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 3326 to 3350 of 5000 results

3326. Peace in the Midst of the Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... is still in the boat after the storm wash back and forth between your toes. How should you respond to his question? You DO have faith, but you have never had it tested to the limit like this before. You have wanted to believe that he is Lord of ALL of life, but just how much you have wanted to believe it has never been called into question. Now, out in the middle of the silence after the storm, you are forced to look at that faith and wonder why you ever worried in the first place. For whatever consolation ...

3327. Welcoming Jesus

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... way I will not be forgotten is if I can do something to help and aid my people."(3) Smart man. I wish, after almost 2,000 years of hearing the gospel story we just read, the world (not to mention the church) was that smart. Jesus says, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." We get an inkling of that truth occasionally in special lives such as the late Mother Teresa, but we notice them precisely because they are so rare. Then after Jesus picks up a little one who ...

3328. Jesus and Divorce

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... eyes than his wife was. Given the way human nature goes, you can imagine which school of thought was most popular.(3) In line with this general disregard for women in the ancient world, if a woman were divorced, she did not have many options. There were no "Want Ads" to scour. She could go back home to her parents or move in with some other relative. If that were not possible, she might be forced to resort to prostitution to keep from starving. Not a good situation. Not good at all! One more thing should be ...

3329. No Holding Back

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... your neighbor as yourself that the scripture calls for is not much more than the Golden Rule writ large. Treat folks the way you yourself want to be treated, and do not do those things to people that you would not like someone doing to you. In fact, go the ... in that sort of dream The drowning have breath and time to talk, - "I am fond of my hat Which reminds me Of many occasions I want to recall." Then my head went under for the first time, So I gave my hat into the Lord's hand: After that I floated much ...

3330. The Gift of Fire

Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... a faint...horrible pictures from some rich, ugly old relative that are suitable only for the attic. There are some gifts we do not know how to handle. Now, let me change the subject for a moment. Let's talk about FIRE. Fire is fascinating. Little children say they want to grow up to be firefighters. If you hear that there is a fire in the neighborhood, chances are you will go out to watch it...which, of course, creates a big problem for those kids who DID grow up to be firefighters. On a winter's evening ...

3331. No Time for a Knapsack Faith

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... take those warring thoughts and feelings and bring them together. To achieve such a unity of mind and heart requires a surrender of all we are and all we hope to be to the presence and power of God. The sad truth is that many of us want only a partial experience of God’s Spirit without total surrender. A letter was once mailed to General Electric from a little girl in the third grade who had chosen to investigate electricity for her class project. “I’m trying to get all the information on electricity ...

3332. God's Plan For Empowerment

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... that empowerment is what the Gospel is all about? Listen to these words from the prologue to John's Gospel: "But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God." (v. 12) This is God's will for our lives. God wants to give us the tools, the responsibility and then get out of the way. God does not intend to be our nursemaid, our principal or our policeman. God seeks men and women who are empowered as God's own children to live the Kingdom life in the very midst of ...

3333. Wrestling In A Title Bout

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

Mark Clark

... double-crossing father-in-law, Laban, into giving him the best sheep and goats in his herd. Jacob was less reputable than "Honest Ahkmed" the used camel salesman. Jacob always had to have everything his own way, and he was willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted. I'M CONVINCED THAT THERE'S A LITTLE OF JACOB IN EACH OF US. We may not be ferocious liars or cheats, but there's a competitive side to every one of us. Some of us become ruthless when you put a Monopoly set in front of us. Even the ...

3334. Moving Toward Sainthood

Isaiah 26:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... Jesus. Think what an influence such folks would have on our society. Author Kurt Vonnegut, of all people, said it best sometime back in USA TODAY'S "Opinion Line." He wrote: "I got a letter from a woman a while back," writes Vonnegut. "She was pregnant, and she wanted to know if I thought it was a mistake to bring a little baby into a world as troubled as this one is. And I replied," Vonnegut continued, "what made being alive almost worthwhile for me was the saints I met. They could be almost anywhere. By ...

3335. Overcoming "Work-avoidance Syndrome"

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... conduct business. He said, "I love my work. I can't wait to start a new day. I never wake up without being full of ideas. Everything is a challenge." George Bernard Shaw, one of the most successful playwrights of all time, said something similar. He wrote, "I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live." (2) Happy people are people who have something to live for, something to work for. They take pride in their work. They like seeing the results of their labor. For some ...

3336. Be Joyful

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... . "As a matter of fact, I do!" she answers. Calvin drops the snowball and says, "I'll bet she's bluffing, but this is not the time of year to tempt fate." One comedian claims his wife hasn't spoken to him since last Christmas. "I asked her what she wanted for Christmas," he explains, "and she said, Oh, just surprise me.' So, at three o'clock Christmas morning, I leaned over and went, BOO!'" (1) In my ministry, I have heard people agonize over God's will for their life. Is this God's will for me? Is that God ...

3337. Destined To Have A Great Year

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... here." (1) The beginning of a new year is a good time for reminding ourselves why we are "standing out here." What is our purpose? Why are we here? The beginning of a new year is also a good time to remind ourselves of God's promises. This morning we want to focus on a piece of good news from Paul's letters to the Ephesians. I am reading Ephesians 1:3-6: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he ...

3338. Resuscitating An Iguana

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... , you do CPR on a person and a dog," she thought to herself, "why not an iguana?" So she put her lips to the iguana's. "Now that I look back on it," she says now, "it was a pretty ugly animal to be kissing, but the last thing I wanted to do was tell this little boy that his iguana had died." The lizard responded to her efforts and is expected to make a full recovery. (1) Now that story may not impress you, but it impresses me. I think I would have difficulty bringing myself to give mouth-to ...

