Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: take action, take steps, take measures, take the initiative, move, make a move, react, do something, proceed, go ahead, behave, function, perform, operate, work, take effect, serve, be efficacious, play, play a part, take part, be an actor, be an actress, be one of the cast, appear, pretend, play-act, sham, fake, feign, put it on, bluff, pose, posture, masquerade, dissemble, dissimulate, deed, action, gesture, feat, exploit, performance, undertaking, maneuver, stunt, operation, venture, effort, enterprise, achievement, accomplishment, law, decree, statute, bill, Act of Parliament, edict, fiat, dictum, dictate, enactment, resolution, ruling, rule, judgement, canon, ordinance, proclamation, command, commandment, mandate, measure, stipulation, direction, requirement, division, section, subsection, portion, part, segment, component, bit, turn, routine, number, item, piece, sketch, skit, playlet, dance, song, pretense, false display, show, front, facade, charade, guise, affectation, appearance

Antonyms: do nothing

Showing 1 to 25 of 111 results

1. How Do You Sell A Vacuum Cleaner?

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... you to pass through that lump-in-the-pit-of-the-stomach feeling and combine the drama with your sermon. Gather some members of your church who are actors or are willing to try acting. To be sure, preaching itself is in some measure "drama." But sometimes, drama or sketching out a scene can do more to "preach" a text than anything else imaginable. The one thing you must be sure not to do is to present the drama by itself. It is not intended to be a stand-alone presentation, and if you stage it without some ...

2. The Deeper Meaning Of Christmas

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

King Duncan

... . That's ordinary wrapping paper." Not wanting to lose that spark of inspiration Wolcott took the wrapping paper and said, "Nothing is ordinary if you know how to use it." On that ordinary wrapping paper Wolcott made two sketches. In 1924, long before our inflated values, one of those sketches sold for five hundred dollars and the other sold for one thousand dollars. Ordinary wrapping paper in the hands of a great artist became a masterpiece. An ordinary manger and an ordinary stable and some quite ordinary ...

3. The Greatest Gift

Luke 2:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... ’s ordinary wrapping paper.” Not wanting to lose that spark of inspiration Wolcott took the wrapping paper and said, “Nothing is ordinary if you know how to use it.” On that ordinary wrapping paper Wolcott made two sketches. In 1924, long before our inflated values, one of those sketches sold for five hundred dollars and the other sold for one thousand dollars. Ordinary wrapping paper in the hands of a great artist became a masterpiece. (4) An ordinary manger and an ordinary stable and some quite ...

4. What’s In a Word?

Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... with the phrase, “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!” That’s one of Monty Python’s most famous lines. A lot of people have their favorite skit from that groundbreaking British sketch comedy series. Some favor the dead parrot sketch. Others prefer the one about the cheese shop. The Spanish Inquisition sketch features normal folks getting questioned by a relative, only to have a mustachioed clergyman bursting on the scene shouting the tagline, “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!” In the ...

5. Here Comes the Bridegroom

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

James Merritt

... , he waited four more days before he went to the patent office. When he arrived, Mr. Gray was told that just two hours earlier a school teacher had come through that same door with his own sketch and had already applied for the patent. His name was Alexander graham bell. When you compared the sketches, the voice chambers, the wire, and the liquid everything was identical. The reason we know the name Alexander graham bell and until today, never heard the name Elisha gray is simply because one man seized the ...

6. What Do I Do When I Can't Get Started?

Proverbs 6:6-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... he waited four more days before he went to the patent office. When he arrived, he was told that just two hours earlier, a school teacher, named Alexander Graham Bell, had walked through that door with his own sketch - of voice chambers connected by a wire. The sketches were completely identical. [[1]] Elisha Gray lived the rest of his life paying the cost of procrastination. Procrastination really makes life worse; it makes life harder. We have all heard the tragic story of someone who procrastinated going ...

