Sermon and Worship Resources

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Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... price tag. All that is expected of us is the embrace of Jesus as Messiah and an attitude of thankfulness for that gift. The Big “W” of Worship is where disciples approach the one we follow with love and humility. Worship is not where we show up to show off. Our ... become open to the special, individual secret, that God wants to share with our singular soul. It is the Big “W” that empowers and emboldens and ennobles Jesus’ way of ministry and mission. John Eldredge, best-selling author of Wild at ...

2. Jacob’s Dream - A Dream Come True W. Dexter Moser

Genesis 27:1-40

Sermon

... thoughts." (Isaiah 55:6) So Jacob could have sat up, at Bethel rubbed his eyes once more, and turned his mind toward the magnificant dream and said, "I’m sorry, forgive me." He could have repeated a very simple blessing (one used often by our Cobb forefather, the Rev. W. G. Cobb): Thank you Lord for the rest of last night and for this light of a new day. Amen Now the imperative of the campfire song takes on new meaning; "You tell me your dream and I will tell you mine." Yes, go therefore and teach - go ...

3. The Five W's

Humor

All journalism students learn the five w's and one h of journalism: who, what, when, where, why and how. However, one student had a brain fade when the question appeared on a test. Waxing creative, he gave this answer: "Writing, working, worrying, wondering, who knows? And help!"

4. H W P

Humor

While serving as Rector of the Anglican parish of Eye, England, the Rev. Philip Randall spent eight years on and off searching the register for a name to match the initials "H. W. P." on a stone slab in his church. He finally solved the mystery. The initials stand for "Hot-Water Pipe." (Sunday Mirror, London)

5. A Faith-Life To Emulate John W. Cobb

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

The Christian’s story really does not begin with the saga of Abraham. Remember, Jesus said, "Before Abraham was I am." Yet, as a practical matter Chapter 12 of Genesis is about the first episode that can be dated with fair accuracy and so may be considered a "beginning" that would cause this name to be remembered henceforth as "father of the faithful." In recent years genealogical studies have become very popular. Some from very noble motives, others merely as an expression of family pride or an ego trip. ...

6. But Where is the Lamb? John W. Cobb

Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon

As one stands to the West of the temple area in the old city of Jerusalem and gazes upon the remains of the Temple of Herod now spoken of as the "wailing wall," then looks beyond to the domineering Dome of the Rock, it is to recall the great epochs of history and tradition associated with the place called "Mount Moriah." How much of human history and the traditions of the "people of God" is linked to that spot! One of the most moving and poignant of those traditions is the story of Abraham’s ultimate ...

7. Some Crossroads of Family Life W. Dexter Moser

Genesis 25:19-34

Sermon

And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife ... and the Lord granted his prayer. Genesis 25:2 The horn of the diesel train sounded in the distance, awakening me in the dawn of the morning. A horn blast sounded at every crossroad, louder and louder as the engine came near. Then it faded as it passed into the hills on the other side of the city. I then considered the many crossroads that I have had in my life and meditated on the meaning for that very day. Today across this great land of ours, and other lands ...

8. Remembering the Name of God John W. Cobb

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

There is an ancient Jewish legend that says: A young man asked his Rabbi "Why does your daily prayer say, ‘God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob? Why does it not simply say, ‘God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?’ " The Rabbi replied, "because, my son, Abraham’s God and Isaac’s God may not have been Jacob’s. Each generation must find God for itself, indeed, each person must find his own God." This legend touches on the passages of our lesson from Exodus 3, but with significant differences, lessons to be ...

9. Working Together with One Heart and One Mind

Illustration

Staff

I've never lifted a barn, but Herman Ostry, a farmer in Bruno, Nebraska has. Shortly after buying a piece of land and a barn, a nearby creek rose, and the barn was under twenty nine inches of water. He half-jokingly said to his family, "I bet if we had enough people, we could pick up that barn and carry it to higher ground." To his surprise, one of his sons, Mike, started thinking about it, and by counting the number of boards, timbers, and nails, he estimated that the barn weighed about 19,000 pounds. ...

