Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2401 to 2425 of 4943 results

2401. Hey, Gang, We're Moving!

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Over the years, a certain mythic status has been earned by White House telephone operators, who are rumored to be able to find anybody, anywhere, at any time. President John F. Kennedy once challenged a friend to name someone that the operators wouldn't be able to track down. The friend mentioned writer Truman Capote, who kept an unlisted number. Within thirty minutes, the operator had Capote on the line. The amazing thing about this feat is that Capote was not at his own home in New York at the time. He ...

2402. Passing The Ultimate Test

Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

A pastor was making a wooden trellis to support a climbing vine. As he was pounding away, he noticed that a little boy was watching him. The youngster didn't say a word, so the preacher kept on working, thinking the boy would leave. But he didn't. Pleased at the thought that his work was being admired, the pastor finally said, "Well, son, trying to pick up some pointers on gardening?" "No," he replied. "I'm just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer." (1) That's a tricky ...

2403. The Saint Who Played Second Fiddle

John 1:35-42

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

If your life depended on it, could you name the Twelve Apostles? Probably not. I have a hard time remembering all of their names myself. Perhaps when I finish this series of sermons on the Apostles, I will have them more firmly fixed in my mind. But I have to confess that right now I couldn’t do it. Let’s see: There was Peter, of course. And James, and John (the inner circle). There was Matthew, and Judas, of course. And wasn’t there somebody named Philip? And Thomas...we all remember him. He was the ...

2404. Secretary to Saint Peter

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

MARK’S GOSPEL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOK IN THE WORLD! So says Prof. William Barclay of Scotland, the dean of New Testament Biblical commentators. Why? Because, says he, It is agreed by nearly everyone that Mark is the earliest of all the gospels, and is therefore the first life of Jesus that has come down to us. (Daily Study Bible, Phila: The Westminster Pres, 1956. P. xiii.) In other words, if there had been no Gospel of St. Mark there would have been no Gospels. Period. It is an intriguing thought. And ...

2405. Men Like Trees Walking

Mark 8:22-26

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I am curious about people who send messages out to the world on bumper stickers. I have seen bumpers so covered with stickers that there wasn’t much bumper left. The cars usually look as though the bumper stickers might be holding the bumper itself together! I am afraid that someday I will be so busy reading the darn things that I will forget to stop and go crashing into the car ahead of me. I wonder if the policeman who arrives at the scene will accept the excuse, “But officer, I was only trying to read ...

2406. When Being Good Is Bad For You Or Breaking The Chains Of Co-dependency

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

"Have you been writing any personal experience articles lately?", the woman asked the writer. "No," replied the writer. "I've been busy having them." (Ruth Peterman, quoted by Melody Beattie, Beyond Co-Dependency and Getting Better All The Time, Harper & Rowe Publishers, p. xi) Most of us have been having the personal experience I'm talking about today. We may not talk about it a lot, and we certainly may not write about it -- but it's a common experience. I'm talking about co-dependency. Let me begin by ...

2407. Laugh It Off

I Corinthians 1:18-20, 26-31

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I have heard people talk about the power of laughter to heal. I came across it first in a book written by Norman Cousins some years ago called, Anatomy of an Illness. It was a story of his own debilitating illness, and how he conquered it with laughter. It seems that he was overseas at a meeting, and felt a fever coming on. In no time at all he found himself in the hospital, his situation diagnosed as a degenerative arthritic condition. The prognosis was not good. At best, he would have life-long paralysis ...

2408. The Oneness of Twoness

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Most commentaries break into two separate sections the epistle text for this second week of Advent. Traditionally 15:1-6 is recognized as a self-contained unit wherein Paul argues for tolerance between those who are “strong” and those who are “weak” in faith. Paul even appeals to the person of Christ as the ultimate example of one who did not “please himself” but “pleased” God by identifying with the weakness of all humanity, even to his death on the cross. The lectionary reading beginning at verse 4 ...

