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 2601 to 2625 of 4959 results

2601. Angels

Psalm 91:1-16

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the angel messenger in Revelation tells John, "Do not [worship me]! I am a fellow servant with you and with your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!" (Rev. 19:10, 22:9) Angels are a sign of God's interest in us, of God's desire to guide us. In the Bible God uses angels to guide people to begin new ventures, to protect themselves, to wait, to trust. There is no reason to think that God has stopped guiding people that way. "Scripture clearly stands on the side of those who believe that ...

2602. Grace and Golf

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... as well. In fact, in the ancient world, if teachers were NOT paid, the assumption was that their teaching was worthless. Hmm. But Paul takes pride in not accepting any compensation. Why? To prevent anyone from saying he does what he does for any reason other than a burning desire to share the gospel. If this is what it takes to help people come to know Jesus Christ, fine - it is worth it. Listen to him: To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under ...

2603. When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough

Ecc 2:1-26

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... Goethe wants to experience everything, to live without limits. He wants to read all the books, speak all the languages, taste all the pleasures. So the devil gives him everything - wealth, political power, the ability to travel anywhere and be loved by any woman he desires. Faust does it all and he is still not happy. However much wealth he acquires, however many women he seduces, there is an unsatisfied hunger with him. Sounds like Ecclesiastes. By the time we come to the end of the play, Goethe is in his ...

2604. Integrity

Song of Songs 2:1-17

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... for God to be manifest - something I might have missed if those letters had remained undiscovered and my picture of my grandparents had remained incomplete.(5) Good point. Were it not for the Song of Songs, we too might miss the fact that healthy desire and healthy discipleship are not mutually exclusive. Sex is a wonderful gift. GOD'S gift, even. Enjoy! OK. Now combine that with the passage we heard from Mark's gospel, this seemingly nit-picky confrontation between Jesus and the disciples on one side and ...

2605. Religion and Politics

Isaiah 1:1-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... to preaching to see if pastors are adhering to federal tax guidelines restricting political activity by nonprofit groups.(5) Hmm. With that caveat, I wonder whether keeping religion and politics separate is possible. For that matter, I wonder whether it is desirable. I wonder if it is faithful. The witness of the prophets of old would say no. Consider this week's lesson from Isaiah. It begins with a superscription that places the prophet in a particular historical and political context - Jerusalem "in ...

2606. John the Baptist

Matthew 3:1-12, Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... well enough to realize that I would be considered as certain to follow my father. I know that only sons of priests can become priests. I know that family lines determine who can serve in the temple and who cannot. But I am not a priest, nor have I any desire to become one. On the day of my circumcision, my father said I would become a prophet of the Most High God. I would go ahead of the Lord to prepare a way for him, to tell his people that they will be saved by repentance and the forgiveness of ...

2607. The Blame Game

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

The Blame Game. Have you ever noticed that there is something in you and me that likes to assess blame? I do not think that desire is simply malicious. Rather, I suspect it has to do with our wanting to bring things to a conclusion. We do not like unanswered questions. Over these past weeks, we have been treated on the nightly news to the hearings going on in Washington about September 11th. Who is to ...

2608. Would You Take The Crown Without The Cross?

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Brett Blair

... God. If we come to God we come because we belong with him not because he has something for us. We come because our soul needs to be in his presence not because our belly needs to be filled. Satan asks, wouldn’t you rather have your desires met first, your cravings satisfied in full? Wouldn’t you rather take the crown without the cross? II The second temptation we shall call: Fall on the Rocks: The Temptation to gain popularity by performance. And if the first temptation deals with the physical needs of ...

2609. Going Fishing

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... than they were on offering transformative experiences for either visitors or long-term members...A basic assumption...appeared to be, "If we serve our own people well, outsiders will see this and want to become insiders." [Sound familiar?] Missing completely was any desire to find out about the spiritual needs of outsiders or to see if their congregation had resources to meet those needs. Also missing was any sort of strategy for reaching the unchurched of their area. Somebody want to check the bait box ...

2610. Real Religion

Micah 6:1-8

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... spend the time walking, living life, with God in ways that would work out in every aspect of life. It implies a sensitivity to the things of God, a concern...to allow our heart to be broken by the things that break the heart of God. It is a deep desire to see the world through the eyes of God, to act in the world as God would act."(7) When this final requirement is placed cheek by jowl with the first two, walking with God becomes synonymous with having a heart for justice and compassion. The three cannot be ...

2611. A Religion that Shows

Haggai 1:1-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the right management of possessions. Jesus knew that we could easily come to love that which we have accumulated even more than God. The rich young ruler came to Jesus, anxious to know the way to eternal life, but his possessions possessed him even more than his desire for life. The rich man who built huge barns to hold his goods was called a fool because he had placed the amassing of wealth at an even higher priority than his own life. Yes, Jesus preached about money -- because he had to - it was (and is ...

2612. Public Piety

Matthew 6:19-24, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... into the early church. Lent became the special time during which new Christians prepared for Baptism - instruction, sacrifice, austerity. As Easter Sunday approached, an all-night Vigil would be held, and just before the sun rose on Easter morning, all those who so desired and had properly prepared were baptized in a splendid service. It did not take long for all Christians to set this time apart to recommit themselves to the faith. And so we arrive at this time of recommitment once again. What will Lent ...

