Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: contest, tournament, match, game, round, heat, fixture, event, meet, encounter, rivalry, competitiveness, vying, contesting, opposition, contention, conflict, feuding, battling, fighting, struggling, strife, war, opposing side, other side, other team, field, enemy, foe

Showing 1 to 25 of 3169 results

1. God Encounter

Luke 1:1-4, Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... –a firm promise that nothing will be the same again, but will change you and everything around you. And you in turn, or in your turning, will help change the world. For you are part of God’s Dream, God’s message of hope. You in your encounter become yourself, a Thin and Sacred Space with potential you cannot even imagine. Where God has broken into the world, the darkness can never again overcome. This is the promise. This is the celebration. This is your story. And this is your song. Rejoice! He is ...

2. Encounter with a Stranger

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Robert Allen

... . Perhaps, the folds of his robe fell back and they saw the livid red marks of the nails in his hands. But, whatever it was, in that instant they knew him. In that moment they recognized him. In that fraction of a second they knew that their encounter with a stranger had been an encounter with the risen Lord. And he was gone! It wasn't possible! It couldn't be, but they had seen him with their own eyes and heard him with their own ears. They got up and ran the seven-and-one-half miles back to Jerusalem to ...

3. First Encounters

1 Samuel 16:14-23

Sermon

... , while his lyre had struck up a jolly tune for maidens’ dancing feet. God was with the shepherd meeting the sovereign. God is with the Daniel in all of our souls facing the lions of worry, loneliness, and death. He was with his Son in his first encounter with Pilate and the cross of suffering. David came to Gibeah to meet Saul. The first act in a drama filled with triumph and tragedy. He came to Saul at his request, not because he sought power, but because God’s power and mysterious ways had sought ...

4. Encounters With Christ IV: Jesus and the Woman at the Well

Sermon

James W. Moore

... that from that day Josh became known on the streets as ‘The Rev.’ What a remarkable story this is… the story of grace, love, acceptance, forgiveness, reconciliation, bridge-building – and holy communion. Interestingly, that story reminds me of this powerful passage in John 4 which records Jesus’ encounter with The Samaritan Woman at the Well. · That, too, was a moment of amazing grace and Holy Communion. · This woman, too, (like Josh) felt unworthy… and she, too, wasn’t real sure that this ...

5. An Encounter With Two Old Friends

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

... shift of accent. The up-front Pharisee is getting better press. The lowly Publican is being more honestly appraised. The story has more depth than it was recognized, and I am less inclined to roller skate across it in my reading of Saint Luke, as though encountering these two old friends could be a casual meeting. Both of them, surprisingly, have taken on new life, and they appear as mirror images of someone whom I know quite well, although not well enough. So as I introduce you to these two old friends ...

6. The Call to Encounter

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... music sounds like. It’s kind of Ranky Tanky, and I never would have been able to enjoy it if I had not left my comfort zone and visited another culture. The Demoniac Not only did Jesus call us, through his example, to encounter other cultures than our own, he called us to encounter individual people who are different from us. No sooner had he and his disciples placed their feet on dry land than they were confronted by this man who was, well, let’s just say it, crazy as a bedbug. Back then they called ...

7. Encounters With Christ I: Jesus & the Man Born Blind

John 9:1-12

Sermon

James W. Moore

Recently, I ran across a “fascinating list” that carried this intriguing title: “Great Truths About Life That Little Children Have Learned.” Let me share a few of these “great truths” with you. (1) “ No matter how hard you try you cannot baptize a cat.” (2) “When your mom is mad at your dad, don’t let her brush your hair.” (3) “Never ask your 3-year-old brother to hold a tomato… or an egg.” (4) “You can’t trust dogs to watch your food for you.” (5) “Don’t sneeze when somebody is cutting your hair.” (6) “ ...

