Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2401 to 2425 of 4490 results

2401. The Burdens Of The Past

Haggai 2:1-9, Haggai 1:1-15

Sermon

Robert P. Hines

Recently a young man who participates in Civil War reenactments was giving a talk about his hobby. He shared with the group how a soldier in that war carried his own food supply with him. A bag of food weighed about seven pounds. The rifle he carried weighed ten pounds. The blanket and backpack weighed another forty pounds. This means the typical soldier in the Civil War carried over fifty pounds of material and weaponry with him all the time. Carrying that much weight must have been a heavy burden that ...

2402. The Christian Journey III: The Desert

Sermon

John N. Brittain

Exodus 17:1-7; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Mark 1:1-13 Years ago I visited a university which was really in the middle of nowhere. That is to say the university was the town -- except for the grain elevator and a 25 employee factory that assembled sporting goods. I had a very cordial visit and at the end of my few days there, I was driven to the nearest airport, about three hours away. The flight was late, then quite late when a crew member came in to tell me, the sole passenger getting on the plane, that it ...

2403. Prayers for Family Days

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

Family Issues There comes the moment, Loving Spirit, when we are devastated by the news of a loved one's tragedy. What should our first response be? What can we say or do for our loved one and for the family members who so lovingly surround him? How should we pray? How we wish we could say, "There, there, now, I'm sure everything will be okay." Or if we can't offer words, surely there must be something we can do. Perhaps we can locate a new specialist, a new medicine, a new diet, a new prayer -- something ...

2404. Finding Faith In Unlikely People

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

One of the continuing delights of life is the joy of the unexpected. Highly scheduled as we are, and rigorously regimented, occasionally we are extraordinarily pleased with interruption and variation. When out-of-town friends turn up unannounced, rather than having scheduled themselves weeks in advance, we experience a certain excitement. How pleasant to have a business deal grow into undreamed proportions. What joy in having a surprise verdict from judge and jury. What a thrill to see surgery and ...

2405. The Divine Advocacy

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

The Festival of Pentecost long has been neglected within American Protestantism. Often coinciding with Memorial Day weekend, it tends to be overshadowed by parades and visits to cemeteries and memories of those loved long since and lost a while. Even more than that, it is overshadowed by the official opening of summer for those of us in northern states. Memorial weekend is for opening cottages, launching boats and for getting a good start on a summer tan. But the Festival of Pentecost has been around about ...

2406. Life's Final Flight

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

Some of the largest ads in newspapers, and some of the best commercials on television, deal with flying. Some people think that flying is "the only way to go," others fly only because they must and "white-knuckle" it all the way, and some simply refuse to fly at all, claiming that "if God intended us to fly he would have given us wings." Some delightful stories come out of airplane experiences. One such tale deals with the time when the passengers in a large jet plane were already anxious because of bad ...

2407. Reversing The Flow

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

One of the greatest challenges of life is to stay in touch with reality and hold on to hope at the same time. And let it be said, clearly and unequivocally, that precisely just such a stance describes the committed Christian. Some would boast of a strong faith, but would build it by ignoring the realities of the world around them. Others see clearly the reality of the world around them and therefore are unable to hold on to faith or hope in God at all. The biblical faith to which you and I are heirs does ...

2408. Gluttony - Living By Bread And The Word Of God

Mark 6:30-44, 1 Timothy 4:1-16

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

Every day at about 10:30 in the morning and then about 3:30 in the afternoon, I need a little snack to keep me going. A cookie or some pretzels, some quick and easy snack to get rid of a growling stomach; something to give me a boost so I can get my work done. If I go too long without some snack food, I get to feeling run down. I even become grumpy and irritable. Then I can't do my work because I'm thinking about food. Eating food is, of course, a necessity of life. We need food to live, to do our work; we ...

2409. Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." In her novel Come and Go, Molly Snow, Mary Ann Taylor-Hall gives an account of Carrie attempting to come to grips with the loss of her eight-year-old daughter, Molly Snow. Carrie is a fiddler, but in the wake of this tragic loss she says, "The music doesn't rise up in me right now."1 In the months that followed, Carrie listens to homespun wisdom and begins the first steps of coming to grips with the absence of Molly Snow and the presence of a deep ...

