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 476 to 500 of 1838 results

476. Epiphany 5

Matthew 5:17-20, Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... about the kingdom of heaven. Key Words in the Parable 1. "Salt." (v. 13) Two major functions salt has for the hearers of the parable can be noted. The first was as a flavor. It is one of the four primary tastes. The others are sweet, sour, and bitter. Thus it was a seasoning. The second was as a preservative. In an age which did not have refrigeration it was especially important in keeping food from spoiling. 2. "Earth." (v. 13) It is not to be taken as the physical world, but the entire inhabited world. 3 ...

477. Thistles Among The Wheat

Genesis 28:10-22, Psalm 139:1-24, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, Romans 8:12-25

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... a great evil. For example, the sexual drive which helps to assure the survival of the race can lead to the most intimate and loving relationship between two people and lead to a caring, nurturing family. Yet the abuse of sex can lead to the most bitter relationships if fulfillment of the drive is perverted or abused. Crimes of passion are some of the most tragic. 2. Weeds in the World. A frequent puzzle for people is why good does not always seem to happen to people of faith while others seem to escape ...

478. Knowing The Voice

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Thomas Long

... listen for the sound of the voice they know best, the voice that speaks compassionately, mercifully, lovingly and hopefully. When they hear this voice -- but only this voice -- they follow; they do not respond to the voices of strangers, the voices of bitterness, judgment, hatred and strife. But it is more than familiarity that causes the followers of Jesus to recognize his voice. Jesus "calls his sheep by name and leads them out." The voice of Jesus speaks personally and commandingly. The voice of Jesus ...

479. A Faith I Could No Longer Count On

Psalm 73:1-7, 13-18

Sermon

Robert G. McCreight

... they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek. They are not plagued like other people." And then, like a knife that is turned back onto oneself, he despairs, "All in vain I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence." With bitter resignation he concludes, "For all day long I have been plagued, and am punished every morning" (vv. 3-4, 5b, 13-14). Christians have been attracted to the psalms for many centuries, and for good reason. They exhibit a stark honesty. Nobody tries to "pretty-up ...

480. Behold The Man Who Took The Victory

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... . F. Bennett, "Sweet By and By," The Cokesbury Worship Hymnal, Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, New York-Nashville, p. 199. 6. Anna Carter Florence, "Confessions Of A Doubter," Pulpit Digest, Harper, San Francisco, March-April, 1993, p. 5. 7. Emphasis, September-October, 1992, p. 59. 8. James W. Moore, You Can Get Bitter Or Better, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1989, p. 27.

481. Forgiven!

Sermon

Lee Griess

... Someone once said that the person who knows himself or herself to be a sinner and does not know God's forgiveness is like an overweight person who fears stepping on a scale. You are forgiven, Jesus tells us. My cross is for you. I once read about a very bitter man who was sick in soul, mind, and body. He was in the hospital in wretched condition, not because his body had been invaded by a virus or infected with some germ, but because his anger and contempt had poisoned his soul. One day, when he was at his ...

482. Stop Being Afraid

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Marc Kolden

... , "I do not know the man" (Matthew 26:72), and even swear to drive home the point, then Jesus will also say he doesn't know us. No one will be forced into the kingdom. Even that is a promise, although it must be understood in light of Peter's bitter weeping when he realizes what he has done and the subsequent word of the angel at the tomb to be sure to include Peter in the news that Jesus is risen (Mark 16:7) and the marvelous account of Jesus' threefold restoration of Peter (John 21:15-19) after the ...

483. The One Thing That Would Make The Biggest Difference

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Roger G. Talbott

... peaceful. The third thing that happens is we lose touch with our own feelings. People who aren't in touch say that they are happy when, in fact, they are deeply depressed. They say that they love other people when, in fact, they have become angry and bitter. Frequently, when we become angry with other people, it is because we feel as though they have been taking advantage of us. They have not appreciated us enough. They have little or no concern for our feelings or our limitations. When we feel that way, it ...

