Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2301 to 2325 of 5000 results

2301. Don’t Wait to Live

Matthew 25:14-30

Illustration

Eric Ritz

... cautious man who never laughed or played. He never risked, he never tried. He never sang or prayed. And when he passed away, his insurance was denied. For since he never really lived, they claim he never died. You cannot reach your full potential with your efforts crippled by caution. Mark Twain once said, "Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there." The one talent servant in our lesson tonight sure could have used that common sense advice from ...

2302. Four Perspectives

Mark 1:1-8

Illustration

Glenn Pease

... . Jesus is too complex to be seen from only one perspective. God inspired four men to write the life of Jesus, for each of them gives us unique insight into Jesus that you do not get in the others. Mark gives us the perspective that is most popular in our modern world. Wycliff Bible Translators have made Mark the most translated book in the world. There is no other book in the world in so many different languages. It is the shortest of the Gospels, and, therefore, the fastest to translate and to read.

2303. A John the Baptist Christmas Card

Mark 1:1-8

Illustration

Darrick Acre

... unto us. Glory to God in the highest! That is what Christmas is all about. Jesus is the reason for the season. So we honor sweet, little Jesus boy, get warm fuzzies, and hug our family members. What does John the Baptist have do with Christmas? For Mark, everything. Instead of Bethlehem and choirs of angels, he begins the story of Jesus' coming with a prophet blaring and baptizing in the wilderness of Judea. In so doing, he adds a new figure to the good news about the incarnation and coming of the Christ ...

2304. Body Sculpting and Self Shaping

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Christians we should recognize that our energies need to focus on how we can allow Christ to shape and mold us into new beings. The two texts focused on for this week approach the question of self image from two different but related perspectives. The text from Mark tells the story of an exorcism, a dramatic but not unbelievable or unheard of event in the first century A.D. Today we think that the type of demon exorcism Jesus practiced in Capernaum is no longer a part of our culture. In reality, however, we ...

2305. No Green Without Red

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... green lights of salvation and redemption (in Hebrews) and the ominous red lights of sacrifice and service (in Mark and Isaiah). The ongoing challenge of discipleship is to acknowledge both these colors as we encounter them, not ... his sufferings." Romans 8:17-18 could not be more explicit: we "share in his sufferings" that we might "share in his glory." Mark 10:42-45 calls attention to an essential difference between Gentiles and Christians by identifying lowliness and servitude as the path of choice ...

2306. Aged to Perfection - The Third Age

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... escaping famine, Pharaoh and family fights. His quiet, shepherding existence was transformed into a life packed with danger and excitement - marked by experiences of great evil and great goodness. The pace, the purpose and the productivity of Abram's life took ... curse. But to wish aging on someone is not a curse, it is a blessing. Youth may be a gift of nature, but age is a mark of art. We do everything we can to escape the reality of life, of aging, and to fool ourselves that we can stop the process, or ...

2307. Chutes or Ladders

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... able to broadcast the gospel as far and fast as possible; developing church programming that thrives and grows; finding a harmonious, beautiful, forward-looking, upward-thinking church home for worship. Surely these are the marks of a "successful" ministry and mission. But if they truly are the marks of Christian success, then Jesus himself must necessarily be counted as a colossal failure. Instead of establishing a "Center for Jesus' Teachings" which could pull students and wisdomseekers from all over to a ...

2308. UpTime

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... recognize God's time while stretching out in the hot summer sun? At first glance, it may appear that today's gospel text depicts Jesus advocating a kind of "time off" from doing God's mission for his disciples. The "apostles" had returned from their mission (Mark 6:7-13) bubbling over with enthusiasm, anxious to tell Jesus all they had "done and taught"(v.30). In the midst of all this hubbub, of all the comings and goings, Jesus suggests that the disciples "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves ...

