Sermon and Worship Resources

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Sermon

Larry Powell

... much of his life in New York. Man is truly a complex creature. Further, it is engaging to learn that Richard Wagner, the celebrated German composer, whose brilliant, sensitive mind produced such magnificent music as "Tristan and Isolde" and scores of other ... has been preached throughout the world - no small miracle. Rev. Robert Schuller has constructed a "Crystal Cathedral" in California, wonderfully conceived and awe-inspiring. Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, Jimmy Swaggart, a host of other ...

2. Letters Straight From The Heart

2 Corinthians 2:12--3:6

Sermon

King Duncan

... was an item in the newspapers sometime back about a star-struck teenager in 1943 named Lorraine Wagner who sent a fan letter to an actor named Ronald Reagan. Reagan took the time to sit down ... are communicating daily a positive or negative view of the universe. When the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts, we are living letters from God. According to Pastor Robert R. Kopp, there are three ways we communicate our love for God: by our CONFESSION (what we say), by our CONDUCT (what we do), and by our COUNTENANCE ( ...

3. Living in Denial

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... a few minutes about living in denial. Living in denial is a favorite occupation of many people. Some people would simply prefer not to face reality. Jane Wagner once said, “I made some studies, and reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it.” Then she adds, “I can take [reality ... . Eugene Nelson, Jr., http://www.uccseb.org/Sermons/2005/September%204,%202005.htm. 4. Dr. Robert S. Rayburn, http://www.faithtacoma.org/sermons/Seasonal/EasterNight00.The%20Appearances.4.23.00.htm.

4. How Does Your Garden Grow?

Matthew 13:1-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... and Walter is left to fend for himself with his two extremely eccentric uncles Hub and Garth McCann who are played by Robert Duvall and Michael Caine. Mom leaves and there they are sitting on the front porch. Walter asks, "If my Mom calls, can ... s grace, can change the stony, shallow, strangled heart into the Surrendered Heart. This is the heart that makes a difference. B. Dr. Keith Wagner, of St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Sidney, Ohio tells the story of a small boy in Florida some years ago. It ...

5. Campaign Competition

Humor Illustration

... politician doesn't always say exactly what he means: My opponent deserves to be kicked upside the head by a jackass...and frankly, I'd like to be the one to do it! I have reiterated over again what I have said before. (New York Mayor Robert F. Wagner) I was not lying. I said things that later on seemed to be untrue. (Former President Richard Nixon, on Watergate) Don't quote what he says. Say what he means! (Campaign aide of Sen. Barry Goldwater, during the 1964 presidential campaign) I'm not indecisive? Am ...

6. Jesus’s Glory and Majesty Disclosed

Mark 9:2-13

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... by Jesus onto a new Sinai, a final place of revelation where God’s glory (now in his Son) is to be revealed. Robert Gundry says that the emphasis on the “high” mountain makes it a virtual “suburb of heaven,” where it is natural to speak of ... After spending most of the war doing only manual labor, the unit volunteered for a suicide mission, leading the assault on Fort Wagner. Though many men were lost and the fort was never taken, the regiment’s courage spurred the recruitment of numerous black ...

7. 2025 Lent Sermon Series

Sermon

Various Authors

... 1-17, 31b-35 9. Faces at a Funeral - John 18:1-19:42 10. Creation Reborn - John 20:1-18 What If It’s ALL True? by Lori Wagner 1. The Wild Within – Luke 4:1-13 · Mark 1:9-13 · Matthew 4:1-11 2. It’s Okay to Cry – Luke 13:31-35 3. Fertilize ... 11:17-34 9. What Gets Into Us? - John 18:1--19:42 10. Surprise—One Got Out! – Luke 24:1-12 Ready for the Resurrection by R. Robert Cueni 1. Good-Bye Mardi Gras, Hello Lent – Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 2. What to Give Up for Lent – Luke 4:1-13 3. It Is Always ...

8. The Therapy of Song

1 Samuel 16:14-23, Exodus 15:1-21, Psalm 5:1-12

Sermon

Robert Noblett

Those of us who make our homes in an urban area are certainly familiar with the whole flood of billboards that populate just about every available place - so much so, that we take them for granted. But every so often we come across one that catches our eyes because of its unusualness. Driving through downtown Boston during the rush hour a while back, I was attracted to one in front of an apartment building which did little to reassure me at the moment. It read: "If you lived here, you’d be home by now!" ...

9. Here They Come, Singing

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

When six nations of eastern Europe were freed from the domination of totalitarian Communism in 1989, there was wild celebration by the people in the streets. They sang, they shouted, they marched, they danced in the streets, they laughed, they hugged each other. This was the happiest time of their lives. They were freed from decades of living under uncompromising dictatorships. Now they could speak out openly about how they felt, and they could march and shout their protests to a hated regime. It was a ...

10. Why Can’t I Have It All?

Genesis 3:1-24, Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Today, we enter into the season of Lent. Lent is traditionally a time when people ask themselves how far they are willing to go in order to challenge their own desires. It’s a time to contemplate what it means to be in love and in relationship with God and others. The usual question is, “What will you give up for Lent?” While the usual replies have much to do with food like chocolate or carbs or sugar or other manners of gluttony, the real root of that challenge might simply be “entitlement.” Can we give ...