2613. The Lord's Prayer: Hallowed Be Thy Name

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... to a large classmate who played Tackle on our football team. His name was Eugene - when I saw the steam begin to come from his ears, I quickly noted that I thought it was a FINE first name, but for a middle name, it left something to be desired. WHEW! I found out that Eugene was chosen for me in part to honor one of my father's seminary roommates, Eugene Osterhaven, who became a renowned author and professor of theology in the Reformed Church in America - I have liked it better ever since finding that out ...

2614. The Lord's Prayer: "Our Daily Bread"

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... done quite a job here." To which the farmer replied, "Yeah, but you should have seen it when the Lord had it all to himself." Yes, God provides what is needful for the well-being of the creation. The Psalmist says, "You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing."(2) The Lord gives us sun and rain...fertile ground...the mental and physical capacities to do what is required. But God ALLOWS and EXPECTS us to participate in the creative work, and that is how God GIVES us our daily bread. Then ...

2615. Tragedy and Triumph

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... to begin foolishly blaming God for whatever is not to our satisfaction in this world. As Job said, "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him."(2) It was that same kind of trust that sent Jesus to the cross. The gospels make clear that Jesus had no desire to be tortured or to die -- no sane person would. But he endured it...and the tragedy of Good Friday turned into the triumph of Easter. How could that have happened? I do not know. God does. And that is all that matters. The danger we face in dealing with ...

2616. The Freedom in Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the sidewalk only to discover dog tracks in two directions on his new sidewalk. He smoothed those out and put up the twine. About five minutes later he looked out and the footprints indicated that the dog had cleared the fence, landed on his sidewalk and proceeded as he desired. The man was mad now. He toweled the wet concrete smooth again. As he got back to the porch he saw the dog come over and sit right in the middle of his sidewalk. He went inside got his gun and came out and shot the dog dead. The ...

2617. Power

Mark 1:9-13, Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... of mine, a Sunday School teacher told me of an incident that happened there some years ago. Two of the young girls in her class - both about nine years old - came to her and said they wanted to be baptized. She was understandably pleased at their desire and told them to go home and talk to their parents about it, then appropriate arrangements could be made. A week later the girls came back with the sad news that the parents thought they should wait until they were older and could understand more of ...

2618. A Story Worth Sharing

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , give considerably more time to civic causes and contribute more substantially to social values than do those who do not worship.(3) One of the things that we hear regularly from the Baby Boom Generation as well as the Generation-X'ers is a desire to find opportunities for meaningful service. Where do we find the best outlet for that need? The church. Another study, Giving and Volunteering in the United States, shows that people who are members of congregations are far more likely to be generous with both ...

2619. The View from the Mountaintop

Mark 9:14-32, Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , it was in two parts. There was the story of the healing of the epileptic boy and that wonderful affirmation of very human faith from the lad's father. We are drawn to that picture because it so reflects our own experience, our own honest doubt and our desire to do better. But the part of the lesson that has not been mentioned yet is this strange mountaintop scene, the Transfiguration of the Lord. Jesus and three of his closest friends had climbed up to pray and rest. But while they were there, Jesus was ...

2620. Jesus and Divorce

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... gods of fertility.(4) The Romans? To be sure, they had started out with a very high view of marriage and sexual morality - in the first 500 years of Roman history there is not one recorded case of divorce (the first one came in 234 BC when a man desired a child and his wife could not give him one). Things went downhill from there though. By Jesus' time, the morals of Rome were not much better than a bunch of alley cats. Marriage had become nothing more than a necessity for the propagation of the race. The ...

2621. Terms of Endearment

Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , Bundles, and Stinky the Bald-Headed Girl. (That last one was Bridgette's name her first week only. I fully expect her to take me to court over it one day.) In the end, I believe my clearly exhaustive repertoire of aliases for my daughter comes from my desire to dote and fawn and fuss over her that much more. And the more syllables the better (even though, in the end, a Bridgette by any other name still smells like Johnson's Baby Powder)." True enough, a rose by any other name still smells as sweet, but ...

2622. What's in a Name?

Luke 3:21-38, Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

2623. Temptation

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... past, but the fact that evil exists is beyond question. What is the source of that repressed rage, blood lust and violence deep within every one of us which ordinarily surfaces only in our dreams when we cannot control our innermost feelings and desires? Why is it that some decent people, some of them Bible-reading, church-going Christians, can become vicious beasts when they confront Jews or blacks or frightened women trying to make their way into an abortion clinic? Why do otherwise compassionate human ...

2624. Ban the "Buts"

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... journey: as the text has it, "he set his face to go to Jerusalem." The cross. Nothing would interfere. Not an inhospitable Samaritan village. Not angry followers who would call down lightning strikes to avenge the insult. Someone came along who indicated an enthusiastic desire to accompany him: "I will follow you wherever you go." There is the hint of a raised eyebrow in Jesus' reply: "You want to follow me? Really? Really? Do you know what that might mean? 'Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have ...

2625. Would a Loving God Really Let Anyone Go to Hell?

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... from unending torture in Hell to motivate folks to accept Christ and do right. I would suspect that we could have done it better. After all, if the gospel is the good news we claim it is, we should have emphasized the LOVE of God and God's desire that all humanity be saved. Instead, we have tried to SCARE people into the kingdom. And, let's face it, that has not worked. If our witness is to include the reality of Hell at all, perhaps it would be better explained like this: God, in divine love, wants ...

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