Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2326 to 2350 of 4914 results

2326. Building A Life

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

King Duncan

In a park on the beautiful island of Bermuda there is a rock hanging on a rope with a large sign beside it. The sign reads: “Weather Station . . . Check the Rock . . . If it's wet, it's raining . . . If it's moving, it's windy . . . If you can't see it, it's foggy . . . If the rock is gone, it's a hurricane." Today we check the Rock . . . or better yet, to use the language of our text from I Peter, the Stone--the Cornerstone on which our lives are built. We read, “As you come to him, the living Stone-- ...

2327. A Platform For Life

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

King Duncan

Mark Albion, in his book MAKING A LIFE, MAKING A LIVING tells a fascinating story about a practice on the South Pacific island of Pentecost that is very similar to our sport of bungee jumping--except with religious significance. On this island men practice land diving, an ancient ritual designed to please the gods and ensure a good yam harvest. Each man builds his own diving platform. The diver chooses the site carefully. He and he alone is responsible for the construction. The diver also selects his own ...

2328. A Name Not Taken in Vain

2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Sermon

William G. Carter

In the middle of March, 1961, a minister named Duffy splashed water on my head in the middle of a Sunday morning worship service. I was only one of a half dozen "Baby Boomers" whose parents had recently petitioned the Session for the sacrament of baptism. Having recently moved to a trailer park in Akron, Ohio, my parents thought the time seemed right to make their firstborn infant a Presbyterian. The sacrament went rather easily. The only reported glitch was the last-minute discovery that my father had not ...

2329. Enduring the Trials of Faith

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Richard Gribble

"In the seventh year of his reign, two days before his sixty-fifth birthday, in the presence of a full consistory of cardinals, Jean Marie Barette, Pope Gregory XVII, signed an instrument of abdication, took off the Fisherman's ring, handed his seal to the Cardinal Camerlengo and made a curt speech of farewell." So begins the power novel The Clowns of God, the second volume of a trilogy of tales about popes and faith written by Morris West, the Australian-born author. In the story, the pope has seen a ...

2330. Defeat Transformed into Victory

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Richard Gribble

2331. Easter 4

Acts 2:42-47, Psalm 23:1-6, 1 Peter 2:13-25, John 10:1-21

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

TEXTS FROM ACTS AND PSALMS In the lesson from Acts, we are told of the early Christians' generosity toward one another and of the steady work of God in the life and growth of the Church. Psalm 23 celebrates God's securing care and bountiful provision for humanity. Acts 2:42-47 - "Life in "the Last Days" Setting. Again, readers should turn to the materials for the second Sunday of Easter for a discussion of the setting of this lesson in the context of Acts 2. In brief, vv. 42-47 summarize the situation in ...

2332. The Passion of the Christ – The Rest of the Story

Matthew 27:45-56

Sermon

James Merritt

The number one question asked in this country for the last six weeks is - "Have you seen ‘The Passion'?" If the answer is "No" the next question is "Are you going to see it?" If the answer is "Yes" the next question is - "What did you think about it?" There is no question that Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ, is as the Spanish put it, en fuego – it is on fire! In Hollywood parlance it is a blockbuster. Geologists would give it a "10" on the Richter scale. Motown would say, "It is off the ...

2333. More Than a Book

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Today we presented each of our third graders a Bible. Why did we do it? Certainly their parents could afford to buy Bibles, and I imagine that in each of the homes from which these children come there are more than one Bible. It isn’t that we thought that if we didn’t get a Bible to them, they would not have access to the scripture. So, why did we do it? We did it to make a statement - to say not only to these children, but to ourselves - all of us - that for the Christian in the church this is it. This is ...

2334. The Way and The Truth and The Life

John 14:1-14

Sermon

Lee Griess

The great American humorist, Will Rogers, had the reputation that he could make anyone laugh. President Calvin Coolidge, on the other hand, had the reputation that he never laughed. Want to know what happened the time those two met? Rogers was invited to visit the White House and as was the custom, the president's assistant brought Rogers into the Oval Office. As was the custom as he entered, the assistant said, "President Coolidge, this is Will Rogers. Mr. Rogers, this is President Coolidge." To which ...

2335. Living on the Edge

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

The long journey was finally nearing its conclusion. Forty years wandering around the hot desert must have been physically as well as emotionally exhausting. It had not always been pleasant living like nomads for so long. As Moses climbed the mountain for what would be the last time, he must have felt a clear sense that his life was not lived in vain. All of his struggles had been worth it as he sought to communicate once again with God on the mountain. He could look back over his long life and realize ...

2336. Reversal of Fortune

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

How many of you like Chinese Food? I love Hot and Sour soup and generally judge a restaurant by the quality of their soup. That's not always the case because I like nearly anything with seafood in it, so if they've got a lot of seafood dishes and their soup not the best, I'll still go back. One of the best parts of the Chinese Restaurant is getting the Fortune Cookie at the end. Some of the fortunes are funny; some are just pithy sayings and others don't make any sense at all. Here's a few that I've ...

2337. The Total Gift

Romans 1:1-17

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

It is easy to get so caught up in the sentimentality and nostalgia of Christmas that we neglect the true reason we celebrate. We receive Christmas cards portraying a cute infant Jesus lying in a manger filled with straw. The Baby Jesus is pictured in the center with Mary and Joseph on one side, the shepherds and Magi on the other. We know this scene: animals are in the background, in the distance angels can be seen hovering, as a star shines brightly overhead. However, there is more to Advent and Christmas ...

