Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2251 to 2275 of 4963 results

2251. Christmas 1

Psalm 111:1-10, Isaiah 63:7--64:12, Galatians 3:26--4:7, Matthew 2:13-18, Matthew 2:19-23

Sermon Aid

... in a futuristic space voyage to the distant star-planet - 3000 light years from earth - that shone in the sky when Jesus was born and led the Magi to the Christ child. When the space explorers landed on the planet and discovered the charred remains of a beautiful civilization, they were able to date the explosion that created the "star of Bethlehem" as 4-6 B.C.; an entire race of intelligent beings and their advance civilization were destroyed by the blast, prompting the Jesuit priest-scientist on board ...

2252. Baptism of Our Lord

Matthew 3:13-17, Acts 10:23b-48, Psalm 45:1-17, Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon Aid

... our lives. Precisely because we, too, are the sons and daughters of God, temptation will come our way in powerful and insidious forms that seek to turn us from the way of the Lord, but God offers help to resist the temptation to fall away from him and to remain faithful as long as we live. (Note: Verse 1 of chapter 4 of Matthew's gospel is necessary to the completion of this sermon, especially in the light of Satan's word to Christ, "If you are the Son of God," followed by the three "temptations.") 4. The ...

2253. Epiphany 3

Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Psalm 27:1-14, Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon Aid

... people, not simply for the sake of Israel. God's intention was that Christ would save all people and restore them to communion with the Father. 3. The message - "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The light uncovers sin and sinners cannot remain in the darkness. Matthew reports that Jesus began his itinerant preaching ministry with a message that was identical to that of John the Baptizer. Later, of course, he expanded it into the full-blown version of the good news that we call the gospel. 4 ...

2254. Lent 1

Genesis 3:1-24, Romans 5:12-21, Matthew 4:1-11, Genesis 2:4-25, Psalm 130:1-8

Sermon Aid

... everything he can to get rid of him and, as the end of Lent reminds us, he does - but only for parts of three years. The temptation of Jesus gives hope to all who are aware of the consequences of sin - death - because Satan has been overcome and Christ remains the sinless Son of God, the only one who can offer a worthy sacrifice for sin to the Father and, thereby free humanity from sin and death. The Prayer of the Day The LBW offers two prayers for this Sunday; the first one would be suitable at the Easter ...

2255. Easter Day

John 20:1-9, Colossians 3:1-17, Psalm 118:1-29, Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon Aid

... only be testimony of his death. We may even know what the scripture says about Jesus' resurrection on the third day, but who can believe it really happened? Mary Magdalene, the mourner, did not hear the Easter proclamation, but she was the first to see Jesus. She remained in the garden, weeping, finally looking into the empty tomb, only to be see two angels who did not tell her that Christ was raised from the dead; they asked her why she was crying. "They have taken away my Lord," she replied, and just then ...

2256. Easter 2

Acts 2:14-41, Psalm 105:1-45, 1 Peter 1:1-12, John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Sermon Aid

... death and resurrection. But the first part of the story tends to be overlooked by the natural appeal that Thomas' honest difficulty in believing the incredible news of Jesus; resurrection has for most people. Jesus greeted the disciples with "Peace be with you," and that has remained to this day as the greeting of the risen Lord to his church, as well as the greeting of the faithful to one another. Next, he made it clear that they were not to spend the rest of their lives attempting to untangle the mystery ...

2257. The Ascension of Our Lord

Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 24:36-49, Luke 24:50-53

Sermon Aid

... at that point and moved from a special place in the chancel area to a spot by the baptismal font. With modern electrical technology and a little imagination, the possibilities of recreating the Ascension of Our Lord are virtually limitless. But problems remain with the ascension, which need to be cleared up, will not be answered until Christ returns, never to say "farewell" again. The ascension was Jesus' last farewell. First, where did Jesus go? John Gordon's sermon (in Resurrection Messages, Baker, 1964 ...

