Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2126 to 2150 of 2844 results

2126. Good Neighbors

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

During his sermon, a pastor quoted Jesus, "Love your neighbor as yourself." To emphasize the point, he asked three times, with increasing intensity: "Who is my neighbor? Who is my neighbor? Who is my neighbor?!" Each time he asked this, a young boy in the congregation answered quietly: "Mister Rogers! Mister Rogers! Mister Rogers!" (1) Fred Rogers of children's television fame was a good neighbor. But the lawyer's question to Jesus is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. Who is our neighbor? ...

2127. He Left Them Where?

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

Kent Crockett, in his book, I Once Was Blind, but Now I Squint includes A Pessimist's Commentary on Psalm 23. The author is listed as "Ima Whiner." It is admittedly a spoof. But it is a good way for us to begin our thinking about today's text. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. "Shall not want?" Says Ima Whiner. "Give me a break. I want lots of things. I'd like to have a nicer house, a better job, and a pay raise. I want people to do what I say when I say. And I wouldn't mind winning the lottery ...

2128. The God Who Is Near

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. Leslie Weatherhead used to tell the story of a woman who was trying to find God. She had a certain dream which she dreamed more than once, namely that she was standing in front of a thick, plate-glass window. As she looked at it, she seemed to see God on the other side. She hammered on the window, trying to attract His attention, but without success. She grew more and more desperate, and soon found herself shrieking at him at the top of her voice. Finally, a quiet, calm voice at her side said: "Why are ...

2129. Free At Last!

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

King Duncan

The plot of a recent Tom Hanks' movie, The Terminal, sounds so outrageous that it is hard to believe that it is based on a true story. In 1986, an Iranian man named Merhan Karimi Nasseri flew to Paris, France, without his immigration card or other proper paperwork. He never should have been allowed to board the plane without the paperwork, but somehow it was overlooked. Without his papers, the French authorities could not let him into the country, but they could not deport him either. So they forced him to ...

2130. Witness to the Light

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

On July 23, 2002, nine miners in Western Pennsylvania became trapped in a flooded mine. The injured and desperate men tied themselves together so that the stronger ones could sustain the weaker ones as they waited to be rescued. Journalists from across the nation reported the rescue effort, which took five long days. No one could believe it when all nine miners emerged safely from the mine. On July 30, the people of the small mining community gathered for a worship service to thank God for saving the ...

2131. Praise the King with a Song of Joy

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

A mom wrote in to the CleanLaugh web site with this story: her kids had spent many summer days watching their new Cinderella video until they knew all the songs by heart. To combat the heat, they had also left most of the windows open in the house. Little did they know that others had been enjoying the video right along with them. A few days later, this mother was out in her yard when she heard the burly workmen restoring her neighbors’ roof break into song. One man was up on the roof singing in a gravelly ...

2132. What Would Bill Do?

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to tell you a simple, but moving story about a man named Bill. When Bill was born in the 1930s he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The doctor predicted that he would be mentally retarded and urged Bill’s parents to have him institutionalized. Fortunately, they ignored the doctor’s advice. At first, Bill attended a school for children with disabilities. Later he gained entrance to a mainstream high school. This was an unusual accomplishment for a physically challenged person of that era. Then, with ...

2133. Is There Hope for the Hapless Wedding Guest?

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Darrick Acre

Strange parable. Great beginning; catastrophic ending. Yet I find myself drawn to the hapless wedding guest because nobody else is. The first sermon I ever heard in a Nazarene Church was when I was in high school. Pastor Roy Hoover preached on this wretched wedding guest. It so chilled me out that I didn’t go back for a year. I’ve never forgotten it. I’ve never heard one on it since! When preachers come to this miserable fellow, like the Jews of old meeting a leper on the road, they give him a wide berth. ...

2134. Through the Eyes of an Eagle (Introduction)

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I suppose that if a vote were taken as to which of the Four Gospels is the most popular, among those who know that there are four Gospels, the vote would be overwhelmingly in favor of the Fourth gospel: the Gospel According to St. John. This is somewhat strange, in light of the fact that the Fourth Gospel is by far the most difficult of them all. Indeed, it even had a hard time getting into the canon of the New Testament in the first place. It was considered suspect by the conservatives of the early Church ...

2135. The Huddle Is Not the Game

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

Not being a great sports fan myself, I have to rely upon others to help me with the sports imagery in writing about the topic above. In this case, I want to call upon evangelist Tom Skinner to flesh out the metaphor which gives us the title for this chapter and which helps us to understand the mission and purpose of the Church. He writes, In football we have what is called the huddle. We have only 25 seconds in the huddle. If you stay longer than 25 seconds, you are penalized five yards for delay of game ...

2136. Food for the Fed-up

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

Some years ago I had a friend who was on a 300-calorie-a-day diet under a doctor’s supervision. 300 calories! That boggles the mind! I inhale 300 calories just smelling the aroma of a good pizza. But my friend on the three-hundred-calorie-a-day diet lost sixty pounds, and as a result reached his near-ideal weight in a very short time. But one cannot subsist indefinitely on a 300-calorie-a-day- diet. Sooner or later there must come and end to the dieting, for starving oneself in this manner is highly ...

2137. Believing Thomas

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I have always thought that Thomas got a bum rap. Down through the centuries we have called him “Doubting Thomas,” when, in reality, he was the greatest believer of them all. He ended up proclaiming the highest profession of faith we find in the Gospels. Beholding the risen Christ he said, “My Lord and my God!” I. THE FIRST GLIMPSES WE HAVE OF THOMAS IN THE GOSPELS PORTRAY HIM AS A MAN OF CONSIDERABLE COURAGE. Actually, “Thomas” is not a name. It means simply, “The Twin.” Of course, over the years it has ...

