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 2301 to 2325 of 4963 results

2301. True And False Prophecy

Mark 14:27-31

Drama

... CAIAPHAS: I am Caiaphas. I speak for the people of Israel. Nothing changes for us. We have been a kingdom without a king for many generations ... a people trampled on by the pagan nations for six centuries. Yet while Gentile empires come and go, the people of God remain, and the Word of the Lord endures forever. The whole world may change, but the Torah of God, and the tradition of our people does not change. And so, the issue for us as a people is one of keeping the faith, the preservation of our heritage ...

2302. My God, My God, ... Why?

Mark 15:33-41

Drama

... has! He is not a religious nut; he’s more like a brave soldier following strict orders, and he’s determined to carry them out to the letter. He refused to drink any of the drugged wine we give to the condemned to dull their senses. He continued to remain silent despite all the pain and insults directed at him by the mob. And I thought to myself: Whose orders is he following? Who is it that could give such orders, a command to face such a death, and have them obeyed so completely? (Moves next to cross ...

2303. Steadfast and Faithful

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

... it is the exception to the rule, if not the exception that proves the rule ... It does not follow, continues Hendry, that we should seek to console victims of cancer by telling them that most of their fellow human beings are not afflicted by it. "But the fact remains that if there is a problem of evil, there is also a problem of good, and one cannot be isolated from the other."10 The Rainbow Covenant is God’s promise to uphold an orderly universe, governed by natural laws. 4. Lastly, the Flood story as we ...

2304. The Fashioning of Christians

Ezekiel 36:1-38

Sermon

... up for Sunday worship very nearly put my father in debtor’s prison one year. As a ten-year-old, every Sunday morning I would put on my one sportcoat and head off to church. After services, I would hang it back up in the closet, where it would remain until the next Lord’s Day. One Sunday, while leaving church, the treasurer handed me a white envelope and told me to be sure to give it to my father. Au contraire, I put it in my breast pocket and promptly forgot about it. A week later, while putting ...

2305. THE FINAL TRIUMPH

Drama

... was still very early for people to be up and about. I was sure that he would know where they had taken the body, so I begged him to tell me. (She turns away from the priests, lost in her memory.) Even though I was shouting at him, the man remained quiet. Then he smiled at me, and called my name. For a moment I was confused. How would this man know my name? Then he said my name again, and I saw that it wasn’t the gardener at all, but the Lord, alive again! I reached out to embrace ...

2306. When Old Nick Met Nicodemus

Drama

... he was alive. Nicodemus Now don’t start that again! You only did what you thought was best. You were sure that being a secret disciple could be of more help to his cause than openly confessing him. Joseph of Arimathea No, that’s not the only reason I remained a secret disciple. I was a coward! I was fearful for my position. I was a failure to him when he needed me so desperately! Nicodemus What do you mean? You stood with me, in support of Jesus in the meeting of the Sanhedrin! Joseph of Arimathea Yes ...

2307. "The Return"

Drama

... isn’t your second coming? This isn’t the end of the world? Jesus No, it is not; it is just one more new beginning. And let me tell you, even the end will be a new beginning. Liberal Lady Jesus, you will not leave us? Jesus No. I will remain always. Ask my Bride. She knows. Average Man Her? Ask her? Jesus Yes, yes. She’s the only Bride I have. (All Exit.)

2308. Leadership: the Moses Model

Numbers 27:12-23

Sermon

... , to obliterate worthy plans and ministries. The tempter is adroit in getting us to believe in our own indispensability, to the point of sheer chaos and enormous hurt. The great John Wesley had plans for his societies and those who followed the Methodist way to remain always members of the Church of England. He wanted no bishops to head his movement. He lived and died an Anglican priest. He was a staunch defender of England’s cause in the Revolutionary War. He was a small man physically, but spiritually a ...

2309. Loyalty: Imperative Ingredient

Ruth 1:1-22

Sermon

... over the church and vice versa. I believe it is due to the sagacity of the Founding Fathers that we have lived in peaceful coexistence. They, in most cases, were religious men who understood the Church and State, as institutions, could and should remain separate. However, they were well aware, as persons related to each other, that religious and political ideas were bound to intermingle. Ben Franklin could write and pray his own version of "The Lord’s Prayer" but this did not mean he would recommend ...

2310. Respect: Lesson for Victorious Living

Ruth 4:1-12

Sermon

... birth in terms of "being conceived by the singular operation of the Holy Ghost and born of the blessed Virgin Mary, who, as well after as before she brought him forth, continued a pure and unspotted virgin." The ecumenical movement has remained surprisingly free from technicalities which would terminate its progess. Genealogies have been no exception. When flexibility is needed, the Holy Spirit provides it. Even for those who would utilize Holy Scripture in a prooftext manner, ways have still been found to ...

2311. Security: Deeply Personal

Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

... and die - if need be for the cause of Christian unity. The times are exciting and our blessd Lord has timed the excitement of the fulfillment of his call to be One perfectly. In a modest way, these values for Christian unity provide a lighted candle in the darkness which remains with us, intended to keep His Body torn asunder. Come with your cross and follow him on the pilgrimage that leads to a visible "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church."

2312. A Place Is a Place

Luke 14:1-14

Drama

... ] Sorry. [Pause] I think there’s a clock in the hall, though. 2: Thank you. [Gets up and moves out of the room] 1: [Walks quickly to the chair, sits down and relaxes] 2: [Enters, winding watch; sees 1, stops, gets upset and walks to the chair] Excuse me. 1: [Remains seated] Yes? 2: I’m afraid you’re sitting in my chair. 1: Your chair? 2: I’m afraid so. 1: But this is ridiculous. I had a place reserved. 2: Are you sure this is it? 1: Well ... it’s the only one left. 2: But, you see, I ...

