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 3851 to 3875 of 4959 results

3851. The Coat Off Your Back

Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... for faithful followers, still stands before us. Abraham didn't look at the current situation, but looked forward to God's next move. He was blessed to be a blessing to all future generations. And we, in this future, are now blessed to be blessings. Jesus fervently desires us to be thankful people — people "in the world" but not "of the world." Not people so distracted "by the world" that we fail to see the needs of those around us. We are called to be people willing to give in love and give whatever it ...

3852. Fire! Fire!

John 1:(1-9) 10-18

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... to take his throne from him. Therefore, he returned to his visitors with the answer that Bethlehem was the prophesied location of the birth of this new king. Herod instructed his visitors from the east, “Search the city and then send word to back to me, for I, too, desire to go and worship him” (Matthew 2:8 cf). Herod had no intention of worshiping this child. By using a lie, Herod hoped to trick the magi into returning to him. Then he could proceed with plans to rid himself of this threat. The magi ...

3853. Don’t Touch Me With That Water!

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... . And so he came for the baptism of water, the baptism of repentance, to set the example. On a beautiful Sunday morning, three youth from a local detention home stood before the baptismal font. The pastor asked them, "Robert, Charles, Tory, do you desire to be baptized?" Each responded, "I do." As they were baptized in turn, their names were repeated. In the congregation, a foreign exchange student turned to his host mother with a questioning look. "Didn't these boys have a name before this time?" Smiling ...

3854. Love Walked Across the Field

Luke 4:14-21

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... days and vanishing on others. Love is action. Love is what you choose to do. A pastor was sharing his thoughts about love with a young couple preparing for marriage. He told them that to love - really love - was to reach out to another with only the desire to care, share, comfort, encourage, or give hope. These words brought tears to the eyes of the young woman. "You know, pastor, not everyone is loving if that is what it means to love, and that includes some pastors. My parents are loving people. They made ...

3855. The Ashes of Our Lives

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... black smith shop sharing space with inventory, bubble packers, and, of course, his hookers. When he set up his own office space, it was in a small room in the back. What had enabled his fishing lure manufacturing business to grow? Ed's love of fishing, his desire to satisfy customers, commitment to his product, and his ability to promote it, and a fire! That's right, I said a fire. One night the furniture store two blocks away caught fire. As the flames jumped from building to building, Ed stood on top of ...

3856. Go, Climb A Mountain!

Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him! When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone" (Luke 9:35-36b NLT). Peter, James, and John heard God clearly state that Jesus was his Son and that they were to listen to him and not to their own ideas or desires. The same applies to us as we follow Jesus, our guide on life's path. As Isaiah the prophet reminds us, "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way; walk in it' " (Isaiah 30:21 ...

3857. That We May All Be One!

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... lifeboat. There are only all of us, dying from sin, sinking fast, and someone is throwing us a lifeline. Are you going to refuse it because it's made out of the wrong kind of rope? Jesus closes this prayer with these words. Listen to them carefully. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know ...

3858. Sit Up and Speak!

Luke 7:11-17

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... in church ... rough and tumble men don't fit in."2 Today's typical church has developed a culture that drives men and especially young men away. God made men for adventure, achievement, and challenge. John Eldredge writes in Wild at Heart that three desires are deeply written in most men's hearts. They are a "Battle to Fight," "An Adventure to Live," and "A Beauty to Rescue." Jesus' words, "Young man, I say to you, rise!" take on a frightening contemporary relevance in the culture of congregational life ...

3859. Sister Act(s)

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... my siblings when I was assigned chores to do, and especially was I resentful when my only younger sister appeared to be getting preferential treatment. As an adult, I resented unfair treatment by my colleagues. I carried anger too long after being passed over for a desirable position or when I was falsely accused. But I am learning slowly that resentment is an energy drain and is unhealthy. It is sin. I'd like to shed it like one would recover from a bad virus. Even though we see three flies in Martha's ...

3860. Don’t Be Afraid

Luke 12:32-40

Sermon

... the fundamental orientation of our lives. What is most important to us? I used to repeat this saying backward. It made more sense to me: where your heart is there your treasure will be also. I thought he was saying that our money would follow our heart's desires. Put your money where your heart is. I suppose that, too, is true. But it's not what Jesus said. He was saying to us that the money goes toward something first and then our heart will follow. These words had special significance to the early church ...

3861. But I Really Like the Best Seat in the House!

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

... seen this happen often enough to know that I'm not the only one who has had a problem with the last being first and the first being last. I remember reading about a new church a while back where their rule of thumb was that when someone expressed a desire to serve, the pastor would thank them profusely, hand them a broom, and ask them to sweep up after coffee hour. And this might go on for months! "If you want to be somebody in this congregation," he was showing them, "then you have to be willing to be a ...

3862. How Many of Us Does It Take to Screw in a Light Bulb?

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... about a small-town church in upstate New York. They’d had a rector in that church for over thirty-five years. He was loved by the church and the community. After he retired, he was replaced by a young priest. It was his first church; he had a great desire to do well. He had been at the church for several weeks when he began to perceive that the people were upset at him. He was troubled. Eventually he called aside one of the lay leaders of the church and said, “I don’t know what’s wrong, but I ...

