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 4751 to 4775 of 4962 results

4751. Now Try Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Two famous movie stars died this past week: Robert Mitchum, then four days later, Jimmy Stewart. Mitchum was a big name in the movies, a superstar, and extraordinarily productive. He must have made over 200 movies. In one year, I think it was 1944, he made eighteen movies. But Jimmy Stewart was a different kind of actor. Jimmy Stewart was in the pantheon that is reserved for those we lift up to be icons, mythical figures who represent what we believe in, and who act out on the screen the way we would like ...

4752. Now What Do We Do?

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Mark Trotter

4753. The Bridge over Troubled Water

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

James W. Moore

On Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed with devastating and amazing force into the Gulf Coast just east of New Orleans, Louisiana. With screaming, shrieking 175 MPH winds, Katrina smashed ashore and… - destroyed houses and buildings, - turned over cars, trucks and boats, - swamped Mississippi’s beachfront, - blew out windows in hospitals, hotels and high-rises in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, - submerged entire neighborhoods up to their roof-tops in flood water, - separated families ...

4754. Anyone Feeling Tired?

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Our lesson for today contains a verse that many of us need to take to heart. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus is describing many of us. He knows our situation. Tired. Stressed out. Battling fatigue. Our nerves on edge. We’re like an old Peanuts comic strip. It shows Linus holding on to his familiar blanket. The caption reads, “Only one yard of flannel stands between me and a nervous breakdown.” Some of you know what Linus is talking about. A ...

4755. The Key That Unlocks the Door to Spiritual Power

Mark 14:36

Sermon

James Merritt

One of my heroes is Winston Churchill. In my opinion, he was one of the two or three greatest men of the Twentieth Century. When he arose on June 18, 1940, to speak to the House of Commons, he must have felt as if the weight of the whole world was upon his shoulders. It looked as if Britain was to stand alone against the German Juggernaut that had crushed Poland, Denmark, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, The Nether-lands, and now France. The morale of the nation was at all time low. The fate of the free world hung ...

4756. Taking the Long View

2 Peter 3:8-15a

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

So much seems to press upon us in our daily living that "taking the long view" may not only be remote but considered impractical and therefore shelved. A thousand years equals one day and one day equals 1,000 years. It all sounds so mystical and unscientific! Do you mean we have to rethink being captains of our own ships? That is so basic to the American way and you are suggesting we give it up? After all, we can accomplish anything we set out to do — that is if we just try hard enough. Planning is done ...

4757. Just Showing Up Doesn't Get the Job Done

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Eight words that can change your life. Cowboy culture is still dominated by the larger-than-life image projected by the greatest cowboy-actor of them all, John Wayne. The rough-and-tumble, heart-of-gold, good-guy character John Wayne perfected on-screen never failed to embody the qualities of honor, loyalty, bravery and commitment. John Wayne's cowboys didn't just look good. They were good. In the classic, "Rio Bravo," Wayne's character summed up the essence of his cowboy philosophy by declaring to a less- ...

4758. The Most Stubborn Man in the Bible

Jonah 3:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

A Sunday school teacher was proud of her lesson for the day. She thought she had presented the material quite nicely. Summing up, she asked the class, “And what do we learn from the story of Jonah and the big fish?” Eight-year-old Suzy thought for a moment and answered, “Always travel by air.” Well, I hope that’s not the only thing we learn from the story of Jonah. Most of you know at least part of the story of the prophet Jonah. It is one of the most colorful and memorable stories in the Hebrew Bible. ...

4759. Living in The Spirit of Generosity

2 Corinthians 9:6-12, Galatians 5:22-25

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Did you know that at one time generosity was illegal in Santa Cruz, California? That's right. It was illegal for someone to put money in other people's parking meters without their permission. The practice called "plugging coins" was considered an illegal act by Santa Cruz municipal code. The fine for a parking violation was $12.00. The penalty "plugging" thirteen dollar. Mr. Twister whose real name is Cory McDonald, is a professional clown and balloon twister, who has spared many car owners in Santa Cruz ...

