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 1001 to 1025 of 1164 results

1001. His Trial

Luke 22:66--23:25

Sermon

Brett Blair

On Friday of Holy Week the streets were filled with people. It was not an ordinary market day crowd. It was religious tradition that brought these people together. It was the festival of the Passover and Jews from far and near had migrated to the holy city of Jerusalem. It was this same religious fervor that created a certain tense atmosphere in the city. Jesus, the Nazarene carpenter, the one whom some called Messiah, had been placed under arrest by the Roman authorities due to pressure from the Jewish ...

1002. He's Everything I Need

Psalm 23:1

Sermon

James Merritt

One of my favorite theologians was the late Irma Bombeck. She said something about worrying that I think we can all relate to. I’ve always worried a lot, and frankly I’m good at it. I worry about introducing people and going blank when I get to my mother. I worry about a shortage of ball bearings; a snake coming up through the kitchen drain. I worry about the world ending at midnight and getting stuck with three hours on a twenty-four hour cold capsule. I worry about getting into the Guinness World Book of ...

1003. Miracle Five: Healing A Withered Hand

Mark 3:1-6

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

Background Material Jesus and his disciples traveled about on foot. They would naturally take advantage of shortcuts. So this day they walked across some farmland that had been planted with wheat. As they were hungry, they reached out and plucked some of the kernels of wheat to satisfy their hunger. But they were seen doing so by some of Jesus' critics who immediately called him to account. But as they were stout defenders of the law, and of the scriptures, Jesus answered them out of their own religious ...

1004. I Saw a New Heaven

Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Two ninety-five-year-old sisters died at the same time and went to Heaven. There they were overwhelmed by the magnificence and glory of heaven. They ooh-ed and ah-ed at the wonders they saw. They couldn’t get over what a matchless place it was. Then one said to the other, “You know, we could have been here five years earlier if you hadn’t insisted on our eating oat bran.” If you’re going to Heaven, the earlier the better, but let God appoint the time. There’s a barbershop quartet song that has these words ...

1005. Worship and Humility

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: Christian worship must happen in an atmosphere of humility and self-giving. Self-promoting pride desecrates Christ and brings devastation to his community. Understanding the Text The danger of an amalgamation between pagan and Christian worship loomed in the Corinthian setting. After pointing out how clothing (veiling) blurred what should have been a clear distinction between pagan and Christian worship practices (11:2–16), Paul now turns to the issue of the Lord’s Supper itself. The very rooms ...

1006. We Have Waited

Isaiah 25:1-12

Sermon

Will Willimon

It will be said on that day, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (Isa. 25:9). About the best that can be said of the church in the past days of Lent is that we have waited. Lent is the church waiting. Questions were raised that had no ready answers—questions of sin, injustice, evil, suffering, the demonic power of Pilate's state, the limitations of the howling, democratic mob, the ...

1007. The Strength of Poverty

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Hubert Beck

"If poverty is strength, may the good Lord make me weak!" I can hear the idea running around in your head from the time you read the title of today’s sermon. This sermon title sounds every bit as upside down as the Beatitudes that we read as today’s Gospel or as the Second Lesson for today. "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things ...

1008. Discipleship - Path to Fulfillment

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

James W. Robinson

"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." It was with that abrupt request that disciples James and John one day approached Jesus. I don’t know how that strikes you, but, to me, it smacks of impertinence. How would you have responded? In kind, I suspect, with "Oh, you do, do you!" But Jesus, always the gentleperson, made patient reply: "What do you want me to do for you?" Perhaps he smiled indulgently as he spoke. "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand, and one at your left, in your ...

1009. Echoes of Eternity

Matthew 10:24-32

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master; it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not fear those who ...

1010. Mary's Song

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

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to make my annual public service announcement to the men in our congregation. Guys, it’s time to do your Christmas shopping. I hope our men have this task already out of the way. But just in case, please heed my announcement. I understand that a [certain couple in our church] slipped off to [a nearby city] to do their Christmas shopping and somehow they got separated for several hours. Fortunately they had their cell phones with them. “Honey, where are you!?” [the woman] asked. “Darling,” [he] says ...

1011. Prophetic Actions—The Temple Condemned and the Fig Tree Cursed

Mark 11:12-19

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: The withered fig tree is the only negative miracle in Mark, signifying the coming destruction of the temple due to the apostasy of the people. Both the fig tree and the temple clearing depict God’s judgment against the people of Israel who have rejected his Messiah and defiled his temple. Understanding the Text Jesus begins passion week with three symbolic actions, each of which proves that he indeed is God’s Messiah and has come with divine authority. The two themes—christological power and ...

1012. Welcome, Joe!

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome to worship this morning. I’m glad to see you here. And I’d like to offer a special welcome to all our Joes in the congregation this morning, since March 27 is officially “National Joe Day.” I’m not kidding. I don’t know who decides these things, like National Goof Off Day (March 22) or National Waffle Day (March 25), but March 27 is designated as National Joe Day. It’s a day for celebrating anyone with the name Joe. In fact, the founder of National Joe Day invites all people to change their name to ...

1013. When You Want to Run Away

Psalm 11:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In Concord, California, a customer became enraged at an automated teller, and kept punching it because the machine refused to dispense $80 from the man’s account. The customer was arrested and charged with “malicious mischief.” This is not an isolated incident. According to police reports, so many people were beating up on automated machines when they first appeared everywhere in the 1980’s that it became this nation’s most serious crime problem. Does it make you mad? I’ve seen people livid with anger, ...

