Sermon and Worship Resources

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Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... you a scholar, which is totally useless to you. The second part can make you a man, which is an indispensable ingredient for success. Chief among the advice that he gave in his column was, take advantage of opportunities. Just like Horatio Alger. Only it was different. Horatio Alger said to wait patiently for opportunity. But Lorimer said to seize the day, be aggressive, make your own opportunities. Which sounds an awful lot like the steward in the parable that was read to us as the gospel lesson for this ...

2. Tiny Town: Promised Power

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

Tony Everett

... shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace" (vv. 4-5). The identity of God's children is always shaped at the foot of the cross and not in a story by Horatio Alger. In the Christ of Bethlehem Ephrathah comes promised power. Tiny town, promised power, for Bethlehem Ephrathah, for our congregations, and for you and me. God's promises do not fail. God's peace nourishes and strengthens. The powerful Light of Christ shines through the darkened tunnels ...

3. Here Is Where It Happens

1 Samuel 2:12-26

Sermon

Arthur H. Kolsti

... much bankrupt. But here's the writer's point: even in this faith community where the light of faith was waning, it was still flickering. The ever-creating God was about to bring something new into being. This is really a creation story. This isn't an Horatio Alger story about a boy who becomes a successful man. This story is a testimony to the God who calls us into existence and calls to us to enlist us in his service. He makes the barren rejoice and calls into being the things that are not. This story ...

4. Another Kind Of Success

6-16, 2 Samuel 5:1-5

Sermon

Arthur H. Kolsti

Rags-to-riches stories have been popular in every time and place. The story of Abraham Lincoln whose life led from the log cabin to the White House is a staple of Americana. So are the stories of Horatio Alger. He started writing just after the civil war. He wrote exclusively about underprivileged young people who through honesty, preseverance, and diligence went on to win fame and wealth. Ragged Dick and Tattered Tom were just two of the heroes he wrote about in over a hundred dime novels. Nearer to ...

5. Work (Labor Day)

Genesis 1:1 - 2:25

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... you have to work at least half a day - it doesn't make any difference which half, the first twelve hours or the last twelve hours!" As someone has wisely noted, the only place success comes before work is the dictionary. Now, I could throw in a few Horatio Alger stories of mail boys who, through hard work, rose to become CEO or Abe Lincoln, through hard work, moving from the log house to the White House, and we would have a nice commencement address. But those of us who have been around the block once or ...

6. God Bless America

Psalm 33:1-22

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... chance. Henry Ford was a simple mechanic, but he became the world's greatest industrialist because America gave him his chance. Abraham Lincoln - from log cabin to studies by firelight to the highest office in the land. Our history is full of Horatio Alger stories. The land of opportunity. America, America. But God gave us even more. A half century ago, in his 1941 State of the Union address, Franklin Roosevelt enunciated what every American has a right to expect. They were called the Four Freedoms: freedom ...

7. A Fool and his Money

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... says, "Let me tell you a story." He begins to talk about this rich guy...a farmer who has done very well for himself.(4) Nothing illegal. This is no slumlord or drug dealer, he does not cheat his employees or mistreat them. This is lawful profit. Horatio Alger stuff. A hard worker, an upstanding citizen. Through a combination of skill and luck and plain hard work, his investment and labor have paid off. He has got this massive crop in. Now what? Got to store it someplace. He calls in the architect to help ...

8. Shalom Shattered

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... Rachel. But on a higher and broader level, the story of Joseph is about the emergence of Israel's family as Israel, the People of God. To the untrained eye, Joseph's story is a tale with a happy ending, but to the trained eye it is not an Horatio Alger rags to riches, but it is an overview of God preserving a family which in turn preserves a nation, which in turn preserves from its royal line the Messiah, the Savior. This scripture from Genesis 37 is not the end of the story. There is a discernible yearning ...

9. A Fool and His Money

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... tell you a story." He begins to talk about this rich guy, a farmer who has done very well for himself.[1] He was doing nothing illegal. This was no slumlord or drug dealer, he did not cheat his employees or mistreat them. This was lawful profit — Horatio Alger stuff. He was a hard worker, an upstanding citizen. Through a combination of skill, luck, and plain hard work, his investment and labor have paid off. He has this massive crop in. Now what? He has to store it someplace. He called in the architect to ...

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