Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2001 to 2025 of 4972 results

2001. Kudzu Frittata

James 3:13-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... begins to be our natural state? Consider the plight of this famous fowl from Fruita, Colorado. In the 1940s, Fruita, Colorado farmer Lloyd Olsen decided he was hungry for chicken soup. So he lopped off the head of a rooster at the base of his skull, leaving as much of the tasty neck as possible. But instead of falling over dead, the rooster fluffed up his feathers over his headless neck and went through the motions of pecking for food. His only crow was a gurgle. The next morning the rooster was still ...

2002. More Power to You!

Romans 1:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to gain a measure of power-over for themselves. The power games we play are endless. Each time one gains power-over another it leaves their back exposed, inviting another attempt at this eternal one-ups-man-ship. That's why Paul's message in today's Roman's ... God a call. You don't know God's phone number? You can find it on the cover of U2's CD "All That You Can't Leave Behind." [Show the cover on the screen if you can] It features the U2 band at an airport, with the gate number behind them J33-3, referring ...

2003. Murphy's Law and Messiah's Law

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... together and you get a tree. But our assignment is that leaf. It's not the whole tree. Look within yourself and ask how many good things you reward with punishment. Do you leave no good deed unpunished? As you're feeling sorry for yourself when you're being cruelly attacked when your intentions were good, examine those intentions some more and see how "pure" they might have been. I like the spirit of Dolly Parton, who one day was asked about the level ...

2004. Pay It Forward!

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Power and Light became what it is known by among the island locals: "Occasional Power and Light." The resulting chain-reaction of overloads and short-outs traveled under the cold, deep waters of Puget Sound to Lopez, Orcas, San Juan, and some other smaller islands, leaving everyone in the dark. A repair team had to catch a ride over to Shaw from Orcas on a local businessman's boat to reach the site of the problem and begin repairs. Sometimes it is the most insignificant-seeming events that have the most ...

2005. Someone to Watch over Me

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... us to never forget that God always was watching what we did and would know when we did something wrong. For much of my life God's eye above the pyramid was an uneasy reminder that God was spying on everything I did – waiting for me to leave the straight and narrow, lurking in the wings to catch me doing something wrong – like lying, swearing, beating on my younger brothers. "God's eye is on you" were words of threat and intimidation. When I was pastoring a church in Geneseo, New York, an elderly woman ...

2006. The Real Winning Attitude

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... preseason game in Philadelphia the night President Bush spoke to the American people. As the intermission clock counted down the final seconds between the second and third periods, the speech could be seen in the outer concourses and the 19,117 fans began to chant "Leave it on. Leave it on." So they did. The President's address was put back on the scoreboard and a hush fell over the arena as the players and their coaching staffs remained on the bench and watched as the President spoke to the nation. As the ...

2007. Ever Been Robbed?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . With sad and fearful insight, we realize we can be robbed of anything and everything at any moment. No one here this morning would ever put himself or herself in the category of thief. Would you? Do you perceive yourself as a big-time robber whose actions leave others in a state of fear and insecurity? But wait a minute. I'm not talking about the grapes you stole from the produce section of the grocery store, or the movies you sneaked into unpaid. I'm talking about larceny on a grand – indeed a global ...

2008. DodgeGod

Amos 8:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... are different kinds of bowerbirds. They build different kinds of bowers. One kind makes a garden of moss around a tree. Then he builds a house of twigs. Sometimes he builds it six feet tall. He wants his house and garden to be pretty. He puts leaves and moss and ferns all around. He makes little piles of berries, stones, shells and flowers. When the flowers die, he throws them out and brings fresh ones. Bowerbirds are always looking for pretty things. They will even steal them from another bird's bower. The ...

2009. Living in the Red

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... its arithmetic at home. And since God is Love, you're a spendthrift with God. In other words, if you're alive in Christ Jesus, you're always in the red. This is where Love always leaves us: in the red. The Christian life is the music of "Rhapsody in Red." No disciple of Jesus lives within his or her means. Every Christian lives beyond his means. Every Christian borders just this side of bankruptcy. In a true blue Christian, there are streaks of the deepest red. ...

