Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 55 results

1. Reflections On A Calling (ten-year Anniversary Sermon)

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... easy for me. I've had difficulty in churches, I've had difficulty here, but for the most part every congregation I have served had been very responsive to being led. (These three designations, powerlessness, pace, and pettiness -- in some of the content of this discussion is suggested by William A. Ridder, "Twenty-Five Something", June 17, 1990) Now I don't mean there have not been times when I felt the people were hopelessly prejudiced and closed minded. There have been plenty of what the Scripture ...

2. Insincere Religion

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... Shaq insisted he be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. "I admire Shaq," said Williams, "Besides playing basketball, he is now making movies and writing books." Then Williams added, "His books are the kind that once you put them down, you simply ... striving was frequently mixed with disappointment. And he saw the strong men fail, maimed, and even killed. He saw it force people into pettiness, grasping at those things they both saw and didn't see. He saw that those who succeeded were sometimes those who had not ...

3. The Measure of Greatness

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

Brett Blair

... what he thinks of the man seeking to be our president. This was done and a janitor gave such a glowing appraisal of William MacElvaney that he was selected President of St. Paul's School of Theology. Somebody on that search committee understood, in a flash ... to Richard Petty is a stark reminder. Several years ago (1979), as a hundred thousand fans watched, Richard Petty ended his 45-race losing streak and picked up stockcar racing's biggest purse-$73,900. It all happened at the Daytona 500. Petty's win, ...

4. Ultimate Freedom

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... many starters?" His mother looked him in the eye and said, "Richard, you don't have to come in second to anybody!" Richard Petty went on to win more money in stock car racing than any driver in the history of the sport. You may think his mother ... time swimming against the current. We have our priorities out of whack, and because they are out of whack we unnecessarily complicate our lives. William H. Hinson tells us why animal trainers carry a stool when they go into a cage of lions. They have their whip, of ...

5. Carrying Worshipers out on Stretchers

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... in this room is carrying a grudge against a brother or sister in Christ. I suspect that God not only grieves about the petty hatreds in individual churches, but also concerning the disunity among the various branches of the body of Christ. There is a deep ... . Then the Holy Spirit would flood this room, and who knows what might happen then. 1. “Open the Door,” by William H. Willimon, Pulpit Resource, April/May/June 1996, p. 8. 2. John C. Maxwell, Partners in Prayer (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers ...

6. Dressed For The Wedding

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... must be what God is like a stickler for detail, a fierce and vindictive Being who will toss people into the fire of hell for the least transgression in short, a god who is a petty tyrant. There are already too many people who worship that kind of God. I hope you are not one of them. Frederick William I ruled Prussia in the early eighteenth century. Frederick walked the streets of Berlin unattended, and when anyone displeased him, he did not hesitate to use his walking stick to thrash them. Berliners tried ...

7. You Can't Please Everybody

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... 's a third thing we need to note. This criticism, though unjustified, still took its toll. The leader of the synagogue looked petty in his criticism. He was petty in his criticism. Luke sums it up like this: Jesus' "opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at ... Publishing, Inc., 1999. 2. George Burns, Gracie, A Love Story (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1988), pp. 233-235. 3. William Morrow and Co., Inc., New York, 1992, p. 65. 4. Chuck Shepherd, et. al., News of The Weird (1989). 5. J.K ...

8. "God News" For Bad Times

1 Kings 17:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... more than petty mis-doings. They were violations of God's sacred covenant. Thus the prophets declared the judgment of God. We need a message of judgment from time to time, for we too have violated God's covenant. But there are also those of us much in need of a message of hope. It's hard to hold on sometimes. Ed Meese, the former Attorney-General had a memorable way of putting it. The imagery will be especially meaningful to football fans. Meese recalled the advice of his predecessor, William French Smith ...