2258. The Holy Trinity

Psalm 150:1-6, Psalm 33:1-22, Psalm 29:1-11, Matthew 28:16-20, John 3:1-21, 2 Corinthians 13:1-10, 2 Corinthians 13:11-14, Deuteronomy 4:32-40, Genesis 1:1-2:3, Exodus 34:1-28

Sermon Aid

... and to become incarnate in them, shaping them into the image of God. The Holy Trinity is celebrated as a festival of the divine love operative in the three persons of God, not as an occasion to attempt to celebrate the abstractions of Western theology. The Holy Trinity remains as a festival that functions as an octave, not only of Pentecost, but of the entire first half of the Christian year. It sums up the work and actions of a God who has revealed himself as love in what he does as Father, Son, and Holy ...

2259. Proper 5 & Pentecost 3

Matthew 9:9-13, Romans 4:1-25, Hosea 6:1--7:16, Genesis 22:1-19, Psalm 13:1-6, Psalm 50:1-23, Hosea 5:1-15

Sermon Aid

... - for the sins of the world. Hosea 5:15--6:6 (E, L); 6:3-6 (R) The last verse of Hosea 5 establishes the situation, in the context of the gospel, that the church is in; Jesus has "returned to his dwelling place" - God's right hand - and will remain there until the time when "they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress they seek me." Israel knew the nature and character of God and could say, with Hosea: Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn, that he may heal us; he ...

2260. The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Zechariah 9:9-13, Exodus 1:1-22, Exodus 2:1-10, Romans 7:7-25, Romans 8:1-17, Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Beyond the general and continuing eschatological framework of the church year, no distinct or additional clue is provided. Pentecost remains the "time of the church," or, the season of the "life of the church." The specific themes that support and expand the time/life concepts of Pentecost are all provided by the assigned readings of the cycle/season and Sunday. The Prayer of the Day This prayer is radically different ...

2261. Proper 10 & Pentecost 8

Isaiah 55:1-13, Psalm 65:1-13, Romans 8:1-17, Romans 8:18-27, Exodus 2:11-25, Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon Aid

... invitation and have received the Word: "Yes, you will leave with joy and be lead away in safety...." Indeed, the Word of the Lord will bear fruit and feed the hunger and thirst of people who will receive God's gracious invitation to them. Verses 10 and 11 remain as the heart of the first reading for this day. Romans 8:18-23 (R); 8:18-25 (L) Here is a powerful reminder that God created the entire world and everything in it - the "created order" - and not just the human race. Paul recognizes that humanity is ...

2262. Proper 12 & Pentecost 10

1 Kings 3:1-15, Exodus 3:1-22, Romans 8:18-27, Romans 8:28-39, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52

Sermon Aid

... last things and the judgment which will happen at that time. The good and evil will be separated, with the evil once cast into "the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth." The implication is that the good, the righteous ones, will remain in the kingdom of heaven and know the fullness of joy that pure communion with God gives to faithful people. SERMON SUGGESTIONS Matthew 13:44-50 - "Go for it - the Kingdom!" A few days ago, my wife and I spent some time with a young couple - relatives ...

2263. Proper 13 & Pentecost 11

Matthew 14:13-21, Nehemiah 9:1-37, Exodus 12:1-30, Romans 8:28-39, Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE With one more Sunday remaining in August, the preacher may find more of a practical preaching clue in the approach of the fall season than a theological theme in the church year. For now, the latter part of August emphasizes a kind of homiletical eschatology; in many congregations, one has been preaching primarily to the ...

2264. Proper 16 & Pentecost 14

Isaiah 22:1-25, Psalm 95:1-11, Psalm 138:1-8, Isaiah 51:1-16, Exodus 5:22--6:12, Exodus 17:1-7, Romans 11:33-36, Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon Aid

... CLUE Summer is over, and fall has begun with its return of people to the churches and their activities, and the church is now entering the last quarter of the church year. Informed people will realize that about two and a half months remain in the Pentecost Cycle/Season. They are also aware that such things as Rally Day, Installation of Church School teachers, programs and retreats involving the young, the women, and the men of the churches are getting under way. Halloween decorations and cards are ...

