Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2376 to 2400 of 4972 results

2376. Too Soon, Monsieurs, Too Soon?

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Thomas Long

... ' ministry is not faring well. The transfiguration occurs in a season of gloom. Jesus has been labeled a blasphemer, accused of demon possession, doubted by his friend and colleague in kingdom work John the Baptist, rejected by his hometown to the point that he stopped doing ministry there, resisted by the very people he came to serve and save, and is the subject of murder plots that will, of course, finally be successful. In short, Jesus is plummeting rapidly toward the cross, and it is precisely at this ...

2377. What A Friend He Had In Judas

Matthew 26:47-56

Sermon

Thomas Long

... one thing [Victor] wanted most was to talk to his brother, and that if they could -- But he's come and he's gone. ... It always seems to me that one little step more and some crazy kind of forgiveness will come and lift up everyone. When do you stop being so ... foolish?2 "One little step more and some crazy kind of forgiveness will come and lift up everyone." When Judas, the betrayer, had done his deed, Jesus took that one step more. He stepped of his own free will onto the cross of sacrifice. No one took ...

2378. The Man From Galilee III: The Touch Of His Hand

Matthew 8:14-17

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... talking with her about the trip, what she had seen, how she liked it. They asked her if she had been afraid among all those people and cars as she crossed the street. She said, "No. The big policeman held up his strong hands and all the cars stopped and Charlotte crossed over." Jesus the carpenter had hands bronzed by the sun, strong hands. And with those great, strong hands He came to be the hands of God lifting up a fallen humanity. Early in His ministry Jesus was in the Decapolis, the ten cities around ...

2379. The Man From Galilee IV: The Treasure Of His Kingdom

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... pockets up with pebbles from along the river. And tomorrow you will be both glad and sorry." So they did what the voice commanded. They got on their horses and rode away. On through the night they rode. Finally the sun began to peek over the horizon. They stopped and reached into their pockets and there they found diamonds and rubies. They held a treasure in their hands, and they were both glad and sorry. They were glad they had it, but they were sorry because they had not taken more.2 The good news for us ...

2380. Lust - To Discipline The Eye And The Heart

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

... and false worshipers. Jesus' parable of the "good Samaritan" was a contradiction; to the Jews there were only bad, corrupted and devious Samaritans. To the Jews there was no such person as a "good Samaritan." For instance, while the Samaritans called the town Jesus stopped at by the old name of Shechem, meaning oak, the Jews called it Sychar, meaning drunkenness. Obviously, the Jews had only a bad opinion of the Samaritans. Jesus was on his way back to Galilee and decided to take a shortcut through Samaria ...

2381. Speak For Yourself!

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... going to football games with his father. The boy and his dad sat in sunshine and rain, wind and snow, and cheered for their favorite team. There was nothing like it. On the way home from the ball games, prior to the era of drive-through windows, they often stopped to get a bite to eat. The boy would stand at the counter and listen to his father give the order for their food. Sometimes the restaurant person would turn to the boy and ask, "And what for you today?" It was very comforting for the boy to point ...

2382. Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... of me, but my life will grow around it. My life will be real. It will have its moments. It will have music in it."4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. We hope so. Carrie isn't the only person ever to have the music stop on her just when it sounded the prettiest. We know what it is like. We have come home and looked in our late husband's chair and expected him to be sitting there. We have wanted to tell a parent about some fantastic achievement in our lives, but had to ...

2383. How Much Sin Is Too Much?

Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

Of all the pressing questions of the day, a sign on one person's desk asks, "How much can I sin and still go to heaven?" The question seems amusing until we stop to think about it. Inherent in this question is a bold-faced confession that there is no interest at all in pursuing a life shaped wholly by the spirit of God, but at the same time we do not want to be so recklessly sacrilegious that we forfeit completely the ...

2384. Been There, Done That

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... 's mother to heal, and to a second-floor room for one last meal together. All of these journeys of Jesus start in this passage in which he moves from Bethlehem to Egypt to Judea before settling in Nazareth. It is no coincidence that this journey included a stop in Egypt. The central event in the Jewish faith is the exodus from slavery in Egypt. Over and over again the people were told, "Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you" (Deuteronomy 15:15). Even if it ...