9. The Shy Member of the Trinity

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... the New Revised Standard Version uses the term “Advocate.” J. B. Phillips translated the word “Someone to stand by you.” William Barclay said that the word really means “Someone who is called in.” Like a person who is called in to give ... made the point that there are some really important things which should concern us under the heading of “sin,” and not just the petty peccadilloes which so often go by that name. The real blasphemy of our world is not words, but war. So: the Holy Spirit comes ...

10. Your Dreams Are Too Small

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... have been prepared.” Here is where James and John made their mistake. Their dream wasn’t big enough. They were looking for petty positions of power. Jesus was asking them to save a world. They were looking for donated dignity. Jesus was asking them to lay ... it God’s dream? 1. John Eliot, Ph.D., Overachievement (New York: Portfolio, 2004), pp. 38-40. 2. Cited in Pat Williams, The Paradox of Power (New York: Warner Faith, 2002). 3. Linda Watkins, God Just Showed Up (Chicago: Moody Bible Institute, 2001 ...

11. Be of One Mind

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... as well. Leslie Flynn wrote a book titled Church Fights. In it he tells about one church that was rife with pettiness and strife. At a Sunday night dinner the kitchen staff passed out plates of food. One deacon received his food and ... possession of the church property. (1) That seems unbelievable. A church divided over a piece of ham. But such things have happened before. Bishop William Willimon tells about his first parish out of seminary in a rural area in North Georgia. The first visit he made to one of ...

12. A Daffy, Magnificent Hope

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

... was still there. People thought he was crazy. But for seven years, every day, President Ewell rang the bells at William and Mary, in defiance of the despair and hopelessness that would destroy everything he held valuable. And eventually, miraculously, ... reasoned age where such daring hope is written off as fantasy. Christianity is not so much hamstrung by little hope as by little hopes. Petty, no-risk hopes too easily become our stock in trade. We hope it doesn't rain on the church picnic, that Sunday's ...

13. God Of Compassion

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... His own image. Man has now returned the favor." Who is the God whom you worship? What is He like? William Barclay, the Scottish New Testament scholar, sometimes took controversial positions on interpretations of the Scriptures. Once, when he was ... entire building and buried them under a pile of rubble. The safe contained no money; it contained explosives. We think that our petty little sins don't amount to much. But God sees. He sees the broken families, the broken bodies, the unfulfilled potential of ...

14. Preparing For An Unknowable Future

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... but God does. This is our chief source of comfort. God knows. In Richmond, Virginia sometime back a broad-minded judge let petty offenders roll a huge pair of dice to determine the number of days they would get in jail. After the judge's death ... so will you be. What do you think they would say to you? Get up close to the glass." As the class leans toward the glass, Williams, in a raspy voice, says, "Carpe diem...carpe diem." Seize the day! Are you making the most of the days God has given you? Someone has ...

15. Lessons From a Hurricane

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... rainwater to create an ugly hurricane stew. Lewis realized that life is more important than so many of the petty differences and irritations that arise in any relationship. He wrote that there was a new appreciation between him and ... is open, but the door is not open for the sinner to come and remain a sinner, but for a sinner to come and become a saint. — William Barclay[4] To be "a saint" to live from the inside out means that we will: * listen to God's directions, * enjoy the fellowship of God, * master ...

16. No Box Seats In The Kingdom

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

William G. Carter

... wherever people live together. Nobody is too good for the meanest service. One who worries about the loss of time that such petty, outward acts of helpfulness entail is usually taking the importance of his own career too solemnly.3 Are you able to drink ... it leads to the foot of the cross. Whoever would follow Jesus must follow him there. He never promised anything else. 1. William H. Willimon, And the Laugh Shall Be First (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1986), p. 94. 2. David S. Belasic and Paul M. Schmidt, ...

17. Jesus and Andrew

John 1:35-42

Sermon

James W. Moore

... in his humble way. He just did what needed to be done without fanfare. No complaining, no griping, no questioning, no bellyaching, no jealousy. Andrew was too big for that kind of pettiness. To Andrew, all that mattered was to be with the Lord, to serve him as well as he could… and to bring other to Him. William Barclay, the prolific Bible scholar, wrote some remarkable words about Andrew some years ago. He said this: “We do not possess a great deal of information about Andrew, but even the little ...

