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 1851 to 1875 of 3108 results

1851. EPISODE 4: THE FOURTH WEEK IN LENT

Drama

Robert Clausen

ACT II EPISODE 4: THE FOURTH WEEK IN LENT JOHN MARTHA JESUS MARY SECOND CLERGYMAN LAZARUS (Non-speaking: PETER, THOMAS, JUDAS) [MARTHA is alone. JOHN enters to her.] JOHN: Martha! MARTHA: John ... you’ve finally come? JOHN: We didn’t know how bad things were. MARTHA: But we sent word to Jesus days ago. JOHN: I know. It’s very strange. He didn’t seem ... MARTHA: He didn’t seem to care? JOHN: No. Not that at all. I can’t explain it. MARTHA: Where is he now? JOHN: Just up the street. MARTHA: Isn’t he...? JOHN ...

1852. THE OLD MAN IS WASTING

Drama

Jerome W. Nilssen

In JAREL’S apartment. There is a table in the room, with a telephone on it. JAREL is seated. SETH is standing, with a deck of cards in his hand. JAREL Look, I never invited you here, I never asked you to come in, and I absolutely do not want to go back to him. And, finally, I don’t want to play any silly game. SETH Don’t knock what you haven’t tried. JAREL I could always try calling the police. You’re not exactly a guest. SETH Go ahead. I’ve got my story ready: FAITHFUL BROTHER-IN-LAW REBUKED IN ...

1853. Why Should I Go On Living?

Matthew 12:38-45

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

The question came to me again this past week, as it does again and again with almost monotonous regularity: "Pastor, this friend of mine has decided to commit suicide. I think he’s really serious about it. What can I do about him?" The story, too, was typical. Here was a young man twenty-two years of age. He had been married and divorced while he was still in high school. He joined the Marines and was married the second time. He was sent to Vietnam where he became somewhat of a hero. He was credited as ...

1854. Our Father Who Art on Earth

Proverbs 1:8-19

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

This morning we celebrate a rather poor imitation of something that takes place on the second Sunday in May. It is the day when we pull our leftover sentiments out of the deep freeze where we stashed them on Mother’s Day, warm them up a bit to dish them out now for Father’s Day. Yes, it is Father’s Day. It always comes as a bit of a shock and surprise, doesn’t it? No one talks very much about it. About the only ones who make us aware of it are the merchants who have for sale those things, which, by some ...

1855. Snoring through Sermons

Sermon

Michael J. Anton

TRINITY (General) As you may have noticed, the theme listed in today’s bulletin after "sermon" is Snoring Through Sermons. I suspect some might read that line with some delight, wondering what we’re really going to say about the guy who’s been sitting in front of us, nodding Sunday after Sunday. And the guy who has been doing the nodding may well be sitting in fear and trepidation, wondering what we are going to say about his sleeping habits. The matter of napping through sermons has become the source of ...

1856. Aiming at Perfection

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Before United Methodist clergy persons are ordained, they are asked certain important questions in front of hundreds of people during the Annual Conference session. Several of those questions are very personal and a tad disconcerting. For example, "Are you in debt so as to embarrass you in your work?" Lots of debt-laden seminary graduates have mumbled a reply with fingers crossed. Two other questions are very difficult to answer with a straight face. The questions inherited from our Methodist founder, John ...

1857. Using our Special Talents

Romans 12:6-8

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Cup, scissors, picture. Good morning, boys and girls. How are you on this beautiful winter morning? Winter must be a very special season for God, because He decorates His earth with snow and beautiful cloud formations in the heavens. It is wonderful how the various seasons do different things and make us feel differently. It makes me think of some good friends around my house that have special jobs. Let me show you what I mean. First of all there is my friend, Charley Cup. [Hold up cup, admiring it ...

1858. Service Beset by "What’s the Use?"

Isaiah 49:1-7

Sermon

Donald Macleod

In one of his poems, John Greenleaf Whittier wrote these lines: Of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: It might have been. Today, if we were asked to rewrite Whittier’s lines to reflect the mood of many people, we might put it this way: Of all sad words that are on the loose, The saddest are these: What’s the use? Some years ago in Chicago, a parish minister sent out hundreds of questionnaires to people in every walk of life. He received a surprisingly great response, all of which he ...

