Sermon and Worship Resources

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Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... he exclaimed, "this is the finest miso shiru I have ever tasted! You truly deserve your reputation as an expert cook!" "It's nothing," replied the Zen master, modestly. "Only miso shiru." The samurai set down his empty bowl. "Truly magical ... we have to wait. Perhaps the circumstances are not right. Sometimes we are not right. In the May 1998 issue of Christianity Today, Barbara Brown Taylor writes about the strangeness of celebrating Ascension Day in the church. After all, we are celebrating an event in which ...

2. Breathe on Me, Breath of God

Acts 2:1-4

Sermon

James W. Moore

... right score on the score card and kept hitting ball after ball into the lake?” She said: “No.” And Jim said: “Well, Lawson Cooke wouldn’t either!!!” The Third Story comes from a minister who put an ad in the local paper for a well-rounded handyman, who ... YOU HAVE A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS? Barbara Brown Taylor tells the story of a 97-year-old friend who is having trouble now with her “short-term-memory,” but her long-term-memory is excellent. She told Barbara of a time when she was a ...

3. When The Going Gets Tough

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

King Duncan

... will particularly resonate with those of you who are football fans. "God didn't promise we'd be leading at the half," Barbara tells people, "but only that we would win the game!" (3) What a grand message for anyone feeling like a human pi ... of foodstuffs. We were reduced to eating beets out of the fields. It was a kind of beet that is dangerous to eat without long cooking. Even then, if you don't accompany it with other food, the chemical reaction will bloat and distend the stomach. People have been known to ...

4. God’s Most Troubling Promise

Romans 8:28

Sermon

King Duncan

... that God sometimes sends us difficult circumstances for our best good? That wonderful pastor and writer Barbara Brown Taylor tells of spending a few days on a barrier island where loggerhead turtles ... was her home. Watching her swim slowly away and remembering her nightmare ride through the dunes, Barbara Brown Taylor noted that it is sometimes hard to tell whether you are being killed ... www.adventlutheranchurch.com/sermontexts/sermon060122.shtml 3. Barbara Brown Taylor, “Preaching the Terrors,” Leadership ...

5. Lying By the Side of the Road

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... , a paramedic searched her birth father’s clothes, found his ex-wife’s phone number in one of his pockets and called the house. Barbara’s stepfather answered the phone. When he learned what had happened, her stepfather dropped what he was doing, went immediately to the hospital and ... 37/. 4. Tarbell’s Lesson Commentary, Sept. 2004 ‑ Aug. 2005 (Colorado Springs: Cook Communications). 5. Representative Barbara Cubin, Profiles in Character (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996), pp. 68-69. 6. Contributed. Source ...

6. Which Jesus? This Jesus!

Acts 17:1-9

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... knuckles would bleed where she had literally worn the skin off of them. She ironed for us all with an old flat iron. She cooked meals on a wood stove in the winter and on a cantakerous old kerosene stove in the summer. She kept the house spotlessly neat ... other books) that there are literally hundreds of Gospel songs and hymns that speak deeply to my soul, and if you would ask, "Barbara, ‘Which Christ’ is yours?" I’d have no trouble at all responding, "This Christ." Part of the depth of my feeling is ...

7. All That From A Little Bit Of Water?

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... are Virginia's thoughts on the sacraments: "Sacraments are what you do in Church. What you do at home is something else. Cooking and sewing and running the . . . sweeper and eating and sleeping and praying and scrubbing yourself are not sacraments. "When you are little ... Press, 1993), p. 33. 7. "To Illustrate" by Robert Shannon, PREACHING, July/Aug 1999, p. 49. 8. John H. Leeper & Barbara Moseley, "Revival in the Camp," THE OLD SOUTH FARMER'S ALMANAC, 1998, pp. 115-116. [ORIGINAL SERMON] There was the Baptist ...

8. Who Is Your Hero?

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... Who is your hero? THERE ARE SOME LEGITIMATE HEROES IN OUR WORLD. There ARE people who live courageous lives, compassionate lives, meaningful lives. Senator Barbara Jordan was such a person. Jordan had a trail blazing career as the first woman and the only black person so far to ... .) 6. James Charlton, (Avon). Cited in Pat Springle, MAKING CHOICES THAT HONOR GOD (Elgin, IL: David C. Cook Publishing Co., 1990). 7. C. Neil Strait, PASTOR . . . BE ENCOURAGED (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1996). 8. Max ...

