Sermon and Worship Resources

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1. Francis of Assisi: a Faith for Every Day

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... have made him one of the most cherished saints in modern times. Let’s see what this holy man has to teach us in our day. He certainly holds for us a model of a Christ-like attitude toward wealth and poverty. A fourteenth century document tells how Francis was elected "King of the Revels" in his village. His friends gave him a free hand to spend what he liked for a feast. After the feast, they were going through the streets. All of a sudden the Lord touched his heart. His companions looked back and saw ...

2. Francis of Assisi

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

... what? PROTAGONIST: How long would you or I be self-sufficient if we didn’t see the point in anything? ANTAGONIST: (shrugging) How should I know? What are you driving at? PROTAGONIST: That’s the hope we have to share in Christ. That’s the kind of preaching Francis and his followers did. They didn’t force anyone to believe or to agree with them. But look what happens when you reach out to someone who wants to end it all or sees life as an endless drag or a cruel trap. A miracle could happen! ANNOUNCER ...

3. Followed By Mercy

Psalm 23:6

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... is the U.S. Open, not some junior club championship!" The problem is that Eddie doesn't want to step aside. The men offer a bribe. They say that they will "take up a collection" for Eddie, with one saying, "I understand his family could use it." Eddie pleads with Francis not to replace him, but Francis wants to make sure Eddie knows what's at stake. Eddie is determined, "I wouldn't do it for ten bucks; I wouldn't do it for a hundred!" Eddie is committed to seeing their partnership through to the end ...

4. Standing in the Forecastle

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

Ron Love

... quest for glory he joined the Fourth Crusades. In his snobbish desire to display his wealth he ordered that a suit of armor be made for him decorated with gold with a magnificent cloak. But Francis only got one day’s ride into the crusade when he had a dream in which God told him he had life all wrong. Francis returned home with an understanding of the meaning of humility and poverty. The real transformation of his life came when he took some cloth from his father’s store to help repair the church in ...

5. People of Influence

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... the most powerful pope in history. Yet his name is largely forgotten today. At the same time that Pope Innocent was amassing his power, another man from a tiny town in Italy was laying down his own power to take up the cross of Christ. This man, named Francis, was born to a wealthy family in the small town of Assisi. He lived a life of ease and self-centeredness until two tragic events brought him to his knees: he suffered a serious illness, and then, while serving as a soldier, was taken captive and held ...

6. A LITURGICAL DRAMA FOR ALL SAINTS’

Drama

Tom Eberle

... earth. Box: Hah! I’ve got news for you. If you wait to be last in line, there isn’t going to be anything. St. Francis: [rising from his seat in the congregation] "While I was still in my sins, the Lord enabled me to begin to do penance in the ... silver spoon in his mouth. So, I simply took advantage of my position. Box: How did you get mixed up in the meekness bit? St. Francis: I was ill. Sickness has a way of exposing false ambitions. I also began visiting the poor. I didn’t enjoy it. The leprosy I ...

7. Come and See

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... in the world if don't do anything with them. What good is having the Good News is we don't live it and show it. Telling is great as long as we Show what we Tell. Sometimes, the Telling is louder when all we do is show. One day Francis of Assisi, invited one of the young monk to join him on a trip into town to preach. The young monk was so honored to get such an invitation from St ...

8. Saint Francis of Assisi: a Faith for Every Day

Psalm 145:9 · Proverbs 12:10

Children's Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... at your house. Tell me about your pet and what your pet’s name is. Today we’re talking about a Christian who lived a long time ago and whose name was Francis. Francis lived in an Italian town named Assisi. One of the things that Francis taught Christians, and we still remember, is that God loves animals like he loves people. Francis never thought he was better than an animal. He was always very careful not to hurt any of God’s creation, including all the birds and animals. He taught that because God ...

