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 1101 to 1125 of 4962 results

1101. Only One Superpower

1 Chronicles 29:1-9

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

America is on a roll following her 221st birthday! She is the only national superpower. Though the Middle East is always fragile and Saddam Hussein bears watching, no war clouds can be seen on the horizon. The soaring stock market sets a new record every week or so, while inflation and unemployment remain low. New millionaires are being created at a breath-taking rate; one can only hope that some of them are Methodist tithers. Some responsible experts are predicting that we may actually see a balanced ...

1102. Good News for Good Living

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sermon

Harold Warlick

The weather that Sunday was beautiful in Augusta, Georgia. The middle-aged minister and his wife, after being away eleven years, returned to their perch by the sixth tee at the Masters Golf Tournament on the Augusta National Golf Course. It was their spot. They’d sat there in former times, when they were younger, healthier, and, perhaps, less wise. Sitting beside them were two young college students. The young man was blonde and well-built. He was holding hands with a pretty coed. She was well-tanned, and ...

1103. Religion - One Way to Get in God’s Way

Zechariah 7:1-14

Sermon

Another clash between religion and the worship of God. To put it another way, "The Bible is anti-religious because it is pro-God." That statement strikes at some of our most cherished traditions. Isn’t religion automatically pro-God? Both the Old and New Testaments say, "Not automatically so." The Bible takes issue not only with the pagan religions, it takes issue with the religion of God’s people when their religion puts God in second place. Christ said of some of the religious leaders who worshiped ...

1104. I Don't Have Time For A Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

The Toronto Star invited teachers to submit excuses they had received from their students. They received these examples: A student explaining why he was late: "I was kidnapped by aliens and interrogated for three hours." Another student, telling why he had failed to turn in his essay: "The bus driver read it and liked it so much he kept it to show to his passengers." Another: "I got mugged on the way to school. I offered him my money, my watch, and my penknife but all he wanted was my essay." Mike, a 14- ...

1105. The One Thing That Matters

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

An old story comes to us from Alexander the Great's conquest of the Persian Empire. In that conquest Alexander's soldiers overran the palace of Darius the king. Looking for things to steal, one soldier came upon a leather bag containing the crown jewels of Persia. The stones were worth millions. However, the ignorant soldier dumped them on a rubbish heap, saving only the leather bag. He ran around the camp telling the other men about the marvelous bag he'd found to carry his food. How often in life we ...

1106. The Last is First

Matthew 20:1-16

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A circle of children holding hands. Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to be the objects of the sermon. Usually we bring something from home or something that we use around the church, but today we are going to use you to teach us what Jesus taught his disciples. I need a volunteer, someone who would like to be first. (Select the first person that raises his/her hand.) You are my first choice. Do you like being first? (Let him or her answer.) That is very good. We need leaders and ...

1107. Where Does One Go When Darkness Floods One’s Life?

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

James Cobb

There are many places in the providence of God where he waits to meet with us. But there is one strange place where he can always be found. The Psalmist has described the place as the place called wits-end. In the 107th Psalm, verse 28 the Psalmist declares, "They are at their wits-end then they cry to God in their trouble." The place called wits-end is the place of our frustrations and despair. It is the place where we come to the end of our strength and wisdom and are thereby brought to that humility and ...

1108. Conflict and Hope: One in the Spirit

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

Conflict has not always been accepted or welcomed within the church even though it is a reality. WILLIAM OGLESBY, JR. (see biographical note preceding The Struggle of Faith) deals with Paul’s concept of conflict "worthy of the gospel" in his devotional message Conflict and Hope: One in the Spirit. It was originally prepared for a study group which was wrestling with the matter of conflict and unity. It was intended to show that conflict can lead to growth and greater unity in life, and that the issue is ...

