Sermon and Worship Resources

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Ruth 3:1-18

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

Gloria Steinem has written a book titled Marilyn. It is based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, the Hollywood movie queen of the 1950s who lived an up and down life and eventually ended her life by committing suicide. In the book Gloria Steinem tells of a brief conversation that Marilyn Monroe had with her maid toward the end of her life. Marilyn said, "Nobody's ever gonna love me now, Lena. What goo...

2. From Singleness To Solidarity

Ruth 1:1-22

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

The book of Ruth is one of the world's most beautiful stories of human solidarity in the face of trouble. Apart from the book of Esther it is the only other book in the Bible to be named after a woman. Therefore it should not be a surprise that the major characters of the book are two women, Naomi and Ruth. A major theme of the book is their common struggle to survive in the midst of a hostile an...

3. From The Redemption Of A King To A King Of Redemption

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

A visitor once entered a large cathedral to spend some time in meditation. As he reflected upon the sins of his own life, he looked up and saw statues of biblical saints that had been placed in great niches along the high walls of the cathedral. Included among them were Moses, David, and Peter. Suddenly he remembered that each one of them was also a person who had sinned and made mistakes in life....

4. Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

Isaiah 25:1-12

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

In 1967 Stanley Kramer produced and directed the Oscar-winning movie Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? Two of the stars of the movie were a young black man, portrayed by Sidney Poitier, and his fiancée, a young white woman who was portrayed by Katherine Houghton. The suspense of the movie revolves around the decision of Katherine to invite Sidney to a dinner in the home of her white parents without i...

5. It Came To Pass

Job 42:1-6

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

One of my father's favorite stories was about a Bible study class that shared their favorite Bible verses with their pastor. When an elderly, uneducated man in the class got his turn to share he said, "Well, I've got a lot of favorite passages that I like a lot, but there's one that has helped me the most. In fact," he said, "it is five little words that are found all over the Bible." When asked w...

6. We Can't Contain God In Our Cups!

Job 38:2-7; Job 40:4-5; Job 23:6-7

Illustration

Zan W. Holmes

One morning a little girl sat at a kitchen table to eat breakfast with her mother and father. As she listened to the prayer her father prayed before the meal, she was especially intrigued that he thanked God for God's presence everywhere. After the father finished his prayer the little girl asked him, "Father, is it really true that God is everywhere?" "Yes," said her father. "Is God in this ho...

7. When It's Hard To Give Thanks

Joel 2:18-27

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) was the first black artist to acquire an international reputation in this century. He remains well known today in museum and academic circles, although his name is not familiar to a more general audience. One of his most popular paintings is titled The Thankful Poor. It is a painting which features an elderly father and his little son as they are seated at a table...

8. When The Odds Are Against Us

1 Samuel 1:1-20

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

I recently had the privilege of introducing Maya Angelou who addressed a luncheon honoring Cecil Williams at Perkins School of Theology. Ms. Angelou, a world renowned poet, writer, and actress, is author of the best-selling book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and is perhaps best remembered for her poem, "On the Pulse of the Morning," which she read at the inauguration of President William Jeffers...

9. When Trouble Comes!

Job 1:1-5

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

One of the most realistic stories in the Bible is the story of Job and his troubles. Job was a good and righteous man whom God blessed abundantly. God blessed him with seven sons and three daughters, a total of ten children, the number which signaled completeness. Likewise, God blessed Job with seven thousand sheep and three thousand camels, again seven plus three, giving us the number of perfect...

10. When We Feel God Has Moved And Left No Forwarding Address

Job 23:1--24:25

Sermon

Zan W. Holmes

There are times in our lives when we have a greater awareness of God's absence than we do of God's presence. Indeed, this is the experience which confronts Job in our text. In the midst of his suffering he has tried to lay his case before God. He goes forward and backward, to the left and to the right, seeking in every place to find God. To be sure, Job wants to find God because Job knows that he ...

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