Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 176 to 200 of 4489 results

176. Easter 5

Jn 13:31-35 · Acts 13:44-52; 14:8-18; 21-27 · Rev 21:1-5

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Acts 14:8-18 After a miracle of healing, the people consider Paul and Barnabas to be gods. In this pericope we have Paul's first miracle and his first sermon to pagans. It is very unlike Paul because no mention is made of Jesus and the resurrection, nor the name of Jesus as the power of healing. The account does not say that the faith of the cripple was faith in Jesus, the Healer. Moreover, a miracle usually ends in the people's glorifying God, but here the people give the credit to Paul and ...

177. Letting Go

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

RICHARD A. GOODLING is an ordained United Church of Christ minister whose Ph.D. is in clinical psychology. In addition to being Professor of Pastoral Psychology at the Divinity School at Duke University, he is the Director and a Staff Counselor with the Pastoral Care and Counseling Institute of Durham-Chapel Hill, Inc. His sermon Letting Go was preached at a chapel service in the divinity school. In it he speaks pastorally and artistically of the necessity of surrendering our cherished and familiar ways of ...

178. Dreaming Impossible Dreams

Genesis 37:2-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

To dream the impossible dream To fight the unbeatable foe To bear the unbearable sorrow To run where the brave dare not go To right the unrightable wrong To love pure and chaste from afar To try when your arms are too heavy To reach the unreachable star. Those lyrics sung by Don Quixote in Man From LaMancha clearly characterize the life of Joseph, our Old Testament hero, whose story comprises the last third of the book of Genesis. I. TO DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM Catch this picture with me for a moment. It ...

179. Singing With the Saints of Glory

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Sing with all the saints of glory, Sing the resurrection song. Death and sorrow, earth’s dark story, To the former days belong. All around the clouds are breaking, Soon the storms of time shall cease. In God’s likeness we awaking, Know the everlasting peace. Easter people have a song in their hearts that the world never gave. They have a peace it cannot take away. At least that’s the way the Apostle John perceived it as he unveils a glimpse of heaven for all to see. Come, let us take a closer look. I. WE ...

180. Can the Rich Be Saved?

Mark 10:17-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

It’s been said of Jesus that whenever he met a person, it was as if that person were an island around which Jesus sailed until he found where the real problem was, and there he landed. He did that with the woman at the well and landed on the questions of marriage. He said to her, “Go call your husband.” In a luncheon conversation He landed on the question of integrity with Zaccheus and before lunch was over Zaccheus said, “If I have stolen anything from anybody, I will repay it four-fold.” Here in the ...

181. The Door of Forgiveness

1 Timothy 2:1-15

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Ernest Hemingway wrote a story about a father and son who had a serious misunderstanding. In the story, the boy finally runs away from home. The father however, is not content to let his son go. In an effort to find the boy, the father puts an ad in the Madrid, Spain newspaper. It contained these words: Dear Paco, Meet me at the town square at noon on Sunday. All is forgiven...Your father That Sunday, 800 males by the name of Paco showed up at the town square. They all came seeking forgiveness from their ...

182. Making Sure Our Robes Are Washed

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Whenever there are people who share a common interest they tend to congregate in crowds. According to the Guinness World Records 23,600 people got together in Upton Park London in May 1999, to blow bubbles. The largest number of visitors to a department store in one day took place on December 20, 1995, in Nextage, Shanghai. A million shoppers showed up. The greatest number of live spectators to any sporting event was 10 million over a three week period at the annual Tour de France. The largest mass choir ...

183. From Hunger to Satisfaction

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

I had a church member once who displayed a bold sign in his Laundromat. On it were these words: “Everything I enjoy is illegal, immoral, or fattening." Food—we have a love affair with it. It is a source of temptation and cause for celebration. We can't get along without it. The Bible is full of it: Eve was tempted with an apple. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of pea soup. Heaven will be like a wedding banquet prepared for a king. In our Scripture today, Jesus feeds 5,000 people with five loaves of ...