8. Encounters With Christ II: Jesus and Mary and Martha

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

James W. Moore

Some years ago, The Archbishop of Canterbury was rushing to catch a train in London. In his haste, he accidentally jumped on the wrong passenger car and found himself on a car full of inmates from a mental hospital. They were all dressed in mental hospital clothing. Just as the train pulled out of the station, an orderly came in and began to count the inmates, “1-2-3-4…”… when suddenly he saw this distinguished looking gentleman there wearing a business suit and a clerical collar and he said: “Who are you ...

9. Encounters With Christ III: Jesus and Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

James W. Moore

His name was Paul. He lived in a small town in the Pacific Northwest some years ago. He was just a little boy when his family became the proud owners of one of the first telephones in the neighborhood. It was one of those wooden boxes attached to the wall with the shiny receiver hanging on the side of the box… and the mouthpiece attached to the front. Young Paul listened with fascination as his mom and dad used the phone… and he discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device called a telephone lived ...

10. Encounters With Christ V: Jesus and James and John

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

James W. Moore

Some years ago when William Howard Taft was President of the United States, he found himself in an interesting dilemma. A woman who was a friend of the Taft family kept pestering President Taft to appoint her husband to the post of Secretary of Commerce. Now, the woman’s husband had no political experience at all – no training for the job at all – no real expertise or qualifications to bring to the position at all. In fact, he was a house painter! But, the woman wanted her husband to be named by the ...

11. Encounters With Christ VI: Jesus and Caiaphas

Matthew 26:57-68

Sermon

James W. Moore

Rev. James W . Moore tells a story about his six-year-old granddaughter Sarah who was visiting some friends of the family. He says: These friends are a wonderful couple who have been happily married for over 40 years. They have just moved into their dream retirement home. They love each other very much, but on this particular day when Sarah was there for her visit with our friends, they were still in the process of moving and arranging furniture. They were trying to move a large chair through a narrow ...

12. Encounters With Christ VII (Easter): Jesus & Mary Magdalene

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

Bill Bryson has written a fascinating book called… The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America. In the book, he tells of traveling to Hannibal, Missouri to visit the boyhood home of the noted author Mark Twain. He described the house as a “trim, white-washed house with green shutters… set incongruously in the middle of downtown.” It costs two dollars to visit Mark Twain’s home and to walk around the site. Bill Bryson said he found the home to be a disappointment. He expressed his disillusionment like ...

13. An Incredible Encounter

Genesis 32:22-31

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... God, a fresh intrusion that makes all things new. Disorientation means opportunity for transformation and growth. As Jacob traveled in transition, moving from one place to another, threatened by his fear of Esau, and now mixing it up with a face-to-face encounter with God, would he in fact grow and change? Was this Peniel experience a test like that of Abraham? Would Jacob rise above the challenge? When Christians are confronted in the dark night of the soul by adversity, they may rise above the challenge ...

14. A Dangerous Encounter

Luke 5:1-11

Illustration

Daniel Shaw

A young pastor from Zimbabwe once wrote: "I'm apart of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. I'm a disciple of his. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, ...

15. A Chance Encounter

Illustration

... running the race not far behind me," Jim reported. "Because of the way my heart was pumping from running, I lost a lot of blood in a hurry. The doctor applied pressure and got it stopped." The buck, however, paid an even higher price for his encounter. The collision broke his leg and his back, and the only humane response was to quickly dispense him to the ranks of the deerly departed. "Jin had already been admitted to a nearby hospital for repairs when state game officials called to tell him Wisconsin law ...

16. A Striking Encounter with Wildlife

Illustration

Charles Swindoll

... afraid that with all the blood rushing to my head I might pass out." When he tried to toss the dead snake aside, he couldn't let go "I had to pry my fingers from its neck." Rathman, 45, who works for the Defense Department in San Jose, estimates his encounter with the snake lasted 20 minutes. Warden Dave Smith says of meeting Rathman: "He walked toward me holding this string of rattles and said with a sort of grin on his face, 'I'd like to register a complaint about your wildlife here.'"

