Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 2003 results

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’” (v. 9). John’s announcement was greater than even he could realize. He was introducing to the world the incarnate God. It’s like a story that theologian Dale Bruner tells about a little boy named Gabriel Hurles. In January 2009 Gabriel turned six years old. Gabriel was so focused on eating his ...

2. An Announcement from Our Lord

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... that kind of compassion to others. This season of the year is a reminder that we are to be kind, particularly to those who are do not have the advantages that we do. The message of Christmas is directly aimed at people who are disadvantaged. The announcement Jesus made about his mission is, first of all, good news to the poor. It is also freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind. Jesus’ aim was to set the oppressed free. The words “prisoners” and “the blind” are much broader ...

3. An Announcement to a Virgin

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... appears to a virgin and tells her that she will give birth to the Son of God. All of history was changed by Gabriel’s announcement to Mary. But it was also changed by Mary’s response: “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” No ... ago an angel appeared to a 13 or 14 year old girl, a virgin, in a remote part of the world, and made a most remarkable announcement to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to ...

4. The Ascension Announces a Triumph

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... , then lifted up on a cross to die an agonizing death in redeeming a sinful world back to God. But God raised him up, and now he has been with them again for 40 days. They have felt once more his loving, familiar, comforting presence, and so his announcement of another departure - this time a permanent one - is not easy to accept. This time he will not be lifted "up" on a cross, but will go "up" to the Father in heaven. He said that it was "expedient for them, so that the Comforter could come, the Spirit ...

5. A Cosmic Announcement

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

Susan Hedahl

... that the season’s reason is obscured. Yet, the cry in the night of the newborn child unforgettably reminds us of the orphaned state of our own hearts. We listen in spite of ourselves. His cry is ours. His destiny is linked to our future. The birth announcement has each of our names printed on it. With utter disregard for boundaries, the Lord of the Universe proclaims to all people, through time and space, to all that is and is to come: My Child - for you! And there is no darkened corner, which will not ...

6. The Centurion - Arranging Death, Announcing Life

Mark 15:33-41

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

... I did my job and watched what happened on that most memorable of days, something of tremendous importance happened to me there. You see, I was not only the man responsible for arranging the death of Jesus. I was also the first to declare that by his death, God was announcing life! When I saw Jesus die, and said, "Truly this was the Son of God," I must admit that I did not yet grasp the full significance of what I was saying. But I knew it was true! Then as the meaning of those words began to penetrate my ...

7. Angels Announce His Coming

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... a colleague to church. Whence is the source of goodwill? Let's wait a moment more before answering that. THE FINAL WORD FOR THE MORNING IS JOY. The shepherds went away rejoicing. That is an appropriate response when the birth of a baby has been announced by angels joy. Have you noticed that joy is in somewhat short supply in our society? In his book, CREATION SPIRITUALITY, Matthew Fox tells of meeting a young Jesuit priest in Brazil who had been working for two years with Amazon tribes. "What have you ...

8. An Announcement about Our Future

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... put up. Parties to attend. Meals to plan and prepare. Presents to buy and wrap. How can you possibly get it all done? The season of Advent, however, is about much more than getting ready for Christmas. Advent is the definitive announcement about our future. Advent is the announcement of a time when Christ shall return to establish his kingdom. Advent is a time of preparation for that final triumph over death and darkness. That is why Advent begins with this passage from St. Mark, chapter 13: “Be on guard ...

9. An Announcement from a Stable

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

An elementary teacher and her class were studying Christmas customs from around the world. It was an ideal opportunity, she explains, to share the Christmas story. She shared with her class how Mary and Joseph had gone to Bethlehem to pay taxes. It was time for the baby Jesus to be born and they needed somewhere to spend the night. She told her students that when Mary and Joseph went to the inn, there were no empty rooms. She compared the inn to a modern-day hotel or motel. She was leading up to the stable ...

10. An Announcement in Song

Psalm 98:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

In preparation for this message, I reflected on things I would miss as the Christmas season nears its close. One thing I will not miss, of course, is the crass materialism the desperate urge to buy just the right gift. It’s hard on both the soul and the wallet. I heard about a man who received his Visa bill from last Christmas. There was a note attached: “This bill is now 1 year old!” He sent it back with a note: “Happy Birthday, Bill!” Some families will spend the greater part of this year paying off last ...

11. An Announcement for a New Year

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Sermon

King Duncan

This is the last Sunday of 2014. Next Sunday is the year of our Lord 2015. My guess is that for some of us that hardly seems possible. Wasn’t it just yesterday when we were in a tizzy over Y2K and the beginning of a new millennium? On the other hand, it seems like a life-time ago. Besides, according to the ballyhooed Mayan calendar, the world should have ended December 21, 2012. [And according to Hal Lindsay and The Late, Great Planet Earth and numerous Left Behind books by Tim LaHaye, we should all have ...

12. Holy Unto The Lord

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

... adequate. The people are waiting to hear the President speak; reporters are all around anxious to tell the world what thus saith the President. In the experience of Israel, the people knew of God’s arrival. The elements of the universe had formed a symphonic chorus to announce the arrival of God. But, for whatever reason God chose to remain behind the curtain, closed by smoke. The person of God was not revealed. Now, let us say a word on behalf of God. Not that God needs it or even wants it, but we offer ...

13. All Is Calm, All Is Bright

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

William G. Carter

... quizzical look and he whispered, “I don’t have my shopping done.” As soon as the benediction was over, Dad took us home so Mom could hustle us into bed. Then he blazed a trail for the local Mammon Warehouse to make a few more purchases. The next morning he announced he hadn’t been the only one there. Needless to say, my brother, two sisters, and I were glad that he made the trip. This may be the busiest time of the year. There is so much to do: packages to wrap, places to go, people to see. We might ...