484. Sermons

Sermon

John R. Bodo

... which God has in store for them. It is difficult for us to conceive how monstrous this mission must have appeared to Jonah. During the two centuries when the Assyrians lorded it over them, the Jews came to hate them as bitterly as they had every right to hate Hitler's Germans. Any notion of forgiveness or reconciliation would understandably appear as absurd, indeed treasonable. Nothing short of the destruction of Nineveh, the obliteration of Assyria, could really satisfy a pious and patriotic Hebrew ...

485. Responding In Anger

Job 7:11-21 · Matthew 21:12-13

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... he was just a man. And all of us get angry. After his friend Eliphaz had delivered his oracle, claiming that God had given him a personal revelation on Job's condition, Job from his ash heap began a prayer: "God, I can't be quiet. I am angry and bitter. I have to speak." And then he let all of his anger pour out towards God: "You terrify me. You test me every minute. You won't turn your head away long enough for me to spit. Am I so burdensome to you that you use me for your target ...

486. Easter Sunday

John 20:1-9

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

... our days; that his example may be the living center of all our thinking and acting; and his love may govern our behavior toward all your children. For our beloved dead who live with you, we thank you. When we remember Easter we cannot weep in bitter anguish beside a loved one's grave, for Easter truth mixes gladness with sorrow. We thank you for the better life dear ones inherit, for the fuller wisdom they now know, for the greater joys and broader fellowships they experience, and that they are now nearer ...

487. Pentecost Sunday

Acts 2:1-21

Bulletin Aid

H. Burnham Kirkland

... you for our ally and reinforcement. Baptize us with the grace of appreciation. Enlarge our capacities for joy. Forgive us that we miss so many opportunities to be glad and grateful. Open our hearts to happiness in simple things, to mirth that has no bitter springs and no sad aftermath. In the beauty of nature, in human friendship, in family life, in the joys of common tasks and familiar relationships, may we find satisfaction, that we may live not only with integrity, but with radiance. We thank you, Lord ...

488. "Do This In Remembrance Of Me"

Luke 22:7-38

Sermon

Alex Gondola

... can be supremely important. William Wilberforce, a British Quaker and statesman, worked tirelessly for years to rid the British Empire of slavery. After a long argument, a hotly contested bill to end slavery was introduced into Parliament. One member, who had bitterly contested the bill, surprised his colleagues by voting for it. When one of his fellow members asked him why he had changed his mind so completely, he responded simply, "I spent the evening with Wilberforce." The force of William Wilberforce's ...

489. Holing Out

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Sermon

Robert R. Kopp

... rights, my needs, my concerns, my feelings). He doesn't understand people who don't pray regularly, give generously, work hard, play harder, and love lavishly. Eric Felack, a golf buddy who helped me lose to my dad and sister on many occasions, once commented after a bitter defeat that prompted some venting on my part, "You know, Bob, I'd give anything to play one more round with my dad. Enjoy him while you've got him!" Aside from recognizing my sin and accepting Jesus into my heart as Lord and Savior, it ...

490. Why Do People Suffer?

Mark 15:33-41

Sermon

David O. Bales

... if we had more answers, but the fact of our Christian faith over the centuries demonstrates that Jesus' suffering for us and with us is enough -- maybe not enough to answer all our questions, but enough to help us live faithfully. For all of humanity's billions of bitter tears and wasted suffering, God did not waste any of Jesus' tears or suffering, but used them to love us. "If you cry out to the universe, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' you take your place next to Jesus. It might not be a ...

491. Take A Second Look

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

Rodney Thomas Smothe

... . Genesis 22:11 records, "Abraham, Abraham!"; Genesis 46:2 records, "Jacob, Jacob"; and Exodus 3:4 records, "Moses, Moses!" "Why do you persecute me?" Saul wants to know who the "me" is that is speaking to him. When that voice responds to him, Saul, who was a bitter enemy of the church, was faced with an important decision. He accepted Christ as his Lord. "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to ...

492. The Suffering Servant

Isaiah 51:17--52:12

Sermon

Rodney Thomas Smothe

... Holy Week, and the tragic events leading up to the crucifixion and death of Jesus. It is a day when we must examine our faith and loyalty and ask if we would be among those who had denied Jesus for our own safety and comfort. Does Good Friday represent the bitter end of something gone wrong in God's plan for humankind, or do we just accept that evil won this battle and Christ lives no more? In order to feel that real impact of this day I believe that we have to place ourselves in the crowd like those women ...

