Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 201 to 225 of 4964 results

201. The Magic Ingredient

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... .’ “At that moment, I realized God had always been there—since I was a very small child even. Even though I thought I was doing things on my own, I couldn’t have done anything without Him. “When that happened, I knew God could only be my present hope. If I truly believed in Him, everything would take care of itself. “And it did. “All of a sudden, I noticed things were changing. I felt more of a peace within me and a peace about my situations. I learned and trusted God with everything I had and ...

202. Prayers for the Sundays After Easter

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

... sin Far from the peaceful shore Very deeply stained within Sinking to rise no more But the Master of the sea Heard my despairing cry From the waters lifted me Now safe am I. Love lifted me. Help us sing these words from our hearts. How they save us -- what hope they create. What a wondrous God you are. You see us for what we are. We fall on our faces for the hundredth time and yet you remain patient. We have hurt ourselves and you are still willing to comfort and heal us. How can we praise you enough? It ...

203. Evergreen Wreath And Faded Leaf

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... tone. The body becomes as fading as the leaf which will one day fall from the tree. As the ability to concentrate is lessened and the latter days become less comfortable, perhaps many a senior citizen is tempted to toast the next generation with the words: "We hope you will be as happy as we thought we would be forty years ago." And, as long as we view the physical life as moving inexorably toward a grand anticlimax, it matters little whether the leaf falls from the tree in a violent storm or gently floats ...

204. The Bridge

John 1:1-18, Matthew 2:1-12, Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7, Luke 1:26-38, Genesis 3:1-24

Drama

H. J. Hizer

... t ask me for any firmament. All the star shine you want, but no firmament. One: Nothing tires you out more than making up a super nova -- I prefer the "big bang" method myself, but the chief says there's no time for that. Here he comes now. Four: I hope he's in a good mood -- wait -- wait 'til he finds out about the firmament. Five: [Enters] I've called this council together because I wanted to thank you all for the help you've given me in building the Bridge. Two: You mean it's finished? Five: Well -- just ...

205. Your Image of Tomorrow

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... Lord’s hand, after you have died your hand will still be in his." Often in hospital rooms I have had occasion to say, "Every day is a good day when you are going in the right direction." And it is. As we think of our future-related fears and hopes, let us not overlook the immense importance of another and even greater future-related reality: our Faith. No, I am fully aware that even by faith we cannot yet see what will happen tomorrow; but if we live by faith, we do not have to see; because if we live ...

206. How Do You Get To Heaven?

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Sermon

King Duncan

... not; I was; I am not; I care not." (4) There is a Christian and a pagan way of dealing with death. St. Paul does not tell us not to grieve. Grieving is the most natural of all human emotions. But we do not grieve as those who have no hope. HOPE IS THE CHRISTIAN'S WAY OF DEALING WITH LIFE. You lose your job. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you do not give up. You increase your efforts to find your next job. Your health begins to fail you. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you ...

207. A Stone’s Throw From: The Harvest

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... funeral and tell me how it changed their life or helped them through a tough time. Most of the time, I just Sow seeds of faith, hope and encouragement. That's what we are all called to do. We're not called to stand around and judge the readiness of the other ... or not they are worthy of the seed we have to sow. We're simply called to sow and plant the seeds of faith, hope and encouragement. Conclusion William Barclay tells this story related by a friend of his. In the church where he worshiped there was a ...

208. What the Trinity Does

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... day in the church year. You did put up decorations, didn’t you? I know the children have been counting down the days in joyful anticipation of this day. I can hear them now, “Mommy, how many days is it until Trinity Sunday?” It is an exciting time. I hope each of you got what you wanted for Trinity Sunday. This is the last day we will sing all the Trinity carols that we have been enjoying for the past month. Some of you are already saying, “Why we can’t we keep the Trinity spirit around all year ...

