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 851 to 875 of 1838 results

851. Thomas

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Brett Blair

... always begins with intellectual honesty, and doubt is the bedrock of honesty. Put it another way: Faith is not the absence of doubt; it is the overcoming of doubt. I have had doubts. I have been standing by a graveside on an icy winter day when a bitter cold wind chapped my face. I have heard the cries of families who have lost someone closer than life itself, and I have thought silently to myself: Is it all true? Is resurrection reality? Are the scoffers correct? Is it all simply ancient myth designed to ...

852. Instead of You

2 Samuel 18:19--19:8, 2 Samuel 18:1-18

Bulletin Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

... Holy Spirit. Amen. Prayer of Confession Stay near to those who grieve, O God. Quiet involuntary feelings of guilt. Grant patience with the floods of reliving that rush in. Help a parent to tolerate the distress of regret with a minimum of energy wasted on bitterness. Strengthen the resolve to continue meaningful life. Bring the calm of peace. Amen. Hymns "From Depths Of Woe I Cry To You" "Out Of The Depths" "In The Midst Of Life" "In The Midst Of New Dimensions" "Guide Me, Ever Great Redeemer" "Guide Me, O ...

853. Christmas Every Day

John 1:1-18

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... one another during the Christmas rush at Upper Valley Mall, a man remarked to me, "I’m glad that Christmas comes only once a year. It leaves my pocketbook pretty thin." If all that Christmas means is a seasonal shopping spree, it leaves only a bitter taste in the mouth. To be sure, there is a sweet sentimentality about the candlelight service on Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day itself is joyfully observed in our homes. But then what? Suddenly the long awaited holiday is all over and the inevitable feeling ...

854. Paul's Thorn In The Flesh

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... that with God's help they will force this thorn to bear dividends. Some have adopted children. In some cases these have been so-called "hard to place" children. Others have become foster parents for children in crisis situations. These brave adults did not become bitter or bemoan their fate. Instead, they forced that thorn to produce a rose. Morris F. Udall, former Secretary of the Interior and U.S. Senator, lost an eye in an accident when he was six years old. Children would tease him cruelly about the eye ...

855. The Struggle of Faith

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... . Again and again, as I mentioned this family or that, my hostess recounted with some sadness and pain a particular tragic circumstance that had transpired since I had been gone. Here was a husband and wife whose marriage had come apart, and with some bitterness they had separated. There was a daughter who had acted out some rebellion and had brought great pain upon herself and those who loved her. In another instance, a son had run afoul of the law and was even now awaiting trial and would probably ...

856. Like Trees Walking

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... dimly, like trees walking, we dehumanize them to our own detriment. Today that is a pervasive affliction. Perhaps we too need to be touched by Jesus. God knows we see dimly even that which appears clearest. Even Jesus’ disciples misunderstood him and his purpose to the bitter end, until he had risen from the grave and re-entered their lives. It was then as though he touched their partially-healed blindness once more to give them a God’s-eye view. We need the living Christ to touch us, not just once but ...

857. The Flow of Life

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... woman discovered something about herself and about life that is very important: There is a certain flow to human life and emotions that is beyond our control. In one moment we may feel loving and hopeful and playful, in another, we may experience anger and bitterness, and at still another time, we might be depressed or feel hopeless or ashamed. What is puzzling is the fact that we are the same persons throughout, even though our feelings may have run the gamut. Sometimes it is amusing; at other times it is ...

858. Smart, Wise, and Foolish

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... with one’s emotions. Of course, it takes practice to identify accurately the subtle differences in the many feelings along the continuum from irritation to hatred. But it also takes courage to be in touch with one’s feelings of jealousy, bitterness, and envy - particularly when these feelings are contrary to our self-image or to prevailing social norms. The person who is not in touch with his own emotions is tempted to settle for masks and unconscious defenses - which tend to complicate communication ...

859. Someone Greater Than a Prophet

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... ever-prevalent mood of "anything goes" and "if it feels good, do it." Judgment reassures us that God is more than a benign grandfather grinning like a Cheshire cat with Alzheimer's at all the world's tawdriness, vanity, and hypocrisy. Judgment is the bitter end knot in the anchor rope of the universe, where finally everything is stopped and called into accountability, to give answer for all the deeds in life, good and bad, and to stand naked and undisguised without makeup before the presence of Almighty God ...

860. A Voice to be Heard

John 1:19-28

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... word of strength; if we are ill, the word of healing; if we are stubborn, the word of faith over fear; if we are arrogant, the word of humility; if we are legalistic, the word of grace; if we are hateful and revengeful, the word of forgiveness; if we are bitter, the word of charity; if we are mournful, the word of comfort and hope. O Eternal God, the very Word of the universe and all life, in your mercy speak to us anew the word we need in our inmost heart and soul. And help us most to rejoice in ...

861. Hated, Excluded, Reviled, Defamed — And Leaping For Joy

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

William G. Carter

... stunned to see a small congregation of black Christians worshiping inside the green circle of an expressway ramp. He said: The contrast could not have been more stark. Here against the skyline of the great governmental city of Pretoria, strong symbol for many of the bitter years of apartheid, was a tiny group of those who had been denied standing in the society. Here, in the shadow of the capital of a nation built on gold and diamonds and ivory, was a poor band of Christians with no building, no pews, no ...

862. The Scattering of Lesser Figures

Acts 8:9-25

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... to have rebuked the church for its parochialism. Since Peter and John preached the gospel in “many Samaritan villages” on their return to Jerusalem, one might say Peter and John appeared to have taken their own advice to Simon and repented of their own bitterness! Crazy things happen to God’s word when “lesser figures” like Philip and you and I try to carry it beyond the boundaries of our own search for comfort and ease. Thank God for the scattering of lesser figures. 1. This story was compiled ...

