Sermon and Worship Resources

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Mark 2:13-22

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... their lives and seek self-autonomy, the suffering servant unhesitatingly gives his life to others, seeking not his will but only the will of the one who sent him to the world. Thus, while he was not recognized as such, the Messiah was to be unconventional. Jesus took the less conventional role as his model for ministry to the Jews. Today's Gospel Reading provides some good examples of this truth. Mark reports that Jesus called Levi, a tax collector, to be a member of his inner circle. Tax collectors served ...

2. Faith on the Fringe

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... lived on the fringes of society, unclean, unprotected, unwanted, unable to enter the synagogue, temple, or her family’s home. Her faith is the kernel, the fringe, and sets the tone for the entire larger story: a faith so deep and wide, a daring move so unconventional and unusual for a woman of her day, a risk so huge yet justified, that it would have shocked Jesus’ disciples to the core. It’s almost as if her great faith emanates and resonates strongly from the fringes to the center that it permeates ...

3. Open the Window, Aunt Minnie, Here It Comes!

Jeremiah 33:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... of the world. You have heard me mention before the name Anne Lamott. Lamott is a Christian author, though somewhat unconventional in her approach to the faith. Perhaps for that reason, she is helping so many Christians rediscover their faith. What you may not know ... is that Ann Lamott has a tattoo on her ankle I told you she was unconventional. The tattoo reads like this: “Trust the Captain, trust the crew.” Lamott points out that those words are not her own. The ...

4. Sermons

Sermon

John R. Bodo

... cannot afford to, envy them. Scripture: John 20:19-29 A brilliant young lawyer I knew years ago quit his career, even though married and the father of several children, in order to enter the Christian ministry. When asked what moved him to make such an unconventional, high-risk decision, he wrote: "It is true that most pagans I know are quite honestly not concerned about death. But even in an affluent society, the death rate is still 100 percent -- and few people die laughing...." What do you make of Job's ...

5. Loving Jesus, Hating The Church

John 9:35-41

Sermon

Thomas Long

... the newly healed man (John 9:22) and, finally, unceremoniously bounced him right out the front door of God's house (John 9:34). It mattered not that this was his hometown, his neighborhood congregation, his place of worship since he was a child; his unconventional religious experience rendered him persona non grata, and out he went. We seem to have, then, a textbook case of the repressive religious institution at work. As long as people are "blind," the welcome mat is out, but let them start to see a little ...

6. Surprised By Grace

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Donald Dotterer

... God shows to all of the workers in his kingdom, regardless of when they come in to live and to work.3 All people are created equal. That, my friends, is the way that God thinks of us, no matter what our opinion is of this very unconventional way of thinking about and assessing human value. There are those who think they have earned what they have, rather than seeing their opportunities and accomplishments as gifts from God. There are those who may think that they have earned a special place in society or ...

7. Called in From Off-stage

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Donald Zelle

... used to choose such a king. Customarily, among the Hebrews, it was the older son who was at the center of family life and responsibility. It was the older son who would be called upon to do the greater things. Here God does the unexpected, the unconventional, the un-Hebrew thing. The person in the family of Jesse who might most naturally live off-stage, unnoticed, is given a place at the spotlights! Nor is this the only time that divine election worked that way. Earlier, it was Abel instead of Cain, Jacob ...

8. Let God Be God

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Dean Lueking

... of fear of being found out. No doubt he did come with concern that some of his fellow Pharisees might see him and report his visit. But the point is that he came. He came with a sense of searching and desire to know more of this unconventional rabbi from Galilee who was performing such signs as Jerusalem had not seen before. Jesus gave Nicodemus far more than the man was seeking. Before the conversation is two or three sentences along, it is clear that our Lord is taking the subject to heights and depths ...

9. One Final Meeting

Sermon

Carroll Gunkel

... thanks and pray that, like them, we shall meet the Master. Minister: For Albert Schweitzer, possesser and user of many talents, who met the Master, People: We give thanks and pray that, like him, we shall meet the Master. Minister: For Hiltgunt Zassenhaus, unconventional but practicing Christian, who met the Master, People: We give thanks and pray that, like her, we shall meet the Master. Minister: For all who through these modern saints have met the Master, People: We give thanks and pray that, like them ...

10. Will Names Never Hurt Us?

Proverbs 10:1-32

Sermon

Edward Chinn

... , were of identical quality. There was only one variable factor: the names of the students which appeared on the essays. Four of the essays were signed with common names Michael, David, Karen, and Lisa. The other four essays were signed with unconventional names - Elmer, Hubert, Bertha, and Adelle. When these essays of identical quality were marked by these teachers, those bearing the names "Michael" and "David" scored an average of a full letter grade higher than "Elmer" and "Hubert." Among the girls ...

11. Good Medicine

Proverbs 10:1-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... be a clown. But he also wanted to be a physician. Combining those vastly different sides of his personality, he became both. After graduation, he formed the Gesundheit Institute, dedicated to a more connected, personalized approach to medicine. Using unconventional methods and wacky surprises to ease patients' anxiety and enhance their healing, Patch helped pioneer the idea that doctors should treat people, not just disease. Adams began receiving a flurry of media coverage about his unorthodox clinic in the ...

12. The Unexpected Jesus

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... happens it upsets us. We like to be in control, and when the unexpected happens, we sometimes lose that control. Some of us don't appreciate the unexpected at all. THAT WAS ONE OF JESUS' PROBLEMS: HE WASN'T WHAT PEOPLE HAD EXPECTED. His was an unconventional ministry was aimed at fishermen, tax collectors, and housewives ” people who were not the elite of his time. In spite of his astounding popularity, it was clear that he was charting his own course, and playing up to no-one. Some of his teachings even ...

