Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2426 to 2450 of 4997 results

1 John 4:7-18

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... their weddings. In the mystical moments of a wedding I suppose it is fair to wish for a spouse that is always patient and kind, never boastful nor proud, one who is not easily angered, who keeps no record of wrongs. In moments like that you wish for ... do good, and not good only, but the highest good possible. Christians coined a word for it. They called it agape. We can aspire to that kind of love because we have been loved in that sort of way. I’m not asking you to write a check on an account over drawn. ...

2427. News Too Good To Tell

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of His mission. In Verse 30 it says, “Two men, Moses and Elijah appeared in glorious splendor talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” The Law and the prophets are behind you on this. Sometimes we need that kind of help; do we not? In challenging moments of life we need to know who we are and why we are here. The year was 1986. I was on a spiritual retreat called the Walk to Emmaus. It was Saturday night and I was sitting alone in a ...

2428. What is the Connection Between Church and State?

Mark 12: 14-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... appear that the nightclub owners believe in prayer while the church members do not.” So when we sing “God Bless America” this 4th of July, do we mean it as a prayer or a protest? If God were to truly bless America, would we be ready for the kind of blessing he would likely bring? As we come to Holy Communion, let us make it a season of prayer: prayer for our country, prayer for our sons and daughters in the military, prayer for our church, prayer for one another. Today let this be a house of prayer ...

2429. The Family As Church

2 Timothy 1:3-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... my own mother. I thought about how I was not that good when I was a kid but many times I stayed out of harm’s way simply because I didn’t want to disappoint my mother and let her down. Respect for my mother kept me out of all kinds of trouble. Faith deepens by belonging. When that connection is strong, our faith grows. C. Faith stretches by questioning. Reader’s Digest ran a list of proverbial ‘why is it?’ Why is it that some people have a great frame of mind and no picture? Why is it that you ...

2430. The Power of a Single Life

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... some he was a mother. He always did what was practical and appropriate for the person he was with. There weren’t two kinds of people in the world for Joe, not three, not ten, just people. He was a prophet of the possible. He soothed ... is a special occasion. As Paul says, “Now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation.” If there is any good I can do, any kindness I can show, any difference I can make, let me neither defer it nor neglect it, for I will not pass this way again. As I have learned ...

2431. What Can Christians Learn from Hindus?

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... means “to unite or yoke together with God." Yoga is the process by which we can detach from the ego and discover the Atman–the God within. It is a way to lose ourselves in order so that we can find God. There are at least four different kinds of yoga: Jrana Yoga for reflective people, Bhakta Yoga for feeling people, Karma Yoga for active people, and Raga Yoga for scientific seekers. There is also a psychophysical form of Yoga which is a popular form of exercise. You can attend such a class on our campus ...

2432. From Laziness to Passion

Psalm 51:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... we need to get around to it. We need to study scriptures, but we need to get around to it. We need to do deeds of goodness and mercy, but you know how it is, you've got to get around to it. We ought to perform acts of kindness, random acts of kindness, but we've got to get around to it. Sometimes we need to be reminded to get around to things that we know we'd be better, if we got around to them. We need to be reminded. Sloth says never do today what you can put off ...

2433. From Envy to Gratitude

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... good upright people, church-going people, people who live a good life and try to do what's right for the world. At the core is this deadly sin that the Church fathers called ENVY. It's a fundamental sadness at the good fortune of another. It's a weird kind of sin. If you lust you might get happy for a little while. If you are greedy, you might enjoy the money for a season. There is no joy in envy. We even look sick when we have it. So, the expression of being “green with envy." You'll never ...

2434. The Power to Do Good

Acts 10:34-38, 44-48

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... concerns, stand on your convictions, and invest your life in making the world a better place. IV. FOR GOODNESSS SAKE, FOLLOW YOUR CALLING. I keep a little plaque in my house. It goes like this: I expect to pass through this life but once. Therefore, if there be any kindness I can show, Any good I can do and difference I can make, Let me neither defer it nor neglect it— Let me do it now—for I shall not pass this way again. You don't follow your calling because its neat or cool. You follow your calling ...

2435. Sexual Ethics for the 21st Century

John 8:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... the Church needs to help people make. III. OUR SEXUALITY IS EMBRACED BY GOD'S GRACE Our scripture lesson today takes place in the Temple courts where the Pharisees drag in a woman caught in the very act of adultery. The story is laced with all kinds of questions like “Where is her partner?" and “How exactly did you catch her in the very act?" Nevertheless, the Pharisees demand a ruling regarding the Law of Moses and when they kept on questioning him, Jesus replies, “If anyone of you is without sin ...

2436. Loosening Up for Better Production

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... grace, a sermon for another day. As for now, let's consider the soils on which Jesus elaborated when he tried to explain this parable. What kind of soil are we? In Verse 4 we read, “Some seed fell along the path and the birds came and ate it up." Let's face ... the time. We walk up to people and to make small talk just say, “Are you keeping busy?" We love to wear our busyness as a kind of badge. I used to be proud of it until I ran into an article in which Martin Marty says “the word “busy" suggests a ...

2437. Making the Most of Small Beginnings

Matthew 13:31-35

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... fruit trees. But even as he ate the fruit, it turned to dust, for no feeding of the flesh could still his deepest hunger. Riding on, he saw a home, its opened door a promised welcome and in the door there was a beautiful woman, her eyes innocent and kind. Surely the love of a woman and the sweet shelter of home are my heart's desire, reasoned the knight; “But when I touched her, Lo! She too, fell into dust and nothing, and the house became no better than a broken shed." His soul still craving, he traveled ...

