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 3276 to 3300 of 5000 results

3276. Dodging the Thrust

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

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

... home the fleece to show how it had died. The shepherds were experts at tracking and could follow the footprints of a straying sheep a long way. It was often part of the day’s work for a shepherd to risk his life for the sheep. A straying sheep could lose ... who told about the sheep and the coin asks us, "Do you care?" How can we be complacent about our Christian faith as long as we know persons who have wandered away from the Lord like coins? The church has all kinds of evangelism programs, committees, ...

3277. No Snap Courses

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

... have holes and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (Luke 9:58), one would-be follower backed off, saying, "Suffer me first to bury my father." He meant that he couldn’t keep on with Jesus as long as his father was alive. One excuse is as good as another. When the one we have called the "rich young ruler" heard the cost of following Jesus, he "turned away sorrowing." (Matthew 19:22) It is inevitable that this misunderstanding of the cost of discipleship should he ...

3278. Dead or Alive?

Joel 2:28-32

Sermon

... one describe a condition where there is an absence of compassionate sensitivity and responsibility for values? Have you ever slept too long on a hard floor and had a limb "go to sleep" because circulation of the blood had been hampered? If so, the numbness has given you ... a hint of what physical death is like. Apply a tourniquet too long and real death of the appendage will occur. I think of this often when I see persons who seem to have consciences ...

3279. Let God Be God

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

... without whom life’s meanings fall apart. Truly, there is only one real God, and without him we humans are lost. In the long course of human history he has made himself known in many ways. We know no better way of referring to him than to ... into a pantheon of deities. We cannot expect to find the blessings of peace, happiness, and fulfillment that God wants us to have so long as we deny him full sovereignty in our lives. In his description of the Pharisee and the other sinner at prayer, Jesus indicated that ...

3280. The Reins of Power

2 Samuel 5:1-5

Sermon

... . In both these instances is evidence of the fact that human beings individually and collectively feel weak and inadequate. They long for protective power, and seek it in power figures outside of and beyond themselves. That’s why they invented kings ... in our minds as that which animated the crowd that waved palm branches and scattered them along the way from Bethany to Jerusalem so long ago? There is incongruity here, even as there was on that day when Jesus took his famous donkey ride. What do we mean by ...

3281. Weed-Pulling

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

Richard Patt

... You got down near the ground and pulled the weeds one by one. The pay was about a dime for a row of radishes a hundred feet long. One day I thought I would get in on this moneymaking venture, so I too presented myself to the neighboring truck farmer, who agreed to pay ... want impressive friends, stylish folks to surround us, rich comrades, or someone who has influence. How many noble souls and long-lasting friends we may have written off in our lives by premature weed-pulling! And how many heartaches some of ...

3282. Arise, O Church of God, Arise!

Sermon

... be in the privileged presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, worthy Lamb who was slain and who sits at the throne and who feeds us at the Communion table. This is the worshipping church. This is lively worship, worship made relevant by our own participation in the week-long life of faith. If we don't participate during the week, there's little reason to get excited on Sunday either. And many don't. "Arise, O Church of God, arise!" Give praise to the Holy Trinity. Sing the Lord's song. "Go and make disciples of ...

3283. The Demanding Word

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

... Frankly, don't all of us usually approach the Word of God too casually? It turns out to be like reading the evening newspaper after a long day at the office. If it isn't interesting, we turn off the lamp, yawn a little, and put the paper down. All of that we ... question quite seriously of what the Word of God is for. Is it to soothe, to comfort, to confirm a style of life that I have long ago decided upon and now have all set up in my daily routine - a style of life I do not expect to be challenged or changed ...

3284. Joined by Jesus

Hebrews 9:15

Children's Sermon

Object: Two pieces of clothesline rope about 10" long and knots that have been tied and the ends cut off so that only the knots remain. There should be enough knots for ... Do you see these two pieces of rope? (Hold up both pieces). A couple of days ago this rope was all one piece until it was cut in half and now each piece is only half as long as the one piece was. One of these ropes I am now going to call God and the other rope man or maybe we will call it children. Now God wanted the children to be all one ...

3285. Hallelujah - Christ is Risen

1 Peter 1:3

Children's Sermon

... day is a wonderful day but this is the very best day in the whole year. Once upon a time everybody hoped and prayed that tomorrow would come and that nothing would happen but no one has had to worry since that first Easter a long time ago. Let me show you what I mean. A long time ago people thought there was a God but they weren’t really sure that he cared about them. They didn’t know what God was really like. It would be like knowing you had a father but not being sure that you belonged to ...

3286. With Many Voices

Acts 2:11b

Children's Sermon

Object: Bibles written in several languages with members of the congregation who can read them. A long time ago, boys and girls, God caused a miracle to happen that men have never forgotten. It was a day something like today and all of ... have never heard about Jesus. We can help people hear about Jesus for the first time when we give our money to have Bibles printed. A long time ago God caused a miracle to begin and he keeps right on having it happen everytime someone hears about Jesus for the first time.

3287. God Keeps His Promises!

Galatians 3:19

Children's Sermon

... is a promise that we call a contract. This contract is signed by two people, the man who sells and the one who buys and they promise each other things like how much they will pay and when. And the seller tells when he will deliver the item and how long it will last. That promise is a contract. Here is a promise that someday most of you will make. Do you know what this is? It’s a marriage license (certificate) and it has in it a promise for two people to keep whether they are rich or poor, sick ...

