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 3901 to 3925 of 4962 results

3901. Ghosts - 1951

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Kent Moorehead

The key idea that unlocks the haunting theme of Henrik Ibsen’s undying drama, Ghosts, is succinctly stated by Mrs. Alving when she exclaims: Ghosts! When I heard Regina and Oswald in there, I seemed to see ghosts before me. I almost think we’re all of us ghosts, Pastor Manders. It’s not only what we have inherited from our father and mother that "walks" in us. It’s all sorts of dead ideas, and lifeless old beliefs, and so forth. They have no vitality, but they cling to us just the same, and we can’t get ...

3902. Even The Bosses Wash Feet!

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

About two years ago Michael Jordon, the world's greatest basketball player, announced his retirement. Later he repented and returned to the hardwood. But at the time of his retirement the owner of his Chicago Bulls team said this: "Michael is living the American dream. This American Dream is to reach a point in your life where you don't have to do anything you don't want to do and can do everything you do want to do." That is the American Dream, isn't it? Even we Christians yearn for a situation in which ...

3903. The Family Was God’s Idea

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

Currently J. Benton and Faye French Tulley Professor of Pastoral Psychology, San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Anselmo, California, and the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, EDWARD V. STEIN has been contributing books and articles to the field of pastoral care for a number of years, especially in the area of guilt formation and therapy. He has also engaged in considerable post-doctoral training in family therapy. The family in our day and time - ambiguous and needed, imperfect and hopeful, ...

3904. Neighbors Who Never Met

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Brett Blair

What parable would make a man with three doctoral degrees (one in medicine, one in theology, one in philosophy) leave civilization with all of its culture and amenities and depart for the jungles of darkest Africa? What parable could induce a man, who was recognized as one of the best concert organists in all of Europe, go to a place where there were no organs to play. What parable would so intensely motivate a man that he would give up a teaching position in Vienna, Austria to go and deal with people who ...

3905. All I Want for Christmas is Hope

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

James W. Moore

A friend of mine who is a psychologist told me once that he has found the perfect formula for getting through Christmas. He says, “You just put your mind in neutral... and go where you are shoved!” Of course, he was just kidding around... but we know full well what he was talking about. The Christmas rush, the hectic pace, the heavy traffic, the long lines, the frayed nerves, the bills, the deadlines, the pressures... all combine to cause some people to give up and give in and just stonewall through the ...

3906. Ready or Not, Here He Comes!

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

John is an amazing character, isn't he? Not what we would expect as we come up to Christmas. What if, riding atop the last float of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, there was not jolly old Saint Nick, but a wild-eyed John the Baptist dressed in a glorified burlap sack? Even the perpetually perky Katie Couric would wince as she offers parade commentary from her reviewing stand, not quite sure what to say. But this is not mid-town Manhattan and this is no Macy's extravaganza. It has been something of a ...

3907. Whatever Became of Sin?

Romans 6:23

Sermon

Lowell D. Streiker

On a sunny day in September, 1972, a stern-face, plainly dressed man could be seen standing still on a street corner in the busy Chicago Loop. As pedestrians hurried by on their way to lunch or business, he would solemnly lift his right arm, and pointing to the person nearest him, intone loudly the single word "GUILTY!" Then, without any change of expression, he would resume his stiff stance for a few moments before repeating the gesture. Then, again, the inexorable raising of the arm, the pointing, and ...

3908. A Message For Big Bird

John 11:17-37

Sermon

King Duncan

In the summer of 1981, Will Lee, the actor who played an adult character named Mr. Hooper on the children's television show SESAME STREET, died. This posed a difficult set of issues for The Children's Television Workshop, producers of the show. Should they deal at all with the subject of death? If so, how would they explain it to their 10 million viewers, most of whom are under the age of six? A staff writer describes it this way: "We asked ourselves: What do we want the kids to know? What can they absorb ...

