Sermon and Worship Resources

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John 1:35-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... him that they were expecting a new addition to the family. The family had survived the first round of sibling rivalry when Brian’s younger brother, Damian, was born, so his Mom and Dad were surprised that Brian was digging in his heels over a new baby. They spent nearly an hour trying to convince him that a new baby in the family was a good thing. Three-year-old Brian, however, made his stand about this new baby, and neither logic nor persuasion could budge him. Puzzled, his mother finally confronted him ...

2. Are You a Super-Fan?

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... 1, 2018. http://time.com/5261257/soccer-match-turkey-crane/. 3. http://jokes.christiansunite.com/Cops/Crowd_Control.shtml. 4. Steve Beard, “The Way of Faith for Alice Cooper,” Good News Magazine (May/June 2002) p. 29. Cited in Davis, Barry L. 52 Topical Sermons Volume 1 (Pulpit Outlines), p. 125. GodSpeed Publishing. Kindle Edition. 5. By Brian Bell https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-19-commentary. 6. Jesus Freaks, compiled by dc Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs (Tulsa, OK: Albury Publishing, 1999), pp ...

3. Time to Pull the Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' "'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you ... with no real thought to God's claim on our lives. And the weeds grow. I enjoyed reading a description pastor and author Brian Waite once gave of his family. He said that generations of men in his family have gained a reputation for foolish choices. There ...

4. No Promotion Required

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... And with teenage girls that was probably true. Do you know how the Beatles became famous though? According to Internet marketer Caleb O’Dowd it didn’t happen by accident or simple good luck. According to O’Dowd, Brian Epstein the manager of the Beatles, was a marketing genius. “To begin with,” says O’Dowd, “Brian hired hundreds of teenage girls. He then hired actors to dress up as policemen and paramedics. Then he rented police cars and ambulances and had them ‘on set’ for the madness that ...

5. Tasting the Gruel of Love

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... what love does. Rev. Susan Gilbert Zencka tells about a good friend of hers who died from Hodgkin’s disease. Kim left two young children. At Kim’s wake, the six-year-old, Brian, was inconsolable. He sobbed and sobbed, his whole body shaking ... . Slowly, his weeping tapered off, and before long the boys were scampering around the funeral home, chasing each other and giggling. Ever so often, Brian would come back to the front of the room and sit by his mom’s casket, and cry, and the other boys would stand ...

6. Going Home

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Argile Smith

... to an end. Soon he would be going home. According to the story, God took him to a mountain so he could get a good look at the land he had promised his people generations earlier. You could say that it was a fitting place to end his work. Interestingly ... when it’s all said and done?” “I don’t want to be remembered for anything.” Shocked by the reply he received, Brian pressed, “Aren’t you concerned about your legacy?” “Absolutely not. I’m just the messenger of the Lord. I don’t want to ...

7. A Little Dirt Is Good for You

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... ’s cleaner?” “If God didn’t want us to play in the dirt,” Brian logically said, “why did he make so much of it?” With Brian’s observation in mind, I want to share with you some information that will encourage some of you who are parents and perhaps horrify some of you who are grandparents. Earlier this year the New York Times carried an article by Jane E. Brody titled, “Babies Know: A Little Dirt Is Good for You.” “Ask mothers why babies are constantly picking things up from the floor ...

8. Where Is My Guest Room?

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... has placed a pillow under his head. He doesn’t know who has done the kind deed, but he is overjoyed. It is a sign of the goodness of life. He will go to prison, he says, and keep God’s name alive there, because he knows that God is alive in the world. The ... of their families. One of the patients is a writer named Brian who is visited by his former wife, Beverly. Beverly arrives and finds Mark, a homosexual friend who is living with Brian. Jealously, she attacks Mark, and the play focuses for awhile on ...

9. Belling the Cat

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

... not anything. Looking back she says, “I think we were just too crazy really, to be afraid.” So they stayed. And it is a good thing they did. There’s been only one homicide in that area, on those streets, in the nearly three years since Joyce Riley obeyed ... years old. He is an African-American and he drives a taxicab in Washington, DC. But Carter isn’t just a taxi driver, says Brian McLaren. Carter is “a taxi driver in the kingdom of God.” And that makes all the difference. Back in 1994, in his role ...

10. Who's Your Master?

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... t.” All of you who are parents understand her answer. Obedience is not easy. Beverley’s answer reminds me of five-year-old Brian who one Sunday in church heard the pastor tell the story of St. Simeon the Stylite. St. Simeon, as some of you will ... see yourself as an obedient person. In fact, you may view yourself as quite a free spirit. That’s well and good. You were probably raised by one of those more modern Middletown moms with their emphasis on independence, tolerance, and social-mindedness. That ...

11. Overflowing Joy and Rich Generosity

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... a new car for $2,000. Of course, that’s not true for everyone. Pastor Brian Kluth tells of his friend Don, a wealthy businessman who gives generously to those in need. When Brian questioned Don about his giving, Don responded, “It helps me to slay the dragon.” He ... ) God doesn’t need your money, but He wants whatever you want more than you want Him. That’s a really good reason to challenge believers to give generously. Giving generously helps us slay the dragon of materialism, of pride, of greed, of ...

12. What About the Baby?

Isaiah 9:2-7

Sermon

Tony Everett

... question, Dad. Did you know that if you look a leprechaun right in the eyes he will steal your bag of gold?" Good try, Dad. Adam will be fine. So will your baby daughter, Caroline, and your wife, Christy. Indeed, they were and they are. Their ... it really does seem as if our lives exist in an endless and perfect vacuum, with no escape whatsoever. Sometimes it seems that like Brian, we are so frightened by the Christmas journey that we are unable to hear the promise of God's Christmas gift, the baby given ...