2409. Fishing Buddies

John 1:35-42, John 1:43-51

Sermon

James Merritt

When two people get married, the man, as you know, plays the part of the groom and the woman plays the part of the bride. From the very beginning of this union, anybody can see an outstanding difference already between the perspective groom and the perspective bride. All the bride can think about and all the bride is excited about is the wedding. From the time she gets the ring and sets the date, she and usually her mother and about forty-five hundred other women eat, breath, and sleep the wedding. It is ...

2410. Jesus Rewards the Just

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Imagine picking up the Sunday paper, opening it and reading in giant letters, Jesus Christ Will Return In Two Weeks. What would we do? How would we react to this astonishing information? I think there would be two basic reactions. Some of us, out of fear, would change our lives immediately. The Lord is coming and we are not ready. We might start going to church more often, probably every day. Prayer would become a much higher priority in life. We would pray not only in the morning and evening, but many ...

2411. A Squirrely Holiday

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It is a sign that we theologians have run out of ways to ponder the existence and being of God when we start naming our theologies after animals but here goes: "Dog Theology" goes like this: "You feed me. You pet me. You shelter me. You love me. You must be God!" "Cat Theology" goes like this: "You feed me. You pet me. You shelter me. You love me. I must be God." I would like to put forth a Squirrel theology. The way squirrels live their lives puts them on a different theological plane than dogs or cats? ...

2412. A Glimpse of God

Exodus 33:19-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

What would you feel like if you had an appointment with God at 9 A.M. tomorrow? Would you be able to eat for the rest of the day? How much sleep do you think you’d get tonight? You’ve got an appointment with God at 9 A.M. in the morning. He has given you instructions as to where to meet him and what to bring with you. That was the case with Moses. “Come up in the morning to Mount Sinai,” God said, “and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain.” Moses was to bring with tables of stones like ...

2413. Peter, Our Folk Hero

Mark 14:27-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Some of you may know the name Roy Riegels. Many who don’t know his name will identify him as I tell his story. The year was 1929. The University of California was playing Georgia Tech in the Rose Bowl. Stumpy Thomason, Georgia Tech’s halfback, had the ball and was hit hard by Bennie Lom, so hard that he “coughed up the ball,” - that’s the way the sportswriters would say it. He fumbled and Roy Riegels picked it up, which you could do in college ball in those days. Riegels began to run. But Stumpy Thomason, ...

2414. Tough Talk for Tentative Disciples

John 6:56-69

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

Many years ago, a missionary society wrote to David Livingstone, a Scottish Presbyterian pioneer medical missionary in Central Africa, and asked, "Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to send other men to join you." Livingstone wrote back, "If you have men who will come only because there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all." Every ministry and every ministry leader in the history of the Christian faith has faced tough times. Usually ...

2415. A Faith that Will Bring You Alive

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

King Duncan

Brian Rice of Maple Grove, Minnesota writes that recently his wife asked the question men most dread: “Honey, do you think I look fat in my new dress?” Brian was up to the test. Pointing to what he was wearing, he replied, “Do I look stupid in this shirt?” (1) It’s not easy to be married. Comedian Wendy Liebman says she went through a messy divorce. She says, “My divorce was messy because there was a child involved. My husband.” I expected to hear an “Amen” from some of the women. One of the surprise off- ...

2416. Do You Have Any Leftovers?

John 6:1-15

Sermon

James Merritt

Without question, I can tell you what my absolute, all time, favorite meal is. It is so special that I only get to eat it once a year. It is so special, and so good, and so tasty that it is worth the wait. It is not just what I get to eat that makes it the most special meal of the year, but who I get to eat it with. It is the time of year I get to eat it and it is the occasion that brings me to the table. Can you guess what meal this is? It is Thanksgiving. The reason why Thanksgiving is my favorite meal ...

2417. When Heartbreak Turns to Heartburn

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

Here again we find Luke the physician at his best. Although not one of the original twelve, in his own exquisite and unique way this doctor-disciple of Jesus gives us details with clarity indicating that he is close to Jesus and the disciples and can speak with the authority of an eyewitness to the things he tells us. In his opening phrase in the passage, Luke tells us that "two of them were going to a village called Emmaus." Just a few verses earlier in verse 10 of this chapter, Luke indicates that the ...

