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 3426 to 3450 of 4961 results

3426. People Who Procrastinate

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

King Duncan

Most of you are familiar with that time-honored story about a board meeting that Satan once called in hell. At this meeting Satan put this question to his senior advisors: “We need to develop a new strategy for causing havoc upon earth. Do you have any suggestions for a new means of reaching human beings for our side?” One advisor suggested, “Tell them there is no heaven.” Another said, “Tell them there is no hell.” But the prize winning suggestion was judged to be much more effective: “Tell them there is ...

3427. Ordinary People

Ruth 1:1-16

Sermon

Will Willimon

It's Parents' Weekend here and, through some act of divine serendipity, the lectionary has assigned as our first reading a passage from the book of Ruth. The book of Ruth is a family story, an ancient novella which may be three thousand years old. It's an old story, but I'm claiming that it's a true story because it's a story about a family in trouble. Here is a middle-class family that's hit on hard times and has to move, a father who dies leaving his wife and sons poorly provided for, two sons who marry ...

3428. Political Pardon

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

My parents were married in the wave of weddings that followed World War II. Dad came home from military operations in Europe to start a new life on the farm, and Mom became his partner in the enterprise. There was only one problem — Dad had an older brother who was destined to take over the family agricultural enterprise, and there was not enough work or income to support two families. So Dad began to look for other opportunities. For a while he drove a cattle truck, bringing fattened animals to the sales ...

3429. Christians and Grits

Acts 4:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

The Rev. Brian Bill tells about a friend of his named Ray who is originally from the South, but is now living in Chicago. Being a southerner, Ray says that one of the most challenging things about living in the Windy City is that it’s difficult to find a restaurant that serves grits. Rev. Bill asked Ray once what a “grit” is? Ray informed Rev. Bill that there’s no such thing as a “grit.” They don’t come by themselves. They come in a community of other grits. You can’t just order one grit. Rev. Bill says ...

3430. Been There, Done That

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

"Been there, done that" is a popular, and often overused, phrase that excuses us from having to endure anything a second time. It doesn't matter if we have skateboarded up Mt. Everest, or walked from New York to London, or stood on our heads and gargled peanut butter, we are entirely too cool to do any of that stuff again. "Been there, done that" asks other people not to bore us by requesting that we repeat past experiences. We are too hip for that. Those experiences generated excitement that pumped ...

3431. Don't That Just Beat All?

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

Johnny Dean

Of all the wonderful gifts that God has given us, one of the greatest is friendship. It certainly makes my own personal “Top Ten” list. When we’re going through some emotional or physical trial of life, friends can help to reassure us that God is there with us, and we don’t have to face any obstacle life throws in our path alone. I remember my two best friends from my high school days - Larry and Freddy. We were “The Three Musketeers” in those days. Wherever you saw one of us, the other two were not far ...

3432. It’s How It Ends That Matters

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

If you don’t know or care where you’re headed, any road will get you there. That’s a well-worn saying we can all affirm. Yet, have we thought about a similar, but almost contradictory-sounding maxim? People come to know the truth by different highways. The second saying is as true as is the first. Imagine that you have a roadmap of our country. In your mind’s eye, right now, as you’re sitting here, imagine that you’re opening it. Fold it out and tack it up on the imaginary corkboard there in front of you. ...

3433. A Fool and His Money

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Mark Trotter

It is a familiar scene in courtrooms, families arguing over an estate. It is an especially ugly scene when dividing the inheritance divides the family. That is the scene that opens our text for this morning, the gospel lesson from Luke. A man came up to Jesus, and said, "Make my brother divide the inheritance with me." The request was crass and boorish, but probably not uncommon, for Jesus was known as a Rabbi. In fact, in this passage, he is addressed as Rabbi: "Teacher, make my brother divide the ...

3434. The Landlord's Dilemma - World Communion Sunday

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

King Duncan

Once there was a man who owned a piece of property. He felt it would make a fine grape vineyard. So he planted a vineyard on the property and enclosed it with a wall. He wanted this to be a full-service operation, so within the wall he dug a winepress a vat where the grapes could be pressed and the juice extracted. And he built a watchtower to protect his vineyard because this was a lawless land and you never knew what vandals might do. Then, after making a sizeable investment in his vineyard, he rented it ...

3435. Absalom Returns to Jerusalem

2 Samuel 14:1-33

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

Absalom – In Geshur and Jerusalem: 14:1 Although his reason for wanting Absalom back in Israel is obscure, Joab plays the key role in the account of Absalom’s return. Again, the writers’ awareness of people, their characters, and their motivations is remarkable. Both Joab and Absalom are portrayed with a great deal of insight. It is possible that Joab had tried before to obtain a pardon for Absalom, as David’s comment in verse 19 could indicate. That would then explain the circuitous route that Joab used ...

3436. Absalom's Conspiracy

2 Samuel 15:1-12

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

3437. And Now For Something Completely Different

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

At the end of a week-long retreat in a mountain camp setting a somewhat different kind of worship service was taking place. It was at the end of a day that had been set aside for introspection and talking about feelings of self-worth. There had been some discussion about how to deal with feelings of guilt and the need to feel forgiven, and how it is often easier to forgive someone else than to forgive oneself. Since this was a retreat of church people there was frequent reference to the forgiving nature of ...

3438. The Lord's Prayer: Please Forgive Us as We Forgive

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

In the book written by the widow of Robert Louis Stevenson called Prayers Written at Vailima, there is an unusual incident recalled. As you may know, Stevenson was an exceptionally religious man who insisted on family worship every evening... Scripture, hymns, prayers - all were included. But this one particular evening, Stevenson suddenly left the group before the worship was over. He had not been well, so his wife was concerned and went after him to see if he was all right. As Mrs. Stevenson recounted it ...