184. The Road Home

Luke 2:1-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

In a Tom Wilson cartoon, Ziggy is standing in front of a large directional sign at a shopping mall. The familiar “You Are Here" arrow is pointing to a particular spot. Under the sign this question has been added:“Isn't it about time you headed home?" That's what I'd like to talk about tonight. The dictionary defines home as a house we inhabit, often with other people, a pet or two, and enough room to accommodate the in-laws for special occasions. It’s not square footage I'd like to discuss with you tonight ...

185. Living on the Easter Side of Life

Colossians 3:1-4

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

What does Easter mean to you? I posed that question to a preschooler and he said, “Easter Bunny with lots of candy." I asked a teenager what Easter meant to her, “Fun in the sun; it's Spring Break!" I asked my hairdresser this week what Easter meant to her and she replied, “I'm going to church Sunday for the first time in five years." I asked a person facing death what Easter meant to him; with a tear in his eye he said, “I can live forever." What does Easter mean to you? Does it mean a new bonnet with a ...

186. Turning Up the Pressure

Job 2:1-13

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: Despite increased adversity, Job reasserts his complete commitment to the sovereign Lord. Understanding the Text Job 2 completes the prologue, which sets the scene for a thorough discussion of a godly response to adversity. Much of the language of 1:6–22 is repeated and intensified in 2:1–10, as the writer uses the technique of repetition with variation to build suspense and interest. When Yahweh’s words in 2:3 are compared to his earlier description of Job in 1:8, it is evident that the first ...

187. Behold the Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 10:16-17

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship (Unison) The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17) Collect Body of Christ, present among us, live again in the breaking of the bread. Amen. Prayer Of Confession One body, one Lord, one Life we share. When we exclude, Lord, we break up that body. When we judge we forget ...

188. Resurrected Peace (Series: Living on the Resurrected Side of Life)

John 20:19-23

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The message I want to share with you today is contained in an ancient liturgy of the Church. We call it the passing of the peace. “The Peace of Christ be with you.” “And also with you.” It is the peace of God which passes all understanding that I want to offer you today. I. May the Peace of Christ Rule in Our Minds At dark last Easter Sunday I found myself tired, pleased, satisfied, and at peace, that we had shared a great day of worship together. The disciples come to their first Easter evening afraid, ...

189. What is the Future of Marriage?

Mark 12:18-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A friend looked me in the eye a few weeks ago and said, “Howard, I appreciate the way you keep politics out of the pulpit.” I can only hope that person is still my friend after this sermon. For when it comes to the private and public aspects of marriage, politics and religion become strange and often conflicted bedfellows. First you need to know that I am not a politician, not even a very good church politician, and it’s certainly not my intent to make a political statement today. Furthermore, it would not ...

190. Never Give Up

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Because God never gives up on us, we need never give up. From the many true and apocryphal stories about the life of Winston Churchill comes the report of a singular commencement address. After enduring a lengthy introduction, Churchill is reported to have risen from his seat, strode to the podium and stared fixedly at his audience of new graduates. "Never give up!" he pronounced solemnly. Churchill then turned, walked back to his chair and sat down. As the stunned students momentarily sat in silence, ...

191. Facing Up to a Power Problem

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

Today we have a power problem. Before Pentecost the disciples had a power problem; they were helpless. There’s all the difference in the world when the power is turned on. Jesus said to his ineffective disciples: "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you." Then it happened. The air was charged with change. Against their souls in strain A furious wind was hurled. Down some invisible wire, Exploding into fire, God’s lightning came; And their night Was burned away. (a parody on ...

192. Forever His

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

Do you remember the first time you fell in love? I do, and it was a wonderful experience, both exhilarating and painful. I was fourteen years old and a high school freshman when it happened. The young lady’s name was Joyce. She had long brown hair and dark brown eyes, and I was quite certain she was one of God’s own angels. I fell in love with Joyce the first time she let me carry her books home from school. I bought her a Pepsi Cola that day, and when she accepted it, I felt like a knight of the Round ...

