Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 12 of 12 results

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

Wow! Kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it? Not a lot of ambiguity in that rule. "You don't work, you don't eat." For a religion based on grace, it seems a bit unyielding. You would expect that rule in our ever-productive society. After all, it seems that our worth is determined by how much we can produce. Therefore, we judge others on how much (or how little) they are contributing. But is t...

2. Weary in Well Doing

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Donna Schaper

What makes people weary is conflict. We are torn apart, split in two, we are challenged at our core in large and small ways all day long. We say wryly, "No good deed goes unpunished," running right into the conflict of getting weary in well doing. Biologists tell us we have two choices in most situations: We can fight or take flight or tend and befriend. The fight and flight response is most ofte...

3. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The fallout from the rampant rumors about an already present Parousia manifests itself in many ways in the Thessalonian church. Having addressed the panic and fear that had assaulted some Christians who were convinced by the rumors, Paul now turns to another related result - idleness. Paul had mentioned people who were idle or disorderly (an adverbial form of the same root) in his first letter to...

4. We Are More Than Laborers - Labor Day

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15, Ecclesiastes 5:8--6:12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

On this Labor Day weekend, I think it appropriate to tell an old story about a man named Smith. He died and then regained consciousness in the next world. He looked out over a vast expanse of pleasant country. After resting comfortably for a while in a delightful spot, he called out, “Is anybody around here?” An attendant, dressed in white, appeared and said gravely, “What do you want?” Smith aske...

5. The Problem with Busybodies

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

One of the earliest newspapers in Paris, France, was created in the 1750s by a woman named Madame Doublet. Madame Doublet had an interesting and effective technique for gathering news: each morning, she sent one of her servants to gather all the gossip from other servants who worked in wealthy households. According to Smithsonian magazine, Madame Doublet’s servant may have been “the first reporter...

6. The Baptism of Our Work

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

A young man came to his teacher with this question, "Who can I get to give me maximum happiness?" The teacher smiled and answered, "Your question reminds me of an old farmer I once knew. Someone asked him how much milk a certain cow gave. He answered, "She doesn't give any. You have to take every drop away from her." One of the hard lessons we learn is that not many worthwhile things in life are ...

7. A Faith that Works

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

Someone visited an office and saw these signs hanging on the wall: “Work fascinates me,” said one, “I can sit and watch it for hours!” “I don’t mind going to work,” said another. “But that 8-hour wait to go home is awful!” “Hard work may not kill me,” another said, “but why take a chance?” People have all kinds of attitudes about their work. Actor Robert Benchley said, “Anyone can do any amount...

8. Take Your Job and Love It

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

King Duncan

A company president was addressing her employees: “I know you’ve all heard that we’re going to be automated,” she said, “and you’re worried that these robots will take over your jobs. Well, I’m happy to tell you that not only will no one be laid off, but you will only be required to come to work one day a week for a full week’s pay. That’s right, you’ll only have to work on Wednesdays but you’ll s...

9. The Problem with Being Idle

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

It is difficult to pick any text from the Scriptures that fits everybody. Consider today's lesson from the Epistle. It deals with the problem of idleness. "If anyone will not work, let him not eat," Paul roars. That's great. To tell the truth, though, I don't know many idle people in this congregation. I know such people do exist. I read a story this week about a fellow who was employed by a duke...

10. If, Because, Regardless

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

There's a silly story going around about two factory workers, Joe and Lester, who were talking. "I know how to get some time off from work," said Joe. "How do you think you'll do that?" asked Lester. Joe proceeded to climb up to the rafters of the factory and hang upside down by his knees. The boss walked in, saw Joe hanging from the ceiling, and asked him what on earth he was doing. "I'm a li...

11. Take This Job And Love It

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

Ignace Paderewski, the famous Polish pianist, made his first tour of the U.S. in 1891. He soon won over American audiences with his powerful playing. In one concert in New York, Paderewski severely injured his hand. The injury, which caused him to lose the use of one of his fingers, left him in constant pain, but he insisted on continuing his tour. In all, he played 107 concerts on that tour. In ...

12. Fighting Back Against Falling Back

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

You’ve had a couple of weeks to adjust. How you doing . . . fighting back against falling back? Spring forward; fall back. These past couple of weeks your bio-rhythms have been batty, fighting back after “falling back” or maybe even “falling flat.” Retreating one hour in order to get back to “Standard Time” is supposed to make our mid-winter mornings less dark and dismal. Unfortunately, as anyo...

Showing 1 to 12 of 12 results