Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 176 to 200 of 1044 results

176. What Would Jesus Say About Materialism?

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A religious coalition led by Rev. Jim Ball launched a media campaign three months ago asking Americans “What Would Jesus Drive?” The advertisement, designed to discourage religious people from driving SUV’s, pickups, minivans and other gas guzzling vehicles, quickly captured the attention of Americans. The three major auto makers publicly stated that they already made fifty models of fuel efficient cars, but trucks and SUV’s now outsell cars at dealerships across America. Comedian Jay Leno said Jesus would ...

177. The Way and The Truth and The Life

John 14:1-14

Sermon

Lee Griess

The great American humorist, Will Rogers, had the reputation that he could make anyone laugh. President Calvin Coolidge, on the other hand, had the reputation that he never laughed. Want to know what happened the time those two met? Rogers was invited to visit the White House and as was the custom, the president's assistant brought Rogers into the Oval Office. As was the custom as he entered, the assistant said, "President Coolidge, this is Will Rogers. Mr. Rogers, this is President Coolidge." To which ...

178. Why Is God Unfair?

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

One of my favorite courses to teach is "Introduction to Biblical Literature." It is a 200-level course, and therefore only open to upperclassmen. These are college students who have already been around the block once or twice, and they know the rules of the game for getting good grades. Because the course is a biblical survey, there is a lot of material to cover, and little that can be pursued in depth. Yet, I want my students to think theologically, so I place before the group every year one question that ...

179. Making Anyone Laugh

John 14:1-4

Illustration

Lee Griess

The great American humorist, Will Rogers, had the reputation that he could make anyone laugh. President Calvin Coolidge, on the other hand, had the reputation that he never laughed. Want to know what happened the time those two met? Rogers was invited to visit the White House and as was the custom, the president's assistant brought Rogers into the Oval Office. As he entered, the assistant said, "President Coolidge, this is Will Rogers. Mr. Rogers, this is President Coolidge." To which Rogers leaned forward ...

180. The Receptive Heart

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

Life is a matter of attitude. All the great motivational speakers tell us that. To succeed in life, attitude is critical. Of course, not everyone has a great attitude. In fact, some people have a downright rotten attitude. The Internet carried an item recently that reflects a rotten attitude. It is called the “Cynic’s Guide to Life.” It’s a clever take-off on some of life’s familiar clichés. See if you recognize any of these: The journey of a thousand miles . . . begins with . . . a broken fan belt and a ...

181. The God Who Is Always There

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22

Sermon

David E. Leininger

The always-there God? Do you wonder which God that might be? It could not possibly be the God of heaven ... our God, could it? Our God is on vacation ... someplace. So it seems ... sometimes. Where is God when life starts to crumble and the burdens begin to crush? Could Queen Esther have ever felt that way? She would have had every reason. Perhaps that is why, in the entire Old Testament book that bears her name, the name of God never appears ... not even once. The scene is ancient Persia during the reign ...

182. A Higher Calling

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

You and I have received a higher calling. Every person here this morning is going to be challenged to live according to a higher calling. A few years ago, my daughter and her husband lived next door to a difficult family in Columbus. There was a large lot separating their two houses, which belonged to the neighbor. Although the neighbor was quick to claim the property and run off our grandchildren any time they ventured onto this side lot, he was, nevertheless, lax in taking care of it. Branches and fruit ...

183. King Jesus

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

One morning in 1872, David Livingstone wrote this in his diary: "March 19, my birthday. My Jesus, my king, my life, my all, I again dedicate my whole self to thee. Accept me, and grant, O gracious Father, that ere the year is gone I may finish my work. In Jesus' name I ask it. Amen." Just one year later, servants came to check on their master's delay. They found him on his knees in prayer. He was dead. Livingstone's testimony is powerful on many levels, but the one that is most striking is his claim upon ...

184. John Mellencamp and the Danger of Procrastination

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Alexander Graham Bell was an amazingly talented person. He invented the multiple telegraph, the audiometer--which is used to test your hearing--the tricycle landing gear you find on planes, and a host of other less well-known machines. In addition to this, he was the co-founder of the prestigious magazine Science, served as President of the National Geographic Society, and spent his life working with deaf people. But the most famous of all his creations was, of course, the telephone. It also made his ...