4760. Wednesday: The Way Of The Cross: Oooh, That Smell

John 12:1-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A little girl hugged her grandmother and said, "Mmmmm! You smell so wonderful, Grandmother! Is that Oil of Old Lady?" (1) Have you ever noticed how a particular smell or aroma can bring back memories. You smell something and before you know it your mind has taken you back to when you were a child. There's one aroma that immediately brings me back to boyhood and that's the aroma of chicken frying. I'm not talking about KFC or Chicken Express. I'm talking about hand battered skillet fried chicken. Because we ...

4761. When Did This Start? — Part 2

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

This is the second of a little two-part series on the beginnings of the gospel about Jesus from perspectives of the not-so-usual Christmas gospels of Mark and John. The idea of using such passages, apart from the fact that they appear in the suggested lectionary passages to be read on these Sundays, is to jar us a little bit out of our comfortable, acculturated vision of the season leading up to Christmas as a season entirely of warm cozy fireplaces, Christmas trees, and jingle bells, and to remind us that ...

4762. Waiting for a Savior

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

Margaret was all ready for her date. She was wearing her best outfit, her hair was fixed, her makeup was perfect. Imagine her disappointment when her date didn’t show up! After an hour of waiting, Margaret decided that he wasn’t going to come. She changed into her pajamas, washed off her makeup, gathered up a bunch of junk food, and parked herself in front of the television for the evening. As soon as she got involved in her favorite show, there was a knock on the door. She opened it to find her handsome ...

4763. Why Are You So Afraid?

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

King Duncan

Karen Fair tells about her three-year-old daughter, Abby, who was having trouble sleeping through the night. She kept waking up because she was afraid. Each time Karen tucked her into bed again, she would remind her that Jesus was with her and that He would keep her safe. The sleepless nights continued, with Abby seeking comfort in her parents’ bedroom. Finally, one night Karen asked her daughter if she had prayed for Jesus to take her fear away and help her fall asleep. “Oh yes,” Abby assured her. “He ...

4764. It's Not Rocket Science

John 8:31-41

Sermon

James Merritt

I believe the single most important person who has ever lived or will ever live is Jesus Christ. I believe the most important book that ever has been written or ever will be written is the Bible. I believe those two things are true, because of two other things I believe are true. I believe Jesus is the Son of God and I believe the Bible is the Word of God. Those two things are important because what we really know of the Son of God is found in the Word of God Therefore, the two most important beliefs of my ...

4765. The Flying Scroll

Zechariah 5:1-4

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

Vision Report: A Flying Scroll: 5:1 Zechariah continues the description of his visions with an account of the next thing he saw, I looked again—and there before me was a flying scroll! He does not mention any winged bearers (as he does in the following vision), nor is the scroll itself said to have wings—he does not specify the means of locomotion. The image calls to mind flying carpets, undulating through the air. As impressive as the Persian road system was, a flying scroll could move more quickly than ...

4766. A Call to Servanthood and Suffering

Mark 10:46-52, Mark 10:35-45, Mark 10:32-34

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: Once more the disciples fail by seeking greatness rather than servanthood, and the right “path” is shown by Bartimaeus, who centers entirely on Jesus and “follows” him “along the road.” Jesus is central, and here he reveals that his way of suffering is redemptive, providing a “ransom for many,” and ends his public ministry with a call to discipleship. Understanding the Text This is the final set of events in Jesus’s public ministry, as the rest of Mark will cover the passion week, crucifixion, ...

4767. How to Escape Being Possessed By Our Possessions

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Somewhere along the way I saw a cartoon of an elderly man of obvious wealth on a canopied death bed, surrounded by servants, family members, lawyers, and all sorts of “hangers-on”. It was quite clear why most of the people had gathered there, but now the old gentleman is sitting up with his arms folded and a very determined look on his face. One bystander says to another, “Someone just told him he couldn’t take it with him, and so he says he isn’t going.” We chuckle at that. It’s a caricature that is not ...