14. You're Going To Have A Baby!

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... in love with him, and what would he think of her if she became pregnant? Mary had a real reason to be afraid of the announcement that she was to be a mother, because the law of her day called for an adulteress to be stoned to death. You remember that ... God, for God loves us with God's whole being. Are You Curious? Like Mary, in the third place, we can react with curiosity about this announcement. "You're going to have a baby." After the angel told Mary that she was to be the mother of a son and his name ...

15. We Interrupt This Service

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Thomas Long

... . What we can do, of course, is to attempt to master the theme and then to try to be there wherever in life it is played anew. If we wonder where that might be, one good place to begin is by listening in worship to the announcements. 1. Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to John (I-XII) (The Anchor Bible, Vol. 29), (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1966), p. 31. 2. Philip Yancey, Open Windows (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985), p. 73. 3. See, for example, chapter eighteen in Robert ...

16. Paul, The Great Missionary

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... will be able to choose what is best. Then you will be free from all impurity and blame on the Day of Christ. Your lives will be filled with the truly good qualities which Jesus Christ alone can produce, for the glory and praise of God." (Philippians 1:3-11) Announcer: It is so good to hear your voice. I'm sure I speak on behalf of all your friends here! We thank you for your concern about us. Now that you are in lockdown, do you think about being set free? Paul: "I know that by means of your prayers ...

17. Getting Ready for Advent

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... ... as the prophet Isaiah said" (John 1:23). The voice of Isaiah's herald is the voice of John in his own day. The old word of Isaiah now becomes the new word of John, and these words converge for a dramatic purpose. That purpose is to announce that Advent is coming. Advent will simply mean that a new day will dawn with the birth of Jesus Christ. John the Baptizer brings togther the word of promise from Isaiah and a new word of fulfillment. The essence of Advent brings "joy to all people." In truth ...

18. The Lamb of God

John 1:29-34

Sermon

... the death of Christ to obliterate "the sin of the world" in the eyes of God. He was, most positively, "the Lamb of God," and he did, most certainly, "take the sin of the world" upon himself in terrible death on Calvary’s cross. When John made that startling announcement, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" the day after Jesus was baptized, he confirmed what was said when the dove descended on Jesus, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." No one, as far as we know ...

19. The Way Up Is the Way Down

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... not yet obeyed. This much is clear; first Jesus called them to follow. They did. He then launched out on an initial ministry tour- his first as well by the way, which was a kind of extended field trip with him in the lead from village to village, first announcing the nearness of the kingdom- “a new game is in town,” then doing the works that show hurting people what it means for God to show up in loving power to make things right. When Dudley Do-right shows up to save Nell, Snidley Whiplash has to leave ...

20. Beautiful Feet

Romans 10:5-15

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... the good news of Jesus and God's love, called and sent to proclaim him where we already are. So, in the final analysis, it is really our feet Paul is talking about. Our feet are beautiful because we bring good news. Our feet are beautiful when we announce peace, as Isaiah puts it. And our feet are beautiful, as Paul reminds us, when we proclaim the good news of Jesus. Beautiful feet is still a strange image, but when we think about it, how beautiful are the feet, and everything else, about the people who ...

21. The Messiah

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... meant another thing. Matthew meant that John the Baptist is the one who has come to get us to repent. So the judgment was expected. If God is going to come to rescue us, then there must be a judgment before he comes. So look out. Then comes the announcement of grace. Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us. Do you see what happens? This is wonderful. Instead of a fire coming to consume us, it is like light coming into the darkness of our lives, to lead ...

22. Light In The Land Of Shadows

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... men and women, who once experienced God's covenant with Moses, are enduring unspeakable brutality at the hands of the Assyrians. They have been thrown politically into the pit of the shadows -- sheol, the land of deep darkness in which there is no hope. The prophet announces a new creation for these dwellers in the land of shadows. Hope is reawakened. And that hope, that floodlight of joy, is not to be found center stage in the decisions of the great powers. The text goes on to point not to the triumph of ...

23. The Babel Disaster -- You Are There

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... them newbricks. No more waste. But did anyone thank us for it? No way. They thankedeach other. What bums! Serves 'em right the thing crashed. FA: Anything more you want to say? Mason: People gotta respect each other. We need awhole new spirit around here. (Announcer goes across the aisle to accountant.) FA: I am at the office of an accounting firm. You wereinvolved with the project, I gather. Were you in the temple? Accountant: I didn't plan to attend the party. I wasinvited, but, well, there were so many ...

24. Gabriel Speaks to Mary

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

George Bass

... event means to all of us, hopeful that the Holy Spirit will give us the kind of vision and understanding of the promise of the Messiah that he gave to Daniel (8:16, 9:21) centuries before Christ was born. God Is About to Change the World Gabriel’s announcement was much more than a message of a birth that was soon to take place; God’s plan to save the world is about to be put into action. That’s why the ancient church called this day the Festum conceptionis Domini, the feast of the conception of the ...

25. A Dreadful Declaration

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

George Bass

... Jesus claims our lives, too - usually in terms of discipleship and sacrifice rather than actual death. To be Christian means that we will allow the world to see the cross in the way that we live out our lives. And it won’t simply be a matter of announcing to the world, "I believe that Jesus is Lord." It means allowing our lives to reflect, in words and deeds, the validity of our confession of faith. In Bill C. Davis’ play, Mass Appeal,11 Father Tim Farley, in order to protect his position in his parish ...

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