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 376 to 400 of 1245 results

376. Don't Try So Hard!

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

... we need to broaden this general thought concerning our salvation and also say, "Don't try so hard to establish the truths of the faith." In the past we Christians have had a way of overpowering people about our faith with proofs and claims. We've been so eager to sell someone on the Christian faith that we've oversold them. Countless times young people have told me that they no longer go to church because that's all they were made to do as children. Some preachers have come off being very pompous and almost ...

377. If Only We Would Do The Obvious ...

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... in the life of the church and was especially gifted in creating excitement in some of the programs. The staff was concerned about overloading her with responsibilities, but her graciousness in accepting them and the efficient manner in which she executed them made us eager to approach her with requests. When she asked for an appointment with me, I thought it might be to talk about her concern that her heavy involvement in the church was a deterrent to her graduate studies. It turned out that Ann wanted to ...

378. If Only We Would Accept Responsibility ...

Ezekiel 33:1-20

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... and we cannot blame anyone or anything else when those choices are irresponsible or evil. Neither can we escape the consequences. Ezekiel, the watchman, has told us. Christ, the Lord, has told us. We have also heard that when we accept responsibility for our choices, and repent, the waiting God eagerly forgives us, and our eternal relationship with God is restored and deepened. If only we would accept responsibility ...

379. Nervous Hands

Psalm 139:1-24

Sermon

... - all of your needs and all of your weaknesses. He understands all the fears that rise up out of those needs and those weaknesses. Your faith is testimony to you that in knowing all about you, the Lord is still interested in being in your life. The Lord is eager to have you as his. The Lord wants you to live in the certainty that you've been called to be his child. "The Lord has laid his hand upon me," the Psalmist says. "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me." How beautiful! Not only does the Lord know ...

380. A Good Picture of Bad People

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

... of Light is a source of strength. How clearly and powerfully this imagery must have spoken to those who heard the parable. Our nation’s governors had gathered in Los Angeles, California, in 1966 for their third annual conference when President Lyndon Johnson, eager to gather support for his Vietnam War policy, sent a "truth squad" to enlist the governors’ support. This was needed to show our nation and the world that we were totally and completely committed to the Vietnam effort. This same support was ...

381. A Wandering Aramean

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

... the greatest significance of Roots. For many years now, increasingly large numbers of Americans have become fascinated trying to find where they came from. Genealogical societies in this country are hard-pressed to keep pace with the demand of Americans eager to learn of their personal heritage. Famous English genealogical societies, the kinds that construct family crests and keep track of Britain's nobility, now give their services to very middle-class Americans. Even the Boy Scouts have gotten into the ...

382. A Daffy, Magnificent Hope

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

... died every week, almost all of the doctors lived. As Menninger put it, "They were kept alive by hope." Is it any wonder the most lively committees and organizations of the church are those which have developed a goal, a vision of the future, and are eagerly working toward it? A vision of the future, what we call hope, is the greatest animating force we know. Notice, though, to be realistic, hope must trust in a power greater than the problem it faces. Hope must be grounded in someone or something, lest we ...

383. Let the Journey Begin

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Dean Lueking

... ourselves treasures where they can rot away and consume our souls at the same time. Day after day we are pounded hard by forces which tempt us to give our all for the treasures that are earth-bound. But in our hearts we know that these things cannot ultimately satisfy. Eager for the Journey And so, with a deep sense of peace and hope in God, let us begin the Lenten journey. What guides us through is not what we give up, but the sacred life given for us upon the cross. Whatever we choose to lay aside and do ...

384. Authority Through Servanthood

Matthew 20:20-28, Matthew 20:17-19

Sermon

Dean Lueking

... was a delicious sense of power that had suddenly seeped into my nine-year-old mind. But what was happening to me had nothing to do with being a teacher, and everything to do with enjoying ordering others around. This is why I can appreciate Mrs. Zebedee’s eagerness to get her boys in the front seats ahead of anyone else. With a little effort and imagination, you can see the same thing in your own life. Still to Be Seen in Our Time and Life Jesus was talking about the rancid fruit of misplaced authority in ...

