Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 90 results

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... striking phrase in the second story is ‘effectively dead.’ Because Sharp was judged ‘effectively dead,’ he was treated as though he were actually dead. But you and I know the truth. David Sharp was left to die so that other climbers could complete ... the world. The heroes in Christ’s galleries are not the Hildas of the world, but persons like Albert Schweitzer, Mother Teresa, William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (4) This is the kind of hero Christ is calling ...

2. Job Is for Real

Job 1:1, 2:1-10

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... plumes and feathers? She lays her eggs in the dirt and lets them hatch on the ground, forgetting that a foot may crush them or sharp teeth crack them open. She treats her children cruelly, as if they were not her own. For God deprived her of wisdom and left her ... far away, so unified. Or maybe it is with the artist who did Scarface. Do any of you know this painting? It is by Elizabeth Williams and I have only seen it once. But I will never forget it. She is asked to paint a woman who has been enormously ...

3. General William Booth

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Carroll Gunkel

... crowds were friendly, and the outpouring was a tribute to the life and ministry of a man who had met the Master. Vachel Lindsay shared his vision of General William Booth’s ultimate meeting with the Master: Booth died blind and still by faith he trod, Eyes still dazzled by the way of God. Booth led boldly, and he looked the chief: Eagle countenance in sharp relief, Beard a-flying, air of high command Unabated in that holy land. Oh, shout Salvation! it was good to see Kings and princes by the Lamb set free ...

4. Proper 23

Job 23:1-9, 16-17, Mark 10:17-31, Hebrews 4:12-16

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... that which was causing his spiritual malady. The man walked away because he hadn't the courage to go under the knife. Outline: 1. The word of God is sharp, like a sword, says the text. 2. The word of God lays bare our hearts, like a surgical scalpel (v. 13). 3. Jesus cut to the soul of ... us to find our security and righteousness in him. Ed Casteen is a 55-year-old sociology professor at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. His passion is to combat hate and prejudice. The weapon he crafted to combat ...

5. The Burglar's Christmas

Luke 15:22-24

Drama

Matthew Powell

... the year. Young Man: Well, I guess we are at our rope's end, sure enough. How do you feel? Will: Pretty shaky. The wind's sharp tonight. If I had anything to eat, I wouldn't mind it so much. There is just no use. I'm sick of the whole business ... of the staircase she met a tall, broad-shouldered man, with iron-gray hair, and a face alert and stern. (Father enters) Mother: James, it is William in there, come home. You must keep him at any cost. If he goes this time, I go with him. Oh, James, be easy with him, ...

6. “Be Exalted, O God, above the Heavens; Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth”

Psalm 57:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... close in sound to English “h” in “how” or German “ch”): hanit (“spear[s]”), hitsim (“arrows”), hereb haddah (“sharp sword[s]”). The Hebrew of this verse has the word napshi (“my soul, life”) as the first word, which ... gives of God’s care for us! (For “eagle’s wings,” see “The Text in Context” in the unit on Ps. 91.) As William O. Cushing proclaims in his hymn Under His Wings, Under His wings I am safely abiding; Tho’ the night deepens and tempests are wild. Still I can ...

7. Illusion Or Reality?

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... and illusions of perfection and get divorced when reality and its people aren't perfect. We want our teachers to be like Robin Williams, our wives to be like Meryl Streep, our boyfriends to be like Mel Gibson, and our girlfriends to be like Cindy Crawford ... , is an unbelievable story, isn't it? What a contrasting mix of characters. But Jesus seems to always throw together people of sharp contrasts. The story of the Pharisee and the sinful woman is not the only example. Among the poor, the lame, and the ...

8. He Calms The Storms

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... words, "It was a miracle." What happened was that J.C. Penny had met the One who can calm life's storms. The great poet William Cowper also discovered Christ's ability to calm life's storms. During one bleak period of his life, he reached the breaking point and ... to the Thames River, intending to hurl himself over the bridge. But something restrained him. The next morning he fell on a sharp knife"”and broke the blade. Then he tried to hang himself, but someone found him before he died and took him down ...

