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 576 to 600 of 1838 results

576. A Fist and a Kiss

Luke 22:47-53

Illustration

John E. Sumwalt

... who was riding slowly through the crowd on a bicycle with a basket of oranges precariously balanced on the handlebars was bumped by a porter so bent with a heavy burden that he had not seen him. The burden dropped, the oranges were scattered and a bitter altercation broke out between the two men. After an angry exchange of shouted insults, as the bicyclist moved toward the porter with a clenched fist, a tattered little man slipped from the crowd, took the raised fist in his hand and kissed it. A murmur of ...

577. When The Heart Is Right Before God

Acts 8:9-25

Sermon Aid

Clement E. Lewis

... have no part or share in this for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness." Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may happen to me." Sermon: "When The Heart Is Right Before God" In the Revised Standard Version, the notation is made that Psalm 51 is a prayer offered ...

578. Managing Disappointment

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Clement E. Lewis

... that we may be prone to jump to hasty conclusions, and misjudge the situation that caused the uncomfortable moments. Another danger is that we may tend to substitute resentment, and even anger for feelings of disappointment, allowing ourselves to become bitter and block out any further feelings of trust in anyone or any social structure. We may even mistrust ourselves both individually and as a collective group. The appropriate management becomes a necessity for us, else our lives experience disorganization ...

579. What Can I Do With Who I Am?

John 1:19-28

Sermon Aid

Clement E. Lewis

... for what we ought to become. Life offers many opportunities. The longer we live, the more we discover how we fit into its challenges, and we need to ask, "What can I do now with who I am?" Mary Beth Fulton told this story. A little boy was bitterly disappointed because he could neither play nor sing. One day he told Amati, a violin maker, about his disappointment. Amati said, "Come into the house and you shall try. The song in the heart is all that matters, for there are many ways of making music. Some play ...

580. Epiphany 6

Mark 1:40-45

Bulletin Aid

Dennis Koch

... the world by the tail until they are stricken by illness or some other calamity. Then they become desperate. We know that you meet us in times of desperation, Lord. But we would be more healthy if we would turn to you when things were going well. Some people become bitter in their moment of distress and others become better. Lord, help us to become better when challenges come to us in life. Cleanse us. Restore us. Set us free. Amen.

581. Proper 20

Mark 9:30-37

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... the church, we declare our need of the wisdom that is from above, pure, peace-loving, considerate, open to reason. We can be devious rather than straightforward, hypocritical rather than sincere, unforgiving rather than merciful, cruel rather than kind. Forgive the bitter jealousy that leads to quarreling, the selfish ambition that destroys those who are in the way, the ungoverned passions that lead to disorder and evil of every kind. Temper your justice with mercy for the sake of your obedient Son, Jesus ...

582. Save the Good Part

Luke 3:17

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... garbage or do something to get rid of it. (Let her answer.) Is that the way the rest of you would eat a banana? (Let them answer.) All right, I think that everyone knows that we do not eat banana peelings, because they are not good to eat. They are bitter, not tasty, and so we get rid of them. The Bible says something like this when it talks about the way that God works with the people who obey him and the ones who do not. The Bible teaches us that, after our lives are lived here on earth, God ...

583. The Politics Of Love

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

... Because believers are not encouraged to disagree they do not know what to do with their differences. They become frustrated because they feel their views are not valued. They discover there is no room for them in the community of believers and tend to become bitter because they are not part of the power structure which successfully imposes its will on everyone else. As a result the differences go underground where they work as a cancer sapping the energy of the community of faith or erupt in open schism. Or ...

584. Obedience Is An Ugly Word!

Acts 5:17-42

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... outer facts, be they good or evil, cannot interrupt nor destroy Christian joy. A delightful story is told in The Little Flowers of St. Francis about Francis teaching Brother Leo the meaning of perfect joy. As the two walked together in the rain and bitter cold, Francis reminded Leo of all the things that the world, including the religious world, believed would bring joy, adding each time, "Perfect joy is not like that." Finally, in exasperation Brother Leo asked, "I beg you in God's name to tell me where ...

585. Star Miracle

Matthew 2:1-12, Isaiah 60:1-22, Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... change he made in his life that enhanced his marriage: "Perhaps because of my Navy training, punctuality has been almost an obsession. Rosalynn has always been adequately punctual, except by my standards. A deviation of five minutes or less in our departure time would cause a bitter exchange. "One morning I realized it was Rosalynn's birthday and I hadn't brought her a present. What could I do that would be special for her? I hurriedly wrote a note: 'Happy birthday! As proof of my love, I will never make an ...

586. Liquid Hope

John 7:25-44

Sermon

James Weekley

... rivers of living water.' " (John 7:38) There is a story about two brothers who were convicted of stealing and were branded on the forehead with the letters S.T., meaning "Sheep Thief." One of the brothers fled to another country and sank into obscurity. His bitterness and self-pity led to an early grave. The other brother had a different attitude. He agreed to face up to his stigma and win back self-approval and community acceptance. His courage and honesty paid off. One day a stranger came and observed the ...

587. The Love Of Evil

Psalm 52:1-9

Sermon

Erskine White

... fill the earth are ample testimony. There is simply too much evil and injustice too deeply embedded in the world to call it an aberration or an exception to the rule. And finally, some people look at evil as basically a management problem. Are there bitter arguments in your marriage or in your family? Take a program and learn better techniques for getting along with each other. Are there a billion people starving tonight in a world which has more than enough grain for everyone? It's a management problem; we ...

588. Redemption Near And Dear

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Erskine White

... Depression, and he was quite a character. He would ride the city fire trucks, take entire orphanages to baseball games and whenever the city newspapers went on strike, he would get on the radio and read the Sunday "funnies" to the children. At any rate, one bitter cold winter’s night in 1935, Mayor LaGuardia turned up in a night court that served the poorest ward in the city, dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. After he heard a few cases, a tattered old woman was brought ...