9. Francis of Assissi and Jesus

Matt 25:31-46; Luke 17:11-19

Illustration

John Bedingfield

... , rich kid. He was a musician and a party hound. He lived for music, poetry, drinking and women – not necessarily in that order. Legend has it that after one of his trips away from home, where he could party without having to hear from his parents about his antics, as Francis was riding his horse toward Assisi, he saw a leper next to the road. Although lepers were every bit as feared and as loath-some in the 12th Century as they were in Jesus' day, for some reason ...

10. Born Naked With A Cross

Sermon

... endured the cross. When the Apostles suffered for the faith, they "counted it a joy to be able to suffer for Jesus." At the very beginning of his letter, James says, "Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials." One winter day, St. Francis was explaining to his brothers what joy was, as they walked to a village and suffered from the bitter cold. He said that perfect joy was neither in living an example of holiness, nor in performing miracles, nor in knowledge of all things, nor in ability ...

11. To Touch The Untouchable

Luke 5:12-16

Sermon

... money into the leper's hand, and then putting his lips to the leper's flesh, he kissed that diseased hand with his own clean lips. The leper, seeing that Francis was filled with love, held him and gave him the kiss of peace, and Francis kissed him back. Francis then climbed on his horse and rode home with joy. On that day Francis began his ministry with the lepers, visiting them and bringing them gifts. All of this happened because he overcame his fear of touching the untouchable. Likewise, we need not be ...

12. Our Damascus Road Experience

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

King Duncan

... his opium addiction. He entered a church school. Later he wrote one of the most famous poems in Christian literature, "The Hound of Heaven." He had been meditating on these words from Psalm 23: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." Francis Thompson knew the truth of those words from his own experience. He wrote, "I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the arches of the years." And he compared God to a great hound who would not give up the chase ...

13. Searching For Saints

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... place the coin in the pile. Was that nice? How could a saint be so nasty? Is he an exception to the larger guild of saints? Actually, when compared to the hundreds of stories of saints that can be culled from the Bible and church history, Francis was merely fulfilling his job description. (1) True saints are never shrinking violets. They are people of action and conviction. They are people who paint outside the lines of accepted practice. They are people who make a lasting impact on the time in which they ...

14. An Unforgettable Baptism

Luke 3:21-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... : “He brought along a broom to clean the churches.” (2) I love that. “He brought along a broom to clean the churches.” There is much being written nowadays about “servant leadership.” There is no better example than Francis of Assisi. Of course, Francis was simply seeking to emulate his Lord. F.B. Meyer used an analogy for this kind of leadership: “I used to think,” wrote Meyer, “that God’s gifts were on shelves one above the other; and that the taller we grew in Christian character ...

15. The Promise Of The Spirit

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... thanksgiving. Schaff declares, "It was the Spirit himself who gave them utterance and played on their tongues, as on new tuned harps, unearthly melodies of praise. It was the first Te Deum of the newborn church" (History of the Christian Church, Vol. 1, p. 230f). Francis Giovanni was the son of a rich clothing merchant in southern Italy. He was a gallant, high-spirited young man, free-wheeling and wealthy. One day he attended mass at Portiuncula, a few miles south of his hometown of Assisi. It was here that ...

16. Inevitabilities and the Last Days

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... world has had a chance to hear and heed, accept or reject, its saving message. Not until that has been accomplished need we listen for the sound of the trumpet that signals his return. V. Not alone from the pulpit must the Gospel be preached. Take a lesson from Saint Francis of Assisi. One day, so the story goes, Saint Francis invited one of his monks to leave the monastery for a walk through a nearby town. They were to preach the Gospel when they arrived. When they entered the village ...

17. The Peace Of Christ In A Chaotic World

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Brett Blair

... began to teach him about perfect joy and perfect peace. He called to Brother Leo, who was walking on before him, and said to him: If we monks were great holy men who edified all those around us this would not be perfect joy. A little further St. Francis called to Brother Leo again: O Brother Leo, if we monks were to make the lame to walk, if we should make straight the crooked, chase away demons, give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, and, what is even a far greater work, if ...

