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 2876 to 2900 of 5000 results

2876. The Season Of Sacred Stories

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Elaine M. Ward

... encounter with God. The "Jordan" is the symbol of our willingness to listen, to find our mission, our work. To step into the Jordan is to risk rather than to search for ways to remain safe and dry on the shore, for while we are wandering in grief and longing, God jumps out and says, "You are my beloved son, daughter. No longer do you need to live out the story of the abused, the abandoned, the anxious one. You are accepted! I am delighted in you!" Once, during a trying time, I awoke from sleep and in that ...

2877. Let It Go!

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Elaine M. Ward

Long ago there was an ancient bell that was famous for its beautiful tone. It had been commissioned by the king. The king's advisors had ... year-old son who wants to live and can't, for two weeks I escaped. I pretended they could "do their work" without me. Have you ever wanted to do that or done that, be it only a long walk to escape pressing problems, to gain a more positive perspective, to let nature heal? The last day of my escape to another's son's home, he read to me from Viktor Frankl's Man's Search ...

2878. The Word Jesus Spoke

John 2:13-22

Sermon

Elaine M. Ward

... Law lives eternally. But you have sent me to the dead. They are all dead!" Thereupon God had mercy and made his word more palatable.1 God told a story. Our sacred story for today said that they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. Long before, Jesus had said to his disciples, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." At the end of the conflict stories in Mark Jesus left the Temple for the last time. Sitting on the Mount of Olives, looking down at the Temple ...

2879. Screaming For A Reason Why

Matthew 26:36-46; 27:45-46 · Job 3:1-26

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... are in that intensive care waiting room. It is late at night. The visiting hours are over. It's quiet. All day long families have huddled in the corners of that room, exchanging stories of how relatives are doing, expressing hope, listening to a doctor ... We cannot understand the cross of Christ or begin to probe the will of God until we comprehend God's gift of moral freedom. Long ago, before the world got started, God made a gallant gamble, took a chance with his creation. He breathed the breath of life into ...

2880. Responding In Anger

Job 7:11-21 · Matthew 21:12-13

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... a difference of opinion that causes friction and we can see a fight coming on, she just stays in the house and I go out for a long walk. I guess my good health is due to the fact that for fifty years I've pretty much lived an outdoor life." We chuckle at ... then he let all of his anger pour out towards God: "You terrify me. You test me every minute. You won't turn your head away long enough for me to spit. Am I so burdensome to you that you use me for your target practice?" Eliphaz had told Job that he was ...

2881. Fulfilled, Or Just Full?

Sermon

Alex Gondola

... ." He continues, "My weight is a kind of barometer of what is going on in me. For instance, in the summer, when my family and I are at leisure, my weight seems easier to control. In the winter, in a time of schedules and deadlines, short days and long nights, overeating is my inadequate but all-too-frequent method of coping." Sound familiar to anyone? Willimon concludes, "We are how and what we eat" (Sunday Dinner, The Upper Room pp. 65-66). I think Willimon tells the truth for a lot of us. Many of us (not ...

2882. Prayers for Epiphany

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

... had never traveled before. You asked to join us on the way and nothing has been the same since. We had lost hope and didn't know it. Now black and white have disappeared and color is here. Our values, worn smooth, had become dull and boring, but now we long to tell someone what an exciting place this world is. The hymns that we sang from rote are now bristling with meaning. Prayer that had become perfunctory is now the highlight of the day. Others looking at us may not see how we have changed, but we are on ...

2883. Wedding: Short Service

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

... vows be binding upon us for the rest of our lives. Pastor: (Groom), please place the ring upon (Bride's) finger and repeat these vows after me. Pastor (Groom Repeats): I, (Groom), take you, (Bride), as my dearly beloved wife. I covenant before God, to care for you as long as we both shall live. I will place your well-being at the head of my personal agenda. I pledge my love for you in front of these people, this minister, and God. I shall pray that our lives will become one together. I will do my best to ...

2884. Wedding: Rooted In Love (for a blended family)

Ephesians 3:14-21

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

... in your inner selves, and I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts through faith. I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in love, so that you, together with all God's people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ's love. Yes, may you come to know his love -- although it can never be fully known -- and so be completely filled with the very nature of God. (Bride) and (Groom), we celebrate the new family that is being officially formed here ...

