Sermon and Worship Resources

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Luke 2:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... which we continue to observe. Christmas trees, decorations, parties, gift giving, and so on. Mistletoe? Ancient Europeans believed that the mistletoe plant held magical powers to give life and fertility, to bring about peace, and ... For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).” Giving is what Christmas is all about. God has given us a wonderful gift. Jesus. Celebrate the gift. And celebrate the other ...

2. The Missing Figure in the Nativity Scene

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... the Lord unless you rid yourself of sin. That’s true for us as well as it was for the people who heard John preach. If you have difficulty getting into the Christmas Spirit, look into your heart and see if the problem could be greed, or ... song. The reviewer wrote these words about “Savior’s Day”: “The song is ok,” the reviewer said, but “there is no holly, no mistletoe, no wine, no presents around a tree, no Santa. In fact,” wrote the reviewer, “this song hasn’t got anything to do with ...

3. The Chief Miracle of Christmas

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Daniel G. Mueller

... to conquer death and bring life and immortality to light through the gospel. Saint Paul liked to brag about Jesus as much as did Saint John. "If I must boast," Paul wrote, "I will boast of the Lord." Listen to Saint Paul’s witness about the Babe of Bethlehem, "He is ... the customs we still practice were borrowed from pagan sources: giving and receiving presents, evergreens, holly, ivy, mistletoe ... These things were pagan first and then given Christian significance. One gets the feeling that paganism has ...

4. A Road Straight to Your Heart

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... Frank, a congressman from the area, said it would have been cheaper to raise the city instead of lowering the road. (2) John the Baptist wanted his people to build a road for the coming King not a road made of asphalt, bricks or concrete, ... feels when he hears the sounds of, “I’ll be home for Christmas, you can count on me; Please have snow and mistletoe And presents under the tree”? Christmas is a particularly difficult reminder of broken family relationships. Is there someone in your family with ...

5. To Bethlehem and Beyond

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... The scene is your home; the time is just before Christmas. There is a gay tree, a jolly Santa, and holly and pine and mistletoe and light. The days pass, and then it’s Christmas Day. The children are out of their beds early; there are toys and ... is saying that the God who has spoken in many ways has now spoken in the living language of "word made flesh" to "dwell among us" (John 1:14). Indeed it had been in widely varied ways that God had spoken in the times that had gone by. He had thundered forth his ...

6. Green, The Color of Life

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

H. Michael Nehls

... . And behold, it was very good! In much the same way, John’s Gospel also teaches us about creation. It begins just as the Genesis creation account: in the beginning. But John says more, proclaiming that God’s own Son, the Word made ... in my Cross, in the ribbons of life we gave the youngsters a few moments ago. And we also see green in the holly and mistletoe of the yuletide season. Our Advent wreath is green, and our Christmas tree and decorations in the sanctuary themselves will abound with green. A ...

7. The Grief Grinch

John 11:17-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... and year-out is grief. Perhaps there is an ache inside you this year that intensifies each time you think of turkeys or mistletoe or presents under the tree. Perhaps your wish is, not so much to have HAPPY holidays this year, but just to survive them. You ... some SURVIVAL TIPS to help me manage this year. I have good news. You have been given some survival tips. The lesson from John's gospel this morning provides some - resources for dealing with grief at the holidays or any days. Follow the story and see how ...

8. Jesus, Our Hope

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Darrick Acre

... So this is Christmas. Somewhere a soldier patrols the streets of a shattered city. His mind is not preoccupied with turkey and mistletoe, gifts and carols, or candles and lights on the tree. Every sense is alert. Every nerve is on end. “Will it be ... gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God (John 1:12-13). Jesus is our hope for He is our Savior. He is the only one who can rescue us from the brokenness of our ...

9. Million Dollar Christmas

Matthew 19:21

Drama

Matthew Powell

... and here was this one from a firm of lawyers I had never heard of. The sum and substance of it was this - my old neighbor, John Dolby, whose funeral I had just attended two days before, had made me the sole heir of his entire estate, which, to quote the letter ... on absolutely useless illuminated cards, Christmas tree ornaments, candles, fancy wrapping paper and ribbon, house decorations, holly, mistletoe, and other such extravagant, and useless, vanities. If the money, which runs to waste in these useless ...

10. Day One: a New Beginning

Genesis 1:1-5

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... my first parish, comes off last and is lovingly wrapped and placed in a box as well. Then comes the garland around the doors, the mistletoe, the Christmas cards taped all around the walls, the wreath on the door, and finally the tree itself goes out on the curb. Voila! ... on day one if we decide to act? You know that Jesus told us that we could do even greater things than he did (John 14:12), if we believe. So the question comes. Sitting here today, do we believe? Don't nod your heads too quickly, because I' ...

11. Easter 3

Psalm 30:1-12, John 21:1-19, Acts 9:1-6 (7-20), Revelation 5:11-14

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... , and air. For this hour, we are alert for your voice. Amen. Call To Confession Today is Earth Day. Ever imagine what the mistletoe thinks about the ozone layer? Ever consider what an earthworm thinks when it runs into a plastic bag? Ever wonder what goes through ... How do twenty-first-century people of faith articulate their awe and loyalty to the Mystery we call God? The gospel of John is that delightful story of Jesus telling his friends to try fishing on the “right side.” Thinking about Earth Day, the ...

12. Why Matter Matters

2 Peter 3:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... to make Jesus into a more divine figure and somewhat less than human figure, Cyril pounced upon the gospel of John and refused to step back from the apostle’s pronouncement that “the word became flesh.” The gospel does not say ... of extreme change. Put up your tree. Hang your greens. Decorate your house. Bake your cookies. Sing those carols. Loiter under the mistletoe. God’s redeeming, reconciling love is in all those activities. But God is beyond and outside all those traditions as well. So ...

13. The Greatest Gift

Luke 2:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... today, Christmas is simply another reason to party. It is an opportunity to decorate their homes, put up pretty lights and mistletoe, and to buy expensive gifts. And they think they’re celebrating Christmas. Yet they are blissfully ignorant of the greatest gift ... piece of wood. He was vulnerable just as we are vulnerable. He hurt just as we hurt. Even after his baptism by John, there came a time of intense testing and temptation. The testimony of Scripture is explicit. He wrestled with mental and physical ...

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