Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2001 to 2025 of 4943 results

2001. Sons And Daughters Of God

Galatians 3:23-29

Sermon

King Duncan

James W. Moore in his book, SOME THINGS ARE TOO GOOD NOT TO BE TRUE, tells the story of Rapunzel from Grimm's fairy tales. Do you recall that ancient story? I'll bet some of our children do. A beautiful girl named Rapunzel lives with a wicked witch in a drab and dingy tower. The old witch is holding Rapunzel captive, and to keep the girl "in her place," the wicked witch does two things. First, she removes all the mirrors from the tower, so Rapunzel cannot see what she looks like. And then the old witch ...

2002. Living With The Aches And Alleluias

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

Eric Ritz

She had every reason to be bitter. "Though talented, she went unrecognized for years. Prestigious opera circles closed their ranks when she tried to enter. American critics ignored her compelling voice. She was repeatedly rejected for parts for which she easily qualified. It was only after she went to Europe and won the hearts of tough-to-please European audiences that stateside opinion leaders acknowledged her talent. "Not only has her professional life been a battle, her personal life has been marked by ...

2003. The Greatest Discovery Of All

Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:31-35

Sermon

King Duncan

J. Vernon McGee once told a memorable story about a woman who lived in the deep south and had a close relationship with her childhood sweetheart. The woman fell in love with him and ultimately married him. Although their life together was not perfect there were rewards and moments of joy. Suddenly, though, her beloved husband died of a heart attack. The woman was not able to part with her late husband so she decided to have him embalmed, put in a chair, sealed up in a glass case, and placed immediately ...

2004. Frustrated By Their Lack Of Faith

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

The Fourth of July makes us conscious of our roots. Have you ever thought what a leap of faith it was for Columbus to embark on his great adventure? Do you not marvel at his perseverance and commitment to his dream? I read somewhere that the average speed of the Santa Maria during the voyage across the Atlantic was two miles an hour. Yet we get frustrated when we have to slow down to 30 miles an hour in traffic. Do you wonder why his crew became almost mutinous at times? Do you understand how frustrated ...

2005. One Commandment, Slightly Used

John 13:31-38

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

We might consider Jesus’ words to His students (disciples) in the Upper Room as sort of a “Last Will and Testament,” a final summing up of all that He had taught them during His brief ministry among them. He begins to speak of His coming death not as a probability but as a certainty, and He begins to talk with new urgency as though the passing moments are infinitely precious and as though he wants to etch every word indelibly on the minds of each of them. And what does He say to them? “I give you a new ...

2006. A Man Named Pain (Part 1)

1 Chronicles 4:1-23

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Would you be surprised if I told you that the number one best-selling book in America is a novel that tells of the sexual and financial exploits of the men and women who seek power in the beltway around Washington D. C.? That wouldn’t be surprising. Well, what if I told you that the number one selling book is a book describing how you can be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams while losing forty pounds? You wouldn’t be surprised at that either. Well, then, what if I told you that the Number 1 best-selling ...

2007. Dealing with the "F" Words of Life

John 21:1-14

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Dr. Carlyle Marney was one of the great preachers in the South during the time after the Second World War. He was a mentor and role model to many pastors. One of the stories attributed to the rich legacy he left behind took place on a seminary campus where he was invited to be the speaker for a distinguished lectureship. One of the students asked, "Dr. Marney let us hear you say a word or two about the meaning of the resurrection." It was a fair question and an appropriate one from a future preacher to one ...

2008. Living with the Aches and Alleluias

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Eric Ritz

She had every reason to be bitter. The circumstances of life had dealt a ton of harshness for her to handle. "Though talented, she went unrecognized for years. Prestigious opera circles closed their ranks when she tried to enter. American critics ignored her compelling voice. She was repeatedly rejected for parts for which she easily qualified. It was only after she went to Europe and won the hearts of tough-to-please European audiences that stateside opinion leaders acknowledged her talent. "Not only has ...