3288. The Most Important Prize

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Children's Sermon

... a little old or small or unimportant. It just seems to fade away. Prizes and trophies are nice, but they don't seem to last a long time. Now, St. Paul must have gone to a lot of races and other athletic events, because he liked to talk about them in his ... it. We should also remember St. Paul says that there is a prize for every Christian at the end of his life. You have to wait a long time for it and there is only one trophy or prize, and not a bunch of them; but it is worth training for it. St. Paul says ...

3289. If Only We Would Hold On ...

Jeremiah 20:7-18

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... like quality. The young wife, bored by her household duties and worn out by petty demands, thinks of the comparative freedom of her unmarried sisters, and feels frustrated by her own routine. The office worker, tied to a desk, gazes at the colorful pictures of vacation resorts and longs for the day when he no longer has to punch a time clock or catch the 7:59 commuter. The city-dweller grows weary of the noise and confusion of urban life. The farmer’s son fumes at the demands of his chores. And so it goes ...

3290. If Only We Could Remember ...

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... God, which is far more patient, infinitely more understanding, would surely forgive and restore. This is what the prophet sees and declares: God will forgive. Like Gomer, Israel will be accepted again as a partner in marriage. Hosea has been called the prophet of grace. Long before he knew the generosity of God through Christ, he wrote: How can I give you up, Ephraim, how surrender you, Israel? How can I make you like Admah or treat you as Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me, my remorse kindles already ...

3291. If Only We Would Be Open To The Spirit ...

Joel 2:18-27

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... plague as a clear warning from God. He calls for the nation to repent. If only the people of Israel will repent and return to the Lord in sincerity of heart, they will find him ready to forgive their past offenses (2:13) and bring in the new age they long for. It is described in one of Joel’s most famous oracles: I will pour out my spirit on everyone; your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions. At that time I will pour out my spirit ...

3292. Jesus Gave Himself

Philippians 2:5-11

Children's Sermon

... I'll show you what I mean. Here is a candle, a beautiful white candle that has been sitting on my piano at home for a long time. It looks so good that it makes my whole room look warm and beautiful. This is the way I think a candle should look and ... lights went out. So I took the candle down from the piano and struck a match and lit the candle. It burned and burned for as long as it was needed. You might say that the candle gave itself for us. The candle was not concerned if it stayed tall and beautiful, but ...

3293. SALT SHAKERS AND YOU

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Children's Sermon

... Has anyone discovered the problem? That's right, it needs salt. What good is a salt shaker without salt? None at all. But suppose I open it up and pour some of this inside and then what do we have? A really beautiful salt shaker. St. Paul discovered a long time ago that he was a very talented person. He was smart, he could write well, he understood languages, and he could do almost anything that he wanted to do. There was only one thing missing, and when he received that, he felt that he was for the first ...

3294. God's Time is Different

2 Peter 3:8-9

Children's Sermon

... wondered if God listens to your prayers or cares if you do something good for someone else? You would be very unusual if you did not wonder about it. We all know that God answers us and cares about us, but we wonder sometimes if it doesn't take too long. The Bible teaches us that we should never be impatient with God, for he always does everything at the right time for us and for him. Time is important to God, but it must be a little different for God since he lives forever. The Bible says that one day ...

3295. Proper 8

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

... are suddenly plunged back into a strange and mysterious world, filled with demigods who wrestle with human beings - a misty, shadowy land, where the strength of a man is pitted against the powers and mind of a divine being. It was midnight. Jacob had, long before, sent his family and property across the River Jabbok hoping to keep them safe. He divided them into two groups and sent them by different routes. Perhaps his reasoning was, if Esau was still violently angry with him and attacked and destroyed one ...

3296. Thanks, Lord

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

... and very much dreaded by the people who lived in Jesus’ time. In addition to the physical pain and suffering, the leper received humiliating treatment from the people. He/she was banished from society and made to live outside the camp. "He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean; he shall dwell alone in a habitation outside the camp." (Leviticus 13:46) The leper was cast out to roam in the wilderness. His/her clothing must be torn, hair disheveled and upper lip covered. One was ...

3297. Being Wealthy, Religious and Powerful

Micah 2:1-5

Sermon

... from the furnace of Nebuchadnezzar, who had the furnaces heated to seven times their usual intensity in order to consume Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. It’s the outpouring of a man or woman with a short fuse, a fuse which has been short for a long time. One wonders whether or not it would have been wise to have a committee check this language before it was uttered in public, especially for a church public. That lacerating language may have its place in other places, but the church is hardly the place ...

3298. There’s Gotta Be a Day

Malachi 4:1-6

Sermon

... as the response to the prophets, "If he were killed, no more oracles, no more prophets, no more nuisance." But this last of prophets could not even be silenced by the ridicule of the crucifixion. To a bored, willful people, bored by success, bored by the long haul, bored by the unusual, bored by boredom, the covenant-keeping Son of a covenant-keeping Father said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing," thereby breaking all the old cycles, whatever they are, and giving us a new day. And ...

3299. The Time Is Coming

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

... needed instruction. You both knew in your heart what any particular moment needed. You both knew the desire and the need of the other and responded immediately. No one looks to that time as a bad time or a sad time. Everyone laments the passage of that time. Everyone longs for the return of that moment of experienced reality, the way things really ought to be. If the world were right, that is the way it would be - not for some moments, but for all moments in all times and in all places. I’m puzzled by the ...

3300. The Ladder of Success

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Paul Hegele

... ; not just a successful surgeon, but one who sits on the board of directors of the hospital, who writes books, who leads this profession. As long as there's breath in our bodies, the thought, "What more can I be?" taunts us. The name of the game is success. We either ... professional painter. But the professional painter dreams of having her painting in museums. And the artist whose works are in a museum longs to be called a new Picasso. I don't even dare mention the ambition of a buck private in the army. He ...

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