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 976 to 1000 of 4962 results

976. More Beyond

Acts 16:16-34

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Centuries ago, Portugal adopted a national motto. The motto read: “No More Beyond.” It was an appropriate statement since Portugal, at the time, was the end of the world. But later some adventurous persons sailed beyond Portugal and discovered a whole new world. So the question arose: “What do we do with our national motto?” After much debate, one person simply scratched out a word, and the new motto became: “More Beyond.” Whenever life tumbles in upon us, it is easy to have a “No more beyond” attitude. ...

977. Where Have All the Heroes Gone?

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Sermon

Clayton A. Lord

I want to talk about heroes today. We all have them. Our heroes are men and women that we look up to. Our heroes are those individuals that inspire us and help us to strive to be our very best. There is a cute story about a Texan who was trying to impress on a Bostonian, the valor of the heroes of the Alamo. After finishing his story about Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, and countless others, he says "I'll bet you never had anyone so brave around Boston." "Did you ever hear of Paul Revere?" asked the Bostonian ...

978. Winners Every One

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Sermon

King Duncan

The coaching staff at Central High School in Clermont, Florida, was having a little problem. The football players were stealing the jerseys used in football practice. The coaches thought they could solve the problem by printing on the jerseys the words, "Stolen from Central High School." Do I need to say to you that this did not lessen the popularity of the jerseys? The thefts continued. But then the coach had a brainstorm. He ordered new practice jerseys printed with the words, "Central High School 4th ...

979. Where Have All The Heroes Gone?

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

King Duncan

A certain Eskimo man was taken on one of the expeditions to the North Pole a number of years ago. Later, as a reward for faithful service, he was brought to New York City for a short visit. He was amazed at what he saw. When he returned to his native village, he told stories of buildings that rose into the very face of the sky; of streetcars, which he described as houses that moved along the trail, with people living in them as they moved; of mammoth bridges, artificial lights, and all the other dazzling ...

980. Forgive as You Have Been Forgiven

Luke 6:27-38

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

She stood peeking out from behind the curtains. As the jogger passed her house, he recalled the hurt she had inflicted upon his mother. At one time she had been the matriarch of the congregation. His memories of her were not fond. He recalled her wicked tongue and the way she used it to cut down others. He never forgot the day she used it against his mother making her cry. That incident caused their family to leave the church where he had been baptized and confirmed. Here it was fifteen years later, and ...

981. I Am The Only One Left Who Cares!

1 Kings 19:9-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Many of us have felt what Elijah felt out in the wilderness. Things are quickly going from bad to worse and I am the only one left who cares! That was Elijah's weary response to God. It came after Elijah's momentous victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. How quickly we can slide from the mountain of triumph into the valley of despond. Elijah did. Queen Jezebel was after his blood. He had fled out into the wilderness. He was hiding in a cave. God came to him in that cave and asked him, "What are ...

982. One In Christ

Galatians 3:15-25

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

It was Christmas Eve. A young Norman Vincent Peale was shopping with his father, Dr. Charles Clifford Peale. Clifford Peale was a physician who gave up his medical practice to become a pastor in the Methodist Episcopal Church. They were walking along Fourth Street in Cincinnati when a bum ” what we would call today a street person ” approached them. The man stretched out his filthy hand, placing it like a claw on young Norman's shoulder. Frightened and repulsed, Norman shook himself free and ran down the ...

983. Caring for the “Little Ones”

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

George Reed

This Gospel Reading from Mark is two stories entwined together. Separately, they are powerful stories but when they are combined their force is greatly increased. Here, in one episode, we have Jesus, the healer, raising a little girl from the dead and curing a woman who has suffered for twelve years from her affliction. While these two healings are wondrous in their power it is the status of the ones who are healed that gives the story its power. It is difficult for us today to understand the social ...

984. Behold, the One Who Betrays Me Is With Me

Luke 22:14-34

Sermon

Will Willimon

“But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table ....Then they began to ask one another, which one of them it could be who would do this.” This professor revealed to me, the other day, the rather seedy etiology of two human activities which I had heretofore considered congenial. Why do we shake hands when we meet? A show of friendliness and warmth? Not so. The handshake originated in Europe, the Middle Ages. Men shook hands when they met (women did not) as a means of checking one ...

985. Together In One Place

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

Today, Pentecost Sunday, is the day upon which we traditionally celebrate the birth of the Christian church. But before we light the candles and sing, “Happy Birthday,” perhaps we should take a few moments to talk about what the church is and what it isn’t. What, exactly, is a church? How shall we define it and how shall we define its purpose? The Internal Revenue Code uses the word “church” but it doesn’t actually define what it means by that word. Certain attributes of a church have been developed by the ...

986. When Your Lips Are One Place But Your Heart . . .

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

It would make a great idea for a Country-Western song: "When your lips are one place, but your heart is somewhere else." If someone has a steel guitar or a fiddle, maybe we can work on the lyrics after the service. "When your lips are one place, but your heart is somewhere else." Jesus doesn't claim the title as his own; he attributes it to the prophet Isaiah. "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites," said Jesus to the Pharisees. "As it is written: "˜These people honor me with their lips ...

987. Have You Seen God's Heart?

Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon

King Duncan

When a general returned to Rome after winning a major victory, he was greeted by a Roman triumphal march. The high political officials would lead the procession, followed by men blowing their trumpets. Then would come wagons carrying some of the spoils taken from the conquered territory, and just behind them a number of defeated army officers in chains. The priests, carrying burning censers from which a fragrance pervaded the air, were next in line. Bringing up the rear would be a group of cheering ...