9. Love Lifted Me

Psalm 40:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... top of a billiard table . . . The only problem was that it contained hundreds of deadly mines. One afternoon much to his horror, Cook saw a group of kids playing stickball right in the middle of that minefield. The MP’s who were supposed to be ... we redouble our efforts and run really fast, we will be able to distance ourselves from all our problems. We’re like a woman that Barbara Brown Taylor tells about. Mrs. Taylor moved out to the country. This woman, a friend of hers, came out for a visit. But, on ...

10. What's in a Name?

Luke 3:21-38, Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... there is work to do, and some would rather not hear that in the midst of a life that is too busy already. I understand. Barbara Brown Taylor writes, “I will never forget the woman who listened to my speech on the ministry of the laity as God's best hope ... her at church, she hears the invitation to ministry as an invitation to do more - to lead the every member canvass, or cook supper for the homeless, or teach vacation church school. Or she hears the invitation to ministry as an invitation to be more - ...

11. Counting The Cost?

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... no soap, no brooms, no mops, no trays, no plates; ... The supply of fuel was constantly deficient. The cooking arrangements were preposterously inadequate, and the laundry was a farce. As for purely medical materials, the tale was ... by what others do or do not do. The widow was not mindful of what those about her might think. She made her gift. That was it. Barbara, my wife, was talking to a women’s group about the sacrificial offering which had been very disappointing. At the close of the meeting an older ...

12. Blood Sprinkled On A Modern Altar

Exodus 24:3-8, Mark 14:12-16, 22-26, Hebrews 9:11-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... Eve in the Garden, so God comes looking for us. Some of you may remember the “Galloping Gourmet” Graham Kerr from his television cooking show years ago. Kerr was successful and famous, living a life that many might envy. But most people don’t know of the ... , Oregon: Questar Publishers, Inc., 1990), p.227-229. 3. “Do you swear that you will well and truly try . . . ?” Barbara Holland, Smithsonian, March 1995, p. 117. 4. Dennis Waitley, Empires of the Mind (New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc ...

13. Yes, But He Started It!

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... their spouses because they could not resolve conflict. Some people have lost their whole perspective on life because of unresolved conflict. Evangelist Barbara Brockoff tells about a sign that stood for many years in front of a man's yard in a small town in ... place, someone has to heed Jesus' advice: Take the initiative. Dr. William P. Barker, TARBELL'S, (Elgin, Illinois: David C. Cook Church Ministries, 1994). Contributed by Wayne Rouse. ADULT LIFE AND WORK LESSON ANNUAL 1993-94, (Karl D. Babb, editor, ...

14. Guidance for a Time of Chaos

John 16:5-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.” We need that Spirit today. 1. Dennis and Barbara Rainey, Moments Together for Couples (Ventura, California: Regal Books, 1995). 2. Robert Jeffress, The Road Most Traveled (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), p. 26. 3. ... org/Sermons/Jan_23_05.htm 7. James Townsend, Peloubet’s Sunday School Notes 1993-1994, (Elgin, Illinois: David C. Cook Publishing Co., 1990). 8. “His Mysterious Ways,” July 1997, p. 33.

15. Go Meditate!

Revelation 19:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... home into the kitchen, where my mother wrapped my sobbing body in her apron. She mediated God's presence." (As told by Barbara Lundblad, Transforming the Stone: Preaching through Resistance to Change [2001], 32.) Today is Mother's Day. Is there any better example of ... but if I don't have love, I'm as annoying as a ringing phone. I can chase a naked toddler through the house while cooking dinner and listening to voice mail. I can fix the best cookies and Kool-Aid in the neighborhood, and I can tell a sick ...

16. Surprised Saints

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... stopped running, old Mr. Simpson who runs the hardware store was concerned that the Widow Jacobs would no longer have coal to heat and cook with. He knew she was too proud to take charity, so he decided to get up early every morning, take a bag of coal ... , you are doing it unto Christ. But when you are helping others, they see Christ in you. Pastor and popular writer Barbara Brown Taylor tells an insightful story that comes from the Jewish community. It is a tradition among Jews who celebrate Passover ...

