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 3776 to 3800 of 5000 results

3776. An Answer Out of the Whirlwind

Job 38:1-7 (34-41)

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... 1:21). Last week, we saw the shift from story to argument, from the passive sufferer to the combative hero, from piety to protest. Job's world suddenly makes no sense; the law of retribution does not work; there is no justice! Job wants answers. He wants his day in court. He wants to take God on, face-to-face. He will defend himself and then see what God has to say. Sometimes he is presented as determined but still respectful; other times, he is defiant and seems to overstep the bounds of propriety. Either ...

3777. Living to Please God

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... communication, lecturing all over the country,” Robert continued, “I might as well share some of my wisdom with him. I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but I’ll get rid of him before he knows what’s happened. I’ve used this technique ... of money by mechanics looking at that same wire. He asked Fred, “Why didn’t you charge me anything?” Fred said, “Are you sure you want to know? I happen to be a Christian and believe that everything we do should be done to glorify God. I’m not a preacher ...

3778. A Bit More Beautiful

Illustration

Staff

... , he told the King, was a plot of land on the island where he had just lived and fought for so many months. They told him the island was barren. Why would he want to live there? "I want to plant trees," was Bok's reply. "I want to make the island beautiful." The King's aides thought he was crazy. The island was constantly swept by storms and high winds. He would never be able to get a tree to grow there. Bok, however, insisted, and the King granted him his wish. He went to live on ...

3779. Something by Tolstoy

Illustration

Staff

... beautiful singing voice and enticed her to tour Europe with a vaudeville company. Brodzky was devastated. At their parting, he reached into his pocket and handed her the key to the front door of the bookstore. "You had better keep this," he told her, "because you will want it someday. Your love is not so much less than mine that you can get away from it. You will come back sometime, and I will be waiting." She kissed him and left. To escape the pain he felt, Brodzky withdrew deep into his bookstore and took ...

3780. How Big of a Risk Would You Take?

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... put on a social smile. We may even give a pleasant chuckle, even though it makes us uncomfortable. We don’t want to offend our friends by expressing indignation. We’re afraid of what others think. For some people this is the dominating ... the vests would pass the test with flying colors. Then the instructor in charge of the demonstration would turn to the rookie officers and ask, "So who wants to wear a vest and let us test how it works on you?" (7) That’s the real test of faith, isn’t it? It’s one ...

3781. The Unwanted Christmas Gift: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . . . Unexpected, unwanted gifts at Christmas are the gifts that “keep on giving.” They are remembered. Treasured. Trotted out to entertain or amuse. Maybe the real Christmas giving tradition should be giving each other something we DON’T want. COMMENTARY At last, on this fourth and final Sunday of Advent, the gospel reading steps away from the story of John the Baptist and his ministry. Finally we move toward the venue of Jesus’ birth. Perhaps the most delightful difference between the gospels ...

3782. How Can I Know God's Will?

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... this way. But, then, how do you know the will of God? This is one of the most vexing questions in our faith. Many of us want to know God’s will for our lives so that we can make appropriate choices. A young man falls in love. “Is this the right person ... for advice?” And the person said, “I was afraid you would tell me not to buy it.” That happens. The last thing some of us want to do is to ask for advice, particularly when our hearts are set on a certain course. But that is the very reason we need ...

3783. Small Ways Every Day

Mark 4:26-34

Illustration

Martha Sterne

... to mean. But if we don't steal in small ways, we won't get all messed up in big ways. And then this last one, which this year I think is the biggest one. Don't covet. Don't waste your life wanting another life. An old friend calls it a case of the "I wants." Whatever "I wants" you have right now--bigger, better, more, different--find little ways of not renting that room in your head. Little ways, like I will not think about this for five minutes kinds of ways. Things perhaps no bigger than a mustard seed. I ...

