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 4451 to 4475 of 5000 results

4451. Reformation Sunday

Jeremiah 32:1-44, Romans 3:21-31, John 8:31-41

Sermon Aid

... what I was supposed to see in the cemetery, and I discovered that Roman Catholic cemeteries in Italy are planned so as to continue the evidence of the hope of resurrection held to by the early Christians. But I didn't know exactly what it was he wanted me to see at il Jesu. Taken there by another professor, I saw the tomb of Ignatius Loyola with its bas relief depiction of Loyola in the pulpit pointing at a group of people. The caption read, "Loyola condemning Luther, Calvin, and the other heretics to hell ...

4452. Thanksgiving Day

Deuteronomy 8:1-20, Philippians 4:2-9, Philippians 4:10-20, 1 Timothy 2:1-15, Luke 17:11-19

Sermon Aid

... them to live out the sacrificial faith of the cross in their daily lives, as he has, to complete their mission in the world. God will be with them in every situation they encounter. He declares: "I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in him who strengthens me." As a good Jew, too, who is grateful for their support of his ministry, Paul assures them, "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our ...

4453. The Singer and the Siren

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

... and David became ill and died. God was greatly displeased at what David had done. He had committed adultery. He had sent an innocent man to his death. Like any ancient oriental satrap, he had worshiped power, and what power can do, in order to get what he wanted. What does this sordid tale mean to us? One thing it means to me is that the Bible is unflinching in its honesty. Even the great men and women of the Bible are portrayed with all their flaws, all their warts, and all their sins clearly showing. Like ...

4454. Your Family Tree

Isaiah 11:1

Children's Sermon

... alike because each of our families is different. Each family has a unique story to tell. But notice also that all of these branches come from the same tree, the same root. That tree and that root is Jesus. He made us all part of the same family because He wants us to love each other as brothers and sisters, to live together as children of God. So, maybe you could ask someone at home to help you draw a family tree. But before you are done, remember to put at the root of your family tree the most important ...

4455. The Girl Who Was Too Smart to Learn

Luke 2:25

Children's Sermon

... Let me do something else." The little girl was too smart to learn ... or, I should say, she thought she was too smart to learn. As soon as she knew a little bit about something, she figured she "knew it all" and had nothing else to learn. She didn’t want to keep growing. She was content to stay where she was. By contrast, the Bible tells us about someone named Simeon who never stopped learning and growing. Simeon was an old man when Jesus was born; but he wasn’t too old to see something new in life. He ...

4456. Passion Sunday

Matthew 26:14–27:66

Bulletin Aid

... to develop it around meditation. Give yourself at least thirty minutes. Here are the steps of meditation: 1. Place yourself in the presence of God. 2. Offer an invocation prayer. 3. Read the biblical passage until you know it well. Read it from several translations. For this Sunday, you may want to pick: Matthew 26:30-35, 69-75; Mark 14:27-31, 66-72; Luke 22:31-34, 55-62 and John 13:36-38; 18:25-27 4. Visualize the passage, or in worship, act it out. 5. Enter the picture yourself. Be Peter. 6. Pray on the ...

4457. Ascension Sunday

Matthew 28:16-20, Luke 24:50-53

Sermon Aid

... almost drowned. When the man got his breath back enough to speak, the holy man asked what he wished for most when he thought he were drowning. "Air, of course, only air!" "Exactly," replied the holy man, "and when you want God as much as you then wanted air, you'll discover God, but not before." In your explanation, avoid the legalism, and concentrate on one's commitment. (author unknown) Proclamation of the Word Consider these ideas: Into all the world ... I. Sometimes, we think of this only geographically ...

4458. Proper 4

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon Aid

... by which they can build their lives on a solid foundation. Proclamation of the Word Consider this: Develop the message around the theme, "Getting the God We Deserve." We make our own idols every day; and we build them on rock or sand. You may want to incorporate these examples: 1. A woman wanted a ticket to one of the N.B.A. playoff games, and couldn't get one. She said, "I'll do anything for two tickets - and I mean anything!" 2. The Saturday Review several years ago told of a postal worker by the name of ...

