Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 176 to 200 of 900 results

176. Bridge Building Belongs to You and Me

Isaiah 9:1-7

Illustration

Brett Blair

Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall told this story: There were two unmarried sisters who had such a bitter fight that they stopped speaking to each other. Unable or unwilling to leave their small home, they continued to use the same rooms and sleep in the same bedroom. A chalk line divided the sleeping area into two halves. The chalk divided rooms so that both sisters could come and go and ge...

177. Broken Love

2 Cor 5:18-19

Illustration

Brett Blair

Keith Hernandez is one of the best baseball players in history. He is a lifetime .300 hitter who has won numerous Golden Glove awards for excellence in fielding. He's won a batting championship for having the highest average, the Most Valuable Player award in his league, and even the World Series. Yet with all his accomplishments, he has missed out on something crucially important to him -- his fa...

178. Bubble Gum Club

Mark 2:13-17, Mark 2:18-22

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Rules and ideas which exclude people can turn around and exclude the rule maker. Props: Enough bubble gum for everyone to grab a handful. An "official" set of rules written and numbered on paper. Rework the rules to fit your own context. Particularly number 4 as it is meant to exclude yourself. Number 3 should exclude everyone but yourself. If you are female then change number 1 to...

179. Building According To Code

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

Brett Blair

It is significant that Jesus ended the Sermon on the Mount with the parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders. Throughout the long day Jesus had been preaching to the vast multitude. They listened to him with amazement and awe. But Jesus warned them that that was not enough. It is never enough simply to listen to the words of Jesus, even though we may listen with reverent approval. If His words are...

180. Building According to Code - Sermon Starter

Matthew 7:21-29

Illustration

Brett Blair

181. Building Barns, Postponing Life

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

Comedian Jack Benny, from TV’s Golden age, had a skit which illustrated how we place money ahead of everything. He is walking down the street when suddenly he is approached by an armed robber, "Your money or your life!" There is a long pause. Jack does nothing. The robber impatiently queried, "Well?" Jack replied, "Don't rush me, I'm thinking it over." This morning I would like us to think a few ...

182. Built Upon Love

Matthew 7:24-29

Illustration

Brett Blair

Lebanon in northern Israel has rocky hillsides, while the valleys, where the rivers run, are sandy because of erosion coming down from higher ground. A village builder in Jesus' day had two choices. They did not excavate foundations. You built a house in the valley on sandy soil or on a rocky hillside. Valley building was easier, but hillside was safer. Hillside builders planned for the worse; val...

183. Calming Of The Tempest

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Brett Blair

Victor Hugo, who is famous for his novel the Hunchback of Notre Dame, also wrote a story called "Ninety-Three." It tells of a ship caught in a dangerous storm on the high seas. At the height of the storm, the frightened sailors heard a terrible crashing noise below the deck. They knew at once that this new noise came from a cannon, part of the ship's cargo, that had broken loose. It was moving bac...

184. Calming of the Tempest - Sermon Starter

Mark 4:35-41

Illustration

Brett Blair

185. Candlelight Service

John 1:1-18

Bulletin Aid

Brett Blair

THE GATHER OF GOD'S PEOPLE Greeting and Worship Notes Prelude Gathering Pastor: Emmanuel: God, you are with us. Congregation: We have heard the promise of the prophets; Pastor: We have caught the notes of the angel's song; Congregation: We have seen a star in the heavens, we have believed. Pastor: Tonight we have come to be with you because you have come to be with us. Congregation: We seek an ...

186. Candlelight Service (Short Version)

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Bulletin Aid

Brett Blair

The following service is for a basic order of worship for a Candle Lighting Service. The service requires the use of candles for every member in the congregation. There is also a longer version of this service posted under the same name. This short version should include a short homily before the candle lighting. We recommend our sermon "A Great Light." CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE The Gath...

187. Carry Your Cross

Mark 8:31--9:1

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Discipleship involves suffering and hardship. Props: A large cross that will be difficult for the kids to lift. If you do not have a large cross then have the kids make a medium size cross out of two-by-fours. Allow the children to do as much as possible in the construction. You will need: Hammer, nails, and appropriately cut pieces of wood, and plywood on which to work. If you a...

188. Caught In Your Own Trap

Illustration

Brett Blair

Sir Robert Watson Watt, the inventor of the radar, was arrested for speeding. He had been caught in a radar trap. Shortly after this irony he wrote this poem: Pity Sir Robert Watson Watt Strange target of his radar plot, And this, with others I could mention, A victim of his own invention.

189. Cheap Advice Is Often Hypocritical Advice

Matthew 7:24-29

Illustration

Brett Blair

In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy is playing her role as psychiatrist. She sits in her booth with the sign that reads: "Psychiatric Help - 5 cents." The sign below says, "The Doctor Is In." Lucy says to Charlie Brown,"Your life is like a house." In the next frame, she says reflectively, "You want your house to have a solid foundation, don't you?" Charlie Brown has a kind of blank look on his face. Lucy s...

190. Chickens For World Leaders

Luke 14:1-14

Illustration

Brett Blair

Organizers for the dinner party that opened the celebration of the 50th birthday of the United Nations faced an almost impossible task: preparing a meal for sixty-five heads of state and their entourages that was fitting for a dignitary, and non-offensive to all cultures represented. This meant no shellfish, no pork, no beef and no sauces that involved alcohol. It also meant no white flowers on th...

191. Children All Are We

John 3:1-21

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: What it means to be born again. Prop: A baby doll (life size) or if possible prearrange to have an actual newborn ready to be used in the Children's Sermon. Lesson: Good morning! (response) I have someone very special with me this morning. It's a baby. His her name is ________. Why are babies so special? (response) Those are all good reason's babies are so special. But you know som...