589. Faith To The Finish

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8, Isaiah 14:24-27

Sermon

Erskine White

... a terrifying, painful death in Rome. How does he do it? How does Paul fight the good fight to the final round, run the race to the finish line and keep the faith all the way to the end? How does he avoid the temptation of just giving up in bitterness - and saying, in effect, "I'm not what I used to be, Lord, so I don't care any more what I still might be. Lord, I can't do what I used to do, so I don't care about doing what I still might do today." Paul does ...

590. A Woman's Place

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Erskine White

... are of this world. The Bible deals with individuals who happen to be women. It challenges the assumptions of both chauvinists and feminists who want to deal with women solely as a group, blindly treating them as if they were all the same. The rest of the world may argue bitterly about a woman's place, but let Christians know that God's light shines on women and men alike. Let the church be the place where a woman is free to answer the call which God is free to give her. If God calls her to sit in silence ...

591. Jesus, The Mad Man

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

Erskine White

... , they are the plain and simple truth. Who is mad and who is sane? It was said at the end of World War I that, "The only man who came out of this war with His reputation enhanced was Jesus Christ." It goes on and on. The world suffers the bitter fruits of loveless power while Jesus preaches the power of love. Would that we could be mad like Jesus! Would that we could be beside ourselves in Christ. Who is mad and who is sane? Most people in the world treat their enemies like their enemies and live by the ...

592. A Letter From Paul

Sermon

Erskine White

... we pray as well that this same agape love may govern the affairs of nations. More than laws of market or mammon, inspire us to make Christ’s law of love the highest law in the land and the heart of all our human affairs, that the bitter byproducts of inequity may no longer poison our land. Leave our people and institutions unsatisfied until liberty and dignity prevail, knowing that love is the fountain of justice and justice is the foundation of peace. In Jesus’ name we pray for a revolution of love in ...

593. How To Deal With Suffering

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon

Erskine White

... asking, "Is it hot?" You can imagine how he learned not to run down the stairs! Even as children, we can learn something from our suffering. As we get older, the things we learn from suffering are more fundamental, more subtle and more spiritual. When I think back on the bitter blows and tragic losses I've endured in my own life, I can't say I liked any of it, but looking back on it now, I think my suffering has made me a better minister and a better person. I'll bet each of you could say the same ...

594. Our God Delivers!

Daniel 3:1-30

Sermon

Erskine White

... of confidence and hope in God's plan for the world is muted, if not silent. People fear that the fate of the earth is beyond redemption. It used to be an article of faith that our children's lives will be better than our own. Now, as a bitter fruit of the nuclear age, parents must wonder whether their children will even have a world in which to live. The one message our frightened and faithless world most needs to hear is the core of the fiery furnace story in Daniel: "Our God delivers! There is no other ...

595. A Perfect Prayer

Sermon

Erskine White

... a self-centered religion; they wanted the seats of glory at Jesus' right and left hand. Remember, also, what Jesus said to them. He said, in effect: "You are asking only for yourselves, and you do not know what you are asking for. Are you prepared to drink the bitter cup which I am about to drink? Do not seek glory and honors, that you may lord it over others as the Gentiles do; but come instead and be a servant" (cf. Matthew 20:20-28). Remember also how Jesus taught us to pray. "First," he said, "go into ...

596. Blind Beggars All

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Erskine White

... the moment. I hate myself as I do it, but I do it anyway, again and again. Jesus, Son of David, look upon me, blind beggar that I am, and make me well again. "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" I am consumed by the daily rages of bitterness and resentment. I remember every wrong ever inflicted upon me; I count up every debt and trespass against me. My spirit is driven by anger and I do not try to forgive. There are people I once loved that now I won't talk to. I tell myself that they ...

597. Unfinished Journeys

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Erskine White

... was the upward call of God in Jesus Christ. So, if he couldn't preach the gospel in Spain, he would preach it to the guards in prison. As he lay in his cell and reflected on the prize in Spain which now lay behind, Paul avoided all bitterness by remembering the greater prize which lay ahead. We see that same quality in Moses - especially in his final speech, as recorded in the last few chapters of Deuteronomy. It really is a remarkable statement. As he gives his speech on the very banks of the Promised Land ...

598. For The Love Of What?

Psalm 137:1-9, John 2:12-25

Sermon

Erskine White

... by false gods and pagan values. Somehow, they must try to keep the faith and pass it on the midst of a hostile culture. The Israelites in exile are broken-hearted. We're told in the Psalm that they sat down by the rivers of Babylon and wept. Bitter tears streamed down their faces as they cried out, "How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" Picture also an early Christian named John, writing a letter to the church. He's talking about love and light and things that abide forever, but he ...

599. Is It God's Will?

Hebrews 2:5-18

Sermon

Erskine White

... , has borne our burdens and shared our griefs, we pray today for strength in the face of suffering. Keep us from the despair of feeling alone, and keep before us the Presence of our Savior, who has walked every valley before us. Keep us from the temptations of bitterness and recrimination, that we may make the most of whatever path liesbefore us. And keep us from doubting our faith in You, O God, that we may be perfected and not weakened by the crosses we must bear in life. God of all grace and Lord of all ...

600. The Message In The Means

Sermon

Erskine White

... love, that we in this world might finally overcome the alienation and separation which have poisoned for so long our relationships to each other and to God. God gave us this example in His only begotten Son, that we may be freed from the stifling shackles of bitterness, envy and hatred, and live instead in the liberating luminance of love. All of that is the message of Christmas. It's a message about what we believe and the way we want to live. Tonight we are blessed to find that message in the little town ...

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