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 3926 to 3950 of 4962 results

3926. Mighty Faith

Matthew 17:14-23

Sermon

Herchel H. Sheets

Engineering by command! That is what Jesus’ words about faith and mountain-moving seem to suggest. He says that if one has only a tiny bit of faith, he or she can move a mountain just by telling it to move. The feats of our modern earth-moving equipment are astounding enough, but they are nothing compared to this engineering by faith! But this could create problems. Suppose a person was unhappy with the location of a certain mountain and decided to move it somewhere else. Who could guarantee that its ...

3927. Jesus and Andrew

John 1:35-42

Sermon

James W. Moore

Back in the 15th century in a tiny village near Nuremberg, Germany there lived a family with eighteen children. That’s right… eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this large family, the father (who was a goldsmith by profession) worked almost eighteen hours a day at this trade and any other paying job he could find in the neighborhood. Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of the older children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full ...

3928. Mary, Martha, and the Martha Stewart Church

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In the classic Billy Crystal movie “City Slickers,” three long time friends face middle age. In their middle-age crisis they find themselves losing their focus and in danger of losing their families. To reignite the fire in their lives the guys sign up as “cowboys,” helping a dude ranch move its herd of cattle from high in the hills down to the lower valley. “Curly,” the grizzled old cowboy who leads them, seems to be the toughest, canniest, wisest person they have ever met. Billy Crystal asks the usually ...

3929. The Sign of the Servant

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Props: on screen images of the pictographs for shepherd’s staff, ox, and yoke (both together) What do you get when you cross a shepherd’s staff and an ox? A yoke, of course! At least, that’s what you get in Paleo-Hebrew, the pictographic forerunner of the Hebrew language and image-rich metaphorical roots of the Hebrew scriptures. [Put the symbols on screen if you can. Show people the symbols for staff and ox….together they mean "yoke."] So, a Yoke is something that "guides" and "harnesses" the ox –two oxen ...

3930. Caught in the Middle

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

John N. Brittain

It has become very popular to talk about how stressed out we are because we (both individually and collectively) are caught in the middle of too many demands and stretched too thin. For some years, we have heard about the "super-mom" syndrome of trying to juggle a full professional life with the many duties of motherhood. More recently, there is a lot of talk about the increasing time demands the workplace is putting on everyone, creating conflicts not just between work and family but between work and ...

3931. Our Jealous Husband

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

These are Ten Commandments that little children know to be true: 1. When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair. 2. No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats. 3. You can't trust dogs to watch your food. 4. Never hold a dustbuster and a cat at the same time. 5. You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. 6. Puppies still have bad breath even after eating a tic-tac. 7. When your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person. 8. Don't sneeze ...

3932. Easter 5

Jn 13:31-35 · Acts 11:1-18; 13:44-52; 14:21-27 · Rev 21:1-6 · Ps 148

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Epistle: Acts 11:1-18 ; 13:33-52; 14:21-27 Peter reports the acceptance of the Gospel by the Gentiles. To understand this pericope, one needs to read chapter 10 concerning Peter's preaching to a Roman centurion and his household in Caesarea. The news of Peter's preaching to these Gentiles and their acceptance of the Gospel apparently came to the ears of Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. When Peter explained what happened, the Jewish Christians praised God for admitting Gentiles into the Kingdom. ...

3933. Life on the Roller Coaster

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Johnny Dean

The news media this past week focused a lot of attention on amusement park rides - especially roller coasters. According to their reports, several parks across the country have closed down their roller coasters pending further investigation of serious, sometimes even fatal, injuries sustained by people who were "enjoying" a ride on the roller coaster. Early reports seem to indicate that in some instances mechanical error did indeed account for the accident. But in at least one of these incidents – the one ...

