Sermon and Worship Resources

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Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... was a fuss-budget about his schedule, the girls smiled, shaking their heads in agreement. As the afternoon progressed, the pile of clothes and treasures decreased. Finishing her meal, an elderly woman rose to leave. She had found a nice, wool coat — and it was red, her favorite color. She had just enough money to buy it. After paying for her "need" not "want," she discarded her worn, matted coat. She smiled as she slipped her arms into the warm, winter coat. Then she headed for the door. "Nora! Hey, Nora ...

2. No Green Without Red

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

If you do not live a gospel that calls you to a life of sacrifice and service, you are living a shallow, selfish, shoddy substitute that promises much and demands little. This week's texts give off both green lights and red lights: the hopeful green lights of salvation and redemption (in Hebrews) and the ominous red lights of sacrifice and service (in Mark and Isaiah). The ongoing challenge of discipleship is to acknowledge both these colors as we encounter them, not abandoning or avoiding atonement ...

3. There's an Elephant in the Room and Her Name Is Katrina

Exodus 14:10-15

Sermon

James W. Moore

There is an elephant in the room and her name is Katrina. Hurricane Katrina was the most destructive storm to hit the United States in historic times. It caused extensive damage to the coastal regions of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama when it slammed ashore on August 29, 2005. By late morning of August 29, the storm caused several sections of the levee system in New Orleans to collapse. Subsequent flooding over most of the city resulted in horrendous damage, destruction and death. Estimates are placing ...

4. Living in the Red

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Once upon a time there was a court jester who had served the Caliph at Baghdad and his court, keeping them amused whenever they called on him. One day in a moment of thoughtlessness, he offended the Caliph. For his impertinence, the Caliph ordered that the jester be put to death. "However," said the ruler, "in consideration of your many years of service, I will let you decide how you will die." "Well," replied the jester, "if it's all the same to you, O most generous Caliph, I choose death by old age." ...

5. Red, White and Pink

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Have you done time in the “pink aisle”? If you’ve been there, you know what I mean. It’s that entire section in Target or Toys’R’Us or wherever you shop, that glows with a Pepto-Bismol-bright pink haze. The corridor you trundle your shopping cart down is awash in pinks . . . there is Barbie and all her accessories, there are dolls of lesser nobility and parentage, there are fingerpaints, Frisbees, . .. Whatever sits on those shelves, they all give off a ghastly pink glow. Stores really should provide ...

6. From Black Holes to Red Holes

Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Does anyone here know how to snowboard? Anyone here snowboard in cyberspace? Thanks to DVD technology, our eleven-year-old son Thane and his buddies go snowboarding in our living room almost every weekend. I love to eavesdrop while their electronic selves slip and slither down impossible snowboarding courses. It's always an education. The other day Thane started shouting, "How can this guy keep saying 'gravity is my friend!'?" For some reason the character Thane had chosen would perform astounding 720's, ...

7. Anybody NOT seeing red?

1 John 1:5--2:14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Whether you were paying taxes this past Wednesday, or were lucky enough to rate a refund, its been hard not to see anything but red this past week. The Declaration of Independence has a phrase that is an indictment of King George. Pretend you don’t know who it’s referring to. The US “Declaration of Independence” declares that its people should not have to deal with meddlesome agencies that “harass our people and eat out their substance.” Big-time billion-dollar bail-outs, trillion-dollar infusions and ...

8. Worried About Her Child

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

A man was going up to bed, when his wife told him he'd left the light on in the garden shed. She could see it from the bedroom window. But he said that he hadn't been in the shed that day. He looked out himself, and there were people in the shed, stealing things. He rang the police, but they told him that no one was in his area, so no one was available to catch the thieves. He said "ok," hung up, counted to 30 and rang the police again. "Hello. I just rang you a few seconds ago, because there were people ...

9. Celebrating Generosity

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A number of years I read a newspaper article from Indianapolis about a wealthy widow, Mrs. Marjorie Jackson, was found dead in her home. She was dressed in flannel pajamas and a housecoat, was found on the kitchen floor. There was no foul play involved. But the strange part of the story is that the police discovered over 5 million dollars in cash stuffed in trash cans, shoe boxes, drawers, tool boxes, paper bags, the pockets of clothing and even in a vacuum cleaner bag. Most of the money was in $100 bills ...

10. An Unbreakable Christmas

Philippians 4:4-7

Sermon

King Duncan

I don’t want to cause you any stress this morning, but we are just a couple of weeks away from Christmas. Are you ready? What does “being ready for Christmas” look like for you? I read about a class of six-year-olds who were putting on the annual Christmas concert for family and friends. The kids were singing “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” with gusto. They came to the line “Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” One child, the loudest singer in the group, belted out, “Peace on earth ...

11. Scrubbing Our Social Media Accounts

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

We’re about two months away from high school and college graduation season. It’s a very exciting and stressful time for students, teachers and parents. Our prayers are with all our young people as they make the move into jobs or college or some new chapter of their lives. There’s an online company called BrandYourself that claims it has the perfect graduation gift for high school and college students. It’s called the “Student Makeover.” It’s not a beauty and grooming service. It’s an online service for ...

12. And Then Came The Angel

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

If we cannot relate to Joseph and appreciate his situation, then our lives are simple, easy lives indeed. Now, by relating to Joseph or understanding what he endured, I don't mean to suggest that we all either have been engaged or married to someone impregnated by the Holy Spirit. Even in our frantic search for ways to explain how such a thing might have happened, we probably didn't think of blaming the Holy Spirit! We relate to Joseph and appreciate his struggle in a different way, a much more practical ...