2410. Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!

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

Sermon

Moses was a master of masquerade! He lived a good portion of his life in disguise. From the time he was three months old he went into hiding. At three months he was placed in a basket among the Nile reeds. The infant princess Elora Danan, in the movie Willow, was placed in a basket made of river sticks which quickly became a boat. The little boat was pushed off from the shore seconds before the Queen's death dogs converged on the child's caretaker. Her basket was an escape to a safe land. Moses' basket, ...

2411. Easter 2

Jn 20:19-31 · 1 Pet 1:3-9 · Acts 2:14a, 22-32 · Ps 16 · Ps 111

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

THIS WEEK'S TEXT Revised Common: Acts 2:14a, 22-32 · 1 Pet 1:3-9 · Jn 20:19-31 Roman Catholic: Acts 2:42-47 · 1 Pet 1:3-9 · Jn 20:19-31 Episcopal: Acts 2:14a, 22-32 or 1 Pet 1:3-9 or Jn 20:19-31 · Gen 8:6-16; 9:8-16 · Acts 2:14a, 22-32 Lutheran: Acts 2:14a, 22-32 · 1 Pet 1:3-9 · Jn 20:19-31 Theme For The Day: The theme of faith and doubt runs through the lessons for today. In the First Lesson, Peter attempts to elicit faith on the part of his hearers in the risen Christ. In the Second Lesson, Peter points ...

2412. Epiphany 3

Mt 4:12-23 · 1 Cor 1:10-18 · Is 9:1-4 · Amos 3:1-8 · Ps 27 · Ps 139

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 9:1-4 This passage is a portion of the First Lesson for Christmas Day. On that occasion it was employed as a fulfillment of the expectation of the birth of the Messiah. In the context of Epiphany it is used as a fulfillment of the promise that the Messiah would be a light for all the nations. This passage was written during a time of great darkness and gloom. The tribes of Zebulon and Naphtali had been subjugated by the Assyrians in 734 B.C. Yet, the prophet envisions a ...

2413. I Am Who I Am

Sermon

Ronald Lavin

...Though he was in the form of God, (he) did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself,. being born in the likeness of men. -- Philippians 2:6-7 (RSV) Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am." -- John 8:58 (NRSV) ____________ The most crucial question that was ever asked about Jesus is the one the people asked as he came riding triumphantly into Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday: "Who is this?" (Matthew 21:10). It is a familiar question. It was ...

2414. A Voice Crying In The Wilderness

John 1:1-18, John 1:19-28

Sermon

John A. Stroman

The people wondered who John the Baptist was. He appeared as a rather strange person who came from the wilderness, preaching repentance, dressed in camel's hair, surviving on a diet of locust and wild honey. John the Baptist was the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ. Yet his message of good news seemed as strange as his attire. It was good news involving repentance, and repentance involved change. That is good news to some people but it is bad news to others. It was good news for the oppressed. It ...

2415. Peter's Confession, Christ's Prediction

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

We will treat these texts as one. In examining them we have entered what many commentators believe is the central section of Mark's story: 8:22--10:52. The immediate context for this central section of material is the climax of the section that precedes it: Mark 6:35--8:21. We need to say a few words about 8:1-21, as it is omitted from the lectionary. Mark 8:1-9 is the story of the Gentile feeding of the multitude with bread which we have discussed in an earlier chapter. The response to Jesus' feeding of ...

2416. Changing The Rules

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

When I was a camp director the rules of long established and understood games were constantly being changed in order to incorporate a larger sphere of players. For the same reason Jesus said, "You have a clever way of rejecting God's law in order to uphold your own teaching." Jesus had a knack for constantly changing the rules of the game of life in order to incorporate a larger sphere of people in his kingdom net. One such game where the rules were often changed was volleyball. Volleyball is a well- ...

2417. God's Math:Lose Life = Save It

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

When self-preservation is our central aim, we are never safe. However, when we are committed to surrender to the disturbances that Godly compassion produces we are never in danger.So Jesus said, "For whoever wants to save his own life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." We can be dumped into the most precarious situations but if God is with us we are not in danger. The worst that can happen to us is dislocation from Christ. Hence, as long as we are with the ...