3934. Jesus Meets Buddha and Confucius

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Carl Jech

It is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations ... (Luke 24:46-47) Are you familiar with the book called "The Lost Years of Jesus"? The popularity of this book - which has also inspired a movie - indicates that many people have become fascinated with the idea that Jesus went off to India before his ministry began in Palestine. One version of the story has it that Jesus appeared in ...

3935. The Cracked Crystal Ball

Jeremiah 28:1-17

Sermon

"Thus says the Lord of hosts?" (v. 2) Prayer: Lord, we know that your ways are often not our ways, and that our ways are often not your ways. Because you are wiser than we are, give us the grace to admit that we don ‘t know all the answers. Think of a crystal ball and you probably think of a fortuneteller. But today, crystal balls are not limited to fortunetellers. Economists have them. Meteorologists are said to have them. Poll takers are suspected of borrowing them. Some politicians wish they had one. ...

3936. There's No Such Thing as Too Much Sugar

Psalm 91:1-16

Sermon

David E. Leininger

The Archangel Michael. We meet him here in Revelation as commanding General of God's forces in heaven. We meet him in the book of Daniel as the guardian of the nation of Israel,(1) who, together with Gabriel, fought against the prince (the angelic patron) of Persia. Then we meet him once more in Jude 9 where we read of a strange dispute between the devil and Michael over Moses' body. We meet him today on the liturgical calendar - in some church traditions, today, September 29th, is the Feast Day of St. ...

3937. We Know Where You Came From

John 6:41-51

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever noticed that it is very difficult to escape your reputation? Once people have an image of you in their minds, it is very difficult to change their perception. Back in the 1940s, a highly popular advertising jingle for Chiquita Bananas ended with the line: "Bananas like the climate of the very, very tropical equator, so you should never put bananas in the refrigerator. No. No. No. No." We're told that the only reason the word REFRIGERATOR was mentioned in the jingle was that it rhymed with ...

3938. Are You Going Down?

Luke 2:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Many years ago there was a serious coal mining accident in the Allegheny mountains. Many miners escaped, but three men were trapped somewhere deep in the earth. No one knew if they were alive or dead. As the hours passed, intense heat and noxious gases built up within the mine itself. Two days passed before a search expedition was allowed to enter the mine. The camera teams from the local news station interviewed the three-man rescue team as they prepared to enter what could be their grave. A reporter ...

3939. Face To Face With God

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

King Duncan

H.G. Wells once told a fascinating story. It is about an Episcopalian bishop, though he could have been a cleric in any denomination. He was the kind of man who could always be counted on to provide a pious platitude. He had a favorite answer that always served him in good stead. When troubled folks came to him, he would assume his best stainedglass voice and ask, "Have you prayed about it?" If said in just the right way, no more needed to be said. The bishop himself didn't pray much. After all, his life ...

3940. Whose Servant Are You? (Part II)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Did you hear the story, from a month or so ago, about former President George Bush and the question of identity? According to one of the writers for the San Francisco Chronicle, President Bush, in his visit last month to Florida to survey the hurricane damage, evidently decided to get in a little campaigning, too. He visited a local nursing home and approached a little old lady sitting in a corner and asked, "Do you know who I am?" The woman said,"No, but if you go over to the desk, they''re usually able ...

3941. A Fragrant Offering

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A teacher sent home a report card with this notation to the parents, "Alvin excels in initiative, group integration, responsiveness, and activity participation. Now if he would only learn to read and write!" We chuckle, but there's a serious point here. We have excelled in almost everyway imaginable as human beings, except in the one way that matters most. We have not learned to love. So we come to the close of this series of sermons on "The Christian Walk". We talk about the ultimate call -- the most ...

3942. Lent 5

John 11:1-16, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 8:1-17, John 11:17-37, John 11:38-44

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Ezekiel 37:12-14 Ezekiel preaches the Word to the dry bones of Israel and they come to life. Ezekiel is a prophet to the exiles in Babylon. This Lesson comes from the section of the book that depicts a restoration of Jerusalem and its temple. He sees the Hebrews in exile as dead in hope because they are separated from the holy city and temple. God commands Ezekiel to preach to the dead bones and the Spirit brings life to the bodies. Through the preached Word, the Spirit of God ...