3339. A Firm Grip On Your Balloon

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... Maybe a toe in or an ankle ” but let's not be too hasty. Actually the majority of people fall into this category. That is why change ” even positive change ” is so difficult, whether it is in society or in the church. A majority of people don't want to change. Most people are comfortable just as they are. They would rather stick with what they know ” even if it's not all that satisfying ” than take the risk associated with change. In the eyes of some of the spectators at the first Pentecost, these ...

3340. Where Is Your Home?

2 Corinthians 5:6-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... , and Shiloh, his three children. "What we do for a living has a way of absorbing our attention," Kimmel writes. "Its demands are so great and its ego satisfaction so intoxicating that it can easily become the focus of our lives. I love my work, but I don't want it to become the heart of my existence my reason for living. That's why I have those pictures strategically placed on my desk. When I look up from my studies, I come eye level with a reminder of my purpose. Stealing a peek at them several times a ...

3341. Crying On Palm Sunday

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... , saying, "Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace...." (Luke 19:41-42a) Why was He crying? What did He expect? Those were "crude and cruel days" as the poem puts it. He well knew that His message would not ultimately be popular. After all, who wants to respond to a call to carry a cross? Jesus had no illusions: "... the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life and those who find it are few," He said. (Matthew 7:14). Yet when we see Him on what was supposed to be the ...

3342. He Has Done All Things Well

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... and said, "That's all I ever ask. I'll be happy to read your report." You and I are not saved by works, I want to make that clear. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. Still I wonder if we will not someday stand before the throne of ... more skillfully." Giving what others give and then some. William Barclay once told about a monk named Telemachus. Barclay tells us that this monk wanted a holy life so he went into the desert to pray, to fast, and to save his soul. In that lonely life, he sought nothing ...

3343. Jesus' Object Lesson

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... 100 pounds he squirmed and twisted until he managed to jerk his arm free. He wasn't going to do what his mother wanted him to do. The victory was a short one though. The mother was determined. She took hold of him, pressed his face close ... said they lived in a hut. He was in the hut one night when his son ran in and said, "Dad, Dad come here. I'm scared. I want to show you something." Dick Gregory says he went out and his son showed him the stars. It suddenly dawned on Dick Gregory that having been born and ...

3344. Looking For Happiness In All The Wrong Places

John 4:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... who would make him proud. When Philo was born, however, Pilate's pride was dashed. Philo was born sick, weak and permanently crippled. Throughout the years Philo was growing up, he was the object of his father's hatred and bitterness. "You're not the son I wanted," was Pilate's constant reminder to his broken son. As soon as he was old enough to leave home, Philo left the palace of his father and wandered alone in the countryside. There he heard of a Galilean who went about preaching love, healing the sick ...

3345. Wrestling With God

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... for God to do everything for him. Jacob was a doer, and soon he had sheep and cows and a large family and servants. He was an affluent man. But there was a hunger in his hearta hunger that his new jaccuzzi could not satisfy. For one thing, he wanted to go home. He had some unfinished business there. But there was also some other unfinished business of which he was aware but to which he could not put a name. That unfinished business was with God. We see that great hunger satisfied at a place which he would ...

3346. Time For Action

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... told you?" "It ain't necessary, Coach," gulped the youngster. "He's still breathing a little." That young man had taken his coach's pep talk to heart. Jesus told a parable about a man who had two sons. The man went to the first one and said, "Son, I want you to work in the vineyard today." The son was in a somewhat rebellious mood and answered, "I will not!" But afterwards he repented and went. The father went to the second son and made the same request of him. "Sure, Pop," said the second son, but he never ...

3347. Started Toward A Great Tomorrow

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." If you wanted to write out a prescription for victorious living in just a few words, it would be difficult to improve on these words of ... . St. Paul's pier didn't collapse. His influence has extended over two thousand years of turbulent history because he knew what God wanted him to do, because he let nothing deter him and because he was willing to put his faith into immediate action. Whether he ...

3348. I Don't Have Time For A Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... to his passengers." Another: "I got mugged on the way to school. I offered him my money, my watch, and my penknife but all he wanted was my essay." Mike, a 14-year old, came up with a "watertight" excuse for arriving at school an hour late with his pants soaked ... I'm cooking a special dinner tonight for my husband's boss and his wife. I've never cooked a big dinner before, and I want everything to be perfect. I bought a nine-pound turkey. Could you tell me how long to cook it in my new microwave?" "Just a ...

3349. Celebrating Christ The King

Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... knew other people whom they thought deserved to go. We don't like to think of Christ as a judge. After all, we don't want to scare people into becoming Christians, do we? No, we don't. What do you do, though, with those passages in the Scripture in ... you." Calvin is in the tree with Hobbes. Calvin: "No, you'll kill us. We're running away." "I'm not going to kill you. I just want to find out what happened. Are you O.K.? Was anyone hurt?" Calvin: "No one was hurt. We were pushing the car into the drive and it ...

3350. A Story Almost Too Big To Tell

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... us for what it says to us about our continuing relationship with them. EASTER IS IMPORTANT ALSO BECAUSE LIFE IS SO PRECIOUS. None of us is eager to die! A rancher out west left an unusual request with the funeral director when he made arrangements for his interment: "I want to be buried in my trusty old pickup truck." The undertaker tried to talk him out of the bizarre request but to no avail. "It's like this," said the rancher. I ain't ever seen a hole that old truck couldn't get me out of." We appreciate ...

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