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 876 to 900 of 2173 results

876. Pentecost 27

Lk 19:11-27 · 1 Cor 15:54-58 · Isa 52:1-6

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

READINGS Isaiah 52:1-6 Israel is to awaken, for Yahweh is present to deliver her from captivity. 1 Corinthians 15:54-58 Thanks be to God for the victory over death through Christ. Luke 19:11-27 The parable of the pounds. PREACHING POSSIBILITIES Three Lessons: Luke 19:11-27, 1 Corinthians 15:54-58, Isaiah 52:1-6 In the Meantime, Live! Need: We are living between the times, the time of Jesus' ascension and his return which means the end of the world and judgment for all. Will the end be tomorrow or 2,000 ...

877. Proper 12

1 Kings 3:1-15, Matthew 13:47-52, Matthew 13:44-46, Genesis 29:15-30

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Genesis 29:15-28 (C) Jacob's uncle, Laban, tricks him into working fourteen years to marry Rachel. Jacob arrived at Haran and met Rachel, a daughter of Laban, at a watering place for sheep. Because of his love for Rachel, he offered to work seven years without wages for the hand of Rachel. On the wedding night Jacob learned he was tricked. Upon a promise to work another seven years, Jacob took Rachel for his second wife. Lesson 1: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12 (RC); 1 Kings 3:5-12 (E) Solomon asks ...

878. Lent 2

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18, Psalm 27:1-14, Luke 13:31-35, Philippians 3:17--4:1

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: You’re here! Winter is still holding on and things seem very still this second Sunday in Lent. Fortunately, we know that whatever is happening around us, God is with us. (Candles can be lighted to count the Sundays until Easter.) People: We have no reason to be afraid. We’ve asked God to teach us what to do and to lead us along safe paths. Leader: When we look at the world, we see soldiers and terrorists; we hear of violence. Still we trust God. People: We take seriously our own ...

879. Gideon's Ephod

Judges 8:22-27

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Gideon’s Ephod and Death: These final episodes in Gideon’s life reveal two sides of Israel’s judge: Gideon the zealous defender of the covenant and Gideon the apostate defector of the covenant, who also led Israel down the same path. This is the first time we have met the idea, although not in the exact words, that Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord before the judge’s death (8:27), which marks a significant turning point in Israel’s history. The two major judges who follow, Jephthah and Samson, will ...

880. Oaths

Matthew 5:33-37

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Ethics and the Law: Matthew’s Gospel has a didactic purpose. Special emphasis is given to the message of Jesus. One of the distinct features of Matthew’s Gospel is that the teaching of Jesus is collected into five sections. The Sermon on the Mount (chaps. 5–7) is the first of these blocks. The others are Instructions to the Twelve (chap. 10), Parables of the Kingdom (chap. 13), Life in the Christian Community (chap. 18), and Eschatological Judgment (chaps. 23–25). Each block ...

881. Speaking from the Heart

Luke 6:43-45

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s confession time. “Uh-oh,” you’re thinking. “What am I suppose to confess?” By a show of hands, how many of you have a junk drawer at home--a place that has become a repository for things you can’t find somewhere else to keep? What’s in your junk drawer? When you open it up, are you surprised by what ends up in there? The average American home has too much stuff in it, and we don’t know what to do with all of it. We cram things in closets. Under beds. In our junk drawer. We may even rent a warehouse to ...

882. Mercy Me!

Romans 14:1--15:13, Luke 6:27-36, Luke 6:37-42, Luke 6:43-45

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“My yoke is easy, my burden light.” --Jesus What burdens are you carrying this morning? How heavy is your heart? How weighed down is your spirit? Most of the time, when we think about that question, we think of the burdens of responsibility we carry or the weight of grief, the sandbags of unfair treatment levied against us, or hardships, such as unemployment, or health, or broken relationships. Certainly, those burdens of despair and sorrow can weigh heavily upon our hearts. But other kinds of burdens can ...

883. For The Love of God Is Contagious

Mark 7:31-36 · Luke 5:12-15 · 2 Corinthians 5:16-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A number of years ago, the computer magazine, PC World did a review of a book entitled The Policeman's Beard is Half Constructed, (Warner Books, New York, 1984). It is a book that was written by a computer program called Racter (short for Raconteur) from Mindscape. The software was developed to help people do brainstorming. The book is filled with essays, poems, limericks, stories and conversations, all of which were written by the computer using this software. Here's a couple of examples which Racter came ...

