Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: punish, blame, condemn, hold to

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Mark 1:1-8

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... now. Many who have sat in pews for years still have no concept of grace.) Now, invite the people, silently for three minutes, to let God's Spirit evaluate their behavior, doing versus receiving. Invite them to write down their insights. (Never apologize for extended silences; worship represents the only time that people allow themselves silence.) Conclude with something similar to this prayer: "Lord, teach us how to receive, so that we will respond to you for the right reasons." Introduction to the Act of ...

2. The Christian Life Save Us

Psalm 69:1-36

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... waters have come up to our necks. Right Side: We are about to drown in confusion, selfpity and doubt. Left Side: Our throats are hoarse from calling you and our eyes fail looking for you. Right Side: Backbiters surround us, destroying our reputations. We have to apologize for things we didn’t do! Left Side: We are guilty, Lord, but not of the things our accusers hold against us. We take comfort that you know our folly and forgive us in your great mercy. Right Side: We looked for sympathy, but there was ...

3. Prayers for Epiphany

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Rolland R. Reece

Epiphany We wonder, our heavenly Ruler, about the three wise men who brought gifts of frankincense and myrrh to the Christ child, some months or years after his birth. What a presence they must have made in Bethlehem. Did the commonplace appearance of the Holy Family's home cause them to think they might have come to the wrong place? Did they wonder about the plainness of the friends of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus? Perhaps they stepped outside their abode to recheck the position of the guiding star. Did these ...

4. The Season Of The Holy Spirit

Mark 10:1-12

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

CELEBRATING GOD'S PRESENCE AND POWER Pastoral and Congregational Invitation Welcome to the twentieth Sunday in Pentecost. Do you remember, from our Easter celebrations, that worship is a celebration of God, an ovation to God, and not a spectator sport? Who remembers? We celebrants are a congregation, not an audience. We are the actors in this celebration. We are here, not to wait for something to happen, but to create together what happens. God alone is the audience, though never a passive audience. God ...

5. The Season Of The Holy Spirit

John 3:1-21

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

Theme: Jesus Teaches Nicodemus about Birth and Second Birth. We can have the first without the second, but not the second without the first. CELEBRATION THROUGH PRAISE Pastoral Invitation In the name of God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit, welcome to Trinity Sunday. Does that invitation turn you on or off? Please raise your hands if the doctrine of the Trinity gives you any difficulty. Who of you has the Trinity all figured out? I invite us to bring our questions and confusions to worship today, if ...

6. Proper 8

Luke 9:51-56

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

Gospel Note With this passage begins Luke's account of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem. Having directed himself toward Jerusalem (v. 51), and having been rejected by the Samaritans (v. 53), Jesus issues some sobering statements on discipleship en route (vv. 57-62). Taken together they bespeak a very demanding prospect for his followers: rootlessness coupled with a radical readjustment of priorities, with claims that supersede even urgent familial responsibilities. Liturgical Color Green Suggested Hymns Even As ...

7. Proper 4

1 Samuel 16:1-13, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18, Mark 2:23-3:6

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 Theme: Human perspective versus God’s perspective Exegetical Note This account of Samuel’s choosing and anointing of David as Saul’s successor is very rich, but a key element is the distinction it makes between Samuel’s human perspective, which focuses on outward appearance and to which several of the candidates looked promising, versus God’s perspective, which looks upon the heart and thus finds regal potential in the least likely and last considered of all, a very young ...

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