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 176 to 200 of 3108 results

176. Guilt And Grace

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

Alex Gondola

Several years back I clipped out a newspaper article about a group of businessmen in Bellingham, Washington. They were trying to market a new product called "Guilt Away." Guilt Away was supposed to remove guilt. Part of their advertising ran like this: "Hounded by nagging guilt? Get rid of it the modern way, the same way you eliminate limp curls, bad breath or underarm wetness. Spray guilt away with new Guilt Away." What they were trying to do was sell an eight-ounce bottle of rose water that you could ...

177. A Kingdom Investment Policy

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

It is by chance that Damian discovers a huge bag of money near his home. It is just days before British pounds are converted to Euros and the old money is worthless. In the scenes that follow, Damian and his brother spend money as fast as they can, with Damian giving to the poor. Their father eventually discovers their secret, and Damian learns that the money was stolen. This is the moral dilemma and plot of the movie Millions. The thief who lost the money soon figures out that Damian is the finder. They ...

178. The Awful Grace of Amazing Grace

2 Corinthians 5:16-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

“Feel the burn.” Ever hear that phrase? Anyone know what it means? . . . [You can make this into a karaoke moment.] “Feel the burn” is what coaches and trainers tell their athletes. Or for other of us, “feel the burn” is what trainers tell their middle-bulging middle-agers trying to get back in shape. The wisdom behind the wit of “feel the burn” is that it is only when our muscles, our endurance, our bodies are pushed beyond the usual that we start to build new muscles, more endurance, a healthier body. Or ...

179. Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ezekiel 37:15-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: a broken piece of pottery I want to read to you this morning a translation of Ezekiel’s prophetic story, translated from the Hebrew by Rabbi Arthur Waskow. This is the most vivid reading of this scripture that I have ever heard. You’ll see why when you hear it. [Read the scripture translation.] The imagery, the sensory experience of Ezekiel’s prophetic vision, the mystery and wonder of God’s creative breath, these are made so vivid in this reading. No? You get such a sense of the metaphor that God is ...

180. Rise Up

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

Lori Wagner

November 2019, the virus we know as the “Coronavirus” or “COVID-19” appeared in Wuhan, China. Today, nearly five months later, that same virus is affecting people around the world. At nearly 400,000 cases worldwide, COVID-19 is on a trajectory that will continue to infect people in 150 countries for months to come –their health, their finances, and their weary spirits. This event, next to Sept 11, 2001, may be the most devastating world event of the 21st century and is already being compared to two ...

181. How to Affair-Proof Your Marriage!

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Country singer Gene Watson croons: Slip into something soft, And then come slip into my arms again. Strip away your conscience and Take off your wedding band. Cheating has become America's national pastime. Statistically, 65 percent of men have affairs by age forty. For women, it's 35 percent. Talking with a pastor who had demitted the ministry due to sexual misconduct, he confided, "I never thought it could happen to me. But it did. For fifteen minutes of rolling in the sheets I sacrificed everything ...

182. Deadly Sins - A Matter Of Sutton's Law

Romans 7:14-25

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

You have said it before and I have, too, to a friend, your husband or wife: "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I'm just not myself today." And then maybe you have heard it said: "He's not really a bad boy; he's just trying to find himself." Or perhaps you have used this expression: "He's not human, he's an animal." Perhaps also you have said this about your boss: "He thinks he's God Almighty."1 All these expressions describe the contradiction that plagues all of us -- that I am not, you are not, what ...

183. A Voice Crying In The Wilderness

John 1:1-18, John 1:19-28

Sermon

John A. Stroman

The people wondered who John the Baptist was. He appeared as a rather strange person who came from the wilderness, preaching repentance, dressed in camel's hair, surviving on a diet of locust and wild honey. John the Baptist was the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ. Yet his message of good news seemed as strange as his attire. It was good news involving repentance, and repentance involved change. That is good news to some people but it is bad news to others. It was good news for the oppressed. It ...

184. Obedience Is An Ugly Word!

Acts 5:17-42

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

A man, bragging on his dog, said, "He's a fine dog. He's so smart, and obedient, too. Why, all I have to do is tell him what to do and he either does it, or he doesn't!" The gospel's success or failure all hinges upon our acceptance or rejection of the word "Obedience." If we truly have faith, we will obey God. Obedience implies that we are not independent, that we are accountable to another, that we do have someone over us, that there is higher authority than ourselves. In a world where we are taught that ...

185. Saved By Water: The Well

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Steve Swanson

The legend of Noah and the flood, and Jesus' miraculous stilling of the storm, are both stories of fear of water and fear of drowning. We are indeed afraid of drowning; most of us would admit it. Too much water scares us. But go to the opposite extreme, too little water, and hardly anyone is afraid. Who ever thinks of dying of thirst? I guess you'd have to live on the desert or maybe back in the old sailing days of dead calms and thirst-crazed sailors. I don't suppose many of us have ever thought of dying ...

186. Born One Of Us

Drama

Production Notes This play, Born, One Of Us, is designed to be used in the church service at any time during the Christmas season; perhaps it is particularly appropriate for Christmas Eve. The play is preceded by three persons reading paraphrased portions of scripture (chapters and verses indicated) concerning Bethlehem. These readings should be read dramatically. The readers may sit in side or front pews. A music stand may be placed beside each one to be carried on and off for the readings. A litany, for ...

