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 301 to 325 of 4959 results

301. Homecoming

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

Will Willimon

... just wandering, but we're on the way. We do not, we must admit, have the home our hearts, our restless homeless hearts, desire, still, that we desire a home, that we are unsettled with present arrangements, is God's doing as much as our own. The psalmist says that even ... passing glimpses of home, but not home. We are on the way. It is as if God has implanted within us both the desire for home and the frustration of knowing that this is not home, and also, a promise of home. Homecoming, not as presently ...

302. Can You Deny Yourself?

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... was a symbol that Jesus was willing to give up everything—his power, his authority, his rights, his safety and comfort, his very life—to do the will of God and to restore our relationship with God. He chose to give up his own agenda, his own desires, his own comforts to show us how much God loves us. He chose death to give us eternal life. And he challenges his followers to follow his example. An evangelical Christian mother had been very intentional in teaching her son about Jesus. By age four, he was ...

303. A Stand-in for Royalty

John 18:33-37; Revelation 1:4b-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... be brought in by our efforts. It is Christ who builds the kingdom, but he builds it through those who are receptive to his word. That is you and me. Christ needs people who are willing and able. And the ironic thing is that when we subordinate our desires to his desire, when we enlist as privates in his army, when we serve as priests in his temple, which is the world, when we give ourselves in his service, it is then that we are lifted up. In losing ourselves we find ourselves. That is the nature of his ...

304. Deliverance through adversity

Sermon

Willie Soler

... that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:6–7) e. Adversity invites us to experience the power of God. One of the ultimate purposes of adversity is to cause us to desire more of Christ’s power in our lives. Troubles reveal that on our own we can’t live in a way that honors God. We need to rely on God and receive His grace. “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus ...

305. Have Mercy!

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... expectations. I call it “transcendent compassion,” compassion that extends beyond the norm of our friends, acquaintances, cultural expectations or peer groups. The grace or mercy that we show in chanan or covenantal compassion extends beyond simple pity or empathy. It includes action, the desire to love not only with the strength of God but with the active and purposeful passion of God. That means, we don’t merely act as we might like to be treated or in a way that is minimally helpful, but we act in ...

306. The Potter's Secret

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . The potter is in charge and can mold your life whichever way God believes will be good for you and good for God’s people. God’s will be done. If those whom God chooses to carry out God’s mission are not willing to live according to God’s desires, then God will work to create another vessel who will. God will find a way. God can work with anyone God chooses. And God does. What does that have to do with our gospel for today? Jesus knows that his discipleship path is rough. He knows that it’s not ...

307. The Window Of Time Is Closing

2 Peter 3:8-15a

Sermon

Ronald Love

... waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” Peter is saying that God is delaying the second coming desiring that as many who are willing to be saved are saved. The “slowness” will allow unbelievers to turn from their secular ways and live spiritual lives. It is the hope that they will no longer live in darkness but will come and live in the great ...

308. Walk the Talk

Matthew 21:23-32

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Change our minds. Alter our direction. Decide to follow Jesus and engage with God in order to make the world right. Those who refuse at first but then recognize God’s presence and voice––God will celebrate! Those who pay “lip service” but do nothing that God desires, do not love, do not show mercy, are not kind, will not change, do not get it! They will not get it! Today, on World Communion Sunday, as we all gather around our tables in honor of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord, Son of God, present in ...

309. Motives Matter

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... And have throughout history. How do we overcome undesirable motivations and ensure our honor of God’s mission? By staying close to God, by focusing on Jesus, by walking in the power of the Holy Spirit and remembering to keep in check our own agendas, desires, bias, and judgments. Hard to do? Extremely hard. But that’s why we need Jesus. In welcoming the Holy Spirit of Christ into our lives, into our hearts, into our minds, and in direction of our actions, we ensure that our faith informs our motivations ...

310. Investing Our Inheritance

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

... thanksgiving culminates in the offering of first fruits as a token expression of God's prominence in our lives and as an affirmation that God is the source of our every blessing. Genuine gratitude inspires within us a desire to give something back. Out of our blessing comes the desire to bless. Only the most calloused individual could receive unmerited good fortune and not have an interest in passing that good fortune on to others. Our thanksgiving is best expressed through our lives and the graciousness we ...

311. What Money Can't Buy

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... and perplexing diseases and then suddenly the answer comes. All the money in the world could not buy the answer and it is only by the grace of God that the answer has come. Money did not buy the servant girl. Money did not buy her desire to end her master's suffering. Money did not buy her willingness to share valuable information which would ultimately save Naaman's life. Money did not buy her sympathy, empathy and concern for another human being. In this world of the Faustian impulse, where people will ...

312. Proper 12

Psalm 85:1-13, Colossians 2:6-23, Hosea 1:1-2:1, Luke 11:1-13

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... prays in the spirit of Jesus to discover what the will of God is. People also need to pray to position themselves so that they are ready to receive and respond to the gifts God is ready to bestow. It was only after persisting in prayer and struggle with his desire to escape the suffering and uncertainty of the cross that Jesus could pray, "Not my will but yours be done." People also need to examine what they are asking God to do when they pray. They may find that they are not ready to do what is required of ...