2885. Mind Your Manners

Matthew 7:7-12

Sermon

Robert R. Kopp

... needs a positive addiction. That truth is a regular part of my pastoral care and counseling. I don't care what it is as long as it brings out a person's best. If it brings out anything less than a person's best, it's not positive or ... . The old crabber worked his strings and nets and soon began to catch lots of crabs. He threw them into a big bucket. It wasn't long before the little boy noticed crab legs inching over the top of the bucket. "Mister," the little boy said to the old crabber, "you better put ...

2886. A Positive Addiction

Romans 1:1-17

Sermon

Robert R. Kopp

... was President of PTL. He was Jim and Tammy Bakker's right-hand man. Everybody knows the sad story of PTL by now. But few folks know about Richard Dortch. He was a respected superintendent of the Assemblies of God before joining the PTL team. Not long after becoming PTL's President, he got caught up in some of the negative addictions surrounding PTL which led to defrocking and imprisonment. By the grace of God, Richard Dortch repented and was restored to ministry by the Assemblies of God on November 20, 1991 ...

2887. Take Some Lessons

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Robert R. Kopp

... the humility of Harvey Penick: "I never know so much that I can't learn more." Or as Jack Nicklaus, golf history's greatest competitor, insisted: "Don't be too proud to take lessons. I'm not." Again, if you think you've arrived, you've got a really long way to go. One of the most apocalyptic moments in my life occurred when I was a fifth grader in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania's Lincoln Street School. We were having lunch in our home room. I watched Mr. Moore, our science as well as home room teacher, take out ...

2888. Apocalyptic Moments

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

Robert R. Kopp

... of saying it's always easier to tell others the right way to do things after you've done them the wrong way for a long time. Maybe that's why so many awful players become such good coaches. Lee Trevino, however, isn't convinced. He has said he'd get ... to be boring? But my favorite moment occurred during my very first session meeting when I outlined the great plan of church growth. A long pause followed my presentation. Then an elder said, "You're crazy if you think we're going to do that." Apocalyptic? I don't ...

2889. The Half Pencil Doctor

1 John 3:11-24

Sermon

David O. Bales

... the story? 4. When is it hardest for you to express love with words? 5. When is it easiest for you to express love by deeds? 6. As a child did you have a hero or heroine who helped your faith? 7. Did you know your childhood heroes or heroines long enough to see them suffer or to see their full humanity? 8. As an adult do you have heroes or heroines? Do you know the people personally, or from afar? How do they help you make your decisions, do your job, or live responsibility in your relationships? 9. In that ...

2890. Life Beside The Falls

Ezekiel 47:1-12

Sermon

David O. Bales

... upon what happened in the family, neighborhood, or town and discovered what it meant in the larger scheme of life. Through essays she investigated life, probed past the obvious, asked questions, and found out why. I had just become a friend of Martha's when the long trauma began over football. Henry wanted to go out for the high school football team, but Mildred refused. Harold disagreed with her, but not in front of the children. "Millie, when Hank says other boys get to play football, he's right. He's a ...

2891. Balaam, The Donkey And The Angel

Numbers 22:1-20, Numbers 22:21-41

Drama

Peter C. Garrison

... . Angel: Do you see any connection yet between your not trusting your donkey and your not trusting God? Balaam: What? You mean my not trusting God after all this time? Yeah. I see what you're getting at ... I got mad instead of trusting my life-long donkey. Now I'm mad at my life-long God. I should trust God even when it seems he's nuts. Angel: I wouldn't put it that way ... Balaam: No, you wouldn't. But I get your point. God is in control and God loves his people, he loves me. I'm sorry I ...

2892. U-Turns Permitted

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Rodney Thomas Smothe

... provides us with many opportunities to take our eyes off the obstacles in our paths and look for the opportunities that are ahead. This focus on God will move us through a process of transformation that is essential to our Christian growth. This transformation is a life-long process, but can begin for us today as we reflect on the meaning of Ash Wednesday. Will it just be an empty ritual or will the days of Lent serve as an opportunity for us to have a new encounter with God? This encounter with God begins ...

