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 4876 to 4900 of 4962 results

4876. Dress For Faithfulness

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

One of my favorite comedians was Danny Kaye. I loved his movies and one of my favorites was the Court Jester. In this movie Danny Kaye is a volunteer with "The Fox" a Robin Hood type character who is trying to protect the rightful heir of the throne (an infant). Danny Kaye takes the place of the new Court Jester, Giacomo, to gain access to the throne and a key that will let "The Fox" and his men into the city through a secret tunnel. It's all typical Danny Kaye fair. One of my favorite scenes is the ...

4877. The Lord Is (More Than) My Shepherd

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

A little girl lost her front teeth and it caused her to talk with a lisp. One day her grandmother was reading to her from the King James Version of the Bible. She read such words as ‘sayeth’ and ‘hath’ and ‘doth’ and so on. After a while, the little girl exclaimed, “So God had his teeth out, too!” I always wondered why the King James Version read like that . . . A family moved from a little apartment to a big house in the country. A friend asked the eight‑year‑old‑son, “How do you like your new house?” He ...

4878. The Journey Begins

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

If I told you that God would send His son to this earth, that He would only live about 33 years and only the last three of those years would be how His life would be measured, what do you think He would do with those three years? Let’s make it personal. Suppose from the day you were born you knew you would only live 33 years and that your life would be measured by only the last three. What would you do with your life? It is indisputable that Jesus did more and accomplished more in the last three years of ...

4879. Peter Denies Jesus

Mark 14:66-72

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: This is the second terrible contrast during Jesus’s trial: the horror of Peter thinking only of himself and denying Jesus with greater intensity on each of three occasions, versus Jesus, who suffers and dies for Peter as his redeeming Lord. Understanding the Text As seen throughout the Passion Narrative, Jesus is in complete, sovereign control of the awful events taking place. The leaders of his people have not only rejected him but also have placed him on trial for his life, declared him guilty ...

4880. The Story of Abraham versus the Story of Israel

Romans 4:1-25

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Unlike the Mosaic covenant, based on obeying the Torah, the Abrahamic covenant is based on faith. Abraham becomes Paul’s star witness that justification is by faith alone. Paul marshals five arguments to refute the commonly held view that Abraham was justified by his good works: theological (4:1–5), hermeneutical (4:6–8), historical (4:9–12), logical (4:13–17a), and experiential (4:17b–25). Understanding the Text The general context of Romans 4 is that it continues the discussion of 3:27–31: the ...

4881. Religious Rage

Psalm 137:1-9

Sermon

Will Willimon

Someday I may preach a series of sermons called "Bible Passages Too Hot to Handle." A preacher could get burned by getting too close to today's text. Those of you who are regulars here know that we believe it a good practice for preachers to take, as their texts, biblical passages assigned by the ecumenical lectionary. This links us with the practice of the majority of the church, it provides for continuity, and (usually) preserves you from exposure to the pet peeves and hobby horses of the preacher. But ...

4882. Winner And Still Champion

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

I know we’re talking about a text from the gospel of Mark, but forgive me if I begin by quoting from the Acts of the Apostles because it makes a point about childhood in that era. In Acts 22:3, the apostle Paul begins to make his defense before a hostile crowd of his countrymen. He had been falsely accused of bringing a Gentile into the inner court of the temple in Jerusalem, and it was his intention to show that he had been diligent in his practice of the faith his whole life. So he began: “I am a Jew, ...

4883. For the Glory of Christ

John 12:20-33 · Hebrews 5:5-10

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Maybe you've had a similar experience. There was a mother who asked her two and 1/2 year old daughter: "Would you like an ice cream sundae?" The daughter got real upset and replied, "No...I want ice cream now." (1) Then some time back, in the comic strip The Ryatts, the little boy, Winky is sitting on the couch, Mom comes in and says, "Winky, your socks don't match." Winky looks at his socks and then says, "I tried to find some...but none of the socks in the drawer belong to the same family." (2) Sometimes ...

4884. John and Frank

Matthew 11:2-11

Sermon

John Jamison

Have you ever had doubts about what you believe? I mean really had doubts? You were so certain of everything, but over time questions started arising. Or maybe something happened that shook you really hard, and you began to wonder if all that you believed in was real? Can you relate to that at all? That’s where we find John in today’s scripture. He had spent so many years being the powerful preacher, the one proclaiming his faith that everything was about to change for the better. His beliefs had given him ...

4885. God Is Like...a Name

Exodus 3:1-15

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

A while back, I came across a journal that had three words on the cover to announce its theme. The three words were “God is like,” followed by an ellipsis … three dots. Each page, with the help of a poem or a scripture passage or a prayer, completed that sentence. God is like… fire, God is like… a word, God is like… a friend, God is like… a shepherd, and so on. It was a great way to grasp, if only in a partial way, the divine mystery we call God. And it gave me an idea for a sermon series. My purpose is ...

4886. Return To God

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

One Sunday morning, a teenage boy was awakened by his father. He followed his dad through the living room to look out the front window. His dad showed him that their trees were covered with toilet paper. In those days teenagers liked to "tee-pee" each other's houses. That meant wrapping toilet paper around trees and bushes as well as the house. The boy's parents never cared if they got "tee-peed." They just had a standing rule that whichever of their children's friends did it, that would be the one that ...

4887. A Homecoming To Remember

1 Kings 8:22-61

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

In the heart of our nation's capital, in sight of the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, is the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Holocaust Memorial Museum is unlike any museum you are ever likely to visit, for it presents the history of the 6,000,000 Jews and millions of others who suffered and died at the hands of the Nazis during the Second World War. Upon entering the museum, visitors are issued an identity card bearing the name and picture of a Holocaust victim, matching the person's age and gender. The ...

