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 3701 to 3725 of 5000 results

3701. Dreaming Impossible Dreams

Genesis 37:2-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... will soon sink to something below us.” The great “philosopher,” Yogi Berra, once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might wind up someplace else.” And so I say to my friends today, you adults who are here, can you still remember what you wanted to be when you were a child? Is the dream still alive? I say to my young friends who are here today, many of you who are about to go off to college and new experiences, hold on to your dreams. God-size your dreams. Nothing is impossible if ...

3702. The Darkness Before the Dawn

John 13:18-30, John 13:31-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... recognize me, do you? I am the man you painted seven years ago as the face of Christ. O God, I have fallen so low." Judas betrayed our Lord for 30 pieces of silver. At the showdown, Judas took the cash and let the credit go. Judas got what he wanted and wound up hating what he got. As the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar laments, “Poor, old Judas." One day he heard the call of Jesus. One day he believed. One day he saw the miracles. One day he traveled two by two with others proclaiming the gospel. Once ...

3703. Building a Lasting Legacy

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... who put this moment together, and for hundreds and hundreds of lay people who have made this day possible. Once to every man and nation, comes a moment to decide. Today is a decision day for this congregation and I pray that God himself will be our guide. When Jesus wanted to drive home a truth, he told a story. The stories that Jesus told were right out of life. Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the birds of the air. A farmer went forth to sow a crop. A merchant made a sale. So, it should come as ...

3704. Finding Our Place In All Creation

Job 38:1-18

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... received an e-mail from someone they did not know, condemning the action they prayerfully decided to take. In his tears my son, who is a pastor himself, looked me in the eye and said, “Dad, may the Lord deliver me from the Christians." We lose perspective sometimes because we want to give simple answers to the pain of life. What do you do when perspective is lost? How do we regain it? I am not sure that I have an easy answer for you. That is not what the Book of Job is all about. There are a couple of ...

3705. A Very Present Help

Psalm 46:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... patriotic, wage-earning American citizen. But, Friday he was full of fear. “Dr. Olds,” he said, “Would you tell your people not to hate my people? Someone pulled a knife on my brother at school today.” When we give in to hate we do exactly what the terrorist want us to do. Asad said, “I love this country. This is my land; I’m a part of all that is happening here. Don’t let the enemy win by separating us one from another.” For Asad I say to you today, my friends, whatever your anger, whatever ...

3706. What Would Jesus Say About Medical Care?

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... people is that all the knowledge we need is already available. We are just trying to figure it out and when people come in we want to use the gifts that we have been given because all of our knowledge as healers is from God. We are not the people who heal ... two parts are sick. The key is to have the spiritual connections. As you said, we are whole, we are not just fragmented parts.” We want to talk a lot more about this in a few days. Thank you Mark. There is a Balm in Gilead that makes the wounded whole. ...

3707. What Would Jesus Say About War?

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... each of us must decide what we believe. Historically, religious people have held various views of war and peace. For many of you today this is old news, but I share it as a history lesson to provide a foundation for a call to prayer that I want to make in this service. Historically, moral people have looked at war in varieties of ways. There has historically been what is called a Holy War Tradition. It is the belief that God uses war to accomplish His will. Deuteronomy 20 contains the children of Israel’s ...

3708. Singing With the Saints of Glory

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . If you have a problem with people getting too happy and expressive in church then you are going to be miserable in heaven. Maybe you want to reconsider going. How are you going to feel when everybody is singing and you have a frown on your face? In heaven the rejoicing is ... . Order our ways in wise administration. But as for me, I’ll take my old accustomed place, near the door of a local church. I want to be near enough to God to know him and know that he is there, but not so far away from people as not to ...

3709. Can the Rich Be Saved?

Mark 10:17-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... much judgment on any of us. This is a rich young ruler who is respectable and religious. He is rich! My favorite TV show is Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Thank God for the Game Show Network; I can still find it on TV. Do you know what I like about ‘Millionaire’? ... I know that if somehow I could just get on that show I could succeed and I could be a millionaire, also. Who doesn’t want to be a millionaire? Not only is he rich, but he is young. Oh, to be young again. We were keeping our grandson a couple ...

3710. Lost and Found

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... lost. A coin is misplaced. A boy runs away from home. The Bible never gets more personal than here in Luke 15. So I want to spend a couple of weeks bringing these parables to life, to speak to us in the depths of our lives and to help ... boys were teenagers, going out into the night, we regularly sent them off with these words: “We’ll leave the light on for you.” We wanted them to find their way home. Maybe it’s time the Church turned up the lights. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a ...

3711. News Too Good To Tell

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . Sinai, God gave Moses the Law and his face shined brightly, so bright that people were afraid. At Mt. Carmel, Elijah exposed the priests of Baal when God consumed a soaking wet sacrifice and thousands of people came to believe. From Sabbath School Jesus knew that when you want to meet God face-to-face, to feel His power and know His grace, you go up the mountain to pray. And He went up a mountain to pray. Jesus is facing a critical decision. If you make this Son of God truly human, he is trying to decide ...

3712. Making Sure Our Robes Are Washed

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... these people in white robes? II. THEY ARE THOSE WHO HAVE WASHED THEIR ROBES IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB. The metaphor is an oxymoron. It is an incongruent statement that sounds nice, but makes no sense, like jumbo shrimp, down escalators, United Methodists. If you want to wash something, use water, soap, detergent. Blood stained things are red not white, so much for logic. We used to sing, Are you washed in the blood, in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow ...

3713. The Holy Spirit and You

John 14:15-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... them be afraid." Why not let the Holy Spirit start you on that journey today? God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, wants to lead you and guide you and stand with you toward that inner oneness that comes when he fills us with Himself. The ... appoint a lawyer to represent you and I'll choose a real good one." “I appreciate that, Judge," replied the man, “but if you really want to help me, what I need most is not a real good lawyer, but several good witnesses." An advocate is all of the above. An ...