13. A Child Will Be Born

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

It was a cold December afternoon. Rain mixed with snow splashed against the windshield. Overhead dark clouds hovered seemingly just above the treetops. All day long two men, a pastor named Jerry and a layman named Jim, had been delivering Christmas boxes. Many of the families who would receive these boxes would get nothing else for Christmas that year. The pickup truck had been loaded when the two men started out on their journey but now, only one box remained. It was covered with an old piece of tarp to ...

14. What Christmas Gives to Us

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

James W. Moore

A couple of weeks ago, the Brookwood Community celebrated its 20th Anniversary out at Brookshire, Texas. Brookwood is an amazing place… a modern-day miracle! It’s a God-centered educational, residential and entrepreneurial village for adults with functional disabilities. It’s a God-centered, educational, residential and entrepreneurial village for adults with functional disabilities. It’s a special place for special adults. It enables them to grow and contribute and belong and be productive. It gives them ...

15. The Battle For Control

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever battled for control of your own life? Some of us fight that battle every day. The discouraging truth, however, is that our main adversary is not someone in our family or someone at work or someone who is angry at us. As Pogo once put it: "We have met the enemy and he is us." I was encouraged to read that the French writer, Victor Hugo, author of the book on which the Broadway hit LES MISERABLES is based, had a habit of asking his servant to steal his clothes every morning. This meant Hugo ...

16. On Being in the Wrong Place

Mark 15:21-32

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

In one of his books, A Scent of Love, Keith Miller tells the true story of a mother who took her children to the Animal Farm - a place where they could pet the animals that roamed free and even ride an elephant. Not finding a conventional parking space, the mother parked their little red Volkswagen “beetle” on a little paved apron on the path that led to the ranger station. Then they went out and had a great time. Realizing later, however, that the day had gotten away from them and they were supposed to ...

17. The Surrogate

Matthew 1:1-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Props: Ring (engagement ring preferably) or letter from a prior wartime soldier (if you can find such) Have you heard the riddle? Question: In a bacon-and-egg breakfast, what's the difference between the Chicken and the Pig? Answer: The Chicken is involved, but the Pig is committed! Commitment is sometimes a “dirty word” in our culture today. People are wary of making commitments that may not last. Our marriage rates are going down. More people are renting homes than buying. Many are buying gold, fearing ...

18. Abraham and God's Promise

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. Mickey Anders tells a hilarious story about a man who took his film to a one-hour photo developing service in downtown Chicago. He left his film and returned in an hour to discover that the place was no longer a one-hour photo shop. Now it was a one-hour dry cleaners. The confused man hesitantly entered the store, met the same clerk, and asked about his film. The gentleman behind the counter said, “Was that a suit or just shirts?” The man replied, “It was 35-millimeter film.” The clerk asked, “Was it ...

19. About Face!

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

I’d like to take a quick poll this morning. If you could choose to visit a famous site around the world, like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Colosseum in Rome or the Giza Pyramids in Egypt or any other place of your choice, which would you choose to see? That’s not an easy question to answer. There are so many beautiful places in the world to visit. British photographer Oliver Curtis has created a very successful career in films, television and fashion photography. His success revolves around capturing ...

20. Be Ready!

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

King Duncan

Mr. Smith is riding through Manhattan with a reckless cab driver. At the first intersection they come to, the cab driver runs a red light. “Hey, what’s the big idea?” Mr. Smith yells. “That was a red light!” “Don’t worry, fella,” the cabbie replies, “My brother drives a cab too, and he does that all the time.” Mr. Smith grits his teeth and tries to remain calm, but he loses his cool when the driver runs a second red light. “Are you insane? You’re just asking for trouble,” he yells. “I know what I’m doing, ...

21. The Broken

John 8:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

A mother had been working with her young son trying to teach him to tell time by using a non-digital clock. For several days she kept talking to him about the “small hand” and the “big hand.” One day she heard him walk into the kitchen where there was a clock on the wall with the big hand and the little hand. She called from the other room, “Cameron, what is the little hand on?” He yelled back, “A chocolate-chip cookie!” If you are into legalese there is a legal term known as “Inflagrante Delicto.” ...

22. Get Out Of That Boat!

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

Gerald Hill, a Baptist pastor in Powderly, Texas, tells about a friend of his who was serving in a mission church in Alaska. The water was so bad in this particular Alaskan community that a thick red scum would appear over the top of it. This little mission congregation was in the process of building a new church building. Since this was a Baptist church, the baptistry [a small pool in the sanctuary] was installed and being used even though the building was not complete. On this particular occasion, the ...

23. Finding Glory

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Some of you may remember a program years ago on television called "Topper." It was one of the better comedies in the early days of television. Jim Burns, in his book, RADICALLY COMMITTED, tells about one of the zanier episodes in this series. Mrs. Topper wanted to train her husband to be nicer to her. She found a book titled HOW TO TRAIN PUPPIES and followed it exactly by substituting her husband~s name for the puppy. So any time her husband Topper would do something nice for her, she would praise him and ...

24. The Bloodline of Christ

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a few short years, Dan Brown’s 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code, became one of the most widely read books of all time. The 2006 Ron Howard Hollywood movie starring Tom Hanks only made the novel all the more popular. Why such a blockbuster for a novel about Jesus? Because it was well-written? Because it was well-researched? No, the real reason The Da Vinci Code caught fire was because it served up a juicy heretical tidbit as its main course: the suggestion that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and that ...

25. Exodus and Easter

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is an old story that has made the rounds in the church many, many times, but it’s worth telling again. An eight year old boy was reporting to his folks at Sunday dinner what he had learned at church school that morning. “Boy, was it exciting!” he exclaimed to his parents. “Moses organized all the Hebrews into a resistance group and through careful planning they broke out of Egyptian slavery. They moved as quickly as possible toward Canaan, driving every kind of vehicle available: jeeps, tanks, half- ...

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