Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2351 to 2375 of 3852 results

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... he followed Jesus from that day forward. Sometime back a major news service carried this item which I quote: “After six years of blindness, Charles Gilman has his sight back. Now he plays an exciting game of matching faces with voices which originally were only ‘fleshed out’ by his own imagination. ‘It’s like being born again,’ he said.” (6) Bartimaeus’ experience was like being born again, both physically and spiritually. It was faith that kept Bartimaeus from giving up. It was faith that ...

2352. Small Towns

Luke 2:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... in our mind’s eye. Jesus was born in a small town to fulfill a prophecy found in Micah 5:2-5, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times . . . He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he ...

2353. A Good Steward

Mark 12:38-44

Illustration

David Reynolds

... age of 86. McCarty scrimped and saved, however, until she was able to leave $150,000 to the University of Southern Mississippi to set up scholarships for other needy African Americans. Contributions from more than 600 donors have added some $330,000 to the original scholarship fund of $150,000. After hearing of Miss McCarty's gift, Ted Turner, a multi-billionaire, gave away a billion dollars. He said, "If that little woman can give away everything she has, then I can give a billion." Oseola just said, "I ...

2354. Satan’s Talking Points

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... “acedia” and “sorrow” to create a single category “sloth,” rolled “vainglory” into “pride,” and added the new category of “envy” to create his list that endures to this day. But there was a difference between Gregory’s list and the original Evagrius list, and it was more than the difference between eight and seven. Gregory focused on “sins,” the acting out of temptations. Evagrius was concerned with the way Satan’s talking points about the future could bring you to fear and ...

2355. Predictions of the Future

Mark 13:1-8; Luke 21:5-38

Illustration

... scientist, 1899. "It will be years not in my time before a woman will become Prime Minister." Margaret Thatcher, 1974. "I see no good reasons why the views given in this volume should shock the religious sensibilities of anyone." Charles Darwin, The Origin Of Species, 1869. "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977. "With over 50 foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn't likely ...

2356. It Wasn’t The Hilton, You Know

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... 5.) All Angels: Glory to God in the highest. Peace on Earth. Good will toward men. Child 6 (Angel 2): Why do we have to say those lines every year? Assistant Director: (nodding toward the Director) I think she just likes them. Director: It’s in the original script. You know, the Bible? Besides, it’s something simple enough for the little ones to say each year. And yes, I do like those words. It’s the whole reason for celebrating Christmas. It is important we all understand the words. Child 6 (Angel 2 ...

2357. Christmas: Before And After

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... designed to be performed by a small group of older youth with no set and only a handful of props that are moved around the stage by the cast, and used in different ways in each scene. It is based on improvisations by its original cast and, as such, welcomes adaptation and revision by each group that performs it. Though the narration provides a connecting thread, each individual scene can be performed independent of the others. So, churches could incorporate one scene into worship in the two Sundays leading ...

2358. “Unto Us A Child Is Born... Next, On Omar”

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... this play is best suited for a youth group presentation, though older elementary children can cover some of the parts. Please note that if females are cast as the talk show host and announcer, the names of Omar and Jacob can be changed. In its original production, both parts were played by women. (Stage is empty at opening. Jacob enters from stage right, with a hand mike.) Jacob: And now, from downtown Bethlehem, home of the House of David, it’s the known world’s favorite talk show, “Omar!” And now ...

2359. Because God Said So, That’s Why!

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

... with jar inside Bundle with blanket inside Gifts for the Wise Men to give to Jesus Notes This production can be restructured to suit a cast that is predominantly male or female. The lead part of David can easily be transformed to Rachel. In the original production, a girl did play this role. The play offers roles for a wide range of ages. Adults or older youth could play the Kings, while upper elementary or “’tween” children can play the roles of David and Esther. The other roles are simple enough ...

2360. A Squirrely Holiday

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... -rumor. But I couldn’t get the story out of my head. So I checked it out on snopes.com, and much to my surprise this credentialing site rates the story as true, after speaking directly to the author (http:www.snopes.com/glurge/Daniel.asp). Originally written in 1995 by Indiana pastor Richard Ryan, it appeared in “A Third Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul.” Here is the story in its entirety, the story of someone named Daniel, a Johnny Appleseed figure who had squirrely priorities about what it means ...

2361. Matthew 6:25-33

Matthew 6:25-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... circumstances that are beyond human control. Worrying has never added an inch to anyone’s height. Jesus rebukes the next focus for fretting and rejects worry over clothing. Although protection from the elements and a degree of modesty may have been the original purpose for clothing, what people wear has always been a statement about status, wealth, and power. For this reason Jesus compares the raiment of one of the most wealthy, powerful figures in all of Israel’s history, King Solomon, to the simple ...

2362. The Whole Family Survival Kit

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . So you see, we are practically brothers!” By 2005 the quest for the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” took on a serious scientific status when The National Geographic Society, IBM, and the Witt Family Foundation launched “The Genographic Project.” Although originally designed to trace the migration patterns of certain indigenous peoples, anyone could participate in the Project. All that was required was to send a DNA sample — a simple cheek swab — and the scientists would analyze the sample’s ...

2363. Turning Up the Religious Machinery

Illustration

William G. Carter

... any discriminating American congregation. The curriculum would consist of four courses. Course 1: Creative Plagiarism. I would put you in touch with a wide range of excellent and inspirational talks, show you how to alter them just enough to obscure their origins, and get you a reputation for wit and wisdom. Course 2: Voice Control for Prayer and Counseling. We would develop your own distinct style of Holy Joe intonation, acquiring the skill in resonance and modulation that conveys an unmistakable aura of ...

