Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: captured, trapped, catch, took, arrested, grabbed, taken, seized, stuck, apprehended, picked up, entangled, nabbed, jammed, abducted, acquired, got, bagged, gotten, netted, cornered, appropriated, tangled, snared, ensnared

Antonyms: free, freed, unconfined, loose, unrestrained, set free, uncuffed, emancipated, enfranchised, released, ambiguous, flaccid, let go, discharged, unbound, uncaged, unchained, unfettered, unleashed, unshackled, untied, avoided, discounted, disregarded, missed

Showing 1 to 25 of 3093 results

1. Fear of Missing Out

Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... else was “in.” The church was like that too once. Not too long ago, people wanted to be a part of the church so much they would purchase their pews a year in advance so that “their seat” would be waiting for them when they arrived, and they wouldn’t miss out on any part of worship, or have to stand in the back to watch. Having your own pew meant you were part of the ones who “belonged.” Others who couldn’t afford a pew would gladly stand in the back or in the aisles if all the chairs were ...

2. Something Is Missing

John 6:24-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... to the house, clutching the garment in his hand. In disgust, he threw it on the floor and muttered, "This thing doesn't work." Superman capes don't work if you are trying to use them to fill that emptiness. EVERY WISE PERSON WHO HAS EVER LIVED KNOWS WHAT IS MISSING: A SENSE OF MEANING. Why are we here? Where are we headed? What does it all mean? For many people there is no meaning. This is the message of our art and literature over the past few decades. All art has a message, and it speaks of the times in ...

3. Missing the Point

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... . Let's build three tents -- one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." Jesus was giving them a once in a lifetime revelation, but Peter wanted to make it permanent. He wanted to put up three tents so that he could keep the show going. But he missed the point that this was a special experience that was not intended to be repeated. We're not much different 2,000 years later. We want to institutionalize the dramatic so that we can find a spiritual shot in the arm when we need to counteract the boredom of ...

4. Missing!

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ) is reason for celebration. But these are nothing compared to a human. Remember how tricky I told you Jesus was? Well, here is another one of his great moves. The third story is also about a loss. But this time, it’s about a son –not a little boy gone missing in the supermarket, but a teenager perhaps who has gotten into a bit of a mess, who has bucked his parents, and has left home on his own without the emotional maturity to do so. Now that’s a great loss! Imagine for a moment that your teenage son ...

5. The Miss, The Kiss, The Mess, The Rest

2 Samuel 11:1-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... faithful warrior Lieutenants. So surely, David had seen her before. But probably never in the altogether. The minute he did, his eyes popped out; his tongue hit the floor. There was only one thing on his mind and it wasn't gin rummy. II. The Kiss And of course The Miss led to The Kiss. Now, if it had all ended at that moment, the Bible would be a couple of chapters shorter. If David would have said, "Hey, Lord. I'm not sure what's come over me, but I sure could use your help right now," things would have ...

6. The Missing Piece

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... so you could have a place at the table. He chose to die so that you would never be left out in the cold. That's the missing piece. We reject him for so many reasons — no room in the inn, no room in my heart, no room in my calendar, no room in ... gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own" (Titus 2:14). That's the missing piece. Jesus, the rejected one, who comes to you this night saying, "I know you have no room for me in the inn. You have no room ...

7. Don't Miss This

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Sermon

Michael L. Sherer

... to be a shepherd, once or twice in your youth. So, in violation of the rule set by countless seminary professors, it’s probably safe to say it to you tonight: “We all know this story very well. We know it so well, we are in danger of missing the real message.” What is the real message in the story of the shepherds, watching over their flocks in the fields out beyond Bethlehem? There is no clear agreement about it. Here, however, is one of the themes that it seems certain Luke, the writer of this story ...

8. Missing The Real Miracle

John 6:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... to him for the wrong reasons. He said, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill." (v.26) The people had just experienced an extraordinary miracle. But they missed the point of it all. They treated Jesus' generous miracle like a circus sideshow. "Do it again! Do it bigger and better this time!" The food, however, was just a sign. What Jesus was trying to communicate to them was the love that motivated this miracle ...

