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 526 to 550 of 1245 results

526. The Power to Change the Past

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... an offense a third time, they forgive him; the fourth time they do not forgive."(2) I am sure Peter thought that he was being incredibly charitable, for he takes the Rabbinic teaching, doubles it, adds one for good measure, and suggests (with eager self-satisfaction, no doubt) that it will be enough if he forgives seven times. Peter thought he would be warmly commended, I suspect, but Jesus' answer was that the Christian must forgive, depending on your translation SEVENTY-seven times...or SEVENTY TIMES ...

527. Ban the "Buts"

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... jar full?" "No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!" "No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is this: If ...

528. Reality Maps And Rolling Stones

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... the sunrise and the sunset over the Gulf. Never before had he been able to see the entire horizon as the sun came up and the sun went down. The rapidly changing colors were aweinspiring. Since he had his camera along, he took many pictures. Back home, he was eager to get the film developed. When at last the pictures came, however, he made a discovery. He could no longer tell which of them were of the sunrise and which were of the sunset. They all looked the same. Thanks to the empty tomb death is like that ...

529. Can People Change?

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... pounds each. As you can imagine, this added weight slowed him to a stagger during his getaway so that police officers easily jumped him from behind. Rodney Jones and Gerald Uelmen, in their book, SUPREME FOLLY, tell about Nancy Miller of Oroville, California who eagerly accepted an invitation to attend a "Neighborhood Watch" meeting at a neighbor's home. Nancy was the victim of a recent burglary in which her TV set, Christmas stockings and a favorite dress had been stolen from a storage locker. As she sat ...

530. Three Foolish Things You Can Do With Your Money

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... …take life easy. Doris Lopresti teaches second grade in a parochial school. One day, as part of religion class, she asked the children to draw a picture showing what they'd do if they could spend the day with Jesus. The pupils tackled the project eagerly. After a few minutes, one little girl came up to her desk with her almost finished drawing in hand. "Miss Lopresti," she said, "how do you spell Bloomingdale~s?" (3) Evidently, she was going to take Jesus to her favorite department store. The rich man ...

531. Drooping Arms And Crooked Feet

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... Two elderly sisters bought a house beside a road and put up a sign that read "Antiques." People would stop, and the sisters would serve tea and cookies mixed with much enjoyable conversation. Later the visitors would ask to see the antiques. The sisters would eagerly answer, "You're looking at them." These two sisters didn't bemoan their age. They didn't sit around and complain about their advanced years. They accepted their age and apparently had a good time with it! (1) We probably don't talk enough about ...

532. When What's Lost Is Found

Luke 15:8-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... strike out at another human being does not mean you are innocent. Just because you have never been put in a situation where it became easy to cheat on your spouse does not mean your heart is pure. Sin is serious business. And it crouches in every heart eager to spring forward to devour homes and to devour lives and to devour careers. Sin is serious business. That is the first thing you would have to believe if you believe there is rejoicing in heaven when a sinner comes home. IN THE SECOND PLACE, YOU WOULD ...

533. Paul's Prayer For Us

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... She had instilled in him positive values that he couldn't turn away from in this most trying of times. But there is more to the story. After the rape trial, Kenneth's family rejected him completely, but strangers who heard of his courage were more than eager to help. Churches took up money for him, and a family in Canada took him in and enrolled him in school. Today, Kenneth is in college, studying psychology and biology. He dreams of working as a counselor in the inner-city. When the Detroit Lions football ...

534. In Search Of A Reason For Being

Hebrews 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Father John Haughey, S.J., professor of religious ethics at Loyola University conducts annual "Ministry of Money" retreats for the superrich (those worth more than $5 million). He finds the participants often lonely, burdened and perplexed about their wealth and eager to "talk God talk" about it. After their soul-searchings, at least two participants have given away all their money because they could no longer bear wealth's weight. Haughey reminds them of Saint John Chrysostrom, who argued: "Wealth is ...

535. Watch!

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

King Duncan

... enjoyment in what others regard as drudgery or duty. They don't have to; they want to. They are aware of the thorns but concentrate on the roses. Each day has a newness about it; it is never a carbon copy of yesterday. Fully alive people eagerly await new insights. These insights will renew them and their visions of reality." Robert Southey tells of a certain Spaniard who "always put on his spectacles when he was about to eat strawberries, so they might look bigger and more tempting." That is to say that ...

536. He Has Done All Things Well

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... counted on in an emergency and then some." (3) Following Christ calls us to set lofty goals and then to go that extra mile to see that those lofty goals are made tangible. We do what others do and then some. E. Paul Hovey tells about an eager young person, employed during his summer vacation in a shirt factory. He worked very hastily so that he might receive a bonus offered to those who put out the largest quantity of work. In his haste, however, the youth destroyed much good cloth. When the superintendent ...

537. Jesus' Object Lesson

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... face close to the small window, and forced his reluctant arm to wave a mechanical goodby. But suddenly everything changed, pressing his face against the small window he cried, "I see Daddy; I see Daddy; Daddy." Suddenly he was waving both chubby arms eagerly, almost frantically. He could see Daddy and everything else faded into the background. (2) Children have a way of seeing God that we lose as we grow older. Dick Gregory, a very controversial figure, a black comedian and activist, once told about taking ...

538. Rushing And Realizing

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... work of art. A season passed, and the father died. Other art collectors around the world were excited to learn of the old man's death, for it meant that his collection would be up for sale. The day of the auction, people crowded into the mansion, eagerly awaiting the chance to bid. A sigh of disappointment escaped the crowd when they realized that, per the old man's will, the picture of his son would be the first piece to be auctioned. The other collectors called out impatiently that they had come there to ...