11. Capernaum by the Sea

Matthew 4:12-23

Sermon

Lori Wagner

In today’s world, when we think of a “hub,” a multi-cultural epicenter, a district of the arts, business, finance, and excitement, filled with diversity and change, multiple voices and traditions with a window to the world, we think of a place like New York, Miami, Los Angeles, or London. Perhaps you know of a neighborhood in your own city –swirling with cultural richness and divergence, the “place to be.” In Jesus’ time, that was Capernaum. Capernaum lay on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, along ...

12. The Surrogate

Matthew 1:1-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Props: Ring (engagement ring preferably) or letter from a prior wartime soldier (if you can find such) Have you heard the riddle? Question: In a bacon-and-egg breakfast, what's the difference between the Chicken and the Pig? Answer: The Chicken is involved, but the Pig is committed! Commitment is sometimes a “dirty word” in our culture today. People are wary of making commitments that may not last. Our marriage rates are going down. More people are renting homes than buying. Many are buying gold, fearing ...

13. Here I Am

Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Our deepest relationships are not defined by strength but by vulnerability.” --Rabbi Ari Kaiman Prop (Animation): youtube video [Show youtube video “Pass the Salt”] In the past, we laughed or sighed at the sight of a couple eating dinner with one of them reading the newspaper. It could have been a scene in the movies or an actual sighting in a restaurant—there’s always one person with a face in a newspaper, or one of them zoned out somewhere, leaving the other to dine alone in silence. Now, it’s become ...

14. The Plank

Matthew 5:38-48; 7:1-6

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."” (John 8:7) “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:18) Props: Colored Vases / Plants (one withered and one healthy) / volunteers I need a volunteer today! [Choose someone.] Super! –Come on up! Now, you’ll see everyone that I have two very beautiful colored ...

15. The Infiltrator

John 10:1-21, John 10:22-42

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: visual of Solomon’s Porch on the east side of the Jerusalem Temple / visual of David’s threshing floor The Infiltrator is a 2016 movie about the true-life take-down of Pablo Escobar’s drug trafficking ring. The hero is federal agent Robert Mazur. The movie tells the story of Mazur’s infiltration of the famous money laundering crime family in-order-to expose them and tumble them down from their impenetrable perch. That meant it had to be an inside job. Beautifully symbolic, the big reveal happens at a ...

16. The Order of the Magi

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

I hope you’ve all had a happy New Year! Now is the time when you can pick up those issues of Time or Newsweek or some special edition of Discovery magazine that reads: the top 100 technological insights of 2016, or the most surprising discoveries of 2016. Anyone here love to read those? Do you save them? I do, and I always find something science or technology is up to that I had no idea about. Some of the highlights for example that I’ve seen so far are Mathematicians have discovered a new prime number! ...

17. Oh That Cookie Jar Goodness!

Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, Luke 18:18-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) Prop: If you can find one, a “lie detector” device could also serve as an interesting opening (in reference to the movie, “Meet the Parents”) Has anyone had one of those mothers or grandmothers….or maybe a father or grandfather who just seems to know your next move? You’re going for the cookie jar when you hear a voice clear from the other ...

18. A Restless Spirit

1 Samuel 28:1-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

It’s Mother’s Day, otherwise known in the liturgical church as the “Festival of the Christian Home.” Today parents remember our baptismal covenant and recommit to bringing up our baptized progeny in the Christian tradition in our homes, churches, and extended family. This is also when we honor mothers in particular and their influence on our lives. In honor of that celebration today, let me remind you of just how awesome it is to be a parent. Here’s a scenario I think we’ll all be familiar with. A little ...

19. You Are Gifted

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: ribbons or if possible small gift boxes tied with ribbons (you can also tie ribbons to a manger….or to the altar or another item, such as a cross) All of us know the talk in our culture today about giftedness. If you go into any bookstore, you’ll find titles such as “The Drama of the Gifted Child,” “Gifted Grownups,” “Teaching Gifted Kids in Today’s Classroom,” “The Gifted Adult,” and there are many others! Not everyone agrees. Authors like Seth Godin will tell you that every person in his or her own ...

20. Against the Grain

Mark 3:13-19, Isaiah 28:1-29

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Everyone here has probably heard the phrase, “to go against the grain.” The idiom means, to do something contrary to one’s natural inclination, to go in opposition to one’s natural direction, to do something different than the norm. It may mean taking a difficult path, the road less traveled, as Robert Frost said in his famous poem about roads converging in a wood. It might mean going up against the rules or society’s expectations, behaving differently, counter-culturally, ruffling some feathers by doing ...

21. Mountaintop Moments

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“We saved the best for last!” We all do it. We want to save our most treasured things for last. At the family meal, we’ll eat the peas and the brussel sprouts first, all so we can savor that caramel mousse at the end of the meal. That’s the flavor we want to remain in our minds and on our tongues long after the meal has ended. We spend time with our loved ones. But the last moments before we part are by far the best and most emotional for us. We linger before saying good-bye, treasuring those moments in ...

22. The Easy Peasy Guide to Success by S. De Vil

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“The dog ate my homework.” Isn’t that the standard for shifting blame for an undone assignment? We adults have a similar mantra: “The devil made me do it.” This simple phrase suffices for almost anything that we don’t want to take responsibility for, or that we want to avoid owning up to. Except that this phrase at least attests to the fact that “something” was done. The “homework” excuse means that nothing was done at all. This is a case of “avoidance” to the “nth” degree. Sadly, discipleship today leans ...

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