Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2051 to 2075 of 4963 results

2051. Recollections of Mary -- Dramatic Monologue

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

Drama

Robert A. Morgan

... got back to the stable, Mary had nursed the baby and was just putting him down in the manger which Joseph had fixed with fresh straw. Mother helped Mary to wrap the baby, and soon little Jesus was asleep. The animals were undisturbed by all of this - they remained asleep. A little later, those shepherds, that I've told you about so many times, came in from the field with their strange story about angels singing. Mary didn't seem to be surprised or upset. The guests at the inn started to get up, since dawn ...

2052. A Blanket of Specialness

Acts 11:1-18

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

... , a piece of china, and an old football.) Wrap the three things in the tablecloth (sheet) and hold the tablecloth in a bundle. Lesson: Today, I want to lay some things on the ground for you to see. But they are so special to me that I want them to remain on this sheet. Would you like to see them? (response) Can you guess what is inside? Open the sheet enough for only one item to be seen. The first item that I want you to see is this pretty crystal dish. See how it shines in the light? And I ...

2053. Come On In!

Acts 16:11-15

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

... . Tell them that they must do exactly as the story tells them. Instruct the remainder of the children to help with sound effects. Every time someone is walking, the group should say, "Clump, clump, clump." When a person is knocking on a door, the remaining children should say, "Knock, knock, knock." When a person is preaching the good news, the children should say, "God loves you." Let me tell you the story now. Once upon a time there was a traveling Christian, who would walk (the children should say ...

2054. Seek Good, Not Evil (That You May Live)

Amos 5:1-17

Sermon

Paul W. F. Harms

... and rightly so, will not let us forget the hungry, the starving, the poor, the oppressed, the disenfranchised. Television has helped us see, if not realize, our intricate interrelationship. Television will not let us escape each other, try as we may. The struggle to remain alive is a fierce drive in all of us. Elie Wiesel, the noted chronicler of the Holocaust, records vividly a concentration camp incident - a son's beating and clawing his own father to death for a crust of bread, only then to die himself ...

2055. Time and Timing

Habakkuk 1:12--2:1, Habakkuk 1:1-4

Sermon

Paul W. F. Harms

... saved were not as good as he thought. Instantaneous rightings of wrongs has its drawbacks, mostly for those who demand that kind of action. Perhaps we also get trapped in the old illusions that some obvious, public wrongs are worse than those that remain private. Hence, it is easy to demand justice be done to those whose wrongs are public and grievous while private offenders appear innocent. God also understands time differently than we do. Since we measure in milliseconds, a little time seems like a lot ...

2056. Step One - Honesty

Luke 8:26-39 · Proverbs 23:29-35

Sermon

John A. Terry

... chemical dependency) grows, so does drug use. In time, the positive side of the drug experience wanes and pain begins to take over. What is the answer to the pain but more of the same fix? Life becomes more and more unpredictable, but the drug remains predictable - at least in its immediate effects. When our life is unmanageable, drugs and alcohol are two of the great illusion builders that fool us into thinking that for a time we are in control, while all the time making us more out of control. Eventually ...

2057. Bound for Glory

Hebrews 13:1-25

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

... else. This will continue until you have a web formed in between the children. The adult helpers should help keep the yarn going. Now what do we have? (response) Everyone is connected together. Watch this ... Pick someone. I want you to sit down while the others remain standing. Have the child sit down. What happened to the web? (response) It went down, didn't it? (response) And when it went down, you felt it pull a little, didn't you? (response) Can we do anything to help lift him back up? (response) That ...

2058. Scene 2 - Joseph's Quandary

Drama

Nancy Steltz

... , son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Joseph and Angel remain in position during narration.) Narrator: According to Matthew, chapter 1, verses 22 and 23, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by theprophet: 'Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel' (which means, God with ...