3909. Nothing Is Impossible With God

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

In January of 2002, a hospital in London, England, mistakenly sent letters to over 30 unsuspecting patients informing them that they were pregnant. The hospital's computer system, which normally is used to send form letters telling people that their operations have been postponed, was in the hands of a clerical worker who hit the wrong key. And so, instead of informing patients about a rescheduled procedure, the computer sent identical form letters telling the recipients that they were "great with child." ...

3910. Who Are Those Strangers In White Robes?

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

A couple of years back a movie came out that had phones ringing all over this nation. The movie was "Bruce Almighty." And the reason phones were ringing was that, for the first time, Hollywood published God's phone number. In the movie, a TV newsman played by Jim Carrey is endowed by God with divine powers, allowing him to perform such feats as parting a bowl of tomato soup like the Red Sea. God's phone number is repeatedly displayed on Carrey's pager whenever the Lord tries to summon him. Usually, movies ...

3911. Swords Into Plowshares

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

One Sunday after church, a mother was talking to her young daughter. She told her daughter that, according to the Bible, Jesus will return to earth some day. "When is he coming back?" the daughter asked. "I don't know," replied the mother. "Can't you look it up on the Internet?" the little girl asked. (1) Well, you can find lots of interesting things on the Internet, but to read an authoritative source about the return of Christ, you will need to turn elsewhere. Eight hundreds years before Christ, the ...

3912. Jesus and the Baptists

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

A little girl who normally attended another Sunday School happened to attend a Methodist Sunday School one week-end, while visiting her grandmother. In the course of the morning she heard a number of things she wasn’t quite sure about, but when the teacher said that Jesus was a Jew she responded, “Maybe Jesus was a Jew, but God is a Baptist!” Of course, God isn’t a Baptist; and neither was John the Baptist, for that matter. That is why the Revised Standard Version calls him “John the Baptizer”...to avoid ...

3913. Men Like Trees Walking

Mark 8:22-26

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I am curious about people who send messages out to the world on bumper stickers. I have seen bumpers so covered with stickers that there wasn’t much bumper left. The cars usually look as though the bumper stickers might be holding the bumper itself together! I am afraid that someday I will be so busy reading the darn things that I will forget to stop and go crashing into the car ahead of me. I wonder if the policeman who arrives at the scene will accept the excuse, “But officer, I was only trying to read ...

3914. Strategic Planning

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

King Duncan

"Suppose you were on a nonstop flight to Asia,” says the motivational speaker, “and heard this announcement: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We’re traveling west across the Pacific Ocean. In a few hours, you will be able to look down and see land. When that happens, we are going to start looking for a big city with an airport. If we find one before our fuel runs out, we will land. Then we will figure out where we are and decide where we want to go next. In the meantime folks, just sit ...

3915. True Reformation

John 8:31-36

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

The key idea in this passage in the Fourth Gospel is truth. Jesus says, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." Truth has taken a beating in the past century. We have come to a supposedly post-modern era in which a lot of people think that there isn't any real truth that's true for you just as much as it's true for me. We're told that there are no grand narratives about reality that are true for everybody - just "whatever ...

3916. Under New Leadership

John 1:29-34

Sermon

King Duncan

Writer Robert Fulghum in his humorous book, Uh-Oh, tells about a neighbor of his who drives a brand-new Range Rover, a vehicle that Fulghum says “can outrun a lion and take a rhino charge head-on.” One Tuesday morning Fulghum left his house about the same time as his neighbor. The neighbor was carrying a golf bag, a gym bag, a raincoat, an umbrella, a coffee cup, a sack of garbage for the dumpster, and his briefcase. He was in a hurry. Two little pieces of toilet paper stuck to his chin from a hasty ...