884.

Psalm 101:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Vows About Acceptable and Unacceptable Associates The genre and function of this psalm are difficult to determine because it is unique. It begins with phrases familiar from individual thanksgivings (“to you, O LORD, I will sing praise”), but what follows are not confessions of what God has done but vows of how the speaker will live. Their closest parallel in the Psalms appears in the liturgies of temple entry (e.g., 26:1–8, 11; see the Introduction). 101:1–2a While the whole psalm is probably recited to ...

885. Proper 19

Psalm 14:1-7, 1 Timothy 1:12-20, Jeremiah 4:5-31, Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:1-7

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

Recovering The Lost Most of us have experienced loss. It may be money or something else of value. It may be a pet or an animal we were raising. It may be a person who rebelled against the family or cut all ties with church and community. Loss always results in sadness. If the loss is due to our carelessness or our actions, we probably have a sinking feeling in the pit of our stomach. It is a combination of guilt and sadness at the same time. Even if the loss may not be of great value, we may spend hours ...

886. Proper 6

Galatians 2:11-21, 1 Kings 19:1-8, 2 Samuel 12:1-31, 2 Samuel 11:1-27, Psalm 32:1-11, Luke 7:36-50

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The theological clues coming from the church year state that the Lord will return to rule over the earth - and direct the ministry of God's people to include the earth and everything in it, not simply ministry to other human beings. Christians must love and care for others in positive and practical ways, not merely mouth a few prayers of thanksgiving and lift petitions for the benefit of others, if their liturgy - in and outside the worship service - is to be pleasing to God. The gospel of ...

887. Ash Wednesday

Mark 1:1-8

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

Greeting Leader: John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance, for the forgiveness of sins. Congregation: Almighty Father, repentance does not come easy to us. Leader: Jesus came after John, is more powerful than John, and baptizes with the Holy Spirit. Congregation: Beloved Jesus, use your power to transform us. Leader: At Jesus' baptism, the heavens were torn apart, the Spirit descended like a dove upon Jesus, and God's voice was heard coming from above. Congregation ...

888. Taking Christ's Side

Mark 9:38-41

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

Greeting Leader: Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth." Congregation: Lord, put the taste of Christ's love in our mouths and in our deeds. Leader: Jesus said, "For everyone will be salted with fire." Congregtion: Lord, as our love is tested, preserve us with your strength. Leader: Jesus said, "If salt has lost it saltiness, how can you season it?" Congregation: Lord, if love does not flavor our actions; then what value are we to anyone? Leader: Jesus said, "Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace ...

889. Son of David, Open Our Eyes

Mark 10:46-52

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

Greeting Leader: Take heart; get up, Jesus is calling you. Congregation: (The people stand up.) Leader: Jesus asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" Congregation: Our teacher, let us see again.(Follow with the congregation singing the hymn "Open My Eyes, That I May See") Prayer Leader: God of power and might, whose nature is always to show mercy, we come before you with many needs. Congregaton: When the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, heard Jesus approaching he called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on ...

890. MAY 29-JUNE 4

Mark 2:1-12

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

Greeting (Put Leader2 and Leader3 together at a microphone that allows them to appear in opposition to Leader1. For example, put them at one side of the chancel and Leader1 at the other side.) Leader 1: This is Sunday, the day of the Lord's resurrection!Cng: Let us rejoice and be glad in it! Leader 2: Yes, this is Sunday, the Christians' sabbath. So, don't nag us with stories of hungry people. Leader 3: And don't pester us with offerings for food pantries; this is our sabbath and we want to rest. Leader 1 ...

891. Epiphany 5

Psalm 138:1-8, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Judges 6:1-40, Isaiah 6:1-13, Luke 5:1-11

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The thematic and theological framework of the Christian tends to be rather "thin" by the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany; the manifestation of Jesus to the world and the beginning of his ministry remain, however, to inform the church about Jesus in its worship and work. The readings tend to reinforce the weak signals that are being sent out by the kerygmatic content of the church year, mainly because they have been selected with the theological themes of Epiphany in mind. As also happens ...