7. An Untouchable God?

1 Samuel 6:1-7:1

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... they are intended to be infinitely more than liturgical droanings through which one must pass in order to get to the meat which is the sermon. The Good News Bible (Today’s English Version) is full of little pencil sketches that help capture the moods and insights of the Bible. Check out, sometime, the sketch that is attendant to this drama from the sixth chapter of 2 Samuel. It very clearly and delightfully depicts what it means for God’s people to rejoice. A Story Completed Later So our drama ends on a ...

8. The Best Offense Is A Good Defense

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... Bradbury in a recent book on writing has a great deal to say about the value of discipline for the creative person. He observes that behind the remarkable artistic achievements of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were thousands and thousands of unknown sketches. He calls our attention to the surgeon who before he operates on a human being in a critical condition has dissected and redissected thousands of tissues and organs preparing himself for the crucial moment. Bradbury sums up his point in these words ...

9. At the Door of the Church

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... must somehow prepare her if she was to enjoy the game. For three consecutive evenings we did nothing but watch hockey games on television. In addition, we walked the streets watching small children play street hockey. We studied a program which contained biographical sketches on the players of the two teams to be in action before us. When the big event occurred, although she missed some of the goals scored, Diane at least was able to root excitedly with the fans and decipher which team won. Without adequate ...

10. Casting Out An Evil Spirit

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... this time Miss Hutton had experienced a spiritual awakening and was making a comeback after many years of failure, family breakdown, bankruptcy and a bout with alcoholism. The program notes for ANNIE that night at the Alvin Theatre contained extensive biographical sketches about members of the cast. All except Betty Hutton. Her biography consisted of five words, but those words spoke to everyone in the audience. And when Betty finally appeared on stage, the theatre burst into joyful applause. No one minded ...

11. Behold The Lamb

John 1:29-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... We are to finish the work begun by our Lord 2,000 years ago--the work of reconciling the world unto God. Leonardo da Vinci had started a work on canvas in his studio. He chose a subject, sketched its outer lines, shaded here and lightened there. About half way through his work, however, he halted his sketching. He turned to a student of his and said, “I want you to finish the work that I have started.” The student protested. He surely was not worthy of such an honor. Da Vinci reassured him, “Will not ...

12. Joy to the World

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... started on the trail to a comeback. Hutton joined the cast of the Broadway musical Annie, playing the role of Mrs. Hannigan. Those who were in attendance at the first performance noted the extensive biographical sketches of the members of the cast. However, under the picture of Betty Hutton there was no elaborate sketch. Instead, there appeared five words which Hutton had written herself. Those words were: "I'm back. Thanks to God." The children of Israel were back in their own land, thanks to God, and this ...

13. Simeon and Anna: The Quiet of the Country

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... their lives, they waited quietly and patiently upon God.” (William Barclay, The Daily Bible Study: The Gospel of Luke, Edinburgh, The Saint Andrew Press, 1953, pages 20—21) Simeon and Anna were among those “quiet of the land.” So let’s get a brief character sketch of each of these persons. What we know about them is pretty much stated by Luke in our lesson today. Look first at Simeon. “And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the ...

14. Why Be Good?

Luke 6:37-42

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... quarrel -- perish the thought -- who among us will not defend our position to the death? But our homes survive, most of them, because we learn to forgive each other and accept each other for what we are. Even the Lockhorns stay hitched because between cartoon sketches they must somehow forgive each other. Forgiveness must be offered and accepted a thousand times a day. Who among us does not drop the hurtful word, stand in judgment, throw the dart that is meant to wound, keep the upper hand by trying to make ...

15. Life's Loose Threads and The Tie That Binds

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

In 1481 Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to paint an altarpiece for the chapel of a nearby monastery. He devoted an inordinate amount of time and energy to the depiction, compiling countless preparatory sketches and carefully attending to each intricate detail. The result was revolutionary: one of the most dramatic and innovative renderings of the Renaissance, before which succeeding generations of artists would later stand awestruck in absolute wonder. Mysteriously, though, just seven months into the ...

16. Double Image

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

William G. Carter

... pure in heart, those hungry and thirsty for righteousness, and those persecuted for righteousness' sake. Needless to say, the pronunciation of blessings on such people is an act that most of us don't completely understand. Jesus' beatitudes list a variety of characteristics that sketch the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Yet precisely here, where we expect his teachings to be the clearest, the full meaning of what he says lies outside our reach. As he offers a glimpse of the kingdom and its fundamental ...