3863. The Call of God

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... serve as an officer again; let the young ones do it — it's their turn." There are always excuses. When the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, the word was disaster. Jeremiah was just like anyone else: he loved his country; he loved his people. He had no desire to preach judgment and destruction on them. No preacher worth his or her salt ever does. But when we see things around us that we know are wrong, we are frankly stuck. Then, when we dare to mention it, we get in trouble. In light of that, any excuse ...

3864. The Fig Tree

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... do not get what they deserve, either good or bad. That is why the psalmist could wail, "Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor ... the wicked boast of the desires of their heart, those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord ... their ways prosper at all times...." — Psalm 10:1-5 NRSV (plus many other similar passages too numerous to cite) Ecclesiastes complains, "I saw under the sun that in the place of justice ...

3865. Greed

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... people have taken a little wine for the sake of Timothy's stomach than ever sold what they had and gave to the poor for the sake of the rich young ruler. It is just too easy for us to become possessed by our possessions or our desire for them. Consider our text - three main characters: Naaman, the wealthy Syrian general; Elisha, the prophet of God; and Gehazi, Elisha's servant and right-hand man. Naaman, powerful though he was, had a serious problem: He was a leper, and nothing anyone had ever tried had ...

3866. Religion and Politics

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... million of them. How does their religion enter into the political arena? What about this "line between church and state"? Despite all our protests, I wonder whether keeping religion and politics separate is possible. For that matter, I wonder whether it is desirable. I wonder if it is faithful. The witness of the prophets of old would say, "No." Consider this text from Isaiah. It begins with a superscription that places the prophet in a particular historical and political context - Jerusalem "in the days of ...

3867. Advent 3

Isaiah 12:2-6, Zephaniah 3:14-20, Luke 3:1-20, Philippians 4:4-7

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... that punishment is sent from God (Luke 3:7). While “guilt trips” worked well back then, they don’t today. So the question the people ask is vital, “What are we to do?” (3:10). In our culture, if we desire to “rejoice and think about worthwhile things” (Philippians 4), then we must find activities that caress our souls — meditation, varying kinds of prayer, dancing our emotions (joy, anger, sadness, fear), inspiring conversations, resisting addictions to media interpretations of the world ...

3868. You're a Treasure!

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... out of divine pleasure so that we could be in God’s presence — so that we might be in a unique and personal relationship with God. One-on-one. God to A-dam. The face-to-face presence of one person — that was God’s final creative desire. As the incarnate divine, it is this special connection that Jesus represents in complete perfection. And when Jesus himself needed to re-boot that connection, he went apart — so that he would not come a-part. Jesus did not seek solitude to shut out the world. Jesus ...

3869. Baptism of Our Lord

Psalm 29:1-11, Isaiah 43:1-7, Luke 3:1-20, Acts 8:14-17

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: Happy New Year! With new determination we listen for the voice of God and we desire to respond happily. People: We also listen with new care for the promises of scriptures, which might make our lives prosperous and easier. Leader: We are here together, then, to pay attention to the ways men and women have honored the holy. People: And to hear again about the life ...

3870. Epiphany 4

Psalm 71:1-6, Jeremiah 1:4-10, Luke 4:21-30, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... for one hour, we feel protected from the world’s cynicism and profiteering gaze. Leader: But love is not confined to one hour each week! People: Right. Here we are refreshed in spirit so we can be patient and kind, not jealous or conceited. We lose all desire to be ill-mannered and selfish. We lose the need to keep a record of others’ wrongs. We choose to be truthful and happy, never giving up on faith and hope. Leader: Love is eternal, a treasure from God — People: A treasure we carry inside to share ...

3871. James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

James 3:13-18

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... opportunity to be “large and in charge.” In this week’s epistle text James offers a very different criteria for the faith community. He declares that those who claim to possess “wisdom” will be identified by something other than their own desires and ambitions. James first offers the ironic question, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” The question is ironic because, as James will reveal, any who would boldly step forward and claim for themselves such a title reveals they are in fact ...

3872. The Problem with ‘Hail Mary’ Moments

James 3:13-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

3873. Epiphany

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14, Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12, Ephesians 3:1-12

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... Holy. The secret they kept is our personal promises to the invisible Spirit. The gifts they offered are our talents, our resources, and our loyalty. Their journey back to their own cities is our journey across this earth, aware of being surrounded by Holy Spirit and desiring to make this world a kinder place. We are not alone. God surrounds us and we are content as we walk with the Holy One. Amen. Let it be so! Offertory Statement (Leader) Wise people still follow stars and sing with angels! Wise people are ...

3874. Lent 2

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18, Psalm 27:1-14, Luke 13:31-35, Philippians 3:17--4:1

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... . Jesus’ appearance was transformed; and in hindsight, James, Peter, and John could access the power of that experience for their own ministries. Can we do the same? Perhaps for contemporary seekers, this story alerts us to the wisdom in past heroes, to the human desire to be connected with that wisdom and support, and to the momentary mystery that points to the path that is ours to follow. And we don’t have to understand it! To walk in the footsteps of Christ is sufficient for our own transformations ...

3875. Pentecost

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b, John 14:8-17, (25-27), Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:14-17

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... , in this very moment, we want to be free from anything that retards our journey to Holy Mystery and psyche peace. Transform our priorities and our goals; reshape our relationships and our professions. Amen. Sermon Idea Behind the scenes at Babel and Pentecost is the human desire to be close to the Holy, to be intimate with Mystery. The Sacred does not need a tower or a building of any kind to communicate with the human mind and psyche. The Divine does not need a labeled birthday cake or a singular alphabet ...

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