Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing all results

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... was teaching his students about the heroes of Greek legend. He tried without success to elicit their concept of a hero. Finally he resorted to asking if anyone could name a hero. Only one student, a girl, raised her hand. She replied, "Dustin Hoffman." (1) Well . . . Dustin Hoffman is one of the finest actors in Hollywood, but a hero? Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire have become baseball's new heroes. They seem to be fine men of remarkable athletic ability. They came along at a great time for baseball, and ...

2. Just Drifting

Luke 9:51-62

Illustration

Brett Blair

Back in the 1960's a movie came out called "The Graduate," which became an American classic. It starred a then very young Dustin Hoffman as a college student trying to decide what to do with his life. There is a scene early in the movie where Dustin Hoffman is floating on a rubber raft in a swimming pool. His father comes out and asks: "What are you doing." He replies. "Drifting. Just drifting." I suspect this was the writer's way of letting us know what he is doing with his life. I fear far too many could ...

3. Genius, On The Spot

Matthew 16:13-20

Illustration

Brett Blair

... has a great story behind it. McCartney was vacationing in Montego Bay, Jamaica where he "snuck" onto the set of the film Papillon where he met Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen. That evening Hoffman and McCartney went out to dinner. While McCartney was playing around on guitar, Hoffman wondered whether it was true, the rumors, that McCartney could write a song about anything. Hoffman pulled out a magazine and saw an article about the death of Pablo Picasso and his famous last words, "Drink to me, drink to my ...

4. Journey To Jerusalem

Luke 9:51-56

Sermon

Brett Blair

... Jesus knew who he was. Secondly, he knew where he was going. Back in the 1960’s a movie came out called “The Graduate,” which became an American classic It starred a then very young Dustin Hoffman as a college student trying to decide what to do with his life. There is a scene early in the movie where Dustin Hoffthan is floating on a rubber raft in a swimming pool. His father comes out and asks: “What are you doing.” He replies. “Drifting. Just drifting.” I suspect this was the writer’s way ...

5. Face the Music

Hebrews 9:27-28

Sermon

James Merritt

... we all know that is impossible. Euripidies, the Greek poet, called death "The debt we all must pay." Now there are two things about death that are extremely troubling. One is the certainty of it. Dustin Hoffman is the Academy Award winning actor who has played some incredible characters. In a recent interview someone asked Hoffman what epitaph he wanted on his tombstone. He said I want it to read very simply: "I knew this was going to happen." You think about this. Human beings are the only living organisms ...

6. I ... Oh ... U

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

... genuinely accepted ourselves. Such acceptance can’t come from a long-"U" and a short-"I". Christ in his life and in this parable would seem to be calling for a kind of reasonable balance - self-acceptance balanced with genuine outreach. The words of Dustin Hoffman’s Indian grandfather in "Little Big Man" come to mind. Grandfather said, "There’s an endless supply of white men, but a limited number of human beings. A world without human beings has no center to it." Perhaps we can change the title from ...

7. Back To Basics: The Three R's of Baptism

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

Sermon

Brett Blair

... point, the moment he had been striving for with all his heart since he was a kid. Several days later in NYC, he went to Tavern on the Green to celebrate with family and friends. The place was crowded with celebrities like Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. Later, Jackson wrote this, "the intense feeling of connection with my teammates that I had experienced in Los Angeles seemed like a distant memory. Instead of being overwhelmed with joy, I felt empty and confused. Was this it? I kept saying to myself. Is ...

8. A Concert of Prayer

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Drama

Leonard Sweet

... , Standing in the Need of Prayer" Some of us feel as if we've been blown in from Pentecost this morning. Others of us feel as if we've been blown in from Hades. Still others of us know what the Native Americans meant when they said (to quote Dustin Hoffman), "But sometimes grass don't grow and winds don't blow." Let us begin our concert with prayers for our bodies as the house/temple in which God's Spirit dwells. Have you ever noticed how Jesus began the real "Lord's Prayer" (John 17) by praying for himself ...

9. The Last Breath – The Fear of Death

Hebrews 9:27-28

Sermon

James Merritt

... . George Bernard Shaw, the great playwright, said he did an exhaustive study of death and discovered 1 out of 1 people die. There are two things about death that really bother us. One is the certainty of it. We know we are going to die. Dustin Hoffman, the Academy Award winning actor, was interviewed recently and was asked what epitaph he wanted on his tombstone. He just smiled and said this," I knew this was going to happen." Do you realize that human beings are the only living organisms in the universe ...

Showing 1 to 9 of 9all results