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 326 to 350 of 2173 results

326. First World Problems

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever stopped to notice the things that you worry about? If you were to make a list of the last three things you worried about, what would be on it? I ask this question because most of us live fairly insulated lives. We have a place to live. We have enough food to eat. We are not in danger of starvation or homelessness or dying from a simple infection because we can’t afford antibiotics. We are insulated from the dangers of extreme poverty that afflict about 689 million people worldwide. That’s ...

327. Advent 4

Luke 1:26-38, Romans 16:1-27, 2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon Aid

E. Carver McGriff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7:1-16 If our purpose here were teaching rather than preaching, we could spin a wonderful tale of the rise of King David, and of his transformation of the Israelites. We could relate how David brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, which was to become known as the city of David, and how David wished to build a splendid tabernacle to house the ark. But more conservative voices prevailed for the time being, and David seems to have conceded for the time. The prophet ...

328. Magnificent Fools

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

During World War II a cartoon appeared in daily newspapers across the country which attracted much attention. It pictured a young soldier driving a jeep madly across the battlefield. Bullets whizzed past his head; shells burst in the air; bombs fell on every side. It seemed that he was going to become the object of one of them and meet death itself. Still he drove on madly, zig-zagging, trying to dodge death itself. To take one look at the picture you would think the young man was foolish for risking his ...

329. Epiphany 7

Matthew 5:27-30, Matthew 5:31-32, Matthew 5:33-37, Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Green Gospel: Matthew 5:27-43 Theme: The dimensions of love. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration "Welcome! Worship is a drama-celebration, no matter what form it takes - Sunday mornings, weddings, funerals and memorials. Therefore, it is not something which is basically heard and seen, but something done. Worship as drama is something we do, not something we watch somebody else do. Thus, the worshiper celebrates the presence of God, not by absorbing what's going on as a sponge, but by ...

330. The Last Words of David

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

A Final Statement: 23:1–7 David’s last words are presented as a formal oracle. Although there is little reason to doubt that David wrote this oracle, it is unlikely to reflect his actual last words; rather, it is his last major pronouncement, comparable to a last will and testament. Jacob, Moses, and Joshua make similar speeches (in Gen. 49; Deut. 32–34; Josh. 23–34, respectively). Such a pronouncement would be given tremendous significance as a dying wish. This document would have been difficult to place ...

331. Consider Others Higher Than Yourself

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: Genuine knowledge of Christ causes a believer to consider how personal behavior affects the faith of fellow believers. Christian love and care for others must trump personal rights. Understanding the Text Paul now takes up the next question posed by the Corinthians in their letter (cf. 7:1).1Moving from the larger question of human relationships, with a special focus on marriage, divorce, and singleness, he now takes up another pertinent question that relates directly to the domestic situation of ...

332. Proper 20

Psalm 79:1-13, 1 Timothy 2:1-15, Jeremiah 8:4--9:26, Luke 16:1-15

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

COMMENTARY Gospel. (Luke 16:1-13) The parable in today's lesson has given people problems of interpretation. Why does Jesus tell a story of a manager who had squandered his owner's property to make a point? And why does the master commend the manager? Is it Jesus who is the master who commended the manager, or is it the owner who has been victimized by a poor manager? Why did Jesus tell this story immediately after the chapter with the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son? Or is it Luke who ...

333. Baptism of the Lord

Acts 10:23b-48, Isaiah 61:1-11, Isaiah 42:1-9, Psalm 45:1-17, Psalm 89:1-52, Luke 3:1-20, Luke 3:21-38

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The Baptism of our Lord received little or no liturgical attention in the predecessor lectionaries of the several churches; theoretically, it was one of three elements in the Epiphany celebration - Jesus' birth (and the visit of the wise men), his baptism, and his first miracle (sign) at Cana in Galilee. All of that changed with the adoption and appearance of the new lectionaries; the Book Of Common Prayer's lectionary is really the only major lectionary that doesn't mention the Baptism of ...

