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 2626 to 2650 of 5000 results

2626. Advice from a Billionaire

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... not uncritical love; that’s a different animal--but to know you can always come back, that is huge in life. That takes you a long, long way. And I would say that every parent out there that can extend that to their child at an early age, it’s going to make ... gardener was converted by the loving concern of those geese. He gladly watched them as they finally rose together and all resumed their long flight. (3) To me that is a parable of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is here and now. Wherever love ...

2627. Four Magic Words

Psalm 126:1-6, Psalm 145:2-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... as he remembered four magic words. The servant went out and immediately began using the blessings which filled the bag. Soon the bag was almost empty. The servant recalled the words of his master that the bag would always be full as long as he remembered the four magic words. Unfortunately, the servant had forgotten the four magic words and was almost out of blessings. Finally he went to a wise man and asked his advice on the matter. The wise man suggested that possibly the four magic words were: I WISH ...

2628. The Peace of Christmas

Philippians 4:4-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... child that will one day lead the world to peace. Every year at this time we rekindle this great dream of peace on earth. We look forward to that day when the wolf will indeed live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. We all long for peace, don’t we?--peace within our hearts, peace within our homes, peace within our world? Dante, the great poet of the Middle Ages, was exiled from his home in Florence. Life had turned out badly for him. He decided to walk to Paris from Italy where he ...

2629. The Way Up Is Down!

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... up and take me to the fair." But, even for his own granddaughter the knight would not stoop, for within himself he had made a vow to bow only to his king. Finally, the day came for the king to come. This was the day for which the knight had longed since the day of his knighthood. As the king approached to inspect him, the knight stood proudly and stiffly at attention. As he did, the king noticed a tear rolling down the proud knight's cheek. "You are one of my noblest knights," said the king, "why are you ...

2630. The Reception was Excellent

John 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... miracles Jesus remained true to the laws of nature. He simply short-circuited the natural process. For example, it takes a long time to produce wine from water using grape vines and fermentation tanks. Jesus simply did instantly what Mother Nature does over ... offered them both jobs beginning the next day. Their money bought enough supplies to last until their first paycheck. To make a long story short, the businessman and his friend were able to finish college--the first in their families to do so. And they ...

2631. What Will It Take to Make You Happy?

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... who was suffering from a certain malady. He was advised by his astrologist that he would be cured if the shirt of a contented man were brought for him to wear. People went out to all parts of the kingdom after such a person, and after a long search they found a man who was really happy . . . but he didn’t possess a shirt. We can have the most desperate of circumstances and still be happy, according to Jesus. Happiness comes from another source. It is a curious spiritual principle that the more we have ...

2632. It Is Always the Third Day

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... an instantaneous leap of faith, but as a series of staggers from what seemed like one safe place to another. Along the way, there was a minister who listened — really listened. There was a little church in the neighborhood where she heard the music from the street long before she found the courage to enter. Then there came a certain night in the midst of a medical emergency. She was falling down drunk. It was late at night. She was at home alone. She felt someone with her in the dark. She claimed she just ...

2633. The Ascension Day Experience

Luke 24:50-53

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... touch with our roots. We had train tickets to get from country to country, rental cars reserved for touring within countries, and a long list of hotels where we had reservations. The itinerary had taken a year to complete and it was planned with the same attention ... the nation benefited from having a king who served more than a generation. As frequently happens when powerful people serve long periods of time, the reign of Uzziah did not end well. Even with that caveat, Uzziah’s death sent shock waves ...

2634. If the Stones Cried Out

Luke 19:28-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... king they were awaiting, “Messiah.” It is he who would lead them to victory over their enemies. Even the disciples were longing for this Messiah, and they were beginning to believe that Jesus just might be the one. It’s interesting. As Jesus and ... not all he means for us to be. With his help daily, we aim to no longer be under the reign of our lesser selves. Our deepest longing is to be all he created us to be. That amazing writer C.S. Lewis wrote: “I think that many of us, when Christ has enabled us ...

2635. A Mother Is Waiting

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... because of his aunt. It awed him that she had given him a second home. She had become a second mother to him. Years later, long after he had moved away, his aunt wrote to tell him of her impending death. Her health was failing and she wondered what was to ... left a house of death not knowing where I was to go, whether anyone cared, whether it was the end of me. The ride was long but the slave encouraged me. Finally, he pointed out your candle to me, and there we were in the yard and you embraced me and ...

2636. Can We Really Love Our Enemies

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... We want a nice, safe, domesticated religion, and loving one's enemies is not it. Nor is it the way of the world. Not by a long shot. When your enemy is down you stomp on him. If you are hit on one cheek you make sure you hit back twice as ... only chance you have to make them friends. Schweitzer held that the early church never claimed folks could live by absolute love, at least for long. Nevertheless, that is our goal. The sayings of Jesus in this Sermon on the Plain are not a diagram of how things work in ...

2637. Free From What? For What?

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

... any society. They haven’t hardened themselves yet, haven’t built up immunity to the toxins. If we look at how our teens are doing, then, we can pretty well judge the health of our society and what’s in store for us. The problem is that for a long time teenagers have been dropping over right and left, and no one’s been paying any attention. So, what is it that teens have to teach us? As adults, our attempts at independence are generally balanced by our need for security: we can’t walk away from our ...

2638. Pay Attention!

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

... down, Martha. Listen to what I have to say. Don’t yell at your sister for wanting to hear me. After all, I’ve come a long way.” The story of Mary and Martha, then, is funny in some ways. But it is also deadly serious. In Luke (21:34) Jesus warned ... paid. Jesus would say that the urgency lies with the coming kingdom not with bellies and wallets. A stomach doesn’t stay satisfied very long anyway, and all that we buy with our money will pass away. We have need of only one thing: Jesus, who said, “I am ...

