Sermon and Worship Resources

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Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... US WHO WE ARE. It establishes us in our rightful place in the universe. Some of you are old enough to remember the book Roots, by Alex Haley. One of the most dramatic moments in the story is the 'eight day' ceremony when Omorro gives his newborn son, Kunta Kinte, his name and ... days, of temporary peace and civility in the midst of violence. One such story occurred in the winter of 1863. Winter had just settled over Virginia, and both sides had slowed their fighting considerably. In the Confederate camps ...

2. The Narrow Gate

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

John G. Lynch

... smoke than light, a young American of Russian descent wandered along a canal in Leningrad, searching for the Palace of Prince Yarosof, where the monk Rasputin had been killed. Leningrad in winter is not a cheery place. The sun rises late in the morning and sets about 4 p.m. Daylight, always weak and wintry, never rises above a sinister haze. In that light Alex sought his narrow door. He didn't realize quite what he was seeking. Only when he found it did he know why he had wandered most of the day in that ...

3. In the Darkness of Fear, There Is the Light of Joy

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... with fear.” I have been to that place where the shepherds were. It is a vast pasture area still today, where the winter rains cause grass to grow. Shepherds still take their sheep there to feed. You can stand down there in those fields and see ... , Christ the Lord, is a gift. Because of this gift, we can stand against, above, and even in the midst of, the darkness of fear. Alex, The Life Of A Child, written by Frank Deford, tells the story of his daughter and her fight with cystic fibrosis. She died at the ...

4. Finding Our Roots

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Ever since Alex Haley’s novel, Roots, hit the bookstands in the mid-70s, there has been an increasing number of people interested in their ... one day and realize that you’re not just getting older but that you’re getting old!" For our youth goes, too. The springtime of life so quickly turns to autumn, and then to winter. In a society that idolizes youth, it’s tough to accept the fact that our youth is literally wasting away. Health and happiness? There may be some people in church this morning whose ...

5. Our Roots

Luke 9:28-36

Illustration

John M. Braaten

6. Praising God All Day Long

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... step. All that you are or ever hope to be, you owe it all to Me.' It is a powerful experience to know that you are God made. Alex Haley, author of Roots, used to keep a portrait of a turtle sitting on a fence post in his office. When asked why it was there, he ... times, not the good times. In 1621 the Pilgrims gave thanks at Plymouth Rock, after half of them starved to death over the winter. The rest of them would have died had it not been for some sympathetic and kind Native Americans who came to take care ...

7. The Difference a Baby Makes

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... Dear Santa, Thank you for the remote control car last year, even though it broke the day after. I know you tried, and that’s what counts. Alex, 8 Dear Santa, Do you know Jesus is the real reason for the Christmas? Not to be mean, but he is. Rosanne, 11 (1) Rosanne is ... news for Mandela. For just about his entire imprisonment he had been cut off almost entirely from his children. That winter, after they were married, the young couple came to see Mandela, along with their newborn baby daughter. Because of his ...

8. To Be a Pilgrim (Thanksgiving)

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Alex Gondola

What do you think of when you hear the word "Pilgrim"? Most of us — especially around Thanksgiving — hear the word "Pilgrim" and think of the English Separatists who crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower, landed on Cape Cod, and settled in Plymouth. We hear "Pilgrim" and think "Thanksgiving." But, when you think of that kind of Pilgrim, what do you think? Some consider the Pilgrims stained-glass saints. A church in Utica, New York, was designed as a shrine to the Pilgrims. Three tall stained-glass windows ...

9. Guilt And Grace

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

Alex Gondola

Several years back I clipped out a newspaper article about a group of businessmen in Bellingham, Washington. They were trying to market a new product called "Guilt Away." Guilt Away was supposed to remove guilt. Part of their advertising ran like this: "Hounded by nagging guilt? Get rid of it the modern way, the same way you eliminate limp curls, bad breath or underarm wetness. Spray guilt away with new Guilt Away." What they were trying to do was sell an eight-ounce bottle of rose water that you could ...

10. Fulfilled, Or Just Full?

Sermon

Alex Gondola

John 6:24-31; Acts 16:11-15 William H. Willimon, Professor of Liturgy and Worship at Duke University, author of over twenty books, is one of America's most prolific lecturers on the subject of worship. I've heard Willimon several times. I've always found him to be insightful and delightful. One thing that makes him so engaging and so effective is his lack of pretense and his honesty about himself. He talks quite openly about his struggles in life and his struggles with faith. Like many of us, one issue ...

11. Don't Be a Turkey (Thanksgiving)

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Alex Gondola

There is little question that the commercially grown turkey is, pound for pound, one of nature’s less intelligent creatures, at least according to an article I once read. In that article, author Fred McGuiness calls the domesticated turkey "as brainless as a baseball," and describes how turkeys can have trouble doing even simple things. For example, your average turkey can get into trouble doing something as simple as eating. Turkeys have been known to starve to death right next to a mountain of food. But ...

12. How to Be a Pilgrim

Luke 17:11-19; John 6:25-35

Illustration

Alex Gondola

The Pilgrims had the courage to act on their commitments, no matter what. Do we? Sociologist Robert Bellah, author of Habits of the Heart, is impressed by the power of religion. He once said, "We should not underestimate the significance of the small group of people who have a new vision of a just and gentle world. The quality of a culture may be changed when two percent of its people have a new vision (and act on it)." Christians make up far more than two percent of most town, far more than two percent of ...

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