Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 2401 to 2425 of 4977 results

2401. A Manger is Christ’s Cradle

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

... the Son of God. Years later, she would learn how much heartache that fact would bring her, but for this night, she had a reason to rejoice and, with Joseph, she did just that. Jesus the Savior is born. It is almost the end of the fourth act, but not quite. This is where we come in. We have heard the beautiful story and we ponder its meaning in our hearts. We have sung the angels’ song this night, we go to his Table, remembering his birth in that manger-cradle, to greet him whom we know as Lord. And Christ ...

2402. Second Lesson

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

... no light and soon goes out. We cannot be, any more than could the disciples, "the light of the world" by ourselves; we need to be connected to Christ, as the disciples were, to shine forth so people will see God in Jesus Christ. Jesus also made it quite clear to them that their life-styles could either enhance their "light" or detract from it in the eyes of people whom they met and to whom they preached. Christian freedom doesn’t mean believers can live any way they want to, do anything that pleases them ...

2403. Cross Work

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

George Bass

... little consolation to the distressed and lonely human heart; how, the beautiful poetic myths and fables of paganism notwithstanding, relatively little was done to satisfy the profound human aspiration for truth and liberty." Through the Gospel of Jesus, says Guardini, "They were, quite simply, living a new kind of existence ruled by God who was also their King and their Saint." Not far from the commuter train that takes people into the city from the suburb of EUR, just outside the walls of Rome, there ...

2404. Desert Springs

Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon

Nothing stings quite like the desert. I remember standing one time in the midst of a desert at high noon, overlooking a large saline lake. It was so hot you could see the shoreline shrinking in front of you, as the sun drew the water into the air. On the far side of ...

2405. Ask for a Sign

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

... plans for the more famous Battle of Midway. In North Africa, Field Marshall Von Rommel was still a power, but he would fade as the British planes struck his supply lines and a General named Patton began command of our tank corps there. That was quite an atmosphere in which to celebrate First Communion. Newspaper headlines told of war. The newsreels at the movies were filled with smoke and explosions, usually of airplanes crashing into the sea. When we played in the leaf piles at the end of the street, we ...

2406. Where Does One Go When Darkness Floods One’s Life?

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

James Cobb

... knowledge. Just so the text reveals that before Jacob was aware of his need God came to him. That still is abundantly true to this very day. Sometimes we carelessly relegate God to the backgrounds of our lives, wanting him there in case of an emergency but quite sure we can handle things very efficiently in our own way. I remember counseling a young couple prior to their marriage; during the conversation I told them I would always be available to them if problems arose. But then the groom-to-be said, "I don ...

2407. Expectations of a Vital Faith James K. Cobb

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

... name of Gideon. His people had been for seven years in a desperate situation. The enemy had driven them into the hills where they had to grow and thresh their corn in secret places to keep it from falling into the hands of the bandits. It is all quite familiar and characteristic of those who feel insulated from suffering because they are God’s people. When the messenger of God came to him and saluted him with the words from Judges 6:13, "And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why ...

2408. A Noble Patriotism John D. Mauney, Jr.

Exodus 2:11-25

Sermon

... his compassion for their enslavement as an entrampled race. Moses made the choice to put aside his disguise as an Egyptian nobleman and to cast his lot with his persecuted and maligned countrymen. It was an heroic decision, and it appears to have come about quite suddenly. But sometimes God allows the issues of a lifetime - perhaps of an eternity - to be decided by a sudden word or a hasty blow. Sometimes events occur which appear to be instantaneous, when in reality they have been "brewing" for a long time ...

2409. Remember Toward the Future John M. Cobb

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

... memory." 3. "Die Briten," colloquial in Canada for those (also in Canada) of more pronounced (European) British origin. 4. The writer has seen this day designated on some Canadian calendars simply as "Civic Holiday," although the Heritage Day theme seems to be quite strong in Alberta. 5. "im inneren Menschen," literally "in the inner man." 6. Volkslieder 7. The quote is for purposes of homiletic style. Actually, the statements are paraphrased and "a week ago" is only approximate. 8. Likely more than a trace ...

2410. When God Provides, It’s a Manna Miracle James G. Cobb

Exodus 16:1-36

Sermon

... a carrot off a platter. At his next trip, he saw the beverage poured and quietly lifted a glass from the table. I know he expected the sweet, sugary soft drink - instead we heard a gasp and a choking and spitting. He has discovered prune juice! Not quite what was expected; a lesson in "looks can be deceiving." We don’t always get what we think we want! So, too, with the Israelites, when they were disappointed, they became angry. They did not mind ten plagues raining down upon the Egyptians, but you can ...

2411. No Appeal

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

... of course. It was a time of struggle and change. It is very likely that those first disciples and followers came to feel less important as the years went on and new disciples began to assert themselves, bringing new energies to leadership positions. It is quite likely that the earlier generation felt that not enough attention was being paid them, not enough honor or privilege was theirs. It is likely that they felt cheated out of a proper reward by the emergence of new leaders and workers in the church, yes ...

2412. Beyond Good Intentions

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

... in their character. "She changed her mind," they say, "What's wrong with her anyway?" Today I want to challenge that way of thinking. I will do it by beginning this sermon by saying: if you never have to change your mind, it is either because you're quite perfect as you are or you are very stupid. I mean it. Perfect, because you have always been right in the first place. Or stupid, because you are going to live with the consequences of a wrong decision no matter how miserable you are. Those are horns of ...

2413. Helping People Fall Down

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

... has to do with God alone. "You shall worship (fall down before) the Lord your God and him only shall you serve," Jesus says, quoting the Book of Deuteronomy. So, what does it mean when the disciples "fall down and worship" Jesus in our gospel for the day? It means, quite directly, that here is God and the presence of God, for God alone is worthy of such a humbling act. Take a moment to think what this act means. If you were to fall flat on your face on the ground in front of another person, what would be ...