1109. Eight Glasses of Water

John 4:13

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Objects: Eight glasses of water. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like to drink water? (Let them answer.) Not many of you are water drinkers. What do you like to drink best? (Let them answer.) That's what I thought. You like milk, Pepsi, and hot chocolate, but not many of you care for water. But water is really good for you. As a matter of fact, the doctor tells me if I drink eight glasses of water a day it would be the very best thing that I could do for my health. Water is very important to ...

1110. One in Faith and One in Service

John 17:1-11

Sermon

Lee Griess

A few choice words — that's what Jesus gives us this morning — a few choice words about our lives and faith. Just hours before being arrested, just hours before being tried and condemned, Jesus gathered his disciples around him and in all sincerity bowed his head and prayed for them and for us. These words from John 17 are part of a great discourse recorded by the gospel writer John, part of a great priestly prayer that Jesus offered up to his heavenly Father. These are words that unite us to God. And in ...

1111. Do You Have Your Key Ready?

John 20:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Around the turn of the twentieth century there lived a man named Reuben John Smith. Smith was fond of the comforts of life. Since he had lived a comfortable existence in this world, he thought it only proper to be prepared for a comfortable existence in the next world as well. Thus at his death he left detailed instructions concerning his burial. He was to be buried in a new recliner chair of upholstered russet leather and was to be interred in a sitting position. On his lap was to be placed a checkerboard ...

1112. Why Can’t I Have It All?

Genesis 3:1-24, Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Today, we enter into the season of Lent. Lent is traditionally a time when people ask themselves how far they are willing to go in order to challenge their own desires. It’s a time to contemplate what it means to be in love and in relationship with God and others. The usual question is, “What will you give up for Lent?” While the usual replies have much to do with food like chocolate or carbs or sugar or other manners of gluttony, the real root of that challenge might simply be “entitlement.” Can we give ...

1113. The Scattering of Lesser Figures

Acts 8:9-25

Sermon

Harold Warlick

A certain physician started to practice medicine in a large city. His ambitions were strong and opportunities seemed plentiful there. Success was his right from the start. His practice became almost too large for him to handle. Fame and praise were heaped on him to overflowing. But he forgot that a doctor should do more than heal sick bodies. For this physician, a patient was only interesting if the sickness was interesting and then only as a stimulus to further his fame. One day the prominent doctor got a ...

1114. We Are One in Christ

Sermon

Clayton A. Lord

Someone once said that action speaks louder than words and that is true. When someone reaches out to help a person in need, they have done more than give a sermon. When a person spends time at the soup kitchen feeding the hungry or hammering nails on a Habitat For Humanity house, they are telling the world what they believe is important. Jesus instructed his disciples to be like salt, flavoring and preserving the world so that it would bring glory to God. He sent them out and told them to let the light of ...

1115. Have You Changed Your Clock?

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Some years ago, the London Times ran a front-page story about an Englishman named Arthur Arch. He had just celebrated his 95th birthday, which was an accomplishment in and of itself. But the truly newsworthy thing about Mr. Arch was that for 42 years he had been precisely and consistently 20 minutes late for every meeting and appointment he had. According to his own time, he was always prompt. But according to everyone else's time, he was always late! You see, in 1922 in England they changed all of the ...

1116. Wedding: One Husband's Counsel

Sermon Aid

John M. Braaten

(Name) and (name), what a marvelous day this is for us. In this moment we have come to stand by you as, in the presence of our Lord, you experience one of the most precious and important events of your life - your wedding. We are here to assure you that because we love you, we will pray for you and support you as you go out from this place. For we know that happy weddings are a dime a dozen; happy marriages are rare. Unfortunately, there are no self-help books, no "Ten Steps to Marital Bliss" which can ...

1117. There Is No One Who Does Good: Version 1

Psalm 14:1-7

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Psalm 14 is almost identical to Psalm 53. They appear to have been transmitted separately, the former finding a place in Book I of the Psalter and the latter in Book II. The most obvious difference between them lies in the divine name. Psalm 14 uses the personal name “Yahweh” (rendered “the LORD” in the NIV), and Psalm 53 uses “God” (Hb. ʾelōhîm), as is customary in the Elohistic Psalter (Pss. 42–83). These psalms stand apart from the rest for their universal perspective, their universal condemnation of ...

