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 2326 to 2350 of 4933 results

2326. Have You Caught Any People for Christ

Illustration

James L. Collier

Have you been fishing lately? Have you caught any people for Jesus? If you are a typical Presbyterian (or Methodist or Lutheran or mainline Christian of any sort) the answer probably is a shrug of the shoulders and a bewildered look. "He can't be serious, can he?" A few years ago there were some statistics floating around in church circles. If you take a middle aged church member who has attended church regularly most of his/her life, by the age of fifty they would have listened to 1760 sermons, sung 5280 ...

2327. 2 Corinthians 1: 11-13

2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Throughout his Corinthian correspondence, Paul has guided this quarrelsome community towards a truer, more genuinely Christ-like life of faith. All the apostle’s admonitions and advice are aimed at a singular goal: that of transforming bickering believers into Spirit-filled followers. Instead of arguing among themselves, Paul sought to set their sights on a higher horizon—to the crucified Christ and the redeemed life. In his final words to this community, Paul sums up what living this kind of redeemed life ...

2328. 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

2329. Step Up to the Plate

Luke 1:26-38

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship One: Perhaps we have heard this story so many times that we take Mary's response for granted. However, surely all of heaven must have held its breath as the angels waited for the answer of a young teenaged virgin, whose response insured glory but also, as Simeon's prophecy made clear, trials as well. All: Here we are, servants of the Lord; let it be with us according to your word! One: Our "Yes" to God means more if there is the possibility of saying, "No." God has been waiting for your " ...

2330. Beautiful Feet, Beautiful Feat

Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship Listen! God's sentinels lift up their voices. Together they sing for joy. In plain sight we shall see the return of the Lord in our hearts! Collect When are feet beautiful? When they bring word that God always is faithful, that peace, good news, and salvation make it clear that our God reigns! In plain sight you have done these things, O God, and with plain words we proclaim it — the king is in our midst. Christ the Lord is born today! Amen. Prayer Of Confession The ends of the earth may ...

2331. If the House Is Messy, Clean It Up

Illustration

Daniel B. Clendenin

A second-grader once drew a picture of a fierce rhinoceros with a disturbing and unvarnished admission as a caption: "I'm as angry as a rhino!" Similarly, in her book, Amazing Grace; A Vocabulary of Faith, Kathleen Norris writes about a little boy who wrote a poem called "The Monster Who Was Sorry." In the poem the boy explodes about how he hated it when his father yelled at him. In anger he threw his sister down the stairs, wrecked his room, then destroyed an entire town. His poem concludes: "Then I sit ...

2332. How Do You Know You Are Called?

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Staff

How do we know we are called? How do we know to what we are called? An age-old question to which a wise minister and author has given us an answer worth pondering. Frederick Buechner, in his book, "Wishful Thinking," says it well. He says that a good rule for finding one's vocation is this: Our special mission in our life is usually A. That which we'd love most to do and B. It is work that the world most needs to have done. Buechner says that if we really get a kick out of our work, we have probably met ...

2333. You Are Mine

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Illustration

Mark Trotter

A daughter calls home, talks to her parents about the great disappointment in her life, how she feels. She talks about what she can do now. They talk about all this. At the end the parents say, "We wish we could do something." She says, "You have done a lot just being there. I can feel your love. It helps. Thanks for being there." I think it must have been like that when Jesus prayed to God in those critical moments in his life. His identity was confirmed, "You are my Son." He was assured that he is loved ...

2334. The Upside Down Life

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

I confuse “inversion therapy” with “aversion therapy.” The latter (“aversion therapy”) is where you train your dog not to leave your yard, or not dig, or not bark, with a collar that shocks the dog when it does run off, dig, or bark. “Inversion therapy” helps alleviate back and neck pain by taking the usual gravitational press we live with and literally “standing it on its head.” One method is to strap your feet into boots and hang upside down like a big bat. Rosie O’Donnell once did this on the Ellen ...