9. To Be a Pilgrim (Thanksgiving)

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Alex Gondola

... depict the Puritans as severe, austere, rigid, religious fanatics. Historian George Willison writes, they were "fond of controversy, and sharp of tongue, engaging in many a high-pitched quarrel with friends and foes alike...." H. L. Mencken defines ... courage to act on your commitments. The Mayflower Pilgrims’ courage was clear when they left Holland. This little band, described by William Bradford as "seventy menfolk and women, 32 good children, a handful of cocks and hens, and two dogs" had no illusions ...

10. A Church Shaped By The Great Commission

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... ) live in poverty. Of those, the portion living in our urban centers has increased from 30% in 1968 to about 47% today. (William Pennell, The Coming Race Wars: A Cry For Reconciliation, p.32). Are we going to them? In his book, Countering the Conspiracy to ... whole people of God. The role of pastor within the congregation will take the form of motivation and empowerment. This will be in sharp contrast to what we see too often in the Church today—a model that is adapted from secular culture in which the big ...

11. Eternal Echo Of Easter - Part 2

Matthew 28:1-10

Drama

Esther R. Russ

... Christ. 2. Cut rectangles, two and one-half inches by three inches, out of brown paper bags. Using a sharp pencil, wrap the rectangle around its point so the paper has a sharp point. Secure the ends with scotch tape or glue. 3. Tape these "thorns" completely around the pipe cleaners, making ... 56-58. 17. A CHORAL SELECTION DEPICTING THE RISEN LORD - Choir "Christ Is Risen," by R. Williams/N. Johnson; edited by John W. Peterson. Choraline Series (sheet music), Singspiration Inc, Zondervan Publishing House, ...

12. Holy Handicap?

2 Cor 12:9

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... handicap can be that locus in which an individual experiences the saving power of God. Hence a St. Paul, plagued by that somewhat mysterious "sharp physical pain," announces: "I shall therefore prefer to find my joy and pride in the very things that are my weakness; and then ... stinginess, and by a narrowness of vision that can only be called spiritual. Notes 1. John Gliedman and William Roth, The Unexpected Minority (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980), p. 17. 2. Sonny Kleinfeld, The Hidden Minority ( ...

13. The Telling Trademarks of Truth

James 3:13-18

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... , we see what real wisdom from above produces. There are some very telling trademarks of truth that can be traced. William Shakespeare wrote: Mark you this, Bassanio, The devil can cite scripture for this purpose. An evil soul producing holy witness ... . "Tell me," he said, "this pain in the head you complain of, is it a sharp, shooting kind of pain?" "Yes," the patient replied, "that describes it perfectly. A sharp, shooting kind of pain!" The doctor then made his diagnosis: "Simple," he said, "your problem ...

14. The Shared Life of the People of God

Galatians 6:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... and self— surrender. Through the continuous making of resolute decisions we pattern our life and we mold our character. William James was right in saying that the hell to be endured hereafter of which theology tells, is no ... , some challenging mental food for reflection here. What do these marks mean? What is Paul driving at? The metaphor may have been suggested to Paul, sharp mind that he was, as a constrast with circumcision. “If you are going to have marks on your body, why not have some that have ...

15. A Little Theology at Christmas

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... kindness of God an overarching theme of both testaments, visible in a way that could not be misinterpreted. To paraphrase one of William Barclay's memorable sayings, when we see Jesus healing the sick, feeding the hungry, or forgiving the reprobate, we cannot help ... a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as ...

16. The Vision of God

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... battle. Those nice words about reconciliation in chapter 5 seem to be evaporating as Paul swings into attack mode. What happened? Why the sharp break between chapters 9 and 10? There are two main alternative answers given. One is that Paul receives some disturbing news from ... for my power is made perfect in weakness." Amen. 1. For further discussion, see William Barclay, The Letters to the Corinthians (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1956), pp. 287-289. 2. From "He's An On Time God — Yes, He ...

17. Liberating the Possessed

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... an exorcism true story in Mount Rainer, Maryland, performed upon a fourteen-year-old boy by Jesuit Priest Father William Boadern and Father Raymond Bishop, gained literary and Hollywood notoriety. Some years ago, I experienced a front row seat ... , carrying it on her shoulder. Abruptly, she began to swing her small baby by its heels, the baby's head narrowly missing the sharp corner of the platform. Monsieur André Poultré, our Church World Service guide, reached for the baby to save it. The mother and Andr ...

