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 2801 to 2825 of 5000 results

2801. Mary Ponders

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... . Mary knew that someday she and Joseph would be parents, but their marriage had to wait until Joseph was able to provide for a family. But God doesn't operate by our calendars. If everything Mary knew said, "later," God had said, "now," and not long thereafter she had experienced in her body the change which heralded, "child on the way." Who could she even tell? Only Joseph, and he had thought about putting her away quietly, so that they might be shielded from scandal and embarrassment. Women have a way ...

2802. Sow's Ears And Silk Purses

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... text, each urn held 20 or 30 gallons. We are not talking about tea pots. Multiply it out and you get something between 120 and 150 gallons. That's at least 600 bottles! And this after the robust supplies originally laid in for the week-long party were depleted. According to the editor of the fourth gospel, this was Jesus' first miracle. Some have suggested, tongue in cheek, that he was still practicing the tricks of the Messianic trade, and wanted to start out slowly. Providing bread to feed the multitudes ...

2803. The Limits Of Love

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

... boy tales -- people love to hear. We all want our preachers to tell us how much God loves us and our kind. Have you sung "God Bless America" recently? We are not quite as enamored of hearing about how much God loves our enemies. It was not that long ago anybody returning from a visit to the Soviet Union might be snarled at just for suggesting that faith in that communist cesspool might be alive and well, or that God was doing powerful things there. People don't want to hear how God is blessing their enemies ...

2804. A Mother's Love -- A Godly Passion

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Glenn E. Ludwig

... logic. And there are times when things happen that a rational man wouldn't do, so that must be God operating out of God's female-side. Seriously, I think it helps us to have this image of God as a loving mother. It helps us to understand God's longing for God's children, God's concern for their protection, God's willingness to sacrifice on their account. Maybe it takes this image of a mother to understand God's pain at our rejection of his/her love. Think about it. It was not a spear forged by some pagan ...

2805. The Hands And Arms Of Grace

Luke 15:1-7, Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Glenn E. Ludwig

... the rabbi responded by pointing to him. Then the Pope thrust out both arms to the chief rabbi. The rabbi responded by pointing to the Pope with two fingers. Finally, the Pope looked around for an apple and held it up. The rabbi went through the pockets of his long caftan and took out a piece of matzoh. The Pope concluded, "This is one of the finest statements I have heard of. Of course the Jews will be allowed to stay," and he sent the rabbi away. The Pope, then, brought in the Cardinals and said, "I don't ...

2806. A Promise Is Given

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Glenn E. Ludwig

... kingdom, which is, of course, what all of us should be about until he comes again. As followers of this King today, we continue to get power and comfort from the promise he made. Through the Spirit's action in word and sacrament, Jesus is with us. While we still long for his return and the fullness of the kingdom we so need, we know that we can experience glimpses of it as we hold onto the gift, or shall we say, as the gift holds on to us in the meantime. Ascension is a celebration of the promise of the ...

2807. Rich Toward God

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

John G. Lynn

... of your desire to aggravate your brother or your intention to self-destruct. Life does not consist in the abundance of predawn shadow dances." Later on in this same chapter of Luke's gospel, Jesus will say, "I have a fire to cast over the earth, and how I long that it be enkindled." That fire, in Jesus' mind, is the Word of God: the Word of God burning off the early morning haze in our decisions toward one another, a ball of fire chasing away the fog of early morn lest we allow ourselves to linger in the ...

2808. Taking The Good With The Bad

Job 1:1-5

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... and I ran to tell you what happened." Job was stunned. He was numb. He knelt on the ground. He was saying to himself, "What on earth has happened to me?" He knelt for a long period of time -- saying nothing. His head bowed and his shoulders stooped appearing like a man who had been beaten senseless with a whip. Finally after a long silence he struggled to his feet. He ripped his robe, shaved his head, fell to the ground and worshiped. In a somber, subdued voice he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb ...

2809. All Mine To Give!

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... as more of a pipe connected to God, the possessor of indepletable resources on the one end and pouring out to a needy world on the other. And since God's supply is inexhaustible, there is no end to the blessings that can flow through us to others just as long as we've a good connection to God and allow no blockage in us. Koinonia In Romans 15:6 Paul says about giving "that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." And in 2 Corinthians 8:4 he mentions "begging us ...

2810. Do You See What I See?

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... Jesus was not in vain. He was not disappointed. Jesus agreed with what Bartimaeus saw in him. And to prove it, he healed him. What was it that Bartimaeus saw in Jesus? What is Bartimaeus asking us to see in Jesus? Not only that he is the long-awaited Davidic Messiah, not only that he had the power to undo Bartimaeus' predicament, but that Jesus cared about him! In a world where Bartimaeus had nothing going for him, where it seemed that only the rich and powerful were important, where no one could be trusted ...

2811. Miracle Six: Stilling A Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

... pronouncements. He was on the Sea of Galilee, also known as Lake Gennesaret. The lake was about eight miles wide and twelve miles long, so it would take at least an hour to make the crossing. Because of his weariness Jesus lay down on a cushion in ... Daniel Defoe in the well-known book Robinson Crusoe bases his story on the need to call upon God in time of trouble. Crusoe had long been isolated on a small island following a shipwreck. He had come to believe firmly that he was the only human being on the island ...

2812. Have I Got News For You!

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

William L. Self

... , a celebration that marked the light that followed the night and day during the exodus from Egypt, that he was the light of the world -- no wonder they killed him. On November 11, 1918, the sun rose on the city of Mons, Belgium. All night long, the darkness had been shot through with the lurid flashes of gunfire and the staccato chatter of machine guns that echoed through the deserted streets. But at dawn, the last German outpost withdrew, and from their burned and shattered homes the people streamed into ...

2813. When God Steps Out Of Shadows

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

William L. Self

... people will be abundant. So abundant that the priests will have enough to eat and not need to exploit the people. Their leadership will be restored to the place of integrity. Thereby, he will also satisfy the souls of the people. Their long exile, their long journey, their flirtations with false gods while in exile, and the silence of God compounded by the mixed messages from their leaders had damaged their souls. The inner being he will restore.... "He restoreth my soul...." When God does anything in this ...

2814. In The Beginning God

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

William L. Self

... My life is fashioned and guided by the same God who put the stars and the sun in place at the beginning of the world. Long before I can think of God and love him, he has already thought of me. Before the foundations of the world, there began the ... from him or when death comes or the world ends. His faithfulness will never cease. Luther said, "God created the world out of nothing. As long as you are not yet nothing, God cannot make something out of you." He will never give us up. "As Jesus was coming up out ...

2815. Famous Last Words

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

William L. Self

... was preparing to leave his people. For forty years he had led Israel across the Red Sea and the burning desert. For forty years he had suffered their rebellion, immaturity, ingratitude, and complaining. Now it was time for him to say good-bye. After the long course his task had been completed. The plagues were over, the shadow of the death angel was gone, the sea of chaos crossed, and the murmuring of the people was over. Their thirst had been quenched and their hunger filled. Now he stood upon his mountain ...

2816. Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Christians

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

William L. Self

... not deal with his issue. All his power and dignity were powerless in the face of his needs. The king of Israel, the seat of power, sent him to Elisha, the prophet of God. We are learning that lesson today. Secular forces cannot heal our moral leprosy. In the long run, the law can get no more goodness out of the people than there is inside the people. The law and its force is much like a pump, and the water it pumps is the intellectual, moral, and spiritual life of the people, no better, no worse. As Woodrow ...

2817. Forever Plaid

Isaiah 42:18-25

Sermon

William L. Self

... . Perhaps if the church could once again have a great pulpit orator like Dr. Hadden Bensober, the glory would again return. This cannot be done. The paradigm has shifted and there is no way to go back. The way back is death. Like Israel in the wilderness, we long for the safety and certainty of Egypt, the former thing. We want the "good old days" to return. Our cities are full of churches that are controlled by people in the old paradigm. Our empty pews are a testimony to the fact that the old days will not ...

2818. No Shortcut To Glory

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

William L. Self

... seems only logical that there would be some way to mix water with some substance, pop it in the ecclesiastical microwave, and produce a warm, fuzzy religious experience. We want the wonder and glory of religious experience served to us on a silver platter (as long as we don't have to polish the silver!). We would like to bask in the glory of a religious experience comparable to that which Peter, James, and John enjoyed at the transfiguration of Jesus. They witnessed Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah and saw ...

2819. Light In The Land Of Shadows

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... in his magnificent clown costume and began to intently look all around the circle of light. A policeman appeared on the scene and inquired if he had lost something. The clown replied, "Yes, the key to my house." The policeman joined him in the search for a long time and finally asked, "Are you sure you lost it here?" The clown answered, "No, I lost it over there," and pointed to a dark corner of the stage. "Why, then," asked the exasperated policeman, "are you looking here?" To which the clown shrugged his ...

2820. Forsaking All Others

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... 's what happens when we push God out of one or more areas of our lives or try to hide fault from him. The sin might not be visible and immediately destructive, like a hurricane's vengeance, but God is still displeased. Married couples, those who recently or long ago were bride and groom, is God the center of your marriage in all areas? Could God walk through your home and look in your video cabinets or underneath the mattress and not be ashamed? Could he sit next to you as you watch television or surf the ...

2821. Our Jealous Husband

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... ground to cool. Seeing it here, the young man reached down, picked it up, but instantly cast it aside as it burned his fingers. "Kind of hot, isn't it, son?" said the blacksmith. "No, it's not hot," said the prideful young man. "It just doesn't take me long to look at a horseshoe!" Pride can be a god in itself, thus making it even harder to get the first commandment right. God is calling his people to keep the main thing the main thing: Love for and allegiance to him above all else. This Lenten season is a ...

2822. Advent 1

Isaiah 63:7--64:12, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, Psalm 80:1-19, Mark 13:32-37, Mark 13:1-31

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... of Advent, people can be alerted to know the signs of the coming birth of Jesus as they were given to people at the time. Some used them for rejoicing and fulfillment of their longings; Herod saw the signs as occasion for threat and fear. The use of the parable can point beyond the birth to the end of Jesus' life and on to the hope and longing for the fulfillment of history and the kingdom of God. Each of us is given signs in our life of the need to respond to Christ's call so that our life does not ...

2823. Coping With Heartache

Jeremiah 29:1-23

Sermon

Robert P. Hines

... . The second thing is the realization that whatever exile we may be experiencing will not last forever. There is always a brighter day in store for the people of God. Although Jeremiah had to discount and refute the prophecies of those who said the exile wouldn't last long, he also assured the people that it would one day come to an end, at a time of God's choosing. In the meantime, the people had much to learn. Now, if you know something is going to end, you can tolerate almost anything, even a bad sermon ...

2824. Permission To Daydream

Joel 2:28-32, Joel 2:18-27

Sermon

Robert P. Hines

... sovereign. It is the particular hubris of the modern age to think that we can master our universe. We build magnificent roads and bridges; we construct fuel-efficient cars and homes; we fly faster than the speed of sound, and can walk on the moon. We've come a long way, and there is a tendency to think we have mastered our environment. But all it takes is a hurricane or a tornado, a flood or a snowstorm to remind us that we aren't so masterful. There are things beyond our control. That's what the people of ...

2825. The Burdens Of The Past

Haggai 2:1-9, Haggai 1:1-15

Sermon

Robert P. Hines

... happy. Rather, it is those people who are involved in volunteer service who are the happiest in our society. Giving yourself to others is the way to find the deepest pleasure. To give life meaning, we must have a purpose larger than our own self-interest. A long time ago, a native Christian was walking with a friend through a howling blizzard in the mountains of north India. They came upon a man lying in the snow, freezing. The friend feared that if he helped the stranger, he would freeze to death, so he ...

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