4459. Proper 9

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon Aid

... to pray following the silence. Then to introduce the assurance, you may choose to use Scott Peck's idea of love, which is to stop rescuing others and begin nurturing them so growth can take place. Perhaps you will want to ask the congregation to share how it does this. You may want to ask two or three people to be prepared to do this. (Although I have previously suggested this idea, there is no harm in repeating it, especially when so many members miss worship each week.) Message with the Children of All ...

4460. Proper 11

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon Aid

... in God." We demand, "Root out the evil now!" "Let the two grow together," Christ inserts. Perhaps you will find this outline useful: I. The nearness of the Kingdom. II. The cost of the Kingdom. III. The desirability of the Kingdom. Stewardship Challenge Consider this: You may want to incorporate these two quotes. 1. "Of what use is eternity to a person who does not know how to spend the next half-hour? Or to a person who can kiss away a $200 bill for costume jewelry?" (source unknown) 2. "Now that it's all ...

4461. Proper 17

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon Aid

... you who came today may wish that you hadn't; Some who didn't come today may be glad they didn't. Today, we deal with one of Jesus' difficult sayings. We can know that God promises Holy Spirit, no matter what's happening in our lives." You may want to include this litany: Pastor: From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the Lord's name is to be praised and praised. Ministers: Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore. (my translation) Acts of Confession Suggestion ...

4462. Proper 20

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon Aid

... Welcome to God's celebration with Christ's family, bound together by the Holy Spirit. When worship is truly corporate, it is a celebration of the wholeness of life. I invite you to bring your whole being for renewal and refreshment and recommitment today." You may want to continue with this litany: Pastor: Welcome to the celebration of life in Jesus Christ. Ministers: This is our (you fill in the word) response to Christ. Pastor: I invite us to listen with our ears, to see with our eyes, to be open with our ...

4463. Proper 22

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

... the congregation to pray: "Lord Christ, you know us both as we are and as we can be. You know what's beneath the surface of our exterior masks of adequacy and pretention. You know how we manipulate words, situations, and people to accomplish what we want when we want it. "Forgive the misuse of our intellect and our will to thwart your plan and purpose. Our self-centeredness is so subtle. "Reach deeply into our inner nature and reorient us around a dominant desire to know your will and do it. Show us again ...

4464. Pentecost 27

Matthew 24:1-35

Sermon Aid

... One pastor began this way: "We are here to celebrate the presence and power of God; we prefer to celebrate God's comforting; we also, however, celebrate God's confronting. We can't have one without the other. We can't have the crown without the cross." You may want to continue with this litany between pastor and ministers: Pastor: You have heard it said that God is dead, or at least, absent. I say to you that God is living and is here. Ministers: Praise be to the living God. Pastor: God is here! Do you hear ...

4465. Christ the King

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon Aid

... this: Introduce the confession with this statement by Nicholas Berdyaev: "Bread [and water] for myself is a material question: but bread [and water] for my brother [sister] is a spiritual question." (source unknown) You may want to continue with Georgia Harkness' poem, "I Listen to the Agony of God," or you may want to use the following litany between pastor and ministers: Pastor: This day, in all the world, for every one well-fed, with fresh water, there are others who are hungry and thirsty. We are fed ...

4466. The Most Beautiful Sacrifice

Mark 14:1-11

Drama

... occurred before Jesus’ death. WOMAN: It is almost that time of year again. The Passover, it’s coming, you know. But I suppose that doesn’t mean as much to you Gentiles as to us Jews, does it? Of course not. But that’s not important; because I want to tell you about one special Passover I remember. One that will never be forgotten. (Pause) Oh, I must remember that I set this aside (the flask). It’s important to my story. But before I tell you my story about what happened on that one Passover long ...