10. Christ, Our King

John 18:33-37

Sermon

Thomas C. Willadsen

Today is the last day of the church year. The church year starts four Sundays before Christmas, so next week when I wish you all a happy new year, I hope to get a better response than blank stares. The last Sunday of the church is called both “Christ the King” Sunday, and “Reign of Christ” Sunday. This festival goes all the way back to 1925, when Pope Pius XI added it to the calendar. It was set as the last Sunday of the church year in 1970. When I learned this I was a little surprised. I love looking into ...

11. Sheep Just Wanna Have Fun

John 10:1-21, Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Earlier this month in some parks, farms, and yards of the UK, British sheep have been experiencing a new sense of freedom. Even as parks and open spaces are shut down due to coronavirus, and people are secluded in their homes, sheep have taken to roaming about the newly open spaces. But rather than wandering aimlessly through the fields, it seems, sheep have been seeking out children’s playgrounds, and have begun [wait for it] to play! It appears, their favorite activity is to take turns riding the “ ...

12. What Is Jesus Doing?

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... J.D." Of course we all remember what these initials stood for: What Would Jesus Do? The point was for Christians to look at and consider the issues, problems, decisions facing them and to ask, under these circumstances, "What would Jesus do?" The only real problem with the W.W.J.D analogy is that it is presented in the wrong voice. It's the question you'd ask of a dead person. Asking "what would Jesus do" intimates that Jesus is no longer a real player, that Jesus' own activity was in the past and so should ...

13. Who is That Crouching at Your Door?

Genesis 4:1-26

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“If thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee.” — Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil Envy is perhaps the deepest root of all evils. Envy is the desire to have what someone else has, to be like someone else, to be given what someone else has received, to obtain what one perceives one deserves. Envy is the opposite of satisfaction in and surrender to God. And it’s at the core of human nature. It’s stimulated by the eye, and desires of the gaze. The gaze here is not the feminist concept of ...

14. Maundy Thursday: Seeing Ourselves in the Disciples

Matthew 26:17-30

Sermon

Brett Blair

We come together this evening to recall in our hearts and minds the events that occurred on Thursday of what the church calls Holy Week, the last week in the life of our Lord. One-third of all the events that we have about Jesus’ life occurred during this week: Reminding us of the great significance of these last days. The disciples have gathered in a home, whose we are not sure, but we do know that it had a furnished second floor. As they gather they participate in what is called a Seder meal, one of the ...

15. Imitating Christ's Humility

Philippians 2:1-11

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... self-denying mind as Christ manifested is made by C. F. D. Moule “Further Reflexions on Philippians 2:5–11,” in W. W. Gasque and R. P. Martin, eds., Apostolic History and the Gospel, pp. 264–76. He suggests the amplification touto to phronēma ... ; J. Jeremias, “Zur Gedankenführung in den paulinischen Briefen,” in Studia Paulina in honorem J. de Zwaan, ed. J. N. Sevenster and W. C. van Unnik, p. 154 with n. 3; A. M. Hunter, Paul and his Predecessors, pp. 43, 44. This supposition contributes to the ...

16. The Hidden City

John 3:1-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Caspar David Friedrich: Wanderer in a Sea of Fog The artist Caspar David Friedrich is known for his ethereal, spiritual, otherworldly-looking paintings. In order to grasp the meaning of his art, one needs to contemplate the visuals, noting the colors, shades, objects, and the location of the figure, among other noticeable details. For example, the painting above, called “Wanderer in a Sea of Fog,” lacks clarity. The fog, in the title and in the painting, obscures vision with misty white. The man appears to ...

17. The Unlocked Brain

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Look at the image. Tell me what you see. Our brains are amazing vehicles for informing us of the world around us, but they can also limit us and impede us when we believe that what we see defines everything that’s real and true or that what we see defines the entirety of the universe. Can we truly know based on only our sensory experience? Or is there something more, another kind of knowing, that lies outside of our empirical knowledge? Christians believe there is. In fact, most people believe there is, ...