3439. Like A Tornado

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Few of us will ever have the experience that John Neidigh of Jackson, Mississippi, had many years ago. John became trapped in the eye of a tornado. Even more amazing was the fact that he lived to tell about it. By the time John learned of the tornado's presence, it was too close for him to escape. His mobile home began moving up and down, as if it were a surfboard on a killer wave. Trees and debris flew by. The wind peeled off his roof. The sound was like the howl of a freight train. Suddenly, Neidigh's ...

3440. He Left Them Where?

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

Kent Crockett, in his book, I Once Was Blind, but Now I Squint includes A Pessimist's Commentary on Psalm 23. The author is listed as "Ima Whiner." It is admittedly a spoof. But it is a good way for us to begin our thinking about today's text. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. "Shall not want?" Says Ima Whiner. "Give me a break. I want lots of things. I'd like to have a nicer house, a better job, and a pay raise. I want people to do what I say when I say. And I wouldn't mind winning the lottery ...

3441. A Rock Thrown, A Lesson Learned

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

King Duncan

Author Ron Dykstra tells about a young and successful executive who was traveling through a neighborhood, driving a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. Suddenly a brick smashed into the Jag’s side door! The young executive slammed on the brakes and backed up to the spot where the brick had been thrown. He then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, “What was all that about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That’s a new car and that ...

3442. A Gratitude Adjustment

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

We've got a little girl living with us, right now. She's a foreign exchange student whose family is originally from South America but she grew up in Arlington. She lives with us now because her parents no longer want her. They brought her to Mary's class one day and when the Christmas holidays came, told Mary to keep her, they didn't want her any more. Talk about cruel. So, Pearl has exchanged her home with one of the students to a home with one of the teachers. But that's OK, Pearl, she's a guinea pig by ...

3443. Easter Jogging

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

He is Risen. "He is Risen, indeed," we respond. We sound the trumpet. We decorate the altar in gold. We sound the bells. We sing out the alleluia's in the loudest crescendo we can. We turn out in larger numbers than any other time of the church year to celebrate this Queen of Feasts. And well we should. No matter how large the observance and how great the celebration we cannot make it grand enough to capture the fullness of its meaning for us. We are always going to have trouble with Easter because, no ...

3444. Egypt

Ezekiel 29:1-21, Ezekiel 30:1-26, Ezekiel 31:1-18, Ezekiel 32:1-32

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

The last four chapters of Ezekiel’s oracles against the nations consist of a loose collection of seven prophecies, all concerned with Egypt: an allegorical oracle depicting Pharaoh as a dragon in the Nile (29:1–16); a late appendix to the book promising Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar (29:17–21); a lament over Egypt (30:1–19); a second oracle against the Pharaoh (30:20–26); an allegory depicting Egypt as the World Tree (31:1–18); a lament over Pharaoh, recapitulating the dragon allegory (32:1–16); and a funeral ...

3445. A Person Approved by Christ

John 1:43-51

Sermon

George Bass

Jesus, according to the information that John gives us in the beginning of his Gospel, had a strange system of recruiting his disciples. Two of John’s disciples left the Baptizer when he identified Jesus for them as "the lamb of God" and spent the rest of the day with Jesus. Andrew was one of the two, and he recruited his brother, Simon, whom Jesus immediately labeled "the Rock." The next day Jesus encountered Philip and said to him, "Follow me!" - and he did. Philip went out and found Nathanael, or ...

3446. Peace in the Midst of the Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Fear Factor. Do you watch that show? Neither do I. In fact, of all the so-called reality shows on TV these days, that is the one I would be least likely to watch. It is based on the premise of seeing what can be done to make someone "lose it" in front of millions of people. Up to your neck in snakes, rats, maggots, whatever, and how long can you last. Oh goody. Fear, of course, is something that is common to all of us. Truth be told, many of our fears are baseless - we are afraid of and worry about things ...

3447. The Apostles Persecuted

Acts 5:17-42

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

Such was the impact of the Christians on the city (they were not necessarily numerous, but they were in the public eye; see note on 4:4), that the city fathers, chiefly the Sadducees, decided again on overt action against them, or at least against their leaders. The broad similarity between the arrest and trial of the apostles described here and the earlier arraignment of Peter and John has already been noted, as has the parallel between their escape and Peter’s escape in 12:6–19 (see disc. on 3:1–11). ...

3448. Arise, O Church of God, Arise!

Sermon

"The eleven disciples went to the hill in Galilee where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him they worshiped him, even though some of them doubted. Jesus draw near and said to them: "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, then, to all people everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, to the end of the age." ( ...

3449. The Joyful Mystery of the Trinity

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

A little boy on the Art Linkletter show years ago answered the ancient question of which came first-the chicken or the egg. "The chicken had to come first," he said, "because God can can't lay eggs." His answer is probably as good as any other. There are many things in life and even in Christian faith that none of us can adequately understand. I am reminded of a quotation I picked up. I am not even certain who first said it, but it goes like this: Birds do not sing because they have an answer, They sing ...

3450. This Is a Test

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Our text for this Sunday is from the Book of Genesis, the story of Abraham's sacrifice of his son, Isaac. It is one of the most powerful, profound, and disturbing stories in all of the Bible, and all of literature, for that matter. It is the conclusion of the story of Abraham, and therefore it cannot be understood apart from the whole story of Abraham. The story of Abraham is the story of a promise. The promise was given to Abraham, and to Sarah, this childless couple, that they would be given a child, and ...

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