Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2401 to 2425 of 4508 results

2401. The Problem With Miracles In Our Time

Sermon

William J. Carl

If the truth be known, most of us would have to admit that we walk a very fine line between believing and not believing. There are times in our lives when, yes, we do seem to believe all these things we say about God when we read the Bible and sing the hymns in our own churches. There are even times when we’d say, yes, we feel close to God, whatever that means. But there are also those desert time...

2402. Oh Me of Little Faith

Sermon

Johnny Dean

A couple of years ago, the scientific community announced yet another earth-shattering, history-making discovery. It seems that a group of scientists were studying a meteor that supposedly originated on the planet Mars and had crash-landed on Earth some 13,000 years ago. In a small fragment of the meteor, the scientists found organic compounds that appeared to be bacteriological life forms. Perhap...

2403. The Stiller of Storms

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

Then he (Jesus) made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night...

2404. Jesus Makes House Calls

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Pentecost XII Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the...

2405. Fear

Sermon

Brett Blair

In the story of creation found in the Book of Genesis, we read where Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit, something which had been specifically denied them. Knowing that God is searching for them, they attempt to hide. It is a scene perhaps reminiscent of many of our childhoods when we had done something that we were not supposed to and we literally hid from our searching parents. Fin...

2406. Out of Doors: Nature and Supernatural

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

Some 75 years ago the great poet-preacher, Henry Van Dyke, traveled to the Holy Land. He returned from his journey with many memories and insights, but high among them was a "new conviction": "Christianity," he said, "is an out-of-doors religion." From Jesus’ birth in a cave to his crucifixion on a hill outside Jerusalem, all of its important events - with perhaps two or three exceptions - took pl...

2407. Gone with the Wind

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

When the wind picks up here in the San Juan Islands of Washington State, a great changing-of-the-guard takes place. Out with the sea kayakers. In with the sailors. When the wind gets gusty and gutsy, those who love to sit below sea level and solo pilot their long, lean crafts grouse and grumble and haul out onto dry land. With the calm, glassy surface of Puget Sound broken by wind-whipped white ca...

2408. Matthew 14:22-33

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Some commentaries on Matthew identify the first half of the apostle’s gospel as the “Christ book,” while calling the second half of his gospel the “Church book.” Today’s text, taken from the midst of a series of miracle stories, focuses on both “books.” In its “short-form” identified as “Jesus Walking On The Water,” our gospel reading is both about the authority and divinity of Jesus the Christ, t...

2409. Matthew 14:22-36

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

After a big satisfying meal, what everybody really wants is a rock-n-rolling all night sea voyage — right? Okay, maybe not. But we’ve all been at meals when the atmosphere suddenly becomes uncomfortable, when the best-sounding dessert is a quick exit. This week’s gospel text begins with such a “get-out-of-town-fast” moment. What is unusual about this town-skipping agility, however, is not that it ...

2410. Jesus Walks on Water

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Jesus’s authority is immediately reemphasized in Matthew’s narration of Jesus’s walking on water (14:22–33). The disciples are alone in the boat while Jesus has gone away by himself to pray (14:22–23). When the wind comes up on the lake, Jesus comes to the disciples “walking on the lake” (14:24–25; “the fourth watch of the night” [KJV, RSV] was 3:00–6:00 a.m.). When Jesus calls to them to allay th...

2411. Giving and Receiving

Sermon

Tom Garrison

A wise person, according to Sam Keen, the author of Fire in the Belly, is one who knows what time it is in his or her life; that is, they have a sense of the appropriate which enables them to know what to do amid a baffling array of options. Keen tells of going one summer to visit relatives who lived in the tidewater area of Virginia, where there are many little bays adjoining the Atlantic Ocean. ...

2412. Jesus Walks on the Water

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

Feeding of the Five Thousand: Jesus was not the only prophet who was rejected by his own (cf. 13:53–58). John the Baptist had been treated the same way by Herod, ruler of Galilee and Perea. Matthew tells of Herod’s concern that Jesus might be John the Baptist returned from the dead (v. 2). This in turn caused Jesus to withdraw from a public to a secluded area (v. 13). Verses 3–12 record the death ...

2413. Day-Timers or Begging Bowls

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

When Christ comes to us, he often appears in unrecognizable form. You may be the only face of Christ some people will ever see. I'm a slow learner. For most of my Day-timer, life I began each day making a list I list; therefore I am - and then spent the rest of the day checking it off, counting it twice, seeing if I'd been naughty or nice. After decades of trying to govern my life by lists, it fi...

