Sermon and Worship Resources

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Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

George Reed

At first glance the advice Jesus gave on taking a spot at a banquet seemed to just be common sense. Society was very regimented and social standing was incredibly important. One who was more “important” than another person would receive a better seat at a banquet. Class A celebrities got to sit closer to the host than class B celebrities. Even if the celebrity status was based on the number of she...

2. A Shrewd Christian?

Luke 16:1-13

Sermon

George Reed

For many the term “shrewd Christian” is an oxymoron as these two terms just seem to be so opposite in their minds. But in the parable of the unjust steward Jesus calls on his disciples to become as shrewd in doing good as others are in doing evil. According to Webster’s dictionary shrewd means “keen-witted, clever, or sharp in practical matters.” We have often used the word in its secondary sense ...

3. A Time

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Eulogy

George Reed

[Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-15] We are creatures of time. We mark it with clocks and calendars plus we celebrate special seasons and times. We remember birthdays and anniversaries - and we remember losses and deaths. We set aside special times in our lives such as infancy, childhood, and adulthood. Things that are appropriate in one time are not deemed appropriate in others. You can suck your thumb whe...

4. And the Sea Was No More

Revelation 21:1-7

Eulogy

George Reed

[Read Revelation 21:1-7] In the beginning when God began to create, God hovered over the waters of chaos. God placed the dome of the sky over the earth to keep the waters at bay and gathered the waters under the dome together to make seas and for the dry land to appear. Although there are plenty of places in scripture where water is good and life giving there is always this threat in the backgro...

5. Anywhere But Home

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

George Reed

The Gospel of Mark is filled with action. From the beginning Jesus is teaching, healing, and casting out demons. By the time we get to chapter 6, we have witnessed many miracles which Jesus has done. Then he comes home to Nazareth. Nazareth, that little backwater town that is despised and looked down on by the rest of Israel. Here is their big chance to show that something good can come out ...

6. Brothers and Sisters of Jesus

Mark 3:31-35

Sermon

George Reed

The gospels are very open in sharing the opposition that Jesus faced in his ministry. They are not afraid to have Jesus himself report that he was accused of being a glutton and a wino or, in this lesson, of his family trying to restrain him when the people thought he was insane. The religious folks accused him of even worse by suggesting that he was actually in league with the prince of demons. A...

7. Caring for the “Little Ones”

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

George Reed

This Gospel Reading from Mark is two stories entwined together. Separately, they are powerful stories but when they are combined their force is greatly increased. Here, in one episode, we have Jesus, the healer, raising a little girl from the dead and curing a woman who has suffered for twelve years from her affliction. While these two healings are wondrous in their power it is the status of the o...

8. Come and Rest

Matthew 5:3-10 · Matthew 11:28-30

Eulogy

George Reed

[Read Matthew 5:3-10 and Matthew 11:28-30] We all have had times when we were just exhausted. Maybe it was a day of really hard, physical labor or a night of restless anxiety. Whether physical or mental we understand what it is to be weary, worn out, done in. It seems like we have carried a heavy burden that only grows heavier the farther we tote it. It drains our energy, our spirit, and our joy....

9. Come to the Feast

Isaiah 25:6-9

Eulogy

George Reed

[Read Isaiah 25:6-9] Most of us really look forward to special meals. Thanksgiving is probably the biggest feast day for us with Christmas and Easter close behind. While we enjoy any good meal there is something really special about a feast. It doesn’t even have to be a huge meal just as long as it is special. A couple of really good cheeses with fresh fruit can make for a feast especially when sh...

10. Comfort My People

Isaiah 40:1-8

Eulogy

George Reed

[Read Isaiah 40:1-8] Life sometimes just doesn’t seem fair. We wonder sometimes if the whole world has turned against us and, sometimes, we even wonder whose side God is on. It must have been that way for the people of Israel who were in exile. Uprooted from their homes and families they were brought to a strange land. Rumors of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem being destroyed had passed thro...

11. Coming Apart So We Don’t Come Apart

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

George Reed

The Gospel Reading from Mark is a clear picture of the Christian life. In it, Jesus calls his disciples apart so that he and they can get away from the crowds who have been coming to him. They need a break, a time apart to be alone with Jesus and to refocus themselves on the work that lies before them. After a while, sooner than planned, the needs of the crowds again press in on them and they, and...

12. Counting the Cost

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

George Reed

Jesus certainly cannot be accused of using a “soft sell” approach when it comes to calling folks to discipleship. While salespeople are taught to extol the good points, ignore the bad points, and wait until you have your customer hooked before you deliver the price to them, Jesus comes out with the price right up front. And it is steep. Jesus doesn’t offer us a sign-and-drive option to follow him....

13. Freeing Those in Bondage

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

George Reed

The story of Jesus healing the woman with a crippling spirit while he was teaching in the synagogue one sabbath is about a lot more than what is appropriate to do on the sabbath. It is a window into the mindset of Jesus about ministry. The first thing we notice in this story is that Jesus is teaching in the synagogue on the sabbath. This sounds like such a traditional means of worship and teachin...

