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 2051 to 2075 of 3108 results

2051. Every Day God Enables

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I remember reading a book of letters from children to their pastor. One of them read: "Dear Preacher, I'd like to bring my dog to church on Sunday. She is only a mutt, but she is a good Christian. Love, Sissy. PS I'm sorry I can't leave more money in the offering plate on Sunday, but my Daddy won't give me a raise in my allowance. Maybe you could give a sermon about a raise in my allowance. It would help the church get more money." I like that little girl. I'll bet she's going someplace in her life. Not ...

2052. Braveheart

John 20:24-29

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

John 20:24-29 (NRSV) [24] But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. [25] So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." [26] A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with ...

2053. Living In The Spirit Of Love

Galatians 5:22-25

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. "Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." "If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate." "When you tell someone something bad about yourself and you're scared they won't love you anymore. But then you get ...

2054. Altar Your Prayers

Mark 1:29-37

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Lord, out of the silence, we come into Your presence. Truly help us to set aside all thoughts and distractions. Help us to lay them at the Altar as we give this offering of time to hear Your word for our lives. Help us to put our worries and concerns about all of life into Your hands for safe keeping as we worship. In Your hands they don't look quite so big, so urgent, so burdensome. Help us to come into Your presence this morning ready to receive what you would have us hear. Introduction There's an old ...

2055. Monday: The Way Of The Cross: Figs & Fig Trees

Matthew 21:18-22

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

An eight year old boy came running home from school one day all excited because he'd won a stuffed animal won at the class Valentine's party. "Congratulations. How did you do that?" Mom asked. "Well," he explained, "the teacher put all our names together in a box, and then picked one out. I feel kinda bad though. I cheated." he said. You cheated?" Mom said. "How did you cheat?" With a guilty look on his face he said, "I prayed!" (1) I like that little boy's faith. According to the passage we're going to ...

2056. The Dachshund Dilemma

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Like most pastors I’m always looking for ways to improve our church. Recently I ran across a list by Pastor Grant MacDonald of what he calls the “Top Ten Ways to Promote Growth in Your Church.” These suggestions are offered with tongue firmly planted in cheek, but I thought you might enjoy some of them. These are ways we might grow our church: Offer free frequent flyer miles with every visit! Use “Big Gulp” communion cups! Issue “Get Out of Hell Free” cards! Or how about this one? reclining pews! Every ...

2057. When God Is Like a Mother

John 14:15-31

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Two occasions of celebration bring us together at worship today. On the Church calendar today is Pentecost Sunday, a day to celebrate the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit, a day to sing ‘Happy Birthday, Church.’ On the secular calendar today is Mother’s Day. God could not be everywhere so he created mothers; or as Erma Bombeck used to say, “Mothers need 180 movable parts, 3 pairs of hands, and 3 sets of eyes.” So, Mom, today is your day to bask in the sunshine and let someone else fix lunch. When ...

2058. God's Whatever

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

"Whatever!" It's a mantra of today's world. Behind that one word, that neck thing they do, the rolling of the eyes and the tone of voice what's really being said by many people is: "Do what you want, it’s not like you're going to listen to me anyway, or if you do, what are the chances you'll understand what I'm saying? Whatever!" There's a lack of hope and a I could care less attitude. I don't know where it comes from. I'm not sure the professionals even know. But we're living in a "Whatever" society. And ...

2059. We Are Weak, But He Is Strong...

Romans 8:26-39

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Join with me if you would like: Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, They are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so. Jesus loves me still today, walking with me on my way, Wanting as a friend to give light and love to all who live. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so. Jesus loves us this we say, caring for us every day. Troubles all to him ...

2060. Radical Love is Truthful (Series: Radical Love in a Risky World)

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Every time I preach a sermon on “Loving Your Enemies” it seems to conjure up more questions than answers. Such was the case with the sermon last week. I was hardly out of the pulpit when people wanted to know: What about truth and justice? How could Jesus teach non-violence and then announce that he came not to bring peace but a sword? Did not the same Jesus who said turn the other cheek also turn the tables in the temple and drive out the moneychangers in a moment of, at best, righteous anger if not ...

2061. Follow Your Failures (Series: An Invitation to Christian Discipleship)

John 21:1-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Some people say life is like an ice cream cone. The moment you think you have it licked, it drips on you! Regrets? I have had a few, how about you? Mistakes? I have made my share, how about you? When it comes to faults and failures, how can we find our way through? That is what I want us to think about today on our way to Holy Communion. I. Failure is Certain We catch up with Simon Peter today, back in Galilee. He is fishing and catching nothing. The same Peter who saw the empty tomb first-hand and ...

2062. The God Who Is, Who Was, and Who Is To Come

Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It has always bothered me that the symbol for Easter is a rodent. It is bad enough that the symbol for Pentecost is a dove, a fancy name for a white pigeon, or a trash bird. But the high and holy festival of Easter a rodent? How’s that for a beginning to what is sometimes known as “Low Sunday?” Okay, okay. Technically, no longer are rabbits classified as rodents. As of 1912, rabbits and hares went from being classified in the order Rodentia to a new order, Lagomorpha, which also includes pikas. But up ...

2063. A Defeated Babe Ruth

John 21:15-25

Illustration

Brett Blair

Babe Ruth had hit 714 home runs during his baseball career and was playing one of his last full major league games. It was the Braves versus the Reds in Cincinnati. But the great Ruth was no longer as agile as he had once been. He fumbled the ball and threw badly, and in one inning alone his errors were responsible for most of the five runs scored by Cincinnati. As the Babe walked off the field after the third out and headed toward the dugout, a crescendo of yelling and booing reached his ears. Just then a ...