2010. I've Got Your Back Covered

Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ' continuous references to his impending departure, the disciples panicked at the prospect of being left behind and left alone to fend for themselves. Jesus responded to their self-centered worries. Notice how Jesus assigns two functions to the Paraclete. He promises to leave with them two great gifts after he has returned to the Father. First, there's the gift of the hard-to-define Paraclete, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. I love the story of Karen. While visiting her sister and family, Karen presented ...

2011. Be Ready!

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

King Duncan

... , until they reached Germany. Helen’s parents weren’t so lucky; they died in a labor camp in Siberia. Once in Germany, Helen found work as a maid. Her employer was a cruel woman who threatened to kill Helen if she ever left. Eventually, Helen was able to leave Germany. She emigrated to Canada, where she had a cousin. He offered to let Helen work as a maid in his household. She was penniless and didn’t know a word of English, so it seemed like the perfect situation for her. Except that Helen’s cousin ...

2012. What Happened to the Leftovers?

John 6:1-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to hear him. This crowd was far from any village or other food source, but they were unwilling to leave Jesus' wilderness teaching session. The crowd decided that their hunger for truth was greater than their hunger for food. So ... know me. "Always unprepared. I hadn't realized how long we'd all be there. None of us did. We brought no food. But we couldn't leave. Not while Jesus was speaking and healing people. We were entranced. "I was starting to feel weak and a little lightheaded but I still couldn't bring ...

2013. Out of Order

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... If you need to get from the West Coast to the East Coast in a hurry, you have the bleary-eyed pleasure of taking a redeye. You also know that the longest hours of your redeye flight are those spent waiting around for the flight to leave in the all-but-deserted airport. You don't dare fall asleep, for fear of missing your departure or having someone liberate your personal belongings. But by 9 PM all those shamelessly overpriced airport restaurants have closed. Even Starbucks has pulled the plug on its coffee ...

2014. It Is Good News!

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

James McCormick

... the situation. A man and a woman in a barn – no hope there, no great expectations there! That’s the way it looks when we leave God out of the picture. But add God to that scene, a God determined to reveal Himself to His people, to act for the ... for He is meek and lowly of heat, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” The music stopped and the two students got up to leave. The young man again turned to the woman and said: “I really don’t believe it, but every time I hear it, it sort of gets ...

2015. Sing the Resurrection Song

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

James McCormick

... is known by name. And, when we are open to it by faith, the risen Christ makes himself known to us as he calls us by our name. Listen. Do you hear it? He is singling you out. He is calling your name. Some of us are leaving for Israel tomorrow. Some others will be leaving in about 10 days. For us it is not just another tour. It is a spiritual pilgrimage. Like the first century disciples, we are running to the tomb. We expect to find that it is still empty. And what we hope for, more than anything else ...

2016. What Is That in Your Hand?

Exodus 4:1-17

Sermon

James McCormick

... , success, finally, is dependent upon the power of God at work in our lives, and nothing else, nothing else! We have to be willing to give what we have. But the reassuring promise of God is, “I will be with you!” Never underestimate the power of that presence! I leave you today with the question God asked Moses: “What is that in your hand? What do you have that God can use?” It may not seem to be very much. But, whatever it is, give it to God. In His hands, it’ll do. Prayer: Loving Father, we know ...

2017. A Word of Hope for a Hard World

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... ’s son Jackson loves to hear bedtime stories. One evening, Cobb was telling his son the Christmas story of baby Jesus’ birth. He always told Jackson the G-rated version from the book of Luke. It is full of drama and lovely imagery, but it leaves out Herod’s murderous rampage through Bethlehem. But Rev. Cobb forgot that his son had heard the other Christmas story last year at church--the story from the book of Matthew that set Jesus’ birth within an historical context of injustice and bloodshed. Rev ...

