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 951 to 975 of 4962 results

951. If You Really Want to Be Number One

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

The politician was sitting at his campaign headquarters when the phone rang. He listened intently, and after a moment his face brightened. When he hung up, he immediately phoned his mother to tell her the good news. “Mom,” he shouted, “the results are in. I won the election!” “Honestly?” she asked. The politician’s smiled faded. “Aw, Mom, why bring that up at a time like this?” We all like to win, don’t we? We all want to be part of the crowd chanting, “We’re number one! We’re number one.” “Winning isn’t ...

952. He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s an old story. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so sad. A young soldier fighting in Italy during World War II managed to jump into a foxhole just ahead of a spray of bullets. He immediately attempted to deepen the hole for more protection. As he was frantically scraping at the dirt with his hands, he unearthed a silver crucifix, obviously left by a previous occupant of the foxhole. A moment later, a leaping figure landed beside him as shells screamed overhead. The soldier turned to see that his new ...

953. Having Trouble Sleeping Through the Night

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

Having trouble sleeping through the night? You're not alone. Samuel did, too. Sometimes you hear a haunting phrase that sticks with you years later. I heard one like that from Gardner Taylor, that great African-American preacher who once held forth in the pulpit of Concord Baptist Church in Brooklyn. I don't even remember the sermon, which is all right — we're not supposed to remember sermons anymore than we should remember meals; we're supposed to be fed and challenged by them at the moment. I don't ...

954. Have You Got a Prayer?

Luke 3:21-22

Sermon

Mark Trotter

In the season of Epiphany we look at those special events in Jesus' life where his presence was especially manifested with power. Jesus' baptism is one of those epiphanies. You heard Luke's version read this morning. The Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased." In newer translations, which are thought to be more accurate, the adjective "beloved" is made a separate phrase to emphasize the intensity of the ...

955. Is There Room for One More?

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Is there room in your life for "one more" for the least, the lost, the lonely, the leper, the "other"? When a national day of thanksgiving was established on the fourth Thursday in November, it was not because the fourth Thursday in November was a particularly thankful day. It was intentionally chosen precisely because of its arbitrariness to remind us to say "thanks" on a daily basis for the bounties God has heaped upon our lives. For Christians, every Sunday is a Thanksgiving feast day. Every Sunday at ...

956. On Claiming One’s Inheritance

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

As the salesman came to the front door, he turned to the little boy sitting on the steps and asked, “Is your mother home?” The boy said “Yes,” and the salesman began to ring the doorbell. After several rings and no response, he turned to the boy and said, “I thought you said that your mother was home.” To which the boy replied, “She is, but this isn’t my house.” Sometimes we get the wrong answers because we don’t ask the right questions. In Mark 10, we read: “And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ...

957. One Body, Many Parts

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

In three striking movements these verses introduce (vv. 12–13), develop (vv. 14–26), and apply (vv. 27–31) Paul’s best-known ecclesiastical metaphor: the body of Christ. Scholars debate the exact background from which Paul may have drawn inspiration for developing this memorable image for the church. Paul is likely to have encountered the thinking of Stoic philosophers, some of whom spoke of the cosmos in its unity as a body, and Jewish wisdom thinking, which often reflected upon the idea of corporate ...

958. Three In One

John 16:12-15

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

One of the most difficult ideas in the Christian faith is the concept that God is three persons in one being. We call that triad the Trinity. The actual term, Trinity is not in scripture, but the idea is all over the place. It began in Genesis when the Spirit of God hovered over the waters (v. 3) and God said, “Let us make mankind in our image…” (v. 26) It stretched through to Revelation 22 where we see the “throne of God and of the Lamb” (v. 1) and the “Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come’” (v. 17). The “Lamb ...

959. We Do Not Have To Stay The Way We Are!

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

"Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip?" (John 14:9). So Jesus responded to Philip’s question about wanting to know and sense the presence of God. It is a good question for all of us as we once again make our Lenten journey to Easter. How would you answer if asked to share your thoughts about God? What thoughts come to mind when we think about God? Do we take the time to think about God? Do we believe there is a God? Are we more confident this year than last, that there is a God ...

960. What Happens When You Are Not Number One?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In his book, Hide or Seek, James Dobson tells of a time when John McKay, the great football coach at the University of Southern California, was interviewed on television, and the subject of his son’s athletic talent was raised. Son John was a successful player on his dad’s team. Coach McKay was asked to comment on the pride that he felt over his son’s accomplishments on the field. His answer was most impressive: “Yes, I’m pleased that John had a good season last year. He does a fine job, and I’m proud of ...

961. Sympathizing With The One Talent Man

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

A number of years ago many church youth groups across the country became enchanted with the idea of kissing frogs. Now, parents, don't be alarmed. This wasn't anything like rock star Ozzie Osborne's stunt of biting heads off of bats. In fact, kissing frogs was one of the healthiest ideas to come along in a long time. The idea, of course, was based on the ancient fairy tale of a handsome prince who had been turned into an ugly frog by a mean witch. The only way he could be turned back into himself was if a ...

962. One Nation, Under Mercy

Sermon

Days of gratitude have been a long tradition on this continent. A group of settlers who arrived in Maine in 1607 held a service of thanksgiving for a safe journey to these shores. William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony proclaimed a special day of gratitude to the Almighty God when the settlers gathered in a bounteous harvest. The Battle of Saratoga was commemorated, at the orders of the Continental Congress, with a day of thanksgiving, the first time all the colonies observed the day together. Washington ...

963. Shepherding One Another in a Collapsing World

Romans 9:1-29

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

In the Scripture for this Sunday, Paul reveals an almost violent concern for his people. He is thinking about the Jews who have rejected Christ and the ultimate step in their history of being the people of God. Note Paul’s concern: "I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." Paul was not mad at his people. He was heartbroken. He must have felt like Jesus felt when he cried out over ...