2385. In The Flesh

John 1:1-18

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... . One afternoon his wife suffered a major stroke, and all there was to do was wait. Jerry and his three children waited 39 days in the hospital, but they didn't wait alone. Every single day of that 39-day stretch somebody from the church stopped by to say hello. Two church members drove grandchildren back and forth to school, ball games, and dances. Another church member mowed Jerry's yard and watered his flowers. Another person from the church transferred sick days from her account to Jerry's account so ...

2386. Why Not Walk On What Jesus Walked On When He Walked On Water

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Roger G. Talbott

... hardly believe it." "Can you imagine what we could do with that kind of power?" "Yeah, we could feed the world!" "People would come to us from all over!" "Our pictures will be in all the papers!" "We'll be interviewed on 60 Minutes." "Won't the Romans try to stop us?" "Hey! Let them just try. What do the Romans have to offer that's better than a free meal everyday? Even their soldiers will want that." "Yeah! And if they wanted to eat, they would have to do what we say." "Wouldn't it be wrong for us to ...

2387. The Waste In Comparison

Genesis 37:1-11, 12-36

Sermon

... she made to visit an aunt who had just moved into a nursing home. She had hoped to stay several days in the town where her aunt now lived, the two of them seeing the sights, trying the restaurants. And so my friend began a restful journey, stopping when she wanted, seeing the sights along the way. She took in all the parks, several quaint eating places, a couple of outlet malls before arriving in her aunt's town. After settling into the hotel she was dismayed to realize she had already exceeded her budget ...

2388. Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!

Exodus 1:1-22, 2:1-10

Sermon

... . There is a time to be silent and a time to speak. For Moses there had been a time of disguise. God wanted Moses disguised at three months of age to protect him. As an adult, Moses' hiding among the Midianites was effective. But now it was time to stop the masquerade. There are times when we hide from the hurt that our neighbors are experiencing. There are times when we turn away from the rotten stuff that's going on around us. There are times when we make excuses for not finding and caring for those who ...

2389. Going Through The Waters

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

... for is closing. Everything you worked for, your home, and your dreams are pulled out from under your feet. You are betrayed by someone you trusted. You watch the evening news of starving children, poverty, and civil wars. The earth shakes and you are powerless to stop it, powerless to right the wrong. In crossing the Reed Sea we are reminded that in every life dark forces threaten to overtake us. But in going through the waters we are also reminded that finally our lives are in the hands of God. When the ...

2390. Adam And Eve And God

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Genesis 2:4-25, Genesis 3:1-24

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... over to him and embraces him. "Adam," God says. In modern Hebrew, that means "human being." The hug feels good to the man and he smiles. He never heard of having to be macho so the hug doesn't bother him. It simply feels good. The misty rain stops as it reaches the edge of the stage. Deftly, God builds trees, plants, shrubs, bushes, and all kinds of vegetation of the wet crimson soil. These He touches and they turn bright green. He smiles, and fruits and vegetables form on the plants. He takes Adam through ...

2391. Sixth Sunday After the Epiphany

Sermon

Russell F. Anderson

... son, and raise him as a Moslem." Our Lord taught that if we would worship the Lord, we must first make peace with our enemies. Reconciliation involves three things: contrition, confession, and satisfaction (to attempt to right the situation). Most of us stop after the first or, possibly, the second part of the act of reconciliation. In order for spiritual harmony to be completely restored, the peace making process must be completed. Norman Cousins estimates that in the 5,600 hundred or so years of recorded ...

2392. Epiphany Of Our Lord

Mt 2:1-12 · Eph 3:1-12 · Is 60:1-6, 9 · Ps 72

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... long and arduous journey to pay tribute to the new king. How different from the reaction of Herod, who wanted to destroy this new upstart, out of jealousy. Wise people are still seekers. When we think we have life or God or anything else all wrapped up, we stop seeking and growing. Jesus encourages us to seek that we might find. Discipleship is an invitation to follow Christ on a journey of faith. It doesn't matter so much where we are in our life of faith as it does where we are going. Unfortunately, some ...