2418. Advent 2

2 Peter 3:1-18, Isaiah 40:1-31, Mark 1:1-8

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Christ as our Shepherd King. Isaiah 40 has the Lord coming to save and comfort his dispossessed people. He comes as a mighty king who will rule his people in justice. At the same time, he is a loving shepherd, caring for his wounded sheep. The Old Testament held up the ideal of the king of Israel as a shepherd. In so doing the emphasis shifts from the desires of the king to the needs of the people. The Gospel Lesson from Mark 1 has John the Baptist pointing to this ruler who was mightier than ...

2419. Ash Wednesday

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17, Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:16-18, 2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Bulletin Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: A call to repentance and renewal. The people are called to return to the Lord with acts of worship, giving and devotion that spring from the heart. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 We know little about the writer of this book and there are no historical markers by which to judge the period in which it was composed. Many scholars believe that Joel lived in the Persian period (559-331 B.C.). We do know that he had a keen interest in the temple and can surmise that he hails from priestly ...

2420. Proper 21

Mark 9:38-41, Esther 7:1-10, Esther 9:18-32, James 5:13-20, Mark 9:42-50

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Providing a preserving and redemptive effect on the world. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 The book of Esther, written about 460 B.C., makes no mention of God, worship, or prayer. It doubtless was included in the canon because it is sort of an Easter story concerning the Jewish people. The wicked Haman had laid plans for the genocide of the Jewish people. Mordecai catches wind of the plot and intercedes with his adopted daughter, Queen Esther, who intercedes with King Ahasuerus ...

2421. Proper 26

Hebrews 9:11-28, Ruth 1:1-22, Mark 12:28-34

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Getting back to the basics, to love God with one's entire being and to love the neighbor as oneself. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Ruth 1:1-18 This story, known by even the biblically illiterate, finds its setting during the time of the judges. Elimelech and his wife Naomi migrate to Moab, probably for economic reasons, where they settle. Their two sons marry Moabite wives. During the course of time, all of the men in Naomi's family die. She hears that there is food in the land of her origin and decides ...

2422. Made New By 180 Degrees

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

For those of you who have come here a mite tense today, I have good news for you. Without tension you cannot know the ultimate joy of Christmas. Without facing tension, Christmas is almost certainly missed. We have a tension between our texts today. We find tension between what John says and what Paul proclaims in Philippians. Two things emerge from the texts. First, the essential problem with John the Baptist. William Willimon, Chaplain at Duke University, says that John the Baptist reminds us of ...

2423. Pentecost Communion Meditation: Monologue Of A Saint

Acts 2:42-47, Acts 2:14-41

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

Theme: The Holy Spirit has, through the years, drawn us to Christ, that He might make us saints and family. Setting: Like Abraham, I set out on a journey. After twenty years teaching in a United Methodist Church college setting, I grew restless, but still did not know what to do with the rest of my life. For one year, I took a part-time appointment, a two-church circuit, 65 miles from my home in Lakeland, Florida. I had no idea whether I was up to the task of returning to the pastorate. How does one ...

2424. Know Your Limitations

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: Learning to live with our limitations. Materials: A balloon. Lesson: Most children, at one time or another, have come to a parent with a balloon and asked, "Please blow this up for me." Then they would stand back and watch -- (begin to blow up the balloon) -- while Mom or Dad blew, and blew, and blew. (While you talk continue to blow up the balloon.) And the balloon would get bigger, ... and bigger, ... and bigger, ... until ... BANG! (If the balloon does not burst from the air you have put into ...

2425. Two Doors; One Choice

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

In The Lady And The Tiger, Frank Stoc_esermonskton sets before the reader the dilemma of a gladiator who faces his fate in the arena standing before two doors. He must choose which of them to open. Behind one door waits a hungry tiger. Behind the other, a lovely maiden. Jesus presents us with a similar dilemma in this parable. Behind one door to the kingdom waits the tiger of divine wrath. Behind the other door stands the fair maiden of grace. The parable is offered in response to the worried question, ...

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