Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 49 results

John 14:15-31

Sermon

John M. Braaten

I have never liked saying "goodbye," it always elicits feelings of finality. So I say other things like, "See you!" or "Hope to see you sometime." Most of the time I like quick goodbyes. However, when a loved one leaves there are no formalities. We embrace, sometimes through tears. It is not uncommon to cast out cliches, often with a bit of humor, to lighten the atmosphere. But in the end the word...

2. A Strange Kind Of Glory

John 13:31-38

Sermon

John M. Braaten

It is often difficult for Christians to get past the idea that those who have given themselves to the Lord should be treated a little better than the average woman or man who does not possess a living faith. In other words, there ought to be some kind of return for what you have done for God, for what you have given in time, energy and money. That doesn't sound outrageous, does it? In this "you ge...

3. A Word For All Reasons

John 20:19-23

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Easter has happened. Jesus, crucified on Friday is risen from the dead, and from that time-shattering event he sets out. To do what? What shall be the first item on his agenda? We don't know what our Lord did between the early morning appearance to Mary Magdalene and the evening, but we do know that revealing himself to the disciples was high on his list of priorities. One question which could be ...

4. Act III, Scene 2

John 21:1-14

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Each year we in the church are involved in a great drama. Although the script is ancient, thousands of years old, its message is as new as today and as hopeful as tomorrow. It has been played out on countless stages throughout the world, and the story is so incredible that in spite of its constant retelling, it never grows stale, is never irrelevant. It is always fresh, always worth hearing and it...

5. Beyond Togetherness

John 17:20-26

Sermon

John M. Braaten

There's a story which many of you have heard and it is a fitting introduction for our text. A group of new arrivals in heaven met Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates. He began to show them around, pointing out areas of interest and filling them in on the rules of the kingdom. There were many "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd, and they were obviously enjoying themselves immensely. Suddenly Saint Peter s...

6. Death of a Twelve-year-old Boy

Matthew 18:1-9

Eulogy

John M. Braaten

Except We Become Like Children Preached at the funeral of a twelve-year-old boy who died of a congenital heart defect. With the knowledge of death stalking him, he endured many open heart surgeries but at each turn his faith was a powerful witness to all around him. As his mother said, "Spiritually he was eighty years old."We have gathered as members of the Body of Christ, and as a community of fr...

7. Death of an Alzheimer's Victim

Romans 8:28-39

Eulogy

John M. Braaten

Never Separated C_ was an elderly lady, thoroughly delightful and strong of faith. When Alzheimer's disease struck she entered another world but her sweet disposition never left. Who shall separate us from the love of God? As Christians we declare that there is nothing in all creation which will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. That stirring affirmation of fait...

8. Denominational Unity

John 17:20-26

Illustration

John M. Braaten

9. Finding Our Roots

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Ever since Alex Haley’s novel, Roots, hit the bookstands in the mid-70s, there has been an increasing number of people interested in their heritage. Many people buy computers and get on the internet primarily to keep track of their family tree. Parish secretaries are often called upon to do research for people investigating their family heritage. It is clear that many persons have been motivated t...

10. Good News From A Graveyard

John 20:1-9

Sermon

John M. Braaten

If wild applause was ever in order in the church, Easter is the time. It is a day for Christians to cheerfully celebrate Christ's victory over death. Clearly the dominant mood in our worship this morning is joy. It is a day for breaking out the band, clapping hands and singing, "Hallelujah!"But if you ever read the gospel accounts of the resurrection, you discover an unusual thing; the first react...

11. Goodbye

John 14:23-29

Illustration

John M. Braaten

Saying "goodbye" is often hard to do. It always elicits feelings of finality. So we say other things like, "See you!" or "Hope to see you sometime." Most of the time we like quick goodbyes. However, when a loved one leaves there are no formalities. We embrace, sometimes through tears. It is not uncommon to cast out clichés, often with a bit of humor, to lighten the atmosphere. But in the end the w...

12. Jesus Was Sitting There

Illustration

John M. Braaten

You can live in the awareness of our Lord's nearness through faithful prayer and by envisioning him with you. That discipline is poignantly illustrated in the story of an old man who suddenly became gravely ill. When the pastor came for a visit he noticed a chair beside the bed. "Oh my goodness," he said, "You must have already had company today." The old man said, "No, but let me tell you the s...

