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 4526 to 4550 of 5000 results

4526. Hebrews 12:18-29

Hebrews 12:18-29

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... -head cowering is the only credible response in the face of this encounter. Second, the author improvises even further on the biblical version of the first covenant experience when he has Moses confess, "I tremble with fear" (v.21). One chapter earlier, in his long litany of the Old Testament faithful, the author praises Moses for a faith that could face down Pharaoh and leave Egypt "unafraid of the king's anger" (11:27). Only in the Jewish homiletical tradition nowhere in the biblical accounts are fear and ...

4527. Jeremiah 23:1-6

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... has hope for the monarchy - divine hope. After Jehoiakim's disastrous rule and his ultimate exile, the Babylonians installed the deposed king's nephew on the throne. The Babylonians gave him the coronation name of Zedekiah, and allowed him to rule only as long as he played the role of puppet-king. Instead of such an ineffectual weakling, Jeremiah spoke of a messianic ruler who would unquestionably embody the righteousness of the true Davidic line. Under this wise and just rule, Israel and Judah would be ...

4528. 1 Samuel 3:1-10

1 Samuel 3:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... by reminding us that "the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him." Samuel is a mere novice. Whereas Samuel is somewhat absolved by verse 7, Samuel's master and mentor, Eli, stands accused by it. Eli has been God's servant for a long time. Yet his own spiritual dimness of vision (not just physically failing eyesight) clouds his perception until Samuel has already been called twice. In verse 8 Eli is finally able to perform his last act as Samuel's teacher and elder, opening Samuel's eyes and ears ...

4529. 2 Samuel 7:1-17

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Lord has now become a discussion on the future of a dynastic house of David. God's promise to establish the house of David forever reads here in two directions at once. On one hand the covenant with David naturally fits at the beginning of his long reign in Jerusalem. And the promise of continued lineage counters the revelation in chapter 6 that David's wife Michal would remain barren. But since these words were written and read after the fall of Israel, and during the Babylonian exile of the people from ...

4530. Mark 9:38-50

Mark 9:38-50

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a seemingly insignificant neophyte to the faith. Only by sacrificially participating in this radically expanded concept of a community of faith can the disciples hope to retain their unique "saltiness" in the world. Their spiritual piquancy is maintained only so long as they accept the inverted rules of importance and belonging that Jesus has revealed. Relating the Texts The Epistle text for this week is actually two distinct units with their own agendas. But James' words continue to stress the surprising ...

4531. Exodus 34:29-35

Exodus 34:29-35

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... proposes an interesting alternative. Rather than seeing Moses as beautifully "glorified" or sticking a literal pair of horns on his head, Propp returns "grn" to its literal root of "horn." He suggests that under the influence of God's powerful radiance for so long on Sinai, Moses' skin grew hardened, toughened, "horny" as a form of protection for a frail human being in the presence of the divine. Just as a sailor's skin grows calloused and leathery from the sun, salt, and wind, Moses' face was transformed ...

4532. Revelation 21:10, 22-27

Revelation 21:10, 22-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... -in-the-sky-by-and-by" theology which has nothing to do with our present day lives. Others will read into it a precise blueprint of the HolyCity - making all ongoing attempts at improving our moral standard of living a futile exercise. But John's long-distance vision of a New Jerusalem can be focused into one basic concept. What John envisions is "home" - a word so layered with meanings and emotion that it would in itself require another six visions to explain all the inferences and nuances the term holds ...

4533. 1 Timothy 1:12-17

1 Timothy 1:12-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... books ever since it was first established (c. A.D. 170) - with the notable exception of Marcion's quixotic selections. They "fell from grace" in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when critical textual analysis began to develop. Despite the long canonical tenure of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, the authenticity of their Pauline authorship came under close scrutiny and was eventually denied by some of the most respected biblical scholars. This questionable heritage caused some scholars to begin to dismiss ...

4534. 2 Timothy 1:1-14

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Paul's sense of impatience and importance. The very name "Amos" is derived from the Hebrew verb "to load" or - more explicitly - "to carry a load" - a name that implies both something about Amos' message and Amos' character itself. A little of Amos went a long way. Amos is from a region outside Jerusalem known as Tekoa, where he makes his living as a sheep breeder. His personal wealth in terms of livestock and land give him considerably more social standing than that of any simple shepherd. Oddly, for a man ...

4535. Ephesians 1:3-14

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... blatantly: Both Jews and Gentiles share equally in the blessing and grace that God extends to all creation (2:11-22). No thing and no one lie outside this new form of divine "election" so long as they are "in Christ." "The first to set our hope on Christ" (v.12) should be taken to mean those Jews who saw their long-expected dream of a Messiah fulfilled in Jesus. But even as Jewish believers are saved through Christ's sacrifice, so are all other believers. The inclusion of "you also" in verse 13 means "you ...

4536. Mark 1:4-11

Mark 1:4-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Jesse, empowering this chosen one with "wisdom and understanding," "counsel and might," "knowledge and the fear of the LORD." The dove symbol underlines the "descending" nature of God's Spirit. The Spirit did not simply appear. The heavens were torn open so that the long-absent Spirit could formally descend upon God's chosen one. In fact, Mark's use of the Greek eis auton to describe the Spirit's descent to Jesus might better be rendered "into him" rather than just "on him." Clearly, Mark wants his readers ...

4537. Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Deuteronomy 18:9-13, 14-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of the book of Deuteronomy (chapters 12-26). This is most likely the so-called "Book of Law " that was "rediscovered" by King Josiah and inspired the "reform of Josiah" about 621 B.C. (2 Kings 22-23). While the bulk of this "Book of Law" takes long-established laws and concretely applies them to new situations, the unit read today does not seem to share that kind of heritage. Instead, 18:15-22 must be read in connection with the list of prohibitions described beginning in 18:9. This list of activities and ...

