Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2251 to 2275 of 2331 results

2251. Victorious, Victims

Luke 6:20-36

Sermon

Will Willimon

... the world's people live where they are likely to be the victims of government rather than its beneficiaries, just like the people who heard Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. And he knew what he was talking about. Jesus knew firsthand what it's like to have friends desert you, to have spittle run down your cheek, to be dressed up by the police and mocked as a king, to be whipped, to hang there in ignominy. "When someone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also." "If someone asks for your coat, give him your ...

2252. Mary's Song

Luke 1:46-47, 52

Sermon

Will Willimon

... newly opened graves or raging King Herods to mock our happy yuletide music and to silence our singing. First Century Judea, in the December darkness, without a star in the sky, people shut up in the darkened houses for fear of Roman soldiers, streets deserted and fearfully quiet. (One way to handle an oppressive situation in a place like Nazareth is to keep your bead down, your mouth buttoned shut.) There, in the dark silence, a pure, clear, feminine voice cut through the night. "My soul magnifies the Lord ...

2253. Hungering for Some Time Off

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

King Duncan

... solo mission, which was very successful. They had much to tell Jesus about their experiences. But Jesus could tell that their exertions had worn them out, and that they needed some time away for rest and solitude. So he suggested, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest for a while.” So Jesus and his disciples sailed off to get some time alone, away from the crowds. Perhaps they were looking forward to having some time to talk about their experiences together. Jesus would not make ...

2254. The Sign of the Serpent’s Tree

John 3:1-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the gift of life and access to the Tree. The tree symbol is a shape shifter. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil not only can heal but can smart, depending on the heart that approaches it and how it is received. In the desert, when the Israelites are spouting venomous retorts toward God, complaining and moaning to Moses that they’d be better off on their own, they become plagued by serpents matching their own poisonous tongues. These little serpents (or manifestations of the tree or staff if you ...

2255. Promises to Keep

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... God’s word and God’s will for the sake of all the people. Herod was the king whose promise became his prison, who found himself bound hand and foot by his own words, unable to act except in the cause of self-preservation. John was the pauper, the desert hermit, dressed in animal skins, who was so detached from his sense of self that he was able to speak truth to power with no thought of the personal consequence. Herod was a symbol of the old way, the empire who ruled by the power of violence, oppression ...

2256. Clean and Unclean

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... for some people it is a way of creating permanent boundaries that exclude those we want to define as inferior, or less than worthy of God’s grace. One of the problems is that the society in Jesus’ time was centuries removed from the forty years they spent in the desert. In some ways, the time Jesus lived in had as little to do with the people who were freed from slavery in Egypt as our own society. God’s people two thousand years ago may have had a temple where they sought to obey the laws set down by ...

2257. Call It Like You See It

Mark 7:24-37

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... that sounds racist. God invites tough dialogue. Abraham argued with God over the number of righteous people who, if found in Sodom and Gomorrah, would save the cities of the plain. Moses talks God out of a resolution to destroy the chosen people in the desert and start all over with Moses’ descendants. Job rails against all that has occurred to him and complains that he cannot get a fair hearing before God about his laments! The prophet Habakkuk takes God to task not once, but twice, for the unpunished ...

2258. It's No Fun to Move

Ruth 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... everywhere . . . or broke, but able to travel anywhere in the world? Would you rather always have an annoying song stuck in your head or always have an itch that you can’t reach? That’s a tough one. Would you rather be trapped on a deserted island with someone who never speaks or with someone who never shuts up? (1) I probably couldn’t guess your answers to these questions. But there is one “Would You Rather” question that is pretty easy for everyone to answer: “Would you rather move across the ...

2259. God Think

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... see a ghost coming toward them on the water. Peter is the one who leaps at the man coming to put Jesus under arrest, slicing off his ear in his anger and protective impulsivity. Peter is the one who pledges to Jesus when everyone else starts to desert him, and the others follow suit. Peter is the “voice,” the “leader” of Jesus’ disciples. He’s strong. He’s able. He’s no doubt formidable. And he’s loud. He’s the one with the gumption to challenge the status quo and put Jesus’ words and ...

