Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 2251 to 2275 of 4937 results

2251. God's in Charge (so shut up!)

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The more we can shut down our vain defenses and open up to God's words, the more we can benefit from the leadership of God's Spirit. There is a certain earthiness and directness present in the Hebrew Scriptures that is often missing in the New Testament. The New Testament was written in Greek and heavily influenced by the refinements of Greek culture. The patriarchs and kings of Israel, in contrast, are never "prettied up." Indeed, their foibles and faults supply numerous reasons for God to intervene human ...

2252. What Shall You Give?

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To share with the children some wonderful gifts they can give to their parents. Materials: Several boxes wrapped like Christmas or birthday presents. Lesson: There are several times during the year when children think about presents, like these. I imagine that all of you give thought to gifts at Christmas time. Then, when your birthday draws near, I am sure that again you begin to think about what you might like to receive. But for a few moments today, I'd like you to think about what you can give ...

2253. Lift Up Your Heads!

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Brett Blair

A.J. Gordon was the great Baptist pastor of the Clarendon Church in Boston, Massachusetts. One day he met a young boy in front of the sanctuary carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. Gordon inquired, "Son, where did you get those birds?" The boy replied, "I trapped them out in the field." "What are you going to do with them?" "I'm going to play with them, and then I guess I'll just feed them to an old cat we have at home." When Gordon offered to buy them, the lad exclaimed, " ...

2254. All Dressed Up

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

King Duncan

When Edgar Allen Poe was a young man, he was a cadet at West Point. But he didn't really like it there. He didn't like all the rules, and all the training he had to go through, so one day, when all the cadets were supposed to turn out in formation on the parade grounds, and march before the generals, Edgar Allan Poe checked his rule book to find out what the dress code was for the occasion. It said that he was supposed to wear white gloves and a white belt. So that's what he put on: white gloves and a ...

2255. What Will They Think Up Next?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Noah Webster, for whom the dictionary was named, was a lexicographer. He is responsible for the standardizing of American English at the beginning of the 19th century. As you might imagine, he was a stickler for the proper definition of words. One day his wife opened the kitchen door and discovered Noah kissing the maid. Mrs. Webster exclaimed, "Why Noah, I'm surprised!" He said, "No, my dear. We're surprised. You are amazed." A surprise refers to the unexpected. Amazement refers to being made speechless, ...

2256. Cut Down And Lifted Up

Luke 22:66--23:25

Sermon

Lee Griess

Let me tell you an ancient parable from the Orient. Once upon a time in the heart of a certain kingdom, there lay a beautiful garden. And of all the dwellers in that garden, the most beautiful and beloved to the master of the garden was the noble Bamboo. Year after year, Bamboo grew yet more beautiful and lovely. Bamboo was conscious of the master's love, and yet he was still modest and in all things gentle. Often the Wind would come and play a tune in the garden and Bamboo would cast aside his dignity and ...

2257. 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 ...

2258. Reaching Up—Reaching Out

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

An elderly man was critically ill when he asked to see his doctor, his minister, and his closest business associate. As the three of them gathered around the man's bed, he said to them, "I know they say you can't take it with you, but who knows for sure? So, I'm giving each of you an envelope with a $100,000 in cash, in case I need a little spending money on the other side." A few days later the old man died. On the day of the funeral, the doctor, the minister and the business man all slipped an envelope ...

2259. Love One Another (or Strike Up The Band)

John 13:31-38

Sermon

Lee Griess

A junior high music teacher had just organized a band in her school. The principal was so proud of the music teacher's efforts that without consulting her he decided that the band should give a concert for the entire school. The music teacher wasn't so sure her young musicians were ready to give a concert, so she tried to talk the principal out of holding the concert, to no avail. Just before the concert was ready to begin, as the music teacher stood on the podium, she leaned forward and whispered to her ...

2260. The Boy Grows Up

1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

Each of us faces the choice of who and what we will become. Sometimes, we don't really know what we want to be when we grow up until we are forty-something. Our earliest models for making that choice are the people who raise and nurture us. Although we identify with the adults whom we admire most, each of us is unique and intended to become "our own person." Occasionally there is a family-owned business and we are expected to carry on in that tradition, or to choose the vocation of one of our parents. ...

2261. Learning to Give Thanks

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

Did you know that not everyone has been brought up to smile? When McDonald’s restaurants invaded Russia, the bosses--all of whom were American--insisted that the Russian young people working behind the counter give customers the standard Mickey D smile. Russian customers were outraged--and insulted--because in Russia smiling at strangers means you’re making fun of them. How did Mickey D Russia solve the problem? They hired personnel which they called "Smile Explainers" to shout into bullhorns at customers ...

2262. Will The Real Messiah Please Stand Up?

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

William L. Self

In the early days of television a popular game show, To Tell the Truth, held the attention of the American audience. A panel of interesting and colorful experts was in place, along with an engaging host. They were presented with three contestants, each claiming to be a famous person or a person who had accomplished an unusual feat. The identity of the real person was known only to the host. After a period of questioning by the panel when the panel and everyone else had been given a chance to vote for their ...

2263. Take Up Your Cross

Luke 8:1-15

Sermon

Robert V. Dodd

It'll make you undefeatable! In Luke 8:4-8, our Lord tells a parable about "the sower and the seed" to illustrate the proclaiming of the Word and human response. It is curious to note the audacious, almost reckless way in which the seed is sown. The sower must have been really throwing wildly, because we are told that some seed fell on the footpath, some on shallow rocky ground, some among thistles, and some in good soil. To many people the sower's haphazard way of sowing would appear wasteful. Couldn't he ...