988. Two Are Better Than One

Ecclesiastes 4:1-12

Sermon

Sandra Herrmann

Well, here we are -- despite whatever trepidation you may have felt over the last few weeks or days, the time has finally arrived for you two to stand up before your family and friends and to announce your vows for everyone to hear. This is no small thing. In a world of change and uncertainty, when people move and change every aspect of their lives not once but three or four times in their lives, where the bonds of matrimony are easily severed when things go wrong, and every other marriage ends in divorce ...

989. Taking the Sting Out of Death

1 Chronicles 15:1-16:6

Sermon

Harold Warlick

One of the most lasting images in the New Testament is one from Saint Paul: O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? The early Christians asserted that Jesus has taken the sting out of death by demonstrating that it is but a doorway into another realm. Have you ever been badly stung? If so, you will recognize the importance of removing the pain and being surrounded by a group of fellow laborers, just like the Bible says. A minister relates the earliest memory from his childhood when he ...

990. One Life To Live

Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

In the movie The Truman Show, Truman Burbank believes his life is no different from anyone else's. He has one life to live, just like the rest of us. But one day he begins to notice peculiar things happening. For example he notices things that happen exactly the same way every day. This causes him to get suspicious that something strange is going on. What he doesn't realize is that every second of his life from the day he was born has been telecast live to the entire planet. He is the star of The Truman ...

991. Two Doors; One Choice

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

In The Lady And The Tiger, Frank Stoc_esermonskton sets before the reader the dilemma of a gladiator who faces his fate in the arena standing before two doors. He must choose which of them to open. Behind one door waits a hungry tiger. Behind the other, a lovely maiden. Jesus presents us with a similar dilemma in this parable. Behind one door to the kingdom waits the tiger of divine wrath. Behind the other door stands the fair maiden of grace. The parable is offered in response to the worried question, ...

992. Oh, How The Mighty Have Fallen

Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Brett Blair

I am holding in my hands a copy of one of the world’s most revolutionary documents. In it are found these immortal words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. . .” Of course, that document, the Declaration of Independence, is the charter of the American Revolution. Though we have not yet lived up to it, it has been the vision that inspires us. The only document I know that is more revolutionary is in our Bible. It is called the Magnificat and is found in Luke, chapter 1 ...

993. Destined To Have A Great Year

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

Sometime ago there was a Peanuts cartoon in which Lucy is in the outfield playing a baseball game. Of course, Charlie Brown is on the mound pitching. Lucy calls out to him, "Hey, Manager! Ask your catcher if he still loves me!" Charlie Brown interrupts his pitching and says to the catcher, "She wants to know if you still love her." Then, in the next frame, he turns to Lucy and yells to Lucy, "He says, No!'" Then Lucy wants to know why not. He relays the information to Lucy again: "He says there are so many ...

994. I Have Seen the Lord

John 20:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s so good to see you this Easter morning as we celebrate the greatest event in human history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the tomb! I hope you came here this morning ready to celebrate. Ironically, on that first Easter Sunday morning, the women came to Jesus’ tomb expecting to do nothing like celebrate. They expected nothing but death and grief and painful memories. The surprise they experienced that morning changed their lives—and the course of human history. What would you do if you came to ...

995. Do You Have the Great Pearl?

Matthew 13:47-52, Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

Jesus said: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the ...

996. “Blessed Are Those Who Have Regard for the Weak; the Lord Delivers Them”

Psalm 41:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Irrespective of the cause of our illnesses, the Lord cares for us in our vulnerability. Understanding the Text The literary type of Psalm 41 has been the topic of much discussion, since the poem does not seem to fall easily into any single type. Perhaps Kraus’s “prayer song of the sick”1 is appropriate for this psalm, although we might simply designate it as an individual lament. The psalm, in fact, begins with a benediction on those who “have regard for” the sick (see the comments on 41:1). ...

997. Preaching Because We Have Something To Say

Sermon

James Angell

The pulpit is less than half of the mystery of preaching. If we attempt to separate it from what is happening on the listening side, it can be an empty gong or a clanging cymbal. Sermons are one-dimensional until a warming current begins to flow along the fragile wiring of the heart. One Sunday at 10:55 a.m. I was stopped in the hallway by a young church member who appeared in great distress. He asked me, as the preacher who would be leading the service, if it would be all right if I asked the congregation ...

998. You Will Always Have The Poor With You…

John 12:1-8

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

Have you ever been in a situation where you have said something that got totally misunderstood? I remember once some years ago there was a horrible fire in a church in the community where I was serving. This fire burned the centuries old church to the ground. It was a beautiful example of older architecture and the people of the congregation loved the place. The truth, though, was that the congregation was in decline and it seemed like closure of the church was imminent. However, the fire did something. ...

999. Divide and Destroy

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Harold Warlick

One day at a city gate two women were arguing over a baby. King Solomon said, “Well, first take a sword, cut the baby into two equal pieces, and give each mother a half.” Of course, you could only divide the baby by destroying it. The most vital items in our faith are like that. You can only divide them by destroying them. They are entities, not quantities. The Holy Spirit is an entity. Each part belongs to every other part. The Bible itself is an entity; it is an organic whole. In our modern mindset, ...

1000. You Have a Friend (Memorial Day)

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

An anonymous e-mail tells a story we need to hear on this Memorial Day weekend. It’s about an old man and his wife sitting in the parking lot of a supermarket. The hood is up on their car. Evidently they are having engine problems. A young man in his early twenties with a grocery bag in his arm walks in the direction of the elderly couple. The old gentleman emerges from the car and takes a few steps in the young man’s direction. He points to the open hood and asks the young man for assistance. The young ...

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