2414. Parking Lots and Traffic Jams

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Richard L. Thulin

... pretty much like any other woman. The truck she drove looked pretty much like a dozen others I would see before I returned home. It would have been easy for this woman to travel incognito as a Christian. She could have hidden her identity as a believer quite effectively. Who would have known? There was nothing to give her away. She chose, however, to speak. She chose to announce her allegiance via that bumper sticker. Again, I felt like I wanted to press the horn. I wanted to say, "Good for you! Speak his ...

2415. No Telltale Clues

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

... It was before the kind of person just described that Jesus stood one day and invited him to follow. If there were any attenuating circumstances, we do not know. If Matthew had any "saving qualities" that raised him above his associates, we do not know. If this sinner was not quite as bad as the rest, we do not know. What we do know is that Jesus called a traitor and an outcast to be his disciple. What we do know is that Jesus invited a sinner to enter the kingdom of heaven which he brought near. This was a ...

2416. Walking the Streets

Matthew 10:1-42, Matthew 9:35-38

Sermon

Richard L. Thulin

... one sees and feels? Matthew tells us that when Jesus did it, Jesus saw harassed and helpless people and felt compassion. These were the same people that the teachers of the law and the Pharisees moved among. But they seem to have seen them quite differently. The words of Jesus suggest that these leaders looked at the same people he did but that they saw there only possibilities for oppression (Matthew 23). They too might have seen the people as helpless and harassed, but they reacted with something other ...

2417. Ready or Not

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

... done my homework. I had read a good deal and had come to an intellectual understanding of suffering. But I had not really suffered or been with suffering people enough to give my words the credibility they needed. Likewise we preachers may never be quite ready for Jesus' words about the sword he brings. Do we preachers personally know enough about cross-bearing, enough about painful decisions made for Jesus, to be able to preach about it? Is not this one of those topics better left unattended? Nobody really ...

2418. Weightlifting

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

... he said, "I feel better now," and I know that he meant it. What my friend had done was to let some of his burden go. His yoke had been planed by sharing some of the weight on his back. The load seemed more balanced. The rough places were not quite as abrasive as before. Some deeply gouged wounds were given a respite. When we finally said goodnight he also said, "I think I can sleep now ... I think I can rest." I did not tell my friend that what had just happened, his letting go of the burden, was what ...

2419. God of the Ordinary

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

... mass of jello-like insecurity I was (and still am) when God called me (imagine, me!) to preach his Word. So, unremarkable and ordinary as I am as a preacher, it is still nothing short of a miracle that I manage to do it at all! God does use quite ordinary people to do his great work! God Uses Ordinary Situations and Things to Effect His Mighty Acts Whoever heard of waters parting by the simple act of a rod being held over them in the hand of an ordinary human being? Whoever heard of using so ordinary a ...

2420. Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

... to a misdemeanor. So, we give almost automatic acceptance to everyone we meet. "If you say I'm okay, then I'll say you're okay." "After all, to be human is to be good." That may be fine on a horizontal, human to human level, but it is not quite so simple when we consider the vertical dimension, the God to human. Then it won't stand up in God's high court! The Psalmist asked, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place?" His answer to his own question indicated his ...

2421. Communion Is Reformed

Luke 22:7-38

Sermon

... to God. What if he did or said something wrong in Mass? What if he mishandled the Bread and Wine? God would surely be angry and punish him severely and swiftly as his parents had done years before. Needless to say, when his first Mass began, Luther was quite nervous. When he came to the part in the service where he was to lift the bread and cup, saying, "We offer to thee, the living, the true and eternal God...." his voice left him completely. He thought to himself, "With what tongue shall I address the ...

2422. Communion Is Refreshment

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

... The dehydration which came before death was especially severe. So we can be sure that all the humanity of Jesus was screaming forth as he said "I thirst." Without question, Jesus was severely thirsty as he hung upon the cross. His cry for a drink is quite normal - very human indeed. It was a cry for something wet to moisten his cracked lips and soothe his parched throat. In Palestine during the afternoon, a warm and oftentimes a scorchingly hot wind blows in from the desert. The heat it generates can wither ...

2423. Communion Is Remedial

Matthew 9:1-8

Sermon

... 1529, "... anyone who does not desire to receive the Lord's Supper at least three or four times during the year, despises the Sacrament and is no Christian." (Ewald Plass; What Luther Says, Vol. II, p. 814-815) Luther was never one to mince words. He was quite emphatic about the importance of Christians receiving the Lord's Supper on a regular basis. Let's examine why we should come to the Lord's Table eagerly and regularly. First, we come because we need to come. If you were sick with a disease which you ...

2424. Miracle In the Bethlehem Inn

Drama

... big enough for two families! We are used to sleeping on mats on the floor. We only have two rooms for our family in Galilee. Claudia: But, don't you get tired of getting in each other's way? Susanna: Oh, sometimes we argue, but we really get along quite well. We have our fun feasts and play and cook and ... Lela: Susanna! They didn't ask for a history of our family. Claudia: But that is interesting. What is this tax that everyone is talking about? And why are you in Bethlehem? Adam: Caesar wants to know how ...

2425. Mi Casa, Su Casa

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... well cared for. We act as advocates in our Father’s world precisely because it is our father’s world. We are agents of God’s justice and righteousness, after the manner of his only-begotten Son, our elder brother, Jesus. There are, you see quite literally millions of God’s children who still act like tenants and who still treat their Father like a landlord. From time to time, we do it ourselves. It is an unhappy, estranged and distant relationship. At best businesslike; at worst; well, our world is ...

Showing results