313. Miracle Ten: Healing A Blind Beggar

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

... might expect. They occur among the people who have so much of the good things of life. It has become evident that those who commit suicide may have much in the way of worldly goods, but they lack something to live for. They have not developed a desire for the life that is more than meat. Meeting Christ History tells some stories about a few times when two people met each other dramatically to discuss matters which carried serious consequences. This occurred on July 25, 1807, at a spot in the Tilsit River in ...

314. Held In His Arms

Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... with the spikes that were driven into his hands and feet and the angry spear that was thrust into his side. If you doubt it was the arm of the Lord, hear verse 10: "Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer!" God desired it. For our transgressions! Fourth, the arm of the Lord cut off the Son (v. 8). When Jesus agonized and died on the cross, he went through literal hell. Not just the "hell" we say we endure in a tragedy, but actual Satan-controlled and damning hell. God "cut him ...

315. Week Four Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... answers in God, the one who is infinite in our lives. God's solution may not come with the frequency and speed that we desire, but the effect will be fulfilling and permanent. The man at the Sheep Pool did not want to wait to be healed. His ... for many positive purposes. If we wish, society can benefit greatly by what we do. People will profit by our choice, if it is our desire. The power of the gift, however, can be misused as well. As always the choice is ours. Many times the decisions we make are an ...

316. Week Of Ash Wednesday

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... it. The goal for all Christians is not difficult to determine. The prophet Joel speaks God's word and says, "Return to me with your whole heart, ... rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God." There is no magic or new revelation here. God desires that we return to our creator, the one from whom we came in the beginning. We are to be reconciled to God, as St. Paul says in the Second Reading, so we might become the very holiness of God. How do we return to God; how can we be ...

317. Satisfaction Gauranteed

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... weeks, and those periods in our lives when we could easily intone with great feeling, "I can't get no satisfaction"? My big, red, unabridged power-dictionary I quote now and then defines the verb satisfy in this way: to fulfill the desires, expectations, needs, or demands of a person or the mind; to give full contentment to desire, want or need by sufficient or ample provision. We all know that according to this definition we are not always a satisfied people, who have fulfilled all or even most of the ...

318. Week Three Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... all received many opportunities to show forgiveness. Many times, if we are honest, we have not been welcoming to the one who has hurt us. Possibly the pain is still too deep; maybe we are hard of heart and refuse to recognize the sincere sorrow and desire for reconciliation on the part of others. Jesus' warning in the Gospel is a powerful message: "My heavenly Father will treat you in exactly the same way unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." Forgiveness is part of Lent; it is part of ...

319. Week Five Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... in God. Because they listened to God's word and refused to honor the gods of their captors they were released from physical death at the hands of the Babylonians. All of us are chained, bound, in many different ways. Each of us has a certain deadness that desires to be released. Some people are chained to the cares of the world. The things of the world are powerfully attractive and make for a comfortable life. The rat-race of daily life binds other people. People are so busy that they have no time for any ...

320. When The Saints Come Marching In

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... humankind may live by the axiom, "Seeing is believing." But not the church, says John. For the church's creed is "Believe first, then you shall surely see." And if we find stirring within ourselves yearnings too profound ever to be addressed by this world, desires too rich ever to be exhausted by this world, hungers too deep ever to be satisfied by this world, perhaps the best explanation is the simplest one: we were not created for this world, but for another. Death is merely putting out the lamp because ...

321. Veiled Glimpses of God's Glory

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... the Almighty most. But I think it's a mistake to regard the veiled glory of God as somehow representing One who is hiding from us. In fact, if you ask me, the most significant lesson Moses learns here at the foot of Mount Sinai is that Yahweh actually desires to walk in our midst -- only on God's terms, not ours; and in a manner seeking to find us, not the other way around. When I was in high school, every senior was required to do a community service project. Now I'll admit, mandatory volunteerism seems ...

322. Yes, But How?

Sermon

Lee Griess

... guilty conscience and grieve in the awareness that we have failed to live up to the expectations of God and those around us. Confession is good for the soul -- yes, we know that -- but how can we develop a true sense of heartfelt remorse for our sinfulness and a real desire to change our ways? Most of us are willing to confess our sins as long as we don't have to change. We are willing to admit to a blemish or two on our moral complexion but nothing that can not be cosmetically covered up with a coating of ...

323. A New Command

Sermon

Lee Griess

... , so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. This is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you. This is my will for you. This is what I expect. This is my desire for all people -- that my joy may be in you and your joy may be full. Love one another. What a model for successful living! When the play Peter Pan first premiered on the London stage in 1904, author Sir James Barrie began to hear complaints from parents who were ...

324. Let It Go!

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Elaine M. Ward

... of you wish to follow me, you must take up your cross," Jesus said. All of us carry worries and burdens, desires and disappointments. All of us experience suffering and sometimes even ask, "Why doesn't God relieve pain and suffering? Where is ... final scenes of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? The woman could not let go of her greed to obtain the Holy Grail and in that desire lost her life. Indiana too wanted to capture it and his father told him to let go. "I can almost reach it," Indiana replied, as his ...

325. Prayers for the Sundays After Easter

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

... will accompany our plans for tomorrow. All we need do is confess our sin and believe. Thank you, God, for your unending love. We are speechless with joy. We pray in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Our heavenly Creator, we deeply desire to live lives that will be in harmony with your plan for our world. Our best efforts do not always succeed. There are times when we fail miserably. However, we choose not to give up the struggle to carry out your will. Nothing seems as remotely important ...

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