1859. Easter: The Festival Of Joy

Isaiah 25:1-12

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

In the book of Proverbs we read: "A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." A better translation says it more plainly: "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones." The issue is also clearly stated by the preacher in Ecclesiastes: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: ... A time to weep and a time to laugh." In the Gospel of Matthew this very clear reminder by our Lord: "Do not look ...

1860. The King's Reception (What Are You Wearing to the Wedding?)

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Brett Blair

Perhaps you have heard of the family that moved into the neighborhood and the little country church decided to reach out to the family. When they arrived at the doorstep the members of the church were surprised to find that the family had 12 kids and were for the most part poor. They invited the family to services and said goodbye. Later that week the church responded to their need. They delivered a package to the family and said, "We want you to know that you and your entire family are welcome at our ...

1861. Augustine, Defender of the Faith

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

There is a way of looking at the personal stories of certain women and men to learn of the richness and the potential of human life lived by the grace of God. We are going to do that over the next weeks in this series of sermons we have chosen to name "Saints Who Shaped the Church." The people we will consider convey something of the breadth of Christian history. They are a rich assortment of young and old, learned and ignorant, people of action and people of thought, whose common denominator is simply ...

1862. John Wesley: Religion of the Heart

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

His mother was the daughter of an Anglican priest, and his father was an unsuccessful pastor in the Church of England. He had been raised in the parsonage - one of nineteen children. He, too, became a priest, but he sensed something missing. Religion to this "preacher’s kid" seemed cold, cruel, and intellectual. Then came May 24, 1738. Early in the morning he read in his Bible: "In this way he has given us the very great and precious gifts he promised, so that by means of these gifts you may escape from ...

1863. A Way Back In

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

A wise man once said to me that he tried never to let people get so far out on a limb that they could not get back in. He was the head-master of a preparatory school. As an administrator he did everything he could to enable the staff to make meaningful contributions to the school. He positively reinforced good performance; and, when a staff member got out on a limb, he not only initiated efforts to help the person back in, he also avoided putting undue stress on mistakes or attitudes which made it ...

1864. Ash Wednesday

Joel 2:1-11, 2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, 2 Corinthians 6:3-13, Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:19-24

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17a Theme: Real repentance versus ritualized regret Exegetical Note Prophesying during a plague of locusts and a drought, both of which he takes as signs of divine judgment ("the day of the Lord"), Joel here calls the people to a repentance that, though connected with standard ritual acts (e.g., fasting, weeping, and mourning), is not just a superficial expression of regret, but a radical, heart-rending experience. Note that the prophet holds out the hope of God’s graciousness ...

1865. Bell-Bottoms that Scared the Devil

Luke 6:37-38

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: small bell Good morning, boys and girls and a happy Advent to you! Do you know what Advent means? (Allow time for them to respond.) What does the word "Advent" make you think of when you hear it? For a lot of boys and girls it means getting ready for Jesus to come into our world and be the way He has promised us He would be. Advent is a time of preparing, getting ready, and that is what we want you to do. This Sunday and every day this week and the next three weeks will be spent getting ready for ...

1866. Getting Together

Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: None Text: Listen! Your watchmen raise their voices, they shout for joy together, for they see Yahweh face to face, as he returns to Zion. Break into shouts of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem; for Yahweh is consoling his people, redeeming Jerusalem. Good morning, boys and girls. This is the third Sunday in Advent and the third time that we are going to have a musical instrument that was popular when Jesus was a boy living in Israel. Most things change, and change a lot. Our foods are a lot ...

1867. The Most Beautiful Word

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

What is a sinner? We might have many definitions. For instance, Pascal put it, "There are only two kinds of men, the righteous who believe themselves a sinner and the sinners who believe themselves righteous." Or Mary Wilson Little put it, "Men who make no pretensions of being good one day out of the week are known as sinners." Or, as Oscar Wilde has said, "Nothing makes one so vain as being told that one is a sinner." It would be so simple, wouldn’t it, if the fact of sin could be brushed off as easily as ...

