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. I’ve Come To Bring Fire

Luke 12:49-56

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... we don’t have to take today. He took it for us. By that, I mean it is not our job to call our enemies hypocrites. In fact, our job is just the opposite. Remember the Sermon on the Mount? In that most famous of all sermons, Jesus said, “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27). We are called upon to be reconcilers, not judges. When the apostle Paul talked about Jesus as being a reconciler, he added one important thing. He said, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ ...

2627. Why Christianity?

Romans 1:1-7

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... 1:10, 11 NIV). Here’s the sad thing. John was telling us that even though God’s personality is filled with light and love, some people are not going to recognize it, understand it, or receive it. But here is what happens to us if we are open to ... think it will do any good, but you go right ahead.” In the middle of my prayer, I asked God to cover Walter in his loving arms like a warm blanket. When I finished my prayer, I could not believe what I saw. There were tears coming down Walter’s cheeks, and ...

2628. "Head" Lines

Ephesians 1:11-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... the Christian church isn’t a building. It’s a Body. And the Head of this Body is Jesus Christ. A Head seeking Arms. Listen how St. Paul begins today’s lesson: “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers . . .” Paul’s first prayer for the church is a prayer of thanks. In fact, Paul writes, “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers ...

2629. The Way of the Lord

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... my life in order to take it up again” (John 10:17). “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.” (John 10:18). “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). This similarity in wording between Jesus’ laying aside his outer robe and laying down his life connected the two acts. Jesus washing his disciples’ feet was a sign of his coming death. So when Peter ...

2630. God Bless Santa!

Luke 2:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... jelly” continue to bring us joy no matter how old we become. It is an image of giving, of generosity, of unselfishness, of love, that is without parallel in all of mythology. That is why I say, “God bless Santa!” Yes, there is a parallel between ... celebrate in Santa Claus finds its root in the other celebration, the real Christmas story. It was totally generous, totally unselfish, totally loving for God to give us Jesus...our Savior. As scripture has it, “But when the fullness of time had come, God ...

2631. The Inverting Promise

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 · Genesis 25:21-34

Sermon

Will Willimon

... but I would also be pleased if you read a book every once and awhile. And perhaps I would be a bit more affectionate if you took a bath. And your friends on their...Harleys..." This story, told before the days of psychological rationalization, only says, "Isaac loved Esau. Rebekah had her money on Jacob." One day Jacob was cooking, creating in the kitchen. He smelled a strange odor. It was big brother Esau, coming in from hunting. Esau says, "Let me have some of that red stuff you've got. I'm starved." "It ...

2632. How a Baby Changed the World

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... . According to a news story in USA Today some time back, a woman in California found a package on her doorstep that contained a car key and a note. The note quoted Bible verses and ended with these words, “This is a gift for you because I love you.” It was signed, “An angel of the Lord.” In her driveway the woman found an almost new car. It was just what she needed to replace her unreliable, twenty-year-old automobile. A neighbor child asked, “Did God just drop the car down from heaven?” That ...

2633. Never Really Alone

Mark 14:1-15:47

Sermon

Mary Austin

... ] “Most of my worst thoughts hover around a single word. Alone.” The experience of being ill is so lonely, so isolating, that she felt like she was all alone in that. You may feel that way in your own illness, or when you’re struggling financially, or when a loved one is in prison. You may feel that way when you have a failure in life, or when things aren’t going the way you planned. You may feel that way when you’re carrying a secret that no one can understand, or when you’re afraid of people ...

2634. Come and See

John 1:43-51

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... other to be the idiots we really are.[6] Someone has defined a friend as a person who knows us and likes us anyway. Another key to developing friendships is a willingness to cooperate. That is why Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command you (love each other).” He went on to say that, as a friend, he will respond to our requests: “I chose you and I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.” (John 15:14 ...

2635. The Lord Is With Us

Luke 1:26-38, 2 Samuel 7:1-17, Romans 16:1-27

Sermon

Will Willimon

... for the professor who left teaching because all of her students were not geniuses. Sometimes, when I do premarital counseling, I have the future bride and groom each take a sheet of paper. I say to them, “On one side, I want you to write down three things which you love in your husband or wife to be.” Then I tell them, “Now turn the paper over and write down three things which you just despise in your fiancé.” My point: If you don't have at least three things which you really don't care for in this ...

2636.

Psalm 145:1-21

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... praise of the name the LORD and expands further the nature of his goodness. But here it is not the timely goodness that he initiates (at the proper time, you open your hand) but his responsive goodness: the LORD is near to all who call on him, fear, and love him. The horizon narrows from all he has made to all who call on him. With this shift to the human sphere there is introduced the possibility of choice: one may be counted among all who call on him in truth, whom he saves, or among the wicked, whom ...

2637. Building Trust

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

David Coffin

... sprint race or put on the shoulder pads for a football game in bad weather. God never gives up on God’s people. Just as God did not give up on the stubborn Jonah in his refusal to preach to Nineveh, God does not give up on us or our loved ones, despite our refusal to listen to God. This is all part of the long process of building trust in this season of the church called Pentecost. I would bet you know of some people in our own pews who pride themselves as being “stubborn and thick headed!” It will ...

2638. Steadfast Change

Mark 13:1-8

Sermon

Thomas C. Willadsen

... present with us and be ready to follow where God leads. Most of all I’m convinced we need to pray for this congregation, for the work that awaits us, for opportunities we do not yet recognize. Opportunities to be an example and a bearer of Christ’s love in this community. We like to plan, control, and word our motions precisely, but we need to be ready, eager even, to look away from what’s familiar and comfortable and find a risk worth taking for the gospel of Christ to be proclaimed here and now. We ...

