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

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He is not poor that hath not much, but he that craves much.

Thomas Fuller

The perfect joys of heaven do not satisfy the cravings of nature.

William Hazlitt

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.

William James

Success, recognition, and conformity are the bywords of the modern world where everyone seems to crave the anesthetizing security of being identified with the majority.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

380. Seeking Joy

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... that he could apply this wisdom to every part of his life. As he writes in his book Crunch Time, “The lesson was: Far too often, while fighting our day-to-day battles on the ground, we never look beyond ourselves, or the immediate moment, situation, need or craving at hand. Therefore, we fail to view things from the fuller, richer, wider context of the Big Picture.” (6) When we walk with God, we are able to take a Big Picture view of our lives. We are able to replace worry with trust in God, choose a ...

381. We Would Like to See Jesus

John 12:20-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... wasn’t the chair or the prayer book or the glasses that shaped his mother’s character or brought her such peace. It was her relationship with Jesus. Gibson’s mother saw Jesus, and that truth shone from her life in such a way that it caused her son to crave that same experience. That’s what all of us need--to see Jesus and to know that he is real and that he is with us in life’s trials and turmoil. Pastor John Jewell tells of a man named Charles who was lying in a hospital bed near death ...

382. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Will Willimon

... love we must proceed in the same way we have to proceed if we want to learn any other art, say music or painting,...or the art of medicine or engineering." And yet he notes sadly that in our society, "in spite of the deep-seated craving for love, almost everything else is considered to be more important than love: success, prestige, money, power -- almost all our energy is used for the learning of how to achieve these aims, and almost none to learn the art of loving (p. 6)." Sometime before Christmas this ...

383. Don't Fall

Luke 22:39-46

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

... filled donut from a certain bakery she passed on the way to work. For years she had stopped there regularly to get coffee and a cream filled donut. Not every day but a few times a week. On this one particular morning as she was getting dressed she had a craving for one of the donuts but at the same time she wanted to be strong. And since she was a Christian woman she decided to pray for the strength to get by. She was still praying as she got into her car. She prayed, “Lord, I do want a donut ...

384. Feasting on Love

John 6:24-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... are their truest community. Today, many churches around the world will celebrate holy communion, a time when we understand that we as humans have a “hunger” for so much more than simply food, fun, security, and transitory relief. Our hunger runs deep. We crave a fullness of life that only Jesus can provide, a life that goes beyond mere “bread and butter” and expands into a holy love feast of blessedness, an eternal life of security, love, fulfillment, and mercy that we receive when the Holy Spirit ...

385. Impetuous Faith

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... volunteered to help the teacher, who loved to be the class leader, who wanted every time to be chosen first for good behavior? Yup, that’s the one. Every class had one. Every job often has one. Throughout life, you’ll always encounter those who crave special attention, who obsess over being first at everything, who seem to need extra pets and perks to feel they are okay. While they can annoy the people around them with their incessant striving, most folk are content to let them achieve, kiss up, or ...

386. King of Nobody’s Castle

John 18:33-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... in our scriptures for today between Pilate and Jesus is a brief verbal sparring, which convinces Pilate that Jesus is most likely much more harmless than his angry Jewish contemporaries claim. He sees right away that Jesus likely makes them angry not so much by any power he craves but by the truth he wields. Jesus in the conversation refuses to say he is a King at all. He does say that his kingdom is not of this world. But as for why he came into the world, Jesus says, he came to “testify to the truth ...

387. In the Wilderness of Temptation

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... who told Mean Max I'm on a diet!" (1) Temptation is just like Mean Max. It never really touches you, it never really assaults you, it just follows you where ever you go, filling you with ideas of all the things you know you shouldn't want or crave. There is something we need to understand about the power of temptation, the more we give in, the weaker we become. The more we resist, the stronger we become. In C. S. Lewis' book, THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, the wicked queen entices the boy, Edmund ...

388. In The Presence Of Christ!

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... be seen in the gifts of schools and hospitals and in the church, which he has given us. Yet in all these things, while God’s love is present, it’s slightly hidden. Again an everyday example can be helpful. As men and women, each of us craves love from those closest to us and our loved ones have little different ways of showing love toward us. In the case of my wife Betsey, for instance (preachers might substitute examples with their own significant others), she often shows her love for me with a wink ...

389. Why The Resurrection Makes Sense

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... caught up in sin, too concerned with our own lives and not enough concerned with others, still wondering if life really has meaning, still too fretful about dying. But Easter promises serenity, a new life of which Christ is the first fruit, a life not craving the things of the world so much. Again Martin Luther describes the risen Lord and what Easter is all about in compelling ways. He proclaimed: Therefore if you believe in Christ, you must not flee from him or be frightened; for here you perceive and ...

390. What If You Could Change the Ending?

Luke 23:33-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... her closet and pulled out a box of childhood mementos. On top was the Bible her parents gave her for her baptism. Carolyn began shaking as she reached into the box. She says she prayed, “God, I am in so much pain. Please fix my body. Take away my cravings for alcohol. Please touch me with your healing so I can go forward.” And as she picked up her childhood Bible, a bulletin fell out. On the front was the date September 15, 1963. And inside was printed the sermon title and Scripture verses: A Love that ...