2418. Little Ones

Luke 18:15-17, Matthew 19:13-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Animations: stuffed lamb or if you dare, a real lamb; Youtube: “Do Sheep Only Obey Their Master’s Voice?”; (optional: book of fairytales) How many children do we have in worship today? Raise your hands! Why don’t you come on up! All of you… I wonder if you’d come on up and help me with someone. [Bring in the lamb….if you can have some of the children help to hold his leash.] Do you know who this is? Her name is Nessa. Would you like to pet her? [Allow the children to sit up front anywhere they like.] There ...

2419. Dressed for Success?

Luke 24:36-49, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Judaism is the story of how the love we feel for another person leads to the love of G-d, and robes us in garments of light.” (Rabbi Jonathan Sacks) Prop: a white tie and white baptismal shawl / wear a clergy collar or robe that day How many here work in a business? In a school? In a hospital? Any other kinds of workplaces? [Give people time to answer.] No matter where you work, I’m guessing you have some kind of dress code. I’m wearing today my pastoral garb. While sometimes I don’t, you can be sure that ...

2420. You Are Gifted

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: ribbons or if possible small gift boxes tied with ribbons (you can also tie ribbons to a manger….or to the altar or another item, such as a cross) All of us know the talk in our culture today about giftedness. If you go into any bookstore, you’ll find titles such as “The Drama of the Gifted Child,” “Gifted Grownups,” “Teaching Gifted Kids in Today’s Classroom,” “The Gifted Adult,” and there are many others! Not everyone agrees. Authors like Seth Godin will tell you that every person in his or her own ...

2421. The Last Laugh

Luke 24:1-35

Sermon

Will Willimon

Early in his ministry, critics came to Jesus saying, "The disciples of John fast often, but yours eat and drink." Jesus replied, "can the wedding guest fast when the bridegroom arrives?" Do you find it interesting that one of the earliest charges against Jesus' people is that they had too much fun? "Why don't your disciples go around fasting, wearing sad faces and mournful looks -- like the disciples of John the Baptist? We can tell that John's disciples are religious -- they're miserable!" Would the same ...

2422. Proper 12

Mt 13:31-33, 44-52 · Rom 8:26-39 · Gen 29:15-28 · Ps 105:1-11, 45b

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

TREASURES AND TRASH The parables in Matthew 13:44-52 continue the series of eight that are found in this chapter. The previous parables were told in public to a large crowd (see Matthew 13:1-3). Now Jesus moves into a house where the disciples came to him (Matthew 13:36). He first explains the parable about the weeds among the wheat. He then proceeds to tell the three parables in Matthew 13:44-52. Two of the parables, the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great value, are twins. The third ...

2423. What the Maid Said to the Fisherman

Mark 14:66-72, Mark 14:53-65

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I THINK ST. PETER HAS GOTTEN A “BUM RAP.” As a result of our Scripture lesson of the morning, St. Peter is often pictured as being a coward, cringing in the courtyard before the onslaught of a serving maid’s questions. Sometimes it seems as though Jesus called Peter “the Rock” not because of his standing qualities, but because of his sinking qualities. Actually, it took a great deal of courage for him to be there at all. None of the rest of the twelve were there. Gone were the crowds who, on Palm Sunday, ...

2424. Murphy's Law and Messiah's Law

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Anybody here not heard of Murphy's Law? We know it by heart, don't we? Let's say it together: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Anybody here know where it started and who Mr. Murphy was? The first reference to Murphy's Law was in the April 1956 issue of Scientific American in the "Amateur Scientist" column. Let me give the quote from which the Murphy's Law phenomenon spread like a virus all over the globe. It all began with three Murphy's Laws: "Dr. Schaefer's observation confirms this department ...

2425. The Love of the Harvest

John 4:34-38

Sermon

James Merritt

We all know the name Billy Graham. He has spoken publicly about Jesus Christ, and preached the gospel to more people than any person in human history. He is easily one of the most recognizable and famous people on the face of planet earth. If anybody knows anything about the harvest, it is Billy Graham. Billy Graham said this: The evangelistic harvest is always urgent. The destiny of men, and of nations, is always being decided. Every generation is strategic. We are not responsible for the past generation ...

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