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 3001 to 3025 of 5000 results

3001. Showdown

Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 13:24-30

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... DIABLO ON THE HEAD AND SHOOTING THE OTHER TWO) MAYBELLE: (RUNNING INTO HIS ARMS) Sheriff! You showed up just in time. SHERIFF: I've been here all along. DOC: You have? SHERIFF: Yep. BILLY: I didn't know that. SHERIFF: Chris knew. I was here, but I didn't want the Badlanders to see me until the time was right. Chris, you did a good job. CHRIS: I couldn't have done it without you. SHERIFF: Well, rest easy, folks. We'll get this scum locked up. They'll be back, sometime, more than likely, later on, but they ...

3002. The Season Of Expectancy

Mark 13:1-31, Mark 13:32-37

Sermon Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... with much energy and emotion. From the floor of the sanctuary, have someone else read the rest of the lesson. Emphasize certain words, such as "Be alert! Be on guard; Watch." Ask the people to repeat these words after you say them. You may want to repeat them several times. Proclamation of the Good News Encourage the people to respond verbally during the message. Or, at least, provide sermon discussion following worship. If we give people no opportunity to disagree and clarify, sooner or later, we may never ...

3003. Amazement at Jesus' Teaching

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... response; if none, or only a meager response, ask again, with more energy) ARE YOU READY?e: Yes! Yes! Yes! We are ready! We are ready! We are ready for a God-event in our personal lives, and in the life of this congregation. Reveal to us, God, what you want us to learn; so we can be active evangels in your world. Hymn for the First Half of Epiphany: "From a Distant Home." Prayer of Praise Include the reality that when we pay attention to what God is doing in this world, we shall be as amazed as the people ...

3004. The Season Of The Holy Spirit

John 3:1-21

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... to the Act of Forgiveness God is the Author of clarity, not confusion. Satan and the serpent are often called the confusers. Are we willing to get clarity from God's Spirit, instead of deciding that being a growing Christian is just too much work? If we want forgiveness for our laziness, God gives it. That's God's promise. Receive God's gift. For those who receive God's promise, those who take it seriously, in the name of Jesus the Christ, I declare the forgiveness of your laziness. Minister: God, we thank ...

3005. Advent 1

1 Corinthians 1:1-9, Isaiah 63:7--64:12, Mark 13:32-37, Mark 13:1-31

Sermon Aid

E. Carver McGriff

... it seems that nothing is changing despite our prayers. God knows far better than we do what is best for us. When I was a kid I wanted roller skates. I finally got them, but it was two years later than when I first began to ask. Mother and Dad knew that I could ... a child for any merit and thus encourages the child to be even better, so Paul knew that these people would not want to disappoint him or, more importantly, Jesus. In preaching on this, I would probably digress and make the point that when we let ...

3006. What Law is Operating Here?

Illustration

John Killinger

... and tells her she is a beautiful woman. She doesn't think she is, but his insistence encourages her, and she thanks him. As she prepares to leave, he asks a favor. "Name it," she says. "Let me see your breasts." At first, Isabel says she can't. He wants to know why. She says merely because they are hers. But then she thinks: What could it hurt? She remembers the woman in The Brothers Karamazov who tells a priest she cannot give up an adulterous affair because "it gives him so much pleasure and me so little ...

3007. Making A Difference

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... are people. Consider for a moment the single most important thing in your life. If you could choose, what one thing would you want to be remembered for? There are times in our mixed-up, confused world that we lose our focus of what is of utmost ... made sure she has enough oil. When we strive to live the Christian life, we will discover rewards along the way. Living the way God wants us to live is reward enough. The capable wife's rewards are also evident. "Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband ...

3008. The Christmas Sign

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... . Inside, I mean. We can have proofs and explanations and insistent documentation, but that's not what we really need deep inside, is it? We want a sign. The most subtle, fragile, subjective hint of all, a sign, is what we need to assure us of our place in a person' ... poor wrapping job enabled us to guess for sure! The fun was gone. But God was not going to leave Ahaz without his sign, whether he wanted it or not, and so a sign he got. A woman would conceive and bear a son and the name of that son would be ...