187. A LITURGICAL DRAMA FOR LENT

Drama

Tom Eberle

Lent In its historical development, Lent was an outgrowth of the fasting prior to the annual observance of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. In addition, those who were to be baptized into the Christian faith on Easter Sunday underwent a period of disciplined training before their baptism. With the ascendancy of the Christian Church in major areas of the Roman Empire during the fourth century, a new problem was encountered. Discipline was no longer imposed upon the church from the outside in the ...

188. On Being Picked For The "Rework"

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15

Sermon

King Duncan

"Behold, the potter was working at the wheel And the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter. So he made it over reworking it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make it." (Jeremiah 18:3,4 Amplified Bible) It was a classic episode of "I Love Lucy." Lucy had taken a job at a candy factory and she was being trained on the first day of her new job. It was Lucy's duty to stand at a conveyor belt with pieces of candy continuously passing in front of her. She ...

189. It Doesn't Matter What I Do

Jeremiah 17:19-27

Sermon

King Duncan

"Five Things Christians Should Never Say," #5 A would-be burglar in Pennsauken, N.J. needed to make sure the door to the company he was looting wouldn't fully close while he was burgling the place, so he stuck a piece of paper in the door. The piece of paper was a traffic ticket he'd been issued for driving with a cracked windshield. Police found the ticket, with a name and address on it, still in the door the next day, which proved helpful in their pursuit of the burglar, who was arrested at his home in ...

190. The Sin of Silence

1 John 1:9-10

Sermon

James Merritt

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights?" If you've ever seen a TV show, or a movie, or if you've unfortunately been arrested, you are familiar with what is known as the Miranda warning. Now where does this warning come from? Well, many believe it's not from the Constitution or common law, but it was simply a ...

191. Playing the Blame Game

John 9:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

A little girl was riding along on her bike when she bumped her head on a low hanging branch of a tree. She ran into the house crying, “Mommy! Mommy, Joey hurt me!” Her mom looked up from what she was doing. She said patiently, “Sissy, Joey didn’t hurt you. Joey’s not even here. He went to the grocery store with your Dad.” The little girl got a startled look on her face. Then in a bewildered voice the little girl asked, “Does that mean stuff like this can happen on its own at any time [with no one being at ...

192. Good Gossip

James 3:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

One of the most popular shows from last season is returning this fall with ads asking potential audiences, “What would you do if your weren’t ‘handicapped’ by sight?” “The Voice” is a talent show that keeps the judges in the dark, so to speak. It requires them to judge all the contestants only on the quality of their voices. The judges’ backs are turned and they never see the performer. Power, poise, presence, emotion, erudition, excitement — it all has to be conveyed to the judges only by the sound of the ...

193. Give It Up

Romans 9:30--10:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Sometimes it seems like there are only two types of films being made today in Hollywood. There are “chick flicks” and there are “man movies.” Coming off Valentine’s date weekend, the cinema hormone level is heavy with estrogen. But don’t worry, gentlemen. With the approach of “March Madness” and the full court press of basketball, the testosterone level will climb steadily over the next month. These movie “types” are actually less about male vs. female, Mars vs. Venus than they are about the different ways ...

194. Favoritism Forbidden

James 2:1-13, James 2:14-26

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

Prejudice and the Poor In chapter 2 James expands upon the theme of worldliness and the care of widows. Worldliness shows up not only as personal ambition but also in a church’s paying regard to someone’s worldly power and position rather than dealing only on the basis of that person’s spiritual position in Christ. This issue, in turn, leads to the statement of the need for generosity and to a warning against a complacent orthodoxy that stops short of gospel obedience (2:14–26). 2:1 My brothers recognizes ...

195. A Squirrel Crossing a Busy Street

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

There’s a ridiculous story going around about a man trying to cross the street. However, when he steps off the curb a car comes screaming around the corner and heads straight for him. The man walks faster, trying to hurry across the street, but the car changes lanes and is still coming at him. So the guy turns around to go back, but the car changes lanes again and is still coming at him. By now, the car is so close and the man so scared that he just stops in the middle of the road. The car gets real close ...

196. While You Wait

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Charley Reeb

I don’t know anyone who likes to wait. Whether it is waiting in line, waiting on a package to be delivered, or waiting for a prayer to be answered, waiting is not something we usually enjoy. What we sometimes forget is that there is a great deal of wisdom in waiting. This is why Advent is so important. Advent is a good time to learn about waiting because this season is all about waiting well. For the next few weeks we sit on the edge of our seats waiting for God to come to us in Christ and transform our ...

197. Faith and Deeds

James 2:14-26, James 2:1-13

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

198. In Search of a New Life

Revelation 21:1-5a

Sermon

King Duncan

Do you like stories of buried treasure? Here’s one that you may not have heard. According to a legend from the Wild West, back in the 1870s, notorious outlaw Jesse James and his gang stole millions of dollars worth of gold bullion from a Mexican general. The men proceeded to bury their treasure somewhere in the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma. Rumor had it that Jesse had scratched a secretly-coded map on an old bucket and left it as a marker. One source says that after Jesse’s death, his brother Frank James ...

199. The Bramble King

John 15:1-17, John 15:18--16:4, John 16:5-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Here are their names: Simon (whom he named Peter), Andrew (Peter's brother), James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (who was called the zealot), Judas (son of James), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him). "A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of ...

200. Template for Reconciliation

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Steve Molin

Every pastor can tell a story of a church fight; some pastors have multiple volumes from which to choose. Arguments over the color of carpeting in the fellowship hall is a popular one; anything the youth director does is fair game for criticism, and whenever there is a question about the inappropriate handling of church finances, even the least active member of the congregation demands an explanation. These topics of conflict are not immaterial; any issue is an important issue for somebody. But these ...

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