9. Don't Miss Jesus

Luke 2:41-51

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... and asking questions of the religious scholars. What can we learn from today’s scripture passage? I. We must be careful not to miss Jesus (Luke 2:43b). The festival is over and the family is headed home to Nazareth. They are not a threesome like we ... been out of sight for a while from his parents, but never out of their hearts! They did everything to find him. If you are missing Jesus, look for him. Abandon all else until you find Jesus. You can find him! He is at the edge of your heart waiting to ...

10. Too Good to Miss

1 Peter 3:8-22

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... brought to God. Jesus' mortal body was killed on the cross, but in the resurrection Jesus, the living Christ, was made alive in order that they might be brought to God. The basic tenet of our faith is simply too good and to important to allow us to miss it in the midst of arguments among various denominations or points of view over abortion or homosexuality or baptism or communion or ordination policy. The basic truth of our faith is that Jesus Christ was sent to us to bring us to God. What we need in any ...

11. Missing the Mark

1 Samuel 8:1-22

Sermon

Charles Allo

... control again settles within and causes to deny what is and what could be in the unknown for what might be that can be seen. We turn against God because He is not "here" for the things that are. We deny our liberator because the signs pointing to Him are missing. And we grasp our bondage again because we see relief in view. Let's not reject what we know to be true for what seems to be true. What we feel and sense are real and legitimate, but why should what we experience deny what is true. The Israelites ...

12. Miss Manners and Mr. Goodwrench

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to bring pleasure into other people's lives.(4) In the absence of strong ethical guidance and guidelines emanating from the religious community, it has become the role of mannerists to teach us "good character." Similarly, in her syndicated newspaper column, "Miss Manners," Judith Martin has attempted to present an overarching code of personal integrity and conduct. In both her columns and her books Martin conducts a type of remedial instruction for the American public in the subjects of honesty, kindness ...

13. The Missing Figure in the Nativity Scene

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... all love nativity scenes. Baby Jesus in the manger . . . Mary and Joseph hovering reverently over the holy child . . . shepherds, wise men, assorted cattle, sheep and camels . . . and, of course, a donkey. But, as someone has noted, there is always one person missing from these nativity scenes. “Correct me if I am wrong,” writes the Rev. Darrik Acre, “for I imagine that collectively we have seen a tremendous amount of Christmas displays. So if you have found him somewhere, please let me know. But have ...

14. The Healing of the Man with the Withered Hand

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

James W. Moore

... . Then with tears glistening in his eyes he said, “No… they tried to kill him! They were so rigidly wrapped up in their old ways of doing things that when He presented some new ideas… they resented Him… and they tried to silence Him!” Blinded by the old, they missed the new… the Lord was in that place… and they did not know it! How easy it is to fall into this trap! How easy it is to become so paralyzed by our usual ways of doing things that new ways threaten the life out of us. How easy it ...

15. God's Hello People

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... for me, and I am so grateful. The university has not been easy, but I've loved it." And four years later, again: "Dear Miss Williams, as of today, I am Grover Junior Johnson, M.D. How about that? I wanted you to be the first to know. I am ... ? You are the only family I really have now. Dad died last year. Hopefully, and with love, Grover Junior Johnson." I'm told that Miss Williams went to that wedding, and sat where "Grubby's" Mother would have sat. She deserved to sit there, for beneath the stony surface ...

16. Without Christmas, Life Would Be Impossible

Luke 2:1-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... was one little boy in her class who was very difficult, even impossible. And his name was Teddy Stallard. Teddy didn’t seem to be interested in school. His grades were terrible and his attitude was even worse. And he was so difficult and so aggravating that Miss Thompson developed a great resentment for him. In fact, she resented him so much that she almost enjoyed giving him his “F’s”! But then one day, she began checking on his background. She wondered if he had always been that way. And what she ...