385. Proper 11

Lk 10:38-42 · Col 1:21-29 · Gen 18:1-10 · 2 Ki 4:8-17

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... at a time when guests usually do not arrive - "in the heat of the day" (v. 1), probably at noon. And nothing was prepared - no food in the house. Sarah had to bake bread. Abraham had to go to the fields to slaughter a calf. All of this was done eagerly and gladly because Abraham saw these men as angels of God. There is a need here for hospitality, for the strangers we entertain may be angels in disguise. We do not entertain very much in our day. We take our guests to a restaurant and put them up in a ...

386. Proper 22

Lk 17:5-10 · 2 Tim 1:1-14 · Am 5:6-7, 10-15

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... can do for you - A. Perform wonders in your life - vv. 3, 4 B. Motivate you to serve with no desire for reward - vv. 7-10 2. A Little is a Lot! 17:5-6. Need: Here is an eye-opener for some! Like the disciples, many of us are eager for a larger portion of faith - the faith to guide people aright, faith to forgive, faith to serve just for the privilege. As we face the tough issues of life, we cry out for more faith. No one can honestly say, "I have all the faith in the world." If ...

387. Proper 25

Lk 18:9-14 · 2 Tim 4:9-18 · Sirach 35:12-18 · Deut 10:12-22 · Zeph 3:1-9

Sermon Aid

... by not obeying the Law. But, the good Lord is in the city and executes justice, but no one pays heed to him. This same God brought desolation to wicked nations and cities without leaving a survivor. Still that did not make the wicked repent but made them eager to do more wrong. In due time Yahweh will pour his wrath on the nations and the earth will be consumed. After this Yahweh will give the peoples a "pure" language so that with one accord they all can worship and serve. Deuteronomy 10:12-22 God tells ...

388. Ordinary 32

Lk 20:27-38 · Zech 7:1-10 · 2 Thess 2:13--3:5 · 1 Chron 29:10-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... for each other. A. Like Paul pray for others - vv. 16, 17, 5. Comfort, hope, and love. B. Like Paul ask for prayer - v. 1. Speed and triumph of the Word. WORSHIP RESOURCES Prayer of the Day: "Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people to seek more eagerly the help you offer, that, at the last, they may enjoy the fruit of salvation." Hymn of the Day: "I know that my Redeemer Lives!"

389. Boundaries or Frontiers?

Leviticus 19:1-37

Sermon

... first compels us to despair of ourselves so we may learn to trust in his Word alone. Freed by God’s promise, we are led to faith. As God shapes faith in our hearts, we experience freedom from bondage so we can be joyful, high-spirited, and eager in our relationships with God and with all people. Freedom’s frontier challenges the more restrictive limit, the lesser circumference, the tighter circle. God leads us through our deserts of bondage so we will long for faith. There he calls us to be holy as he ...

390. God's Push

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

... of Jesus and the Canaanite woman was repeated among our Lord's followers. Eventually, Mark and then Matthew came to include it in their gospels of Jesus. Why did they do it? Quite frankly, in some ways the story does not seem very complimentary to Jesus. He surely is no "eager beaver" to respond to this woman. In fact, he seems barely civil toward her. Yet here it is, for the church to read, time and time again. Why? Because in it is God's push. In it is God's hand at work edging Jesus toward a far-wider ...

