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 4451 to 4475 of 5000 results

4451. The Duty of Preparedness

Matthew 22:1-14

Illustration

William Barclay

... that they might be ready when the summons came. The wise prepared themselves at once, and took their places waiting at the palace door, for they believed that in a palace a feast could be prepared so quickly that there would be no long warning. The foolish believed that it would take a long time to make the necessary preparations and that they would have plenty of time. So they went, the mason to his lime, the potter to his clay, the smith to his furnace, the fuller to his bleaching-ground, and they went on ...

4452. Oh, You'd Better Watch Out!

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... straight for his throne. John’s castles tumbled before Richard like ninepins. Richard the Lionhearted laid claim to his throne, and none dared stand in his path. The people shouted their delight. They rang peal after peal on the bells. The Lion was back! Long live the king! John Phillips adds these hopeful words: “One day a King greater than Richard will lay claim to a realm greater than England. Those who have abused the earth in His absence, seized His domains, and mismanaged His world will all be ...

4453. Blue Christmas

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... grown‑up Ragan, “I realize that I cast him in the wrong role. My father was not the good little boy who gave his last plaything to the Lord. My father was the smashed . . . car . . . He was a wreck. But despite or because of all this, he clearly longed to be cradled in his Savior’s arms, to have Christ still seek him after he had been rejected by everyone else.” (2) Here’s why we call the story of Jesus “Good News.” God cares about a broken world. God cares about broken people. That’s what ...

4454. This Little Light of Mine

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... The celebration of Advent is the celebration of light coming into our dark world. A remarkable event took place a little more than thirty years ago in the Gulf of Mexico. Darrel Dore was working on an oil rig when suddenly it began to wobble. Before too long it tipped to one side and crashed into the water. Darrel found himself trapped inside a room on the rig. As the rig sank deeper and deeper into the sea, the lights went out and the room where Darrel was trapped began filling with water. Thrashing about ...

4455. Mary, Did You Know?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... and Wynonna Judd. Mary, did you know . . . ? How could Mary know what was happening to her when the angel Gabriel came to her long ago? Only Luke tells this story. The Gospel of Luke is often called the Gospel of womanhood because Luke has so many positive ... by God, was not saying that God would make her way easy. What he was saying was that Mary would be used of God, and in the long run of life, this is what being blessed means. How about you? Can you say that right now you are being used by God for a ...

4456. Joy to the World!

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... is appropriate that Christ should be born in this small town which lies about six miles outside of Jerusalem. Bethlehem had a long history. It was there that Jacob buried his beloved Rachel, and had set up a pillar of memory beside her grave. It ... on the other side of the wall, there was the church. Beneath the high altar of the church was a little cavern about fourteen yards long and four yards wide lit by silver lamps. In the floor there was a star, and round it a Latin inscription: “Here Jesus Christ was ...

4457. A Promise Fulfilled: A Gift Given

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... interrupted him, "Save three bags of gold until I tell you what to do with it." Nicholas did what the angel commanded and hid three bags of gold under his bed. Every night he waited for a message as to what to do with the money. Bishop Nicholas waited a long time, but one night the angel returned in a dream. The angel said, "Nicholas, tonight you must take one of your bags of gold and go to the pawnbroker who has three daughters. He is very poor and his daughters will not be able to marry without a dowry ...

4458. Accepting the Unconventional in Life

Mark 2:13-22

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... and death. Phrase by phrase the guru taught them until they had memorized it by heart. Then he gave them a warning that as long as they said this mantra faithfully, they would be blessed. Its power would give them insight, clarity of thought, and allow them to ... to promote a new message of peace and love. We are called to do the same. Jesus announced to the Jews that he was the long-awaited Messiah, yet how could this be since he did not seem to have qualifications nor do what was expected of the Christ. As ...

4459. Momentous Moment

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

David T. Ball

... I know that every Sunday is to be considered a “little Easter,” and in that sense we do celebrate the Resurrection more often than once a year. Which is why there are actually 46 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter. We think of Lent as forty days long, though, don’t we? Why is it actually 46? Because the six Sundays during Lent don’t count — they’re “little Easters,” and not part of the Lenten season, at least not for counting purposes. But apart from the 52 Easters, little and big, every year ...