3784. Why Are You So Afraid?

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... so strong it made them stagger. But they loved the challenge and the thrill and fought their way to the other side. Three-year-old Ben had started running after them. However, he stopped suddenly and clung to the nearest post. He wasn’t so sure he wanted to continue the dangerous trek. Dad, seeing what fun Zach and Matt were having as they fought against the wind, reached for Ben’s hand and said, “Let’s go. I’ll take care of you.” “It was obvious that all kinds of what‑ifs started tumbling ...

3785. Walls, Walls, Everywhere Walls

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... medicine, clothing, food, and the like for the suffering people of an African drought and civil war. Inside one of the boxes that showed up at the collection depot one day was a letter. It said, “We have recently been converted and because of our conversion we want to try to help. We won’t ever need these again. Can you use them for something?” Inside the box were several Ku Klux Klan sheets. For any of our younger members who may not be familiar with the Klan, in parts of our nation historically the ...

3786. Forgive as You Have Been Forgiven

Luke 6:27-38

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... as a note of recognition appeared. "I live in Arizona now, and I'm here on vacation. I saw you in the window and just wanted to stop and say hello. May I come in?" She hesitated and then opened the door and asked him in. "Forgive, and you will ... spanked. He'd run and hide under the bed because he knew he had done wrong. Later, he'd appear with tail a' wagging, anxious to please, wanting to be forgiven. "You know you did bad, Bobo. But we still love you. Here's a Bobo treat to show you we forgive. Don't ...

3787. Will He Find Faith?

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Scott Bryte

... anything just to get us to stop nagging? Surely we can't believe that of God! We know that God loves us, we know that God wants good for us, and we know that God eagerly listens and answers our prayers. Surely God is nothing like the judge, and that's the point of ... to trust. It is not easy to believe. It is not easy to pray. We do not always get what we pray for, even when what we want is a truly good thing. So how can we say that God always hears us? How can we still have faith that God says, "Yes" to us ...

3788. Prayers For the President

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... How about we pray that our leaders have the wisdom and gumption to deal with these justice issues for the weakest among us, and that this be a national priority? Does anyone have a problem with that? I hope not — after all, God says I don't want to hear your worship, I'm not listening to your prayers, unless you do this. You might figure this would be a no-brainer, but in the political atmosphere of our day, it has run into difficulty. Why? Simply because the impoverished underclass has no political clout ...

3789. Epiphany 2

Psalm 36:5-10, Isaiah 62:1-5, John 2:1-11, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... and to ask for help when our paths are difficult. Leader: Then let our thanks begin — in music, in conversation, and in prayer; let our time together be pleasing to God and to one another. Prayer Of Thanksgiving Gracious God — the year seems fresh and we want to hope that goodness and peace bless us all. We are grateful for the opportunities that come to us and for the ways we can be your voice and your justice in our neighborhoods. During this time, we offer you our undivided attention so that your ...

3790. Proper 10

Deuteronomy 30:9-14, Psalm 25:1-10; 82:1-8, Amos 7:7-17, Luke 10:25-37, Colossians 1:1-14

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... us. We take a few moments to look within ourselves and notice what is not measuring up to our hopes for our lives. Pray with me the printed prayer and then have your personal conversation with the Holy One. Community Confession (Unison) Ceaseless Creator — we do not want to be like walls out of kilter or people with crooked behaviors. Create in us minds that are eager to live into mystery and to be bear-ers not of plumb lines but of hope and nurturing actions. Let our living reflect the teachings of Jesus ...

3791. A Rock Thrown, A Lesson Learned

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... the room, he bumped into this woman who was coming into the room. She says, “He’s been waiting for you. He said he did not want to die until Jesus came and held his hand, and I tried to tell him that after death he would have a chance to meet Jesus ... and talk to Jesus and hold Jesus’ hand. But he said, ‘No. Once a month Jesus comes and holds my hand and I don’t want to leave until I have a chance to hold the hand of Jesus once more.’” (5) Where can you go, my friend, to show somebody the ...

