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 676 to 700 of 4962 results

676. Acquired Taste

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... class Scottish woman? As far as the East is from the West? But Jane Haining’s faith thrived on this new diet. Her compassion and love for her young charges grew her faithfulness in God’s presence in her work. In one letter back to friends she wrote “We have one new little six-year-old, an orphan without a mother or a father. She is such a pathetic wee soul to look at and I fear, poor lamb, has not been in too good surroundings before she came to us . . . she certainly does look as though she needs ...

677. It's Only Money

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

John R. Steward

... . Abraham Lincoln was once walking down the street with two boys. Each of the boys was crying and was terribly upset. Someone shouted over to Abe and asked what was wrong with those two boys. He said, "The same thing that is wrong with the rest of the world. I have one walnut and each boy wants it." The sooner we learn that the things that we have are a gift from God to use and not to own, the better off we will be.

678. Homework Is a Duty

Luke 17:10

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... do not receive special thanks for doing. It is something that is expected. I think that there are things like that between us and God. There are some things that are our duty to God, and we should not expect God to send us a special message of thanks, or have one of his workers pat us on the back, for doing it. I know some people who think that they are doing God a favor when they come to church or Sunday church school. That is not a favor, or something that you should be thanked for doing. That is your ...

679. The Ungoofer

Illustration

Staff

... and sympathetically helpful. He was genuinely pleasant, thoroughly efficient, even friendly. The business finished, the lady said, "You're great! What is your position in the bank?" He answered, "I'm the ungoofer." The ungoofer! Most of us need one now and again. And we have one. That lady had a lot of trouble getting through to the bank's ungoofer; but, my friend, you and I have no difficulty at all in getting through to ours, if we really try. In fact, we have an appointment with him right here this ...

680. Mark 7:24-37

Mark 7:24-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The two healing stories for today have one thing in common: They easily rub readers the wrong way. Each of the stories has some aspect about it that we find disturbing to our sense of correctness. Accustomed to reading the gospel and being impressed by the divine power healings reveal, the stories of the Syrophoenician woman and the ...

681. Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-two

Luke 10:1-24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... refer to demonic powers but symbolizes all kinds of evil (cf. Deut. 8:15); however, Jesus cautions that the disciples are not to become enamored of the sensational. The crucial thing is not the expulsion of demons and power over evil but the assurance of having one’s name written in God’s book. The joy of the disciples after returning from their mission stimulates Jesus to express his praise to the Father (10:21–24). The Father has not revealed the gospel of the kingdom (“these things,” 10:21) to ...

682. Faith Needs Daily Exercise

Luke 17:5-10

Illustration

Charles Kirkpatrick

... open a jar and he can't do it, so I decided that I needed to increase the strength in my hands. I got a hand exerciser to help me. You have probably seen one of these. You just squeeze the two sides together, like this. If you don't have one of these, you can do the same type of exercise by squeezing a rubber ball. By exercising my hands every day, I know, they will get stronger and stronger. Then maybe I won't be embarrassed the next time my wife asks me to open a jar for her. Faith ...

683. A Light In The Darkness

Matthew 5:14-16

Children's Sermon

Teresa L. Major

... if we had to live in total darkness. It was an eerie feeling. We could not see anything. There were no glimmers of light coming from outside. There was nothing to brighten the dark cave. It was scary. After a few minutes, the leader would have one person turn on a flashlight. (Shine the light across the children.) What a feeling of relief! One little light was stronger than all that darkness! One flashlight made a huge difference in that dark place! With one light, we could see each other's faces (quickly ...

684. Count Your Blessings

1 Corinthians 1:7

Children's Sermon

... ? (Let them respond.) Three! There were some wise men that brought presents to Jesus. How many wise men were there? (Let them respond.) That's right. Let's count the wise men: one, two, three wise men! Now look at the Advent wreath. (If your church doesn't have one, you could bring one or have a picture of an Advent wreath.) How many candles are on the outside of it? Let's count them: one, two, three, four. Put up one more finger. We could go on counting things forever like the Count does. Our lessons says ...

