Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2126 to 2150 of 4945 results

2126. Take This Job And Love It

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

Ignace Paderewski, the famous Polish pianist, made his first tour of the U.S. in 1891. He soon won over American audiences with his powerful playing. In one concert in New York, Paderewski severely injured his hand. The injury, which caused him to lose the use of one of his fingers, left him in constant pain, but he insisted on continuing his tour. In all, he played 107 concerts on that tour. In 1892, Paderewski returned to the States for a second successful concert tour. At one point on this tour, he ...

2127. Yes, But How?

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

King Duncan

I believe that every one of us can identify with St. Paul when he cries out in anguish that the good that he would do, he does not; and the evil that he would not do, he does. You might even be tempted to say, "He sounds a lot like me!" We all have good intentions. But we also know where the road that's paved with good intentions leads to! One pastor tells about a man who borrowed a book from an acquaintance. When he read it, he was intrigued to find parts of the book underlined, with the letters YBH in ...

2128. The Lord's Prayer: Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Matthew 6:5-13

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Today I want to begin by sharing a story that I once told at the annual Thanksgiving meal that we lovingly shared with the homeless persons in the greater Easton area with the help of our brothers and sisters in Christ at the Salvation Army headquarters. Perhaps one or two of you who were there will remember it. There was a very wealthy Texas oilman who had a gorgeous daughter, and he wanted to find her a man who was brave and courageous like himself. He decided to throw a huge Texas-style barbecue as a ...

2129. Reverse Direction

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

It's human nature to be excited about meeting a celebrity in person. Whether it's a rock star or a sports legend or an actor or actress or a politician, it is not an everyday occurrence for most of us to come face-to-face with a well-known public figure. This may sound like a confusing introduction to a sermon that is supposed to be about preparing to celebrate Christmas, but it will make sense to you shortly. I want to make one more observation about getting ready for Christmas. The way in which the ...

2130. The Road Less Traveled

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

A lecturer was talking about what he called "the most dangerous road in the world." Most people in the audience began to think of a journey into the African jungle, or facing shipwreck going through the Straits of Magellan. The lecturer explained: "More and more books are being sold about escaping prison with a toothpick or journeying up the Amazon on stilts. But the most dangerous journey is the journey of our everyday living. It is dangerous because it ends, for all of us, in death!" Not a very pleasant ...

2131. Grace in the Midst of Unanswered Prayer

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

No one ever really prepares you for your first theological bull session. Usually it arrives without fanfare or advance warning. Usually it happens long before you enter the relative clear-headedness of your adult years, or before you take that philosophy course in college. Usually it happens when you're a junior high school student, up late with friends at a sleepover, or camping out in somebody's backyard. There's just something about a smoky fire and charred food and stars out overhead that turns twelve- ...

2132. Building a House (Mother's Day)

Luke 6:46-49

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

As most of you know, I don't always preach a thematic sermon for special secular holidays such as the Fourth of July Sunday, Memorial Day, Mother's or Father's Day. It's also rare that I preach a sermon on a single theme, such as racism, war, abortion, pornography, poverty. But, hopefully, my sermons address all these pressing issues in the context of Scripture, as that scripture presents itself in the order of my preaching. For you who wonder about that approach to preaching and the fact that we don't ...

2133. 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 ...

2134. What God Has Joined Together

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

A young woman named Sally was driving home from a business trip in Northern Arizona. She saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car. Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little ...

2135. Freedom

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a popular story going around about a husband and wife who are discussing their living wills. The husband is adamant about his desires. “Just so you know,” he says, “I would never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If I ever get to that state, I just want you to pull the plug.” His wife thought about this for a moment, got up, unplugged the TV and threw out all his beer. Some of us know somebody who’s in that kind of vegetative state. We want to ...

2136. 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, ...

2137. Access Denied

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

We live in a world of secret passages. We need keys, and perhaps more than one, to get behind locked doors. We need photo ID's to get past security guards. We need passwords to access computer files. We need PIN numbers to get money out of our own bank account or to charge groceries on our bankcards. Some buildings are so sophisticated that you have to use your handprint to get clearance to enter into secured rooms. Just try to get past security without the right password and the computer screen will begin ...

2138. At War with Myself

Romans 7:15-25a

Sermon

William G. Carter

In a certain church, a woman was leading the congregation in the prayer of confession. She called the people to confess, reminding them of the sin within their hearts, and then all joined in reading the prayer of confession. She paused for the silent confession, and she kept pausing for a good long while. So long, in fact, that the people began to rustle as they waited for the next part of the service. It was awkward, and more than a few worshipers thought she had lost her place or mislaid the piece of ...

2139. Call Waiting

John 1:29-42

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

Chaim Potok was an intensely religious man; a Jew who explored the dimensions of faith in our lives. From an early age, Potok knew he wanted to be a writer. But his mother wasn't so sure. When he went away to college she said, "Son, now I know you want to be a writer. But I want you to think about brain surgery. You'll keep a lot of people from dying. And you'll make a lot of money." To which Potok responded, "No, Mama, I want to be a writer." But, "No," is not what Mama wanted to hear. So, every vacation ...