2309. A 24-7-365 God

Hebrews 7:23-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... final events that await them there. Suddenly, the cries of a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, come ringing down the road: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Despite the shushings of others, Bartimaeus calls out again, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Mark 10:47). Hearing the blind man's cries, Jesus stops his journey, "stands still," and calls Bartimaeus to him. In response to this humble beggar's obvious faith and persistence, Jesus publicly heals him of his blindness. After receiving Jesus' healing touch ...

2310. Is There Room for One More?

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... sales, in your community? Those who "have" even more to splurge celebrate this long Thanksgiving weekend as time for the first skiing vacation of the winter, and with enough time and enough money, we can find snow somewhere. For the "have nots," Thanksgiving marks a new beginning as well. In the "have-not" culture, Thanksgiving is the first disappointment of the upcoming holiday season. For the lucky ones, it's a paper plate meal served cafeteria-style at a church or mission. The food is nourishing, the ...

2311. Heirs of the Promise

Galatians 3:23-29

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... God has promised us. Jesus proclaimed much, foretold much, but the most important promise of his mission and ministry is found in Mark 1:15 "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." This ... your heart, and with all you soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength .... You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:29-31). In a world that calls us to "trust the process," Christians are those who call the world to "trust the promise." ...

2312. The Cream of the Crop, or The Skimmed Milk of the Earth

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... drive toward success, sadly concluded more than 100 years ago: "We are great by exclusion, grasping and egotism. Our success takes from all what it gives to one. It is a haggard, malignant, careworn running for luck." Emerson went on to note three qualities he deemed marks of true "success:" the ability to discern and appreciate beauty; the ability to see the best in other people; a commitment to leaving the world a better place, either by doing one's own work better or by making it easier for others to do ...

2313. Do Not Grow Weary in Well-Doing

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... calling and labor for the reign of God on earth as in heaven. In sum, the church is called to be at the same time a rest stop and a rescue shop. There is a Frank and Ernest cartoon that has the two of them riding a road that is marked by an arrow "Road to Success." But up ahead is another sign: "Be Prepared to Stop." In a world that prizes bigness, we need to be reminded that small is beautiful. In a world that worships speed, we need to be reminded that slow is beautiful. Stop is beautiful. Sabbath ...

2314. Back to the Real World

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... events, they had to return to the real world just as we do following Christmas. The Gospels vary in what comes next. Mark, of course, tells us nothing of Christ’s birth. He begins with John the Baptist preparing the way in the wilderness. John ... . I guess it’s best that we don’t know what the future may bring. Life can be very cruel even to the best of people. Mark those words down. Even to the best of people. Can people ever get any better than the holy family of Nazareth Mary, Joseph and Jesus? And ...

2315. Isaiah 50:4-9a

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is a vocation when taken on gladly." (William L. Holladay, Isaiah: Scroll of Prophetic Heritage [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1978], 158.) Relating the Texts From the Service of the Word this week's gospel text encompasses the entirety of the fourteenth and fifteenth chapters of Mark. Rather than trying to distill some narrow message out of that extensive portion of scripture, we have chosen to focus on one of the gospel texts from the Service of the Palms, John 12:12-16. The entry into Jerusalem was truly a ...

2316. Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... which must prevail as Christians consider their words, thoughts and deeds. Building up" the body of Christ which "gives grace" to all its members is the ambition of the Christian life. Paul insists that Christians take their baptism seriously. As a people "marked with a sea," believed are to act discernibly different than the pagan society surrounding them. Paul initiated this message in verses 4:17-19, drawing a dismal portrait of the lives of those untouched by the knowledge of Christ. Christians are to ...

2317. Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of the essence. Any grain left too long after it is cut will rot and spoil; the full grains must be placed in the granary before they are targeted by rodents; the chaff must be burned before it ignites in spontaneous combustion. The time of judgment, warns John, will mark both the arrival of the Messiah and the speedy end of those found to be so much chaff. The text for this week skips to verses 21-22, but even without omitting any of Luke's story, there is a strange, jerky quality to this transition. Jesus ...

