Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 176 to 200 of 4943 results

176. Proper 12

John 6:16-24, John 6:1-15, 2 Samuel 11:1-27, Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: God fills us with the Bread of Life for our bodies and our spirits. COMMENTARY Lesson 1: 2 Samuel 11:1-15 (C) King David has consolidated his power and no longer personally engages in the risky task of doing battle with his enemies. Getting up from his afternoon nap, he surveys his capital from his balcony, when he spies a beautiful woman taking her bath; it is Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of David's valiant fighters. He has her brought to his palace and has sex with her. When she sends word ...

177. Proper 12

John 6:1-21

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Note The feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle recorded by all four Gospels. John's version differs in some details, and is more eucharistic in emphasis and eschatological in signification than those of the Synopticists. Perhaps a miracle of sharing by example, the event nevertheless shows that compassion for human needs is central to the Kingdom of God that Jesus in inaugurating and prefiguring. Liturgical Color Green Suggested Hymns From God Can Nothing Move Me Before You, Lord, We Bow All ...

178. Proper 12

Luke 11:1-13, Psalm 138:1-8, Genesis 18:16-33, 2 Kings 5:1-27, Colossians 2:6-23

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE At one time, the Pentecost season of the church year was divided into four parts, which were marked by saints' days. The first section ran from Trinity Sunday to June 29th, the day of Sts. Peter and Paul, and Sundays were numbered consecutively; the second went from the end of June to August 10th, St. Lawrence Day, and were numbered "after the Aposties;" the third extended from August 10th to September 29th, the feast of St. Michael and All Angels, and were called Sundays "after St. ...

179. Step Twelve - Responsibility

Lk 19:1-10 · Gal 6:1-10 · Is 61:1-4

Sermon

John A. Terry

Step 12: "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs." This is not a step inward in our own journey of life and faith. It is a step outward which we take after we have recognized where God has led us in this journey. It is, in religious language, the call of the missionary. It is the call to share the good news. For some it is the good news found in sobriety. But it is a step for anyone caught ...

180. Proper 14 & Pentecost 12

1 Kings 19:9-18, Psalm 29:1-11, Psalm 106:1-48, Romans 9:1-29, Matthew 14:22-36, Exodus 13:17--14:31, Jonah 2:1-10, Psalm 85:1-13

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Little or no help is forthcoming from the church year as a theological clue for a worship/preaching theme for this Sunday. The title of the day - the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost - is really the only reminder, suggesting how the church got to this point in the year and, for those in the "liturgical know," where we are going, Christ the King Sunday. On this "Pentecost pilgrimage," it is the business of the church to give thanks and to worship the Lord, to seek out the secrets of the ...

181. Proper 12

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Green Gospel: Matthew 13:44-52 Theme: Parable of the Kingdom: (1) Treasure hidden in a field. (2) Merchant searching for the pearl. (3) Fishing net tossed into the sea. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One pastor did this: After welcoming the people in the name of God, the Holy and Loving One, in whose Presence we live and move and have our existence, he quoted George Buttrick. "People do not live without worship - they die. They sink below themselves when they cease to worship One ...

182. Forgive Us Our Debts

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Brett Blair

As with so many of the stories of Jesus, the parable of the debtors arose out of a question that was posed to Jesus. Simon Peter said to him: “Master, if my brother sins against me, how many times should I forgive him? Seven times? Even as he asks that question my mind cannot help but think about children and how they will sometimes confess something they do wrong expecting to get praise from a teacher or a parent because they were so honest. In the same sense, Simon Peter by asking this question is not ...

183. Proper 12

2 Samuel 12:1-31, Ephesians 3:14-21, John 6:1-15

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: 2 Samuel 12:1-14 Theme: The consequences of sin Exegetical Note Nathan’s parabolic exposure of David’s sin against Uriah and his pronouncement of God’s judgment against the great king are a reminder that (1) another’s sins always appear worse than one’s own; (2) every sin has its consequences, whether or not they are as dramatically announced or delivered as in David’s case; and (3) sometimes one’s own judgmental attitude is self-indicting. Call to Worship Leader: Sisters and brothers, God ...

184. Proper 12

Genesis 29:15-30, Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52, Romans 8:28-39, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT Genesis 29:15-30 is a story of reversals, of how the trickster Jacob is tricked by Laban, while Psalm 105 is a song of praise that celebrates God's deeds as evidence of the fulfilled promises that are made in the covenant with Jacob's children. Genesis 29:15-30 - "Whom Is God Watching?" Setting. The third reading from the Jacob cycle locates Jacob in Haran with Rebekah's kinsman Laban. God, however, is absent in this story. There are neither divine speeches as in the first story in Genesis 25 ...

185. EXEGESIS: 1 Peter 4:12-14; 6:6-11

1 Peter 4:12-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Participation in the right religion, being a member of the correct cult, was a key ingredient in the first century's recipe for success. Well-timed sacrifices to the proper deity ensured benevolence and blessing for the believer. Secret Gnostic sects relied on special "gnosis" ("knowledge") to give them a boost up in life. Conversely, displeasing the gods, disregarding their whims, disobeying their directives, invited disaster and destruction into one's life. Even within Judaism the hardships endured by ...

186. Romans 14:1-12

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The construction of this week’s epistle text is a literary form called “ring composition.” Paul’s first discussion (vv.1-3) and his final argument (vv.10-12) employ the same language (“weak/strong,” “despise/judge”) to make similar points. The central section of this unit (vv.4-9) provides the theological “meat” between these sandwiching statements. The apostle reminds the church that all disciples, whether “weak” or “strong,” ultimately answer to God, the final judge over all. Perhaps one of Paul’s most ...