334. Epiphany 4

Psalm 71:1-24, 1 Corinthians 14:1-25, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Jeremiah 1:1-19, Luke 4:14-30

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The birth story, with the visit of the magi, and the baptism of our Lord, at the beginning of the season, and the Transfiguration story, at the conclusion of Epiphany in many lectionaries, combine to enclose the other Sundays of Epiphany in a period of time when the manifestation/ministry of Jesus are celebrated in worship and preaching. Each Sunday, some aspect of Jesus' Epiphany in his teaching and/or his miraculous works/signs is put before the people of God to confirm the faith of ...

335. Proper 18

Psalm 149:1-9, Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 18:15-20, Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Exodus 12:1-14 is one of the central descriptions of how the Passover is to be celebrated and how it functions in the life of Israel. Psalm 149 is a two-sided hymn of praise in which God's ability to destroy and to save is acknowledged. Exodus 12:1-14 - "The Passover" Setting. The confusion of the present form of Exodus 11-13 confronts any reader with immediate obstacles to interpretation. At least three different traditions have been brought together in these chapters (by at least two ...

336. Lent 3

Exodus 17:1-7, Psalm 19:1-14, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, John 2:12-25

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

CALL TO WORSHIP God calls us to faith in the Christ nailed to the cross, as wisdom wiser than ours and power stronger than ours. Hear that call. PRAYER OF CONFESSION God of the law, Christ of the cross, Spirit of purity, we confess that we have broken your commandments, commercialized your church, compromised the simplicity of the faith. We are too ready to choose our favorite commandments and to ignore the others to minimize our guilt. We excuse our breaking of some of them by pointing out that we are ...

337. Tale of the Tares

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 9:35-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Summer and fall are the times when we love to bond with the land. Even if we are not farmers, in the summer, we get a little closer to our agricultural forbears –we pick strawberries at our favorite nearby orchard, we garden and grow vegetables or flowers, we gather apples or other fruits, we go on excursions to find wild berries or wild mushrooms. The problem of course with venturing out of our neighborhood market and into the wilds of the woods is that identification of tasty food versus poisonous food ...

338. Epiphany 7

Luke 6:27-36, Psalm 37:1-40

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

CALL TO WORSHIP Be still in God's presence and worship expectantly. Take delight in prayer, and you will receive your heart's desire. PRAYER OF CONFESSION Compassionate Parent, understanding Brother, loving and forgiving Spirit, you know how weak we are and how prone to retaliate when treated spitefully. We would rather return a curse with a curse and a blow with a blow. We refuse many who ask us for what we think we do not owe. We are ready to sue for the return of what is rightfully ours. How is it that ...

339. Chist is King

Revelation 1:4-8, Psalm 132:1-18, 2 Samuel 23:1-7, John 18:28-40

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

CALL TO WORSHIP Holiness is the beauty of God's temple while time shall last. Worship God in the sanctity and freedom from our sins which Christ gives us through his life's blood. PRAYER OF CONFESSION Ancient in year, First-born from the dead, timeless Spirit, we confess that too often we are overawed by the wealth and power of human rulers forgetting that they are as mortal as we are, and that only Jesus Christ has won an impressive victory over death. Forgive us if political and national loyalties have ...

340. Peter Disowns Jesus

Luke 22:47-53

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

22:54–62 Significantly Luke omits Mark’s reference to the disciples’ flight (14:50), but he does go on to narrate Peter’s three denials. Perhaps nowhere else in the gospel tradition does the careful reader encounter more discrepancies in matters of detail and chronology than in the account of Peter’s denials and Jesus’ trial. (For a discussion of the problems pertaining to Jesus’ trial see the commentary on 22:63–23:25 below.) Peter’s denials present the greatest difficulties, as illustrated by the ...

341. Syrophoenician Lives Matter!

Mark 7:24-30, Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6) Animators (Props): cornucopia….apples…..pumpkins As we enter the fall season, we prepare for a lot of celebrations. Halloween, All Saints Day, Thanksgiving, Advent. In the midst of all that, there are festivals for families and celebrations for children too. It’s the ...

