Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2401 to 2425 of 3160 results

Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... right beside the river where they would hope to be safe! John is not simply in the name-calling business here; he is calling a spade a spade. He knows that the people have traveled out to him and are ready for his baptism because they see it as a sort of fire insurance. They are escaping from God's refining fire, just as snakes escape the desert's fire, and John says that ought not happen. As desert fires clear out old growth to make room for the new, John wants the people ready to have the dross and dead ...

2402. God's Picture

John 1:10-18

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... thing more — the truth about ourselves. You have heard it said, "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." Well, the coming of Christ says that is not true. Yes, we are probably best fitted in our natural selves to be rolling around in some sort of moral mud, but Jesus comes and puts his hand on our shoulder and says, "You don't belong to the pigsty; you belong to me." Then he stoops over and lifts us from the dirt and tells us that he left his home beyond the skies, he was willing ...

2403. The Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... . Some people wanted to be something they were not; others did not want to be what they were. On top of that, some folks who held certain positions within the congregation tended to "lord it over" those who were in supposed lesser positions, and that created all sorts of resentment. So Paul's message to the church was, and is, this ought not to be! To explain himself, Paul likened the church to a body, the body of Christ, and used that description to explain how the church should operate. The body is a unit ...

2404. They Are Biting

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... over, brought his hand to his mouth and spat out a mess of bait. He said again, "You have to keep the worms warm!" Our text is the source of that "fisher of men" designation we learned to sing about in Sunday school. It too is a "fish story" of sorts. It starts out with Jesus being pursued by the curious crowd, folks who have heard about this amazing young man: his healing miracles, casting out demons. What does he have to say? So they press close, as the text says, "listening to the word of God" (Luke 5:1 ...

2405. Going For the Gold

Philippians 3:4-14

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... are still valid as a code of conduct for today. Wonderful! Amen! The bad news is that less than half of those who said that could even name five of the ten. Of course, religion is not the only area of society faced with this sort of lack of discipline when it comes to basic knowledge. For example, consider this poll commissioned by the National Geographic Society to see how much people knew about geography.[1] In Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, and the United States, 3 ...

2406. Dorcas

Acts 9:36-43

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... us personalize our remarks as we prepare for the funeral. I am certain that Peter was grateful for the sharing. No doubt, he had been wondering what would be most appropriately said at the service. I doubt that he had too much experience with this sort of event at this point in his life. After all, his background was fishing, not funerals. He was old enough to have attended his share, but attending and officiating are not the same. What to do? Should he read an appropriate scripture? Absolutely — the ...

2407. Divine Dynamite

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... his own but who is also well known as a charlatan. We are sometimes confronted by folks who are convinced that this is the only kind of Christian experience that is legitimate, and we are even accused of not really being Christian if we do not agree. Those sorts of things embarrass us. No wonder we are wary. A note here about the word "power." The Greek that stands behind it is the same root from which we get our word "dynamite." On that day before his ascension, Jesus was not promising the boost of 9-volt ...

2408. The Forgiveness Business

Luke 7:36-8:3

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... it so well. It is certainly astonishing. Put it in the context of a dinner party at your own home or even a supper in the church's fellowship hall. By this time in Jesus' ministry, he had garnered quite a bit of public notice. All sorts of people had been attracted to him — rich, poor, educated, illiterate, from the highly respectable to the lowly riffraff. To have this famous rabbi come to dinner was very special and everyone would have been excited and perhaps a bit nervous at the same time — after ...

2409. Lust

Galatians 5:16-26

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... having to struggle with the problem, at least at some time or another in their lives. For most of us, when we hear the term "lust" we think of sex, but we know there is more to lust than that. We know we can "lust" after all sorts of things — money, power, fame, whatever. Frankly, when the early translators of scripture used the term "lust," theyhad just that wide a perspective. But for most folks, the "inordinate desire for carnal pleasure" of which a dictionary might speak is what comes to mind when we ...

2410. A Tale of Two Sisters

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... any rate, the big moment arrives, Jesus comes in and begins a conversation with Martha's sister, Mary, who, up until here had been helping with the preparations, but now had stopped assisting big sister and turned all her attention to their visitor. A minute or two of this sort of thing was all it took for the steam to start coming out of Martha's ears. We do not know exactly how long it took, but finally, with teeth barely unclenched and a fake smile feigned on her face, she comes in and asks, "Lord, don't ...

2411. Repressive Religion

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the sabbath. Some of the rules may sound nitpicky, but the tradition goes back to the days when the nation was in exile. Sabbath-keeping was the way Jews then and Jews now assured themselves a unique identity. Through the centuries, the rabbis had set up all sorts of "fences" around the sabbath to assure its special place. By the time of Christ, there were 1,521 things one could not do on the sabbath.[1] Then Jesus did this healing — work — and not even an emergency healing. In fact, the woman had not ...

2412. A Place At the Table

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... iron for stealing a couple of towels."[1] Paul was on the horns of a dilemma. He was not only harboring a runaway slave; he was a party to a wrong done against one of his own converts, a leader of the church. We have no idea, of course, what sort of a master Philemon had been or what kind of life Onesimus had had as a slave. In this case, the ancient world would presume the guilt of the slave; we presume the guilt of the master. Most of our great moral dilemmas are like that.[2] The answer, like ...

