Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2051 to 2075 of 2157 results

2051. The Birth of the Bridegroom

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... that God goes far beyond our ability to describe Him wholly. The Messiah is then given the name simply that means, “The Lord is Salvation.” The first part yehu is a name for God, the second a “cry for God to save.” Jesus (a Greek version anglicized of the Hebrew) then is not so much a description of a child as it is the child’s meaning, identity, and mission –God is Salvation! This name seems to be like catnip to Simeon and Anna, who immediately upon sight and hearing, recognize Jesus ...

2052. Even in Our Hiding

Matthew 2:19-23, Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Joseph chooses a small out of the way town called Nazareth in Galilee (under the kinder Tetrarch) in order to hide his family. Mary and Joseph knew their child was special. Otherwise, why hide? And yet, they seem to have believed in the same version of “Messiah” that others did in their time –someone who would overthrow the Romans or upset the legalization of the Temple, or perhaps drive out the foreigners, or perhaps draw in the foreigners under an Israeli national rule. They did go to great pains ...

2053. Sycamore Blues

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... on the side. Zacchaeus took more than he was supposed to on behalf of Rome, and padded his own wallets to quite a comfortable degree. He defrauded his own people. Rome knew he was doing it. His own people knew was doing it. He was the first century version of Bernie Madoff. And yet, Jesus doesn’t label him lousy, but labels him lost. “The Son of Man comes to seek and save the lost,” Jesus said. The amazing thing about this story is that Jesus and Zacchaeus didn’t just sit down one day to have ...

2054. The Promise of Prayer

Luke 1:5-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the Mediterranean dish would seem unusual where John resided. Some say, the fruit pods from the carob (locust trees) which were prevalent in the wilderness areas. Some say, “honey cakes” which appear to be the correct translation according to the Ebionite version of the scriptures. Essenes were vegetarians. So it’s likely that it was one of the latter two options. The Essenes represented the “holiness movement” of the day. They were the hasya (pious) –the Hasidim. Important also to note is that ...

2055. You are Anointed

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in which you breathe that smell. And forever forward, may you always be reminded of the joy and beauty of your relationship with God –your holy bridegroom, and Jesus, your prince of peace. *For more on this story, see Leonard Sweet, “What an Unnamed Woman Taught Me” in an early version of Soul Café (available online). **See Living Jewish by Berel Wein on smells that infuse sanctity and joy/pleasure. See also Deborah Green, “The Aroma of Righteousness.” Penn State UP, 2011.

2056. Wild Thing

Luke 4:31-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... evil from farms. They are meant to be symbols of “protection” or sometimes also symbols of healing. The medical profession has its own symbol of healing. Anyone know what it is? The snake –much like the healing snake of Moses, but the medical version comes from a Greek myth. We have other protections in our world that are not just symbols but what we believe are real protections against forces that can harm us. We protect our homes with security systems. We protect our football players with shoulder ...

2057. Rooted and Rebooted

Psalm 126:1-6, Luke 13:31-35, 2 Samuel 15:13-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Remember the Lord Your God.” (Deuteronomy 8:18) “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” (Psalm 126:5-6) Prop: Olive branch with ripe fruit and if you dare a bowl of kalamata olives to pass out for people to hold and taste during the sermon I have here an olive branch, ripe with fruit. The olive is known for its rich oil and its luscious fruit. When you taste it, it leaves with you a ...

2058. Excuse Me!

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Carl Jech

... week we chuckled at the paraphrase of the 23rd Psalm which includes the line "The Lord is my therapist ... He leadeth me in the path of positive self-image." As humorous as this contemporary language can sound, there is also a strong element of truth in this version of the psalmist's reflections. To walk with God is to remember that we are, after all, made in the image of God, the God who is the source of all goodness. In some Christian churches the prayer appointed for this day includes these words: "help ...

2059. The Wind Came

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... ! Now there are some things about that first Pentecost that we need to see. In the first place, we notice that the disciples were all together in one place. The old joke asks, what car is mentioned in the Bible? The answer is, of course, a Honda. The King James Version of this verse reads like this: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” That doesn’t mean all 12 disciples would fit in one mid-size car. What it does mean is that there was a unity of ...

2060. Sheep Just Wanna Have Fun

John 10:1-21, Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... IS that gateway to life that affords us freedom and exploration of what it means to truly live! Followers of Jesus will dare to enter into that open portal that leads to new life, into that freed up space that allows us room become the best version of ourselves, to exuberantly explore the realms of humanness and the reaches of eternity. And here’s the reality. We most welcome freedom and community when we are most fenced in, most threatened, most fearful, most alone. When we are fenced in, when we are ...

2061. Let’s Really Know Jesus

John 14:1-4, John 14:5-14

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

... they’ve been invited to tell their stories, that they preach on their vision, purpose, and mission statement every six months, and have it printed in every bulletin. The church logo has the key words in it and is plastered everywhere. Every Sunday, the shortest version of it is spoken right before their flock goes out the door. They do this act of repetition because we are directionally challenged people. We forget, we think one way and go another. Yes, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, but it ...