2018. The Counter Intelligence of the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of “Church on the move” meant it was time for him and his entourage to make an “en masse” exit from the club where they were “partying.” So in popular parlance, to say “church on the move” is to say, “it is time to leave” or “it’s time to head for the EXITS”. But for a community based on the “foolishness” of the cross, “Church on the move” must surely mean just the opposite of “escape” or “run.” What means “escape” for the culture means “engage” to the ...

2019. A New Calling

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... --one of the worst ways to wake up. The phone rings; it’s loud; you can’t turn it down.” Then with impeccable timing Shandling adds, “I leave the number of the room next to me, and then it just rings kind of quiet, and you hear a guy yell, ‘What are you calling me for ... slave trade in the Western world. But William Wilberforce almost missed his calling. After his conversion, Wilberforce considered leaving politics for the ministry. He wasn’t sure how a Christian could live out his faith in “the ...

2020. Lent 2

Psalm 121:1-8, Genesis 12:1-8, Romans 4:1-25, John 3:1-21

Sermon Aid

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

... 25. The persistent and growing power of the cursed creation is the stage upon which we must place Genesis 12:1-4a . The content of these verses signals a new act in the drama. Structure. Genesis 12:1-4a separates into four parts: the divine command for Abraham to leave his present life situation for a new land in v. 1, a series of divine promises that defines God's relationship to Abraham in v. 2, the effect of God's new relationship with Abraham on the nations in v. 3, and a concluding note about Abraham's ...

2021. Proper 8

Matthew 10:1-42, Romans 6:15-23, Psalm 13:1-6, Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon Aid

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

... our own sense of ethics and of how God should act in this world are never really brought back together in the story. Consequently, even though a ram ends up burning on the altar instead of a boy, unsettling images linger about the God of Abraham. We leave this story somewhat relieved to be out of it in one piece and with the frightening realization that we do not really know very much about this God. From the story, we do know that there is a vast distance between who God is and our limited understanding ...

2022. Proper 14

Genesis 37:1-11, Matthew 14:22-36, Romans 9:30--10:21, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

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

... for evil. Genesis 37 is inundated with family metaphors. The word brother (which in Hebrew means "kin") occurs no less than twenty times (vv. 2, 4 twice, 5, 8, 9, 10 twice, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 23, 26, 27 twice, 30). The centrality of this motif leaves no doubt that this is a story about family. The use of father ten times (vv. 1, 2, 4, 10 twice, 11, 12, 22, 32, 35) and son eight times (vv. 2, 3, 32, 33, 34, 35 twice, 36) provide still further reinforcement about the narrow and intimate boundaries ...

2023. Changed Lives - The Woman at the Well

John 4:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... reached out to us as well. This is a story of a changed life. You may remember how the story ends. His disciples return and are surprised to find Jesus talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” Then, leaving her water jar, the woman goes back to the town and says to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” And the Gospel of John tells us that the people came out of the town and made their way ...

2024. A Personal Experience (Good Friday drama)

John 19:28-37

Drama

Russell N. Gallimore

... another available timber and commanded the man to lie down on the crude, cross-shaped boards. Then they nailed him to it! Next, they stood the entire contraption in a hole. It made a sickening “Thud!” as human flesh tore against the nails. I couldn’t leave yet because this stranger was still trying to say something. It didn’t make much sense to me then, but I can remember him saying things like: “My God, why have you forsaken me?” “I thirst.” “Woman, look at your son. Son, look at your ...

2025. Prison Break

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... us captive. For some of us it is mental barriers that keep us captive. But whether metal bars or mental barriers, this morning we can shout to the heavens, “You are FREE.” You have been broken out of the prisons that confine you. Now leave and meet up with Jesus on the road, where he’s waiting for you. Some of the greatest literature ever produced was written from prison. Think Revelation, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Letters and Papers from Prison. Think of Gandhi’s writings, or Martin Luther King ...

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