Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: beginning, start, origination, genesis, birth, dawning, dawn, emergence, inception, launch, creation, birthplace, cradle, early stages, conception, inauguration, foundation, outset, source, derivation, root, roots, provenance, etymology, descent, ancestry, parentage, pedigree, lineage, line, line of descent, heritage, extraction, background, family, stock, blood, bloodline, genealogy, beginnings

Antonyms: end, conclusion, termination

Showing 1 to 25 of 917 results

1. A Most Important Dawning

Isaiah 60:1-22

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... of the glory of the Lord. We've heard songs such as, "You are worthy." We remember the song of the angels as the shepherds were told of Jesus' birth, "Glory to God in the highest." Think for a moment. Have you recognized the glory of God? And has it dawned on you the importance of God's revelation through Jesus of what God is really like? Many things in our life take quite a while to really get through. We hear something and think, "Yeah, that's right, I guess." Then we see its truth again and we think, "Oh ...

2. It Dawned on Me

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... before I became an apostle. Everything was going so well until that Thursday of the longest weekend in the world. When it dawned that Thursday in holy week, we had no idea what we were in for. Thursday Jesus celebrated Passover with us, instituting a ... teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, to the end of the age." It finally dawned on me. He had taught us to pray, "For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever." There was a ...

3. The Dawn of Forever

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... or rain clouds, we can still feel its rays and we know that something is different. We know the world is somehow subtly changed. And we find that we've come not to mourn but to dance for joy because of that difference. We come because this day is "The Dawn of Forever." And difference is the tomb is empty. The stone has been rolled away and the tomb is empty. Not because of vandals. Not because of some sick sorry so and so who stole the body. Not because of some black magic. But because the Son of God is ...

4. Until It Dawns on You

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... is, to take the authority of scripture seriously, and get rid of "cleverly devised myths," these fancy doctrines and teachings generated by our best feelings. Get rid of those things. It is only through scripture--we would say, mostly through scripture--that the light will dawn upon you. If you study scripture, if you live with it, scripture will be the source of an epiphany. In fact, Peter is suggesting that it is most likely for those of us in this period of history, the post-Resurrection era, most likely ...

5. The Dawn's Early Light

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... this flag? Will we notice the appalling number of homeless men and women and children wandering aimlessly under the banner of freedom? Will we notice the bullet holes that drug lords have shot into this flag or the layer of cocaine powder sootily smudging its colors? If the light that dawns is not strong enough or bright enough to reveal these faults, then it is up to the Church, like David's prophet Nathan, to increase the intensity of the light and to boldly speak the word of God to the country we love.

6. The Darkness Before the Dawn

John 13:18-30, John 13:31-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... some fierce despair. It was a dark and stormy night. All that is within me wants to proclaim something else tonight, but I will wait until Easter. You are never ready for Easter until you have walked through the dark and stormy night. But, into such darkness, the dawn will come. Remember it is often darkest just before daylight. And let me tell you tonight, you are in no dark corner where your Savior is not there, too. So let me finish with an old Rabbinical story about a man who left his village weary of ...

7. Oh Say, Can You See by the Dawn’s Early Light?

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... accurate measure of the level of dedication some employees bring to work each day. No one ever finds contentment in a job done with half a heart. Only when we give ourselves with enthusiasm do we experience joy in life. Oh say, can you see by the dawn's early light? It is Resurrection Sunday and all around the world Christians are singing glad hymns of praise to the living Jesus. In your heart (and not just with your lips) are you joining the glorious chorus? Do you have the confidence that Christ alone can ...

8. He Touched Me

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... am willing,” Jesus said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left the man and he was cured. Christ can do that. Christ can cleanse us and make us whole. Dawn Weiss’ life was falling apart. Dawn, a recovering alcoholic, moved to Tennessee after the California earthquake of 1994. She got a job as a waitress and enrolled in school. But Dawn had never confronted the stress of an earthquake, of moving, of leaving loved ones. One night, she felt ready to give up. She prayed for help, but didn’t feel ...

