Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: thirstiness, dryness, parched, craving, strong desire, longing, yearning, avidity, hunger, voracity, keenness, eagerness, lust, appetite, passion, love, crave, want, covet, desire, hunger for/after, lust for/after, hanker for/after, have one's heart set on

Antonyms: aversion, distaste, apathy, dislike, hatred, antipathy, disgust, disregard, abhorrence, acrimony, wet, animosity, animus, antagonism, bad feeling, bitterness, be averse to, detestation

Showing 2576 to 2600 of 4961 results

2576. Great Expectations

1 Peter 1:3-5

Sermon

James Merritt

Easter, without question, is the greatest event that has ever happened that is the focal point of all history. Every time you write down a date you are using the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the reference point. When you write down the year 2003, you mean 2,003 years from what? Well, you obviously mean 2,003 years from the very event that we are celebrating today—the fact that the tomb is empty and Jesus is alive. But we still have to ask the question—Why is Easter so special? Why do over one billion ...

2577. Who Wants To Be a Millionaire

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

James Merritt

When it comes to millionaires, America has a monopoly. We have more millionaires than anyone else in the world; we have more people who want to be millionaires than anyone else in the world; and we have more people who can become millionaires than anyone else in the world. Recently USA Today ran a cover story entitled, "Everyone Wants a Shot at Being a Millionaire." The story begins this way: We live in a society gone millionaire mad. Our national fable used to be: Any kid can grow up to be President. Now ...

2578. The Three Dimensions of Life

Genesis 6:1-22

Sermon

Stan Purdum

Today's reading starts in the ancient world before the great flood. It was an era when, according to the Bible, many people lived really long lives. Take Methuselah for example. Genesis 5:27 tells us that he lived to be 969 years old. As far as we know, he lived longer than anyone else anywhere. Yet for all his years, we know remarkably little about him. We know that his father's name was Enoch and that he had some brothers and sisters. Methuselah had a son named Lamech and had some other sons and ...

2579. Hidden in Plain Sight

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)

Sermon

John N. Brittain

I had a much-loved professor in seminary who confessed to some of us over coffee one day that he frequently came home from church and was so frustrated he had to go out and dig in the garden, even in the middle of winter. Robert Louis Stevenson once recorded in his diary, as if it were a surprise, "I went to church today and am not depressed." Someone has said, "I feel like unscrewing my head and putting it underneath the pew every time I go to church." Thoughts like these are often expressed by people who ...

2580. Moving Day

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Maybe you've heard about the absent minded professor. One day he and his wife were leaving church. The professor confronted his wife: "Ah-ha! So who is absent-minded now? You forgot your umbrella and left it in church, but I remembered mine and I picked up yours, too." His wife set him straight: "That's fine, dear, but the trouble is, neither you nor I brought an umbrella to church today!" The next morning his wife reminded her absent minded husband: "Now, don't forget we're moving today. If you come to ...

2581. Totally Poured Out

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Mike Krzyzewski [pronounced “shuh- shef-skee”] is coach of the national champion Duke Blue Devils basketball team. He is known as being meticulous in his pursuit of basketball success. In his book titled, Leading with the Heart, he attributes much of his success to his mother. He writes, “You want to know who my hero is? My hero is my mother. Everything she did was something that she put her own trademark on. Whatever it was, something as simple as making a batch of chocolate chip cookies. When we were a ...

2582. Good Morning, Jerusalem!

Drama

Notes on the Service Set within the framework of an Easter morning worship celebration, the following drama script intends to bring to the worshiper’s mind the sound and style of a familiar weekday morning American network television news/talk program. Any steps which the worship planner(s) can take to create this atmosphere will add to the effectiveness of the presentation. Depending upon the physical arrangements in the chancel area, it might even be possible to set up a comfortable living room setting ...

2583. We Are Not The Light

Sermon

Craig MacCreary

By now, most congregations are in the home stretch of their pre-Christmas preparations. There is much at stake for the life of any church. Try and imagine what a bad or indifferent Christmas would do to the morale of your church. We want if not a “Currier and Ives” Christmas for our families at least enough joy and good cheer to override any past enmity. Hopefully tinsel, garlands, and ornaments will chase away any seasonal affective disorder we may be suffering. Most of us are determined that the ...