2138. God’s Strange Arithmetic

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

An interesting article appeared awhile back in the Clinton SC Chronicle titled “When The Editor Left Town.” It said: “Mr. Jim Galeway and Miss Georgianne Bentlow were married Monday at the home of the bride’s parents. Mr. and Mrs. Alex Bentlow, the Rev. A.A. Deckett officiating. The groom is a popular young bum who hasn’t done a lick of work since he got expelled his junior year in college. He manages to dress well and keeps a supply of spending money because his dad is a soft-hearted old fool who takes up ...

2139. Knight of the Woeful Countenance

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

In the musical play: “Man of La Mancha” there is a scene where the addled Don Quixote asks the innkeeper to dub him a knight so that he may ride forth to do battle with the forces of evil. The innkeeper, after trying to persuade the would-be knight of his foolishness, finally agrees to go along with his fantasy. But Don Quixote isn’t content. He says to the innkeeper: “It is customary to grant the new knight an added name. If Your Lordship could devise such a name for me....” The Innkeeper ponders awhile ...

2140. What the Maid Said to the Fisherman

Mark 14:66-72, Mark 14:53-65

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I THINK ST. PETER HAS GOTTEN A “BUM RAP.” As a result of our Scripture lesson of the morning, St. Peter is often pictured as being a coward, cringing in the courtyard before the onslaught of a serving maid’s questions. Sometimes it seems as though Jesus called Peter “the Rock” not because of his standing qualities, but because of his sinking qualities. Actually, it took a great deal of courage for him to be there at all. None of the rest of the twelve were there. Gone were the crowds who, on Palm Sunday, ...

2141. The Unfinished Story

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I am indebted to my son-in-law, the Rev. Frank Lyman, pastor of Lake Harbor United Methodist Church in Muskegon for my opening story. It seems that there was an unusual story on radio station WGN awhile back. A fellow sat down and ate 874 Walleye minnows at one sitting. That’s a lot of Walleye minnows! Why did he do such a strange thing? Because earlier in his life he had sat down and eaten 862 Walleye minnows and his accomplishment was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. So he set out to break ...

2142. 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 ...

2143. The Road to Somewhere (I am the way, truth, and life)

John 14:5-14

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Someone has made a list of five things you will never hear a man say: 1. We haven''t been to the mall for ages, let''s go shopping and I can hold your purse for you! 2. Forget "Monday Night Football." Let''s watch Melrose Place. 3. Your mother''s coming to stay with us again? Great! 4. Do these jeans come in lavender? And finally, 5: I think we are lost. We better pull over and ask for directions. Perhaps all of us have had the experience of being lost in a strange town--even those of us who don''t mind ...

2144. The Lord's Prayer: Hallowed be Thy Name

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Eric Ritz

As we continue our study of The Lord''s Prayer, we now look at the words "Who Art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name." We observe that though Jesus taught us about the privilege of having intimacy with God, there is a qualifying statement. I hope you noticed a paradox and great tension in these words of Jesus. While we have intimacy with God, Jesus reminds us that God is incomprehensible. The Kerygma Bible Study on this petition, "hallowed be Thy name," shared this insight: "True prayer is that approach to ...

2145. The Fifth Commandment: The Value of Family

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

So far in our series on the Ten Commandments we have completed the first four commandments--those dealing primarily with our relationship to God. This is the vertical dimension. Today we begin the section which deals with our relationships to family and the enlarged family which include our neighbors and the world. This is the horizontal dimension. These next commandments reveal God''s plan for our relationships with other people. The first four commandments deeply impact and influence this dimension as ...

2146. The Seventh Commandment: Indecent Proposal

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

In the year 1632 the British Corporation of Barker and Lucas produced a handsomely bound edition of scripture. Unfortunately they made one significant mistake in the hundreds of pages of impeccable print. At the inclusion of the Seventh Commandment of the decalogue, they inadvertently omitted the negative from the verse so that the law read, "Thou shalt commit adultery." The printers were so heavily fined for their carelessness that the mistake put them out of business. This famous edition has forever been ...

2147. Joy: The Echo of God's Presence In Us! (Part I - Introduction)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Somewhere in the west, a recent university graduate could not find employment. He was highly skilled and his grades had been excellent. But no employment was to be found. Finally, in disgust and anger, he mailed his diploma back to the president of the university from which he had graduated. "Take this thing back," he wrote. "It has done me absolutely no good. There are no guarantees in a college degree any more." The president read his note, and mailed the diploma back to the young man with these words: " ...

2148. The Power of Encouragement (Part VIII)

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Clarence Thomas who, as many of you know, is now a Supreme Court Justice, acknowledged that one of the persons who had a great influence on his life was a nun by the name of Sister Mary Virgilius Ready. Judge Thomas says it was the encouragement that he received from her that helped him to overcome poverty and racism and become someone. Newsweek magazine wrote about her and others who served in the school that Clarence Thomas attended. The article said: "The nuns who lived in the black areas of town were ...

2149. Peace or Pieces

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Eric Ritz

I love the picture which shows two ladies in Las Vegas, running for their lives down a quiet street, being chased by a six foot, 200-pound ostrich, their leisurely morning walk turned now into a desperate chase. The incident is a great picture of how our normal lives can quickly change into one of desperation. The power of "fear" or "faith" is a constant choice we make every day of our lives. Let''s face it, living in an urban area like the Greater Easton area can be frustrating. You fight traffic every ...

2150. The Test of a True Testimony

James 1:19-27

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Today, we continue in our series on the epistle of James by examining verses 19-27 of the first chapter. I like the translation of verses 19 & 20 which reads: "This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger, for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God." The first thing we need to review from James is: exactly what are we supposed to know? What is already assumed? We know that James is speaking to a group of believers of whom he is ...

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