2338. Turn On the Light

John 8:12-30

Sermon

James Merritt

It was my first and only time ever to be in a cave. Teresa and I were on our way back to Kentucky where I was going to seminary and we decided to stop off and tour Mammoth Cave. They tried to prepare us for what was going to happen, but in this case the picture was worth far more than 1000 words. We descended deep down into this cave and then with a quick warning the guide turned off the flashlight. Have you ever heard the term “achluophobia-”? That is fear of the darkness. If I didn’t have it before I ...

2339. The Fall of Jerusalem

2 Chronicles 36:15-23

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

The Fall of Jerusalem: Judah’s very sad and violent end at the hands of their Babylonian masters is the theme of the second to last subsection in the book of Chronicles. It is clear from this text that the Chronicler’s intention was certainly not to give a factual account of the end of the Judean kingdom but rather to provide a theological interpretation of this event of the past. Second Chronicles 36:21 particularly links what happened in the past to “the word of the LORD” that came to them “spoken by ...

2340. “For Your Sake We Face Death . . . as Sheep to Be Slaughtered”

Psalm 44:1-26

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Sometimes when we have been faithful to God and bad things still happen to us, the best and only explanation is that it is for God’s sake. Understanding the Text Psalm 44 is a community lament that follows some national defeat of Israel’s army (44:9), even though the psalmist, speaking on behalf of the king, cannot understand why this has happened, since Israel has not forgotten God or “been false” to his covenant (44:17). Psalms 42–43 celebrate the psalmist’s hope that he, isolated and dejected ...

2341. Holding On

Job 1:1; Job 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

High above a small village in the French Alps towers a famous mountain named Mont Blanc. Mont Blanc serves as a permanent challenge to mountain climbers. Nearby is an even more difficult and dangerous crag, called in English, “Fool's Needle.” That mountain sounds appropriately named to me. “Fool's Needle.” Why do mountain climbers tie themselves to one another? asks the old joke—to keep the sensible ones from going home. That’s Fool’s Needle. Standing 11,487 ft. high—only the more experienced mountaineers ...

2342. The Song of Servanthood

Luke 1:39-45 (46-54)

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

Weddings are beautiful and exciting events with an abundance of anticipation. There is so much to do. The “who, what, where, how and why” questions all need to be answered. The bride’s dress needs to be just perfect for her. The bridemaids’ dresses are to be considered and ordered. Flowers need to be ordered from the florist. The guest list must be made and invitations sent. Registration for gifts at different stores should be processed. Oh, and don’t forget the groom and his entourage must be given their ...

2343. New Wine

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

On the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell upon the waiting disciples, there were a number of extraordinary events occurring: there was the sound of a rushing wind, cloven tongues of fire appeared, and they all began to speak in other languages and the Holy Spirit gave them ability. The Jews who were visiting Jerusalem, from all nations, hearing them speak in their own tongues, were amazed at this startling phenomenon. They came to the hasty, false conclusion that the disciples must be drunk, and ...

2344. When All Is Said And Done

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

William G. Carter

The Jehovah's Witnesses have changed their minds. After warning for decades that the world would end within this present generation, the leaders of the sect announced in December 1995 that they have softened their position. As a spokesman explained, "Jesus said that 'this generation will not pass away' until a number of signs have taken place (Mark 13:30). When we reflected on the scriptures, we decided that he was talking about his generation rather than ours." Ex-Witness James Fenton, professor emeritus ...

2345. Called To Pull Down; Called To Rebuild

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

This text is a narrative of the call of Jeremiah; but before the call narrative, we have a preface by the editor of the tradition, placing the call in its historical context (1:1-3). The word of the Lord does not exist in a vacuum and it does not work only in some spiritual realm. It is rooted in our history and related to our chronology. It came in all its specificity to Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah (1:1), during the reigns of Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah (1:2-3). In what seems to be a simple ...

2346. The Results Of Resurrection

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

Suppose you had just said goodbye to someone you love. If so, you would know the feeling of remorse encapsulating Jesus' disciples after his death. Those disciples were left in a state of total chaos. All along Jesus had tried to make them see that his presence among them was only temporary. He had given them clues about his destiny with such words as You will seek me and you will not find me; where I am you cannot come, and The light is with you for a little longer. Even with these words, however, those ...

2347. Having The Last Word

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Some have called it "The Worship Wars," In the past the church has always been involved in its share of conflicts. Some might even call them wars. There have been battles over slavery, over the role of women, and even over the Bible. Today many congregations and even denominations find themselves caught up in a war over styles of worship. Many criticize the church for being out of touch with modern society. Its strange language, customs, and traditions make it seem foreign and alien. In order to relate to ...

2348. When All Is Said And Done

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

William G. Carter

2349. You Provide The Bread

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

William J. Carl

When I was growing up, church picnics were a big thing. I can still see it… long tables with white cloths strung out end to end. Plastic forks and knives, napkins and paper plates on this end. Pitchers of lemonade and iced tea on that end. In between assortments of meat dishes and vegetables down here; various salads and desserts down there. Plenty of rolls and butter. Makes me hungry just thinking about it. In some rural churches they were an all-day affair. People came to church early and left late. They ...

2350. No One Enters The Kingdom… Save With Empty Hands

2 Samuel 5:1-5

Sermon

Richard Hasler

The black man standing in the arena was an affront to Der Fuehrer’s authority. The scene was the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, Germany. The black man was Jesse Owens of The Ohio State University representing the U.S.A. He was aptly called “the fastest human alive.” Der Fuehrer was Chancellor Adolph Hitler who had recently risen to power championing an arrogant theory that his “Aryan race” of “supermen” would conquer the world. In implementing his theory he began systematically to stamp out the Jews in ...

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