17. A Taxing Encounter

Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 2:13-17, Luke 5:27-32

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ’t fast as John’s disciples do. And Jesus answers as the “bridegroom.” When the bridegroom is present, you celebrate. You may choose to add this section to your scripture reading, as it is part of the larger story. Image Exegesis: A Taxing Encounter “I desire devotion and love, not sacrifice.” --Hosea 6 The call of Matthew appears in three of the four gospels in nearly identical fashion. Not every disciple has a “call story” in the scriptures. Only a few. And they are recorded for specific ...

18. God Encounter

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... know. In this golden hour today….as in every day since the women entered that tomb, we have been made aware, whether in surprise or in acknowledgement, that resurrection is real. Life is mysterious and beautiful. For Jesus –and for us. He is risen! And so are we. May you encounter the risen Christ this day, and may he dwell in you and among you, now and always, that you too may experience the gift of Life, right here, right now.

19. Encountering The Family Man

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

Jesus’ brother is a leader of our church now. He wasn’t always. Once we called him a lunatic, and sought to have him put away. But now he is our leader. Of course, neither was I always a member - right from the start. You see, once, eighteen years ago, I owned the land on that special hillside. It was grazing land - for my flocks, and for others. It was land that had been in my family for a number of generations - as far back as I could trace. I count it as important land because of this. I’m a family man ...

20. Muggeridge Encounters Mother Teresa

Mark 12:41-44

Illustration

Brett Blair

In 1970, a man by the name of Malcolm Muggeridge went to Calcutta to do a special documentary on Mother Teresa for BBC-TV. Muggeridge then was Europe's Tom Brokaw. Well, on that fated morning of their meeting (a morning that would change him the him for the rest of his life) he met her as she was working out in the streets with sick and poor people in a ghetto like he had never seen before, amid stench, filth, garbage, disease, and poverty that was just unbelievable. But what struck Muggeridge more than ...

21. Encountering Incomparable Riches

Ephesians 2:4-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A little over 100 years ago things were hard for Americans. Economic depression caused many banks and businesses to fail. The average family had a hard time making ends meet. It was about that time that someone discovered gold in Alaska. People by the thousands made their way to this treacherous northwest territory trying to strike it rich. If you have visited Skagway, Alaska, and taken a ride on the White Pass Railroad you have seen first hand the tremendous sacrifices people made searching for a richer ...

22. An Encounter across the Lake

Luke 8:26-39, Luke 8:22-25

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: Jesus displays his unique power over both the natural elements and supernatural oppression. Understanding the Text Thus far, Jesus’s mission has been confined to the Jewish areas of Galilee, though we have heard of crowds from a wider area coming to hear him (6:17–18). The decision now to cross the lake takes him into Gentile territory on the eastern shore. It is only a brief visit, but it symbolizes the wider extension of the Jewish Messiah’s ministry to non-Jewish people, already signaled in 2: ...

23. Camp Encounter

Humor Illustration

King Duncan

Paul Newman told this story on himself: Newman founded the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for children stricken with cancer, AIDS, and blood Diseases. One afternoon, he and is wife, Joanne Woodward, stopped by to have lunch with the kids. A counselor at a nearby table, suspecting the young patients wouldn’t know Newman was a famous movie star, explained, that’s the man who made this camp possible. “Maybe you’ve seen his picture on his salad dressing bottle?” Blank stares. “Well, you’ve probably seen his face ...

24. An Encounter with Jesus

John 12:20-33

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

“We Would See Jesus” has been the title of books, songs, and most likely hundreds of sermons. It is a great phrase loaded with dozens of directions that a preacher can go with a sermon. It is a temptation for any preacher to take the phrase where he wants it to go but the truth is that staying inside this story, without leaping in countless directions is the very best way to teach and understand what is happening. Let’s look at this biblical account and try to see the real story as it unfolds. It begins ...

25. Transforming Love

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... , as well as forgiveness for his persecutors. Saul watched as the stones were hurled and he heard Stephen say, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (Acts 7:60). Saul must have been greatly affected by that display of grace by Stephen. Then, following Saul's encounter with Christ, Ananias came to him. Saul had been blinded by scales. He was unable to eat or sleep. He must have also been wrestling with the guilt he felt for what he had done to Stephen and so many others. Ananias was a devout and faithful ...

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