3917. Holy Habits

1 Timothy 4:1-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

For better or for worse, we are creatures of habit. I learned this early when I was a newspaper delivery boy. A customer would tell me that he was going to be on vacation for a week and would not need a paper. Nevertheless, out of sheer habit, I would fling a paper up on his porch each day and then have to pay for that paper myself. Habits can be frustrating. Have you ever done this? You need to stop by the grocery store on the way home. But as you drive homeward your mind is on other things, and you drive ...

3918. Secret Revealed

Romans 16:25-27

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

At last it happens! Jesus the Christ is born of a woman and is here for all to see in flesh and blood. Paul, as is often the case, is in a celebrative mood. It is as though all of creation is pulsating with his entrance into history. Human nature has a way of enjoying secrets and naturally wants exposures to occur. We are fascinated by the possibility of something or someone being revealed. In this case it is far more than fascinating. It is thrilling beyond adequate words to depict. History seems to stop ...

3919. Every Member Matters

Hebrews 10:24-25

Sermon

James Merritt

Thinking about a body, and the various parts and organs of a body, helps us to answer two very vital questions about the church: What does it mean to be a member of a church? and Why is being a member of a church different from being a member of any other institution or organization in the world? Well you will understand why membership matters and every member matters if you will begin to see the church as a body, and the members as the vital organs. In fact, that is what we are told in Rom. 12:5,"In ...

3920. Holy Extravagance

John 12:1-8

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

In our spiritual voyages, surprises — sometimes outlandishly — come to us. We scratch our heads and wonder if what we are experiencing is fact or fiction. It may or may not be a time of inspiration. However, it may be one of instruction, as we view it in retrospect. You and I are to remember that every occurrence may very well be a teaching event. Mary's act near the time of Jesus' crucifixion is a scene mostly outside of our expectations and predictions. It catches us off guard and the same may have been ...

3921. Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief

James 2:1-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

There's an old story about two crows sitting on the handles of an old plow, on the edge of the field next to a country road. An old pick up comes bouncing down the road. The pick is just coming back from town and the bed of the truck is filled with a months worth of groceries. As it gets alongside the two crows sitting on the handles of the plow, something bounces out of the back of the truck. Crows being crows, the both fly down to see what it is. After some discussion and some tasting they decide that it ...

3922. Running with Perseverance

Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

United Methodist Bishop, Robert Schnase, tells of his hobby as a "serious runner." He reports that people often ask him how to get started on a running program. He recounts the usual practice of people trying to become serious about running. The typical start date is January 1, as part of a New Year's resolution. The resolution holds fast for the first week, with an early rise and an eager first few jogs. The problems pop up "during the second week when the alarm screams them awake at six, they tell ...

3923. In the Light of His Glory

Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. Les Parrott in his book Shoulda Coulda Woulda tells an old legend about three men. Each man carried two sacks--one sack tied in front of his neck and the other sack resting on his back. When the first man was asked what was in his sacks, he said, “In the sack on my back are all the good things friends and family have done for me. That way they’re hidden from view. In the front sack are all the bad things that have happened to me and all the mistakes I’ve made. Every now and then I stop, open the front ...

3924. Pay Attention!

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

Many people are troubled by today’s gospel. Good Christian folk are disturbed that hard-working Martha got criticized for trying to serve Jesus and wanting Mary to do her fair share. What a blow this passage is to the “Protestant” work ethic! Those who favor gender-specific roles for men and women are disturbed because the one who didn’t seem to know that her place was in the kitchen was commended while the “good housewife” was condemned. Oddly enough, some feminists are also disturbed: Martha seemed to be ...

3925. God Is Like...a Friend

2 Corinthians 5:16-20

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

It’s time for class to begin. You troop in with the rest of your classmates, you get out your notebook and pencil, and you look up front where your teacher stands ready to get started. “All right, class,” she says, “let’s review. What have we learned so far about Benjamin Franklin?” Remember those days? Some of us here this morning are still students, so this scenario is all too familiar. For most of us, though, being asked to review what we’ve learned is something that doesn’t happen much anymore. But ...

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