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 1026 to 1050 of 4962 results

1026. To All Those Who Have, More Will Be Given

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Phyllis Faaborg Wolk

The parable told in our gospel lesson this morning is one that Jesus uses to illustrate the kingdom of heaven. It is a story about a shrewd businessman who rewards the slaves that double his money and punishes the worker who faithfully returns what the master had entrusted to him. This image of the kingdom of God may be quite different from what we would expect to read in the scriptures. When Jesus teaches about the kingdom of God we don't expect him to talk about a crafty investor. We don't think of God ...

1027. God is the Only One

Mark 2:7

Children's Sermon

Object: A Social Security card. Good morning, boys and girls. Did you know that only God can forgive sins? (Let them answer.) That's right, only God can forgive sins. No one else in the whole world can forgive a sin but God. The word "only" is a pretty big word if it means that there is one person who can do something. I brought along with me this morning a card that belongs only to me. It is called my Social Security card. Your parents and many other people have a Social Security card, but this one is the ...

1028. Are You the One?

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

David E. Leininger

A few years ago in Reader's Digest a lady reported searching for the perfect birthday card for her husband. She came across a promising one. On the outside it read: "Sweetheart, you're the answer to my prayers." Then she turned to the inside, which was inscribed like this: "You're not what I prayed for exactly, but apparently you are the answer."(1) OK. In a strange way, I will bet that something like that was running through John's mind as he sat there in that prison. He and his people had hoped and ...

1029. Are You the One Who Is to Come?

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

In his book Horns and Halos, Dr. J. Wallace Hamilton tells about one of the weirdest auction sales in history; and it was held in Washington, D.C., in 1926, where 150,000 patented models of old inventions were declared obsolete and placed on the auction block for public auction. Prospective buyers and on-lookers chuckled as item after item was put up for bid; such as a "bed-bug buster" or an "illuminated cat" that was designed to scare away mice. Then there was a device to prevent snoring. It consisted of ...

1030. No One Enters The Kingdom… Save With Empty Hands

2 Samuel 5:1-5

Sermon

Richard Hasler

The black man standing in the arena was an affront to Der Fuehrer’s authority. The scene was the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, Germany. The black man was Jesse Owens of The Ohio State University representing the U.S.A. He was aptly called “the fastest human alive.” Der Fuehrer was Chancellor Adolph Hitler who had recently risen to power championing an arrogant theory that his “Aryan race” of “supermen” would conquer the world. In implementing his theory he began systematically to stamp out the Jews in ...

1031. Who's The Blind One Around Here?

John 9:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

While he was a missionary in Africa in 1968, William Pruitt had an unusual experience. After a long, exhausting day he returned to a little hideaway house he'd built years before. He was exhausted when he reached the house and turned in for a good night's sleep. The next morning he awoke and "thanked God for another day of life." He prayed that God would watch over him. Then he checked a small engine he had in the storage room. He hadn't been to the hideaway for some time and wanted to see if the engine ...

1032. Having the Last Word

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

The Wizard of Id comic strip characterizes a feisty little fellow as the despotic ruler of the Land of Id. In one strip, the king opens his mail and reads aloud, "This is to notify you that you have been chosen to be presiding king at the kings' conference this year." The king begins to jump up and down, excitedly proclaiming, "Hallelujah! I'm the king of kings! I'm the king of kings!" In the next frame a fiery bolt of lightning descends from on high. In the final frame, a charred and frizzled little king ...

1033. One Came Back

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

Gert Behanna was fifty-three years old when she discovered God. The shock and wonder of that discovery haven't worn off after twenty years. Gert had another shock the very next Sunday when she went to church. She says, "I'd never been to church in my life and I remember how eagerly I awaited that first Sunday. I'd just had a glimpse of God Almighty - me, an alcoholic, a drug addict, rich, lonely, and miserable - already I was beginning to know what joy really was." Gert was a new Christian. She was eager ...

1034. Have You Heard?

Matthew 4:12-23

Sermon

Mark Trotter

This is the day of our Charge Conference, the annual meeting of this congregation when we evaluate and celebrate the past year. And indeed, we can give thanks to God for all that has happened during this past year, and look forward to the future to what God has in store for us, particularly as we look forward to a new millennium. So it is appropriate that on this Sunday the gospel lesson be Matthew's version of the call of the disciples. That is what I want us to look at this morning. There are two classic ...

1035. God Has the Last Word

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Charley Reeb

It is amazing how sounds will stir the mind and heart. For instance, music has a marvelous way of igniting an array of emotions. Someone can listen to a song, close their eyes, and feel once again the exhilaration of their first kiss or the bittersweet memory of love that was lost. A note or two of music can resonate a deep chord within. Movie makers know this well and use it to their advantage. Ever tried to watch a movie with your television muted? The drama of the movie is removed. The screeches, ...

1036. Wounded Healers

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Charley Reeb

I once watched a television show which scared the daylights out of me. I don’t remember the name of the show, but the episode still haunts me. The story was about a self-sufficient man who experienced an auto accident and was left paralyzed. He could not speak. He could not move his body. Yet he discovered he was able to move his pinky finger. Tragically, the ambulance drivers who picked him up at the accident scene thought he was dead. So instead of taking him to the hospital, they drove him to the morgue ...