2335. A Great Power Watching

John 14:21-29

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

There was a nature show on television about a black bear that gave birth to two cubs. One cub died right away. Three weeks later the mother died and the remaining cub was left to fend for itself. An orphaned cub in that condition is like a walking buffet for predators. And of course the camera immediately showed a hungry-looking mountain lion. One day the orphan cub encountered a giant male black bear. The little cub cowered at the bear's sheer mass. The larger bear peered around and seemed to realize that ...

2336. A Sunday Kind of Love

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

I have in my hand a three-way light bulb. The three-way light bulb was the first attempt at “mood lighting.” One light bulb could be switched on to three different levels of intensity, changing the amount of light it cast over a room. Trying to read? Click the bulb up to 150 watts. Just sitting around talking? Click down to 100 watts. Wanting to snuggle with your sweetie? Click down to 50 watts. One light bulb, but three different experiences of the light it produced. This Sunday is “Trinity Sunday.” This ...

2337. No Clues?

Matthew 1:18-25

Drama

Arley K. Fadness

Theme: See the signs — they’re very clear Characters: Detective Joe Clue Damis (Joe’s pregnant wife) Tone: Humorous Setting/Props: Kitchen table Flowers in a vase Two or three chairs Coffee pot Radio Knitting needles Yarn Couch Baby clothes Approximate time: 5 minutes Damis: (talking to herself) Ooooh. Morning comes too soon. I’ll fix myself some coffee. Maybe some java will wake me up and get me going. I think I’ll fix myself a little cream of wheat, too. Maybe it’ll settle my touchy stomach — ooooh. ( ...

2338. We Can Do Better

Illustration

Staff

A sightseeing bus was making the rounds through Washington, D.C., and the driver was pointing out spots of interest. As they passed the Pentagon building, he mentioned that it cost taxpayers millions of dollars and that it took a year and a half to build. While everyone was looking at it, a little old woman piped up: "In Peoria we could have built the same building for less, and it would have been completed even sooner than that!" The next sight on the tour was the Justice Department building. Once again ...

2339. When the Spectacular Becomes Familiar

Illustration

Steven Molin

In his book Finding God in Unexpected Places, author Philip Yancey describes the time he and his wife visited Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone Park. They were having lunch in the lodge, watching the digital clock ticking down the minutes until the next big splash. When the clock reached 30 seconds, diners left their tables and rushed over to the windows overlooking the geyser. When Old Faithful erupted, and all the tourists were ooohing and aahing, Yancey looked over his shoulder and saw that the ...

2340. A Peaceful Life in an Unpeaceful World

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

I'm tempted to ask for a show of hands. How many people here have passed on an email making fun of a politician or political leader? It can be fun to do that. Passing on a cartoon about a politician helps us vent our frustrations at the foibles of our government. We sometimes feel helpless in the face of all of the corruption, bickering, pandering, false promises, and just general buffoonery that go on in our government. We feel a bit better if we can poke fun at our leaders. If we are not careful, however ...

2341. A Grayhound and a Kite

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Mark L. Feldman and Michael F. Spratt in their book Five Frogs on a Log tell about a family visiting Mexico that found itself in a difficult situation. On Sept. 6, 1960, the Salado River in Sabinas, Mexico, overran its banks. Flood waters filled the main road leading from Sabinas across the border into the U.S. Numerous cars and trucks stalled while attempting to cross the border. However, a tow truck driver observed the mess with happy anticipation. You can guess why. He charged an exorbitant fee to tow ...

2342. “You Have Given Me the Heritage of Those Who Fear Your Name”

Psalm 61:1-8

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: In prayer we are led to God our Rock, and to a higher plane of faith and trust. Understanding the Text Psalm 61 is an individual lament.1The reader is not informed about the problem, except that it is evidently, like the occasion for Psalms 42–43, related to the psalmist’s “foe” (61:3b). Not generally included in the royal psalms, it nevertheless contains the beautiful prayer on the king’s behalf in verses 6–7, or a prayer prayed by the king. A backward glance at Psalm 60 and a forward glance at ...