2265. Pentecost 7

Matthew 18:21-35, Romans 14:1--15:13, Exodus 20:1-21, Psalm 19:1-14, Psalm 103:1-22, Genesis 50:15-21

Sermon Aid

... help him; he told her that he would never forgive her and that he would hate her as long as she or he lived. Now, some years later, he is losing a battle with cancer; she has done what she can to support him - neither, incidentally, has remarried - but he remains adamant and will not forgive her for the good she intended which he counted as evil. He had been the one who had done hurt to the other person, to his wife; she forgave him this, but he will not forgive. Soon he will die and, according to Jesus, he ...

2266. Proper 24 & Pentecost 22

Matthew 22:15-22, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, Ruth 1:1-22, Psalm 96:1-13, Isaiah 44:24--45:25

Sermon Aid

... of the government. A couple of weeks after the election, the Likud sprang a surprise upon Jews all over the world, threatening to expel all persons, especially converts, from Judaism who had not become Jews under Orthodox rules and regulations. The outcome of this threat remains in the future. 1. Flag and cross: These symbols announce our dual citizenship in the United States of America and in the kingdom of God. We are to honor the flag and what it stands for by obeying the laws, paying our taxes, and ...

2267. Sermon Opener - To Be Sure!

Luke 17:11-19

Illustration

Theodore F. Schneider

... to the wicked, without our prayer... To be sure, to be sure, to be sure! God's gifts come to us despite our unfaithfulness and often without our prayers. Paul quotes an ancient Christian hymn in his second letter to Timothy: "If we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself (2 Timothy 2:13)." Our faithlessness and ingratitude cannot make of God something that he is not. To be sure! All of which brings us to the heart of today's gospel. Rudolph Bultmann is quite correct when he notes ...

2268. Color It Purple

2 Samuel 5:1-5

Sermon

... quipped, "It’s great to be great but it’s greater to be human." David was great, but in his sin, suffering, and striving, he was also human. The leaders of the nation came to him at Hebron. David’s chief rival for kingship, Ish-bosheth, the last remaining son of Saul, had been murdered. The forces of Saul had been routed by the ruddy-cheeked warriors who wielded the weapons of war in David’s cause. Now the promise of David was to be fulfilled by his being granted the sceptre of royal rule. The ...

2269. A Father’s Friend

2 Samuel 9:1-13

Sermon

... it was felt that David, Saul’s greatest enemy would kill Mephibosheth if he caught the lad. Years passed, and one day a servant of Saul’s told David that Mephibosheth still lived. Then David proved what a good and loyal friend he was, for had remained faithful to his covenant of loving brotherhood with Jonathan. In fairy tale fashion he ordered Ziba to bring Mephibosheth to his palace. He ordered Ziba to provide Mephibosheth with an estate and see that he would always be given a place at David’s table ...

2270. Green, The Color of Life

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

H. Michael Nehls

... for a certain type of shrub or bush or tree. "Evergreen." But evergreen is also what it is. It is ever-green. We know that this type of tree is a symbol of life, for it never loses its needles or leaves in winter. Rather, this tree remains green - ever green - all year long. It is always filled with life, continually reminding us of the life - the gift of life here and eternally - that is ours in Jesus Christ. Green is the color of life, but the color green can also have some negative connotations. When ...

2271. The Bethlehem Birth

Drama

... small donkey I felt each hoofbeat on that long journey! The journey had been difficult in many ways since the night I was accosted by the light. My parents eventually seemed pleased that God had found favor with me. But, when I told Joseph what had happened he remained silent. He clenched his teeth to keep from accusing me of betrayal, and his anger made the veins in his neck tighten. He told me curtly to go back to my father’s house. I lay on my cot for two days. Finally, Joseph came and asked permission ...

2272. The Rest of the Christmas Story

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

... are in the "white areas," so you have gone there to work. You feel you are lucky to have your job, but you earn a quarter of a white man’s wage for your labor. Because you are black, your family cannot follow you to your job. You may remain temporarily in a white area because you have a useful skill: but your wife and children have no useful skills, so they must stay on the "reservation." You live in a barracks next to your factory with fifty other men who, like yourself, are forced by apartheid to leave ...