4768. How Do You Get Rid of Evil without Destroying Good?

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

How do we deal with evil? More precisely, how do we get rid of evil without destroying good? Today’s parable addresses this question. Like all parables of our Lord, this one comes straight from the life of his own day and people. We find it a bit hard to understand because this incident could not have occurred in the wheat-growing sections of America. We know about farms stretching over hundreds and hundreds of acres. The sowing and the reaping is done by sophisticated farm machinery. Land is sprayed ...

4769. Rules for Priests

Leviticus 21:1--22:16

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

Priests and Offerings: The Holiness Code now moves to cultic issues. Chapter 21 treats issues related to priests, who carry a special holiness, and chapter 22 provides instruction on offerings that are to be handled with great care. These chapters apply the holiness perspective to the priesthood as an institution and to various offerings. Chapter 21 addresses priests and their families and then delineates the physical requirements for entering the priesthood. 21:1–9 The chapter begins with the notion that ...

4770. Don't Forget the Best!

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

King Duncan

There is an ancient Scottish legend that tells the story of a shepherd boy tending a few straggling sheep on the side of the mountain. One day as he cared for his sheep, he saw at his feet a beautiful flower—one that was more beautiful than any he had ever seen in his life. He knelt down upon his knees and scooped up the flower in his hands and held it close to his eyes, drinking in its beauty. As he held the flower close to his face, suddenly he heard a noise and looked up before him. There he saw the ...

4771. Good Sex

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Will Willimon

At the beginning I'll admit that this is cheap, sensationalized, misleading title for a sermon, "Good Sex." When you're preaching on a college campus these day s, a preacher must resort to unorthodox tactics to lure people to church! Yet there is more to my sermon than mere sensationalism. In spite of what Dr. Ruth, Playboy and Playgirl have told you, many of you are old enough to know that sex which should be so good, often ends up so bad. As Frederick Buechner has said, "Sex is like nitroglycerine, it ...

4772. Preachers, All!

Acts 2:1-13, Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Will Willimon

Someone has said the church is somewhat like a football huddle, the huddle that players go into at a football game. ''You know that something important is being said there, but you can't understand a word of it, and all you can see is their rear-ends." But in fairness to the church, we must admit that it isn't easy to be understood by the world, after all, what we are talking about, in this huddle called church, is God. That's hard to talk about. I vividly remember as a pastor, sitting with a group of lay- ...

4773. Couldn’t Be Easier

Matthew 11:2-11 · Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

You’re not supposed to mess with holiday traditions, but we do. A couple of years ago a shock wave ran through the Face-book community. Peanuts specials like It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and especially A Charlie Brown Christmas were purchased by one of those special platforms and would no longer be broadcast on network television. Even though the days are long past when the family gathered together on broadcast night and watched those specials together — nowadays it seems like there’s at least ...

4774. Proverbs of Solomon

Proberbs 10:1--22:16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

10:1–29:27 Review · Proverbial Collections: Advanced Instruction in Wisdom: If one views Proverbs 1–9 as a basic introduction to proverbial wisdom, then chapters 10–29 serve as the advanced course. Or, to express it differently, the prologue presents and commends wisdom, while the collections that follow illustrate the scope and variety of situations in which wisdom is advantageous (without absolutely guaranteeing success) if employed properly and in a timely manner. Proverbs 1–9 also gives the reader a ...

4775. Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." In her novel Come and Go, Molly Snow, Mary Ann Taylor-Hall gives an account of Carrie attempting to come to grips with the loss of her eight-year-old daughter, Molly Snow. Carrie is a fiddler, but in the wake of this tragic loss she says, "The music doesn't rise up in me right now."1 In the months that followed, Carrie listens to homespun wisdom and begins the first steps of coming to grips with the absence of Molly Snow and the presence of a deep ...

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