863. Old Favorite

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... He went home and begged her to take him back. He crawled. He came back on her terms: she could take his meager salary and spend it any way she wished. She belittled his feeble attempts to support the family in front of her friends. He began to weep bitterly in the darkness of his love-deprived nightmare. He was completely and consistently without knowledge of love. But the next day he was a different person. He went to the garage and took down his rifle. He carried it with him to his newly acquired job in a ...

864. "...Yet"

Jeremiah 4:5-31

Sermon

John W. Wurster

... may not be sure what to do, yet God will not let go. All the doors seem to be closed, yet God will not give up. The next step is risky, yet God will not let go. You didn’t do your best, yet God will not give up. The bitterness remains, yet God will not let go. The argument only made things worse, yet God will not give up. The cancer may have spread, yet God will not let go. Your friend let you down, yet God will not give up. You feel abandoned, betrayed, alone, yet God will not ...

865. Secondhand Religion

1 Kings 17:7-24

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... God, who is Lord of all things, sometimes demonstrates his Lordship by providing for his people in ways that they might never expect. He uses things and people we might never dream of finding useful. Always remember, no matter how deep your troubles, how bitter your trials, or how great your needs, God will provide for you, perhaps in ways that decimate the horizons of your imagination. The point is, he always provides. His chosen name is Jehovah Jireh. It means “The eternal God will provide your needs ...

866. The ABC Gospel

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... that had brought her up in the ways of God. Even in her captivity she had held onto him, trusting him and bearing witness to his power to do great things. When she learned that her master and captor was a leper, she set aside all the prejudices and bitterness she might have had because of her capture and tried to help him find a cure. She told his wife about the power of God who could bring healing to her husband’s life. Who would have ever guessed it? “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers ...

867. Reproached Rolled Away

Joshua 5:1-12

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... fathers perish in the wilderness, the Hebrews celebrate the first Passover in the Promised Land. This is the third Passover since their last at the foot of Mount Sinai. The first Passover they hovered in fear as they ate their unleavened bread, roasted lamb, and bitter herbs and prayed to God in hope that the blood of sacrifice which marked the door frames of their homes would allow God to pass them over and spare their firstborn sons from the plague of death. Now they were preparing for a Passover where ...

868. A Blood That Passes Over

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

... of the Israelites and spared their lives. It would signify a time of preparation for the fulfillment of God’s promises. It would also be a time of remembrance of how God delivered the Hebrews from the Egyptians and thus allowed them to escape the bitterness of slavery and haunting memories of formerly oppressed people. Just as the blood of the innocent lamb was shed as a sacrifice and substitute for the sins and infirmities of the Israelite community, Christ today is our paschal lamb, our lamb of God, our ...

869. Oh, How The Mighty Have Fallen

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

Sermon

Brett Blair

... than for someone who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” A Christian society is one in which no person dares to have too much while others have too little. One day a poor girl came to the door of our Methodist founder, John Wesley. It was a bitterly cold day but she was wearing just a thin linen gown. She was shivering and her teeth were chattering. Wesley gave her what little money he had. Later he looked around his room and saw his extra clothes and fashionable wig. He cried out, “O Lord, have these ...

870. The Spirit Has Landed

Luke 3:1-38

Sermon

Brett Blair

... until the image changed before taking the next photo. That meant less work for the scientists sifting through the many, many amazing photographs 'Spirit' sent home. What a great name for such a small machine. A young girl by the name of Sofi was born in Siberia, a bitterly cold and desolate area of Russia. A difficult place to be a child but Sofi's life was going to be even rougher than most. She was an orphan. Then suddenly at the age of 2 she was adopted, sight unseen, by Laurie Collis a single mother in ...

871. The Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac

Mark 5:1-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

... indeed be just, and the motive must be right. During World War II, William Temple expressed the Just War philosophy when he said this: “We Christians in wartime are called to the hardest of tasks: to fight without hatred, to resist without bitterness, and in the end… to triumph without vindictiveness.” A new element which has been currently brought into the Just War approach is what is called “Humane Fighting.” Humane Fighting… sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? But what it means is that ...

872. Eager For The Journey

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Brett Blair

... they knew their lives would never be the same again. Robert Fulghum, in his humorous book It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It , tells the story of Alexander Papaderos, a doctor of philosophy, who worked for many years trying to bring peace between the bitterly divided countries of Europe after WWII. His motivation for doing so stems from his childhood and a very odd event which took place. "When I was a small child," he said, "during the war we were poor and lived in a remote village. One day, on the ...

873. His Death

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Brett Blair

... of Jesus at the foot of the cross in mocking the savior. He scolds him with abusive language. He shouts to him: ‘If you are the Christ then save yourself, and save us.” He did not turn to Jesus for mercy. He went to his death an angry and a bitter man. We, too, are rebels against God. What we deserve is the first cross, the cross of rebellion. We display our rebellion in sin. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale tells of a trip that he once made to a Shinto worship service in Japan. His interpreter told him: We in ...

874. Dealing With The Pain of Rejection

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

James W. Moore

... has not rejected him at all. In fact, the parable is misnamed. Instead of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, it should be called the Parable of the Gracious Father! Because, you see, the theme of the parable is not the revelry of the Prodigal, nor is it the bitterness of the elder brother, no; the theme here is the goodness of the father, the faithfulness of God. The message here is that God cares and that He wants both of His sons (all of His children) to come and be a part of the celebration. But the elder ...

875. Good Friday: The Three Crosses

John 18:1-11

Sermon

Brett Blair

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