964. Have You Heard the News?

Ephesians 2:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

That question used to be a very simple question that called for a simple answer. But thanks to what is now known as the "Information Super Highway," that has become a deeply complicated question. Go to any news sight on the Internet, and you will be bombarded with a series of choices. It's not so simple just to call up the news. Because when you go to any news website, you have to make a decision. Do you want local news? National? International? Financial? Political? Social? Medical? And on and on it goes ...

965. The One Thing God Can Not Do

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

King Duncan

I don’t know about you, but one of the constants in my life is time spent with God. I depend on time spent in prayer. I lean heavily on the belief that God loves me and that God responds to my concerns. However, suppose when I went to God, I got God’s voice mail instead? Suppose I got an automated voice saying: “Thank you for calling My Father’s House. Please select one of the following four options: Press 1 for a request. Press 2 to give thanks. Press 3 to complain. For all other inquiries, press 4.” So I ...

966. If I Have Not Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Thomas S. Kepler was a New Testament professor at Oberlein College in Ohio. He was a gifted writer, scholar, and teacher. It was through his book, Journey With The Saints, that I was introduced to the richness of spiritual biography and the resources for spiritual formation in the cloud of witnesses sense of New Testament days -- a cloud of witnesses who have marched the Christian way for us. Through most of his teaching career he was also Pastor of a little rural church in Northern Medina County in Ohio. ...

967. What Does the Kingdom of God Have to Do With Anything Today?

John 3:1-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

It started with a question in the form of a statement. It ended with the most memorable words in the Bible. In between, there were many mysteries, not the least of which was the declarative statement by Jesus about rebirth and the kingdom of God. I'm talking about the story of the nocturnal meeting of Nicodemus, the member of the Jewish supreme court, with Jesus, who according to John's gospel was the dynamic and unpredictable messianic ruler of the universe, the word of God become flesh and blood who came ...

968. Playing One Hand

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

Tom Garrison

In the beginning of any really significant human endeavor, be it a marriage or parenthood or a business venture, there is usually a high level of idealism and hope. We expect to do the thing we are beginning with great success. This was certainly true of Jesus' ministry. Who can read how he emerged out of Galilee saying, "The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, repent and believe the good news," and not sense the excitement and anticipation that was present in that act of beginning? And ...

969. I Have Been Baptized

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Three pastors got together for coffee one morning. Much to their surprise they discovered that all their churches had problems with bats infesting their belfries. The bats were making a terrible mess. "I got so mad," said one pastor, "I took a shotgun and fired at them. It made holes in the ceiling, but did nothing to the bats." "I tried trapping them alive," said the second. "Then I drove 50 miles before releasing them, but they beat me back to the church." "I haven't had any more problems," said the ...

970. Do You Have The Glory?

John 17:20-26

Sermon

King Duncan

"I wanted more than mere fortune," a young Italian wrote in his diary. "I wanted fame. I wanted love. I wanted my name to ring around the world. I shall never go home until I can go home somebody." And he did go home somebodybut not where it counted the most. Only 18 years of age this young Italian immigrated to America and changed his name. At first he worked as a gardener and cabaret dancer before heading to Hollywood. After years as a bit player, he hit it big in 1921 and went on to star in such films ...

971. Which Ones Were Lost?

Luke 15:1-7, Luke 15:8-10

Sermon

Merle G. Franke

The first time I set eyes on that grand old church building was in the cool of a January evening. Since it was in a southern state, there was no chilling cold to make me hurry back into my host's car, so the two of us casually made our way around the empty building. He was a synod president, and I was a churchwide senior staff person on an official visit to his synod. The beautiful old building was locked tighter than a drum. There were quite obviously no meetings taking place in it that evening, which my ...

972. The Called Ones

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

Joe Pennel

The Gospel lesson for today makes me want to fuss at Jesus. It makes me want to fuss at Jesus because the message of the text is so radical! It is radical to believe that people would actually leave their place of business to follow after a teacher who said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." After Jesus had finished preaching a sermon in Capernaum, he took a stroll along the banks of the Sea of Galilee. As Jesus walked by the sea side, he noticed two brothers - Simon, who is called Peter, ...

973. They Should Have Fired That Shepherd

Luke 15:1-3 (8-32)

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

Not too long ago I had the privilege of being invited to preach at a conference in a different part of the country. I had a great conversation with the organizer of the conference, bought my plane ticket, and headed to my destination. After landing safely, I retrieved my luggage and went to meet my host. I had seen her photo before, and she gave me a description of her and what she would be wearing. No sweat,right? Then, after a few minutes I saw her. I stuck up my arm and waved, calling her name. Her face ...

974. Surprise--One Got Out!

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

I was reading this week about a pastor named Wayne Major. When Wayne was in high school, he and a friend would pull a great prank. One of them owned a car in which you could pull back the upper part of the back seat and slide into the trunk. That gave them the idea for this prank. One of them would hide in the trunk while the other would drive the car and pick up one of their other friends. The two guys in the front would get involved in a deep conversation. Meanwhile the one hiding in the trunk would ...

975. A Happy Ending

Joshua 5:9-12

Sermon

Charley Reeb

A.A. Milne, the creator of Winnie the Pooh, wrote a simple, yet telling poem in his work, Now We Are Six: When I was One, I had just begun. When I was Two, I was nearly new. When I was Three, I was hardly Me. When I was Four, I was not much more. When I was Five, I was just alive. But now I am Six, I’m as clever as ever. So I think I’ll be six now forever and ever.[1] This is a cute poem, but beneath its adorable rhyme lies a very sensitive issue for all of us: resistance to change. The truth is that most ...

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