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 3626 to 3650 of 4962 results

3626. The Chicken or the Egg

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

In his book Dateline America, Charles Kuralt tells of a sign he saw on the door of a cafe in Indiana. It said, Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Closed Thursday. (Dateline America, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979, p. 223) Now, that’s what is known as sending out mixed signals. I. THE CHURCH HAS BEEN KNOWN TO SEND OUT MIXED SIGNALS, TOO. For instance, one minister relates that during one summer vacation he and his family visited a church in Ohio where he was moved by the worship experience: the ...

3627. The FUD Club: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Theme: In a world of doomsayers, where Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt reign supreme, disciples of Jesus are doom-slayers. EXEGESIS of the Text: Part 1: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 The 2 Thessalonians Epistle text for this week skips about in chapter two, cherry-picking verses first from the opening lines of the letter (vv.1-5), then landing on the concluding remarks of this first section (vv.13-17). This edited reading of 2:1-17, however, does succeed in focusing on the author’s primary concern throughout this ...

3628. A Circle for Dorothy

Ephesians 2:11-22, Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

"If you only had one sermon to preach..." Well, we made it through the first one, and you came back! So what's the theme of the second Sunday? The church, of course. This week and next, we will explore two images of what it means, for me, to be the church. This week, we look to one of the most important books in the New Testament: Paul's letter to the Ephesians. I discover that I have preached from this book more often than any other book in the New Testament. It offers Paul's clear statement of the core ...

3629. The Day of Atonement: Preparation

Leviticus 16:1-34

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: The high priest must be purified before conducting the Day of Atonement sacrifices. Understanding the Text Leviticus 16, on the Day of Atonement, is a transitional chapter, giving a general remedy for the problem of uncleanness described in Leviticus 11–15. It also prepares the way for the laws of holiness that follow (Lev. 17–27). Leviticus 16 is arguably the most important chapter in Leviticus, introducing the Day of Atonement, the highest and most sacred day in the Israelite calendar. Its ...

3630. The Unfettered Word

2 Timothy 2:8-15

Sermon

Will Willimon

''But the word of God is not fettered. He owned a hardware store and he was a member of my church. Someone had warned me about him when I moved there. ''He's usually quiet," they said, ''but be careful." People still recalled the Sunday in 1968 when, during the middle of the sermon (the preacher's weekly diatribe against Nixon and the Vietnam war), he had stood up from where he was sitting, shook his head, and walked right out. So I always preached with one eye on my notes and the other on him. He hadn't ...

3631. Epiphany 5

Psalm 112:1-10, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, Isaiah 58:1-14, Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The theological framework provided by the church year for the Epiphany season throws light upon this Sunday primarily in the incarnational/manifestation scope of the season. By this time in Epiphany, the preacher may well have the same reaction that is often felt in the Pentecost Cycle; there seems to be little theological help for the preacher in the church year or the liturgy. One has to keep in mind that the readings emphasize the early stages of Jesus' ministry in the world. In this ...

3632. Yes, Virginia, There Is a Hell!

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

Today I want to talk with you about one of the hardest subjects in all the world to talk about as a pastor. In fact, experts in church growth tell pastors and church leaders to steer away from this topic because even church people don''t want to hear about it. If you don''t want to lose your congregation, they tell us, don''t talk about this particular topic. But we are duty-bound, we are under commission to talk about this subject because the Lord talked about it so very much in his life and his ministry. ...

3633. God's Gift Of Life

Psalm 139:1-24

Sermon

Erskine White

For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst knit me together in my mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13) Fathers in earlier generations usually weren't allowed to do this, but I have had the splendid privilege of watching and helping as two of my children were born. The first time, the experience was new and overwhelming. I felt I had witnessed God's hands at work in the world and when our baby was safely delivered, I was left groping for inadequate words to describe what I had seen. The word "awesome" came to ...

3634. Finding Life!

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

"Whoever loses ... for my sake ... will find ..." - Matthew 16:25 As Jesus was starting his final journey to Jerusalem, there to be crucified, he said this to his disciples: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?" In this monumental statement of our Lord, he gives to us a ...

3635. Where the Church Gets Its Power

John 17:6-19

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s an exciting thing to be part of the church of Jesus Christ. We’ve got a good thing here, and we need to let the rest of the world know just how exciting it is. There’s an old story about a young high school football star who was being recruited by a coach from a major college. The coach had never seen the young man play, so he asked him some direct questions. “Son,” he said, “I understand that you do the passing for your team. Are you a pretty good passer?” “Am I a good passer?” the boy answered. “Why ...

3636. Pilate and the Condemnation of Jesus

John 18:28-40, John 19:1-16

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The sentencing of Jesus to death takes place within the framework of a series of exchanges between the Roman governor Pilate and the Jewish religious authorities. The time is from early morning (18:28) to noon (19:14) of the day after Jesus’ arrest. The structure of the narrative is determined by the fact that the Jewish authorities, for reasons of ritual purity, would not go inside the palace that served as Pilate’s headquarters (v. 28). Contact with the dwelling of a Gentile—even a temporary dwelling, ...

3637. Jesus Sentenced to be Crucified

John 19:1-16, John 18:28-40

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

3638. When I Am Weak, I Am Strong

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Sermon

King Duncan

I read something interesting recently about one of the world’s most revered religious leaders. He is the Tibetan Buddhist leader known as the Dalai Lama. It seems that, though the Dalai Lama may be what the Buddhists call an “enlightened being,” he has his weaknesses. According to a report in The Week magazine, it’s said he sneaks chocolate chip cookies when he’s supposed to be fasting. And he uses an air gun to scare away irritating birds. Anybody identify with that? Here’s a good one: While the Dalai ...