493. Joy For The Journey

Drama

Karren Boehr

... . JAN: (With great understanding) I know this is going to sound trite. (Pauses) It wasn't exactly fair for Jesus either. He agreed to die -- for us. It's how we choose to handle the journey that makes the difference. We can decide to let life's bitter experiences rob us, or we can set those memories free through forgiveness. Each step brings us joy for the journey, a joy we never dreamed could be possible. (Very softly with much feeling) I know. My mother deserted me when I was only four months old. (Notes ...

494. That Heavenly Call

Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38

Drama

Karren Boehr

... as true. I agreed to be the mother of our long-awaited Messiah. From that moment on, I never doubted his message. Joseph, I am carrying, within me, the long-awaited King of Israel. JOSEPH: (Softly) Mary, please don't do this to us. I can accept the bitter truth much easier than an ugly lie. MARY: (Kneeling in front of JOSEPH, grasps his hands) Joseph, since that day, God has felt so close, I can almost reach out and touch him. It's been a most incredible wonderful walk. Joseph, I am pregnant. The doctors ...

495. Is Christ In The Manger?

Drama

Karren Boehr

Theme: The Christ Of Christmas Changes Lives (Based on Isaiah 61) Scenes I - IV are placed in various areas of the sanctuary. In Act I each of the four scenes portrays a different pitfall of the holiday season: the bitter family feelings, the busyness, the anxiety, the loneliness. In Act II the same scenes are touched by the glory and power of the Christ Child. (The optional use of a spotlight enhances the effectiveness of each scene.) Act I (Actors in Scenes I - IV take their places, then freeze) Scene ...

496. To Climb A Mountain

Matthew 4:23-25, Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... climbers seek a guide for the difficult climb up a mountain. They reach the summit and enjoy the rewards of the view. A parable. Playing Time: 4 minutes Place: A neutral playing area that represents the mountain cabin and mountaintop Props: None Costumes: Outerwear for bitter cold Time: The present Cast: GUIDE GIRL BOY MAN READER GUIDE: (Seated in his mountain cabin. There is a knock at the door.) Hmm, late for callers. (Guide opens the door to reveal three strangers) Come in out of the cold. Here, the fire ...

497. The Word Of The Lord Came To The Prophet Haggai

Haggai 1:1-15

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... empire lasted -- about the length of a human life. As a matter of fact, that's one of the delicious ironies of the book of Daniel. The young Daniel introduced in the first chapter outlives the Babylonian empire which carried him off. The exile began in bitterness, expressed best in Psalm 137: By the rivers of Babylon -- there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our harps. For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying ...

498. Yes, It Becomes Unclean

Haggai 2:11-17

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... woman. The Samaritans, remember, were those believers who were left behind during the exile, too poor and destitute to matter. When the generation of the exile arrived, years before Haggai's prophecies, the returnees rejected the remnant in a highhanded fashion. Centuries of bitterness followed as both Jews and Samaritans claimed to be the true faith. When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman he broke several barriers. He was not only speaking to a woman, who was less than a person in his society, he was ...

499. On The Twenty-Fourth Day

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... this would be the year the tide did not turn, but the world returned to chaos, night swallowing all as the days finally ebbed to nothing. When the days began to grow longer bit by bit, when the confirmation came that even though bitter cold lay ahead spring would someday return, the ancients celebrated. The Israelites believed in an assurance their pagan neighbors did not share -- that, as God had told Noah, "... summer and winter, springtime and harvest, will not cease." This love affair with the solstice ...

500. Come O Lord, That We Might Know Peace

Isaiah 2:1-5, Isaiah 2:6-22

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call To Worship Leader: Come, let us gather together all who await the Lord's return! People: For the kingdom of God shall reign through peace and love. Leader: And the tools of war will be needed no longer. People: Nation shall accept nation; bitterness shall be no more. Leader: Come let us lift our voices in song and praise before God! All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect O God, Who has called us together to be one in Your Holy fellowship called the Church, draw us ever closer to each other ...

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