18. A Poor Image for Pastors

Illustration

Staff

The following survey took place in 2018 and the results for clergy are not that great. There are 7 people Christians trust more than their pastors. Fewer than half of American Christians (42%) believe clergy have “high” or “very high” standards of honesty and ethics, according to breakouts provided to CT. Self-identified Christians were about as likely to rate clergy’s ethical standards as just average (43%), and about 1 in 10 (12%) considered them “low” or “very low.”

19. The View from Cloud Nine

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Lori Wagner

We as human beings have always been fascinated by clouds. Looking upward, how many of us have spent time lying on our backs on a grassy bank staring at the clouds. As children we’ve looked for shapes in the cloud formations and have imagined what it would be like to soar to the clouds, to touch their seemingly “fluffy” nature, to lie down in their soft, wispy warmth. In cartoons, we wistfully imagine sitting in the clouds, soaking up the view, as though they were a luxurious bed of soft, billowy cotton. In ...

20. Never Give Up

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... Mitchell was setting out on a life full of promise. He was a student at San Francisco State College. Young, handsome, and idealistic, Mitchell was involved in Robert Kennedy's campaign for President. As his motorcycle zipped through morning traffic, W. Mitchell was probably thinking about his classes or his friends or the campaign. He certainly wasn't thinking that his life was about to change. But suddenly, a laundry truck crashed into Mitchell's motorcycle. The bike exploded. Mitchell survived, but he was ...

21. Burning Bridges and Scuttling Ships

Illustration

Michael P. Green

Many men of the world have understood the necessity for commitment if they are to accomplish great things. For example, when Spanish explorer Cortez landed at Vera Cruz in 1519 to begin his conquest of Mexico with a small force of seven hundred men, legend has it that he purposely set fire to his fleet of eleven ships. Presumably, his men on the shore watched their only means of retreat sink to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. There was now only one direction to move—forward into the Mexican interior to ...

22. Paul's Chains Advance the Gospel

Philippians 1:12-30

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... must be exhilaratingly wonderful to be alive; “yet even for such a life, precisely for such a life, to die is gain” (F. W. Beare, ad loc.). If death meant (even temporarily) less of Christ than was enjoyed in mortal life—above all, if it meant (even ... Col. 1:10 (“worthy of the Lord”); 1 Thess. 2:12 (“worthy of God”). I will know: lit., “hear” [Gk. akouō], W. Schmithals (Paul and the Gnostics, p. 69) infers from this that Paul must have heard that all was not well in the Philippian church ...

23. No Confidence in the Flesh

Philippians 3:1-11

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... the Jewish food laws and the rules about tithing. They tithed garden herbs as well as grain, wine, and olives (cf. Matt. 23:23; Luke 11:42), and avoided eating food that was subject to tithing unless they were sure that the tithe had been paid on it. See W. D. Davies, Paul and Rabbinic Judaism; E. P. Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism; and E. Rivkin, A Hidden Revolution. 3:6 In Gal. 1:14 Paul calls himself a zealot (Gk. zēlōtēs) for the ancestral traditions; in Acts 22:3 he tells a Jewish audience in ...

24. Guiding Star

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not near: A star shall appear from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel. . .” Numbers 24:17. “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6 [1] In the Catacombs of Priscilla you will find one of the oldest paintings of the early church –a depiction of Mother Mary with the Christ child, and beside her, Balaam the gentile prophet, who is pointing to a “star,” the sign of the ...

25. The Cracking Point

Mark 12:1-12

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... after lunch all the aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters and assorted friends like me would bid one another farewell. My friend's father, Mr. W., was one of the nicest, most even-tempered persons I have ever met. He was always in command of his emotions. One ... reach a cracking point. Then the debris from that moment is scattered all over the backyard of our horizon. Sometimes we, unlike Mr. W., don't have a lot of relatives and friends to come running off the back porch and start repacking life for us. Sometimes ...

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