185. If the Stones Cried Out

Luke 19:28-40

Sermon

King Duncan

(With apologies to Mick Jagger) For most of his ministry, Jesus tried to hide his true identity. He often referred to himself as the Son of Man, and when others tried to worship him or spread the news of his miracles, he told them to keep silent. He didn’t want their praise or publicity. Not yet. His time had not yet come. But it’s time now. As he makes his way to Jerusalem, the time is at hand for him to reveal his mission. Jesus knows what’s waiting for him in Jerusalem. He knows he will be betrayed, ...

186. The House on The Rock

Lk 6:12-49 · Mt 5:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18) Props: river stones (rocks) passed out among the people at the beginning of the service or beginning of the sermon OR small tools (such as small hammer, nails, concrete trowel) OR bricks Setting: Consider holding your service outdoors on the lawn today. One option may be to read the entirety of Jesus’ sermon (scriptures ...

187. The Great Dinner

Luke 14:1-14, Luke 14:15-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Animation: sweet rolls or some other food to feast on / juice It’s dinnertime! So everyone scrambles to the table to get the best seat, claim the biggest pork chop, peek at the choicest rolls… It’s the story of almost every large family, buffet, or large gathering. Who gets the last piece of cake? How does it work out in your family? Is it first-come, first serve. Or does it go to the eldest? Or the littlest? The saddest—the one who can beg the best? The quickest? The one with the best or most convincing ...

188. God Is Like...Fire

Malachi 3:1-4 · Luke 3:1-6, 9,16-17

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

What is God like? We’ve been exploring that question, each time with a different image for an answer. So far, we’ve thought about how God is like the words “I Am,” how God is like a potter and how God is like bread. Today we turn to an image that is probably more familiar than any other for most Christians ― God as parent. The religion of the Hebrews was not the first to regard God as father. Do you remember your Greek mythology, where Zeus was the father of the gods? And though we have no written records ...

189. In Pursuit Of The Promise

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

A circus came to town offering a prize of $100 to anyone who could stay in the lion's cage for a minimum of five minutes. A man of faith who had been down on his luck was in the audience that day. He was familiar with the biblical story of Daniel's deliverance from the lion's den. He also desperately needed the money. So he agreed to the challenge. Once he got inside the cage, he began to have doubts about the decision he had made. The lion quickly approached him, backing him into the corner. Frightened ...

190. "No Contest"

1 Kings 18:16-46

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

When my husband and I play tennis it is a "no-contest" contest. He is a far better player than I. In fact, we have a deal that anytime I can beat him a whole set, he will take me out for a lobster dinner. He is perfectly safe from having to pay. This contest has been running for as long as we've been married, and in 21 years I've had lobster once! The match is a "no-contest" contest. He always wins! In this text we have another kind of competition. The contest takes place on Mount Carmel. There is a sharp ...

191. Week One Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Monday Week OneLeviticus 19:1-2, 11-18Matthew 25:31-46 Be Holy As Is God We all know that God is divine. This is how we define God. But how does one define divinity? One might say that divinity means omniscience and omnipotence. These are both proper descriptions, possibly even definitions of divinity, but how can a human relate to these things? We know so many things that are more powerful than we and so many people who are more intelligent than ourselves. Maybe we can imagine the divinity of God as all ...

192. Envy - Where Is The Grass Greener?

Gn 4:1-26, Mt 20:1-16, Philip 4:10-20

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

I have a friend by the name of Robert who has always enjoyed playing jokes, especially at the expense of others. One day Robert was expecting a visit from his childhood friend Larry, whom he hadn't seen in over ten years. In their teens Robert and Larry had a friendly rivalry going between them. So Robert came up with this idea of trying to impress Larry that he had become extremely wealthy. There was a very exclusive neighborhood in town with many magnificent homes which would be ideal for this scheme. ...

193. Kindness In Action: Evangelism

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

Let's play Sherlock Holmes for a bit and see what deductions we can make about the characters in this passage. The "eunuch" was probably either a prisoner of some earlier war, or born as a child into a poverty-stricken family, since those were the people who most usually were subjected to the mutilation he had suffered. However, we see he had risen to a position of high rank in Ethiopia. Obviously, then, he was a bright and highly-motivated man. Yet we find him referred to by vocation but not by name. ...