209. Dealing with Grief

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Sermon

King Duncan

... ’s God’s promise. What do we have to be afraid of? Yes, we will grieve, and we shouldn’t have to hide it or be judged for it or set a timeline on it. We will grieve. But we don’t have to grieve as those who have no hope. Death, from God’s perspective, is the doorway to eternal life. Life with God. Life without sorrow or pain. And life reunited with those we love. Paul ends these few verses with the words: “And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words ...

210. Prayers for Epiphany

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

... rejected, frozen out of others' lives. Sometimes we know why, but often we don't. We cry out that this can't be. Surely they don't mean to exclude us. If only we could sit down and talk, we could work it out. But they refuse. We see no hope in the ice and snow of our lives. Nor do we see any good in death, poverty, sustained illness, natural catastrophes, hunger, or war. Yet all of these have been a part of life across history. We are angry and frightened that we are made to endure such trauma, especially ...

211. Rock Bottom

1 Peter 3:13-22

Sermon

David O. Bales

... our own words and nothing's wrong with having some of those reasons thought out. Before a job interview you anticipate the questions that will probably be asked so you can answer without too many "ahs," gasps, "you knows," or awkward silences. As reason for your Christian hope, consider what others have said, "God seemed to get to me before I got to God, so I can't help but believe" or "God has helped me through some pretty difficult times" or "Jesus seems to be the best that life can produce" or "Jesus ...

212. The Four Sacred Chords of Home

Mark 13:24-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... brings out our homing instinct because it strikes all four chords in us, or what might be called “The Sacred Chords of Home.” Maybe there is a holiday in the heart whenever we hear these four chords for a reason? What if faith is the “Fourth,” Hope is the “Fifth,” Forgiveness is the “Minor Fault,” and Love the “Major Lift?” The Chord of Faith comes first. Home is a place where people have faith in you, and believe the best in you and about you. After all, in the Christmas story isn’t ...

213. Poem: In Memoriam

Eulogy

Alfred Lord Tennyson

... to snow: And we with singing cheer’d the way, And, crown’d with all the season lent, From April on to April went, And glad at heart from May to May: But where the path we walk’d began To slant the fifth autumnal slope, As we descended following Hope, There sat the Shadow fear’d of man; Who broke our fair companionship, And spread his mantle dark and cold, And wrapt thee formless in the fold, And dull’d the murmur on thy lip, And bore thee where I could not see Nor follow, tho’ I walk in haste ...

214. Pop Verses: Lamentations 3:22-23

Lamentations 3:22-23

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... to trust God for help because you had been there before. However, perhaps the trouble you are in is new terrain for you and your hope has run out. Maybe it is the loss of a job you’ve had for years. Maybe it is losing someone special. Maybe it is ... do, one step at time. After you have taken several steps the answers will begin to appear. In those times you will find that your hope and faith will grow. Throughout my life I have learned this to be true. God is always right on time. Through all my pain and ...

215. Star Maker

Matthew 2:1-12, Psalm 19:1-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... lies the church, the center of the community and the center of the artist’s soul, its tall thin steeple rising up into the heavens like a hypodermic needle trying to draw light from the heavenly source into its windows, so it can serve as a beacon of hope to the surrounding community. In fact if you look closely it looks like it’s doing just that, doesn’t it? It’s drawling from the light of the cosmic, swirling heavens. The sky with the sun, moon, and 11 stars takes up the bulk of the painting ...

216. Daring To Trust The Roots

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... Lord shall rest upon him ... (Isaiah 11:1-2a) And Isaiah went on to tell of the kind of ruler he foresaw coming from that great stump. And while Isaiah was speaking about an actual king in his own day, he was at the same time speaking a word of hope for people in any age. It is quite natural then that seven centuries later, followers of Jesus would see Jesus the Christ in these words. And so it is that this passage has become one of the key passages we read as we await the celebration of Jesus' birth. A ...