2264. The Man In The River

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

John Jamison

One after the other they didn't show up. A whole string of appointments; a morning full of them. They didn't call and cancel, they just didn't show up! Every now and then I would poke my head out of the office door and my secretary would shake her head. Nothing. It was turning into one of those days. When I get frustrated I eat. I don't recommend it, but I do admit it. So, after the fourth appointment failed to appear, my frustration level peaked. I put on my jacket, headed out the door and made my way the ...

2265. Excellence in Giving

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

In today’s lesson Paul talks about “excellence in giving.” It’s tough to talk about giving when the country is going through uncertain times. I don’t know how you felt as you watched the stock market meltdown last fall. For some people it was a very helpless feeling. Some of you watched the money in your retirement accounts slowly disappear. One guy said he took a kind of Zen attitude towards it all. He started off with $50,000 Zen he had $40,000, Zen he had $30,000, Zen he had... Another man said his ...

2266. Giving It All Up For Jesus And What’s Ahead

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Take a moment to consider all you have done with your life. Whatever you came up with, Paul says in our lesson that it’s just the past. We ought to look at the past like twentieth-century American poet Paul Eldridge once wrote: “Praises for our past triumphs are as feathers to a dead bird.” Get over your successes. No matter how good you have been, how spiritual you are, no matter how much you have accomplished, it does not matter. We Americans do not want to hear this. Think of Marvin and Harriet Thompson ...

2267. All Keyed Up

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Mark Trotter

There is an old story about a man who went to a doctor for a physical examination. The examination was concluded, and the doctor said, "Sit down. I have good news for you. You are in perfect health. In fact, you have the health of a man half your age." The man thanked the doctor, got up and headed for the door. When he got near the door, he collapsed, and died on the spot. The doctor said to the nurse, "Let's turn him around so it looks like he was coming in." Dr. Karl Wenninger used to ask his medical ...

2268. Don't Apologize For Success (but Give Thanks)

Luke 19:11-27

Sermon

King Duncan

Paul Harvey told recently about a college basketball coach who was shaving when his wife called upstairs to tell him that SPORTS ILLUSTRATED was on the phone. The coach was so excited he nicked himself shaving. He was so eager for recognition for himself and his school that rushing to the phone he fell down the stairs and bruised himself up. Staggering to the phone breathlessly he said, "Hello." The voice at the other end said. "Yes sir. I’m happy to tell you that for only 75 cents per week you can receive ...

2269. Giving with Open Hands

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

A couple stands before the pastor in the midday service. He asks, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” The father says, “I do.” Then the father takes the right hand of the bride in his right hand and places it into the right hand of the pastor who, in turn, places it in the right hand of the groom. The vows are given, and the groom, having taken the right hand of the bride, says, “I, John, take thee, Mary, to be my wedded wife.” Dropping hands, the bride offers her right hand to the groom and ...

2270. The Unwanted Christmas Gift: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

“Survivor” is a reality tv game show that has proven to be one of the most successful franchises in television history. Starting in 1992 as the brainchild of a British tv producer, Survivor has spread throughout the world to play in over 50 countries as diverse as Chile and China. If you’ve watched CBS’ “Survivor” with its $1,000,000 prize, you notice how quickly the sixteen to twenty strangers separate out into two groups, no matter how many “tribes” there are. In one group are those who, in the face of ...

2271. The Secret of Living Is Giving

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The Christmas "secret" must be put back into the Christmas "spirit." Madison Avenue has a problem. In the last two decades, consumers have built up their immune systems to resist traditional advertising methods and slogans: Hence the ever more outrageous tactics to reach us. Ad execs are desperate to find that new gimmick or jingle that will reel us in. Additionally, our attention spans have withered and shrunk like grapes into raisins. If something doesn't grab us immediately, we simply flex our index ...

2272. Apron Up (Mother's Day)

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

[This Mother’s Day sermon is based around the metaphor of the “apron.” We encourage you to invite your parishioners to wear an heirloom apron to church on Sunday, or to at least have you, your ushers and worship leaders wearing aprons from family traditions. This sermon also encourages people to tell their own “apron” stories, or to invite someone who has a particularly meaningful apron to come forward and tell the story of their apron on behalf of all the other aprons present. Release your artists to ...

2273. What To Give The God Who Has Everything

Psalm 50:1-23

Sermon

Erskine White

"Make thanksgiving your sacrifice to God ..." (v. 14) With Thanksgiving near and Christmas not far behind, I wonder if any of you have people who are very difficult to shop for, people for whom it is very difficult to decide what to give. The two hardest people on my shopping list were always my grandparents. Especially as the years went by, I found myself asking, "What do you give to people who already have everything?" New sweaters or potholders or neckties didn’t mean very much, since they were already ...

2274. It's Time to Get Up

John 11:1-45

Sermon

Brett Blair

We could all use good news right now and I have Good News for you: God has a resurrection for you! He wants to bring you out into the light again. He wants to bring you out of that tomb of oppression and give you a new start. And listen! He has the power to do it. He can bring you back to life. This powerful story in John 11 speaks to this. Remember it with me. Mary and Martha who live in Bethany are some of Jesus’ closest friends. They send word to him that their brother, whose name is Lazarus, is ...

2275. Sit Up and Speak!

Luke 7:11-17

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

The telephone rang in my office one day, and a mother, a member of my parish, blurted out, "Oh, pastor, they just found the body of my son, Kenneth. He drowned in the Missouri River over at Chamberlain!" I was stunned, and then I heard her sob. "It had been a hot day. Kenneth, driving gravel truck all day, decided to take a swim to cool off. And he didn't make it back to shore. Pastor, what'll I do?" I remember swimming at that very beach with my family over the years. As I drove over to Erna's house, I ...

Showing results