4538. John 2:13-22

John 2:13-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... " and offer sacrifices. The scene that greets Jesus at the temple mount during this high holiday is not unexpected. Merchants offered sacrificial animals for sale to diaspora Jews who had traveled long distances to make their annual pilgrimage. Being able to purchase animals at the temple site instead of bringing them on a long trek was a convenience for the observant. Likewise, the money-changers accepted coinage from any number of distant places and exchanged them for the Tyrian coin required to pay the ...

4539. Mark 5:21-43

Mark 5:21-43

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... The most forthright interpretations view the inserted story of the woman with the hemorrhage as a dramatic story in itself, but one which also serves to heighten the dramatic tension of the story of Jairus and his gravely ill daughter. Thus Mark's long, drawn-out development of the hemorrhaging woman's course of illness, search for a cure and deteriorating condition stretch the time frame for the reader. The details of the woman's illness and the extended interaction between herself and Jesus create a real ...

4540. Mark 7:24-37

Mark 7:24-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... tongue. The sigh, in this translation, is the mute man's inarticulate way of expressing his plight. But an honest rendering of these verses clearly makes Jesus the poker, the spitter, the toucher, the sigher, the speaker. Why, we ask, if Jesus can exorcize demons long-distance with a simple word, does it take such extreme physical measures to cure this man's deafness and give him the gift of speech? Our hygienic aesthetics are offended at the thought of Jesus' using spit to effect a cure. The text doesn't ...

4541. Mark 10:2-16

Mark 10:2-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to his followers. One of the most important things to understand about Jesus' words on divorce is this: They were just as "hard," just as uncomfortable, just as socially awkward for first-century Pharisees as they are for 21st-century Christians. Divorce had long been legally permissible by Jewish law. In response to Jesus' question in verse 3, "What did Moses command you?" the Pharisees rapidly reply with the provisions for divorce laid down in Deuteronomy 24:1. Yet even this so-called "Law of Moses" is ...

4542. 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... reassuring and comforting to Paul that the whole first half of this new correspondence he composes (1 Thessalonians 1-3) is essentially a long note of praise to God for how well and faithfully they have received and kept the word, despite their sufferings (1:6). ... in chapters 1-3. In this section, Paul had compared the Thessalonian Gentile-Christians with and inserted them into the long tradition of God's people including the Hebrew prophets (1 Thessalonians 2:15). Paul is concerned that the Thessalonians ...

4543. Luke 5:1-11

Luke 5:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... preach the Good News, Simon knows there is something special about Jesus. Still, when Jesus tells him to set out fishing at this time of day, Simon feels compelled to explain to Jesus that he and his fishing partners had just "worked all night long" a description that suggests "wearisome toil" or even "travail." Although he makes sure that Jesus is aware of the fruitlessness of this endeavor, Simon agrees to follow the command of Jesus, his new "Master." Jesus' miracle is emphasized by the strained-to-the ...

4544. Luke 6:17-26

Luke 6:17-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

4545. Philippians 3:17-4:1

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ," thus preparing us for a life in the heavenly realm of which we are already citizens. The first verse of chapter 4 expresses the concluding appeal of the entire previous chapter. Therefore, the apostle exclaims, cross friends whom he "loves" and for whom he "longs" (yet another word unique to the New Testament lexicon), who are his "joy and crown" should "stand firm in the Lord" (4.1), the implication being that anything less may cause them to lose their footing and become as those who "live as enemies ...

4546. John 21:1-19

John 21:1-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go" (v.18). John provides the meaning of this unique statement. It is a reference, he says, to the "kind of death by which he would glorify God" (v.19). Tradition, supported by Eusebius, has long suggested that Peter not only died a martyr's death, but that it was by crucifixion (the only one of the apostles to die in this manner) and that the apostle specifically requested he be crucified in a downward position because he was unworthy to be crucified ...

4547. Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... different from all her neighbors. Yet the cultic sacrificial system based in the Jerusalem temple remained in full flower. Thus, as the rulers and powerful citizens of Judah stand gathered in the temple, once again offering the required sacrifices to Yahweh as established long ago, they might have gazed out at the destruction wrought by Sennacherib and asked, "What have we done wrong?" Isaiah didn't hesitate to tell them. Our reading for this week joins midway Isaiah's lambaste of the nation's leaders. Far ...

4548. Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... contrasts the judge with God. God will act "quickly" (v. 8) in contrast to the judge who "for a while" refused to take the widow's case, but "later" agreed. God will hear those "who cry to him day and night" and will not "delay long in helping them" (v. 7). Indeed, "he will quickly grant justice to them" (v. 8a). Jesus' final words, inserted here by Luke, reflect the author's growing concern for the post-Resurrection ecclessial community living with the fervent expectation of the Parousia: "when the Son ...

4549. Romans 1:1-7

Romans 1:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to which it was addressed, but unlike his other letters (with the exception of Colossians), Romans is the only letter written to a congregation to whom he was unknown, at least in person. This, in part, explains why the salutation is uncharacteristically long and semantically complex. The entire seven verses are one compound-complex sentence in the Greek text, and are translated as such in the NRSV (although not in the NIV), conveying the breathless and animated spirit Paul brings to his own understanding ...

4550. Weakness into Strength

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

James McCormick

... strength when we acknowledge it and then reach out to take hold of the greatness of God! I know that is difficult for some of us. It’s difficult for us to acknowledge our need. We have trouble admitting our weakness even to ourselves. But, hear me, as long as we keep pretending that our weakness is strength, there is nothing even God can do, and we will continue to be weak. What we need is conversion – a willingness to turn around and to go in a new direction. David McLennan tells the story of a tourist ...

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