14. God's Fullness Within Us

Ephesians 3:14-21

Eulogy

George Reed

[Read Ephesians 3:14-21] Paul has a prayer for the people of Ephesus and he knows that his prayer is based on substantial resources. He prays out of the riches of the glory of God for the Ephesian Christians. He bases his prayer not just on his good wishes or his ability to make a difference in their lives but on the riches of God’s glory. And his prayer is direct. He is praying for these folks to...

15. Hope in the Midst of Despair

Isaiah 40:28-31 · Psalm 23 · Revelation 21:1-7 · John 14:1-4, 18-19, 25-27

Eulogy

George Reed

[Pastor’s Note: This sermon is based on the four scripture readings. One may read all four during the service which is often my practice, or one may use just portions of the scriptures added into the appropriate paragraphs or one may simply omit one or more of the paragraphs as each of the first four paragraphs are linked to the readings in the order above.] The words of the prophet Isaiah sound s...

16. If God Is For Us

Romans 8:31-39

Eulogy

George Reed

[Read Romans 8:31-39] “If God is for us, who can be against us?” What a strange and yet delightful question! The answer is so obvious to us we wonder why it would even be asked. And yet all of us know that sometimes we need to be reminded of the most obvious of things. The answer, of course, is no one and nothing can stand against us if God is for us. And God is for us. God is the one who did not ...

17. Jesus Walks With Us

Luke 24:13-35

Eulogy

George Reed

[Read Luke 24:13-35] The story from the gospel of Luke is a familiar one which we often refer to as the Walk to Emmaus. Two of Jesus’ disciples who are not part of the twelve are going from Jerusalem back to their homes in Emmaus. They are heartbroken for Jesus has been crucified. The one they counted on had been lost and they were in grief and despair. Someone came along beside them as they were ...

18. Joy as Our Hallmark

Sermon

George Reed

In the past the complaint by folks about Christianity was that it was too austere. No card playing, no dancing, no anything on Sunday except worship and quiet conversation. Then in the ’60s the folk mass movement began and has blossomed after fifty years into the praise and worship movement. Now the complaint is that Christianity is mindlessly happy. Songs that have no real depth of meaning are su...

19. Know Jesus--No Peace

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

George Reed

How can we understand it when Jesus, the Prince of Peace, says, “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!”? What do we make of Jesus proclaiming that households will be divided because of him; that parents and children will be at odds? While some of the wits around us have used the pun of Know Jesus — Know Peace; No Jesus — No Peace, it seems ...

20. Lord of the Sabbath

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

George Reed

The Gospel Reading shows Jesus in a position of conflict with the religious leaders of his day, a position we find him in repeatedly. This time it is over the observance of the sabbath. This is a story we need to hear, not only to understand the life of Jesus, but to apply it to ourselves as religious folks. In Jesus' critical encounters with the Pharisees or scribes or the Jews, we must avoid the...

21. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Eulogy

George Reed

[Read 1 Corinthians 13] The love chapter, as the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians is often called, is often read at weddings rather than at a funeral but we have shared that scripture today because it reflects so well the life of [NAME]. The sharing of love was not an afterthought for her/him but was at the very center of their being. [NAME] had a great love for her/his family. Personal reflect...

22. Many Rooms

John 14:1-14, 18-19, 25-27

Eulogy

George Reed

It must have been a somber time when Jesus gathered his disciples around him for what would be their last meal together. The events of the week were dramatic and scary. When Jesus entered into Jerusalem and was greeted with the enthusiastic crowd it would have been very exciting. But with the Romans in charge it was also very dangerous. The Romans did not tolerate anything that looked like rebelli...

23. On Trusting the Work of God

Mark 4:1-20

Sermon

George Reed

Jesus spoke to the people in parables about the reign of God. He compared it to the plant life that was all around them, to wheat fields and mustard plants. The growth of the reign of God in the world is like a plant that may start out small but can grow and become a magnificent place for shelter. It happens like the farmer who plants the seed but the growth comes when he is not looking. He partic...

24. The Cost of Being a Prophet

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

George Reed

John the Baptist is one of the heroes of the Christian faith. More of the churches that bear the name Saint John do so in honor of John the Baptist than John the Evangelist. Perhaps it is because he is so closely linked with the birth of Jesus as Mary and Elizabethshare their pregnancies. John is the one who baptizes Jesus and it is after the death of John that Jesus begins to enter into his ...

25. The Gift of the Kingdom

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

George Reed

Don’t you just love gifts? I’m not talking about those hokey email scams where someone wants to give you $3.5 million if you will just send them all your private, financial information. I’m talking about real gifts whether they are wrapped up in ribbons or wrapped up in hugs. I don’t know about you but I love gifts. Jesus is telling us that God has a gift for us: the kingdom. This is not a gift th...

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