3943. Faith's Curious Dynamic

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

You know that old saying, "Be careful what you wish for, because it might come true"? We see examples of that again and again in life. During the war in Iraq, Hampton Sides, a journalist who had been slated to be "embedded" with one of our frontline Marine battalions, gave an interview on NRP (National Public Radio). At almost the last possible moment, Sides decided not to go with the Marines, but instead to report from Central Command in Qatar. The interviewer asked Sides when he began having doubts about ...

3944. Changed Lives - The Woman at the Well

John 4:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

One day a jet airline left Washington, D.C., with the destination of Columbia, South Carolina. On board was a counselor traveling to Columbia for a mental health conference at the University of South Carolina. The counselor was an atheist. Somewhere during the flight the pilot discovered the landing gear was stuck. That meant trouble. He turned the plane and headed for Greensboro, North Carolina. There was a facility there where mechanics on the ground could give instructions to the pilot by radio and make ...

3945. Law and Order

Nehemiah 7:73b--8:18

Sermon

James Merritt

I want to show you two pictures. The first picture is of a house [show picture]. The second picture is the family that lives in that house. [show picture]. Which is more valuable? The house or The family Which can make the greatest impact for God? The House or The Family Which is going to last for all eternity? The House or The Family Which is God more interested in building? The House or The Family Now those questions are very important as we come to the eighth chapter of Nehemiah. The people have finally ...

3946. Family Ties and Good-byes

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

Ron Lavin

If ever we needed to strengthen the institution of family, it's today. Many forces of evil are pulling the family apart. Ethical relativism, which teaches that there are no absolutes, not even God, is increasingly popular. Immorality abounds. Listening and hearing one another seems to be a lost art in many homes. Spouses often seem to be going in opposite directions. Parents and children have a hard time communicating. Many modern homes are little more than large telephone booths where arrangements are ...

3947. Whosoever Will

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Stan Purdum

Pentecost is considered the birth date of the church universal. There was also planted that day, in the preaching of the apostle Peter, an important seed — the fruit of which was almost lost at one point in the church's history. That seed was in this statement by Peter: "Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21). Actually, Peter wasn't being original with that statement. He was quoting Joel 2:32, but that ancient prophet was talking about the salvation of the people of ...

3948. When the Service was Interrupted

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

“I don’t know why I remember the episode so vividly,” writes author King Duncan. “I remember so few instances from my childhood. But this one stands out. I couldn’t have been more than five. We were members of a tiny rural church. Our hymns came from a small paperback hymnal of Gospel songs [the Upper Room hymnal]. “Worship was a bit emotional; the preacher a little loud. There was no formal liturgy. The pews were hard. There was no air conditioning. The windows were open. It was a hot summer morning. A ...

3949. Re-Gifted but not Returned

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

A few years ago the New York Times city room editor, James Barron, asked readers to recall the worst Christmas gifts they had ever received. I thought I’d share a couple with you. I’d tell you the worst Christmas gift I ever got, but I don’t, to this day, know what it was. It was a secret Santa gift from someone at a company I do consulting work for. I can’t describe it. It was something like a plastic, brown mushroom/toadstool thing, with things glued on it, in a box with clear plastic over it.... I ...

3950. Here I Am

Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Our deepest relationships are not defined by strength but by vulnerability.” --Rabbi Ari Kaiman Prop (Animation): youtube video [Show youtube video “Pass the Salt”] In the past, we laughed or sighed at the sight of a couple eating dinner with one of them reading the newspaper. It could have been a scene in the movies or an actual sighting in a restaurant—there’s always one person with a face in a newspaper, or one of them zoned out somewhere, leaving the other to dine alone in silence. Now, it’s become ...

Showing results