2059. Scene 3 The Roman Decree

Drama

Nancy Steltz

Staging: The background of houses remains, or might be rearranged. Some people are on stage; others enter as the official begins to yell. Roman Official (With scroll): All hear this! By decree from Caesar Augustus, through Cyrenius, Governor of Syria: All will be enrolled. Each household will report to the birthplace of its lineage to be ...

2060. Scene 7 - The Wise Men

Drama

Nancy Steltz

... . This is a gift meant for the Son of God. (Balthazar gives myrrh to Mary.) Mary: Myrrh is a valuable perfume. Is its bitterness an omen of what lies ahead for this child? (The Magi bow and exit. Mary, Joseph, and the baby in the manger remain where they are until after "What Child Is This?" is sung. The Stage Manager is overseeing this and speaks from center stage.) Stage Manager (To Isaiah especially): That was Christ's royal welcome to earth. Isaiah (Walking up to the nativity scene): Is that all? Isn ...

2061. Here Comes The King

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

George Bass

... Northwestern Seminaries was affected in 1982, the new institution really had three chapels, plus an old wooden church that had been moved to the campus for preservation. One chapel was in an old building, Asgaard Hall, and was, in effect, "decommissioned." The two remaining chapels, a smaller one in Northwestern Hall and the new, larger chapel in the new building, should be, it was decided, given names. It was quite natural that the smaller chapel should be named "The Chapel of the Cross;" it contains Paul ...

2062. Why Did Jesus Do That?

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... upon, and finally nailed to a cross to die between two thieves. They experienced the incredible pain of seeing him dead and buried on Friday, and the equally incredible joy of seeing him alive again on Sunday morning. They heard his promise that his spirit would remain with them all the days of their lives and beyond. And as they remembered what he had said and done, maybe they remembered the day of his baptism by John in the Jordan River. Maybe they remembered that a voice from heaven had declared, "This ...

2063. Dealing with the Devil

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... sip of water from a nearby stream. He must have been desperately hungry, and therefore most vulnerable at the point of his physical appetite. Satan tried to convince Jesus to use his God-given powers to satisfy his earthly hunger. Basically the proposition was this: remain true to God and suffer the bitter pangs of hunger, or disobey God, do the Devil’s biding, and satisfy your hunger. Whether we believe in "the Devil" or not, we certainly know by now that one of the greatest areas of vulnerability is our ...

2064. Where the Scary Things Live

Matthew 4:12-17

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... the warmth of his love, to learn who we are and how to use the gifts and talents God has given us to "catch people," to begin the transformation of our world by transforming ourselves into the person God wants us to be. No longer do we have to remain in the darkness of our fears, our faults, our failures. I remember once when I was spending the night at my grandparents’ house, sleeping in a strange bed and being especially careful not to let any part of me hang over the edge. I was awakened in the middle ...

2065. The Upside-down Kingdom of God

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... either dismiss it as nonsense not worthy of our time and energy, or we will try to destroy it. It’s foolishness, a crutch for weak people to lean on. The one constant in all three phases is that our way of thinking, our value system, remains unchanged. We assume that the way we organize and compartmentalize the world in OUR hearts and OUR heads is the only acceptable way of doing that. Everything else is foolishness. This is nothing new. The apostle Paul talked about this very thing in his first letter ...

2066. Service -- Rahab and Mary of Bethany

John 12:1-11

Drama

Martha L. Leach

... our home as his - a place to recuperate from his busy and often stressful way of life. Even when he visited he would tell us of God's promises, and we were enthralled with his stories. I loved to listen as he spoke of life hereafter and the work that remained for all of us to do. I never tired of listening to him. Lazarus, too, was intrigued by his humility and the love which he displayed - not only in words but in the many miracles he performed, the healing and comfort he gave. Rahab: Mary, tell me more of ...