2639. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... in his sermon, “You Are Accepted,” (The Shaking of the Foundations). It is almost a contemporary paraphrase of Matthew: “It happens; or it does not happen. And certainly it does not happen if we try to force it upon ourselves, just as it shall not happen so long as we think, in our self-complacency, that we have no need of it. Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life. It strikes us when we feel that ...

2640. Making a Difference

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Molly F. James

... model of humility and generosity. Just like Zacchaeus, my friend Amelia is not what she might seem on the surface. While she was born into wealth, there were times when she had to go without. Her parents divorced when she was a teenager, and sadly it was a long and bitter divorce. For a time all her mother’s assets were frozen and she and her mother were locked out of their house. Amelia and her mother spent months living in a Howard Johnson’s motel room living as cheaply as they could, for they had no ...

2641. Aha! I See It Now!

John 1:29-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... of elderly Japanese engineers to take over the worst part of the clean up project. These elderly workers knew that this work would poison them. If it didn’t kill them in the short term, then they would face an increased risk of cancer in the long run. Yet they still stepped up and volunteered for the work. They wanted to save the younger men from suffering and death, so they willingly volunteered to take their place. (7) I wonder how many of us would make that kind of sacrifice? In his Aha! moment ...

2642. First Sunday of Advent

John 1:29-34, John 1:35-42, Isaiah 11:1-16

Bulletin Aid

Heth H. Corl

... year has come again. I know Christmas is wonderful because it celebrates the gift of your Son. But I confess I have put myself in a time block. Christmas is so full of things happening now. I haven't considered it as a continuation of your love begun long ago. I really haven't looked too far beyond Christmas to see its effect in my life. Forgive me for my selfish concentration on a busy holiday instead of seeing it as a fulfillment of your promise to mankind. Help me this Advent to experience a real coming ...

2643. Same Ol’, Same Ol’

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... altogether new to them so they went in search of an explanation. When they arrived in Judea and asked around about this star they were told that there was an ancient story in this part of the country, a story of the Hebrews, that said that their long awaited messiah, the anointed one who would lead them out of bondage, their new, liberating king would be born under such a star as the one the magi had seen. When they arrived in the capital city, Jerusalem, they naturally went to pay their respects to the ...

2644. Simon Gives His Strengths

Mark 15:21-32

Children's Sermon

Donald Neidigk

... As many as want to may hold the beam.) What do you notice about it? Yes, it's very heavy and rough. Your hands could get splinters from it if you aren't careful. This beam is not very long, but it's still very heavy. Imagine what it would weigh if it were this long. (Demonstrate with outstretched arms.) Maybe that's how long the beam Jesus carried was. You see, he probably only carried part of his cross, not all of it. It would have just been too heavy. Even part of the cross was too heavy for Jesus. He had ...

2645. Don't Give In

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

... than him. For me, the beauty and elegance of scripture is that it allows any of us the chance to enter into it no matter how long-lived we are, and no matter how many times we have read it or heard it. In the midst of our moment in time, the place ... point that stops the wilderness experience forever and brings about the completion of the promise that God will finish what was begun in that wilderness long ago? I will not give in, I will not give in, I will not give in — I will not. We will not give in, we ...

2646. Listening 101

John 4:1-26, John 4:27-38, John 4:39-42

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

... life I heard someone say something like, “The challenge with John (the gospel writer) is he is better at theatre than at writing.” The implications of this comment were about passages such as this one about Jesus and the woman of Samaria. Today’s reading is long enough that when read you begin to lose your place. But as drama (theatre) you can remember it well. You remember a woman coming to a well and an encounter with a strange man at a historic landmark of faith. You recognize that this man is not ...

2647. Godstruck

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , and they add new melodies and intricate harmonies, every whale still sings the same song along with all of the others. It’s a beautiful unity of music and communication. It’s the way humpbacks identify each other and talk to each other. From spurts, to long calls, to moans, to triumphant blasts, whale song is said to be one of the most sophisticated forms of communication on planet Earth. In a sense, these primal soundings are the sounds that a shofar imitates. I have here a shofar. {You may want to ...

2648. The Surrogate

Matthew 1:1-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... a covenant for all people) Zephaniah 3:8-13 (the Gathering of all people….in unity) Luke 3 (signs of the Messiah in genealogy) Acts 9: The Conversion of Saul Hebrews 11: A Genealogy of Faith The Scriptures for this week are too many and too long to print out here; but not too long to summarize or read in service or Bible study. You may choose one of them, or, as in this exegesis, look at all of them. The Hebrew stories correspond to the genealogy in Matthew’s gospel. I suggest that you print out the two ...

2649. The Power of the Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... a child volunteer from the congregation for this) and matches (or one large match) to light a candle; oil Some of you have probably seen the movie Wild, based on the recent best-selling book. The story is about a young woman, Cheryl Strayed, who takes a long trek through the mountain trails of Washington State in order to deal with her “inner demons.” She is mourning the loss of her mother. She is trying to figure out where her life is gong next. The “Wild” quest appears to be a “time out” from ...

2650. The House on The Rock

Lk 6:12-49 · Mt 5:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... dry in the sun, then painstakingly lay them one by one on a firm foundation that he poured the month before. It took him a long time to build it, but in the end, it withheld every peril. [You might also use another stone metaphor instead of the metaphor of ... all households now contain only one person, or to put it another way, never before have so many people lived alone for so long, we need to hear this again and again: God made us for relationships, and the church is intended to be our relational network. ...

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