2313. THE NEW LIFE

Drama

... wakens, stretches, moves around on the bed, swings himself into a sitting position, and goes through a brief wake up routine. He then stands and stretches again and moves stage right to a door. He tries the door, but it will not open; he continues to try, remaining fairly calm; but, panic slowly begins to overtake him. He leaves the door to study the rest of the room and slowly begins to realize that he does not recognize it, that it has no other doors or windows. He searches frantically for a way out, and ...

2314. THE END

Drama

... go again. Aren’t we ever going to get to the end? 1: Yes. We’re here. 2: I’ve heard that before. 1: We’ve made it to the end. 2: [Sits down] 1: Now we can relax - rest - take it easy. 2: So, sit down, relax, rest! 1: [Remains standing] It’s been a long way. 2: It sure has. 1: I wasn’t sure we were going to make it. 2: I’m still not sure. 1: Finally. 2: I hope! 1: [After a pause, starts to move out] Well - let’s go. 2: Oh, no! 1: Come ...

2315. An Adaption of Luke 18:9-14

Luke 18:9-14

Drama

Note: This is a choral reading. The six people can either stand or sit, separated from the congregation, or remain scattered through the church and rise to read their individual parts. 1: Jesus told this parable for the benefit of anyone who is caught up in the importance of his own goodness and despises everyone else. Jesus told this parable for the benefit of anyone who is willing to hear ...

2316. Faithful People in a Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... out of business. Young people, the reason that the Hebrew boys were prepared for that big test with the statue was that they had prepared in advance. Someone said, "The decisions I make in my best moments protect me in my worst moments." If you decide to remain sexually pure until marriage, the time to make that decision is now, not some moonlit night in the backseat of a car with fogged up windows. Make a prior decision about your position on illegal, mind-altering drugs. Don’t wait until you’re at a ...

2317. From Beast to Believer

Daniel 4:28-37, Daniel 4:19-27, Daniel 4:1-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... from heaven. He called in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field. "Let him (notice the tree has now become a personal pronoun) be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a ...

2318. Turn Out the Lights! The Party's Over!

Daniel 5:1-31

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." In John 3:36 we read, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him." But here comes the good news, as declared by St. Paul to the Romans and to us: "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…" (Romans 8:1) How can you be sure that you are forgiven and eternally saved? It is so clear in ...

2319. Is Jesus Still in the Healing Business?

Luke 4:38-44, Luke 4:31-37

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... malaria-infested jungles of Burma. Thousands died. The survivors said that it was not necessarily the strong who endured to the end. The survivors were those who kept hope alive. THE THIRD POWERFUL MEDICATION IS LOVE. St. Paul taught us this: "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. " (I Cor. 13:13) Calvary Hospital in New York City is a strange place. It admits only terminal patients, those persons who have less than three months to live. They use an integrated ...

2320. Don't Let the Parade Pass You By

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... . You stand on the roadside and watch. Again he weeps over a city, crying out, "I still wish they knew the things that make for peace." Somehow you sense that you will never understand the things that make for peace as long as you remain just a sidewalk spectator. You must step out into the street and follow this hero of Palm Sunday. In a sociology of religion class at the University of Virginia, the professor asked the students to tell about their religious background and commitments. One young woman ...

2321. Mugwumps

Luke 6:1-11

Sermon

... have taken divergent routes - expending tremendous effort to meet human needs in very meaningful ways. No doubt this kind of effort will continue. But we must never forget that the diesel engine humm of large organization and big business is always with us. We have to remain alert and never let it deafen us to human needs. It is up to us to make sure the two C’s in the word "Church" stand for Christlike Concern and not Churchly Comfort. Frequently as I have mentioned Mugwumps I have linked the word with ...

2322. I ... Oh ... U

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

... . Nothing much comes down to us from the dinosaur patch. Apparently there wasn’t much time for on-the-scene reporting, and hands were kept fully occupied with the business of combing the countryside for the next meal’s main course. What little time remained after food-hunting had to be spent in protection and defense from huge, strange-looking creatures and less-than-ideal weather conditions. Even though "I" no longer stood alone, most of one’s time and attention still had to be devoted to the "I ...

2323. The Yestermorrow Eclipse

John 10:1-21

Sermon

... take away. Abundant life. Where the distributing companies sell to us, Christ gives to us. While they market in gaudy wrappers, he comes in simple beauty. And when the wrappers are empty and we have consumed their lifelessness, his simple hope for our abundant life remains with us. Amid the chill shadows of yestermorrow a rose came among us full of life and beauty. While some bemoaned the thorns and kept their distance, others beheld the beauty and shared the life. And as the day grew dark and the shadows ...

2324. Train Whistle In The Night

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

... in unprecedented quantities. And the desire to have was satisfied as never before. The followers developed a strong worship pattern of buying, consuming, disposing, and buying more. The religious formula appeared to be working perfectly - worshiper attendance remained high, the first commandment was followed religiously, and the worshipers themselves seemed comfortably satisfied. Oh ... some changes could be seen in both the service and the worshiper, but you could expect change to come with progress. And ...

2325. Faith, Love, and Fakers at Ephesus

Acts 18:18-28

Sermon Aid

CSS

... in his party, although he must surely have participated in the laying on of hands, symbolizing the imparting of the Spirit. The baptism of these twelve followers of John marked the start of an auspicious episode in Paul’s ministry at Ephesus, where he remained for more than two years. This is tersely told in Luke’s story - perhaps because Luke was not present in person and had no other good sources. But Paul preached and ministered diligently and with good results. He became well-known in the busy ...

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