2584. Creative Preaching

Sermon

Michael Rogness

I would urge every preacher to attempt an experimental sermon occasionally, especially if he or she is normally a very routine, conventional person.51 -- John Killinger Change attracts attention. Every preacher knows this after watching people's attention shift to a child walking up the aisle and out the door to the bathroom. I was in a church once where a bird was flying around the sanctuary. The pastor could just as well have been reading out of the phone book for all the attention the sermon retained. A ...

2585. This God’s For Real!

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Is there a God? Can you be sure of it? Couldn’t we just put the whole idea of God into mothballs? Haven’t most people by now? If there is God, he hasn’t shown his face enough to keep us thinking of him, has he? Wouldn’t - shouldn’t - he keep a high profile if he wanted us to know he is for real? In spite of the fact that secularity seems to be taking over in America the way it did some years ago in Europe, surveys still turn up the same conclusions: People by an overwhelming number, even in the high- ...

2586. Chapter III

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

"You will not handle the name of the Lord your God as though it is nothing, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who handles his name as though it is nothing." Exodus 20:7 One of the best plays that I have seen in a long time was the prizewinner of a few years ago titled "The Miracle Worker." The story of Ann Sullivan’s battle to educate the blind, young Helen Keller, the story is a masterpiece on human perseverance and love. Called by Helen’s wealthy southern parents to train their child, "Miss Annie ...

2587. Here I Am

Hebrews 12:18-29

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Every now and then one of the TV networks offers up one of those shows with an overview of old TV commercials. We look back and laugh at the hairstyles and clothing and laugh. Some the of the more famous and prominent ad characters are still around. Do you remember E.F Hutton commercials. They were for a stock brokerage firm. The TV ads would show two people talking in the midst of a crowd of noisy people: at a party or a sporting event or a restaurant. The two of them would be discussing stocks. One of ...

2588. It's Hell, I Say: Herod Speaks

Matthew 2:1-12

Drama

Dr. Raymond Bailey

Theme: I regret the insensitive way I spent my life. I do wish for you to understand me, through my times and the culture that shaped me and my decisions. Setting For The Sermon Monologue The sermon was used on the first Sunday after Epiphany. Epiphany is the season that recognizes the first revelation of Christ to the Gentiles (Magi). Whereas, in Advent we look forward to the coming of Christ, Epiphany is also the time that we contemplate His coming, and ask what our response to Him ought to be. For this ...

2589. Lessons for Year A Proper 27

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25 Joshua leads the people to renew the covenant. When Joshua took over the leadership, he called the people together before crossing the Jordan. At the end of his term, he again calls them together and calls upon them to get rid of pagan gods and serve Yahweh. The people swear they will serve only the Lord. Thereupon, the Mosaic covenant was renewed. Old Testament: Amos 5:18-24 Prepare for the day of the Lord by exceeding justice. Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 4:13- ...

2590. God Speaks and the Church Is Our Hearing Aid

Mark 4:1-9

Sermon

James W. Moore

Last week I flew to Nashville, Tennessee to work with The Methodist Publishing House on a video project they are producing in connection with my book, Yes, Lord, I Have Sinned, But I Have Several Excellent Excuses.” We made twelve video lessons to coincide with the twelve chapters of the book… so Sunday School Classes can see and hear my thoughts about the material in the book. Now, I have been doing television for over 30 years and in all that time. I had never ever used any kind of make-up… until last ...

2591. Sleep With the Lions Without Being Eaten

Daniel 6:1-28

Sermon

James Merritt

I read something recently that blessed me and inspired me, and I hope it will you too. It is entitled: THE WORLD NEEDS MEN...[AND I MIGHT ADD WOMEN] Who cannot be bought; whose word is their bond; who put character above wealth; who possess opinions and a will; who are larger than their vocation; who do not hesitate to take chances; who will not lose their individuality in a crowd; who will be as honest in small things as in great things; who will make no compromise with wrong; whose ambitions are not ...