3714. The Power of a Personal Commitment

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... can tell you that one way to do that is transfer some of your completed Fulfill the Vision Pledge to the General Fund. If some of you want to talk, I will be more than happy to do that. It is not raising budgets; it is being faithful to God. Until God has gotten ... in my office a few weeks ago who was getting ready to join the church and we were talking about serving and he said, “I want to be a parking attendant.” A couple of Sundays ago as he departed the church, he shook my hand and said “I’m sorry ...

3715. From Hunger to Satisfaction

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties." Now what is going on here? Why is it that Mark takes the time to point out this particular piece of this story? I want to break the groups down a little further. How many times a week does your family sit down at the table for a meal at your house? A happy meal is more than a hamburger and super-sized fries at McDonalds. Is there something that happens in community that's ...

3716. The Road Home

Luke 2:1-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... and frightened to be in the presence of a celebrity, the hitch-hiker shouted: “Man do you know who you are? That's what I want to ask you. Do you know who you are? Some would have us believe we are where we came from! “So Joseph went up ... -7). Some of us have heard that so many times we are numbed to its meaning. Our three-year-old granddaughter called us the other night. She wanted to sing us a song. This is what she sang: Jesus loves me, this I know, For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong ...

3717. The Compassionate Christ

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... creates a problem for Jesus. ...“He can no longer go in and out of town freely. So he stays outside in the lonely places" (Verse 45). Jesus has no desire to be a superstar. He isn't looking for coverage on the evening news. He doesn't want to announce His healing powers across the globe, so He retreats to the “lonely places" to restore His soul. With all the disasters striking our world over the last year, people are beginning to talk about “compassion fatigue." Is it just too much? Now that the world ...

3718. The Exalted Christ

Mark 9: 2-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . ‘What about you?' ‘Who do you say I am?' Peter has his finest hour. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Followers are not sheep too dumb to have an opinion. Followers are not “yes people" who tell the leader only what he or she wants to hear. Followers speak the truth in love. C. TEACHABLE SPIRIT John 16:13 says, “The Holy Spirit will teach you all things." There are some things we did not learn in kindergarten. People who know it all may not be as smart as they think they are ...

3719. Habakkuk: The Problem of Evil

Habakkuk 1:1-4

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... that place of quiet rest will we find new life. We can be prayerful. Chapter 3 is Habakkuk's prayer. I got an interesting note from one of our members this week. She said, “When trouble comes at BUMC, we are used to doing something to make it better. We want to fix a meal, offer some transportation, cut the grass, or at least hold a meeting to discuss the situation. When we asked how to help you through this illness, you said boldly, ‘Don't do anything but pray.' I am not sure we know how to do that ...

3720. From Laziness to Passion

Psalm 51:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... use an "extreme spiritual makeover" instead of a little churchy touch up, let us consider together the sins of Christians. The one I want to tackle tonight is ACEDIA. I. ACEDIA IS SLOTH, APATHY, LAZINESS. There is a mammal about two feet long that we call a ... To this Christ who says "Take up your cross and get in line behind me?" To this Christ who dares to say, when James and John want a promotion in the system, 'How about it guys? Are you able to drink from the cup that I am about to drink?' When we wonder ...

3721. Love

John 15:9-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... dark, you asked God to show you one good person and it was that night you saw Jesus in a dream and felt loved. When you heard me say in a sermon a few weeks ago that “Jesus loves me, this I know," you were reminded of that dream. You want to know that love and have others understand that love. Well, let me say to you and hundreds of others like you, God is love. God does love you. God can heal our wounded hearts. You can abide in love. II. Love That Has Been Experienced Naturally Becomes an Expression ...

3722. In Prayer’s Way

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... key that I had already been given. Once I inserted my key into a slot in the elevator panel, it would take me where I wanted to go. I already possessed the key to open the doorway to my floor. I just didn’t know it. You already have the key ... to break the chain and give him what I had never really had — a father.” Clapton had been raised by his grandparents, and he didn’t want his son Conor to have the absent father that he grew up with. In rehab, Clapton came to a point where he knew he could not do ...

3723. Honoring God in a Pluralistic Society

Matthew 22:37-40

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... high esteem, to be devoted to, to give your all to. God desires that from his children. Whoever has your heart has you. God is the deepest desire of our hearts. I remember in seminary during the late 1960's listening to a visiting professor advise us want-to-be pastors to think long and hard about devoting our lives to the local church. Devote yourself to teaching, to counseling, to urban renewal. The local church will die in your lifetime and you will be left hugging a corpse, he said prophetically. I am ...

3724. The Resurrection and Life

John 11:32-44

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... tomb sat up. The dead man came out. Jesus said, “Take off his grave clothes and let him go" (verse 44). He speaks and listening to his voice, new life the dead receive. The mournful broken hearts rejoice; the humble poor believe. The most important thing I want you to get out of this sermon is this one sentence. If we give God time, he usually does something bigger than what we could have imagined making even fairy tales seem trite and boring. This is the fifth Sunday of Lent, a day of searching our souls ...

3725. Work, For the Night Is Coming

John 9:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Why do bad things happen to good people? Why doesn't somebody come to help us? How could this happen in the U.S.A.? Where is God when it hurts? It's been another unbelievable week of questions in the light of human tragedy. While our inquiring minds want concrete answers, we gather for worship knowing full well that we must live the questions. So on our way to Holy Communion, let me ask two questions that seem to be on everybody's mind. I. WHY DO PEOPLE SUFFER? I picked the Scripture for today long before ...

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