4467. Christ Our High Priest

John 18:28-40, Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

... correct each other and to remind us that the Atonement is essentially a mystery, that no one theory can exhaust its meaning. When your pictures of the Cross are developed, there will probably be one that you will want to enlarge, mount, and hang on your wall. I should think that you will want to consider the one that takes very seriously the problem of evil in the world, that sees evil as something so involved that God’s intervention is necessary, for humankind is not able to extricate itself without help ...

4468. When Old Nick Met Nicodemus

Drama

... have wept out in repentance for my failure. But it is too late! Nicodemus (Taking Joseph by the shoulder) Joseph, I have something I want to share with you. Something I have just discovered in the Scripture. I don’t need to remind you how we have had ... you about it! Nick Do you suppose ... (Pauses) Perhaps ... Well, do you think ... I know it would make my Annie happy ... if ... Jim Do you want to go with me? Nick Do you suppose they’d let the likes of me in? Jim Why, of course they would! They’d love ...

4469. BROTHERS

Drama

... what I looked like a week ago! [Touches his robe] I didn’t have any clothes, or food; no place to stay. All I wanted to do was clean out his stables. And he told me I’m going to manage the livestock with you. Brother: [Reacts physically to ... out of line. Brother: No promises; just action this time. Prodigal: [Very firm] There won’t be any! [Drinks] You watch me, all you want; as long as you want. Maybe I can’t be different than what I am and maybe I can’t be like you - but I will be different ...

4470. Turn Out the Lights! The Party's Over!

Daniel 5:1-31

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... brought it to an end." "Tekel, " which literally means, "weighed." "You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting." "Parsin," meaning literally "divided." The plural is Peres. "Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians ... at the top of your priority list? The word "tekel" means that each of us has been weighed on the scales of divine justice and found wanting. Sin is high treason in the sight of a righteous, holy God. Romans 3:23 tells us that "...all have sinned and fall short of the ...

4471. This God’s For Real!

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

... of it? Couldn’t we just put the whole idea of God into mothballs? Haven’t most people by now? If there is God, he hasn’t shown his face enough to keep us thinking of him, has he? Wouldn’t - shouldn’t - he keep a high profile if he wanted us to know he is for real? In spite of the fact that secularity seems to be taking over in America the way it did some years ago in Europe, surveys still turn up the same conclusions: People by an overwhelming number, even in the high-technology countries, on both ...

4472. It’s How It Ends That Matters

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

... what Christianity made bold to promise people, and he’d struggled long and hard, with heart and soul and intellect, to come to a conclusion as to whether there could be a god at all. After all was said and done, he came to the conclusion that he didn’t want to make an affirmation in a god of any sort. He was not without a roadmap nor an invitation. He was simply not prepared to make the trip. Not everybody will show up at a reunion to which he has been invited. The tragedy, of course, is that such ...

4473. Repent Your Way To A Merry Christmas

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Brett Blair

... condense all I feel about life and love into a few precious words what would I say? I would have no time for trivia. I would not be concerned about economics, politics, the weather, the size of house or the type of car. At such a time I would want to dwell on the profundities, on what life was all about and what things were absolutely essential. John in the desert was in the great tradition of the Hebrew prophets. He was aware that time was running out. In his burning message he had no time for peripheral ...

4474. "Sneak Up On ‘Em!"

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... were three vegetables on the menu from which to choose. The waitress said to them, "Just tell me which one of the three you don’t want, it will be a lot easier that way." One fellow said, "I don’t want any rutabagas," but rutabagas weren’t even on the menu. She said, "Look, mister, you can’t not want something we haven’t got, you’ve gotta not want something we have!" Paul started where his hearers were. Jesus told us to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." We manage the "harmless as ...

4475. The Lacking Christian?

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

... KJV). When God’s hour comes (John 2:4), he will help and help mightily. God usually makes use of available means when removing want. Christ, in our text, used what was at hand, barley loaves and fishes, in a miraculous manner. On other occasions he did likewise: ... us (1 Peter 5:7), we shall have no cares. If we acknowledge Jesus as our Shepherd, we can trustfully say, "I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1). If our health is failing or our loved ones are nearing journey’s end, we can send a messenger to Jesus ( ...

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