2364. Every Kiss Begins with K

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the other Christmas music. And if you really listen to the words, some of them are downright downers. The carol tells of journey and mission of the “magi.” We will celebrate in liturgy their star-led journey in January, but since Christmas giving traces its origins to their gifts, and this sermon is about gift-giving, we need to say a few things this third Sunday in Advent about those better known as “wise men” or the “three kings.” The song was composed in 1857 by the Rev. John Henry Hopkins ...

2365. Beware of Cute

Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the Hidden One who had come in the utterance; the Power who had come to embodiment was thus conceived in her womb.” (For some pictures of the Annunciation that show a beam of light shining into Mary’s ear, see Margaret Barker, Christmas The Original Story [SPCK, 2008], 59). Sound can change our behavior. Is there anything more annoying than that “beep, beep, beep” reminder your car bleats out until you finally put on your seat belt. The ear-piercing scream of a smoke detector can jolt you out of ...

2366. O Little Town of Bethlehem: A Story of Faith

Luke 1:39-45, Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Illustration

Keith Wagner

... December 27th, 1868. It wasn't published as an official hymn of the Episcopal Church until 1892. The following January, Phillips Brooks died, never knowing the magnitude of the hymn that he created. For some reason the 5th stanza has been dropped from the original score."Where children pure and happy Pray to the blessed Child, Where misery cries out to thee, Son of the mother mild; Where charity stands watching And faith holds wide the door, The dark night wakes, the glory breaks, And Christmas comes once ...

2367. Christmas in the Midst of Songs

Luke 1:39-45

Illustration

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... by selected groups in isolated places. Only at the Christmas season does the majority of the population choose to sing or to listen to the singing of others. Some of the songs which now mark the Christmas and Advent season are poor secularizations of the original Christmas theme. But even as derivations and deviations from the true theme, they carry some measure of the joy of the season. This isn't surprising because Christmas was born in the midst of songs. The Gospel of Luke says it most specifically, but ...

2368. Every Day God Empowers

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... , what the outcome will be. It's for this reason that Jesus went to the cross. To show us just how much God loves us and how much God wants us to belong to family of God. Conclusion: You have been created by a loving God. You are a designer original. There are no plain label or generic brands in God's eyes. Each of you is a unique creation. You have been created in the Image of God, therefore, you each have a famous maker label. It doesn't matter if you have a checkered past. It doesn't matter ...

2369. A Crib, A Cross, And A Cave

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... to the classic Christmas Hymn: "Hark the herald angels sing, Glory to the new born King, Peace on Earth, and mercy mild, God and sinner reconciled." How is it that all of humankind could be reconciled to God through a child? That's not an idea that could originate with us. It had to be God's idea. Martin Luther said, "Christ became what he was not -"Sin" in order that we might become what we were not -"the Righteousness of God." It all began in the Crib. Because without the Crib there would have been no ...

2370. Joshua People Always Look Forward With Hope

Joshua 1:1-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... their next meal was coming from. But they missed the point didn't they. And unfortunately for the Children of Israel, when they accepted the Majority Report, it meant they would wander in the wilderness for another 40 years, until no one from the original spy expedition except Joshua and Caleb, would enter into the Promised Land. And none of those who opposed the Minority Report and failed to trust God would enter either. That was their punishment. They had forgotten what God had already done for them in ...

2371. A Stone’s Throw From: The Party

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... a wedding feast in Cana when the wine ran out. Mary turned to her son. "They have no wine," she said. There was something in the tone of her voice that told Jesus she expected him to do something. Jesus' response seems a little harsh. In the original Aramaic it's not nearly as abrupt or disrespectful as it seems to sound. "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come." Still, Jesus' heart went out to his hosts. He felt their embarrassment. He apparently knew the family and ...

2372. A Stone’s Throw From: New Life

John 8:3-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... through their hypocrisy and challenged them with the words, "Whichever one of you is without sin, can cast the first stone." The Bible says those Pharisees slipped away. When they were all gone, Jesus told the woman, "I do not condemn you. Go and sin no more." The original Greek means that Jesus deferred judgment. He didn't say to her, "Forget it. It's no big deal." To do that would have been to trivialize or dismiss what she was accused of. What Jesus was saying was this, "I'm not going to pass judgment on ...

2373. Settling In Celebration

Romans 12:1-2

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Disney Company which has the flavor of a southern American village from the 1930s. About 2,500 homes are clustered around a small, pedestrian-friendly shopping area. Celebration is connected directly to the Walt Disney World parks and resorts. It was one of the original communities developed as part of Walt Disney's vision of an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT). The idea behind it was that it was to be completely user friendly and on the very edge of the cutting edge of every area of ...

2374. Spiderman: Saved To Serve

Colossians 3:1-4, 12-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... enemy of the early church, who becomes Paul chief evangelist of the early church and Peter Parker, the nerdy teenager who becomes Spiderman. I. Saul and Peter Parker A. OK, Let's go back to the beginning and do a little comparison of the origins of both Spiderman and Paul. Spider-Man was first introduced in the comic Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962). Peter Parker, a Senior at MidtownHigh School, receives his powers when he was bitten by a radioactive spider in a science demonstration. This bite endowed him ...

2375. LOST? Looking For Love

John 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, 1 John 4:7-19

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... by God and unconditional love and acceptance by and for ourselves. Conclusion In London's famed British Museum you will find the ancient "Rosetta Stone." It was discovered in 1799 by troops of Napoleon near the city of Rosetta in Egypt. The stone was originally inscribed by priests of Ptolemy V in the second century B.C., and contains the same text written in hieroglyphic and in Greek. Because scholars knew Greek, they were able to use the stone to unlock the mysteries of the ancient Egyptian language for ...

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