2064. The Inheritance

Colossians 1:11-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

What are some of the things that get your heart racing and your blood pumping? What are some of the things that reach down into the very viscera of your being and touch your soul and stir your gut? What is it that gives wings to hope and excites your spirit? Is it edge of your seat action/adventure movies like National Treasure, Spiderman or The Day After Tomorrow? Is it fantasy books like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or the Chronicles of Narnia? Is it the actual adventure itself of Mountain Biking, ...

2065. On the Emmaus Road with Cleopas and His Friend

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

James W. Moore

Let me begin this Easter Sunday morning with a couple of human interest stories. These two stories are said to be true but my guess is that they probably fit best in the category of urban legends. In any case, listen, if you will, for the common thread that runs through them. The first story is about a woman who was staying in an elegant hotel, in a large city. One morning she went down to the lobby to have some Travelers’ checks converted into cash for a day of shopping. In her excitement… and in a rush, ...

2066. Taking the Shape of Christ

Galatians 4:8-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

The little girl had been giving her mother a hard time all morning. Finally her mother said, “Please behave your self. Don’t you know that every time you misbehave, I get another gray hair in my head?” “My,” the little girl said, “you sure must have been a bad little girl. Just look at all the gray hairs Grandmother has!” That’s a story about how we become the way we are. Apart from the obvious lessons that we parents need to be careful in the way we seek teach our children - we can’t put anything over on ...

2067. A Goodly Heritage

Psalm 16:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Fred Craddock tells of vacationing in the Smoky Mountains. One evening he and his wife had gone to Black Bear Inn for dinner They were looking over the menu when an old man came over to the table and greeted them and began asking: if on vacation, good time, where from, and what did for living. When Fred said that he was a preacher, the old man pulled up chair and said, “Let me tell you about a preacher.” “I was born back in these hills, my mother wasn’t married, and in those days you didn’t get over a ...

2068. The Miracle of Peace

Psalm 85:1-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A popular prayer on the e-mail circuit goes something like this: So far today God, I've done alright. I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, overindulgent, or told anyone to mind their own business and to stay out of mine. I'm really glad about that. But in a few minutes God, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on, I'm going to need a whole lot of help. In Jesus Name, Amen. Here we are just 17 days away from Christmas 2002. If you find yourself ...

2069. Hearing the Questions of Children

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

David Harju, a senior at Centennial High School, took the SAT test and scored a perfect 1600 on it this Spring. How did David feel about it? “Ecstatic,” said Tennessean staff writer, Barbara Moore.[1] The Old Testament story we step into today is the life and death test of one man’s faith and obedience. Father Abraham feels directed by God to sacrifice his only son as an act of worship on Mt. Moriah. Suddenly, this boy who has brought laughter to a couple in their elder years, is surrounded by a trail of ...

2070. The Holy Spirit and You

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

In the spring of 1998 Sandy and I bought our first home. After years of parsonage living, it was an absolute delight to have our own place, though the bank still owned the most of it. The Director of Christian Education asked if we would host a little Sunday School party on Pentecost Sunday. We immediately agreed to do so, even though the house was far from ready for “company." We thought about twenty people would come. Fifty showed up at our door. We prayed that the weather would be good and the sun would ...

2071. Praising God All Day Long

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Happiness is…. Well, how would you define it? The playpen philosopher, Marvin, says, “Happiness is a diaper fresh from the dryer on a cold morning." Author Robert Fulghum says, “Happiness is a big box of crayons, the kind with the sharpener built in." Ziggy says, “I wish I knew the secret to happiness. I would tell everybody I know." Writer John Powell says, “Happiness is an inside job." The Westminster Confession says, “To be happy is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." The author of Psalm 100 says, “ ...

2072. Come to Bethlehem and See

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

T'was the night before Christmas and all through the earth Every creature was stirring, and needing new birth. Some faces were guilty, others were worn, Some filled with sorrow, some sin torn. When God up above, without much clatter, Sent a Savior to earth to remedy the matter. He came without splendor, saying life's not a waste, Will you rise up and follow and see Him with haste? When it's the night before Christmas from the ground to the sky God's glory is near and Jesus comes by. It is Christmas Eve. ...

2073. The Dynamics of Being a Dad

Ephesians 6:1-4, Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The idea of Father’s Day was first proposed by Mrs. John B. Dodd, in 1909. She wanted to honor her father, William Smart, a civil war veteran who raised six children on his own when his wife died at child birth. So the next year at her Methodist church in Washington state, Mrs. Dodd led the first known celebration of Father’s Day honoring the “father’s place in the home and his role in the training of children.” This religious celebration, however, did not stay religious very long. The associated men’s ...

2074. The Fundamentals of Family Ties

1 Corinthians 13:1

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

At the tender age of 18, I preached my first sermon on marriage and family. It was entitled “When Home is Heaven.” A few months later I got married and reality struck. After a few courses in psychology and shortly before our first son was born, I preached a sermon on the “Twelve Essential Elements of Effective Parenting.” Our children were normal preacher’s kids so I stopped giving advice on raising children. Now that my sons are grown and my wife is out of town, I thought I would end this series of ...

2075. What Can Christians Learn from Buddhists?

Romans 8:18, 28

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Scott Peck opens his book The Road Less Traveled with these words: “Life is difficult." Indeed it is. It is a way to handle life's difficulties which is the essence of Buddhism, the world religion we want to consider today. Buddhists are challenged to wake up to the pains of life and become enlightened in how to deal with it, a worthy mission for any person. Let me tell you a little bit about Siddhartha Gautama, the sixth century monk who became Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Siddhartha was born in 563 B ...

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