3639. A Bad Temperament Can Kill You

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Harold Warlick

Imagine, if you will, two children walking down a hallway at school. Neither one of them is paying close attention to what he is doing. Consequently, they bump into each other. One child pushes the other down and makes a fist. "He bumped me. He bumped me," the child screams. He is ready to fight. The other child is headed toward class, realizes there is a class to attend and that the hallway is plenty big enough for both of them to pass. So he wants to go around and continue on his way. The first child is ...

3640. Adam And Eve And God

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

Drama

Jerry Eckert

Comment: Narrative depends on imagination. Imagination can be triggered by vivid words, by the conversational tone that frees it to flow naturally, by dramatic intonations lending emotion to the intellectual content being offered, and by specific directions to the listeners. The following sermon was done using the device of directing the congregation to imagine a specific setting, a stage with scenery and props described. The device was reinforced by having the people in the congregation close their eyes ...

3641. Investing God's Gift

Luke 19:11-27

Sermon

Larry R. Kalajainen

One of the things that frequently happens when we dream during sleep is that in our dreams we find ourselves in a familiar place or situation. We know where we are, yet for some really frustrating and unknown reason, things are just different enough that we're not really sure. In our dream we're about to open a door only to discover that the door isn't where we know it ought to be. Or perhaps we're about to perform a familiar act, and somehow, we just can't do it, and we can't understand why. We keep ...

3642. Basic Service: I Am The Resurrection and the LIfe

John 11:17-37

Eulogy

Brett Blair

This is not a tragic moment; it is a tender moment but not a tragic moment. We are sure of this because Jesus declared, "I am the resurrection and the life." Here is the decisive word for us today: "Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die." We shall never die! We are here to celebrate the life of Eva Mae Kelly and we are here to celebrate eternal life as we look into the jaws of death and we say, “Death, you have no dominion ...

3643. How To Hear A Sermon

Micah 1:1-7

Sermon

Richard Hasler

Walter Cronkite, the former highly-regarded CBS Evening News anchor, is an avid lover of boats. Some years ago, he steered his boat into Central Harbor, Maine. As he approached land he was amazed at the greeting he received. People lined the shore waving their hands at him. He could barely make out what they were saying but their shouts sounded like: “Hello Walter, Hello Walter.” The boat sailed closer and closer to the shore and the crowd, still sending out their greeting to him, grew larger and larger. ...

3644. Pentecost 24

Mal 1:6-14, Lev 2:1-16, Mic 3:1-12, Am 5:18-27, Ru 4:1-1, 1Th 2:1-16, 4:13-5:11, Mt 23 and 25:1-13

Sermon Aid

CSS

THEOLOGICAL CLUE If a congregation happened to be following the readings listed in Lutheran Worship, the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod's revision of the Roman Ordo and the LBW lectionary, the people would have caught the eschatological clue last Sunday; the Lutheran Worship lectionary follows the older Lutheran practice of abandoning the numerical progression of the Sundays in Pentecost and assigning the same three sets of readings - always eschatological - for the last three Sundays of Pentecost. The ...

3645. Telling the Right Story

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

George Bass

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "Thou are my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased." The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him. Now after John was arrested ...

3646. What It Takes to Stay Christian

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

Eleven months ago when I first arrived in Versailles as your new pastor, it was my custom to arise at 5:30 A.M. every morning and run four or five miles before breakfast. I weighed 147 pounds, and for a man of my age, I was in good condition. I was five pounds under my ideal weight, I felt fresh and trim, had a great deal of energy, and slept like a newborn baby. My muscles were firm and tough, I was in excellent health and knew it. As the months passed, changes have taken place. Partly because of my ...

3647. The Unemployed Embalmers

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

Renan, the French Skeptic, scathingly quipped that the Christian faith was built on the body of a dead Jew. He was right, at least as far as the first resurrection morn. It’s a strange anachronism that we customarily have Sunrise Services on Easter morning, and shake our sanctuaries with the sound of victorious alleluias. Very conveniently we’ve twisted the facts. Those who appeared on the first Easter were, they were sure, dealing with nothing but the body of a dead Jew. They were hastening to finish the ...

3648. The Seeds of Social Conflict

Genesis 4:1-26

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

One day a little boy just got out of bed on the wrong side. He was having a very bad day. He disobeyed his mother several times, and then had a violent argument with his playmate. So, his mother told him he would have to have some time alone. She turned on the light in her large clothes closest, put a little chair in it, and told her son to sit there for thirty minutes. Thirty minutes later, she returned to find the closet was a real mess. All her clothes were in a pile. “What have you been doing?” She ...

3649. The Stranger at the Tomb

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

George Bass

You can’t blame the women, can you, for being amazed and afraid when they had that most unusual experience on that first Easter morning at the tomb? Wouldn’t you likely have done the same thing? They simply got out of there as fast as they could and didn’t tell anyone about the encounter with the angel (at least, not right away). Suppose you had buried a loved one, possibly in a mausoleum-type structure, had seen the grave slab sealed into place, and returned a couple days later only to find the entrance ...

3650. Why Fear Growing Old?

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

It is said that by the year 2000 one-half the population of our nation will be over 50 and one-third over 65 years of age. Those of us who are growing older will have plenty of company. We have a science, gerontology, dedicated to our well-being. We do not even have to surrender to senility: doctors tell us that it is not a normal state of old age; only 8 percent of older people need to fear such a breakdown. It is possible to remain alert and creative right down to the conclusion of our lives. Marie ...

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