539. People Who Would Destroy God’s Temple

1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... , growing, influencing body infused with the spirit of the living God. At least, that is what the church is supposed to be. “I am building a church,” said a small boy playing with a set of blocks, “and we must be very quiet.” His father, eager to encourage this unexpected act of reverence, asked, “Why are we to be quiet in church?” “Because,” the boy replied, “the people are asleep.” Heaven help us if that is how we perceive the church or if that is the way others perceive us. The ...

540. Not Having Seen Him, You Love Him

1 Peter 1:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... father exists only in wrinkled snapshots and in the memories of her Mom and grandparents. Ann has never seen him facetoface, but she has heard about his smile, and his agility as a highschool halfback. She has heard that he was looking forward to her birth with great eagerness. The last thing he said to her Mom as the train pulled out of the station was, "Look after our child real well." To Ann her father is a stranger and yet not a stranger at all. He is really very dear to her even though she has never ...

541. Forever Hopeful

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... does not have problems. Our text, though, is not about problems. It is about hope. It is about positive expectation. It is about a Creator God who is at work bringing order out of chaos, joy out of pain, character out of conflict. "For the creation waits with eager longing," writes St. Paul, "for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to ...

542. The Pearl Of Great Price

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... twelve-year old boy knocked on his study door. The boy had some real problems. He had no friends at school. He was never chosen for ball teams. Recently he had been caught stealing in the neighborhood. So when he knocked on his father's study door, his father was eager to talk with him. His son came in and said, "Uh, daddy, uh, what's HAPPENED to you?" Jack was embarrassed. He was a tough guy. It was not easy for him to talk about his feelings. With difficulty but much joy he shared with his son how Christ ...

543. Walking On The Water

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... that Christ performed was not walking on the water or multiplying the loaves or changing water into wine. The most impressive miracle of Jesus was changing Simon Peter from a reed to a rock. Throughout the Gospels Simon Peter is almost a comical figure in his eagerness and impetuosity. I mean, here is a fisherman who is afraid of the water. Here is a man who one moment proclaims grandly to the Master, "TU ES CHRISTUS! YOU ARE THE CHRIST!" and then in the next moment takes Jesus aside and tells Him how ...

544. Why Did He Do It?

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... he was shut out of the inner core. I mention this because it is a problem in every group, including the church. The need for recognition and appreciation is almost overpowering in some people. There is a story about a young man who was very eager to become a member of an exclusive club. He cultivated all the right friendships, altered everything from his image to his opinions in order to be acceptable to the membership. He learned how to play the right sports and developed just the right haughty expression ...

545. A Story Almost Too Big To Tell

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... and To Have Not." We can appreciate that. Separation is difficult for people who have truly loved. Easter is important to us for what it says to us about our continuing relationship with them. EASTER IS IMPORTANT ALSO BECAUSE LIFE IS SO PRECIOUS. None of us is eager to die! A rancher out west left an unusual request with the funeral director when he made arrangements for his interment: "I want to be buried in my trusty old pickup truck." The undertaker tried to talk him out of the bizarre request but to no ...

546. Extraordinary Faith

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... got that invitation to "come up." Fontaine and her husband, Brian Aherne, were prepared for this summit meeting par excellence. They arrived in their finest clothes, fashionably late, only to discover that no other cars had parked in the driveway. To avoid seeming eager, they decided to drive around awhile but still no one showed up. "Let’s go home and check the invitation," Brian suggested. "We must have the wrong day." So they did, but the date and time were right. Now an hour late, they courageously ...

547. Entering Into The Agony

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... Man of No Sorrows." An eastern prophet arrives in London announcing that he is the new savior of the world. Sorrow and pain, he says, have no place in the universe and human society will never be saved until sorrow is discredited. The people eagerly accept this teaching, and tears and sorrow are banished. Years pass. All suffering is repressed with the result that the race gradually becomes selfish. Sympathy ceases to exist; the very word is deleted from the dictionary. No poets are born, for poets are the ...

548. Do This And Live!

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... this dread disease. (1) Let's move now from the sublime to the ridiculous. Some of you are fans of America's best known fat cat, GARFIELD. In a recent Garfield cartoon, Garfield, seated in a comfortable chair, sees his friend Odie at the window peering in eagerly. Garfield says to himself, "Poor Odie. Locked outside in the cold. I just can't bear to see him like this. I gotta do something." At this point Garfield gets up from his chair and closes the curtains! Two responses to need. Louis Pasteur sought a ...

549. God Loves An Underdog

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... , flying over the mountains of Tibet. Three men were in the cabin talking, when suddenly there was silence. One of the actors had forgotten his lines. Being a live production, of course, there were no retakes, no stopping of the action. That was it. Millions of eager viewers were glued to their black-and-white screens, waiting to see what would happen next. What did the actor do? He got to his feet, in an airplane cabin supposedly 30,000 feet over the mountains of Tibet, and voiced this immortal line: "Well ...

550. I Should Have Written That "Thank You Note"

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... was still in your throat?” How quickly we forget. Some of us have knelt before God and made all kinds of fantastic requests in our hours of need—some of which have been granted. What kind of people are we if we have not been equally as eager to pour out our expressions of gratitude? Some of you may remember a major league baseball player named Steve Carlton. Carlton was a four-time Cy Young Award winner. At one time he was considered by the experts to be baseball’s most effective pitcher. He was also ...

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