194. Proper 5

Luke 7:11-17, 1 Kings 17:7-24, Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE In this long cycle/season of Pentecost, the church year theological clues tend to disappear and become almost imperceptible. The title Pentecost should be a constant reminder of what the church should be about, as well as what the church is expecting from God. The church, during Pentecost, should be getting on with the business of Christ in the world; Pentecost reminds the church what its mission is, and suggests that the necessary resources are readily available to those who are repentant ...

195. Choices

Drama

J. B. Quisenberry

Prelude Opening Skit (The setting is a modern living room with the Father working at a small table to the right and two children playing on the floor center stage. The choir enters singing a traditional Christmas Hymn and wearing hats and scarves to suggest outer wear. They proceed toward the left side of the altar area. A door bell rings, and the oldest child crosses down left and pantomimes opening a door.) Oldest Child: Look! Christmas carolers! (The other child runs to door.) Dad, come quick! There are ...

196. Mercy and Understanding

Psalm 23:1-6

Eulogy

Richard F. Bansemer

Cancer death of a shy person The meditation text is based on a couple of verses of the 23rd Psalm: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for thou art with me . . . goodness and mercy shall follow me. . . and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." Perhaps nothing is so much needed in our lifetimes, and so little asked for, as mercy or understanding from one another. We talk a lot about mercy, and we complain frequently that we are not understood, but most ...

197. I Hate To Rain On Your Parade, But

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Johnny Dean

What a beautiful scene we see depicted in the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into the Holy City, Jerusalem! It’s a lovely story, a magnificent story, a story so well-told that we preachers have a tough time coming up with a sermon about it. After the story is read, there really isn’t much else left to say. Plot, movement, atmosphere, emotion – they’re all here in the biblical account. Here is high drama at it’s best. But once you’ve said all of this, you have to add that Palm Sunday is a terrifying day. ...

198. Make Way For Poets Of The Heart

Sermon

James Angell

One of the dividends of the ministry is coming to know and enjoy different people - all ages and all human conditions. Often there are surprises. One came for me on a fall afternoon in the 1960s when some members of my Lexington congregation and I visited a Trappist monastery to see what life is like as a monk. Coming out of the Reformed tradition which has no such orders, I never thought of life behind the walls as anything involving me personally. The silences. Rising at 2 a.m. to pray (after having gone ...

199. Misunderstanding Jesus

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Once a minister was speaking of the difference between fact and fantasy. "That you are sitting here before me in this church is fact! That I am standing here in this pulpit speaking is fact!" Then he paused, and continued, "However to believe that anyone is really listening to me may be fantasy." You know, sometimes it is fun to be a preacher. After his return from church one Sunday a small boy said, "You know what, Mommie? I’m going to be a preacher when I grow up." "That’s fine," said his mother, "but ...

200. A Glimpse of God

John 14:5-14

Sermon

George Bass

Philip seems, according to St. John, to have more in common with Thomas than he does with James the Less, the son of Alphaeus, of whom we have precious little information as a disciple, an evangelist, or even - as tradition tells us - as a martyr. Not that much more is known about Philip! Circumstance linked Philip and James the Less together because their remains, or relics, were moved to the Church of the Apostles in Rome on May 1; their bodies still lie together in a crypt under the main altar of this ...

Showing results

Showing 176 to 200 of 1044 results

176. What Would Jesus Say About Materialism?

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

177. The Way and The Truth and The Life

John 14:1-14

Sermon

Lee Griess

178. Why Is God Unfair?

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

179. Making Anyone Laugh

John 14:1-4

Illustration

Lee Griess

The great American humorist, Will Rogers, had the reputation that he could make anyone laugh. President Calvin Coolidge, on the other hand, had the reputation that he never laughed. Want to know what happened the time those two met? Rogers was invited to visit the White House and as was the custom, the president's assistant brought Rogers into the Oval Office. As he entered, the assistant said, "President Coolidge, this is Will Rogers. Mr. Rogers, this is President Coolidge." To which Rogers leaned forward ...

180. The Receptive Heart

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

181. The God Who Is Always There

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22

Sermon

David E. Leininger

182. A Higher Calling

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Thomas Lentz