3009. Proper 18

Philemon 1:8-25, Philemon 1:1-7, Jeremiah 18:1--19:15, Luke 14:25-35

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... take a job, but are you willing to get up early each workday, deny yourself leisure, and put out the effort of doing a good job? These we can understand, but have we ever considered the cost of being a Christian? Outline: A prospective Christian should ask a. Do I want to be a Christian? b. Do I know the cost? c. Am I willing and able to pay the price? 3. People Jesus excludes (14:26, 27, 33). "He cannot be my disciple." Need: Some consider Christianity to be a "free for all." The road to the Kingdom of God ...

3010. Need Help Removing That Roadblock?

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Steve Burt

... ones. But the most troublesome will be the old internal roadblocks coming back to haunt them -- fears, doubts, and low esteem that will make them consider taking their eyes off the prize. It will be a struggle, but they will not give up. They will persevere, believing God wants them to succeed. So it is with us. Individually and corporately we must work to uncover or discover God's vision for us. Some of us must recover it. We must honor it and ask God to help us achieve it. We must seek the help of others ...

3011. Main Features And Coming Attractions

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... highlights of a film opening soon. The moviemakers and theater owners hope the preview will pique your interest enough to make you want to come back and see the whole film. On the Mount of the Transfiguration, Peter, James and John, the inner circle of ... t have built a better booth himself!" We know a moment of glory when we see one, and when we see one, we want to seize one; and when we seize it we want to freeze it. It's a real no-brainer to figure out the effect that particular booth had on the youth who ...

3012. Praying To The Congregation

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Thomas Long

... our eyes and listened to a [Bible] story ... We shot down reality in front of our eyes. We hung "Gone fishin' " signs on our eyelids and let our imaginations take us places we had never been.2 The places they had never been, of course, the places they wanted desperately to go, were the places where God was. It was intimacy with God they sought -- that we seek. In a scene from Shadowlands, a film based on the life of C.S. Lewis, Lewis has returned to Oxford from London, where he has just been married to ...

3013. Loving Jesus, Hating The Church

John 9:35-41

Sermon

Thomas Long

... whether it fits the Book of Discipline. The man had a momentous, life-changing religious experience, but all the officials can do is debate whether it conforms to the creed. The man can see -- at last he can see -- but all the religious system wants to discover is whether it was properly scheduled on the church calendar. This is typical of the institutional mindset, and who could blame this man if he chose to spend the rest of his sabbaths sleeping late, playing tennis all afternoon and muttering, "Frankly ...

3014. Lust - To Discipline The Eye And The Heart

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

... would be better." But would it really? If you were to ask people who have lived to a ripe old age what they were looking for in life, I can almost guarantee you that 99 out of 100 will say, "I was looking for love." Among all the things we want in life what tops the list is our desire for relationships, to be loved and to love someone else, to share a life of hopes and dreams, to have companionship. In other words, what people are really looking for is the kind of sharing and commitment you find only in ...

3015. Essential Personnel!

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... by Jesus spending time with the mentally ill, but that doesn't translate into our own willingness to be more tolerant of that horrible disease. We are glad to see Jesus healing the sick, those who are on death's door, but that doesn't mean we want the house in our neighborhood converted into a shelter for AIDS patients. We sort of like the idea of Jesus letting children sit in his lap, but that is a long way from appreciating the gifts and presence of children and overlooking the messes created in their ...

3016. How Much Sin Is Too Much?

Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... God to hear my prayers when they are the most urgent? We try to walk the tight rope between doing a lot of things that we want to do for ourselves, but we are careful not to get so carried away that we fail to attend to the things of God. It ... to say we are straddling the fence and holding on for our lives. Even to ask the question says we have one foot in both worlds, wanting to be able to commit to the one but afraid of giving up the other completely. Even to ask the question indicates we are interested in ...

3017. Why Not Walk On What Jesus Walked On When He Walked On Water

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Roger G. Talbott

... now, and after 40 days the devil came and tempted him to turn stones into bread, to perform a spectacular miracle, and to become the ruler of the world? Well, Jesus had just created bread. He had performed a spectacular miracle and John's gospel tells us that the crowd wanted to make him king (John 6:15). Jesus went up to the mountain to hang on to his soul. To let go of the temptations to bask in the adulation and the power that the miracle he just performed could give him. Most of us can't even begin to ...

