Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2401 to 2425 of 4972 results

2401. Choosing a God

1 Kings 18:20-21 (22-29) 30-39

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... to the mountaintop. Good as his word, Elijah gave the opposition first choice. They picked one and prepared it in their normal fashion, leaving lots of fat that would ignite quickly. Elijah stood off to the side as he watched the opposition work. Then he said, "Since ... . Hey, hey, hey! But Elijah could not help himself: "Hey, listen guys, maybe your god is off on a trip. Maybe you can leave a message on his answering machine, and he will get back to you. Could be he's asleep — you had better yell louder ...

2402. You're a Treasure!

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Do you have commitments and connections that would help support and sustain you without the benefit of electricity? Can you find solidarity in genuine solitude? In today’s gospel text Jesus seeks solitude and embraces community in the same breath. Leaving “kosher” ground, Jesus travels into Gentile territory. Yet while he is isolated from his “tribe,” from the ritualistically pure community carved out by observant Jews, Jesus has no problem reaching out to the Father. Jesus finds God in time alone ...

2403. Smarter Than You Think

Humor Illustration

... . Watch while I prove it to you." The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, "Which do you want, son?" The boy takes the quarters and leaves the dollar. "What did I tell you?" said the barber. "That kid never learns!" Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store and says, "Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?" The boy licked his cone and ...

2404. What Does the Bible Really Say about Divorce?

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... . And listen again to his words in John 8 to the woman who was caught in the very act of adultery, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” So, even if we interpret Jesus’ words literally to mean that remarriage of a divorced person is a sin, forgiveness is available there is no condemnation not by the Master. And if not by the Master, then who dares condemn the divorced ...

2405. Proper 17

Psalm 81:1, 10-16, Jeremiah 2:4-13, Luke 14:1-14, Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... jobs-without-meaning cripple our imaginations; cynicism diminishes our willingness to be good neighbors. Breathe new life into us again. Open our eyes to work that is satisfying for our minds and souls. Heal us and activate deep peace in our muscles. Amen. Benediction As you leave the sanctuary to work and play, Be aware that your cup of life is at least half full! Notice that the roof over your home is strong. Notice soft breezes, warm fires, and smiles of friends. Take time to be grateful for who you are ...

2406. A Rock Thrown, A Lesson Learned

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... that squeeze of the hand that he began to weep. He shook a little. He tried to get out of the room and as he was leaving the room, he bumped into this woman who was coming into the room. She says, “He’s been waiting for you. He said he did not want ... and talk to Jesus and hold Jesus’ hand. But he said, ‘No. Once a month Jesus comes and holds my hand and I don’t want to leave until I have a chance to hold the hand of Jesus once more.’” (5) Where can you go, my friend, to show somebody the love of ...

2407. Open the Window, Aunt Minnie, Here It Comes!

Jeremiah 33:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... a bomb exploded on his front porch, Martin never forgot the power of those words, the reassurance of that Voice, a Voice that echoed again and again and again in his soul through all the dark days of his crusade. God had promised never to leave him, never alone, never to leave him alone.” (4) It has been the anchor of every soul committed to the work of God through history: God always fulfills His promises. No matter how dark the night, no matter how harsh the critics, no matter how violent the enemy God ...

2408. Christmas Eve

Psalm 96:1-13, Isaiah 9:2-7, Luke 2:1-7, Titus 2:11-14

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... not want the mess of straw, use some colorful blankets of fabric.) Haloes, shepherd staffs, and toy sheep can be laid out on the back pew to be picked up as children and adults enter the worship space. At the time of the Luke 2 reading, people leave their pews and “embody” their parts of the story. The reader must have a good sense of pacing. (Live sheep dogs add a magical touch to the story.) Call To Worship (Includes the lighting of the Advent/Christmas Wreath.) Leader: The night we’ve been waiting ...

2409. Obedience: Our Gift to Jesus

Hebrews 10:5-10

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... a tear in front of his father. The father understood that and, so as not to ruin the boy's pride, said, "Matthew, I am going to leave you alone for a while, but I will be back in a few minutes." The father then stepped out of the room and closed the door behind ... was the old monk's turn to feed them. He realized that if he failed to show up with food, the poor would leave quietly, thinking the monastery had nothing to give them that day. The monk was torn between earthly duty and the heavenly vision. However ...

2410. Responsibility Comes with Privilege

Acts 8:4-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... four beautiful daughters who were all well respected by the people. One day he called them together and told them, "I am going to a far-off monastery to spend time in prayer with God. Therefore, I am leaving you in charge of the kingdom." While all the girls, one after the other, told their father not to leave, he insisted that it was necessary. Before he left on his journey, however, he gave each one a small gift, one single grain of rice. Then, after hugging and kissing his daughters, he set off on his ...

2411. Transformed to Christ

2 Corinthians 3:7-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... and then to pride thinking how smart he was to outwit the entire household. He sat under the tree until the shades of dawn began to sweep across the night sky. As he was preparing to leave he saw a small procession of people approaching; they had heard of the holy man. Now he could not leave under any circumstance. These people had come from a neighboring village and with total devotion had brought offerings of food, fruit, silver, and gold to invoke the blessings of the holy man! At this very moment the ...

2412. Show Me Your Credentials

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... possible ... and our confession credible ... is Christ and what he did for us on his cross. What we can sport as our credentials is not what we have done but what Christ has done for us! We flock to this place to hear that good news, and we leave this place with our lives changed. Our lives changed? Our lives still remain a mess and the great unchanged mess they have always been. In fact, that is what the critics of our credentials are quick to point out. All this talk about forgiveness and mercy is just ...