2260. For Us Or Against Us?

Mark 9:38-50

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

There’s a scrap of papyrus (a form of paper made from reeds that grew in the Nile) that has survived the centuries until it was found in the Egyptian desert over a century ago. Although there are gaps in the piece, enough has survived to make it clear what it is. It’s a list of Olympic champions. The Greek Olympic games were held every four years for a thousand years. The list includes champions for all the events including ...

2261. In the Wilderness of Temptation

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... by John, Jesus went into the Judean Wilderness where he was tempted for forty days and forty nights. That's sort of the Biblical way of saying we really don't know how long but it was a real long time. Mark says that the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert. One time, after reading this passage, one little boy wanted to know what kind of car they were driving when the Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. And then he asked, is that what it means when we pray, "The Lord is my chauffeur, I shall not walk ...

2262. Don't Miss Jesus

Luke 2:41-51

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... thieves and other dangerous situations along the road. It also gave time for fellowship. As one commentator observed, the caravan could be joined by other groups of travelers from neighboring towns to form a great company of people moving from the foothills and deserts of the area. Mary thought Jesus was probably with Joseph while Joseph thought Jesus was with Mary. When they stopped for the night they met together. Mary probably was the first to ask, “Where is Jesus?” Joseph replied, “Isn’t he with ...

2263. God Doesn’t Always Behave Like We Think He Should

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... the majesty that only a king deserves. God works through contrasts and opposites. Then it happened again. The crowd who met Jesus that day praised and cheered him. They called him their king (Luke 19:36-38). Fickle people they were. Just five days later they deserted Jesus, while others called for his death (Luke 23:18ff.). Again it is evident that God works through contrasts and opposites. The final act happens on the cross, as the crowd got its wish and saw Jesus put to death (Luke 23:33ff.). The one who ...

2264. Temptation

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Will Willimon

As a young man, about the age of some of you, Jesus was met and tempted by Satan in the desert. This is the Sunday the church always remembers this fateful encounter. I want you to note what Satan offered Jesus, offers which Jesus rejected. 'Turn these stones to bread," suggested Satan. ''Don't you believe in feeding the hungry?'' Jesus refused. Social justice doesn't appeal to you? Well you' ...

2265. Family Reunion

Genesis 29:15-28

Sermon

Will Willimon

... vacation advertisements show happy families lounging on the beach or floating along in the water but, in reality, the baby gets sick on the first night in the motel, the pool at the motel is out of order for July, the rental car breaks down in the desert at noon, your teenagers pout for the entire two weeks of the vacation, making everyone as miserable as they are. Families! And today in Genesis, here's Jacob. He's still on the run after duping his poor, dumb brother Esau out of his birthright. Last Sunday ...

2266. The Easy Peasy Guide to Success by S. De Vil

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , when he makes a similar suggestion with “get behind me Satan!” For the road of discipleship, Jesus’ discipleship road, is paved with difficulty, challenge, and sometimes pain. To get to the promised land, the people of God had to go through desert, drought, and disaster. To get to everlasting life, Jesus needed to take up a cross and walk a lonely and snare-filled route filled with betrayal and pain. Real discipleship takes both authenticity and investment, love, and commitment, exactly because it ...

2267. Your Ordination

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

Will Willimon

... Jesus becomes the Son of God through the imposition of the Spirit. In Luke, we have known Jesus as the Son since the annunciation. This Holy Spirit comes, as it frequently comes in Luke-Acts, for prophetic empowerment. Led by the Spirit into the desert (4:1), Jesus will soon reappear ''in the power of the Spirit'' (4:14) to begin his ministry. Luke Timothy Johnson makes an evocative suggestion in his commentary, linking the descent of the dove in Jesus' baptism with the annunciation to: ''The reader may ...