2067. The Elders

Drama

William Grimbol

... pride (Patting his portly stomach). NATHAN: God warns of having excessive pride (both resume laughing; back slapping ensues). RACHEL: You two! Just finish. We want to enjoy conversation without the sounds of your incessant chewing. RUTH: Yes. Please hurry. DAVID: (Gobbling remaining food) Your wish is my command. NATHAN: (Pushing plate away) I will just watch and enjoy myself vicariously. RUTH: (Begins to clear table) I do appreciate the fact that you like my cooking. DAVID: See! I knew it! RUTH: (Laughing ...

2068. There's Blindness, and There's Blindness

John 9:13-34, John 9:1-12

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... , you ask? You really don’t know a lot about church, do you? There is much irony in the story of the healing of the man born blind. The one who was born blind learns to walk in the light, while those who were gifted with normal sight choose to remain in darkness. When we consider our own calling to "walk as children of light," it’s easy to recognize which character in the story we ought to imitate. Like the man born blind, we too have been restored by our encounter with Jesus. We too have been saved by ...

2069. The Meaning of Life

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Brett Blair

... disciples alone in the world and he goes before God as a priest would, to intercede for them, to pray for them. Listen again to his prayer. I am lifting out a few key verses: "While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe, but I will remain in the world no longer…Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over ...

2070. When the Tie That Binds is a Slipknot

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... the working class folks arrived, all the really good stuff was virtually gone, leaving only the broccoli casseroles and spinach soufflés (by now you know what a picky eater I am). So those who arrived early were full and drunk, and those who came later remained hungry, thirsty and sober. That didn't exactly do much to promote church unity! Paul felt the need to speak out on the subject. With a gift for understatement that he doesn’t always display, Paul says, "I hear that there are divisions among you ...

2071. A Visit With An Old Friend

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... tear would come to his eye when she kissed his forehead and whispered, "Good-night." One night, for the first time in more years than he could remember, the old man whispered back, "God bless you." And as the young student nurse left the room, two others remained behind, breathless from all the years of pursuit. Just before the old man slipped away into the dark valley, good and mercy whispered in unison the last words he would hear: "Don’t be afraid. We’re here. We’ve got you." My prayer for each of ...

2072. Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock

Psalm 30:1-12

Sermon

... , the Psalmist is often called upon to speak. Most often it’s the 23rd Psalm that is read, but we also frequently hear the second half of verse 5 of today’s Psalm offered as consolation to the grief-stricken family and friends. "Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning," the psalmist says. And it’s appropriate that this verse is quoted. We should take comfort and hope in these words. But have you ever examined the whole of the 30th Psalm? In particular, have you looked ...

2073. Living for Christ

Matthew 16:21-28

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

... if we would truly have life we must be willing to give our lives for You. Lord, show us how You would have us serve You. In Christ we pray. Amen. Prayer Of Confession: Lord, so often our words and songs have given You praise, yet our deeds have remained strangely silent about You. So often we have enjoyed the fellowship of the Church and yet we have not shared the Church with the lost around us who need Your healing touch so desperately. Forgive us, Lord, and use our lives to show others Your love is real ...

2074. The Inaugural Address

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Brett Blair

... to a 50 year old man named Virgil. His first experiences with sight were confusing. He was able to make out colors and movements, but arranging them into a coherent picture was more difficult. Over time he learned to identify various objects, but his habits--his behaviors--remained those of a blind man. How many times did this occur in the ministry of Jesus? Miracles are performed or a lesson is given and only one of ten returns to give thanks and only a few listen and do as they are taught. Dr. Sacks found ...

2075. Get Underneath!

Ephesians 1:15-23, Ephesians 1:1-14

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

... Response--play this way with the children for just a moment until they "convince" you to let the cat underneath) Okay, I did, I let the cat underneath the umbrella, but I let the other person hold it. And we stayed under the umbrella while it rained, so we remained dry and protected. The end. Did you like my story? (response) Well the reason that I told the story is because there is a Bible verse that it reminds me of. The Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 1:10 that God wants to bring "all things in heaven and ...

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