to the Gospel of the Kingdom, and its demand for repentance and belief, will necessitate a ...

1971. Epiphany 5

Mark 1:35-39, Mark 1:29-34, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, Job 6:1-7:21

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... have by your grace and the enormous responsibility that is ours as a result, teaching us to give of ourselves after the model of the Suffering Servant of all, in whose name we pray. Amen Gospel: Mark 1:29-39 Theme: A message more important than miracles Exegetical note Mark reflects his characteristic viewpoint on miracles in this story about Jesus’ healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and others in Capernaum, namely, that, however important, they are so subordinate to the Gospel message that Jesus isolates ...

1972. Epiphany 6

2 Kings 5:1-27, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, Mark 1:40-45

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... -sidedness, and teach us the self-discipline of the soul, so that we may be able to win any match with evil, in the name of Jesus Christ, the victor. Amen Gospel: Mark 1:40-45 Theme: The secret that cannot be silenced or suppressed Exegetical Note This passage presents a conventional miracle story with Mark’s distinctive "secrecy" motif inserted. Having cleansed the leper, Jesus charges him to tell the priest about it (in accordance with Mosaic prescriptions) but otherwise to keep quiet. The man proceeds ...

1973. Epiphany 7

Isaiah 42:18-25, Mark 2:1-12, 2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... upon. Forgive our inconsistency, O God. Give us an extra measure of your Spirit, that our dependability may more closely resemble the absolute constancy of your Word, Christ Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen Gospel: Mark 2:1-12 Theme: Divine activity, demonstrable authority Exegetical Note Mark here records Jesus’ forgiveness of a paralytic as well as the negative reaction of some of the religious establishment on the grounds that such an act is blasphemous, since forgiveness is a prerogative of God ...

1974. Transfiguration

Mark 9:2-13, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18, 2 Kings 2:1-18

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... lustrous things. Forgive us, we pray. Open our eyes and hearts and minds and spirits to the brightness of your glory, especially as that shines forth in your Son, Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen Gospel: Mark 9:2-9 Theme: Fumbling in the face of the fantastic Exegetical Note Mark’s description of the transfiguration of Jesus, though probably to the evangelist an eschatological sign of the Messiahship of Jesus, points to a classic hierophany, i.e., a breakthrough of the mysterious sacred into the everyday ...

1975. Lent 1

Genesis 9:1-17, 1 Peter 3:8-22, Mark 1:9-13, Mark 1:14-20

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... us our misdirected faith, O God, and teach us to trust in you and your desire and power to rescue us by your grace. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen Gospel: Mark 1:9-15 Theme: Desert and devils, diversions and dangers in the Christian calling Exegetical note: Of particular interest in Mark’s very succinct version of Jesus’ desert temptation is the literary "hinge" between it and the divine pronouncement of Sonship at Jesus’ baptism that precedes it; for the idea that one blessed with heavenly ...

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