17. The Most Stubborn Man in the Bible

Jonah 3:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?” And this is how the little book of Jonah ends. Barbara Brown Taylor says, “As far as I’m concerned the book of Jonah has the best last line in the Bible.” And it does. ... came to realize that God’s grace was sufficient for him as well. 1. Daily Grace Devotional (Colorado Springs, Co: Cook Communications Ministries, 2005), p. 192. 2. Adapted from Donald & Vesta Mansell “Sure as the Dawn,” copyright (c) 1993 via http ...

18. Oops! I Did It Again

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... our mouths. Maybe I’m just speaking for myself, but I suspect it is part of the human condition. In her memoirs, Barbara Bush described one of her most embarrassing moments. Along with her husband, then the Vice President, Mrs. Bush was lunching with ... And in all things, we give God the glory. 1. Daily Grace Devotional Reflections to Nourish Your Soul (Colorado Springs, Co: Cook Communications Ministries, 2005), p. 189. 2. Bob Dole, Great Political Wit: Laughing (Almost) All the Way to the White House ( ...

19. Pax Christi Or Pox Christi?

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... that wanted more. They argued for it, lost the battle, and left in a huff to form a new church. Mothers against daughters, fathers against sons, wives refused to cook for their husbands. It was a mess. All was calm by the time I arrived, but it had been bloody. On the subject of music in church, this ... we have been waiting for. God help us to do better. 1. Barbara Bundick, email note to PCUSA Polity Discussion on Ecunet, 6/20/07. 2. Shannon Webster, email note to PCUSA Polity Discussion on Ecunet, 6/19/07.

20. Around the Family Table

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... begins to fall apart. Her daughters start feuding and they’re on the verge of never speaking again. “Finally, Mama Joe’s grandson Ahmad cooks up a scheme to bring the family together, back to the table, because it’s around the table that the family enjoys not just ... I passed the bread to others, and then I kept going . . .” “She surely did [keep going]!” writes Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad. “She kept going at that very church, St. Gregory’s in San Francisco distributing groceries to hungry people ...

21. Jesus Prays for Us

John 17:6-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... you can bear almost any pain, any turmoil in your life. The church at its best provides that kind of support, that kind of one-ness. That wonderful preacher Barbara Brown Taylor gives us a picture of a church where unity provides comfort and security. She writes, “Like the brain-damaged young man who shows up one Sunday and ... Upper Room, January 29, 1999. Cited in Good Night, God! (Colorado Springs: Cook Communications Ministries, 2004), pp. 12-13. 6. http://my.execpc.com/~crnrstn/sermons/matt22_34-40.htm.

22. Faith isn’t Easy - But it Works!

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you, I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves." So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And ...

23. Healing For The Past

Joshua 5:1-12

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

Occasionally I hear a senior citizen complain, "I just can't remember names like I used to," or, "I can't remember a thing anymore." Reminds me of a Peanuts cartoon strip I saw some time ago. Charlie Brown says, "My grandfather loves to sing hymns. He can remember the words to over a hundred hymns." Linus asks, "Does he sing in the choir?" Charlie replies, "No, he can't remember where the church is!" But the problem for many is not that they can't remember, but they can't forget. Psychologists remind us ...

24. The S & L That Didn't Fail!

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

A Peanuts cartoon strip shows Charlie Brown and Linus as they summarize their team's baseball season. They report that in 12 games they almost scored a run. In right field Lucy almost caught three balls, and once she almost made the right play. They decided between them that they led the league in "almosts." We Christians do not have an "almost" Savior. We have a Lord who saves to the uttermost. He did not and he cannot fail. At this writing, according to the experts, losses from savings and loans (S & Ls ...

25. Defended By the Divine

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

Women have sometimes had the reputation for doing some pretty dumb things. My preacher-husband, John, and I drove to a preaching mission in Mississippi recently. Three different times, the same day, we found ourselves behind a woman (a different one each time) who signaled to make a turn, then turned the opposite direction from her signal. It reminded me of the person who said "When a woman sticks out her arm, and indicates a left turn, the only thing you can be absolutely sure of is that the window is ...

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