2268. I'm Going Fishing

John 21:1-19 · Acts 9:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... say, “I’m going fishing,” in other words meant, “I’m going back to my life.” And the others followed. The fall from the mission pedestal was especially hard. In a day, the disciples and thousands of Jesus’ followers went from “chosen” to deserted and downhearted. How do you deal with disappointments, roadblocks, pauses, frustrations? Do you give up your dream and go back to your old life? Or do you forge onward no matter what? When failure looms or hope has been crushed, for many, it’s ...

2269. Preachers, All!

Acts 2:1-13, Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Will Willimon

... !'' So, Peter comes out and preaches to the crowd. Peter? Do you remember where we left Peter toward the end of Luke's Gospel? Peter had been the preeminent disciple, the one to so boldly speak up at the Last Supper, saying, ''Even though everybody else deserts you and falls away, I will be there right behind you Jesus when the going gets rough.'' When the going got rough, Peter was behind Jesus, a long way behind him! Like the other disciples he ran away into the darkness. Later that night, when a maid ...

2270. First Things First

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Will Willimon

... just who is in charge of our earth home. The first tellers of this tale, at 500 B.C., achieved a good deal of what we call civilization. But just beyond the city limits, only a stone's throw or a season of bad weather away, there was the desert, the encroaching, chaotic wilderness ready to take over. A few years ago I came upon a little South Carolina town—not a town anymore, a ghost town of boarded up stores and houses that time had forgotten. When I asked what happened I was told. ''This used to be ...

2271. Finding Your Place

Romans 12:1-12

Sermon

Will Willimon

... within the crowd, whereby we might attach our fragile egos to something greater than ourselves. So we join clubs, wear neckties, put stickers on our bumpers, membership cards in our wallets. When I was in college, I was stopped by a patrolman on a straight, deserted stretch of highway in South Carolina. To my surprise, the patrolman told me that I had been speeding. I sat beside him, glumly watching him fill out my citation. He looked at my car in front as he wrote. “I see you go to Wofford College ...

2272. The First Sign of Civilization

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... lived in a troublesome neighborhood somewhere in between that she called “Uh-Oh.” Jesus’ listeners would have understood that the road between Jerusalem and Jericho was an “Uh-Oh” kind of neighborhood. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho stretches about 18 miles through desert terrain—hot, dry, rocky and rough. In Jesus’ day, it was common for thieves to hide among the rocks along this road and attack travelers passing through. (4) This man was caught in a bad neighborhood. Most of us use this ...

2273. How to Pray

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... with God. And so, Jesus begins the most famous prayer in history with the most incredible word. What is it? It’s the word: “Father.” Father—the one word that changes everything. Since 1986, the Burning Man festival has been celebrated in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. Thousands of people gather for a big party celebrating art, community and self-expression. In 2003 someone brought a large, portable phone booth to Burning Man. They called it the God Phone, and they set it up in the field. Above the ...

2274. Fear and Blessing

Psalm 128:1-6

Sermon

Will Willimon

... opinion of Almighty God, Job was righteous. A blameless one who, in the words of God himself, “fears God and turns away from evil.” (Job 1:8) Yet all of Job's fear and righteousness counted not one whit when the wind swept across the desert one dark night and killed his seven sons and three daughters. So much for the fearing-God-getting-blessed proposition. “Why do the wicked prosper?” Job asks. “Seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness,” says the Gospel of Matthew (6:33) “and all these ...

2275. Much Love. Hope Sent.

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... The second promise and hope of Christmas is that in Jesus, we have new life. Notice that John baptized people in the Jordan River. This particular river was significant to the people of Israel. In Deuteronomy 30: 18, the Israelites had been wandering in the desert for forty years. The elders who had escaped slavery in Egypt had died off. And God planned to lead His people into Canaan, into the Promised Land. But before He did, God challenged the people to choose between death and life. The people of Israel ...

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