4888. Advent 1

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Jeremiah 33:1-26, Luke 21:5-38

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Jeremiah 33:14-16 The days are coming when Yahweh will fulfill his promise to send a son of David who will save his people. This prophecy by a post-exilic author is a repetition of Jeremiah's original promise in 23:5-6. Jeremiah predicted that the Davidic kingdom would be restored soon after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. when Judah was carried captive to Babylon. During the exile the people lost hope of the restoration of their nation. The unknown author repeated Jeremiah's ...

4889. The Man From Galilee IV: The Treasure Of His Kingdom

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

Some time ago we had a man speak at one of our suppers who is a shareholder in Mel Fisher's enterprise. Mel Fisher is the man who discovered a Spanish ship which had gone down in a hurricane off the Florida Keys centuries ago. Fisher became fascinated with hunting for lost treasure. Through his research he was able to determine about where the ship went down. He thought it would take him at least twelve weeks to find it. Twelve weeks turned into twelve years, and still there was no treasure. Finally, after ...

4890. Standing Firm

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

Some years ago, a Methodist Bishop of national reknown was asked to speak at an annual conference of that church. It so happened he had recently taken a strong stand on a very controversial issue and was being criticized rather widely among some of the brethren, not always with a lot of charity. So the Bishop spoke on the text of Jonah and the Great Fish. After acknowledging that others had a right to their own opinions on the issue so long as they were expressed in a Christian way, he then made this ...

4891. Wounded Glory

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Erskine White

When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. (John 20:20) Have you ever wondered what Jesus really looked like? The Bible is no help whatsoever in telling us, since it doesn't say a thing about the physical appearance of Jesus. Not a single word. We don't know if He was tall or short, skinny or fat. We don't know if He had a straight nose, crooked teeth, long hair or a beard. Everyone has a portrait of Jesus somewhere in their home, but no one knows what He looked like in the flesh. Have ...

4892. Do I Give Up Praying Too Soon?

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

I’ve heard marvelous stories of people who’ve prayed and found their prayers answered. I’ve heard testimonies like that from some of you. I’ve heard reports from hospital chaplains. One that sticks in my mind is of a young man hopelessly sick. The physicians didn’t think surgery would help but they didn’t know what else to do. So they tried it. The young man was up and around and out of the hospital in a week. The surgeon had seen this happen before and so he asked, "Did he belong to a group and did this ...

4893. ADVENT 1

Jeremiah 33:1-26, Luke 21:5-38, 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon Aid

4894. Mugwumps

Luke 6:1-11

Sermon

Mugwumps ... elusive ... unforgettable. An experience everyone should have at least once. As a TV ad might say, it’s something you’ll return to many times in your mind. But how do we know Mugwumps? What do they look like? Where do they live? How do they spend their leisure time? These are questions we could expect from someone like Sherlock Holmes if we asked him and friend Watson to track them down for us, so let’s work up a description. Mugwumps come in several shapes and sizes. They seem to thrive in ...

4895. Send Me!

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

Certain events - often cataclysmic ones - stand out in bold relief in our memory. Those of you who are over 35 or so, think of where you were or what you were doing when you heard the news that President John Kennedy had been shot. You may not remember the date - it was November 22, 1963 - but you will probably remember other things about that day. Or if you are sixty or more think of what you were doing when you learned that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. Chances are some things about that day are etched ...

4896. The Overlooked

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Theodore L. Yewey

Most of us have had the experience of being overlooked. Perhaps it was at a Christmas gift exchange where packages with everyone’s name on them were placed under the tree, but when they were distributed, it was discovered that one name was missing. Yours! Or maybe you have been overlooked when a group was being recognized. Everyone is named and praised for their accomplishments except one you are certain did the most work. You! You are overlooked. Or it is possible that you have been overlooked at a party ...

4897. When Ten Equals Two

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Larry Powell

In the jungles of South America, there lives a peculiar, indolent creature known as the three-toed sloth. Actually named for one of the seven deadly sins, the sloth will spend at least eighteen hours each day sleeping. Even when awake, this lazy creature remains almost motionless. When it does move, its sluggish movements are excruciatingly slow. Being too lazy to indulge in personal grooming, its coarse hair provides a home for two species of bluegreen algae, a cockroach-like moth, and hundreds of beetles ...

4898. The Voice

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Someone has suggested that the title for a sermon about this incident in the life of Samuel should be "The Danger of Sleeping in Church." As you Bible scholars know there is another story in the New Testament which could be titled the same way.(1) Young Eutychus of Troas was at worship one Sunday evening, seated on the window sill. The apostle Paul was the visiting preacher, and he DID preach...and preach and preach and preach. He preached till midnight. Eutychus dozed...and crashed. He fell out the window ...

4899. Going Fishing

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

An old-timer sat on the river bank, obviously awaiting a nibble, though the fishing season had not officially opened. A uniformed officer stood behind him quietly for several minutes. "You the game warden?" the old-timer inquired. "Yup." Unruffled, the old man began to move the fishing pole from side to side. Finally, he lifted the line out of the water. Pointing to a minnow wriggling on the end of the line, he said, "Just teaching him how to swim."(1) Mark Twain once spent a pleasant three weeks in the ...

4900. Some Things To Get Choked Up About

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

Everyone has his or her own perspective about the meaning of Christmas day. Some years ago, when Lou Holtz was the head coach of the Arkansas Razorback football team, he was taking his team to play in a bowl game in Tempe, Arizona. The game was to be played on Christmas Day. He was asked how he felt about having to play a football game on Christmas instead of being at home with his family. Lou Holtz answered candidly, "Frankly, I'd rather be in Tempe. After all, once you've been to church, had Christmas ...

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