685. Keep Things Flowing

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Richard Patt

... as human beings? The blessings of life flow to you and me, but we fail to realize that most of these blessings are not meant just to flow to us, but through us, for the good of others around us, especially for those in need. In this Gospel reading we have one of those sad stories -- even a somber story -- about a person who didn't keep things flowing in his life, with the result that his life became clogged and ended in tragedy. We don't know the man's name as Jesus told this story. Jesus simply called him ...

686. The Cleansing of the Temple

John 2:12-25

Sermon Aid

Wayne B. Keller

... Holy One and Loving One, welcome to worship. Are you ready to begin? If not, I invite you to allow the Spirit of God to make you ready, not only for Jesus' words of comfort, but also, for Jesus' words of confrontation - for indeed, we cannot have one without the other. Continue with this litany: Leader: The call of Christ is not an easy one. People: It is an invitation to self-giving. Leader: It requires hard work in the face of disappointment and hostility. People: It means going on when everyone else has ...

687. You Are Bigger Than You Think

Matthew 13:31-35

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... ocean! To God, little you are more important than the stars in the sky or the coal in the ground. But if you think that you are small, I want you to look at this seed. [Show them all one seed, and then distribute them so that each child can have one.] This is a mustard seed. It is one of the smallest seeds that we know about. When it is planted in the ground and is allowed to grow, it will make a plant so big that birds will build nests in it. It grows into a very large plant. Jesus ...

688. Chrysostom's Commitment

Matthew 10:1-42

Illustration

Larry Goodpaster

... of his treasure, this saint replied, "You cannot, for my treasure is in heaven where my heart is." The emperor made one last effort: "Then I will drive you away from here and you shall have no friend left." But again Chrysostom responded, "You cannot, for I have one Friend from whom you can never separate me. I defy you for you can do me no harm." Living as we do in our Western, religiously-tolerant society, we may never face a crucial moment such as Chrysostom 16 centuries ago. We do, however, face similar ...

689. Invitations

Matthew 22:1-14

Illustration

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... of joy, and we are the friends of the king. Winston Churchill received an invitation from George Bernard Shaw to one of his opening plays back in the early 1900s. The note read, "Enclosed are two tickets to the performance of a play of mine. Bring a friend - if you have one." Churchill sent back this reply: "Dear GBS, I thank you very much for the invitation and tickets. Unfortunately, I am engaged on that night, but could I have tickets for the second night? - if there is one."

690. Public Pressure

Mark 6:14-29

Illustration

Brett Blair

... . There are so many points of view in my congregation, I can't please them all. Everyone wants to capture me for his camp and get me to shape the church around his convictions. The pressure makes me want to leave the ministry." All of these persons have one thing in common. They are being pressured by other people. We all, at one time or another, experience people-pressure. The question is how will it effect our judgment? That is the question Herod faced. After making an oath to a pretty young girl that she ...

691. “His Anger Lasts Only a Moment, but His Favor Lasts a Lifetime”

Psalm 30:1-12

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... people”) suggests a tabernacle/temple setting where the congregation participates. Wilson calls this psalm “a fitting summation of the group of psalms extending from Psalms 23 through 29,”[6] especially in view of the group’s featured theme of the temple. Here we have one illustration of how the book of Psalms came into being. Sometimes a group of psalms came to be associated by a common theme, as well as authorship (e.g., the Korah psalms [42–49] that begin Book 2), and the editor kept the group ...

692. What Keeps Us Running

John 6:63

Children's Sermon

... is a word that all of us have heard. How many of you know what I mean when I talk about your spirit? (Let them answer.) Those are pretty hard questions, aren't they? We have heard of our spirit and the Spirit of God, and we know that we have one, but it is very hard to talk about. Let me try to show you what I think it could be like. How many of you have ever been in a car with your mom or dad when they were afraid that they were going to run out of gas? (Let ...