17. In Search of a Leader

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... is surely the one he has chosen.” (1 Samuel 16:6 TEV) But all the protestations never took root within me. Harry, as I experienced him, fulfilled Thomas Merton’s description of what he called “the plaster saint”: The stereotyped image is easy to sketch out here. it is essentially an image without the slightest moral flaw .... He flings himself into fire, ice water or briers rather than even face a remote occasion of sin. His intentions are always the noblest. His words are always the most edifying ...

18. Read the Directions

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... look at human need, respond and are “blessed.” James said, “Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” Copy The Model Along with the sheet of directions for the assembly of a shipped product usually come a diagram of the finished product and sketches of each step in assembling it. This simplifies the assembly by permitting one to copy the model. In Christ the world has its model of what God intended life on this earth to be. In “getting it together,” we need to copy the model. The qualities ...

19. Deep Joy For A Shallow World

Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 5-6, 8-10

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... replied, "Your face doesn't need justice; it needs mercy." And so do we. Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is getting what you need even though you don't know in the moment that you need it. Jack Benny received an award one time. In his sketches on television he was famous for being really tight with his money. In private life he was incredibly generous with many causes. When he received the award he said, "I don't deserve this award. On the other hand, I have arthritis, and I don't deserve that ...

20. Tilted Haloes

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

James Weekley

... the Scottish highlands. They gathered for tea and discussed the day's catch. As a waitress set down a cup of tea, a hand accidently knocked it against the wall. It left an ugly stain. One of the guests got up, went to the wall, and began sketching around the stain with a crayon. What emerged was a stag with magnificent antlers. The man was Sir Edwin Landseer, England's foremost painter of animals. If an artist can transform an unsightly stain into a beautiful masterpiece, think what God can do with our sins ...

21. The Nearness Of A Faraway God

Isaiah 40:12-18

Sermon

Erskine White

... creation in Your church and in our lives. All praise and honor and glory be Yours, Great Lord, and accept us now as Your faithful people. In Jesus' name. Amen 1. Charles Wilson Beebe, The Book of Naturalists, (Alfred A. Knopf, 1944), p. 234 2. William Makepeace Thackeray, The Parish Sketch Book, "Madame Sand and the New Apocalypse."

22. The King Who Came To Die

Sermon

John M. Braaten

... but our hearts would remain unbent; he could earn our fear, but not our love. He could gain our obedience, but not our wills. Thank God Christ's kingdom is not patterned after earthly empires! From the very beginning of the Old Testament, God began to sketch out the blueprint of his kingdom. It was boundless, there was room for everyone, and humankind was given the freedom to become a part of this glorious realm simply by developing a friendship with God which would develop into a relationship so close that ...

23. First Things First

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

... one country after another, while, all around, buildings and nations fall. In spite of destruction and decay, a person has the option to keep faith with the highest and best and endure. In doing so they bring many along with them. Let’s sketch this out further. Great buildings are monuments. They symbolize what a civilization holds to be most important and most real. The core values and beliefs of a people are literally built into them. As substantial monuments they give the illusion of defying time ...

24. Six Nails of the Cross III: The Nail of Envy

Matthew 27:11-26

Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... should bear the mark of anyone but da Vinci, but other artists also were asked to submit drawings. One of the committee members had heard of a new and very young artist by the name of Michelangelo, and asked him to enter the competition. The sketches by Leonardo were magnificent, but when the whole committee saw the work of Michelangelo, they were so enthused that they gave him the job. When the news of the committee's choice and the comments concerning Michelangelo's work reached Leonardo, the old artist ...

25. Do I Give Up Praying Too Soon?

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

... opened to you. In the language Luke used to report Jesus’ words, it actually reads: Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you. In Matthew and Mark there’s a vignette, a sketch of how to do it: how to hang on, how to keep on asking, how to keep on seeking, how to keep on knocking. It’s about a woman. That in itself was against her. How could a woman in that culture approach a man in public? She was from ...

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