192. Children Get Ready!

Matthew 3:1-12

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Teach the Children how to get ready for Christmas: To "produce fruit in keeping with repentance." Props: Either one very nice child's gift wrapped in a box (e.g. a Teddy Bear), or enough small gifts (toys or candy) to give to each child. Also wrap these in a box. Lesson: I have a question for you this morning: Does anyone know who John the Baptist is? (response) That's right. He ...

193. Chipmunks Aren’t All Alike

Luke 2:41-52

Illustration

Brett Blair

Once upon a time, far, far away there lived an old chipmunk. He was a master gardener, and many chipmunks came to work with him and then went off to start gardens of their own. He believed everyone would want to be a gardener, but, alas neither his daughter nor his son showed the slightest interest. It would seem impossible to work this out because the more the old chipmunk boosted gardening, the...

194. Choose One Chair

Matthew 22:15-22

Illustration

Brett Blair

Luciano Pavarotti said that when he was a boy, his father, a baker, introduced him to the wonders of song. He urged him to work hard to develop his voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in his hometown of Modena, Italy, took him as a pupil. Pavarotti also enrolled in a teachers college. On graduating, he asked his father, "Shall I be a teacher or a singer?" "Luciano," his father replied, "if yo...

195. Christ Is Risen

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Brett Blair

You know it has been years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and almost as many since the Soviet Union collapsed but there are still many places in this world where darkness, death, and defeatism still reside, where the people are made to keep silent, and religion is squashed. But even in these places the church maintains a vigilant protest. On May Day, 1990, in Moscow's Red Square one such prote...

196. Christian Liberty

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Brett Blair

Jesus died penniless. Roman soldiers cast lots to divide among themselves Jesus' only possessions--the clothes on his back. And he looked at his disciples and said, blessed are you who are poor. Jesus died hungry. There is no record that Jesus had anything to eat the day of his death. What we call The Last Supper on Thursday evening may very well have been Jesus' last meal. He died on the cross Fr...

197. Christmas

Illustration

Brett Blair

Theologian Emil Brunner tells the story of Nine-year-old Jenny, who had heard the Christmas story many times. One Christmas she asked her father if she could read it. Jenny couldn’t stand the part about Mary, Joseph, and the fully occupied inn. So, when she came to that part she ad-libbed a new twist. Joseph speaks, "Good evening, sir. My wife is expecting a baby any minute now and we need a place...

198. Christ's Life Changed Culture

Mark 1:21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

Kenneth Woodward writing in Newsweek magazine gives us a glimpse of what Christ's coming meant to the world. He writes, "Whether we like it or not, Christ's life radically changed human culture throughout the world. Before Jesus came, the world was ruled by the ‘might makes right' theory. But Jesus' teaching about humility and turning the other cheek redefined our views of human character, of war,...

199. Clean Heart, Dirty Heart

Matthew 15:1-20

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Answer what makes a heart unclean or clean. Props: An unwrapped white bar of soap, a bowl with a little water in it, a pitcher of water, and a towel. Optional: A white marshmallow cut to resemble the corner of the bar of soap. Lesson: Good morning! (response) I have several things with me this morning and I am going to need your help. Hold up the unwrapped soap. What is this? (s...

200. Closing the Curtains

Luke 16:19-31

Illustration

Brett Blair

The great thing about having small children is you have a great excuse to watch cartoons again. Well, I'll own up here. I watched them even before I had children. One cartoon that I am particularly fond of is Garfield the Cat. There is a great humor in those sarcastic witticisms of his. One cold winter night Garfield looks out the window and sees Odie the Dog peering through the window. Garfield t...

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Showing 176 to 200 of 900 results

176. Bridge Building Belongs to You and Me

Isaiah 9:1-7

Illustration

Brett Blair

177. Broken Love

2 Cor 5:18-19

Illustration

Brett Blair

178. Bubble Gum Club

Mark 2:13-17, Mark 2:18-22

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

179. Building According To Code

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

Brett Blair

180. Building According to Code - Sermon Starter

Matthew 7:21-29

Illustration

Brett Blair

181. Building Barns, Postponing Life

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

182. Built Upon Love

Matthew 7:24-29

Illustration

Brett Blair

183. Calming Of The Tempest

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Brett Blair

184. Calming of the Tempest - Sermon Starter

Mark 4:35-41

Illustration

Brett Blair

185. Candlelight Service

John 1:1-18

Bulletin Aid

Brett Blair

186. Candlelight Service (Short Version)

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Bulletin Aid

Brett Blair

187. Carry Your Cross

Mark 8:31--9:1

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

188. Caught In Your Own Trap

Illustration

Brett Blair

189. Cheap Advice Is Often Hypocritical Advice

Matthew 7:24-29

Illustration

Brett Blair

190. Chickens For World Leaders

Luke 14:1-14

Illustration

Brett Blair

191. Children All Are We

John 3:1-21

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

192. Children Get Ready!

Matthew 3:1-12

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

193. Chipmunks Aren’t All Alike

Luke 2:41-52

Illustration

Brett Blair

194. Choose One Chair

Matthew 22:15-22

Illustration

Brett Blair

195. Christ Is Risen

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Brett Blair

196. Christian Liberty

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Brett Blair

197. Christmas

Illustration

Brett Blair

198. Christ's Life Changed Culture

Mark 1:21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

199. Clean Heart, Dirty Heart

Matthew 15:1-20

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

200. Closing the Curtains

Luke 16:19-31

Illustration

Brett Blair

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