2438. Praising Our Savior

Philippians 3:7-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... for the rest of his life. Here in a Roman prison he writes, “All things I once thought were so important for me are now insignificant dog dung. I have dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by Him." Have you that kind of purpose and passion for life? I want to know Christ. II. I WANT TO SUFFER LIKE CHRIST... ...by sharing in the fellowship of his sufferings. I've never given up anything to be a Christian. Being a Christian is less costly than being a Rotarian. The church ...

2439. What Happens When You Are Not Number One?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... life without being ruthless. (But Jesus) did not come to show us how to be successes. We can figure out how to do that. He came to show us that there are some things not be sacrificed to success. “Contrary to some preaching you hear nowadays, (the kind of preaching that was the keynote of Jimmy and Tammy Bakker), being Christian does not guarantee that you’re going to be a success in this life. Don’t be taken in by the “prosperity gospel” of so many TV preachers. (Jesus) said there are times in ...

2440. The Real Real Estate

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). If you get those love “locations” right, then you will be among the wealthiest people in the world. In today’s gospel text the rich farmer invested in the wrong kind of real estate. He measured his wealth according to the standards of this world. How many bushels per acre did his land produce? How many barns did he need to hold all his grains and goods? How big a nest egg could he build so that he could ...

2441. Lessons from a Fool

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... on the path. It means that we have Jesus’ heart for a world in need. “Watch out!” says Jesus. “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” So, where does this leave us? Should we take all ... and give proceeds to the poor? No, it’s clear from Scripture that Jesus calls only a few people to this kind of radical commitment. At the same time, however, we need to take Jesus’ teachings seriously. May I make some simple suggestions ...

2442. The Horror before the Blessing

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... nothing like the monster we would suspect of committing a crime that turns our stomachs. She looked somewhat shy, holding a dog in her arms, smiling at the camera. What would we want the media to do, wait until the glow of Christmas has faded and then dump these kinds of stories on us? A couple of years ago, the tsunami hit right after Christmas. Whatever the Christmas season means to us, it doesn't mean that we can switch off the bad news. The forces of evil do not lay down their arms for a cease fire just ...

2443. A Strange Way in and a New Way Out

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... wisdom was to draw analogies about life. "The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, but the Lord tests the heart" (Proverbs 17:3). This wisdom saying compares the processing of metal to the testing of human hearts. We value this kind of wisdom. Yet another kind of wisdom is mantic wisdom. A person who had the skill, or maybe the gift, of mantic wisdom could discern things that could not be learned just by observation. Mantic wisdom had a touch of the supernatural. A person with the gift of ...

2444. Those Who Most Need a Blessing

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... a sharp distinction between these two blessings. Sometimes we mourn because grief has intruded uninvited into our lives. We find ourselves mourning. Other times we mourn because we see the way the world is, and we mourn because we know it can be better. That kind of mourning can be a choice. By blessing those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, Jesus speaks both to our choices and the things we have no choice over. When Jesus blesses the merciful, he moves fully toward those who make a choice. We do ...

2445. Sneak Preview

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... of the resurrected Jesus was not a foolproof experience for some of Jesus' followers. Matthew tells us that some of the eleven disciples doubted, even on the mountain where Jesus spoke to them after the resurrection (Matthew 28:17). The transfiguration was a kind of sneak preview of Jesus' resurrection power. Only three of Jesus' disciples saw the transfiguration. Even that viewing did not solve all of their problems, remove all of their doubts, or heal the insecurities that lead to ambition. As much as we ...

2446. How Jesus’ Friendship Makes Your Burdens Light

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... will be with us in all other troubles; in hunger, war, famine, and whatever other tribulations which may come he will not leave us....9 Our friend, Jesus, takes care of the big social problems for us, not just our own individual sins and trials. Jesus says more about what kind of a friend he is at the end of our gospel lesson. Besides telling us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light, he wants to remind you and me that he is "gentle and humble in heart" (Matthew 11:29), that in him we can find rest ...

2447. Why We Need the Pledge of Allegiance

Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... -Orr, "There will soon be only five kings left — the kings of England, diamonds, hearts, spades, and clubs." That is sometimes the way we see the kingdom of God, sifted through the world like the kings in a deck of cards. The king of heaven may have a kind of power when we play a certain game called religion, but for the most part it is a rather invisible and private authority, one held closely in your hand so no one else sees, and played as a trump card when you run out of other options. Perhaps there ...

2448. Ecological Politics

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... man, but he was unable to remember how or why, or even the man's name. So he played along, fudging his way through a seemingly familiar round of greetings and pleasantries. The man noticed that my friend was glancing often toward the tent, still amazed at what kind of contraption this might be. "Do you want to try it?" the man asked. "What do you mean?" my friend responded. "Well, just come on in," the man said, and stepped into the tent, pulling my friend along. The floor of the tent was as yellow as the ...

2449. The Road No One Wants to Travel

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... re blocking my path! You're fighting against God!" The disciples were in sudden shock, and Peter most of all. He was so taken aback that he didn't know what to do with himself. What could have caused this sudden tirade? Everyone stood around for a bit, looking kind of dumb. Then Jesus broke the silence, but with a different demeanor. He poured out his heart. He gave them a sense of what was ahead for him, and for them. And in those moments of conversation Jesus spoke to them about the meaning of life. It is ...

2450. Political Pardon

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... , Nagase repeated, over and over, "I am very, very sorry." Lomax, in tears, took him by the arm and said, "That's very kind of you to say so." They met for hours, and Lomax gave Nagase a short letter. In it he said that he could ... required to make a public show of sorrow. Tit for tat. We want the scales to be balanced somehow, even if it is by way of some kind of mutual expressions that hurt has been caused. But Jesus is not asking us to be fair people. He is asking that we become excessively unfair in ...

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