13. Members of a Family

John 17:20-26

Illustration

John M. Braaten

The genius of God's plan is obvious. If we recognize that we are all members of the same family, if we acknowledge that God desires to hold us in a single peace then, ideally, we will stop fighting with each other and destroying one another and instead begin standing with one another and working together to bring people to Christ and to become an answer to prayer for those who cry out to God for h...

14. Mommy, Was That God?

John 14:15-31

Illustration

John M. Braaten

I recall the story of a little girl who, when trains were popular transportation, was taking her first train ride with her parents. As night descended, the mother took the girl, who was clearly quite anxious, and placed her on the upper bunk of the sleeper. She told her little one that up there she would be nearer to God and that God would watch over her. As silence enveloped the young lady she b...

15. Other Voices

John 10:11-18

Illustration

John M. Braaten

The call of our Lord is "hidden" in a whole chorus of worldly voices which beckon us. Other would-be shepherds seek to tempt us away from the Good Shepherd, the joy of his forgiveness and the security of his love. And when we are weak and confused we may fall victim to the enticements of other gods. An American tourist traveling in the Mid East came upon several shepherds whose flocks had intermi...

16. Our Christian I.D.

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Given that you and I are reasonably good people, it probably does not amaze you to read that Jesus was able to overcome temptation. After all, like me, you've probably been able to do it yourself, many times. Admittedly, we have also caved in to temptation innumerable times, but for a person with Jesus' devotion and strength, eluding the tempter's entrapment must have been a piece of cake. That as...

17. Our Roots

Luke 9:28-36

Illustration

John M. Braaten

18. Planted for a Purpose

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

John M. Braaten

A hole is blown open in the cargo area of a 747 jumbo jet, and nine people are sucked out and killed instantly. It is natural to ask, "Why?" A tornado rips through a small community in Kansas destroying buildings and businesses which took a lifetime to establish and we grieve with them. Those are just a couple of the more spectacular of a whole series of tragic and painful events which occur daily...

19. Portrait Of A Powerful Servant

John 13:1-17

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Jesus loved to paint portraits for the soul. He did it through his actions as well as his words. Indeed, his whole life was a powerful illustration. On the particular night to which our texts bear witness, the image Jesus will etch into the memories of his disciples will be so powerful that they will never again be able to think of him without reference to this event. Writer Walter Wangerin sugge...

20. Redemption Is Found Through Suffering

John 14:15-31

Illustration

John M. Braaten

The heroes and heroines of history are not those who took it easy, who had it good, but those who struggled and who overcame seemingly insurmountable odds. A striking example is the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky regarded by many as one of the greatest literary geniuses of all time. His books are classics. The Brothers Karamazov is regarded by many as the greatest novel ever written. His sto...

21. Redemption Is Found Through Suffering

Illustration

John M. Braaten

22. Safe With The Shepherd

John 10:22-42

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Listening to a television talk-show one night I heard the cartoonist Jules Pfeiffer discussing a comic strip he once drew. In it, a little boy was afraid to go to school because he thought his parents might move away while he was gone. He didn't want to go to bed at night becuse he feared that his parents might die while he slept. "Coping with fears is a terrific battle for a child," said Pfeiffer...

23. That's My Wife For You!

Illustration

John M. Braaten

The story is told of an American soldier who had drawn remote duty and had written home to his wife, telling her of his seven new friends with whom he had developed a close friendship. "I am so grateful," he said, "because in this isolated and barren land a person could easily be driven to despair." When his next birthday rolled around, there was a large package in the mail from the States. When h...

24. That's Our God For You!

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Palm Sunday is an event in Christ's life that many people, particularly young people, enjoy. It is action packed, filled with lots of commotion and noise - especially noise. It centers around a grand parade with all the excitement and frenzied emotion of a political convention. The "Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem," as it is sometimes called, includes people lining the streets craning their necks ...

25. The Cross Sends Us

Illustration

John M. Braaten

A father overheard his two sons playing church. One of them was explaining to the other what all the parts of the liturgy were about. "Do you know what it means at the end of the service when the pastor does this?" he asked, making the sign of the cross. "It means some of you go out this way, and some of you go out that way." The lad was right. The cross sends us and scatters us out into the worl...

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