892. Easter 2

John 20:19-23, Acts 5:12-16, Acts 5:17-42, Job 42:1-6, Revelation 1:4-8, Revelation 1:9-20, John 20:24-31, Psalm 149:1-9

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The method of counting the Sundays between Easter Sunday and Pentecost provides the theological clue to worship and preaching during the Easter season. Easter, as a unitive event, which combines the death and resurrection of Jesus in its celebration, is the pivotal Sunday of the church year; the resurrection is imperative in the gospels and in the life of the church and the lives of its members. The resurrection assures believers of something that is entirely new, something beyond the ...

893. Proper 19

Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:1-7, Psalm 51:1-19, Exodus 32:1-33:6, Hosea 4:1-19, Hosea 6:1--7:16, 1 Timothy 1:12-20

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Depending on the lectionary cycle followed and the calendar year the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost may be known and celebrated, in much of the Christian church as World-wide Communion Sunday. Most of the denominations of Christendom will be participating in the sacrament of holy communion on that Sunday, regardless of the other occasions on which the sacrament is observed. Actually, every Sunday is a worldwide communion Sunday; every Sunday calls for the celebration of the meal at ...

894. Proper 22

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13, Amos 5:1-17, Habakkuk 1:12--2:1, Habakkuk 1:1-4, Psalm 95:1-11, Psalm 37:1-40, Luke 17:1-10

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE In many parts of the Christian church, this Sunday will be remembered and, in some places, celebrated as Reformation Sunday, depending on the lectionary followed and the calendar year. Observation of Reformation Day, October 31, is basically limited to schools and seminaries, mostly Lutheran, at that. But the festival itself is undergoing a kind of transformation, emphasizing what God is doing in the present rather than stressing what God did in the past. The whole church is caught up in ...

895. Passion Sunday

Matthew 26:14–27:66

Bulletin Aid

Liturgical Color: Purple/Red Gospel: Matthew 26:14--27:66 or Matthew 27:11-54 Theme: The passion of Jesus, with particular emphasis on prayer. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One pastor did this: After welcoming the people to worship, she described the meaning of the passion as the last earthly events in the life of Jesus. Perhaps you will want to give a brief summary of those events without additional explanation. Follow with this printed call to worship with pastor/ministers: Pastor: Come, let us ...

896. Proper 10

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Green Gospel: Matthew 13:1-23 Theme: The Parable of the Soils. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration Try this: "Welcome to God's celebration. How did you come to worship today? With what kind of seed do you present yourself? The parable of the soils gives us four possibilities: seeds eaten by the birds; seeds on the rocky ground; seeds in the thorns; seeds on good soil." You may want to follow with this litany between pastor and ministers: Pastor: Come, let's celebrate the Presence and ...

897. Proper 11

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Green Gospel: Matthew 13:24-43 Theme: Parables of the Kingdom - wheat and weeds, mustard seed, and the leaven. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One pastor began this way: "In the name of the Holy, Loving God, good morning. How has God acted in your life this past week? How did you decide to participate in this celebration today?" Ask people to respond spontaneously, or ask several people ahead of time to prepare their response. You may want to continue with this litany between ...

898. Proper 22

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Green Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43 Theme: Those considered as least in the kingdom may be the greatest. Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One pastor did this: Worship includes two dimensions. The vertical: God to us, not exclusively to us, but to the whole world. The horizontal: Us to others, not just those we like, but to those whom God loves. You may want to use this litany between pastor/ministers: Pastor: We are here to celebrate the Presence and Power of God to the whole world. ...

899. Zophar

Job 11:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Overview of the following three texts: 11:1–20; 20:1–29; 27:13–23 · Zophar’s words:All three friends share a core assumption about Job: he is guilty of sin. But beyond that, they do differ. In the first cycle, Eliphaz grants Job’s suffering as but a hiccup in a near perfect life. Bildad would have Job focus on the moral lesson of Job’s children: they are dead; Job is not. Job is therefore more pious than they but still has within him impurity, which he must address (Job 18). Zophar is straight to the point ...

900. A Lamp On a Stand

Luke 8:16-18

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

The Parable of the Sower: This section is comprised of three parts: (1) the Parable of the Sower (vv. 4–15), (2) the Parable of the Lamp (vv. 16–18), and (3) Jesus’ definition of his true family (vv. 19–21). What unites these three parts is the theme of hearing and obeying the Word of God (see vv. 8, 15, 18, 21). Luke has obtained these materials from Mark. A comparison of the parallel passages in Matt. 13:3–50 and Mark 4:2–34 highlights the different emphases that the three Synoptic evangelists are able ...

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