2343. Spiritual Warfare and Jewish Suffering

Daniel 8:1-14

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

Big Idea: Even though powerful, evil rulers oppose God and his angels, persecute his people, and defile his sanctuary, God emerges victorious in the end. Understanding the Text Daniel 8:1–27 is woven into the book’s overall literary structure in several ways. First, it is the second of Daniel’s four apocalyptic visions, as well as the second of two paired, symbolic visions (chaps. 7 and 8). Second, it advances the already reset chronology of chapter 7. Third, it begins the concentric Hebrew section of ...

2344. The Fall

Genesis 3:1-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

There are only four chapters in the Bible where Satan is not implicitly present in the world, the first two and the last two. The Bible begins and ends with him out of existence. But between Genesis 3 and Revelation 20 he is a factor to be reckoned with. The Hebrew word for “serpent” may be connected either with an adjective/noun meaning “bronze” (suggesting something that is shiny), or with a verb meaning “to practice divination.” Two things are said about the serpent (3:1–7). First, a word about his ...

2345. The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

2 Samuel 6:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

6:1–8:18 Review · David Established as King:After a long wait marked by years of valuable training, David has now become the king of Israel. Because he is God’s new choice as king, the Lord gives him and his descendants the right to rule forever, and he gives David victory over all his enemies. 6:1–23 · The Ark of the Covenant represents God’s presence more than does any other article in the tabernacle (1 Sam. 4:4), so David has it brought to Jerusalem. The ark has been in Kiriath Jearim, about nine miles ...

2346. Unfaithfulness and Restoration

Hosea 2:2-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

2:2–15 · Confrontation of unfaithfulness:In order for God to reestablish a normal relationship with his people, there will need to be some dramatic changes in the hearts of the people of Israel. Initially chapter 2 appears to be a divorce court scene where Hosea is talking to his children about confronting their sinful mother Gomer, but after a few verses one realizes that the confrontation is not just about Hosea and Gomer; the text is also talking about God’s confronting the sons of Israel. Although the ...

2347.

Psalm 85:1-13

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

A Forgiven People Seeking Forgiveness and God’s Promise of Shalom This psalm reflects the tension of living between promise and fulfillment. When the people of God had experienced the beginnings of his grace in the return from exile (vv. 1–3), they still suffered hardships in the early postexilic period (vv. 4–7). At the same time, they were still hearing future blessings promised to them (vv. 8–13). It reflects the tension of having been forgiven and still being in need of forgiveness. This psalm also ...

2348. One Good Word for Santa

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

Nicholas was born of wealthy parents in A.D. 280 in a small town called Patara in Asia Minor. He lost his parents early by an epidemic but not before they had instilled in him the gift of faith. Then little Nicholas went to Myra and lived there a life full of sacrifice and love and the spirit of Jesus. Nicholas became so Christlike that when the town needed a bishop he was elected. He was imprisoned for his faith by Emperor Diocletian and released later by Emperor Constantine. There have been many stories ...

2349. Chickens Coming to Roost

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

John Smith was a loyal carpenter, working for a very successful building contractor who called him into his office one day and said, "John, I’m putting you in charge of the next house we build. I want you to order all the materials and oversee the whole job from the ground up." John accepted the assignment with great enthusiasm and excitement. Fourteen days before ground was broken at the building site, John studied the blueprints. He checked every measurement, every specification. Suddenly he had a ...

2350. The Church of All Tithers

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

Dr. Hugh McKean of Chiengmai, Thailand, tells of a church of four hundred members where every member tithes. They receive a weekly wage of forty stangs (less than twenty cents) and their rice. Of this meager existence, each gives a tenth every week. Because of this, they have done more for Christ in Thailand than any other church. They pay their own preacher and have sent two missionary families to spread the gospel in a community cut off from the outside world. They are intensely interested in all forms ...

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