2413. Enemies of the Cross

Philippians 3:17 - 4:1

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... "Alleluia" for six weeks. We confess that we are simply getting what we deserve. We realize that when Paul speaks of "enemies of the cross," he is talking about us. Clinging to our pious deeds, obsessed with having to prove ourselves and be right, unable and unwilling to leave behind the cravings of our "belly," we are finally thumbing our noses at the cross. We don't really need Christ and his cross. We like the challenge of the have to and the ought to because we think we can do it. We are proud of our ...

2414. A New Point of View

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... fear that that we will never be good enough. Do we honestly think that God is going to let us "brush him off" and let us leave him behind in the walls of this sanctuary while we go off living our lives as if he didn't exist? Of course not! The truth ... his eyes and looks at Jesus, for the first time he can "see" God for who God really is (John 9). A son demands his inheritance, leaves his father, and wastes it all in a life of decadence. From a "human point of view" he deserved to be on the street begging for ...

2415. A Bloody Cheer!

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... of their music, they forget themselves and lose themselves in their craft. That is passion. Throughout this Holy Week as we once again hear those ancient stories of our Lord's suffering, we will see the passion of love, a love that forgets itself, that leaves behind its own needs for the sake of someone else. This love is so passionate that the New Testament virtually invents a new word for it: agape. The Greeks had several words for "love." There was eros, erotic and romantic love. There was philos, love ...

2416. The Assurance of Things Hoped For

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... for Wilson to keep himself company during the lonely months. After four years on the island Chuck builds a raft that he hopes will take him out to sea, where maybe someone will find him. He puts Wilson on a wooden post on the raft, because he can't leave without his friend. At one point, as they are floating on the sea, far from the island, Wilson falls off his post while Chuck is sleeping. When Chuck awakens, he notices that Wilson is missing. He looks out at Wilson on the horizon. We see the depth of his ...

2417. God as a Consuming Fire

Hebrews 12:18-29

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... ain't hell yet!" The farmer had, of course, set the fire himself. He was burning the stubble from his field. It was the fastest, easiest, cheapest way to do it. Without the fire, the field would have no growth next season. God's consuming fire does not have to leave us scarred and disfigured. God's consuming fire can burn away the stubble in our souls, preparing us for new growth. That may not seem a pleasant image, but it may be what we need to hear. Let us take seriously the images of God's judgment in ...

2418. A New Resolve

Philippians 4:1, 4-9

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... relationship with God. Paul begins by writing, "Do not worry about anything" (v. 6). Isn't that crazy? That must be the most difficult command to obey. If someone were to come to me saying that he lost his job, was going through bankruptcy, his wife was leaving him, his children were strung out on drugs, and now he wants to end it all, could you imagine simply saying, "Don't worry about anything"? That would be crazy. So how does Paul get away with it? Because it is not an emotion that Paul is commanding ...

2419. Mark 13:1-8

Mark 13:1-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... destroyed in 70 CE, it was the end of a faith that was based upon ritual sacrifices and overseen by a special breed of priests. Jesus’ final statements about the Temple are both verbal and physical. It is as he and his disciples are leaving the Temple that Jesus makes his pronouncement about its impending doom. An unnamed disciple gawks and marvels at the immensity and grandeur of the structure. It was a structure that Josephus reported that some stone were “forty cubics” (that is about sixty feet) in ...

2420. The Things Close to Your Heart

Mark 13:1-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

2421. The Temple of Doom and the Bridegroom

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2422. Rally or Rail?

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... every day. Do we rally for Jesus? Or do we rail against Jesus? Do we enthrone Jesus as “king” of a kingdom that is both “now” and still “not yet”? Or do we enthrone a host of other “kings” of our lives? Ever doubt "Jesus loves me?" Leave the gates of Jerusalem & go to Skull Hill. There a man in the middle of two thieves is dying on a cross under the sign installed by Pilate himself. Some have called this sign the first Christian sermon. It read this: “Jesus, King of the Jews.” But like ...

2423. When God Calls

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

... time of King Josiah's reign in 627 BC. His prophesying continued even as Judah's brightest and best were forced to leave their homeland for exile in Babylon in approximately 586 BC. Jeremiah is sometimes called "the weeping prophet" because, as the message of ... confounded me when he said very emphatically, "If there is any other career you think you would be happy doing, you really should leave now and try that out. Then, after you have tried out those other vocations, if you still have a call to be a ...

2424. The ABC's of Grief

Lamentations 1:1-6

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

... these images in movies from time to time, but most of us have no idea of what it would be like to be conquered, forced to leave our homeland, or perhaps even worse, to be among those who are left behind to pick up the pieces. I am not sure if there could ... them at some time or another have used the word "orphaned" to describe their feelings. Generally, the death of our parents leaves us as the patriarchs and matriarchs of our families, and this can be a very lonely and uncomfortable feeling. The most bitter ...

2425. A New Beginning

Isaiah 65:17-25

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

... from the seventh through fifth centuries BC as being the direct result of the failure of God's people and its religious and political leaders to realize their full potential as the people of God. God's solution to humanity's self-inflicted wounds, however, is not to leave us to our own devices. A bit of self-editing will not do the job. God does not even wait for us to come to our senses and ask for help, but "before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear" (v. 24). God takes ...

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