2009. Anxious Thanks

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung & staff

On Thanksgiving, isn't it odd to hear a Gospel that talks about anxiety and worry and not about, well, thanks? At this time of year, we offer thanks for food, shelter, health, favorable weather, peace, and a whole raft of other blessings. Isn't it a bit jarring to hear Jesus tell us, "Do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things"? Why is this text rubbing worry into our faces? Worry -- and trouble. "Today's ...

2010. A Forgiving Presence

John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I think it is significant that these young people have been confirmed in the midst of the particular series of sermons that we are preaching these days, because hopefully, in this sermon series, we are providing that which will sustain them and give them a clear vision of what the possibility is for their life in Christ. Let us pray. Take the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts, make them acceptable in your sight, because you are our strength and our redeemer. Amen. The promise of the gospel ...

2011. Living Lightly

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Our scripture lesson for the message today comes from the 45th chapter of the Book of Genesis. I’m beginning with the 4th and ready through the 20th verses. Joseph said to his brothers, come near to me I pray you, and they came near. And he said, I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life, for the famine has been in the land these two years and there are yet five years in ...

2012. Prepare The Way Of The Lord

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

No shout in Scripture is more familiar than the shout of the prophet Isaiah. "Get ready!", he is saying, "The Messiah is coming. Prepare the Way of the Lord." Isaiah 40 is one of the most familiar passages in the Old Testament, made so in large part by Handel's MESSIAH. It's the call of Advent: "Prepare the way of the Lord." Now I know that the coming of Christ is always gift, always grace. So we need to think a little about how the spontaneous working of God's grace, unearned, unexpected, undeserved how ...

2013. The Discipleship Question: Do You Wish To Go Away?

John 6:60-71

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

John C. Purdy, a staff member of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., has written a challenging book entitled Returning God's Call: The Challenge of Christian Living. In it, Purdy suggests that we need a new metaphor for the Christian life. He points out the inadequacy of the old metaphors such as "a soldier in God's army," "a scholar in the school of Christ," "a traveler a long the Christian way," "a citizen of the commonwealth; "and a member of Christ's body." Each of these metaphors has served us well in the ...

2014. What Do You Want To Be Like When You Are 65?

Proverbs 3:1-35

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is a classic story of a Russian countess who sits in the theater on a cold, winter night. Her emotions are played upon by the sad scene depicted on stage -- so much so that she sheds copious tears. Meanwhile, outside, her coachman is shivering in the cold as he awaits to take her home. She allows the emotion of pity to be excited by an imaginary scene, but refuses to allow pity to play on the chords of her daily life in relation to her driver. The Proverbs will play on the cords of our daily life if ...

2015. Rejected at Home

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

Steven was a young man who felt the call of God on his life. He came from a really close family. He finished college and then went off to seminary. After finishing seminary he came back home before going to his first church. He visited with all of his relatives for about a week. He stopped by the church and talked to his hometown pastor. The pastor asked him if he would like to preach that upcoming Sunday. Steven felt honored and took the pastor up on the invitation. Sunday morning came and after hours, ...

2016. A Church for the 21st Century: Holy, Charismatic, Apostolic - An Enclave of Resistance

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In September of 1997 there was a groundbreaking service for a Catholic cathedral that is going to be constructed in Los Angeles. The Diocese of Los Angeles commissioned the famous Spanish architect Jose Rafael Moneo to design the building. Their hope is that the cathedral will be completed by the beginning of the millennium. It’s to be a peculiar witness to the glory of God. There were models of the cathedral at the groundbreaking service and on the basis of the models a Los Angeles Times reporter wrote a ...

2017. Don't Fade Out On the Amen and the Hallelujah

Revelation 19:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I begin with a story. Bishop James Baker died in 1969, having lived to be ninety. In all of his years – and even in his last years – he had a zest for life. Even though he was too blind to read during those last years, volunteer readers kept him up on current events. His mind was agile and alert. He had a keen perception and a way of getting at the heart of things – probing their meaning with clear insight. He was the bishop of the Methodist Church who was responsible for founding the Wesley Foundation ...