187. Matthew 2:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The text tells of the magi, probably Zoroastrian priests, coming to visit Jesus at the time of his birth. It is distressing to note that congregations are often burnt out with Christmas and Christmas-related texts by this time. The 25th of December seems long ago, and New Year's Eve parties and New Year's Day repentances and football games happened one whole work week past. The Church has failed to preserve Epiphany properly; allowing modern culture to replace the Twelve Days of Christmas with the last ...

188. 1 John 4:7-12

1 John 4:7-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The fourth chapter of 1 John is an elaboration on the statement in 3:23: "Believe in the name of his son Jesus Christ, and love one another." While 4:1-6 concerns itself with "believing in the name," this week's text focuses on the entreaty: "Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God." Gnostic mysticism often spoke of the divine as "wisdom" or "power." But a deity personified as "love" flew in the face of popular Hellenistic concepts of an omnipotent god. When John asserts that "love is of God" ...

189. 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11

1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

This week's epistle reading may give us two different sets of texts, yet they share similar themes. As the author begins to wind up his first letter to the feeble Gentile Christians of Asia Minor, he continues to offer them encouragement in the midst of confusing and challenging days. There is a distinctly eschatological note sounded by the writer in his continuing advice and comfort. In 4:7, he declares outright that "the end of all things is near," and the images he invokes in the first half of today's ...

190. Romans 14:1-12

Romans 14:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The "practical" portion of Paul's Roman epistle continues this week. A typical pastoral issue confronts the Jewish-Gentile relationship within these Christian churches. It is thought that Paul's letter to the Romans was written about 51 A.D., a date corresponding to a significant population shift. In 49 A.D., the emperor Claudius had temporarily banished a large number of Roman Jews, in part because of the considerable disturbances plaguing their synagogues over the issue of one "Chrestus." Historians ...

191. Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the Ten Commandments is their essential brevity. It could be argued that every theological discourse and every God-directed thought since the day these commandments were received has been a commentary upon them. They make up the bedrock of human faithfulness. Yet these laws are presented so straight-forwardly that they seem almost simplistic. At its essence what we have in the Ten Commandments is a list of what displeases God. Except for the divine comments in verses ...

192. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

In this week's epistle lesson, Paul continues to deal with a series of specific questions the Corinthian church has posed to him. He prefaces each of these responses with a characteristic phrase, peri de, "now concerning." Previous questions concerned marriage (7:1), the married state versus that of singleness (7:26) and the issue of meat offered to idols (8:1). Having addressed those, Paul now moves on to the topic of manifestations of the Spirit in this Christian community. It may be hard to imagine just ...

193. Luke 12:13-21

Luke 12:13-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The sayings and the parable found in this week's gospel text evidently come from Luke's own personal "L" source for they appear in none of the other gospels. There are similar stories found in the Gospel of Thomas though there they are lacking in some of the unique Lukan literary flourishes and theological touches. The dialogue in verses 13 and 14 has been the subject of considerable debate among biblical scholars. There are some, most notably Rudolf Bultmann, who have contended that because this exchange ...

194. Luke 12:49-56

Luke 12:49-56

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Here at the end of chapter 12, Luke begins to gather together Jesus' words describing the events he sees lurking in the future. In verses 49-53, the images of judgment and juggernauts are revealed only to his disciples the ones who have been privy to his private tutorings and his special attentions. Perhaps because he assumes they have the knowledge necessary to discern his true meaning, Jesus feels free to use rather cryptic images and arcane references. Yet, everything about his language indicates Jesus ...

195. Matthew 3:1-12

Matthew 3:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

For the second week of Advent, the gospel text is once again one that urges preparation in the hearts and souls of the faithful for the imminent arrival of the Messiah. Whereas the living Jesus proclaimed this counsel in last week's text, this week, the gospel reading focuses on the message John the Baptist preached before Jesus entered into his public ministry. All four gospels are unanimous in their presentation of John the Baptist as the recognized precursor to and herald for Jesus the Christ. The ...

196. 1 John 4:7-12

1 John 4:7-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

197. 2 Corinthians 12:2-10

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The agonies and anxieties inflicted on Paul by the Corinthian church led him to focus fiercely on the most crucial tenets of a Christian's life and faith. The opposition Paul faced, both insidious and confrontative, forced him to take uncomfortable positions and reveal personal and spiritual experiences that he would not normally have exposed for public scrutiny. Today's reading from 2 Corinthians finds Paul in the midst of just such an uncomfortably combative debate with those who opposed his words and ...

198. Mark 12:28-34

Mark 12:28-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The scene depicted in today's gospel reading opens much as had the previous two question-and-answer dialogues (Mark 11:27f and 12:13f). A scribe approaches Jesus, his intellectual curiosity tweaked by the learned discussions he had overheard. The text remains unclear about the loyalties of this scribe. Both the more liberal Pharisees and the more conservative Sadducees had their own scribal interpreters of the Law. Indeed, what attracts this scribe's attention is not Jesus' position on the questions thrown ...

199. John 16:12-15

John 16:12-15

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Though brief, this week's gospel text from John offers revealing insight into Jesus' special relationship with his disciples. From the outset, the author hints that he personally witnessed Jesus' earthly ministry (John 1:14). The poetic, cosmic scope of John's language at the beginning accents the timelessness of Christ the preexistent Logos. Yet the personal asides throughout this gospel also emphasize the timeliness of Jesus' ministry and the pivotal role of his team of disciples as witnesses to both ...

200. 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Because we "begin at the beginning," Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians finds us facing many of the same categories, concerns and celebrations that colored the first letter already dispatched to that community by Paul, Silvanus and Timothy. Some scholars note a more restrained or refined spirit guiding the apostle's pen at this writing, however. Although the few problematic behaviors and challenges that are troubling the Thessalonians are not part of today's discussion, obviously Paul has them in ...

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