2393. Good Friday

John 18:1-11, Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Genesis 22:1-19, Hosea 6:1--7:16, Hebrews 10:1-18, Hebrews 4:14-5:10, John 19:17-27

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... comes to mind. We believers are those inside the cars, hurtling along with breakneck speed. The sudden dips, spins and curves threaten to throw us out of the car but we'll be all right if we just hold on and sit tight, until the ride comes to a stop. Epistle: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 The Islam of Christ. The word Islam means submission. Christ cried out to the Father in fervent prayer that he might be spared from the torment of suffering and death. The Father heard his prayer but did not grant his petition ...

2394. Passion Sunday

Mt 26:14–27:66 · Phil 2:5-11 · Is 45:21-25; 50:4-9 · Ps 31

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... as a victim but being in control. Christ willingly gave his life for the world. God employs even the forces of evil and human weakness to bring about the salvation of the world. Darkness and death are all around but humankind, at its worst, can't stop the dawn. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION Note: The remainder of this chapter will be devoted to the Gospel Lesson. Since this is Passion Sunday, as well as Palm Sunday, we will focus on the story of our Lord's passion and death. Following the most recent revision of ...

2395. Proper 14

Genesis 37:12-36, 1 Kings 19:9-18, Jonah 2:1-10, Matthew 14:22-36, Romans 9:1-5; 10:5-15

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... fatal. This is the true story of some dear friends of ours. Ed, a childhood friend of my dad's, is married to a woman by the name of Marie. Marie is a sweet gal but a little on the nervous side. Marie was driving as they pulled to a stop in their driveway, so Ed could open the garage door. Had they not been a happily married couple, I might have had suspicions about what was soon to ensue. As Ed was opening the door, Marie's foot slipped from the brake to the accelerator. Ed found himself attached to ...

2396. Proper 19

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... father commanded that he forgive them for their sins. They still did not realize the extent of Joseph's forgiving spirit, perhaps because they knew what they would do if the tables were turned. Our sins may be forgiven us, but that doesn't mean that our past will stop pursuing us or that events we have set in motion might not one day overtake us. In this life, God may blot out our sins but even he cannot blot out our past. Slaves of sin. It is interesting to observe how the brothers of Joseph referred to ...

2397. Proper 23

Exodus 32:1-33:6, Isaiah 25:1-12, Matthew 22:1-14, Philippians 4:1-9

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... people. Aaron, on the other hand, failed in his priestly role by giving in to the demands of his people. Old Testament: Isaiah 25:1-10 Party time. Isaiah foresees a time when God will hold a huge banquet for all the peoples of the earth. All the stops will be pulled out; nothing will be spared. This banquet will be a celebration of life, love and peace. The banquet is a metaphor for the joyous community which all people of faith will enjoy with one another and the Lord. Epistle: Philippians 4:1-14, 19-20 ...

2398. Proper 24

Exodus 33:12-23, Isaiah 45:1-7, Matthew 22:15-22, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... their backs on God to blend in with the common culture, with dire results 4. We too have been claimed by God as his people but are we not in danger of losing our distinctness? journey with God find your identity in Christ, not the world We stopped at a very busy McDonald's Drive-In in North Platte, Nebraska, one sultry August day, and as we were eating our ice cream a group of very peculiar people crowded the restaurant. The men sported beards, white shirts and suspenders; the women were covered with white ...

2399. Proper 7

Mt 10:16-39 · Rom 5:12 – 6:11 · Jer 20:7-13 · Gen 21:8-21 · Ps 86

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... me by my dad and it means a lot to him because it was from his father. I don't want to hurt my dad by telling him I was so careless as to lose his ring. Please, Lord, help me find it. In Jesus' name. Amen." My eldest daughter stopped by the church and we walked home for lunch. We had just finished eating and my daughter went out to play. Shortly she rushed in: "I found Daddy's ring, I found Daddy's ring!" Apparently, my three-year-old picked it up, took it to the neighbor's and ...

2400. The Great I AM

Sermon

Ronald Lavin

... that we have limits and that one of those limits is that we were never intended to stand in the middle. We forget to remember our mortality. Along comes Ash Wednesday and the ashes remind us to remember. "You come from ashes, to ashes you will return." We stop and remember our mortality. Button, button, who's got the button? "Not me," we reply in confession. "My life is out of control when I hold the control panel and change the stations as I desire. It doesn't work for me to be at the control panel ...

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