391. Mind Your Manners

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

... our generosity can be a shrewd way of making others feel in our debt so that they will reciprocate when preparing their guest lists. Many a table is filled with little more than the self-interest of the host. But what do you do when the invitation you crave the most, an invitation to the table where food is given that could fill your deepest hungers, is an invitation that you could never repay because it is an invitation to a table where God is the host? Who can repay God? Only the poor, the maimed, the ...

392. Living In The “In Between” Time

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Ronald Love

... never taken a hit that hard playing football. My head was spinning. And I felt a flash of anger. What did God want from me? Then I thought of the people at church, their incredible support. I was going to need them more than ever. But more than ever, I craved that one-on-one connection to God. His voice booming in my ears. As it had for my grandmother.” Still felt closer to God, but he also wondered why God seemed so distant and quiet. Devon said, “it still seemed as if I was doing all the talking. I ...

393. Revising The Agenda

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

William G. Carter

... put God’s purposes before our own. It’s the kind of spiritual discipline, says Calvin, that “erases from our minds the yearning to possess, the desire for power, and the desire for the favor of others.” True self-denial “uproots ambition and all craving for human glory.” Why? Because it means we choose to put God’s ways before our own pursuits. We choose to follow Jesus and to do his work. And nothing else will ever come before it. “Follow me. Pick up your cross. Deny yourself.” Whether ...

394. Seize the Now

Philippians 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... a good meal touched many people and inspired an outpouring of kindness from strangers. As Jay Rayner wrote in his article honoring Hugh’s life, “We are all of us prone to dwell on the future: on the job or relationship that will finally gift us the happiness we crave. But if you can afford it, a good meal, in a restaurant engineered to feed rather than impress, forces us into the now. And the now was exactly where Hugh needed to be.” (1) If there is any meal that forces us into the now, it is the Lord ...

395. We Need Another Miracle

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... first Easter. Or the one that started it all in the first place. A woman took her sixteen-year-old daughter to the doctor. The doctor said, “Okay, Mrs. Jones, what’s the problem?” The mother said, “It’s my daughter, Debbie. She keeps getting these cravings, she’s putting on weight, and is sick most mornings.” The doctor gave Debbie a good examination, then turned to the mother and said, “Well, I don’t know how to tell you this, but your Debbie is pregnant ‒ about four months, would be my ...

396. Family Ties And Unties

Mark 3:20-35

Sermon

David Coffin

... oppose our efforts as disciples. This is not a modern evangelistic crusade where auditoriums of people gather in for praise music, to listen to testimonies and a sermon, then are invited to an altar call. Mark’s gospel keeps it real! Powerful people crave more power and are not going to compromise, despite the best argued logic, good intentions, and selfless acts of sacrifice. Martin Luther would argue we are saint and sinner at the same time. The story in Mark 3 continues with Jesus’ identifying his ...

397. Yada, Yada, Yada!

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... . There’s a power in that kind of knowing, a power of authenticity and security that allow us to be everything we can be, and to be a great strength to those around us! To be “known” by someone is the most powerful and satisfying feeling anyone can have! We crave it. It’s why we need and desire relationships in our lives with partners. We all want someone in our lives who knows us and loves us just as we are and no matter what we do. That’s the kind of love Jesus offers to all of us, if ...

398. For Someone Who Played a Background Role In a Successful Life

Mark 1:1-8 · John 1:6-9

Eulogy

Richard E. Zajac

... was in danger of entangling himself in the military and political troubles of the time, it was his sister Dorothy who recalled him to his desk and pointed him along the road that led to his destiny. It was she who reawakened in him a craving for poetic expression. Referring to Robert Louis Stevenson, Boreham wrote of how a certain Fanny Sitwell taught him to believe in himself, how when he struggled with poverty and even death itself, it was she who convinced him to carry on. It was she who supported ...

399. Against All Odds

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... unless you resonate with them as an authentic entity who knows who you are and why you do what you do. If people sense in you your passion to change the world in some way, if your vision and purpose resonates with the values and desires that people crave in their lives, if your goal is to strive toward a vision that aligns with people’s dreams for their lives and the world, they will be inspired by you, will follow you, will commit to you, and will remain motivated to work with you toward reaching those ...

Showing 376 to 399 of 399all results

Antonyms: aversion, distaste, apathy, dislike, hatred, antipathy, disgust, disregard, abhorrence, acrimony, wet, animosity, animus, antagonism, bad feeling, bitterness, be averse to, detestation

Showing all results

He is not poor that hath not much, but he that craves much.

Thomas Fuller

The perfect joys of heaven do not satisfy the cravings of nature.

William Hazlitt

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.

William James

Success, recognition, and conformity are the bywords of the modern world where everyone seems to crave the anesthetizing security of being identified with the majority.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

380. Seeking Joy

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

381. We Would Like to See Jesus

John 12:20-36

Sermon

King Duncan

382. Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon