Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 27 results

1. A Double Recipe

John 6:25-59

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Karenza picked up the telephone for her study. It was Mr. Edwards calling about the summer parish meals. Each year they had chosen a theme for five weeks of supper gatherings. It had been a way to maintain fellowship during the summer months. He was writing a piece for the parish newsletter and wondered what the committee had decided on the theme. "It will be bread," she replied. He was silent fo...

2. Advance into Europe

Acts 15:36-41

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Paul’s second missionary journey got off to a bad start. After several months at Antioch, Paul suggested to Barnabas that they retrace their steps over the route they had followed on the first journey. This would enable them to present to each congregation the message from the council at Jerusalem and also to revive and strengthen the faith of their earliest converts. Barnabas wanted to take with...

3. Advent 4

Isaiah 7:1-25, Romans 1:1-17, Matthew 1:18-25, Psalm 24:1-10

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THEOLOGICAL CLUE A quarter of a century ago, there was a movement in Great Britain by the Joint Liturgical Group to move Christmas (and other festivals, too) to a Sunday to encourage greater attendance and participation in the festive worship. This did not happen formally (in fact, the anticipated 1980 merger of the Anglican Church with several Protestant communions did not occur, either), but th...

4. Breaking News: Thomas Doubts Jesus Alive

John 20:24-31

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For the past two weeks I have had a knot in my stomach. Holy week and Easter were joyful events here in our church and I'm still excited about this being the Easter season. That's not what has me anxious. Along with most of you, I have been watching the news closely and praying about the mid-east conflict. For more than a week there were suicide bombings every day. Some of those suicide bombers ev...

5. Consecration Hold Fast

Titus 1:1-16

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Call to Worship Leader: The world is ever changing, ever shifting. In our society values are subject to a majority vote. Law is no longer a matter of right and wrong, but what is convenient for the most people or the most powerful. How do we Christians know what values to keep? Women: We know by holding fast the faithful word we have been taught that we may be able, by sound doctrine, both to ex...

6. Do You Remember Your Baptism?

Mark 1:1-8, Mark 1:9-13

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Object: pictures of children's baptisms or certificates Teachers: Ask parents to bring or send pictures of their child's baptism or certificates if available. Talk about the different kinds of baptisms. Point out the kind your church uses. Mention common practices in your church surrounding baptism. Spend time really listening to the children's impressions of baptisms they've seen at your church ...

7. Epiphany 2

Psalm 40:1-17, John 1:29-34, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, Isaiah 49:1-7

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THEOLOGICAL CLUE A careful examination of the readings appointed for this and the other Sundays of Epiphany in the three-year cycle reveals that something is different; a radical change has been made; the three lessons are not in harmony, because the Corinthian letters make up the Second Lessons for virtually all of the Sundays after the Baptism of Our Lord. This same pattern of readings is picke...

8. Epiphany 3

Mark 1:14-20

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Theme: Called To Be In Mission Call to Worship Pastor: Jesus began his ministry by calling disciples to follow him and be in mission for him. People: Jesus is still calling disciples to carry out his mission in the world. Pastor: Our mission is an all inclusive mission to share Christ with our world. People: We have good news to tell! We pray that we will miss no one as we share Christ's message....

9. Faith, Love, and Fakers at Ephesus

Acts 18:18-28

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Although the early Christians were united in mind and spirit, there are evidences of factionalism and division among them. The chief conflict was between Jew and Gentile. Although the decision reached by the first council at Jerusalem had presumably healed the breach with a compromise acceptable to all, "a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." In Jerusalem, the Hebrew facti...

10. Hello, God?

Psalm 141:1-10, Matthew 6:5-15

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Object: A cell phone What do you do with this? Maybe I can phone God. Pretend to have a conversation with god about some of your pastoral concerns. Start with "Hello, God? I don't want to sound like a complainer but I was on hold for a long time." Pace around the altar as you speak. Come up with some funny things like not enough parking spaces. At the end tap the phone and say...are you there? G...

11. "I appeal to Caesar!"

Acts 24:1-27, Acts 25:1-12

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Two years at Caesarea! Today people might regard that as an ideal vacation - warm Mediterranean breezes, a rocky shoreline with some sandy beaches, daily pageantry with the drills of the Roman legions, plenty of sunshine and swimming. Today, only a few miles to the south, the shore is lined with the high-rise resort hotels of Tel-Aviv. Caesarea itself has become a tourist mecca, carefully excavate...

12. Jailbreak at Midnight

Acts 16:16-40

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Twice Paul’s ministry brought him into direct confrontation with commercial interests. The first such incident took place at Philippi, the second at Ephesus. Both of these were Graeco-Roman cities with a materialistic western culture, different from that of the Orient. In the East there was a slower pace of life and a greater accommodation between religion and commerce. Jesus had often lashed out ...

13. Life Forever

John 6:51

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Object: a teapot (used as Aladdin's lamp) Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like to play pretend games? (Let them answer.) I brought a teapot with me this morning because it reminds me of a pretend game some children about your age play. How many of you know the story of Aladdin and his magic lamp? (Let them answer.) The children in my story decided to play Aladdin and the magic lamp...

14. On Mars Hill

Acts 17:16-34

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At Athens, Paul found himself in a different world. Although a Jewish synagogue existed in Athens, the Jewish presence was without influence on the life of the city. Athenians thought of the Jews as primitive foreigners. Probably the Jews themselves had been affected by the indifferent environment and had forsaken some of their Jewish customs, for we read that Paul argued in the synagogue "with th...

15. Paul in Chains

Acts 21:27-36

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Paul’s arrival in Jerusalem was inauspicious. Although "the brethren received us gladly," the elders were fidgety and fearful. Not one word of gratitude is recorded for the gifts which Paul and his companions brought with them to alleviate the poverty of the church at Jerusalem. One wonders why? Perhaps those who came with Paul to bring the gifts were too evidently "Gentile Christians." These Gent...

16. Pentecost 24

Mal 1:6-14, Lev 2:1-16, Mic 3:1-12, Am 5:18-27, Ru 4:1-1, 1Th 2:1-16, 4:13-5:11, Mt 23 and 25:1-13

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THEOLOGICAL CLUE If a congregation happened to be following the readings listed in Lutheran Worship, the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod's revision of the Roman Ordo and the LBW lectionary, the people would have caught the eschatological clue last Sunday; the Lutheran Worship lectionary follows the older Lutheran practice of abandoning the numerical progression of the Sundays in Pentecost and as...

17. PROPER 20

Philippians 1:12-30

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Second Lesson: Philippians 1:21-27 Theme: Live as the gospel requires Call to Worship Pastor: The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news of God's love. People: Christ has come to redeem us from sin, and raise us to new life. Pastor: Our new life in Christ should demonstrate his teachings as well as his salvation. That, too, is the gospel. People: May our lives become the gospel of Christ, inter...

18. Proper 23

Philippians 4:2-9

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Theme: The peace of Christ Call To Worship Leader: Let all who would seek the peace of Christ come before the Lord. People: Only as we walk and talk with the Lord will we receive God's peace. Leader: For as we do that which is evil or live as we should not, People: the Lord will not be with us nor God's peace in our hearts. Leader: Then let us worship the Lord by truly living the Christian life. ...

19. Return to Jerusalem

Acts 20:7-12

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Times have changed. It took Paul and his company five days to travel from Philippi to Troas, a journey past some Greek islands that can now be negotiated by steamer in five hours. Ancient Troas or Troy is well remembered because of Homer’s epic stories of its great early glory. Helen of Troy, the beautiful goddess who became an enchanting woman; the long Trojan wars; the episode of the Trojan Hor...

20. Revival at Corinth

Acts 18:1-17

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If there was freedom of thought at Athens, there was freedom of a different sort in Corinth. Paul’s later letters testify to the moral and legal problems which existed even in the Christian community. Among the pagans, life must have been truly licentious. Corinth was large, powerful, and wealthy. It had a history of military achievement and because of its strategic location and good harbor it wa...

21. Rome at Last

Acts 28:11-16

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Spring shipping would begin to move when the sealanes opened up again to commerce about the beginning of March - early spring in the Mediterranean. At that time a ship from Alexandria, which had wintered at Malta’s main port was ready to sail. Centurion Julius, with his soldiers and prisoners, was eager to complete the final leg of his journey. Paul and the others were therefore taken aboard the "...

22. Shipwrecked on Malta

Acts 27:1-12, Acts 27:13-26, Acts 27:27-44

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Festus was a good administrator. Once the decision had been made to send Paul to Rome, he acted quickly. Yet it was a peculiar transferral. Agrippa and Festus are reported to have concluded that Paul had done nothing that was likely to undermine the security of the Roman Empire or otherwise be of interest to the high courts at Rome. They must have attached some bill of complaint to the military or...

23. Striking Silversmiths Start Riot

Acts 19:23-41

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Paul was too restless to remain long in any place. As he completed the second year of his ministry at Ephesus, he began planning his next move. To pave the way, he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, ahead of him into Macedonia. Shortly after they left, a major shift in the situation at Ephesus took place. Paul’s teaching had been tolerated and even welcomed by the Ephesians so long as ...

24. The First Council

Acts 15:1-21

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The elation among the Christians at Antioch lasted "no little time." We can only guess how long. But in the early church the storms and sunshine, the happy days and the dark days of controversy, the good times and the bad seemed to alternate in rapid succession. How quickly the ecstasy of the people at Lystra, in their zeal to make Paul and Barnabas into gods, changed into violence and threats! N...

25. The Meaning of Pentecost

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Pentecost -- Festival And Season The festival of Pentecost marks the beginning of the second half of the church year. The first half of the church year, beginning with Advent and ending with Ascension, centers around the life of Christ. The Pentecost season is built around the life of the Church. The focus is on the life of the believer. The festival of Pentecost launches the season of Pentecost....

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