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 4701 to 4725 of 4959 results

4701. The Power of the Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... is an evolutionary sign not an obituary sign of our most valuable relationships. When one person comes in contact with another, we have the kind of friction that heats and powers our mutual attractions to each other. We have the kind that empowers our passions and desires. And sometimes, we have differences that cause a little bit too much friction. But this is why then we need something else in our lives – [take out an oil can or anointing oil or WD-40] Anyone remember the story of the Wizard of Oz? When ...

4702. Lord of the Sabbath

Luke 5:33-39, Luke 6:1-11, Luke 7:18-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says, ‘The old is good.’” One Sabbath while Jesus was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful ...

4703. The Sweet Fragrance of Brokenness

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ingredients for pesto). Rose petals. A rosary (you can find a true rosary online). Anointing oil (such as spikenard). Candles and/or incense (frankincense and/or myrrh). [You may want to have scents/fragrances in the sanctuary for your service, ie incense and candles. If desired, you may have roses on the altar and/or an olive tree standing nearby.] When the Lord God created Eden, the garden in which humans were bred and wed, God filled it with all sorts of animals and plants and foliage, and two kinds of ...

4704. Moving On

Luke 6:12-16, Luke 9:1-9, Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” Image Exegesis: Kicking Off the Dust “If you will not obey the Lord Your God, ….The Lord will change the rain of your land into powder, and only ...

4705. Soul Food

Luke 9:10-17, Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, John 6:1-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... of the coming kingdom) ½ t baking soda (God’s ordinances) 2 c barley flour (the promise of God’s blessings) ½ t salt (a little bit of faith) ½ c seeds (God’s Word planted within you) 3 T olive oil (the anointing of the Spirit) Honey if desired (the sweet love of Jesus) Dissolve your “zeal” for Jesus into the waters of your baptism. Meanwhile stir the hope of the coming kingdom with a loyalty to God’s ordinances. Combine the promise of God’s blessings with a little bit of faith. Then add the ...

4706. God Gives the Pharisees the Finger!

John 7:25-44, John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face ...

4707. Here I Am

Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , “our deepest relationships are not defined by strength but by our vulnerability.” It’s far more frightening to bare our souls than to bear gifts this advent season. Or in any season. But being “available” to others, in fact being “available” to God is what God desires of all of us as true human beings. Just as Jesus’ sacrificial “I Am” revealed who he was and whose he was, for all of us, the ability for us to be “truly present” for God and for others in our lives is what allows us ...

4708. Trust in Me

Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... come also in vision? We don’t know. We do know, he encountered a heavenly messenger (Gabriel who also visited Mary), and he was told what would be to come, told to keep Mary as his betrothed. Joseph was a good man. We know that, because he had no desire to throw Mary to the “dogs,” to humiliate her publicly. He knew she would be stoned. He planned to come up with a way to “dismiss her quietly” --to end the betrothal in a way that wouldn’t look like her fault. There was obviously a fear for her ...

4709. Grounds for Blessing

Matthew 13:1-23, Luke 8:1-15, Mark 4:1-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” He said to them, “Do you bring ...

4710. Little Ones

Luke 18:15-17, Matthew 19:13-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... robe, a blind man healed. Here, he holds a child up as the epitome of what it means to have true faith, and pure trust, innocence of mind and heart, and lack of motives or agendas. They also, like sheep, will follow Jesus without question or without desire for position (as his disciples had been doing). The metaphor of “child” or “child-like” then for us is to be righteous, pure of heart and motive, and to follow Jesus’ voice, wherever he will lead us. The kingdom of heaven, he explains, is not a ...

4711. The Great Dinner

Luke 14:1-14, Luke 14:15-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... who barely sits the entire meal, restlessly popping up and down at the every whim or soon-to-be-bare plate of everyone else at the table, making sure all eat their fill of the best –seconds and thirds—while she eats a miniscule portion of the least desired helping left by others. How many of us have memories of a mother who even transferred food from her own plate to one of the other family members simply because her child or a friend was still pining for that delicious cranberry sauce or more of those ...

4712. Lost

Luke 15:1-7, Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ) Sandals (the means of walking with God…..and restoration to the household of God) Calf (the Feast….fatted calf) Feast (God’s table) Field (outside of the celebration) Music/Dancing (praise for God’s love and blessings and forgiveness and inclusion) Found (the desire of God for each of us) These few stories contains a huge number of metaphors, all significant and prevalent as key metaphors in scripture. And they all hearken back to both the Exodus and the prophecies that point to Jesus as God’s ...

4713. Wicked

Luke 20:9-19, Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , things begin to develop between the man and the other man’s wife. Soon, the Master of the House’s estate, business, and livelihood, and his marriage are threatened. Far from being grateful for the older man’s generosity, the younger man’s own wants and desires began to take priority. As they do, he infringes more and more on the older man’s trust and estate. While the man in the movie may not have killed any messengers inquiring of his property, and seeking the fruits of the man’s labor, still ...