2018. The Blessed Promise

John 17:20-26

Sermon

King Duncan

A few years ago, authors Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz drove more than 10,000 miles across the United States. All along the way they interviewed people about the meaning of life. They said that in their travels they may have discovered the most emotionally significant piece of real estate in the country. It is the few square feet right outside the gate of each airport terminal. On this patch of carpeted flooring, people greet loved ones who have just flown in. The excitement builds as they search the crowds ...

2019. Only One Thing Is Needed

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

Once upon a time, many years ago, there lived a king who had a beautiful daughter. This princess had many offers of marriage, but she couldn’t make up her mind. A romantic girl, she wanted a man who would love her more than he loved anything else. Finally, she devised a way to test the love of her suitors. An announcement was made and sent throughout the kingdom that on a certain day, there would be a race. The winner of the race would marry the princess. The race was open to every man in the kingdom, ...

2020. A More Perfect Union

Habakkuk 2:1-5

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The prophet Habakkuk is not considered to be one of the major prophets. He is known primarily for one line, which was read for us in the Old Testament lesson. "The righteous shall live by faith." That is the source of Paul's famous phrase found in his Letter to the Romans particularly, "The just shall live by faith." It became a battle cry for the Reformation, and it came originally from Habakkuk. But in this same passage is a wonderful phrase that I thought was appropriate for the Fourth of July: "For ...

2021. From Black Holes to Red Holes

Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Does anyone here know how to snowboard? Anyone here snowboard in cyberspace? Thanks to DVD technology, our eleven-year-old son Thane and his buddies go snowboarding in our living room almost every weekend. I love to eavesdrop while their electronic selves slip and slither down impossible snowboarding courses. It's always an education. The other day Thane started shouting, "How can this guy keep saying 'gravity is my friend!'?" For some reason the character Thane had chosen would perform astounding 720's, ...

2022. Ever Been Robbed?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It's a sad life-lesson. You probably learned it first as a young child. Leave something out, unattended, not locked-down or locked-up, and it's a pretty safe bet it's going to get stolen. Depending upon where and when you grew up, this lesson might have been learned later or earlier. But I doubt if there's anyone here today who hasn't had the experience of being robbed of something at sometime in their life. (You may want to get stories from your congregation of things they had stolen as children or as ...

2023. Epiphany 4

Psalm 15:1-5, Micah 6:1-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

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

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The Testament texts are a call for us to act in accordance with the reality that we know is true. Micah 6:1-8 makes this point through a legal confrontation between God and Israel, while Psalm 37:1-11 presents a series of wisdom sayings that are meant to bring the reality of God more clearly into focus by encouraging us to adopt the moral way of life. Micah 6:1-8 - "Controversy in the Congregation" Setting. Micah 6:1-8 uses the imagery of dispute as the setting for the prophetic oracle ...

2024. The True Olympians

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

What image are you going to take away from the Beijing 2008 Olympics? Is it Michael Phelps with his history-breaking breastplate of gold medals draped across his chest? Is it the first-ever gold/silver finish in women’s gymnastics? Is it the pictures of athletes who, unlike me and you with our bellies and bulges and barnacles, represent the peak of human perfectibility? Is it being part of the largest electronic crowd ever watching a sporting event, the USA vs. China basketball game? Is it the snapshots of ...

2025. An Excellent Epitaph

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Today is All Saints Sunday, an occasion when we remember with gratitude those Christians who have transferred from the Church Militant (that is, this world) to the Church Triumphant (that is, heaven). We are especially mindful of those who have died in the past year. On such an occasion it is only natural that we consider the fact that one day we will transfer from this world to the next. What will those who know us best say about us when we are gone? Whatever our age may be, how do we evaluate our own ...

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