1868. The Forgotten Virtue

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

An author by the name of Vardis Fisher has written a novel, which I have not read, but I suspect that the title suggests more than all of the material that might be included in that volume. The name of the book is Forgive Us Our Virtues. Forgive us our virtues - it’s a prayer that we all might offer. It’s quite easy to pray "forgive us our trespasses"; the higher devotion allows us to say "forgive us our virtues." Benjamin Franklin is often quoted for his homely wisdom as a guide for those who search for ...

1869. The Crowd That Followed Him

Matthew 27:32-44, Matthew 27:45-56

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A sign or banner that reads "This is the King of the Jews" Today we are going to look for Jesus in another crowd. It has been hard being a part of the crowd that hunted Jesus to hurt him. It was kind of fun that first day when we loved him for being a king, but it has been a lot harder since then. You remember running from him when he made you afraid in the temple and how bad you felt when you betrayed him in the garden and hated him at the trial before Pilate. I guess he really made us feel little ...

1870. In The Heavenly Places

Ephesians 2:1-10

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: It is best to have all the answers about how to enter heaven before you need them. Summary: It's never stated in the Bible that entrance into heaven is easy. Two candidates lining up at the pearly gates express two opposing views, one quite worldly and the other simply trusting in Jesus. But who is this third person helping the worldly-wise person? He seems to have all the answers. Are the answers any good? Playing Time: 5 1/2 minutes Setting: Just this side of Heaven's pearly gates Props: None ...

1871. "Job" Is Our Name Too

Job 6:1-7:21

Sermon

Richard L. Eslinger

"Have you considered my servant Job?" God asked Satan in the heavenly court. This "blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" Well, Satan considered Job all right. But he only considered him a God-fearing man because he was being blessed. Remove all that blessing, Satan argued, and Job’s piety will crumble and he will curse you. So the agreement is made between God and Satan; only Job’s life must not be taken away. But everything else is of Job’s is negotiable - family, servants, ...

1872. A Prayer of Wonder

2 Samuel 7:18-29

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction David went into the tent which housed the Ark and sat before the Lord. This attitude of devotion seems not to be mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament, but it is a characteristic posture of prayer in the ancient East. It may be seen in Mohammedan worship to this day. Both David and his nation were "on a roll." The enemies of the past were crushed (especially the Philistines); the Israelite tribes were uniting and beginning to prosper; and now Jerusalem had become the religious center. David ...

1873. Francis of Assisi

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

"The message of Christ’s death on the cross is nonsense ..." 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Characters: Lector Announcer Antagonist Protagonist (Participants enter and take their places in the chancel. As they come forward, the congregation sings the hymn "Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated." When the hymn is completed, the drama begins.) LECTOR: The message about Christ’s death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for us who are being saved, it is God’s power. For the scripture says, "I ...

1874. King of Atlanta

Romans 8:28-39

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

"We are more than conquerors through Christ ..." Romans 8:35-39 Characters: Lector Announcer Antagonist Protagonist (Participants enter and take their places in the chancel. As they come forward, the congregation sings the hymn "Beneath the Cross of Jesus." When the hymn is completed, the drama begins.) LECTOR: Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble do it? Or hardship? Or persecution? Or hunger? Or poverty? Or danger? Or death? As the Scripture says, "For your sake we are in danger of ...

1875. "I Don’t Hate Any More!"

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

A. E. Housman, in a brief verse, uncovers the awfulness of hate: I see In many an eye that measures me The mortal sickness of a mind Too unhappy to be kind. Undone with misery, all they can Is to hate their fellow man; And till they drop need must still they Look at you and wish you ill. That is a plague I would hope to escape. E. Stanley Jones shares his keen insight into the self-destruction of hate. He reminds us that "a rattlesnake, if cornered, will sometimes become so angry it will bite itself. That ...

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