2273. Palm Sunday

Mt 21:1-11 · Isa 50:4-9 · Ps 118

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... to righteousness! People: BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ENTER IN GOD'S NAME! Collect Almighty God, you sent us a Christ whom we exalted and then executed. Give us at last the spirit of steadfastness: that, deeply devoted to you, your Word, and your will, we may remain faithful despite the twists and turns of events and the peaks and valleys of our emotions. In the trustworthy name of Jesus we pray. Amen Prayer of Confession Most merciful God, we confess how fickle our faith is, and how much we are like those ...

2274. Monday in Holy Week

Hebrews 9:11-28

Bulletin Aid

... and justice worthy of his redeeming love. In his holy name we pray. Amen Prayer of Confession Compassionate God, it is painful to admit how consistently we resist and refuse the effects of Jesus' incredible atoning self-sacrifice, and how completely we instead remain dominated and directed by sin. Forgive us, we pray, empower us by your Holy Spirit to accept at last the cleansing and redeeming benefits of his priestly offering, and assist us in leading lives that befit those for whom the bonds of sin ...

2275. The Resurrection of Our Lord

Mt 28:1-10 · Col 3:1-4 · Acts 10:34-43 · Ps 118

Bulletin Aid

... raising of Jesus is not the end of the story. For one thing, there is the ethical demand placed on those "raised with Christ." For another, there is the appearance of that same Christ at the parousia, which suggests that the Christian's life until then remains "hidden with Christ in God." Call to Worship (based on Psalm 118) Leader: Thanks be to God, who has become our salvation! People: THANKS BE TO GOD, WHO HAS GIVEN US A GREAT LIGHT! Leader: God has opened to us the gates of righteousness! People: LET ...

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Showing 2251 to 2275 of 4963 results

2251. Christmas 1

Psalm 111:1-10, Isaiah 63:7--64:12, Galatians 3:26--4:7, Matthew 2:13-18, Matthew 2:19-23

Sermon Aid

2252. Baptism of Our Lord

Matthew 3:13-17, Acts 10:23b-48, Psalm 45:1-17, Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon Aid

2253. Epiphany 3

Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Psalm 27:1-14, Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon Aid

2254. Lent 1

Genesis 3:1-24, Romans 5:12-21, Matthew 4:1-11, Genesis 2:4-25, Psalm 130:1-8

Sermon Aid

2255. Easter Day

John 20:1-9, Colossians 3:1-17, Psalm 118:1-29, Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon Aid

2256. Easter 2

Acts 2:14-41, Psalm 105:1-45, 1 Peter 1:1-12, John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Sermon Aid

2257. The Ascension of Our Lord

Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 24:36-49, Luke 24:50-53

Sermon Aid

2258. The Holy Trinity

Psalm 150:1-6, Psalm 33:1-22, Psalm 29:1-11, Matthew 28:16-20, John 3:1-21, 2 Corinthians 13:1-10, 2 Corinthians 13:11-14, Deuteronomy 4:32-40, Genesis 1:1-2:3, Exodus 34:1-28

Sermon Aid

2259. Proper 5 & Pentecost 3

Matthew 9:9-13, Romans 4:1-25, Hosea 6:1--7:16, Genesis 22:1-19, Psalm 13:1-6, Psalm 50:1-23, Hosea 5:1-15

Sermon Aid

2260. The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Zechariah 9:9-13, Exodus 1:1-22, Exodus 2:1-10, Romans 7:7-25, Romans 8:1-17, Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon Aid

2261. Proper 10 & Pentecost 8

Isaiah 55:1-13, Psalm 65:1-13, Romans 8:1-17, Romans 8:18-27, Exodus 2:11-25, Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon Aid

2262. Proper 12 & Pentecost 10

1 Kings 3:1-15, Exodus 3:1-22, Romans 8:18-27, Romans 8:28-39, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52