17. Excited By Our Faith

John 1:35-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... positive expectancy. "I have met the Master. He will not fail me." Even more important than the attitude of faith, however, is the activity of love. Tony Compolo in his book WHO SWITCHED THE PRICE TAGS? tells a beautiful story about a schoolteacher named Miss Thompson. Miss Thompson was a conscientious teacher who tried to treat all her students the same. There was one little boy, however, who was difficult for her even to like. His name was Teddy Stallard. Teddy didn't seem to be interested in school. He ...

18. Come One, Come All

Luke 5:27-32

Sermon

James Merritt

... is made up of followers of Jesus. The status you must have to be a candidate to join this club is to be a missing person. A missing person is anyone who is far from God that can be invited to come near to God. There is an “Amber Alert” on anyone who ... liked Jesus, and Jesus liked people who were nothing like Him. Let me tell you why it is so important to associate with missing persons and lovingly, gently, and naturally introduce them to Jesus. When people who are far from God, truly meet the Son of God ...

19. Need a Lift?

Acts 9:36-43

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... ? I wanted you to be the first to know. I am getting married next month, the 27th to be exact. I want you to come and sit where my mother would sit if she were alive. You are the only family I have now; Dad died last year. Love, Ted Miss Thompson attended that wedding and sat where Ted’s mother would have sat. The love and generosity she had shown that young man entitled her to such an honor.[3] It is amazing what can happen when a little love and encouragement are shared. It can literally elevate a life ...

20. I Wonder about the Miracles in the Bible

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... I wanted you to be the first to know. I am getting married next month, the 27th to be exact. I want you to come and sit where my mother would sit if she were alive. You are the only family I have now; Dad died last year. Love, Ted Miss Thompson attended that wedding and sat where Ted’s mother would have sat. And that day she witnessed a miracle – a miracle that began when Ted was in the fifth grade (source of this story: Quest for Character by Chuck Swindoll). The miracles of God are all around us. The ...

21. Are You Suffering from FOMO?

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... I don’t know, but consumers loved it. Everyone knew the Schlitz Beer tagline, even those who didn’t drink beer. There’s a term you’ll hear advertisers use today, and it refers to a recent phenomenon in our society. It’s called “FOMO”—the Fear of Missing Out. It’s the idea that someone somewhere is having a better time than we are, living a richer life than we are, attending a better party or taking a better vacation than we are, and that we’d better cram as many experiences into our life ...

22. Journey To The Cross IV: Jesus and Judas

Mark 14:43-52

Sermon

James W. Moore

... called to be faithful, not to be successful. We are called to serve God and to be obedient to God. We are called to do the best we know and to trust God to bring it out right. But Judas missed the message and he missed the mandate. III. Judas Missed His Moment Sometimes so do we. Actually Judas missed two key moments, which could have changed his life. If he had seized either one of them, then today his name would be an honored one rather than one of shame. The first came in the Upper Room. Jesus offered ...

23. Where Is Your Pebble?

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... entertainers at that time. Sue’s response? She said, “Daddy, I love you and I’m so glad that you would arrange it to where me and one of my friends could go on this trip, but Daddy, there’s something going on at church . . . I don’t want to miss. I won’t be able to go with you this time.” Jerry Clower says tears welled up in his eyes and he wanted to sing the Doxology to think that a church activity was more important to his daughter than a trip to the CMA awards in Hollywood. Interesting. A ...

24. The Journey Begins

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... with your life. You catch fish for a living. You are going to catch people for life. You have spent your life catching fish for the purpose of killing them. You are going to spend the rest of your life catching people in order to give them life.” Don’t miss this. What Jesus was telling Peter to do was the very thing He was doing. Jesus told Peter to go catch people, because He had just caught Peter. He was saying in effect, “Peter, I caught you so you will go catch others. I found you so you will go ...

25. For the Hearing Impaired

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

James Merritt

... Part Is Receiving The Message Remember the focus of the parable is not on the sower of the seed, but on the soil. Even the best sower with the best seed will not have a harvest if he has bad soil. Jesus identifies the soil as the heart of the missing people we are trying to reach. “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.” (Matthew 13:19, ESV) Do you know what makes ...

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