2413. Would A Loving God Really Let Anyone Go To Hell?

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... sinners will spend eternity. What about the Bible? What does that say? To be honest, not a great deal. In the Old Testament, there is nothing about a place of eternal torment for the damned. Life after death for everyone — good or evil — is seen as some sort of shadowy existence in a place known as Sheol but not much more. There are a number of Old Testament references like that but nothing about unending torture, even for the worst of this world. Actually, the first time we run into a place of after ...

2414. The Most Dangerous Verse In the Bible

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... wounds or a scalpel for societal surgery. It is a lifelong task of becoming familiar with the whole Bible, learning the great themes that run through the many books in this sacred library, and finding our own place in its compelling narrative. It is only when we have undertaken this sort of wide-ranging study that we can be said truly to be "thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17).

2415. A Faith That Matters Between Sundays

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... named Johann Tetzel. Tetzel had been commissioned to travel throughout much of Germany on behalf of the campaign. In exchange for a contribution, Tetzel would provide donors with an indulgence, either for a departed loved one, or even perhaps yourself to be used later (sort of a pre-need service). The sales pitch was down to a science, like an ancient version of "You Deserve a Break Today." Tetzel's jingle went, "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings/ a soul from purgatory springs." To Luther, Tetzel ...

2416. Remember!

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... Reformed Church in North Carolina in pre-revolutionary days. He had been born in Switzerland in 1722 and emigrated to America in 1739. Apparently, he was quite the fire brand in advocating a break with the English king, and as such, got himself into all sorts of difficulties. He sounded like an interesting character, but I doubt that I would have given him much more than passing curiosity except for the fact that there was included in his story a list of his children. It turns out that Reverend Samuel ...

2417. Advent 4

Luke 1:47-55 or Psalm 80:1-7, Micah 5:2-5a, Luke 1:39-45, Hebrews 10:5-10

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... praise; God immerses us in loveliness in many marvelous ways! Sermon Idea There are so many Bible stories about relationships and places that still affect history today, even our daily lives. John and Jesus were cousins and at least the men looked for some sort of tension between them. But neither John nor Jesus set about to compete for the greatest number of followers. Palestine and Israel today torment each other as did Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob thousands of years ago. It’s difficult to use some ...

2418. James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

James 3:13-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ?” The question is ironic because, as James will reveal, any who would boldly step forward and claim for themselves such a title reveals they are in fact lacking in the unique wisdom that “comes down from above” (v.15). Instead of any sort of self-proclamation James asserts that those with genuine wisdom will be revealed by their “good life,” by a daily expression of good works and obedience to God, and by an attitude of “prautes” “gentleness” or “humility” or meekness. The notion that ...

2419. The Problem with ‘Hail Mary’ Moments

James 3:13-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

2420. Proper 9

2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30:1-12; 66:1-20, Isaiah 60:10-14, Luke 10:1-24, Galatians 6:1-16

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... spend a lot of time talking about the Bible and children and cups of water while behaviors undercut the central teachings of Jesus. Consider Jesus (Matthew 10) pairing his friends to promote peace; one need not be a solitary representative of a different sort of social structure (kingdom of God). Given this generation’s technology and dependence upon multiple nations for supplies, we may want to think about non-literal meanings for “shake off the dust” of a place that is not accepting of a particular ...

2421. Proper 14

Psalm 33:12-22, Isaiah 1:1, 10-20, Luke 12:32-40, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... end of war everywhere it maims people and destroys the land. Creating Spirit — we are glad for the adults and children who make this faith family a safe place for exploring the Holy, for asking questions, and for holding the unanswerable in some sort of creative tension. Sustain our fascination and loyalty to the Mystery we name God. Amen. Benediction Life is a journey to Mystery. Experiment with multiple names for God; Explore different ways to respond to the Holy Spirit. Laugh each day and unbuild the ...

2422. Liturgy of the Palms

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29, Luke 19:28-44

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... and grandiosity, against a wealthy few for the common good of the global village. God of Possibilities — we pray for peace and honest compromises in families and among nations. Let peace rain on all peoples. Jesus died a violent death, and we see that sort of violence throughout this world. Transform the human heart, we pray. God of Today and Tomorrow — as we reflect on the last week of Jesus’ life, we are conscious of our own sufferings. Sometimes like Jesus, we say, “Why do you forsake me ...

2423. Liturgy of the Passion

Luke 22:14-23:56

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

2424. No More Tears

John 11:17-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... cry easier than others and people cry for different reasons. “You don’t love me anymore,” said one poor guy’s wife as she turned on the waterworks. “When you see me crying, you never ask why.” “I am sorry, darling,” he said, “but that sort of question has already cost me an awful lot of money.” I like something that comedienne Pam Stone once said. She said, “Men and women have always had problems relating. As children, men were told, ‘Be a man. Don’t cry!’ and women were told ...

2425. Made for Joy

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... , reindeer, and many hundreds of Christmas lights. Gobel did nothing for Christmas except to put up a sign. The sign said, “See our display across the street.” (5) That’s one way to deal with comparative anxiety at Christmastime with humor. Are those the sort of things that are keeping you from rejoicing fear about the future, fear that you do not measure up to others? Do you remember what the first thing that the angel said to the shepherds watching over their flocks that first Christmas night? The ...

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