1014. From Greed to Generosity

Mark 10:17-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Author and spiritual director Richard Foster says, “The great moral question of our time is how to move from greed to generosity." That's what we would like to talk about today. A. GREED: the Bible calls it avarice, or covetousness. Greed is the gratification of my desires often at the expense of the common good. We all have a need for greed. We are born to be greedy. It would be easy today to talk about the greediness of Enron executives who are on trial for pocketing millions of dollars. It would be ...

1015. If We Had Known It Was You

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

James McCormick

One of my favorite musical forms is the spiritual. For as long as I can remember, one of my favorite spirituals has been “Sweet Little Jesus Boy.” I don’t know why, exactly. I like the melody. I like some of the images it calls to mind. It stirs up some deep feelings within me. I don’t know, I just like it. But recently, some of the words have been troubling me. All throughout the song there is the recurring phrase, “We didn’t know who you was,” or, “We didn’t know ‘twas you.” One typical verse says, “The ...

1016. Double Image

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

William G. Carter

"You know why I want to join the church?" The speaker was a father in his thirties, holding an infant on his shoulder. A red Land's End diaper bag was slung over his other shoulder. His wife stood next to him in the church narthex, holding the hand of a cranky two-year-old with a runny nose. The father said, "We began to worry about raising our children. There are too many opinions about what's right and what's wrong, too many temptations, too many possible wrong turns. We want our kids to learn some ...

1017. He treated me with dignity

Matthew 11:1-19

Illustration

William B. Kincaid, III

Eugene Peterson, a Presbyterian minister who teaches at Regent College in Vancouver, tells the story of wanting to discuss some feelings and energies he was having that he believed had to do with God. It was the summer after Peterson's second year of college. His first two attempts at finding someone who would listen to him didn't work out very well. Peterson tried talking to his pastor, but after about five minutes his pastor diagnosed Peterson's problem as having to do with sex and began a lengthy ...

1018. Miracle Nine: Healing A Deaf-Mute

Mark 7:31-37, Mark 7:24-30

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

BACKGROUND MATERIAL It is rather strange that Mark is the only Evangelist to record this particular miracle of Jesus. It is believed that the other Gospel writers had Mark's writings in hand when they wrote their Gospels. And this was a double miracle, a healing of both deafness and of a speech impediment. All the more wonder that Mark is the only one to relate this action. Another area of conjecture concerns the man's speech impediment. Although he is often called a deaf-mute, the scriptures refer to his ...

1019. The Measure of Love

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

The historian, Will Durant, in his landmark series titled, THE STORY OF CIVILIZATION, has a volume called, "Caesar and Christ." Although Will Durant was not a Christian believer, he writes with great insight this about our Lord''s Ministry: "The revolution he sought was a far deeper one, without which reforms could only be superficial and transitory. If he could cleanse the human heart of selfish desires, cruelty, and lust, utopia would come of itself, and all those institutions that rise out of human ...

1020. Proper 7

Matthew 10:1-42, Romans 6:1-14, Romans 5:12-21, Jeremiah 20:7-18, Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Genesis 21:8-21 Under Sarah's insistence, Abraham expels Hagar and son. The miracle baby, Isaac, arrived. Seeing her son playing with Ishmael, Abraham's son by the Egyptian Hagar, Sarah orders Abraham to get rid of the boy and his mother. Reluctantly, Abraham sends them into a wilderness with a bag of food and water. But, Yahweh came to their rescue. Old Testament: Jeremiah 20:7-13 Jeremiah trusts God to deliver him from those who oppose his preaching. Epistle: Romans 6:1b-11 or ...

1021. The Power of a Vision

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Exactly three years ago today, we introduced the vision of Touching Hearts and Transforming Lives as the guiding light of our life together. People’s hearts are being touched and lives are being transformed. One middle-aged man walked into this church about 14 months ago and walked out a changed person. God is capable of instant conversions. For others the transformation has been like a precious flower coming to full blossom. Slowly but surely their lives are being formed into the image of Christ as they ...

1022. How to Beat a Stress Test

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

King Duncan

If you have ever spent any time in an airport then you know how busy, crazy and complicated they can be. And think about all the things you don’t see—for example, the inner details of doing intensive security checks . . . or matching up thousands of pieces of baggage with the right traveler and the right airplane . . . or monitoring weather conditions all over the world. It’s pretty incredible that millions of people fly all over the world every year with few disruptions. How do airports do it? Well, did ...

1023. Hot Tubs and Fishing Trips

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Thomas Long

The following classified advertisement appeared in a recent edition of a major city newspaper: HOT TUB - For sale, complete w/plumbing. Will trade for pick-up truck. Call _________ after 5:00 p.m. One does not have to possess a Ph.D. in clinical psychology to suspect that, behind those few words, there lies a life in major transition. Away with the hot tub, the gold chains, the Brut, the Alfa Romeo, the wine coolers, and the avocado dip. In with the baseball cap, the Budweiser, the flannel shirt, the Old ...

1024. The Word To The Wise

Proverbs 2:1-22

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

Decisions! Decisions! Decisions! Life seems to be one long succession of decisions - • some of them of small significance that could go either way without upsetting anything; • others of a knotty nature that defy a simple choice and may well be life-changing in their consequence; • some of no more hurt than being left outside the candy store, looking in; • others that can mean the difference between poverty or wealth, disease or health, death or life, years of disillusionment and despair, or years of joy ...

1025. You Feed Them!

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Four years ago young Matthew LeSage, a third-grader, wanted to do something to help the hungry in his city. So he started a program, Hams for the Hungry. This year, in its fourth year, Hams for the Hungry will raise $40,000 to brighten the holiday season for people with limited resources. Matthew's story reminds me of another young man, 13 years old at the time, who read about Dr. Albert Schweitzer's missionary work in Africa. He wanted to help. He had enough money to buy one bottle of aspirin. He wrote to ...

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