9. An Announcement about Our Future

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... our situation as we await Christ’s return. This is still an imperfect world. We still live in a world of betrayal, a world in which the church on whom Christ relies is asleep, a world still depending on God’s grace as its only hope. We await the dawn, the return of Christ to dispel the darkness for all time, to set up his kingdom of love and peace and justice for all people. We celebrate Advent during the darkest time of the year. It is not a celebration of darkness, though. It is the celebration of the ...

10. The Easter Parade

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Charles M. Mills

... , Christ our Lord. He arose. He arose. Hallelujah, Christ arose! Wordsworth wrote, "Bliss it was to be alive in that dawn." Dawn when the dew was damp and the day was wrapped in the swaddling clothes of hope. Dawn when: "... down the long and silent street The dawn with silver-sandalled feet crept like a frightened girl." (Oscar Wilde) Dawn. Sabbath day has passed and now the first day of the week has arrived. Dawn when Mary Magdalene came to the tomb of Jesus. She had come to mourn the death of hope, the ...

11. Take Heart

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Will Willimon

... of some other scripture in your mind? ''Take courage. I am.'' I am. Back in Exodus, the exodus out of Egyptian slavery begins, the dawning of the new day, as Moses stands before the burning bush and a voice says, ''I am.'' In this rather amazing moment, here on ... that even the wind and the seas obey? Here, caught in the boat, buffeted by wind and waves, at night, just before dawn, they know. Peter, the one whom Jesus nickna1ned ''Little Faith'', Peter is saved by allowing Jesus to reach out to him, to grasp ...

12. Are You Living the Three Advents?

Romans 13:11-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... night vs. day, no dark vs. light. Since Christ’s arrival on earth, since Christ’s life among us for our sake and “our salvation” (v.11), we live in a different world than that of night and day, or dark and light. Christians live in a pre-dawn life, in the overlap of the ages, between the three stages of Advent. That’s right, you heard it correctly. In the Christian tradition there is not just one advent we celebrate, but three. The First Advent is the coming of Christ to earth. The Second Advent ...

13. Taking The Risk Out Of Dy(e)ing

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Lee Griess

... ," she says. And then the voice of the One who holds life and death in his very hands, the One who had forgiven and restored her, makes himself known to her -- with just one word -- as he says her name, "Mary." And just as suddenly as the new day dawns, Mary understood. She knew. She knew then that life is no brief candle that flickers and goes out. That by the power of God Almighty, Christ had risen, and brings with him the promise of life everlasting. That for all who turn to him in faith, that same light ...

14. Welcoming The New Millennium

Sermon

James Angell

... impressive list. The world has speeded up. We are smarter, richer, much better equipped to explore what the world is all about than we were a thousand years ago. But we are also more dangerous to ourselves, more conceited - and less inclined to be kind and tolerant. Dawn is a good time to be thinking about such things as we bask in the newness of another new beginning and restudy our dreams. Lifting up still one more prayer for peace, and, for the ten-millionth time, go about the business of sorting out the ...

15. Shockproof

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

James Merritt

... it for a moment and said, “Mom, I’ll forgive Timmy tonight, but if I don’t die in the night he had better look out in the morning.” That is not forgiveness. When we forgive, it has to be final. I didn’t end the story of Dawn Smith Jordan. What did she do? She said when she got that letter she was angry. She was frustrated. She was irritated, because she did not want to forgive the murderer of her sister, but then this verse came to her heart, “Be kind and tenderhearted, forgiving one another ...

16. Pop Verses: Proverbs 3:5-6

Proverbs 3:5-6

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... whole community, this whole world are filled with people who have mistaken headlights for dawns. There are people in prison because they have mistaken headlights for dawns. There are people addicted to drugs because they have mistaken headlights for dawns. There are people buried in cemeteries because they have mistaken headlights for dawns. There are people with ruined lives because they have mistaken headlights for dawns. There are gravely disappointed people all over this community, all over this world ...

