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 1801 to 1825 of 3108 results

1801. Dealing with the Devil

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Johnny Dean

I used to believe that children were born pure and innocent. Then I became a parent. Now I believe in original sin. When my oldest son was about three years old, I was outside doing some yard work one afternoon. I took Kevin outside to play while I trimmed the hedges. Holding his hand, I knelt down beside him so that we could look at each other face to face. Slowly and carefully I said, "Now, Kevin, you can play here in our front yard. You can go next door and play in your friend’s front yard. You can ride ...

1802. Are You the One?

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Johnny Dean

H. A. Williams, one of the leading preachers and theologians of the Church of England, titled his autobiography, Someday I’ll Find You. That may seem like an unusual title for an autobiography, but if you read the book, as I did when I was a seminary student, it begins to make sense. You see, there was a period in Dr. Williams’ life when he was almost totally incapacitated by phobic anxieties. He was afraid to into the streets and marketplaces, afraid of elevators and escalators, afraid to ride on trains ...

1803. Here Comes the Judge!

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Johnny Dean

At the beginning of each new semester, teachers and professors frequently distribute to their students a sheet of paper called a synopsis. This synopsis contains a list of things the teacher plans to cover during the semester, along with other pertinent information, such as a list of books the student will be expected to read (which always gave me a headache), the schedule of examinations (ditto), and a list of papers to be written and what length they should be. I argued unsuccessfully with my professors ...

1804. We Don't Know How To Pray

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Johnny Dean

The name of the game is control. Control is a big issue for us. We seem to feel that we have to be in possession of something, in charge of something, ANYTHING, or we are just worthless. Perhaps it’s the pioneering spirit that gave birth to this nation that drives us to believe so strongly that our worth is determined ultimately by our possessions, the things over which we appear to have control. Therefore, one of the most difficult things we are called upon to do is to admit that there are some things in ...

1805. "Oh Yeah, Thanks a Lot" -The Grateful Leper

Sermon

Ron Lavin

On a certain day, long ago, I awoke and said: "Another day ... If only I could sleep all day ... Sleep is so comfortable ... I'd like to go back to sleep ... But the pain makes it impossible ..." "Another day ... I'll get up and do something. What shall I do? What do I ever do? No purpose... no reason ... If I could only do something, I might get my mind off this pain. "Another day ... I must begin with prayer ... Sometimes I wonder if it does any good. Sometimes I'm sure that if I didn't pray I would go ...

1806. Does Love Make You Sorry?

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Are you one of those who thinks that a true Christian is always happy? A drummer in a Salvation Army band hit his bass drum with all his might - BOOM, BOOM! The band leader suggested that it might be better if he did not hit the drum so hard. "Bless ya, sir!" explained the drummer. "Ever since I was converted, I am so happy that I could just bust this bloomin' drum!" The truth is that a Christian has times when tears are in order. In Ecciesiastes, we are told that there is "a time to weep and a time to ...

1807. I Cried All the Way Home

John 16:17-33

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice." (John 16:22) "Parting is such sweet sorrow" is a common saying. When parting comes for us, we may have our doubts about the "sweet" part, but we are sure of the "sorrow." It is sorrow for the one leaving. A certain man and woman were deeply in love, but they lived a thousand miles apart. Because of their work, they got to visit each other only at three-week intervals. They took turns flying to each other. After one such visit ...

1808. "Crown Him Lord of all!"

Sermon

William Luoma

According to the three-year ecumenical lectionary, developed in recent years, the Sunday before Easter is primarily known as the Sunday of the Passion, instead of Palm Sunday. The procession with palm branches is still recommended, but the emphasis of the day has shifted to the Passion of Christ, as seen in the suggested lengthy Gospel readings appointed. In this worship service, however, we have chosen to lift up the Palm Sunday theme, and to focus on the kingship of Christ and his triumphal entry into ...

1809. Encounters With Christ I: Jesus & the Man Born Blind

John 9:1-12

Sermon

James W. Moore

Recently, I ran across a “fascinating list” that carried this intriguing title: “Great Truths About Life That Little Children Have Learned.” Let me share a few of these “great truths” with you. (1) “ No matter how hard you try you cannot baptize a cat.” (2) “When your mom is mad at your dad, don’t let her brush your hair.” (3) “Never ask your 3-year-old brother to hold a tomato… or an egg.” (4) “You can’t trust dogs to watch your food for you.” (5) “Don’t sneeze when somebody is cutting your hair.” (6) “ ...

1810. Mary Of Nazareth

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20, Ephesians 1:15-23

Drama

Lynda Pujad

A Monologue For Easter Part One I had always lived in the village of Nazareth. I am Mary. (bows slightly) It was a common place. Certainly, there has never been anything special about Nazareth but it was my home and I loved it. My parents lived there and also my fiancé, Joseph, who was a reputable carpenter. He was a righteous man and came from the lineage of the family of King David. I knew he was a good man and one that would be a fine husband. Our families had arranged the marriage and soon I would be ...

1811. Monologue: Esther

Esther 1:1-22

Drama

Lynda Pujad

(Reminiscing) I had a mother once. Of course, I remember her well. We went through much suffering together, and after she died I missed her greatly. A girl always needs a mother. My parents and I were from Jerusalem. This is Babylonia and it's not my real home, but I am the queen now, and I have adjusted to it. I am Esther, (Bows) and my name is also Hadassah if you prefer to call me by my Jewish name. When I was young, we were deported and brought here as captives by King Nebuchadnezzar. My parents died ...