13. A Most Unlikely Evangelist

John 4:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... and stature had any dealing with her at all ” not only because she was a woman but also because she was not a nice woman. Jesus can be such an embarrassment, can't he? He embarrassed his own disciples. They were continually having to explain his unconventional behavior. But to have anything to do with this particular woman was really going too far. Here was a woman who was a village outcast. She couldn't even associate with the other women. She had been divorced several times. She was even now living with ...

14. Don't Look Down

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Even churches can know what it is to walk on the water. Wes Seliger is an unconventional Episcopal clergyman who loves motorcycles. He tells about being in a motorcycle shop one day, drooling over a huge Honda 750 and wishing that he could buy it. A salesman came over and began to talk about his product. He talked about speed, acceleration, excitement ...

15. What Love Looks Like

John 13:31-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love." (NIV) That's an interesting concept-"the full extent of his love." Just what do you think he did to express the fullness of his love? As always, Jesus chose an unconventional way to get his message across. First he took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist. Then he filled a basin with water and began washing his disciples' feet. Is that it? Was this the last major image Jesus wanted imprinted on his followers ...

16. When Jesus Comes

Luke 8:22-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the biggest question. What do we do in response to Jesus when He comes. As that question hovered around the edges of my mind, my memory kept calling me back to an old poem by G. K. Studdert Kennedy. He was one of the great unconventional preachers in England the first part of this century. Someone once said that his preaching won him many enemies: "Some disliked him because they misunderstood him; others disliked him because they understood all too clearly (Clyde E. Fant, Jr, William M. Hinson Jr, Editors ...

17. Facing Fears, Kingdom Style

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... at them through tormented eyes. Beyond what he heard with his ears and saw with his eyes, the Holy Spirit gave Jesus insight into their private thoughts as well. Of course they were full of fears. They were doing something new and odd and unconventional. They left everything, including families, to wander Galilee and back and forth to Jerusalem with the upstart prophet from Nazareth because of the lure of his person and the promise of the kingdom of God which they heard taught and saw enacted before them ...

18. Why Not a Christian Live 8 for the Environment?

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... all kinds of musical styles and talents were performed in support of this battle against poverty. In Rome, there was red-haired rocker Roman Fiorella Mannoia one moment, and blond-blue-eyed country western signer Faith Hill the next. It was this unconventional coming together of artists and their completely different sounds, coming from locations all around the world, that gave a sense of power and genuine possibility to the staggering task they had set for themselves. Wipe out poverty? Why not! Thanks to ...

19. The Church on Main Street

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

James McCormick

... promised, “Remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” He is with us and His grace and strength are sufficient. One closing image. Wes Seeliger is one of my favorite writers. Wes is a minister, but in some ways, a rather unconventional one. For one thing, he loves motorcycles. He tells about being in a motorcycle shop one day, drooling over a huge Honda 750 and wishing he could buy it. A salesman came up and began to talk about the bike. He talked about speed, acceleration, excitement ...

20. The Gift of Newness

2 Corinthians 5:17-20

Sermon

James McCormick

... that image is accurate, to that extent the church has ceased authentically to be the church. Wes Seeliger is one of my favorite writers, and he has posed the issue in an intriguing way. Wes is a minister, an Episcopal priest, but in some ways a rather unconventional one. For one thing, he loves motorcycles. He tells about a day when he was not wearing his clerical collar – he was dressed casually. He was in a motorcycle shop drooling over a huge Honda 750, and wishing he could buy it. A salesman came over ...

21. Dr. God

Matthew 9:18-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... what our age. The oftentimes cold, clinical approach of scientific medical practices and procedures doesn't seem to be satisfying our quest for wellness. Perhaps this is why over one-third of Americans seeking health care are trying such "unconventional" therapies as chiropractic, acupuncture or some Eastern healing technique. And people are willing to put their pocketbooks where their pain is spending over $10 billion a year on these alternative healing practices and procedures, about the same amount spent ...

22. The Most Stubborn Man in the Bible

Jonah 3:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Adapted from Donald & Vesta Mansell “Sure as the Dawn,” copyright (c) 1993 via http://www.witandwisdom.org. See also http://www.weymouthlunarsociety.org.uk/other_ships.htm. 3. More Super Trivia by Fred L. Worth, Greenwich House, Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, 1981, p. 25. 4. Mark A. Tabb, Greater Than Unconventional Thoughts on the Infinite God (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2005), pp. 149-150.

23. The Power of Purpose

Proverbs 16:4

Sermon

James Merritt

... attending StetsonBaptistChurch and attended there all four years. One of the reasons why I was attracted to the church was because of a pharmacist that worked with college students there named Dean West. Mr. West was (to say the least) a unique individual. He was very unconventional in his thinking on a lot of things, but he had a gift to really make you think about things and see things in a different light. The first Sunday I walked into that class, I discovered that he only had one role on Sunday morning ...

24. Good News about Death

John 11:38-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” And that is the question we struggle with. We know God cares, but why doesn’t God prevent bad things from occurring? Mark Tabb, in his book, Greater Than Unconventional Thoughts on the Infinite God, tells a heartbreaking story that poses that question in a stark way. It is about a young boy in a rural area of Kentucky named Cody. Cody wanted to be a preacher when he grew up, just like his dad who was a pastor ...

25. Characteristics of the Church, Part 2

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... in our own hands, try to domesticate the Spirit, and turn the church into something tame and controllable. Let me picture it, using an image of Wes Seeliger who is one of my favorite writers. Wes is an Episcopal minister, but in some ways a rather unconventional one. For one thing, he loves motorcycles. He tells about being in a motorcycle shop one day, drooling over a huge Honda 750 and wishing he could buy it. The salesman came up and began to talk about his product. He talked about speed, acceleration ...

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