17. Rich Toward God

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

John G. Lynn

... to divide the inheritance, "Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." That word "possessions" refers to that hour before dawn: that murky, foggy twilight time. In Jesus' mind this man uses his possessions in a murky, foggy, twilight kind of way ... and four. Well, bye for now. Signed Jeff." That boy was not in the twilight zone. He did not operate in the mists before dawn or the murky haze over the earth. Everyone who read that letter knew just how he felt about his sisters. No camouflage in Jeff ...

18. Proper 8

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

... to test Jacob, not to destroy him. Jacob came out of that battle equipped to begin the best and the most productive part of his life. "The sun rose upon him, just as he passed Penuel limping on his hip." (Genesis 32:32) It cost him. It was a dawn of a new day for Jacob, but he had to limp into it. Dr. Sanford suggests the wound Jacob received is simply the mark of anyone who encounters a deep, spiritual reality, because any person who has an experience of psychological depth is always wounded by it. (page ...

19. Pentecost’s Promises Judith Ann Cobb

Isaiah 44:1-5

Sermon

... even love our children. He promises to pour his Spirit upon his descendants and bless the offspring. He neither slumbers nor sleeps but says, "Ask and it shall be given. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened for you." This one God waits until dawn’s early light. This Pentecost promise is forever. He is the first and the last. There is no other. I spend a lot of time with teens. Some are gathered today on this Pentecost to make an affirmation of their faith in the Rite of Confirmation. They ...

20. When God Almighty Speaks ... Listen!

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

Richard L. Eslinger

... the high priest was blind! It was night. The lamp of God which had burned all night, had not yet gone out. It was now just before dawn. But it was still very dark, as dark as the vision of Eli, as dark as the absence of God. You can feel that kind of ... door is the only sign of life. That’s how it is during the night watches - a time of infrequent visions, just before dawn. Then the word comes. No vision, just a word. "Samuel," "Samuel," the Lord calls, calling Samuel to be prophet and leader of Israel ...

21. Stumbling in Darkness, Looking for Light

Isaiah 9:1-7, John 1:5

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... an ancient Chinese proverb: It is better to light just one little candle than to stumble in the dark. Better far then to light just one little candle, all you need's a tiny spark. If we all say a prayer that the world will be free, The wonderful dawn of a new day we'll see; And if everyone lit just one little candle, what a bright world this would be. The Mammoth Cave guide let us stand there in hushed silence, allowing the darkness to sink into our bones, our eyes widely dilated, straining to catch any ...

22. Breath of God · COVID-19 and the Resurrection

John 20:10-18, John 20:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... But only for a time. Life in waiting is merely that, a time of waiting. And yet a time of expectation. For we know that no matter what, that beast has no power over us. God’s resurrection breath will raise us up. A new day will dawn, soon. Very soon. Mary’s faith kept her expectant and waiting, watching for something new to change, something miraculous to happen. She may not have known when or exactly how, but on that third day, she came nevertheless, in the darkness, hoping that God would come through ...

23. Light In The Land Of Shadows

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... heir who will bring light and newness as the fulfillment of long-standing expectations on the part of people who have lived in the land of political shadows. The message of the great light comes as a welcomed announcement to people who look forward to the dawn of a completely new day for their shadowy world. The prophet Isaiah has in his mind's eye a people who are suffering in a land of shadows: the fearful military domination of the Assyrian empire. These men and women, who once experienced God's covenant ...

24. All The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Gerald Whetstone

... the others would never, ever, be the same again. Nor would the world ever be the same. Here's Peter telling the Gentiles that God shows no partiality and that this gospel is for all. Whoever believes in this Jesus Christ receives forgiveness of sins. And that is the dawn of a new life. The world waits for the sunrise. And Easter is God's answer that a new day is already come. This is worthy of our most joyous celebration this most holy and happy day. They say that when the slaves in Jamaica knew they were ...

25. Look, The Morning Star

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... be guided by the Holy Spirit through the apostolic witness. In so doing, they will see the light. "Peter's" word is the one we need to hear as we come to the close of the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany season. As a worshipping congregation we can face the dawn of a new century with confidence. We have light to overcome darkness and hope to overcome despair. As we seek to live between the time of Christ's first coming in humility and his final coming in exaltation we have light to guide us. In Hendrikus Berkhof's ...

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