1812. Sleeping in Church

Acts 20:8-9

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: None Have you ever fallen asleep in church while the pastor was preaching? I think almost everyone has done this at one time or another. Sometimes you are listening when all of a sudden your eyes just get heavier and heavier, and you fall asleep. It doesn't only happen in church. Some people fall asleep while they are watching TV or riding in the car. There is nothing wrong with it, but I suppose that it can be a little embarrassing. St. Paul had it happen to one of his listeners. There was a young ...

1813. We Prefer Justice to Mercy

Luke 15:11-32

Illustration

Lee Griess

Perhaps you remember the cartoon strip, Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin is a little boy with an overactive imagination and a stuffed tiger, Hobbes, who comes to life as his imaginary friend. In one cartoon strip, Calvin turns to his friend Hobbes and says, "I feel bad I called Susie names and hurt her feelings. I'm sorry I did that." Hobbes replies, "Maybe you should apologize to her." Calvin thinks about it for a moment and then responds, "I keep hoping there's a less obvious solution." We have trouble ...

1814. Windows Of Wonder

Sermon

James Angell

I feel life is so small unless it has windows into other worlds.- Bertrand Russell "Windows On The World" is the name of a classy restaurant atop the World Trade Tower in New York. It has tall panels of windows, and it is one of the best places - especially around sunset - to see what the Apple looks like from 60 or 70 stories up. "Windows" is also a metaphor in preaching that describes the role illustrations play in making sermons concrete, powerful, and memorable. They let the light in. Through them we ...

1815. The Aim Of Preaching: To Bestow The Kiss Of Life

John 20:19-23

Sermon

James Angell

The Los Angeles summer of 1965 produced the frustration-generated Watts riots - or Watts "revolt" as I was taught to call those days. That was the year our family went to England for a pulpit exchange. We were in London the day after Adlai Stevenson dropped dead on Oxford Street, the victim of a heart attack. Mr. Stevenson never became president, but he won a special place in the hearts of the American people. Those of us old enough to remember his campaigns will never forget him - especially the night he ...

1816. The Quality of Mercy

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

"... Forgive your brother from your heart ..." - Matthew 18:35 A very long time ago a ruler of many people, a king, decided to settle accounts with all who were in his realm. As they came one by one before him, one of those who came was found to owe the astronomical sum of 10,000 talents. Now that was a lot of money, literally an imponderable amount - something like the "national debt," I suppose. Of course, the man was unable to pay. In those days a citizen who owed more then he was able to pay could be ...

1817. Christ Has Set Us Free

John 8:31-41

Sermon

In 1493 a history of the world was published in Germany, just a year after Columbus discovered America. The book didn’t end with that; in fact it didn’t even mention it. It did end with a drawing of the Last Day, showing Christ as Judge sitting upon a rainbow. There was a lily in his right ear to symbolize the redeemed whom the angels were ushering into paradise. There was a sword in his left ear to represent the doom of the damned whom the devils were dragging by the hair from their graves and throwing ...

1818. Believing is Seeing

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Alton F. Wedel

When Jesus came to Galilee, he began his preaching with the message, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And the expectations of the people soared to heights not known since Solomon. They had been oppressed, depressed, distressed, and had been waiting for the day when from their midst a hero would arise to lay a left hook on the jaw of the hated Roman Empire, restore the glory of the dim and distant yesteryear, and make those good things happen that the prophets had foretold. The land should ...

1819. Of Preachers and Preaching

Micah 1:8-16

Sermon

Of the several significant themes which may be identified in the Scripture lessons read today, I choose the one about preachers and preaching. Perhaps this is because I tune in most easily on this wave length. The prophet Micah came out of the village of Moresheth with a message concerning Samaria and Jerusalem which he was sure the Lord wanted him to deliver. It was a social Gospel message condemning the prominent and powerful of those societies for their many sins. "Have you no sense of justice?" he ...

1820. Prayer

Matthew 5:17-20

Bulletin Aid

What does that Jesus want from me, anyway? I don't murder people, But of course I get angry! I may even say, "I'm mad enough to kill!" But that's just a figure of speech. I don't really mean it ... Do I? I don't commit adultry, (I'm not even sure if the term means anything anymore!) But of course, I notice attractive people - And I'm attracted to them! But if I don't act on it, I'm OK ... Aren't I? I don't file for divorce every month, (Or even think about it ... very often) And even if I were driven to it ...

1821. Thanks, Lord

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a ...

1822. God Is Good But Not Easy

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man, and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Vindicate me against my adversary.' For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.’ " And the Lord ...

1823. The Ladder of Success

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Paul Hegele

The window into my childhood sometimes opens for me. I can catch glimpses of scenes from the past. The image most vivid is of two small boys - my best friend and me - sitting on the steps of my back porch. Our conversation is always the same. It begins when one asks the other: "What are you going to be when you grow up?" The answers then are much like the answers children give today. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" A cowboy, a teacher, a football player, a doctor. Being Superman was my personal ...

1824. Repent!

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

I didn't want to be in prison that day, even if I was only a visitor. Angry scowls or dull eyes followed my march down the hollow corridors and, at the end of each hall, I silently counted the number of locked doors behind me to the sunlight. Still, the phone call had said a friend of a friend was here and wanted to talk to a minister. And after all, visiting the prisoners was one of the commands St. Paul had given us. So, armed with caution, I had come. The prisoner and I were left alone in a small room. ...

1825. Is Repentance Necessary?

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Is repentance really necessary? If so, for whom? Whom does it satisfy? According to the teachings of the Bible, in the Old and New Testaments, which is the source book of authority for our faith and preaching, the answer is "yes;" repentance is necessary. It is not for God; God has not sinned. Repentance is for us. It satisfies God because God intends that we return to him that we might live and know salvation and peace. In the Old Testament repentance is largely associated with the whole nation of Israel ...

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