4460. The Quiet Day of Pentecost

John 16:5-16, John 15:18--16:4

Sermon

George Reed

... when we are talking. We all have had experiences where we have tried to talk with someone who just wouldn't be quiet long enough for us to say anything. Our prayers are often so overloaded with our talking that we leave no time for listening. ... listening to God. It is probably fitting that few books are written about listening to God because the instructions have been with us for a long time and are very simple. To hear God we need to sit quietly in God's presence and listen with our whole being. Simple but ...

4461. Denial Ain’t a River in Egypt

Isaiah 64:1-9

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... crippling patterns of violence that have been handed down through the generations; an unrequested legacy of hurt. It is a long list indeed. It can come, as we have seen, to individuals in their corporal lives. It comes also to people ... of the most potent pleas in all of Hebrew Scripture — a call for a God experience, for an advent of the Holy from a people who have long lived with a disturbing sense that God has abandoned them. "O that you would tear open the heavens and come down" (Isaiah 64:1), is a plea ...

4462. Setting All the Idols Down

Hosea 2:14-20

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... Moses, and the God who Christians have experienced in the person of Jesus Christ. In Greek, the word refers literally to the worship of images. In Old Testament understanding, the concept includes the worship of alien gods. The story related in chapters 1-3 of Hosea has long been the subject of academic debate. For the sake of our focus today, we will not explore all of the arguments concerning this. For our purposes, we will assume that it is idolatry that is at the top of Hosea's list as we approach this ...

4463. From Silence to Sight

Job 42:1-6, Job 42:7-17

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... , trusting God, who promises that each believer will have a winning hand in the end.1 God does not cause us to suffer, but is right there suffering with us. Instead of, "How can God let evil happen to good people?" the question becomes, "How long will we permit systemic evil to continue?" The question, "Why did God allow Auschwitz to happen?" then becomes, "Why did we allow Auschwitz to happen?" "The cross of Christ symbolizes an understanding of human suffering in which humans may participate in God's pain ...

4464. Baby Blues

1 Samuel 1:4-20

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... really knew how to rub it in. When Hannah and Elkanah had decided it was time to have children, they hadn't known that a long, difficult journey awaited them. They had assumed that new life was just around the corner. After all, that's what women were for, having ... baby in her tent? She would never be able to show her face at the well again. Hannah mourned the absence of the baby she longed for. She felt so alone and lost. Her head told her that God was close to her in her sorrow, but her aching heart simply ...

4465. Write to the Heart

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... he sees that it is impossible for kings and the people to be faithful, he preaches to prepare them for God's judgment. As judgment approaches, Jeremiah looks beyond it and in God's mercy, sees hope for the people. King David's monarchy had long ago split into two kingdoms after an uncivil war. Jeremiah lived in the southern kingdom of Judah during anxious and troubled times. The color-coded terror alert level was always fluctuating between red and orange. Homeland security was continually in danger of being ...

4466. Taking Christ’s Love into the World

Matthew 22:34-40

Illustration

King Duncan

... the hospital where for days he lingered between life and death. Eventually he lived, but one eye had been so badly damaged that it could not be saved. Meanwhile the two young men were caught and brought to trial. Their past record assured they would get a long sentence. At this point, Donald Tippet did an amazing thing. He asked that the two young men be put in his custody. He believed in them, believed they could be changed. One of the boys refused to change and was soon caught for another crime. The other ...

4467. Love for God Is a Commitment

Matthew 22:34-40

Illustration

King Duncan

... police took no interest in her, and she could work undetected spreading the good news of Jesus to a people who were starving for good news. "Not only does she translate these books," her husband told Corrie, "but she prays while she types. Sometimes it takes a long time for her finger to hit the key, or for her to get the paper in the machine, but all the time she is praying for those whose books she is working on." That's loving God. People make the same mistake with loving God that they make with loving ...