2414. Time To Walk On The Water

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a ridiculous story about a wealthy Texan who died, and his attorney gathered the entire family for the reading of the will. Relatives came from near and far to see if they were included in the bequests. The lawyer somberly opened the will and began to read: "To my cousin Ed, I leave my ranch." "To my brother Jim, I leave my money market accounts." "To my neighbor and good friend, Fred...

2415. Don't Be Afraid

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever noticed that fear can cause people to do some really stupid things? When that terrible earthquake and tsunami hit Japan last spring, it reminded me of a Serbian man named Lucas who was a victim of a giant tsunami that devastated countries around the Indian Ocean a couple of years ago. Lucas, aged 30, was nowhere near where the tsunami hit. He was safely at home in Serbia at the time...

2416. Walking on the Water

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever been afraid? So afraid that you were almost paralyzed? So afraid, that words stuck in your throat and you wanted to scream, but you could not. Pastor John Ortberg wrote a book sometime back titled, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of The Boat. In it he tells a wonderful story about a ride he and his wife once took in a hot-air balloon. The balloon party consisted ...

2417. Stepping Out In Faith

Sermon

King Duncan

The world is getting scarier all the time. You never know what perfectly terrifying thing will happen next, even in a small town. A newspaper column years ago by Lydel Sims tells the fearful experience of Mrs. Wilma Sullivan, a widow who lives alone in Portageville, Missouri. "You just won't believe what happened to her the other night when she was sleeping in her quiet house on a quiet street am...

2418. Learning to Walk on the Water

Sermon

"Take heart ... it is I ..." It was not the custom of Jesus to go about walking on water. When he wanted to cross a lake or stream, he normally got into a boat, as you and I would. When he walked, he usually walked on earth, as you and I do. But in Matthew 14:22-33 we have an exception. Here the story is told of a night when Jesus walked on the storm-driven waves of Galilee. Some of his disciples...

2419. Prayer in a Pinch

Sermon

Did Jesus pray when he was "in a pinch"? Have you ever thought about that? You probably have done such praying in the middle of a family crisis, or facing a decision, which could change your life, or feeling overwhelmed by the world's problems - or even getting into a spot because you did not do your homework. In any one of these instances, you may have prayed, "God, have mercy!" Even people who h...

2420. The Power of Faith

Bulletin Aid

Exegetical note: Matthew's reworking of Mark's earlier story shows embellishment of detail and a special "spin" that makes it an allegory of the Church (i.e., boat) in his day, which was being "beaten" by the "stormy seas" of persecution. The story is both a testimony to the power of faith to permit believers to "tread upon the waters" of threatening, fearsome circumstances, and (if faith falters)...

2421. Prayer

Bulletin Aid

"Man of little faith"? Was he serious? Peter got out of the boat Stepped on the top of the water - Actually walked on it - By faith! And Jesus calls him "man of little faith?" OK, so he got scared! Who wouldn't? Point is - He got out of the boat! I couldn't do that! I know people can't walk on water! That's impossible! Peter knew it too - He was a fisherman. He worked on the water Yet When Jesus...

2422. Proper 14

Bulletin Aid

Call to Worship Pastor: Our mission as the church is often like a ship, tossed on the sea. People: Church history has recorded many storms; but Christ always brings a calm, encouraging his followers. Pastor: We have our bouts with fear and discouragement, too. But we can be sure our Lord will see us through. People: We worship Jesus, the Son of God who is with us in all our struggles, bringing pea...

2423. Walking in Faith

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Let us gather together all whose courage is in the Lord! People: For the days are long and at times our faith seems so weak. Leader: Let our hearts focus on Christ and let us be bold where we walk. People: For in Christ all things are possible for those who have faith. Leader: Then let us lift our voices in song and praise for God's Grace! All: Blessed be the name of the Lo...

2424. Proper 14

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Green Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33 Theme: Peter walks on water. Worship Headings You may want to change the bulletin worship heading for several weeks. Here is a suggestion: THE GATHERING TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR OURSELVES TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT WE HEAR The Ancient Word The Traditional Word The Contemporary Word TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WORD THE SCATTERING Pastoral ...

2425. Proper 14

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Notes Matthew's reworking of Mark's earlier story shows embellishment of detail and a special "spin" that makes it an allegory of the Church (i.e., boat) in his day, which was being "beaten" by the "stormy seas" of persecution. The story is both a testimony to the power of faith to permit believers to "tread upon the waters" of threatening, fearsome circumstances, and (if faith falters) a r...

Showing 2401 to 2425 of 4508 results