1037. Have You Been Pruned?

John 15:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Writer Henry Mitchell visited a region in California that is home to some of the world’s finest vineyards. His eye was caught by rows of vines that had just been pruned. It was depressing. All that was left of the once beautiful grapevines were rows of ugly-looking stumps and a few “runners” stretching from each of those stumps. “It looks disastrous,” Mitchell remarked to his guide. “Don’t worry, the guide replied. “We do that for three years to every vine [we cut it back] before it’s allowed to [yield] ...

1038. Life's Four Big 'Ds' and One Bigger 'D'

Galatians 2:11-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Here are the catalogues that came to our house this past week. (Save in a box or basket all the catalogues that arrive at your home for one week, and empty them out in front of the congregation.) Order anything from any catalog and you immediately get on the mailing list for hundreds of others. Depending upon your attitude, these catalogs can either be a delightful escapist fantasy, or a miserable consumeristic experience in "wannabe-ness." Here are some exclusive, high-end catalogs. These are especially ...

1039. Gideon: One Giant Leap

Judges 6:11-16

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I love to fly but I wonder, how many of you get nervous when flying? If you do you'd probably agree with George S. Kaufman who once said, "I like terra firma - the more firma, the less terra." One of the premier science-fiction writers Ray Bradbury of Los Angeles won a top award in 1968 from the Aviation-Space Writers Association for a Life magazine article he wrote in praise of space exploration. But Bradbury didn't attend the association's awards meeting in Florida. You know why? He won't fly. (1) I ...

1040. One For All

John 10:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Sometimes in our complex relations with Middle East countries, we are confronted with instances of barbaric forms of justice. We hear of people getting hands cut off for stealing, a princess stoned to death for adultery and so on. We need to remind ourselves that Christian history has also been full of barbaric acts. Humane treatment of wrongdoers and enlightened applications of justice are modern developments. The morality of rehabilitation as opposed to retaliation is still not fully evolved. Consider, ...

1041. Having the Right Connection

John 15:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

After Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, died in 1977, many people claimed to be related to him. Tabloids published stories with headlines like “I was Elvis’ love child!” Some of these claims were made by fans desperate to maintain some connection to the musical legend. Some of the claims were made by folks who just wanted a chance at publicity or money from Elvis’ estate. Claiming a connection to Elvis Presley became so popular that Detroit-area disk jockey, Dick Purtan, began selling birth ...

1042. I Have Been Gifted!

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Sermon

Ronald Love

In December 2019, Grace Fellowship United Methodist Church voted to leave its affiliation with the United Methodist Church and partner with the Free Methodist Church. For several years the controversy surrounding the religious issues dealing with the status of homosexuals in the congregation has severely damaged the denomination. A number of individuals have become outspoken activists, promoting varying positions on this dispute. This has consumed a considerable amount of time, energy, and money of the UMC ...

1043. What Have You Got To Lose?

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Erskine White

Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25) Years ago, when the Betty Crocker company first began selling their cake mixes, they offered a product which only needed water. All you had to do was add water to the mix which came in the box, and you would get a perfect, delicious cake every time. It bombed. No one bought it and the company couldn’t understand why, so they commissioned a study which brought back a surprising answer. ...

1044. Have I Got News For You!

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

William L. Self

My favorite Christmas story is about the young boy who was given a very important role in the church Christmas play. He was to be the angel and announce the birth of Jesus. For weeks he rehearsed the line that had been given to him, "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy." The grandparents got in on it and any time the family was together and the boy was there, they would dress him up in his costume and he would rehearse his part for them, "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy." They were ...

1045. Love without Limits

John 13:31-38

Sermon

John K. Bergland

The eloquent preacher Tom Long tells the story of a small church-related college that held an annual event called Christian Emphasis Week. It was the task of the Christian club on campus to invite a speaker who would come and lead a college revival. This particular year they invited a preacher who had come highly recommended. They were told of his dynamism and his unique way of communicating the gospel. The first night of the revival the chapel was filled with the faithful. There were no "animal house" ...

1046. Love without Limits

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

1047. Where Have All The Visible Miracles Gone?

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Today we celebrate the miracle of transfiguration. It is a great story - a great way to continue our Lenten discipline of preparing for the Easter season. Jesus takes three of his disciples up on a mountain with him, and before their very eyes he is swallowed up by the glory of God's great might. In the presence of such glory, his clothes turn white as light and his face shines like the sun. Then Moses and Elijah, two men of God who had been dead for more than 1,000 and more than 800 years respectively, ...

1048. Wedding: One from Two

Sermon Aid

John M. Braaten

(Name) and (name), on this your wedding day, grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen If I read Scripture correctly, today you two will become one. For our Lord said: "Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one'? So they are no longer two but one. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder." ...

1049. Have You Checked On Your Investments Lately?

John 6:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

Approaching 40, Bill yearned for a boat. Frugality won out until the day he came across the obituary of an old high-school classmate named Ted. Ted had been the same age as Bill and now he was dead. Bill was certain this was a sign that life was too short. So he went out and purchased a boat that very weekend. Days later, a former classmate called Bill. "Sure was a sad thing, wasn't it?" the classmate said. "You know, Ted's boating accident and all." (1) Experts tell us that the baby boom generation is ...

1050. You Don't Have to Yell

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

What is the loudest event you’ve been to lately? Was it a ballgame, a concert, a family dinner, a party? I ask because I read an article this week about the incredibly strange way that the employees at Yahoo Inc., the Internet service provider company, chose to celebrate their 20-year business anniversary. They had a group yodel. And not just any group yodel. They gathered 3,432 employees at their California headquarters and had everyone participate in a 1-minute yodel. I don’t know about you, but for ...

Showing results