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 3751 to 3775 of 4962 results

3751. To Elders and Young Men

1 Peter 5:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

A Special Charge to Elders 5:1 Peter now turns to address the local church leaders, the elders among you. The term elders can indicate those senior in age (as in v. 5) or as here, senior in experience. In the nature of the case, of course, the latter meaning will often include the former. Hints of the function of elders can be gleaned from verses 2–3. Their duties include leading and pastoring church members, taking financial responsibility, and living exemplary lives that match up to Christian teaching. ...

3752. 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 ...

3753. A Faith I Could No Longer Count On

Psalm 73:1-7, 13-18

Sermon

Robert G. McCreight

Introduction The seventy-third psalm mirrors the life of faith for everyone who is honest enough to allow his or her faith to be pushed to the limit. It begins with a simple, Sunday School outlook which lifts up the clear virtue of a good God who is good to good people. We all like that sort of thing, and quickly say "Amen" to that. It doesn't take long at all for the psalmist to "grow up" and realize that the simple theology of a good God smiling on good people doesn't hold much water. Just because that's ...

3754. A Faith That Burns

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

"Conflict" is a dirty word in most churches. As Christians, we seek to avoid it at all costs and do so in the name of Christian love. We call it, "seeking the peace, unity and purity" of the church. And then Jesus comes along and says, "I have not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34)," or as Luke has it, "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!" The words send us scurrying for explanations to reduce their caustic effect. But who is this whose words intrude ...

3755. The "E" Word

John 1:35-42

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Today is EVANGELISM SUNDAY on our Presbyterian calendar. That is a relatively new emphasis for our denomination. To be sure, Presbyterians have always SAID evangelism is important, but our action (or lack of action) spoke even louder. One stuffy Presbyterian once called Dwight L. Moody to task for relying so much on emotion to win converts during his revivals. Moody's response? He admitted that his methods were not perfect, but he concluded, "I like my way of doing it better than your way of NOT doing it ...

3756. Friends

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

A moving truck loaded with furniture was parked in front of a Southern California home. A husband and wife were sweeping out the open garage when a woman from a house across the street approached with an apple pie. "Welcome to the neighborhood," she said. "I baked it myself and I want you to have it." "Really, we can't," the husband replied. "Of course you can," she ran on. "When I moved in two years ago no one welcomed me, and I want you to feel at home." She thrust the pie into the husband's hands. "Uh, ...

3757. Forgiveness: Human and Divine

Matthew 6:12-15

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

Today we are concerned about the matter of forgiveness, God''s forgiveness of us and our forgiveness of others. According to the Bible, the two go together and can never really be separated. James Knight is a Professor of Psychiatry, an Associate Dean of the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. Lately, he has been speaking and writing about some of the horrendous and overwhelming social and emotional problems people face today. He speaks from his own experience when he says, "I confess that ...

3758. My Mission from God

John 17:18

Sermon

James Merritt

We shared with you over the last several weeks just as God has a purpose for your life God has a purpose for His church. Those purposes are identical. The first purpose we learned was worship. That is how the church glorifies. The second purpose is fellowship. That is how the church gains. The third purpose is discipleship. That is how the church grows. The fourth purpose is ministry. That is how the church gives. All these purposes have something in common and that is - we will continue in some ways to ...

3759. How Odd of God

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a small poem that is often quoted in Christian Bible studies that goes like this: How odd/ Of God/ To choose/ The Jews. Jews often use the word Goyim to refer to non-Jews. And so an unknown Jew with a biting wit responded to “How odd / Of God/ To choose/ The Jews” by writing these words: “Not odd / Of God / Goyim / Annoy 'im.” I cite these little bits of creative poetry strictly in fun. Our Jewish friends are generally delightful people, and they have contributed to the advance of civilization far ...

3760. Lion of Judah

Gen 49:1-28, Judges 13-15, Matt 4:12-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

[If there is a Lions Club still functioning in your community, find out if any member of your church is a member. Then either use this moment as an interactive to talk about their club, and rituals, or you tell the story and use them to back you up so that you make sure you’re getting the story right.] So the interview might go like this . . . . or turn this into a narrative . . . or make it a personal story. How many here belong to or know someone who belongs to a local Lion’s Club . . . . . Do you have ...

3761. Yearning For A Loyal Friend

Job 6:14-30 · Matthew 26:69-75

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

Do you ever find yourself in the Bible? When you read one of the biblical stories, do you ever identify with the character or characters? Do you ever say to yourself after reading an incident, "That describes me and my situation"? Sometimes that identity can boost the ego. Sometimes it may have the opposite effect, bringing to reality some of the things about our lives that we need to correct. Every time I read the Old Testament book of Job, I have pangs of guilt because I can identify with those three ...

3762. Pass It On

John 1:43-51

Sermon

John A. Stroman

Here we see the dynamic of witness. Look at what took place. Jesus met Philip and he called him, and Philip followed Jesus. Philip was much like Andrew; he could not keep a secret. When Andrew discovered Jesus, he ran to find his brother and said to him, "Come, Peter. I have found the Messiah." So with the same manner of enthusiasm, Philip went and found his friend Nathanael. He told Nathanael that he was sure that this was the Messiah. But Nathanael was skeptical. He was probably skeptical for several ...