193. Facing Up To The Giant Task Of Life

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Sermon

Eric Ritz

From our scripture lesson this morning, we find that facing a Giant task is not a new experience in human history, nor in the life of the people of God. In our passage from I Samuel, we see an incident that would put a challenge into any person. Here are two armies in their camps, each occupying a side of the mountain, with a valley in between them. Out of the camp of the Philistines comes the giant, Goliath, the champion of the group, with an interesting proposal to save bloodshed. It would be well for ...

194. Answers To Life's Three Critical Questions

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

Darden K. Caylor, a pastor in Cedar Rapids, IA, says that the day he decided to become a minister is still clearly etched in his brain. He was sitting at his Grandma Rula's house when he heard a voice speak to him from a distance. At first it was muffled, but then it became clearer. It said, "You should become a minister." Caylor couldn't believe it. Was this divine intervention? Was God really speaking to him? Did God really want him to become a minister? He was so shocked he couldn't move. The voice ...

195. Radical Love is Risky (Series: Radical Love in a Risky World)

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

“Some people see things as they are and ask, ‘Why?’ Others dream of things that never were and ask WHY NOT?” Those words of George Bernard Shaw contain the sermon for today. Jesus blew the lid off conventional morality in the 1st century and the 21st century by instructing his followers to ‘Love your enemies.’ The first hearers were shocked by it. Theologians through the ages have tried to explain it. The survival of humanity today may depend on our living it. I want to talk today about ‘why not?’ Why not ...

196. Why Am I So Lonely? (Series: Real Faith For Real People)

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Why am I so lonely? Do you ever ask yourself that question? On Google’s “Lonely Life” website, a lady by the name of Amanda made this entry: “I am living in NYC. I miss my family really bad. My boyfriend dumped me. I lost my job. I am feeling very, very lonely tonight - lonely enough to Google loneliness.” Loneliness is increasing in America. IN 1985, 10% of Americans said they had no close friends. By 2004, that percentage had increased to 24.6%. Loneliness is an epidemic. And I think I know the reason ...

197. Chaos or Christ: Dreams Which Calm our Fears

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Author Scott Peck opens one of his most popular books with these three simple words: LIFE IS DIFFICULT. “If we can embrace that truth," continues Peck, “life will no longer be difficult." I'd like to talk about that for a few moments this morning. In Matthew's account of Jesus' birth, there are no angels singing, no shepherds watching, no cattle lowing, no tiny babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. In verse 18, Matthew says the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. “When His ...

198. Foundations are Critical

Matthew 7:24-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

We are Christians under construction, trying to build a life that really matters. Hundreds of you are now putting God first and practicing random acts of kindness on a daily basis. I can only imagine what God might choose to do with these simple acts of devotion. I know personally the powerful impact of fervent prayers, and I continue to thank God for you each day. A first time guest at our church last week wrote me to say, “I came searching for God and discovered God was there all along searching for me. ...

199. The Bread We Daily Need

Luke 11:1-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

At a small dinner party in the home of a member, a pastor was invited to ask the blessing for the meal. Turning to the talkative six year old in the house, the pastor suggested she might like to do the blessing instead. The outgoing youngster now suddenly shy replied, “I wouldn’t know what to say!” “Just say what you hear your Mommy say,” said the pastor assuredly. With that the little girl folded her hands, bowed her head and said, “Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?” Give us this ...

200. Does Christmas Make Any Difference?

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

In John Grisham’s novel Skipping Christmas, which is now a hit movie, Luther and Lora Krank decide to take a year off from all the clutter of Christmas. They spent $6,000 last year on Christmas with very little to show for it. Their daughter is now serving in the Peace Corp so maybe it is time for something different! For one year there would be no rooftop Frosty, no company party, not even a tree—just the two of them setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. Does such a scenario sound enticing to you? Does ...

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