3018. Adam And Eve And God

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Genesis 2:4-25, Genesis 3:1-24

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... right to go get something to drink. The curtain falls as we close our eyes and bow our heads. Act three, the curtain and our eyes open as we raise our heads. We have before us the garden's center. But no one is around. Even the animals don't want to be there. Adam and Eve have been real grouches since they got back with their pin-spliced suits. God comes on from stage left, looking for his friends. And they are nowhere in sight. "Adam! Eve! Where are you?" He calls out. He hears a rustle among the bushes ...

3019. Proper 23

Exodus 32:1-33:6, Isaiah 25:1-12, Matthew 22:1-14, Philippians 4:1-9

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... disdain. So that he might have a house full of guests to share his joy, he commands his servants to go out and invite everyone they could find. It should be our highest joy as Christians to invite others to banquet with our Lord and Savior. Outline: 1. The king wanted to share the joy of his son's wedding 2. Joy cannot be self-contained; it must be shared (examples) 3. God has shared his joy with us in Christ. the joy of acceptance, forgiveness, and new life the wedding feast which has no end 4. If we have ...

3020. Proper 24

Exodus 33:12-23, Isaiah 45:1-7, Matthew 22:15-22, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... for some special task. To be chosen confers a sense of belonging and worth. The Jews were God's chosen people and we too are chosen in Christ to live and labor as God's dear children. Gospel: Matthew 22:15-22 Levels of loyalty. The Pharisees and Herodians wanted to catch Jesus in an either/or trap. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? They thought that loyalty to God and to the state were mutually exclusive. Jesus taught that both had a claim on our loyalty but on much different levels. As citizens of ...

3021. Matthew

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

... him. Give him my best at the retirement party. Pontius Pilate is going bananas up here. The Jews keep baiting him. He didn't want to come in the first place, but Tiberius is in Capri, so Sejanus made the assignment. Be glad you are down north, away from ... time of the day or night. That toll booth work is pretty tough, I'll admit. The guy in there now complained the other day. He wants a break. Maybe I can get him and Matthew to rotate or something. The reason for the drop in taxes is that Herod's troops are ...

3022. The Babel Disaster - You Are There

Genesis 11:1-9

Drama

Jerry Eckert

... it, he said to keep my nose out of it. People always do business that way and you can't change the world, he said. It made me sick. For another, the strike was a big hoax. Even though we have had high unemployment around here, those guys wanted more money. They talked about bricks, but when they got their higher pay, they went back to work. We still got bricks from the same company after the strike as we did before the strike. For another, they changed the bookkeeping system halfway through. As I figure it ...

3023. A Voice Crying In The Wilderness

John 1:1-18, John 1:19-28

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... bad news for the oppressors. It was good news for those who suffered pain. It was bad news for those who inflicted pain. It was good news for the masses in John's day who were waiting to hear that things can change. It was bad news for those who wanted to maintain life as usual. The gospel of Jesus Christ begins with the arrival of John the Baptist, who proclaims the coming of one who will ransom captive Israel. He is the forerunner of the good news, the news of change, of a new beginning and a fresh start ...

3024. Wings

Luke 17:20-21

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... really had come true. Julia had wings! Julia could fly! Julia was a butterfly!" The children have listened with avid attention to this story. Now I suggest to them, "In some ways the church is rather like Julia's leaf and its members are sometimes like Julia, wanting to fly, but not having enough faith in themselves to try. The church is a place where we can discover possibilities, dare to dream dreams, and find people who believe in us even when we don't believe in ourselves. The church is a place where we ...

3025. Don't Lose Your Marbles!

2 Timothy 1:7

Children's Sermon

B. Kathleen Fannin

... . Melissa, would you hold these?" I hand her part of the marbles which are secured in a net bag. Then I turn to Tommy and ask, "Would you hold these?" He extends one hand to take the muslin bag. However, this is not what I have in mind. "You may want to use both hands, Tommy," I suggest. As he puts his hands together, I pour into them the contents of the bag -- loose marbles. "Now," I address all of the children, "why did I ask Tommy to use both hands?" "So he wouldn't spill his marbles," Ted answers. "That ...

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