342. Sparkle

Luke 4:31-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.…Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. (James 14-15; 21) “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, Destroy.” (Deuteronomy ...

343. Caring for the Vineyard We Did Not Plant

Matthew 20:1-16, Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

Lori Wagner

How many of you have seen an episode of “This Old House”? How many know what I’m talking about? The show, on television for nearly 40 years (since 1979), now also has a website and a magazine. The innovative show has developed a “buzz” as the “go-to” site for creative hands-on remodeling --for men and women alike! Its premise is simple: how to take an ordinary, drab, old, crumbling, or even condemned house, a “fixer-upper” if you will, and renovate and revision that house into a new, sound, and exquisite ...

344. A Disciple After God’s Own Heart

Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon

Lori Wagner

To know God’s heart – that is the goal of every disciple. To bear the heart of God in word and deed, that is the goal of every eager, mature, and serious follower of Jesus. It seems like it should be easy sometimes, doesn’t it, to be a Christian? We generally think of ourselves as “good Christians” if we attend church most weeks, engage in some community service, do some good deeds, hang around with other Christians, take on a leadership role in the church, become a teacher, or even a preacher of the ...

345. For The Love of God is Giving

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

The widow Jesus points out in today's passage is considerably different than one I read about in newspaper article a number of years ago. It seems that in Indianapolis, a wealthy widow was found dead in her home. The police discovered over 5 million dollars in cash stuffed in trash cans, shoe boxes, drawers, tool boxes, paper bags, the pockets of clothing and even in a vacuum cleaner bag. Most of the money was in $100 bills. Two million of the money was found in a trash can next to the widow's bed. Mrs. ...

346. Lust - To Discipline The Eye And The Heart

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

Jesus and his disciples were in a foreign land, the land of Samaria. It had once been recognized as the birthplace and capital of the Jewish faith. It was in Samaria and at Shechem that God told Abraham that the land would belong to his descendants. But later the Israelites were defeated by the Assyrians, who then settled in the land and mixed with the population. So in Jesus' day the people of Israel viewed the Samaritans as half-breeds and false worshipers. Jesus' parable of the "good Samaritan" was a ...

347. Marriage

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

The seventh chapter of Paul’s letter to Corinth is a complex and challenging series of related observations and directions that have often lost or puzzled later readers of the epistle. Paul’s statements in these verses are more often misunderstood than grasped and appreciated for what they say. The commentary that follows will focus on smaller segments of the writing in an effort to elucidate and explicate Paul’s thinking and teachings. Verse 1 states the Corinthians’ position. Verse 2 states Paul’s ...

348. How Angry Are You?

Luke 4:21-30

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

I am angry. I am angry that the open-minded, open-hearted denomination I have always loved has become more and more legalistic and polarized. I am angry that my country, the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world, has one of the highest rates of child mortality and child poverty of any industrialized nation in the world. I am angry that a huge percentage of US foreign aid goes to Israel — one of the richest nations in the world. I am angry that some of those tax dollars are being used to build ...

349. Trinity Sunday

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Matthew 28:16-20, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Psalm 8:1-9

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The two Old Testament texts for Trinity Sunday focus on the creative power of God, and, as such, they provide commentary on the Gospel lesson, where Jesus proclaims to his disciples in Matthew 28:18 that "all authority in heaven and on earth" has been given to him. Genesis 1:1-2:4a is the sweeping account of creation of order from chaos. Psalm 8 is a hymn that celebrates the creative power of God. Taken together these texts provide the vast stage upon which we must interpret this final ...

350. By Faith

Hebrews 11:1-40

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

The Nature and Importance of Faith The mention of the importance of faith in the last two verses of the preceding chapter leads naturally to this famous chapter on faith. It is impossible to know whether the author is making use of a source, which he now takes over in part or totally, or whether he is composing a fresh catalogue of heroes on the model of existing examples. Extensive reviews of the history of Israel had been composed to substantiate a warning or to provide encouragement, and some of these ...

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