3763. The Wisemen

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

I hate it when Christmas is over. There's so much good music, such tasty foods, so much color and warmth. And presents! I love presents! I wish we celebrated all twelve days of Christmas. I could be dissuaded from that last enthusiasm if it meant that I would be given all the presents from that funny Christmas carol: 22 turtle doves 30 French hens 36 calling birds 40 gold rings 42 geese a'laying 42 swans a'swimming 40 maids a'milking 36 ladies dancing 30 lords a'leaping 22 pipers piping 12 drummers ...

3764. A Good Picture of Bad People

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

He also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be a steward.’ And the steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me ...

3765. The Embalmed Come Alive

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

I was amused, if a bit sadly amused, at the cartoon that I saw in an issue of The Lutheran magazine. It shows a man leaping up from his pew in the middle of a worshiping congregation. He is waving his arms in the air. His mouth is open with a shout of joy and glee. And beside him, his wife is frantically trying to pull him back into his seat, and she is saying: "Okay, so you feel the Spirit, but not here in this Worship Service." That’s about the way it is with us, isn’t it, the main line denominations ...

3766. When God Is Gone

Job 23:1--24:25

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Job. Fascinating character. Fascinating story. Scholars tell us it is one of the oldest in scripture. And it wrestles with one of the oldest questions encountered by people of faith: WHY? Why me? Why my kids? Why my marriage? Why six-million Jews in the Holocaust? Why 17 US sailors in Yemen this week? Or even those poignant words of Jesus from the cross, "My God, my God, WHY have you forsaken me?" Not to bore you Bible scholars, but for the benefit of those who missed that day in Sunday School, the book of ...

3767. The Apostles Creed: "The Holy Catholic Churc"

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Back to basics. We continue our studies in the Apostles' Creed. We have stretched from the sublime, soaring through the heights of creation with Almighty God; we have seen humanity at its best in the life and ministry of Jesus; we have seen a love that reaches down to the very depths of Hell; we have joyously experienced resurrection, Christ's ascension to glory, and his commitment to work justice in this unjust world. We have been reminded of God's continuous action in our lives through the presence of ...

3768. Would a Loving God Really Let Anyone Go to Hell?

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Before I read the scripture, let me make a few introductory remarks. I read somewhere recently that one of the problems with the modern pulpit is that ministers are afraid to preach what they believe. They have been thoroughly educated in current Biblical interpretation and Christian doctrine, but then they get into their churches and learn very quickly that, if they take their learning seriously and preach and teach accordingly, they get into a peck of trouble. Stay away from controversial subjects. Do ...

3769. Victory on a Broken Knee

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Once there was a man who acquired a claim to a gold field in California. The claim was in a lonely spot in the mountains. When the man started to dig for gold, he found evidence that much work had been done on the claim a long while before. Far into the excavation he found an old rusted pick, its handle rotted off but its point sticking firmly in the rocky soil. He went to work and, to his amazement, just a few feet beyond where he had found the pick he came upon a rich vein of gold. Later he would learn ...

3770. A Time To Remember - Memorial Day

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Memory is a tricky thing. Particularly as we get older. You may know the story about three women who were talking. The first said, "Sometimes I go to the refrigerator and forget what I need by the time I get there." The second woman said, "When I go upstairs, I can't remember whether I'm going up for something or I'm on my way back down." The third woman said, "I'm lucky, I guess (knocking on wood), I don't have that problem. Oh, there's someone at the door." One of our older comedians says he can always ...

3771. Sons And Daughters Of God

Romans 8:18-27, Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever done anything really foolish? I mean, something so stupid that years later you still cringe when you think about it. Dr. James Dobson tells of a friend of his during their days in medical school. One day this man was walking across campus laden with books and briefcase. He passed by a fast food stand, and ordered something to eat and a milkshake to wash it down. He balanced it all on top of his briefcase and began looking for an empty table at which to sit. While looking, the milkshake got ...

3772. Bacon Grease And Abounding Grace

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

King Duncan

A certain young woman was nervous about meeting her boyfriend's parents for the first time. As she checked out her appearance one last time, she noticed that her shoes looked dingy. So she gave them a fast swipe with the paper towel she had used to blot the bacon she had for breakfast. Arriving at the impressive home, she was greeted by the parents and their much-beloved, but rotten-tempered, poodle. The dog got a whiff of the bacon grease on the young woman's shoes and followed her around all evening. At ...

3773. Angels in the Wilderness

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

As soon as Jesus was told that He was the Son of God at His baptism, Mark says that “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan.” (1:12-13) A strange and rather inauspicious way to begin one’s ministry! And what about this “Satan” business? Dr. David Read of New York tells of the old Scottish lady who remarked about her minister: “It’s such a comfort to have a preacher who believes in a personal devil.” But I thought that our ...

3774. From Hurting to Helping

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

Two psychiatrists were at a convention. "What was your most difficult case?" one asked the other. "Once I had a patient who lived in a pure fantasy world," replied his colleague. "He believed that a wildly rich uncle in South America was going to leave him a fortune. All day long he waited for a make-believe letter to arrive from a fictitious attorney. He never went out or did anything. He just sat around and waited." "What was the result?" asked the first psychiatrist. "It was an eight-year struggle," ...

3775. In the Darkness of Anxiety, There Is the Light of Peace

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

On a recent Sunday night, my wife and I went to a nearby church for their “Bethlehem Walk.” Each year, they re-create the town of Bethlehem with shops, sheep, Roman soldiers, a prophet crying out in the street who looked, strangely enough, like the pastor of the church, and a young couple with a new baby out in an animal shed. We arrived early so we would not have to wait in line long. That probably does not make sense, since we were in line long, but not a long line being at the front of it. As we stood ...

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