18. Evangelical Attitude

John 1:43-51

Illustration

... byways, alleys and suburbs, and they rubbed shoulders with hundreds of people. At the end of the day, the two headed back home, however, not even once had St. Francis addressed a crowd, nor had he talked to anyone about the gospel. The young monk was greatly disappointed, and he said to St. Francis, "I thought we were going into town to preach?" St. Francis responded, "My son, we have preached. We were preaching while we were walking. We were seen by many and our behavior was closely watched. It is of no ...

19. Mary’s Magnificat

Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

... art thou and who am I? Who art thou and who am I?" The biographer concludes that this is one of the clues of Francis' greatness. All his life he continued to ask the right questions, he never tired of trying to penetrate ever more deeply into the core ... done on earth as it is in heaven. Here is why Mary's Magnificat is relevant to the growing edge of our spiritual lives. Saint Francis never stopped asking, "Who art thou, O Lord, and who am I?" As he came to know the song by the young Jewish woman engaged ...

20. Future Perfect

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... , I am with you always." That's the proof of the resurrection. That's the proof that the tomb is empty, Jesus is with us now, today. In whatever situation we find our selves. Jesus is there. For example, Francis of Assisi. He was the playboy son of a rich merchant. When it was time for a party, Francis would gather his friends and pick up the tab. He was the life of the party. He also wanted to be the hero knight, fighting for Assisi. With the finest armor his father could buy, on a magnificent horse ...

21. Freedom From Human Regulations Through Life With Christ

Colossians 2:6-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... in the context of Colossians is used as a word for entering into heaven; H. Preisker, “embateuō,” TDNT, vol. 2, pp. 535–36. In the commentaries, Bruce, pp. 248–49, esp. n. 93; Martin, pp. 94–95. The problem of angel worship is explored by Francis, “Humility and Angelic Worship in Col. 2:18,” in Conflict at Colossae, pp. 163–95. He takes the phrase “worship of angels” as a subjective genitive, meaning that it is the angels who worship and not people who worship the angels, as is commonly ...

22. Kindness In Action: Evangelism

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

... he could until the sun was low in the sky. He told his novice friend it was time for them to return, now, to the monastery for evening prayers. But the young man said, "Father, you said we were coming to town to preach to the people." Francis smiled. Then he said, "My friend, that's what we've been doing all day." That's evangelism at its most faithful. Ministry to people in their need. Not worrying about numerical growth, or adding to one's own conversion record, or winning acclaim within the denomination ...

23. Obedience Is An Ugly Word!

Acts 5:17-42

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... like that." Finally, in exasperation Brother Leo asked, "I beg you in God's name to tell me where perfect joy is!" Whereupon Francis began enumerating the most humiliating, self-abasing things he could imagine, adding each time, "O Brother Leo, write that perfect joy is there." ... These words are hard for us to deal with today, and yet, it is said that it was not until St. Francis gave himself up to God, silver and soul, that he started singing and dancing in the streets. Christian joy is really never ...

24. The Called Ones

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

Joe Pennel

... about the meaning of her decision. Her parents were, understandably, furious with the new direction her life had taken. Like those fishermen, however, she heard the call and she stayed with it. And there have been others. People in the western tradition have long known about Francis of Assisi. He turned from a life of luxury to one of voluntary poverty with the intention of sharing his possessions with the poor. He became an example to his fellow townspeople of the biblical assurance that God can provide ...

25. Slices of Life

Drama

Sarah Walton Miller

... one dollar bill? TWO: Yes. But - ONE: Well, she gave me back change for a FIVE! A whole week’s allowance free! TWO: Aren’t you taking it back? ONE: Have you flipped? It was HER stupid mistake. THE DATE two girls BETH: Francie! You have to help me! FRANCIE: What’s wrong? BETH: I have a date with Hank Friday night. FRANCIE: You usually have a date with Hank on Friday nights. BETH: But yesterday I met this dreamy cousin of Becky’s. He’s only here this week. I want to have a date with him Friday night ...

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