2318. Colossians 1:11-20

Colossians 1:11-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... that shortchanges its complexity. Historically, this was one of the psalms celebrating Yahweh's enthronement. Psalm 95, like Psalms 24 and 68, was a processional hymn ("It's got a good beat, I think I could dance to it...") and introduced a series of psalms marking the onset of God's reign. Psalm 95 begins this ceremony with shouts of praise. As one of the songs of hope written during the SecondTemple period, Psalm 95 focuses on Yahweh's impending enthronement and sings of the joy that will accompany the ...

2319. Matthew 5:13-20

Matthew 5:13-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is high on a lamp stand - where it can throw its light in the widest possible directions. It is the combined power of all these brightly burning lamps that creates the long-distance glow of a city on a hill. Verse 16 focuses further on light as the mark of a true disciple. This "light" is now defined more specifically as "your good works," which should "shine before others." The Jewish concept of good works, as noted in Matthew 5:38-48 and 25:31-46, are acts of mercy and reconciliation. Acts of mercy and ...

2320. Matthew 5:21-37

Matthew 5:21-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... 47), however, include an example of a "foot" which, if it causes offense, should be cut off. The "foot" or "feet" is a common Hebraic euphemism for male genitalia, indicating that sexual behavior is a part of the concerns of these texts (See Will Deming, "Mark 9:42-10:2; Matthew 5:27-32; and B.Nid.13b: A First Century Discussion of Male Sexuality," New Testament Studies 36 (1990), 130-141). Jesus' words on sexual behavior are directed toward both men and women. It was generally recognized by the traditional ...

2321. Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... for the call of the fishermen in 4:18-22 perhaps the gospel writer feels he must define who the commissioned ones are before detailing what they will do. Note: While Matthew's text does not stipulate that these disciples go out "two by two" (as in Mark 6:7), he does organize his list into pairs of disciples. As Jesus further details the particulars of these commissioned ones, their message and mission sound nearly identical to Jesus' own. Again the focus is on only the "lost sheep" which Matthew's text now ...

2322. Matthew 14:13-21

Matthew 14:13-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... offers the one miracle story that all four gospel writers saw fit to include in their works the feeding of the 5,000. In the synoptics, this miracle story follows on the heels of the news of John the Baptist's death with both Matthew and Mark giving a full account of the treacherous events that led up to his execution. John the Baptist's death obviously disturbed Jesus deeply. John was both Jesus' kinsman and his messianic confederate. Matthew's text does not try to intrude upon Jesus' private thoughts and ...

2323. Matthew 16:21-28

Matthew 16:21-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of the Synoptic Gospels is how they carefully divide Jesus' ministry into two definite stages. Matthew and Luke follow Mark's lead by having Jesus remain in the region of Galilee, preaching, teaching and healing for the first half of their gospels. Only after Jesus makes his explicit passion prediction does his one and only journey toward Jerusalem begin. Our gospel text today offers Matthew's version of that crucial " ...

2324. Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of completion. Verse 21 takes special care to make clear that all the people who wished to receive John's baptism had received it including Jesus. While Luke does not describe this event, Jesus' baptism is as much a detail here as in Matthew's or Mark's version. It is evident that, before his arrest, John the Baptist had succeeded in paving the way for the Lord as his ministry was intended. Jesus' own baptism is a part of the preparatory ministry and thus fulfills John's ministry. Only Luke specifies that ...

2325. 2 Kings 2:1-12a

2 Kings 2:1-12a

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... that Elisha reacts - and then it is with a traditional sign of grief and mourning, tearing his clothes. Despite his years of tutelage under Elijah, Elisha is incapable of responding to such an overwhelming example of God's power and glory. Relating the Texts In Mark, where there is extensive scholarly debate over the motives and message of the gospel writer, the disciples often appear as some of the densest, most dismally obtuse participants possible in the holy history of Jesus' life and ministry. Whether ...

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