217. Life in The Spirit

Romans 8:22-27

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... for power in our hearts. He asks us to hear that God has come among us in Jesus Christ to give us a glimpse of hope and freedom. He urges us to hear and see that there is a whole different way of perceiving ourselves and perceiving reality, and he ... those struggles, go back to them with a renewed sense of God's love for us and for the world, with a renewed sense of hope and possibility. Because we are asked to stay in the world, Paul reminds us that life in the Spirit will be characterized by struggle. ...

218. Song of Promise

Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... lot of loss. But when Christmas came, they gathered around their fire, and they sang. And they smiled. And they prayed. And they hoped…that someday, things would change. That someday, they would have money, a nice house, a car, plenty of food, and so many other ... we ready for the responsibility that comes with God’s gifts of grace? A song is like a wish, a prayer, a little drop of hope that cheers you when you’re down. It’s a dream that we lift up, one that keeps us going with lifted chin and set jaw ...

219. The More Excellent Way

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Robert Allen

... would be a sadder place in which to live without romantic love. But, the love that the Apostle Paul wrote about is the deepest ... the most pervasive ... the most enduring value of the Christian life. The Apostle closed out his great hymn of love by saying: So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love ... The supreme expression of love is the way God acts for us in Jesus Christ. He died on the Cross saying this is how much God loves you and me. And, if we are going to discover ...

220. A Love For All Seasons (ii) (communion Meditation)

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... ."" (Ritter, Ibid.) So, we're back to this amazing affirmation of Paul. Love endures all things -- nothing can happen to break love's spirit. Last Sunday I said a love for all seasons bears all things and believes all things. Today I have added, a love for all seasons hopes all things and endures all things. Let me tie it all together in a story. One of my favorites. The clerk in a posh hotel who one day greeted a small man who asked for a room. But the man was so unimpressive that the young woman at the ...

221. Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... I'm not very well, I've got Homo Sapiens." The first planet replies: "Oh, don't worry. It will soon pass." Nor by grand hope does Ephesians one mean what Robert Schuller said memorably in his autobiography, My Journey: "You can go anywhere from nowhere. My life is witness ... one example of our glorious inheritance when the eyes of the heart are opened. Great Power Finally, on top of a grand hope and a glorious inheritance the eyes of the heart reveal a great power. This is how Paul put this great power: "I ...

222. A Stone’s Throw From: The Rolled Stone

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... and Death were clapping their hands in glee, singing "Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more." God began singing, "Up From The Grave He Arose." God had the final word and that word changes everything. Resurrection. That's the final word and it gives us Hope For Today. B. A number of years ago I stopped by to visit a woman who's husband had died and whose funeral I'd held about two months before. She and her husband had no children. They only had each other and they doted on each other. They went ...

223. I am the Man Who Has Seen Affliction

Lamentations 3:1-66

One Volume

Tremper Longman III

... expands the description of the grief of the poet, speaking in the persona of the “man of affliction.” His grief is limitless; his tears do not stop. Verse 50 suggests that the poet desires that his tears will cause the Lord to pay attention with the implicit hope that that will cause him to change course in his attitudes and actions toward the city. God is in heaven and has covered himself “with a cloud so that no prayer can get through” (v. 44), but perhaps he will be moved by tears of grief. The ...

224. Job's Second Reply to Bildad

Job 19:1-29

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... the first 39 chapters as the Holy One of Israel standing in judgment over his sinful people, begins unexpectedly to be connected with hope as the goʾel of his people. In that case, the judge and punisher of Israel also becomes its redeemer. Of course the ... extensive comments on all the possible interpretations of this passage. It seems most likely that Job here is grasping onto the hope—however impossible it may seem under the circumstances—that God at his core is essentially just, and that he will, if ...

225. Three Wise Women

Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... gifts for us. And those gifts will beyond a doubt change us and life as we know down to the very core. We know as we celebrate today, just as The Three Wise Women did so long ago, that something amazing is about to begin. We too have ideas and hopes, dreams and visions. And yet as we enter into discipleship with the all powerful God, we must be ready for those dreams to change, must be aware that a future awaits us too awesome for our own minds to currently grasp, too beautiful for our hearts to begin to ...

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