18. Small Church Communion

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Steven Burt

... idion diepnon -- “eating the selfish meal” or “eating your own meal” -- seeking to stuff their mouths with as much “heavenly food” as they can, rather than the communal kurakon diepnon or “Lord’s Supper.” William Willimon, in Worship as Pastoral Care (Nashville: Abingdon, 1979), makes a sharp observation: You have heard it said that the family that prays together stays together. I say to you that the family that eats together stays together. Could the contemporary breakdown of many of our ...

19. Making a Name for Ourselves

Genesis 11:1-9

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... means that all people had the same language. Just out of curiosity, I wonder if that original language had the clipped, sharp sounds of a New Yorker or the slower, more fluid drawl of Mississippi? Recently, I listened to the gifted country singer ... . During the construction of Emerson Hall at Harvard University, President Charles Eliot invited the eminent psychologist and philosopher William James to suggest a suitable inscription for the main door of the building. After some reflection, James suggested a ...

20. How Can We Foretell the Future?

1 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Edward Chinn

... shapeless mass, A book of rules; And each must make - Ere life is flown - A stumbling block Or a stepping stone. R. L. Sharpe II Secondly, if we want to foresee a future bright with God’s promise, we have to fulfill the condition of developing our ... to be used against him when the next temptation comes. Nothing we ever do is, in strict scientific literalness, wiped out. What William James wrote in 1899 is what Saint Paul wrote over eighteen centuries earlier: "Do not deceive yourselves. No one makes a fool ...

21. Hey, You Can Only Be Young Twice!

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... lives. And I know some blessed saints who met God in mid-life and they are a blessing to all who know them. William James, the father of American psychology, wrote about the kind of religious belief that flows from what he called the twice born. The ... , at first, in control of my life. I thought He'd wreck it; but He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, knows how to jump to clear high rocks, knows how to fly to shorten scary passages. And I am learning to shut up and pedal ...

22. Salty Saints

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... radical surgery means. What on earth does “For every one will be salted with fire” mean? It may be, as William Barclay says, that Jesus often dropped pithy little sayings along the way which stuck in people’s minds. Often, while ... said he never liked the clergy ‘in bulk.’ Tea is improved with a little lemon; and a squeeze of the lemon, a bit of sharp, astringent tartness, adds much to the interest of life and conversation.” (LIKE A MIGHTY ARMY, New York: Oxford University Press, 1954, pp.21-22 ...

23. The Sin of Robin Hood

Exodus 20:15

Sermon

James Merritt

... December, 1994. [2] James Patterson and Peter Kim, The Day America Told the Truth, (New York: Plume, 1992), 156-57. [3] Charles R. Swindoll, The Quest for Character, p. 70. [4] USA Today magazine, op. cit. [5] Doug Sherman and William Hendricks, Keeping Your Ethical Edge Sharp, (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1990) p. 91. [6] James Patterson and Peter Kim, The Day America Told the Truth, p. 155. [7] "While Tithing Declining, Many Still Faithful to It," The Atlanta Journal, October 7, 1995, Section G, p. 8 ...

24. Manual Labor Is Not the President of Mexico

Proverbs 6:6-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... ." The diligent person in Proverbs is the opposite of the sluggard. The word diligent means "to cut or sharpen." It denotes the worker who is sharp, decisive, and keen. He wants to work, make a difference, and contribute to his family and society. The ant is a focused worker. The job ... , September 2, 1996. 3 Robert Hicks, In Search of Wisdom (Colorado Springs, Colorado: Nav Press, 1995), 50. 4 A. L. Williams, All You Can Do is All You Can Do, and All You Can Do is Enough (Nashville: Oliver Nelson, 1988), ...

25. When the Going Gets Tough

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... one was a stunning failure while the other was a stunning success. I must add this sad footnote, however. William was forced to resign as President of the University of Massachusetts in 2003 after being accused of concealing information that ... than he who had died with liver cancer. Talk about a thorn in the flesh. This man’s cancer certainly was more like a sharp wooden shaft. Swindoll compares it to an arrow piercing his friend’s flesh. However his friend did not let the disease defeat him emotionally ...

Showing results