3792. Made for Joy

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 1. http://preceptaustin.org/philippians_illustrations_4.htm 2. Rev. Scott W. Alexander, http://www.rruuc.org/index.php?id=191&sermon=070722. 3. John Ortberg, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of The Boat (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), p. 114. 4. With Adam Hanft, Dictionary of the Future (New York: Hyperion, 2001), p. 249. 5. Bob Thomas, Bud & Lou: The Abbott & Costello Story. Cited ...

3793. A Glimpse of Glory

Revelation 21:10-22 - 22:5

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... performed faithfully on earth. "At the right hand" means a place of privilege and honor. With apologies to any left-handed people here, as a right-handed person uses his right hand to do what he does best, so also for God. When God is doing that for which he wants to be best known, he does it through the risen and ascended Jesus "at his right hand." Jesus is God's "right-hand man," so to speak. So, where is heaven? It is wherever Jesus is present acting as God's right hand man. And where is that? Jesus is ...

3794. God as a Consuming Fire

Hebrews 12:18-29

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... 11:30) and of a risen Christ who will be with us always (28:20). So, throughout the Bible messages of God's love and forgiveness, mercy and care are intertwined with messages of God's judgment and punishment. We cannot separate them out, keeping only what we want. In the movie Wall-E, the little robot finds a diamond engagement ring in its original box. He throws the ring away and keeps the box! We might wish we could throw the judgment passages away and keep the love, but that would not be the best thing ...

3795. From Slave to Brother

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... , Paul does not tell Philemon exactly what to do with Onesimus. Paul doesn't say, "Now be sure not to punish him," or, "You know, you could set him free." All Paul says is that because of Christ, he is now your brother. Paul seems simply to have wanted that new idea to get under Philemon's skin. When Paul sent the letter, he was acting in faith on three levels. First, he trusted Onesimus, who had already run away once, to carry the letter to his master without running away again. Second, he trusted Philemon ...

3796. Sarah

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... to cope with it. That might work with diabetes or depression. We might have wonderful drugs to mask the problems of anxiety or support groups to deal with addiction or exercises to ease lower back trouble. But when it comes to my guilt, I don't want a drug or a coping mechanism. I don't want to have to learn how to live with unresolved guilt, or cope with, live, or figure out how to ignore it. When it comes to sins, I'm not looking for a distraction or a class on how to live with it. There are too ...

3797. The Things Close to Your Heart

Mark 13:1-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... it was the blessing, Now it is the Lord; Once it was the feeling, Now it is His Word. Once His gifts I wanted, Now the Giver own; Once I sought for healing, Now Himself alone. Once 'twas painful trying, Now 'tis perfect trust; Once a half salvation ... am a father for you, and a brother, a bridegroom, and a home, a nurse and a dress, a root and a cornerstone. Whatever you want I am for you. I don’t want you to be in any need. I will serve you, because I came not to be served but to serve. I am a friend, and ...

3798. The Temple of Doom and the Bridegroom

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

3799. The Glow of a Star

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... journey to find the newborn king he came across people who had great needs. He could not pass them by without trying to help. He ended up using the three jewels he had intended to offer the Christ child to care for the needs of these persons he found in want. This fourth magi searched for Jesus for the rest of his life, only to realize at the end of his life that he had both found him and worshipped him each time he gave himself and his gift to one who was in need. Through his compassion this fourth wise ...

3800. The Ultimate Mountain Top Experience

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... warmed.” The final box shows a modern, 21st century woman with frizzy hair, big spectacles and big earrings. Her smiling face is saying, “In Skip and Jodi’s Bible study I discovered that I needed a check-up from the neck up! I don’t need another diet. What God wants me to do is learn to love me.” (4) I wonder if it is even possible to talk about an experience of the holiness and majesty of God in today’s world? We have reduced the Gospel to a check-up from the neck up. Is it even possible to ...

Showing results