13. Are You Troubled by Demons?

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... of the Broadway musical Wicked, the good witch Glinda is asked a serious question by a resident of Oz: “Glinda, why does wickedness happen?” “That’s a good question,” Glinda the Good replies, “one that many people find ... identity. He had lost his name. He had lost his individuality. “All that was left was a boiling struggle of conflicting forces,” says Brian Stoffregen. “It was as though a Roman legion was at war within him.” And Jesus speaks a word of assurance to him and delivers ...

14. Comfortable Christianity Is a Big, Fat Lie

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... unpaved road for six to eight hours to get to Wabush, there is only one way to leave: turn around and go back. Brian Weatherdon, the Canadian preacher from whom I lifted this story, added the following allegory: “Each of us, by birth, arrives in a town ... the invitation to enter is another name for the call to follow me. To respond to his grace by choosing him is the good and reliable and spiritually strenuous and demanding way that leads to life in his kingdom, now and later. This is the challenge. It’s ...

15. An Announcement from Our Lord

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... , but I don’t know if I can last much longer. Please hurry. Love, Jordan.” Now there’s an honest young man. “Dear Santa, “Mommy says that you only bring presents for good little boys. That isn’t fair. (Signed) Brian.” Sounds like Brian has already failed the test for being good. But the one I like is from Jenny: “Dear Santa, “Please give me a doll this year. I would like her to eat, walk, do my homework, and help me clean my room. Thank you. (Signed) Jenny.” I understand Jenny’s Mom ...

16. Ready or Not, Here He Comes!

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , that you and I CAN be better than we are, and that reasonable measures taken can MAKE us better - then the coming...the Advent...of this newcomer is good news indeed. Ready or not, here he comes. Are you ready? To be honest, probably not. We would rather be the snakes in the desert who are content to ... understanding." Happy holidays indeed! Are you ready? Well, ready or not, here he comes. Amen! 1. Brian Stoffregen, via Ecunet, "Gospel Notes for Next Sunday," #8952, 12/7/03 2. John Lohr, via PresbyNet, "Sermonshop 1997 12 14 ...

17. Soul Deep Not Skin Deep

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... 3000 liposuctions. There are also the cosmetic companies, the clothing industries, the fitness gurus, the drug companies, and the diet doctors. What would happen if we took some of the cash we spend on making ourselves look good and invested it in doing good in others' lives, for others' souls? Brian Tracey tells this story about John D. Rockefeller, a robber baron capitalist that some might also call a dishonest manager. "John D. Rockefeller, who because the richest man in the world, started as a clerk at ...

18. What Will He Find ... When He Comes?

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

... Job searching can deepen both. In just such a moment I encountered Brian. He is a competent and creative person whose skills and personality cannot be long overlooked. "It will work out, Brian," I said. "God does provide." "I hope so!" he replied. From the ... often has been otherwise. How can this be so? The test is: "Upon what or whom is our hope based?" If our hope rests in "good luck" or an unexpected turn of the game late in the fourth quarter, then hope is likely to disappoint us. On the other hand, if ...

19. Blue Christmas

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... important highway linking humanity and God. The message is the same. God cares about a broken world. God cares about broken people. Brian Abel Ragan’s father used to tell him a story every Christmas when he was growing up. It was about a little ... had not walked in her shoes.” (4) Friend, God has walked in your shoes. God knows your pain. This is the Gospel. This is the Good News. God cares about a broken world. Jesus came into our world to identify with the world’s suffering. And this brings us to the ...

20. A Faith that Will Bring You Alive

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... his wife asked the question men most dread: “Honey, do you think I look fat in my new dress?” Brian was up to the test. Pointing to what he was wearing, he replied, “Do I look stupid in this ... again, 70% of men said they would marry the same woman, but only 50% of women said they would marry the same man. Something to think about. There are many good people who outlive their spouses. In fact, if we are married, half of us will outlive our spouses. We don’t want to be morbid about it. But death is ...

21. Extraordinary Faith

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... about all we know about him, except for a few lines he penned that have made him immortal: "I shall pass through this world but once. Any good I can do, or any kindness that I can show any human being, let me do it now and not defer it. For I shall not pass ... stars of that day. You had really made it when you got that invitation to "come up." Fontaine and her husband, Brian Aherne, were prepared for this summit meeting par excellence. They arrived in their finest clothes, fashionably late, only to discover ...

22. Roll out the Green Carpet

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... are held on the wings of an eagle. (You may have these symbols already in your stained glass windows, and this would be a good time to point them out]. God never breaks a covenant. But God does add addendums. The covenant God made with Israel was not erased ... hot dogs and pop corn and soda pop, we let alone. For more prayers that integrate animals into them, check out Brian Magee, ed., The Veritas Book of Blessing Prayers (Dublin, Ireland: Veritas Publications, 1989). Here is another one (p.25): “Let us ...

23. Superman: More Than A Super Hero

John 1:1-5, 9-14; John 13:31-32; John 20:30-31

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Christ through the life of Superman. But let me make this very clear, while I saw lots of Christ-like qualities and a good Christian message in this movie, Superman is not the Messiah. Superman will never replace Jesus. Nor was he intended to. Only Jesus can ... hand. In disgust, he threw it on the floor and in anger said, "This thing doesn't work." (5) B. One of the things Brian Singer and the writers of Superman and every other comic book that has ever been written make very clear is that we are in desperate ...

24. Superman: More Than A Super Hero

John 1:1-5, 9-14; John 13:31-32; John 20:30-31

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

25. The Faith of a Saint

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... Well, obviously it’s not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.” The Life of Brian portrays Jesus as a sincere teacher and leader, but it is the listeners who get it all wrong and they quarrel ... the end of Christ’s message to us for All Saints’ Day. Christ continues: “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them ...

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