2592. How to Preach a God-Sized Message to a Media Filled World

2 Timothy 4:1-5

Sermon

James Merritt

I hope I will be forgiven, because I have slightly changed the title of the message that I was assigned. I was originally asked to preach on the topic, "How To Prepare A Media-Sized Message", but first of all, most of us do not have our messages broadcast in what is known as the media, per say. Beyond that, I really felt the topic was a little too small. The truth of the matter is - whether you are in the media or not, you can preach a God-sized message to a media filled world. Furthermore, I do not want ...

2593. At Your Service Lord

Ephesians 4:11-12

Sermon

James Merritt

Recently I was flying into Washington, DC, and as always I immediately saw the Washington Monument which towers above the entire city. It is 555 ft. 5 1/8 in. high. From the lobby to the observation level it is 50 stories. To get to the top you could either take the elevator, which is the easy way up, or you can take the stairs, 896 of them in all, which is the harder way to the top. As I was gazing at that monument I remembered my good friend Zig Ziglar telling the story of going to Washington, DC and ...

2594. God Where Are You? - The Problem of Evil

Genesis 3:1-6, Judges 6:13

Sermon

James Merritt

Whether it is the Holocaust, the killing fields of Cambodia, the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, a tsunami that wipes out 150,000 people in a day, or the massive starvation of millions of children around the world, you cannot deny the reality of evil. On the other hand, we saw last week how science itself has proved with certainty that the world is not eternal. The universe had a beginning. The only feasible option to explain the origin of the universe is a transcendent creator. DNA itself is a compelling ...

2595. Praying Our Way Forward

Matthew 7:7-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Have you heard the story about the pastor and the taxi cab driver who happened to die at the same time? They arrived simultaneously at the Pearly Gates. The taxi cab driver was awarded a fabulous palace, complete with fountains, vast lawns and an army of servants. Meanwhile, the pastor was ushered down a lonely lane to an extremely modest place where he was invited to spend eternity. Discerning the discrepancy between the two rewards, the pastor complains to St. Peter saying, “Look, I spent my entire life ...

2596. Big Men in Little Planes

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

There is an interesting story that comes out of the Second World War. England and Germany both had state-of-the-art fighter planes. Germany had the Messerschmitt, which was considered to be the world’s fastest fighter plane. The British had the Supermarine Spitfire. The Spitfire was slower than the Messerschmitt. Nevertheless, German pilots were envious of their British counterparts. You see, the Messerschmitt had been designed to hold the perfect German. Who was the perfect German? Who else but Der Fuhrer ...

2597. Heart of a Pelican

Matthew 17:24-27, Exodus 30:11-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

It’s football season! Whether or not you are a fan of the game of football, you can’t help getting swept up in some of the hype of this great American sport! We love the excitement on people’s faces, as they get ready to watch the game. We love the crowds, the food, the energy of the game. Many of you are rooting for one or the other of the teams on the ticket. Some of you will gather with friends in front of the television. Some of you may even go to the Super Bowl. Has anyone here this morning ever been ...

2598. We Need Another Miracle

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Do you believe in miracles? Psychology Today reports of a study that surveyed almost 36,000 Americans, aged eighteen to seventy-plus- years-old, and found that 78% of people under the age of thirty believed in miracles versus 79% among those older than thirty (Pew Research Center, 2010). With respect to religious affiliation, 83% of those who were affiliated believed in miracles in contrast to 55% of respondents who were unaffiliated. Although people from all religions believe in miracles, over 80% of ...

2599. Life's Final Flight

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

Some of the largest ads in newspapers, and some of the best commercials on television, deal with flying. Some people think that flying is "the only way to go," others fly only because they must and "white-knuckle" it all the way, and some simply refuse to fly at all, claiming that "if God intended us to fly he would have given us wings." Some delightful stories come out of airplane experiences. One such tale deals with the time when the passengers in a large jet plane were already anxious because of bad ...

2600. Surprised By Joy

Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52

Sermon

Donald Dotterer

Let us pray: O God our heavenly Father, in many ways we seek to know you so that we might find the true riches of life. Hear now thy servants who desire to learn of your love and glory. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen. The Christian author C.S. Lewis, in an autobiography which he has titled Surprised by Joy, tells of his conversion to Christianity. This book is an account of how Lewis, an accomplished and well-known British intellectual, became a truly Christian person. It is about leaving the ...

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