2140. Gone with the Wind

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

When the wind picks up here in the San Juan Islands of Washington State, a great changing-of-the-guard takes place. Out with the sea kayakers. In with the sailors. When the wind gets gusty and gutsy, those who love to sit below sea level and solo pilot their long, lean crafts grouse and grumble and haul out onto dry land. With the calm, glassy surface of Puget Sound broken by wind-whipped white caps, the waters are no longer for them. But the sailors rejoice. With the first white curls on the water's ...

2141. A Talent for Life

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Scientists who study the tropical rainforests have succeeded in drawing attention to an entirely new ecosystem. It's an ecological niche quite separate from that of the high mountains, meadows and valleys, the plains or deserts, the estuaries or open waters. In fact, this ecosystem exists within the rainforest. Yet, because human beings walk on two legs, because we're ground-dwelling creatures, we miss it entirely. All one has to do to experience this unique ecosystem is to look up. In the dense, inter- ...

2142. Quarterback 101

Jeremiah 32:1-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Any fans here this morning lucky enough to have your favorite baseball team in a division play-off? Anyone want to predict who's going to play in the World Series? (Customize your opening interactive to your own setting. If you don't want to make this an interactive moment, you can redo in narrative form.) For you it's still baseball season. For the rest of us, our days of summer are done and it's definitely time for football. Football is a sport that can easily fill up every part of a fall weekend. High ...

2143. Low Carb Christianity

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

With every new diet craze that sweeps our increasingly plump continent, a tremendous transformation takes place. Alas, not in the pudgy body shapes that struggle towards trimness. But on the grocery shelves of our local supermarkets. Have you noticed the transformation? (At this point you may want to hold up some of these items you're talking about.) Our foodstuffs are changed from their most basic forms so that they fit whatever diet regimen reigns supreme. First, it was banning sugar. Suddenly sugar-free ...

2144. Who Put It There? (Mother's Day)

1 Peter 5:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

I found this job description circulating on the Internet this past week. Anyone interested? [You may want/need to shorten this.] WANTED: Mom JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping ...

2145. Do You Have a GPS - A God Positioning System?

Galatians 3:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It's impossible to travel "chic-ly" [stylishly] when you travel with children. I don't care how beautifully matched your luggage; I don't care how organized you pack. Even if you get your kids those cute little rolling suitcases, you will still arrive at your destination with a messy entourage of unpackables. Depending on the children's ages and infatuations, these may be stuffed animals (think Beanie Babies), cars and trucks (think Matchbox), or beeping, blinking boxes (think GameBoy). The one constant in ...

2146. The Oneness of Twoness

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Most commentaries break into two separate sections the epistle text for this second week of Advent. Traditionally 15:1-6 is recognized as a self-contained unit wherein Paul argues for tolerance between those who are “strong” and those who are “weak” in faith. Paul even appeals to the person of Christ as the ultimate example of one who did not “please himself” but “pleased” God by identifying with the weakness of all humanity, even to his death on the cross. The lectionary reading beginning at verse 4 ...

2147. The Iron, Silver, Golden, Platinum and Titanium Rules

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The ability of the human brain to store, retain, and recall enormous amounts of information is miraculously impressive. Unfortunately, sometimes information gets permanently stored that we would love to “dump.” [This would be a great moment for an interactive: Ask your congregation if they have any songs or phrases or quotes that keep ringing in their ears despite all attempts to banish them. What tapes keep playing in their minds that they wish they could mute?] High on that list for me are all the ...

2148. Strong in Faith: A Little Dab'll Do Ya

1 Corinthians 16:13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

Have Faith: Everything changes. Some things never change. I grew up in the nostalgic days, the "Happy Days" of the 1950's. Our fathers, without a doubt the "Greatest Generation," returned from a world torn by war to build a new world out of their hopes and dreams. They began by giving birth to the largest generation in history, the Baby Boomers. Born in 1947, I was one of the first. It was a time of great vitality and optimism, a time of peace after the trauma of two world wars. And it was a time when a ...

2149. Anywhere But Home

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

George Reed

The Gospel of Mark is filled with action. From the beginning Jesus is teaching, healing, and casting out demons. By the time we get to chapter 6, we have witnessed many miracles which Jesus has done. Then he comes home to Nazareth. Nazareth, that little backwater town that is despised and looked down on by the rest of Israel. Here is their big chance to show that something good can come out of Nazareth. We would expect that the Nazareth Gazette would run the headline, "Local Boy Makes Good" or that there ...

2150. Down the Up Staircase

Genesis 11:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Whose life will be a staircase for God''s descent to earth? The tower of Babel would seem like pretty short stuff compared to today's architectural wonders. Buildings are now built so tall that engineers design flexibility into their frames, allowing them to sway in the swirling winds without damaging the integrity of the structure. Our cities are so filled with sky-scraping boxes that we have created whole new weather and wind patterns within these steel and concrete canyons. A few creatures have even ...

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