391. Easter 4

John 10:1-10, Acts 2:42-47, 1 Peter 2:19-25

Bulletin Aid

... protection. Renew us with life that is full of joy, assured by the presence of our Savior, the great Shepherd of his sheep, through whom we pray. Amen. Hymns "All the Way, My Savior Leads Me" "He Leadeth Me: O Blessed Thought" "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us" "Shepherd of Eager Youth"

392. The Promise of Emmanuel

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

... so we shall be ready for Christmas. Children have long lists of what Santa is to bring: dolls, race car sets, bikes, books, computers, televisions, and a thousand other wants. There is a heightened sense of anticipation present in our lives. We are eagerly looking forward in our Advent hope for Christmas. People with whom I have visited talk of vacations in the next week. Students have been excited about their break from school. Many of us, I suspect, have looked forward to parties, the family gatherings ...

393. God's Glory Manifest

Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon

... the mountain height. The glory of God is the manifestation of the divine presence to God's people. There is an attraction for us in the epiphany of God. We do desperately desire the cooling touch of God's hand to our fevered brow of worry and pain. We eagerly await the delivering action of God to burst us loose from all that restricts and binds up life in our slaveries. We earnestly seek the glory of God manifest to us to produce full and free humanity. At the same time we are repelled and frightened by the ...

394. Communion Is Rejoicing In Christ's Return

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

... . Notice during the next few weeks how hard it is for children to see all the signs of the season and still wait patiently for Christmas Morning. The same struggle is experienced by us Christians who try to wait patiently for the return of Christ our Lord. We eagerly anticipate the day when our complete redemption will be given to us. It is hard to be patient as we wait for the day when we will be set free from all the pain and temptation we experience in this earthly life. It's hard to wait patiently ...

395. The Divine-Human Nexus

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

... , "You don’t understand, my dear. This is the leg of Christ our Lord. For what you do to this man, you do to him." Or gain, Leo Tolstoy’s story "Martin the Cobbler" tells of a lonely shoemaker who is promised a visit by our Lord that very day. Eagerly all day he awaits his arrival. But all that comes is a man in need of shoes, a young mother in need of food and shelter, a child in need of a friend. Martin the cobbler ends the day thinking "perhaps tomorrow he will come," only to hear a voice ...

396. The Gift That Claims Our Response

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

... of our lives, not from leftovers. In other words, God asks only for the wedding garment of faith and love to be put on by all who come to the party. And the garment itself is God’s own gift. I would like to think that all of us are eager to put on those garments of grateful response, and that most of us have so clothed ourselves. But if we have put them on, we still must be attentive to the garment’s condition. It’s easy to become so involved with enjoyment of the feast through the years of ...

397. The End is a New Beginning

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

... forcing him virtually to bypass his mourning for her impending death and to get on with the business of making plans for his life after she actually dies. He realizes that he will have to dispense of her home and the furnishings it contains. He has a man who is eager to buy the contents of the house, but he says, "I love everything in it and don’t want to let any of it go." It is just possible that memories of his childhood - in another home, but some of the same pieces of furniture in it - are coming ...

398. Getting Off the Go-Round

Illustration

... , they had no idea where they were. To their great embarrassment, Dr. Buttrick's exploration revealed that in the darkness they had somehow gotten off the public road and onto a race track, and had been driving round and round on it for a long, long time. Tired and eager to be home, with a couple of children who were weary and wet and hungry - and here they were going round and round on a race track! Many of us do a similar thing in the directions of our living. Our worship should help us to find out where ...

399. A Pause for Direction

Illustration

... not know which road to take the next time I must make a choice. So please help me, Lord. I want to go the best way through regions new and strange to me. And I hope at last to arrive safely home. So here I am, Lord - willing to listen, eager to learn." Have you ever thought of your Sunday morning worship experience as a stop for directions? Well, it really is, you know. And when you go from this stop today, I hope you can go with assurance and confidence for moving on into the tomorrows that await you out ...

400. Christian Values On Anger

Matthew 5:21-26

Bulletin Aid

... is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge and you may end up in prison. You will not get out until you have paid the last penny." Congregation: We have a terrible adversary, eager to take us to the courts of heaven. Our case has been settled by Jesus Christ. May we claim you as our advocate in both word and deed so that we don’t have to try in vain to pay every last penny.

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