2893. It's Called Forgiveness

Matthew 6:5-15

Drama

Karren Boehr

... alive for Christ. We talked about vision, and outreach, the Spirit. And I realized I really didn't have anything to say to someone who was searching for Christ. I wasn't too excited about him myself. Now, basketball I can get excited about. I know I'm taking too long, but I hope you'll hear me out. So, I began to read the Gospels ... something easy, just for starters. And, the more I read, the more I wanted to read. (Becoming more excited) It was as if the pages had come alive. And then I started to pray ...

2894. The Insignificant Valentine

Drama

Karren Boehr

... would see those three words in the darkness. "God Loves You," "God Loves You." I could never get away from them. One night I hit bottom. I surrendered my life to Christ, and here I am, five years later, helping other young men find what it took me so long to discover. (Takes a valentine from his inside coat pocket and meaningfully hands it to 2ND WOMAN) You'll notice I still have it. 2ND WOMAN: (Deeply moved) I don't know what to say ... I'm so sorry ... GENTLEMAN: No, don't be sorry. Just pray that people ...

2895. Grand Finale

Drama

Karren Boehr

... -stemmed flowers, stick of gum, tape of "Pomp and Circumstance" Scene: Two seniors in caps and gowns are standing side-by-side center stage as if in line. They are about ready to march into the auditorium. Holding a long-stemmed flower, Andrea is nervous, up-tight. Marcus is more laid back ANDREA: (Excitedly looking around) Can you believe it! High school graduation! Today is it! No more tardy bells, no more "Andrea, what about all those late library books?" "Where's last week's assignment, Andrea?" "Your ...

2896. Life

John 20:19-23

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... man. It still was not an easy life. Souls were just as difficult as fish to catch, but he liked the challenge and lately the nets were bulging with the harvest. SECOND: It's peaceful here. Everything is so green this time of year. FOURTH: Our rainy season is quite long here and the sea keeps the temperature low, so it's good for crops. FIRST: And Lydda is just far enough off the Jerusalem-Joppa road so that not too many travelers pass this way. THIRD: We're honored that you've come to be with us for a while ...

2897. Walk With Him

Luke 24:13-35

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... then He just vanished. CLEOPAS: Jesus is alive! COMPANION: I know. I know. But where is He now? CLEOPAS: We've got to tell the others. COMPANION: Are you crazy? We just came from Jerusalem. That's a long walk -- seven miles -- and you want to go back? CLEOPAS: How do you feel? COMPANION: Great. CLEOPAS: I haven't felt like this in a long time. I feel great too. COMPANION: My heart is like it's on fire and it won't stop burning. CLEOPAS: Mine too. I felt that way when He used to teach us. Here we are just ...

2898. To Climb A Mountain

Matthew 4:23-25, Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... So, continue. (Finally they reach the top) GUIDE: You were all good climbers and this is your reward. What do you think of that view? BOY: It is beautiful. GIRL: And you did get us here safely. MAN: It was worth it. I could stay here forever. GUIDE: Rest as long as you want. You deserve it. (guide begins song, others join in) MEN: If any man come after me let him deny himself, Pick up his cross and follow me into life eternally. Deny himself pick up his cross and daily follow Jesus, He is the way, the truth ...

2899. This House In Its Former Glory

Haggai 2:1-9

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... firs jut out from the steep sides of sheer cliffs. Like pipe cleaners the fir and pine stand erect on the edge. Don't look down if you get giddy. The caves themselves were nearly inaccessible to tourists until steps were cemented into the hillsides not long ago. Into these natural caves the Mogollon Indians carried mortar and stones to build walls, graineries, and fire pits. It's hard to draw your breath when you're a mile high in altitude. A lonely wind blew; a hawk played on the drafts. This enterprise ...

2900. The Season Of Renewal

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:19-24

Bulletin Aid

Wayne H. Keller

... get permission from the worship committee, though I can assure you that you will create more excitement if you tell no one ahead of time. On Ash Wednesday, leave the sanctuary open all day, and all night, if possible. Invite the people to come, to stay as long as they want, to sit in silence, and to write down their thoughts. Encourage the people to read the Gospel slowly and deliberately. Print in the bulletin this question: What does this scripture say to you as you sit in the sanctuary? And what will it ...

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