4468. Would You Be a Saint?

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... All Hallows’ Eve is all about Masking, All Saints Day is all about Unmasking - unmasking the saints. Saints do not wear masks. Saints do wear their hearts on their sleeves. Saints do wear weariness in well doing. Saints do wear crowns of suffering and long-suffering. Saints do wear crowns of martyrdom sometimes. Saints do mess up and bleed and fail. Because saints always love. Today is the day the Church should celebrate all those saints that stand in our midst. “Saints” are those people who keep the ...

4469. Matthew 23:1-12

Matthew 23:1-39

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and official recognition of their piety. To this end Jesus accuses them of making their phylacteries “broad” and their fringes “long.” Phylacteries were leather boxes that contained small scrolls inscribed with the words of Exodus 13:1-16 and Deuteronomy ... to this rule comes from the mouth of Judas (26:25, 49) as he betrays Jesus. Yet, like fancy phylacteries and long fringes, the title “rabbi” is proudly touted by the loudly pious scribes and Pharisees Jesus knows. Jesus calls his disciples to ...

4470. Keeper of the Springs

Proverbs 31:10-31

Sermon

Peter Marshall

... to return to his former joyous labor. Gladly he agreed, and began once more to make his rounds. It was not long until pure water came lilting down under tunnels of ferns and mosses and to sparkle in the cleansed reservoir. Millwheels turned ... straightened out in my mind if I can talk to you.’ She put down her pencil and pad, and folded her hands. Then she took a long breath and started: ‘Ever since I was a little girl, I hated any sort of restraint. I always wanted to be free. When I finished high school ...

4471. A Lifetime to Prepare

Matt 25:1-13; Luke 20:27-40

Illustration

King Duncan

... about other things." The servant said "Master, you're going on a journey from which you'll never return, you could've prepared for it, and you just didn't?" The master said, "Yes, I guess that's right." The servant took the staff he'd carried so long and said, "Master take this with you. At last I've met a man more stupid than myself." Could that be us? Could we be that foolish? I hope not. I surely hope not. Victory belongs to those who are prepared. Preparation is an essential characteristic of character ...

4472. Spiritual Investment

Matthew 25:14-30

Illustration

David Beckett

... in one basket. Don't invest all your money in one stock. A third is to be aware of the risks. Some investments might bring strong returns, but they also might leave you with heavy losses. And the fourth principle of investment is to think long term. Don't be a day trader. Stay in for the long haul. Being a part of what God is doing in the world is something you and I can do today! We don't have to wait until we have a lot of faith. We don't have to wait until we are stronger in ...

4473. A Deep Love for God, A Deep Love for Neighbors

Matthew 25:31-46

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

... was so poor that he didn't have decent clothes to wear to an interview. He also didn't have any money to buy provisions for the long journey to the king's castle. So the young man prayed over the matter. He finally decided to beg for the clothes and the provisions he ... trip. When the young man arrived at the castle, guards met him at the gate. They took him to the visitors' area. After a long wait, the young man was led into see the king. He bowed low before the throne. When he straightened up, the young man ...

4474. The Return of the King

Mark 13:24-37

Illustration

King Duncan

... marched straight for his throne. John's castles tumbled before Richard like ninepins. Richard the Lionhearted laid claim to his throne, and none dared stand in his path. The people shouted their delight. They rang peal after peal on the bells. The Lion was back! Long live the king! John Phillips adds these hopeful words: "One day a King greater than Richard will lay claim to a realm greater than England. Those who have abused the earth in His absence, seized His domains, and mismanaged His world will all be ...

4475. God's Treasure

Luke 1:26-38

Illustration

John A. Stroman

... God could have left it with the politicians, those who are responsible for collecting taxes, building schools, and passing laws, but God didn't. God could have left this treasure with Zechariah, the high priest, but his unbelief took him out of the picture. Tom Long states that God left the treasure in the least likely of places: in the love, care, and nurture of a first century peasant woman chosen as the "handmaiden of the Lord." God's treasure was left with the most powerless figure in the ancient world ...

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