A child is a temporarily disabled and stunted version of a larger person, whom you will someday know. Your job is to help them overcome the disabilities associated with their size and inexperience so that they get on with being that larger person.

Barbara Ehrenreich

The three-year-old who lies about taking a cookie isn't really a liar after all. He simply can't control his impulses. He then convinces himself of a new truth and, eager for your approval, reports the version that he knows will make you happy.

Cathy Rindner Tempelsman

Contentment, and indeed usefulness, comes as the infallible result of great acceptances, great humilities-of not trying to conform to some dramatized version of ourselves.

David Grayson

There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it.

George Bernard Shaw

History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely, if ever, do they forgive them. Or this version: Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them.

Oscar Wilde

2068. Dealing with T-A-R-E-ists

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

... intentional linguistic hint at the connection to forgiveness in verse 30. When the landowner tells his servants to allow the wheat and the tares to grow up together, the original Greek for “allow” is the same word used for “forgive” in Matthew’s version of the Lord’s Prayer, to forgive as we have been forgiven. To not practice forgiveness is to run the risk of becoming just like the evil we are trying to uproot and remove. A proverb says, “Choose your enemies carefully, because you become ...

2069. One Feisty Woman

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Roy Howard

... historically true. Why? Because if one was to make up a story about Jesus, it is much more likely to be one that presented him in a positive light. This one does not, at least not on the first glance. Perhaps, you’ll remember the film version of The Last Temptation of Christ. It was nearly as controversial as Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, but for different reasons. The film, and the novel, focus intensely on the humanity of Jesus, suggesting that Jesus, before accepting the cross of redemption ...

2070. The Stop-and-Think Chair

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Roy Howard

... the world we live in, nor was it for Jesus and the early communities of his followers. If it were there would be no need for Matthew to record these guidelines for how Christians are to handle offenses when they occur among us. It’s Matthew’s version of the stop-and-think chair. After years of serving the church in a variety of settings and congregations for nearly 25 years, I’ve come to the conclusion that we tolerate a whole lot of bad behavior — what the gospel calls sin — rather than taking ...

2071. Stay Awake!

Mark 13:24-37

Sermon

Michael L. Sherer

... ushering in of a new and different one. Given the nature of the four New Testament gospels, and the circumstances under which they were written, we have no way of knowing whether Jesus actually said the words — or whether Mark simply created them for his version of Jesus — but we have a remarkable Jesus pronouncement in this gospel. Mark has him promising, or perhaps warning, that there were people alive and listening to him speak who would see the end of the Age. That makes us wonder what Jesus, or at ...

2072. Jesus' Advance Man

John 1:6-8; 19-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... who came to John to be baptized was a young carpenter, in fact a cousin of John the Baptist, named Jesus of Nazareth. But we are getting ahead of our story. Today, we want to know about John’s role in the first Christmas. Luke begins his version of the Christmas story not with Mary and Joseph but with a couple named Zacharias and Elizabeth. Zacharias was a priest. He and Elizabeth were deeply religious people who did their best to keep all of God’s commandments. Late in life they were childless, much to ...

2073. God's Lisp

Humor

A little girl lost her front teeth and it caused her to talk with a lisp. One day her grandmother was reading to her from her King James version of the Bible. She read such words as 'sayeth' and 'hath'' and 'doth'' and so on. After a while, the little girl exclaimed, "So God had his teeth out, too!"

2074. God's Lisp

Humor

2075. Too Many Questions

Humor

... answered, "Nobody knows the answer to that." Finally, the boy asked his father, "Dad, do you mind me asking you all these questions?" The father put down his paper, "Why, not at all, son," he said, "How else are you going to learn?" Another version: One father was trying to read the paper. He was asked by his little daughter a whole series of questions-difficult questions which children ask: "Where did God live before he created the earth? What makes the leaves green? Where do butterflies get their ...

Showing results

Antonyms: deficient, imperfect

Showing 2051 to 2075 of 2157 results

2051. The Birth of the Bridegroom

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Lori Wagner

2052. Even in Our Hiding

Matthew 2:19-23, Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

2053. Sycamore Blues

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

2054. The Promise of Prayer

Luke 1:5-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

2055. You are Anointed

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

2056. Wild Thing

Luke 4:31-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

2057. Rooted and Rebooted

Psalm 126:1-6, Luke 13:31-35, 2 Samuel 15:13-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

2058. Excuse Me!

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Carl Jech

2059. The Wind Came

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

2060. Sheep Just Wanna Have Fun

John 10:1-21, Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Lori Wagner

2061. Let’s Really Know Jesus

John 14:1-4, John 14:5-14

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

Barbara Ehrenreich

Cathy Rindner Tempelsman

Contentment, and indeed usefulness, comes as the infallible result of great acceptances, great humilities-of not trying to conform to some dramatized version of ourselves.

David Grayson

There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it.

George Bernard Shaw

History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Oscar Wilde

2068. Dealing with T-A-R-E-ists

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

2069. One Feisty Woman

Matthew 15:21-28