2639. The List

John 6:27-38

Sermon

John B. Jamison

... way.” Now, let’s step back a second. Can you see the faces? They were expecting either another attack aimed at those people in the robes, or at least some words of praise for those of who have suffered so much. They look confused. We can hear, “What’s this? Love them? Them? You don’t mean them? You can’t be serious. Not that group over there that was in the big cart that passed me on the way here this morning and almost ran over me. They made me jump into the ditch and didn’t even care. You ...

2640. The Grey Zone

John 21:1-19

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , means taking on the mission God has planned for the world, just as Jesus had. With a shared life comes shared responsibility for a common future. For Jesus, that means that the mission cannot end with him but must be continued by all those who love him and share life with him. That’s really what a relationship is –life shared in the most intimate and important ways. Caring about mutual goals. Forging on even when life gets tough. Staying in connection, even when one partner is absent. Being of one ...

2641. Do You Have JDD?

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... worshipful manner in which they take joy in his presence. Had Martha been delighting in her role as hostess, humbly serving the food, and reveling in the feast with Jesus, he would have had no bone to pick with her. But her worship, her prayerfulness, her loving nature was being consumed by her anxiety over the meaningless tasks of serving and her anger at her sister, instead of the service itself. She was going through the motions, but Jesus wasn’t in it. We humans are always going to have things to do ...

2642. Becoming A Faithful Witness

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... he flew home from St. Louis. He was sore from the game and weary from the travel. When he finally reached home, he went to his bedroom to get ready for bed. He found a note on his pillow which said: "Dear Dad, I thought you played a great game. Love, Bart, Jr." Taped to the note were two nickels. So often it is the little things that can carry so much meaning when we reach out to others. If we understand our charge to sustain those who are weary, why do we hold back from offering the encouragement that can ...

2643. Sabotaging The Sabath

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Richard Patt

... God provided a way out. The Bible tells us that "when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law ..." (Galatians 4:4-5). Christ bore the law for us. God's love saw our human need, and love led the way --all the way to his bitter death on the cross. This story ends on a positive note: "... all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him" (v. 17). Christ did a glorious deed here when he responded to human ...

2644. How To Find Water When Your Well Runs Dry!

Jeremiah 2:1-3:5

Sermon

James McLemore

... must strive for stewardship. Jeremiah 2:3 talks about stewardship. In stewardship you must learn to give your firstfruits. You give to the church because you love the Lord. How can you love somebody that you don't support? Husbands, how can you love your wives and not support them? Parents, how can you love your children and not support their schools? Christians, how can you love the Lord, and not support the Church? And when you strive for stewardship, you can build the walls of the well, so the well won't ...

2645. Miracle Six: Stilling A Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

... God indeed cares, and sent his Son to keep us from perishing because of our sins. The story is told of an ancient king who dearly loved his son but wanted him to grow in character by facing up to life's hardships. So he sent him out into life to meet whatever ... come his way. The young man thought he was alone and grew with each difficulty he met. He did not know that his father's love had caused the king to send out a group of strong and brave knights to look after his son. Through the dark nights when he ...

2646. A Cross For A Doorpost

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Gerald Whetstone

... path of a storm, a nation torn by war, or a land besieged by famine? There's an aspect of this ancient story which causes me, I confess, to slip by its central point and its unique salvation history and long for such a life-sparing promise for our loved ones and for strangers the world over. But the promise is not there. For all our fervent attention to staying alive, we do not find in scripture a formula to spare us from death's threat. Everyone in all the Bible stories dies. Sometimes they are spared for ...

2647. Christ Comes Into Our Hearts

Mt 5:8 · 1 Sam 16:7 · 1 Ch 28:9 · Ps 44:21; 51:10 · Rom 10:10 · Eph 3:17

Children's Sermon

Robert B. Lantz

... comes out of that muscle that is beating in your chest? Let's be quiet for a minute and feel our hearts. (Hands on chest or on pulse.) Do you feel it? When you say you love someone -- like your mother or father, or even your brother or sister -- how do you feel? (Responses -- Something inside, excited, happy, and so forth.) Is it a different feeling inside than you usually have? Well, that's why God tells us that it is important what kind of secrets we ...

2648. Better Than A Shadow

Romans 8:38-39

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... us. I could probably tell God to go away if I decided I didn't want him around anymore, but God's love would remain. I could become a really nasty person and do all sorts of bad things -- like rob banks, cheat people, ... , boys and girls? (Let them answer.) No -- God would rather have us live lives that are filled with good things -- good words and good deeds. God's love is with us all the time to help us live those kinds of lives. Boys and girls, the next time you see your shadow following you around (Hold ...

2649. Week Five Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... of our Christian call. The presence of God in us should inspire others to greater heights, to a more complete living of the Christian message of love. If people do not see God in the one who claims to be a disciple, then we have retarded God's work; we have inhibited ... taller order. He was asked by the Father to be raised up on the cross to be the universal symbol of the embracing love of God. Yes, Jesus is God, but he was human as well. He accepted his mission and we are all the benefactors of his obedience. ...

2650. When Life Doesn't Go According To Plan

Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... both his sons as well as his wife Sarah. It becomes increasingly obvious that circumstances are such that he is not going to be able to have them all together. Sarah will not stand for it. Abraham must have mumbled about the inherent unfairness of life. He loves both his sons. He does not want to have to make a choice between them. Life is not going according to plan. III Then, a third divine intervention occurs. God tells Abraham that he should turn Ishmael out of the house as his wife requests. God will ...

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