1118. On Having "The Right Stuff"

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

"The right stuff" describes the qualities of character, competence, and temperament possessed by the early astronauts. They had "the right stuff" for the job and all of us admired them for this. In terms of American history, they are kin to those sturdy folk who first settled this nation, as well as those who later broke out of the confines of the eastern seaboard and courageously headed into the western wilderness. Some years ago there was a book about these latter heroes titled Men to Match My Mountains ...

1119. A Glory Revealed in the King

John 12:12-19

Sermon

Charles M. Mountain

Jesus is the King. This affirmation is really the united testimony of the entire New Testament, culminating in Revelation 17 and 19 where Jesus is called the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Several times in the Gospel of John, Jesus is worshiped or honored as King. Nathanael responded to Jesus, "You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"1 At another point, people wanted to physically seize him and make him their king by force!2 Jesus resisted their plebiscite at that time, but on the first ...

1120. The Power of Uninformed Decisions

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Sermon

Harold Warlick

One of the most nerve-wracking experiences in life is finding a place to live and a person to live with. It’s as true for college students as it is for older adults. Everyone at some time or another has to house-hunt, roommate hunt, room hunt, or apartment hunt. In fact, one of the biggest changes in life occurs in college when you actually have a choice as to where you will live and with whom you will live. The freshman experience is an unknown experience. You either room with someone you think you know ...

1121. Have You Taken Inventory Lately?

Matthew 6:25-34, Psalm 100:1-5, Ephesians 4:17--5:21, Luke 17:11-19, John 6:25-59

Illustration

The renown teacher and author Dr. David McLennon tells a story of his very first job in a small town general store. This was the day before mails and supermarket chains at least it was in his community. At age thirteen he was hired as a handy boy. He would sweep the flour, bag items for customers, put up stock. On one particular Saturday, he recalled, he heard the owner say to one of the clerks "It's that time of the year again, it's time to take inventory." Dr. McLennon wrote that this was a word that had ...

1122. Death In The Midst Of Birth

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Canticle: Nunc Dimittis There is probably no more difficult a time to mourn the loss of a loved one and join in the burial prayers than this. The twelve days of Christmas are for celebration, festivity, lightheartedness, merriment; a time to celebrate birth and God's love in sending Jesus to us. But for us this year, the twelve days of Christmas mean sorrow, loss, grief, and death. In the season of birth, we are in the season of death. I'd like to share two personal memories with you, because they both ...

1123. The Sting Of Death

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Perhaps it makes sense to state the obvious right up front. Here we are, gathered on this well-known day in the church year, Good Friday. This is the one day where the main thought on our minds is Jesus' death, the cross, his suffering and crucifixion. It's the day we Christians, near the end of Lent, and wearied by the 40 days of penitence, fasting, and self-denial, screw up our courage to stare right into the face of death. And doubly so today. For N. whom we have known and loved has died. Does Good ...

1124. The Warrior And The Shepherd Are One!

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Harold Warlick

A friend conveys the story of his childhood misconception about finding his vocational way in life. From his earliest remembrance his goal in life was to own a grocery store. The idea surfaced when he made his first lasting friendship, at the age of six, with a child named Larry. Larry's father owned the movie theater in their small hometown. Every Saturday, he and Larry would go to the children's matinee and they would not have to purchase a ticket. Larry's father allowed them to walk right in without ...

1125. Make Suggestions to God?

Matthew 21:33-46

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A library shelf of great books. Good morning, boys and girls. How does God feel when no one seems to pay any attention to him? That is an important question. Have you ever talked to someone and thought that they weren't listening? (Let them answer.) This is the question that Jesus talked about today in our Bible lesson. I brought along some books to help us see how God might feel about people whom he trusted with his love and who no longer listen or share their lives with him. We are not going to ...

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