4714. No Fair!

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... got baptized and joined? Equal discipleship. Equal grace. Equally loved. Equally valued in God’s eyes. Equally called. It doesn’t matter if you’ve sung in the choir, cooked countless meals for the homeless, done everything you should have done for thirty years. That person desiring to join one of your ministry teams, but with no experience? God celebrates that person just as much. This is hard for us to hear, isn’t it? We are people who think in terms of grade, and of years, and of points, and of ...

4715. The Gardener

John 20:10-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... when small inexpensive seeds would yield enough food to get a family through a winter. Now, in an age when organic foods have become all the rave (once foods were always organic!) and natural farmers have regained their status as the most desirable food producers, we again appreciate the beauty and the sustenance of garden and farm. Gardens we’ve re-discovered, in addition to their food-growing abilities also add beauty and relieve stress. Even city roofs are establishing garden places, “sky gardens ...

4716. Higher Ground

Luke 24:36-49, Luke 24:50-53

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ; Still praying as I’m onward bound, “Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.” Refrain: Lord, lift me up and let me stand, By faith, on Heaven’s tableland, A higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. My heart has no desire to stay Where doubts arise and fears dismay; Though some may dwell where those abound, My prayer, my aim, is higher ground. I want to live above the world, Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled; For faith has caught the joyful sound, The song of saints ...

4717. The Healer

Matthew 4:23-25, Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... God’s focus, their ire is raised immediately. Nazareth has been looked down upon by the Jerusalem Jews, those of Judea, since they have been essentially isolated in the north, and mostly detached from the mainstream. They were identified as “less than desirable,” and this made the proud Nazarenes angry. Chip-on-the-shoulder attitudes were common. And it wasn’t hard for Jesus to offend his “hometown crew.” Nazareth lay above Samaria and most of that entire area was home to the “lost sheep ...

4718. Masks Off!

John 7:25-45 and 8:11-59

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any ...

4719. Sim Lev!

Mark 13:1-31, Mark 13:32-37, Matthew 24:1-35, Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... clue to her identity lies in her ruby slippers --a metaphor with the power to transport her back to where her heart truly belongs. But the true power isn’t in the shoes. The true power is the love graven in her heart, and her heart’s desire to find the true meaning of home. Jesus wants his disciples to understand something very similar. Despite the darkness coming, despite the trials and tribulations he knows they will face on account of him, despite all of the turmoil he knows is in store, the chaos ...

4720. Lazarus Rising

John 11:1-16, John 11:17-37, John 11:38-44, John 11:45-57, John 12:1-11, John 12:12-19

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... is a time when we look harder and deeper into our own hearts rather than looking down on the hearts of others. Lent is a time of self-reflection and contemplation when we ask ourselves the hard questions about our own motives, our own shortcomings, our own desires, and our own brokenness. Lent is a time of repentance in which we pay attention to the miracle of hope that Jesus offers to every one of us –not to change others, whether our friends, or our enemies, but to change us. For change starts with us ...

4721. The Catch

John 21:1-14, John 21:15-25, Acts 10:1-8, Acts 10:9-23a, Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to Jesus. They too can have “right of access.” For a “change of clothing” in this scriptural metaphor means a metamorphosis of the soul. What clothing are you wearing? "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice ...

4722. The Thorn of Discontent

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Jesus’ Church. It may be the way to run a shipping industry, or to excel in trade, or to advance in politics, or to keep order in the city. But it’s not the way to “run” God’s church. It’s not human power that God desires, not human power that will make a church “successful.” A “successful” church in Jesus’ eyes has a spirit that is broken, a contrite heart, a willing mind, an attitude of service. But for Greek “leaders” who have made their way in the world through their wonderful ...

4723. A Restless Spirit

1 Samuel 28:1-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... them it was all YOUR fault, and the other person was just an innocent victim, right? [pause] No! Of course not! On the contrary….You run right to your best friend, and you tell him or her only YOUR side of the story, so that you get the needed and desired reaction –and the proper feedback of course that says, ….of course…YOU are right! Let’s confess. We’ve all done it! Even when we pray, we tend to have our list of requests that we want from God. It’s very hard to say, “your will be done ...

4724. Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ezekiel 37:15-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... a valley of dry bones. Only you, sovereign God, can revive an ailing church. How we wish it were we who could figure out the right strategy, the proper things to do, the leaders to put into place, or the trick of the trade to draw in the people we desire. And yet, it is so simple. It comes down to faith. It comes down to surrendering our own plans, and strategies, and hopes, and putting them in Jesus. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of ...

4725. The Good Husband

Isaiah 54:1-17, Isaiah 55:1-13, Isaiah 56:1-8

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So, will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. “For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their ...

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