693. Lent 1

1 Peter 3:8-22, Genesis 9:1-17, Mark 1:9-13

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... if more isn't suggested here. Is God renouncing violence as the means of solving problems? Epistle: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Final sacrifice. In the Noah story we have most of the world dying for the sins of mankind. In the story of Christ's sacrifice we have one sacrifice by God for the sins of the world. Christ's sacrifice was the final sacrifice, once and for all. Second chance. This passage asserts that the spirit of Jesus went to the abode of the dead during the period that his body lay in the tomb for the ...

694. Getting Back to Work

Luke 17:1-10

Illustration

Brett Blair

... share. This way of life is so much in harmony with the inner essence of my soul that in only six months I've become the number two disciple in the entire ashram, and I think I can be number one by June!" They say that all good humor must have one crucial element: Truth. And how is this story. The young man's intentions are noble but he is not able to follow through. Before long he is competing in this "monastery" to be the star pupil. Our leaders have been giving us good advice these past two weeks. They ...

695. The Golden Rule

Mt 7:12 · Gal 6:7

Children's Sermon

Robert B. Lantz

Object: Rulers, 6 inch, with Golden Rule imprint Good morning, boys and girls. Do you recognize what I have with me today? (Response.) Yes, it's something very common. You all probably have one in your desk at school or in your room at home. A ruler is a very useful object, isn't it? What are some of the things one might use it for? (Responses -- measure height, width, length, mark off a graph, help draw straight lines, and so forth.) Yes, those ...

696. Lent 5

John 12:20-36

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... , and those seeds that need to grow. As always, we are engaged in the stewardship of choice, between what I want, and what God wants for me. Response Invite your musicians to create a song about growing seeds. Charge to the Congregation We, Lenten observers, have one of two choices: By our own justifications, we can keep regurgitating those attitudes we need to keep buried; or, in the Spirit of the Christ, we can allow God to provide new crops. Which do you prefer? Which will you act upon? Meditation The ...

697. Let's Brag About Jesus

1 Corinthians 1:29

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... things. (Put on your hat that is much too small.) How do you like this hat? If someone told me that my head was too big I could tell them that my hat was too small. Do you think that would take care of it? You can see that I have one of two problems. Either my head is too big or my hat is too small. I think that I would solve this problem by going to a store and buying a bigger hat. Not only would this one keep falling off, but it would never keep my head warm. When ...

698. One Little Rose

Illustration

I would rather have one little rose from the garden of a friend Than have the choicest flowers when my stay on earth must end. I would rather have a pleasant word in kindness said to me Than flattery when my heart is still and life has ceased to be. I would rather have a loving smile from friends I know are true Than tears shed around my casket when the world I bid adieu. Bring me all your flowers today whether pink or white or red, I’d rather have one blossom now than a truckload when I’m dead.

699. HERALD

Daniel 3:4

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... ’s press secretary makes an error in a statement, he can always retract it through the news media. But the ancient herald had no such option. He got it right the first time - or else. And our modern day press secretaries and P.R. men have one other distinct advantage over their ancient counterparts. Today a man can whisper into a microphone, and his words will still carry over the airwaves. But the herald had to have a very loud voice, and had to virtually shout his proclamation! We are, perhaps, familiar ...

700. The Golden Touch

Luke 12:13-21

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... Right -- gold costs a lot of money if you want to buy some. Well, today I'm going to tell you a story about a man who became very greedy. His name was Midas, and he was a king. One day a wise old man told Midas that he could have one wish -- anything he wanted -- but just one. This promise made Midas very greedy. So he thought and thought. Guess what he asked for? (Let them answer.) Those are good guesses, boys and girls. Let me tell you what Midas asked for -- he wanted everything that he touched to turn ...

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