18. Last Words

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

King Duncan

... and less time over there" or "If only I could go back and live THAT PART of my life over again." In 1904 William Borden, heir to the Borden Dairy Estate, graduated from a Chicago high school. His graduation present was a trip around the world. ... ran a 900 phone service called "The Confession Line." The "confessions" which people made included anything and everything, from admissions of petty theft to adultery and even to murder. The woman explained that she had been operating for just under a year and ...

19. When God's Rule is Taken Out of the School

Job 21:22

Sermon

James Merritt

... enforce whatever values they have with so much effort imposed on "their" children. Thus, [voucher plans] legitimate a series of petty tyrannies in which like-minded parents clubbed together to force-feed their children without restraint. Such an education is ... Matter Most, p. 56. 18 Zig Ziglar, Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World, p. 47. 19 William J. Bennett, The Devaluing of America, p. 166. 20 William Kilpatrick, Why Johnny Can't Tell Right from Wrong, p. 100. 21 Ibid. 22 Philip E. Johnson, Reason ...

20. A Time to Get Angry

John 2:13-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... a personal or societal problem. The slave trade in Great Britain came to an end because a deeply religious man named William Wilberforce became angry. He saw human beings treated like cattle, and he resolved that he would give his life to seeing ... up in arms from time to time about evils that are still occurring in our world. Of course, we are not to get angry over petty things. People do stupid things when they are angry. For example, we should never call a witch doctor an idiot. But there are some things ...

21. You Are My Beloved

Mark 1:10-11

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... other. Something about fuzzies felt good and made people happy. Then one day someone became upset over something petty and started a rumor of retaliation. "Have you heard about the shortage of fuzzies?" the disgruntled member of ... plagued with self-doubt and low self-esteem. But just think of where who you are starts. It starts in your baptism. William Willimon says, "In Baptism we are initiated, crowned, chosen, embraced, washed, adopted, gifted, reborn, killed, and thereby redeemed. We are identified as ...

22. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Will Willimon

... way scholars are envious of one another, spread untruth about one another's work. "You were supposed to speak on global peacemaking, not petty moral issues like gossip!" they told him after his talk. But I don't know.... Love never ends; as for prophecies, they ... Lewis, this person I had known as a freshman from Bethune, South Carolina, on the television, talking about justice, a real William Kuntsler, only he talked right. I invited him to lunch. Since law school, Lewis has been involved in poverty law, ...

23. When The Saints Come Marching In

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... seashore. But even more significant, I think, than the immense size of this gathering is the fact that our rather petty and often prejudicial distinctions between dialect and class, race and culture, economic circumstance or social status, seems eliminated entirely. Such is ... to hear them singing even now -- their sweet refrain ever beckoning us to join the triumphant chorus. 1. William Barclay, The Revelation of John: Volume 1 (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976), p. 1. 2. 2. Eugene Peterson, "Poetry ...

24. Connected To God

Sermon

Lee Griess

In his book On a Wild and Windy Mountain, Dean of the Chapel at Duke University William Willimon tells of being in New Haven, Connecticut, as a student in 1970, during the famous ... , to forgive, to love, and to accept each other with the same acceptance, love, and forgiveness we have received from God. There is no room in the church for petty complaining, gossip, griping, or hurtful criticism of one another. When we cut each other up, we only destroy the bond that Jesus has died to create within us. And ...

25. Words As Images

Sermon

Michael Rogness

... foreboding that all his murderous plotting will backfire. In his despair he says, Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,To the last syllable of recorded time;And all our yesterdays have lighted foolsThe way ... , so that when it was turned to him he immediately grasped the meaning. In writing about the use of stories in sermons, William Bausch first considered titling his book Nathan's Legacy, because all preachers: stand in Nathan's tradition. He, the rest of the ...

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