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 76 to 100 of 125 results

76. Personal Politics

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... for a new production he would mail it to Gilbert. Then, when Gilbert finished the libretto, he would post it back to Sullivan again. One time they were requested to make a curtain call together. Although they normally refused such things because of their ongoing animosity, this time it was a benefit honoring their joint work, and they couldn't get out of it with grace. So they stayed at opposite sides back stage, entered from the far edges of the curtain, ensured that there were props in between them so ...

77. The Land Where Our Fathers Had Lived

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... distance." For the prodigal's father, that sight on the horizon set him running to embrace his beloved son (Luke 15:20). For these under-loved brothers, however, that sight was enough to prompt a murder conspiracy. We get a measure of the brothers' animosity toward Joseph both in what they did and in what they almost did. What they almost did was kill their brother — just as Esau had pledged to do to Jacob a generation before. What they did do — their alternative to outright fratricide — was to throw ...

78. Captive Free!

Romans 7:15-25a

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... error, a mistake, like an archer missing the mark. It can be like a sheep straying from the fold. It can be like being lost in the wilderness. Sin fractures and violates our relationship to God. It can be rebellion against God, distrust of God, and animosity toward God. Whatever sin is, it is not normal. It disrupts our relationship with God, with our neighbors, and with the world around us. Saint Augustine described it as the incurvatus se (curved in on itself) of the human will. In other words, the three ...

79. Luke 14:1, 7-14

Luke 14:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... it was a big-deal ideal time for the guests to establish their place in the synagogue’s social pecking order. Perhaps the most surprising thing about this gathering is that Jesus is invited to attend at all. Luke’s text has already clearly communicated the growing animosity between the powerful Pharisaic leaders and Jesus (see 11:53-54 and 13:31-35). In fact, every bit of information Luke supplies in 14:1 points to trouble. Meal times (5:29; 7:36-50), Sabbath issues (6:1-5, 6-11), and dialogue with the ...

80. Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:19-31

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... to “Wall Street.” Some things never change: the unrepentant Gordon Gecko sticks proudly by his famous dictum “Greed is good.” The rich must, and should, get richer. If the poor get poorer as a result, well, so be it. Social distinctions and animosities between rich and poor are nothing new. A large portion of Torah law addresses the existence of the poor and spells out the moral imperative incumbent on the faithful to provide care and sustenance for those who cannot care for themselves. A multitude ...

81. Matthew 5:13-20

Matthew 5:13-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... “light” to those who need it. Finally Jesus cautions his listeners that their own righteousness must exceed “that of the scribes and Pharisees” (v.20). At this point in Matthew’s gospel such an admonition might sound daunting. Yet as the animosity between Jesus and the religious authorities continues to evolve throughout Matthew, the disparity between what is said and what is done by the scribes and Pharisees suggests that the people don’t have to go far in order to achieve more righteousness ...

82. Living a Well-Storied Life

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . The Samaritan woman knows her narrative identity. She knows the story that separates Samaritans and Jews, and she reminds Jesus of that story, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” This is the story of centuries of animosity. This is the story of one faith splintered into two paths. This is the story of mistrust and mistreatment. Of course Jesus knows that story. But he has a new narrative to pass along. Instead of the old, old story of Jews vs. Samaritans, Jesus offers a ...

83. The 4 Words that Tell What It Means to Be a Christian

Luke 24:50-53

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... upper room after the crucifixion — let’s call them ‘upper room shut-ins’ they were “off the grid” of their cultural information highway. They did not know if Jesus’ death on the cross was the end of Jerusalem’s and Rome’s animosity to their Rabbi? Or was it the beginning of a push to purge all remaining “eccentric” elements from the “safe” middle-ground the Jewish authorities had created for themselves while under Rome’s domain? A few members of Jesus’ disciple community did ...

84. A Difficult Day to Follow Jesus

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... to the gates of the prison. I got my daughter up in the middle of the night to see the scene. As you were marching across the courtyard, the camera zeroed in on your face and I’ll never forget your face. It was full of anger and hatred, animosity. I have never seen so much anger and so much hatred written on a man’s face. That’s not the Nelson Mandela I know today.” Mandela said, “It’s interesting you should say that because as I left the prison block and marched across the courtyard, I thought ...

85. Getting Through the Grief

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... and nail in primaries then, when the battle was over and one of them had won, they'd make up and work together. Maybe David was just a good politician who decided to bury the hatchet and knew how to put the public good above any personal animosity he'd had toward Saul. Here we have a foreshadowing of Jesus' "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44), and Paul's admonition to "overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). Purged of any bitterness or malice, David delivers his eulogy ...

86. How Odd of God

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... Jews? It sounds to me like the advice of one good friend to another. His words could be directed, not toward the Jews, but toward you and me. In fact, let’s use these thoughts and apply them to ourselves. You did wrong. Peter had no personal animosity toward the people he was addressing. He was simply speaking the truth. They had done wrong, just as you and I sometimes do wrong. As the politicians say, “Mistakes were made.” I make mistakes, you make mistakes. I have sinned, you have sinned. It happens ...

87. Good Gossip

James 3:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is an increase of ugliness all over the airwaves. “Free speech” is one of the “hallowed” hallmarks of our political system. It is the basis upon which open debate rests and wrestles. But speech that is purposefully hurtful and divisive, laced with enmity and animosity, is not “free.” It costs us greatly. Words that are woven together in order to smear, spear and skewer do not build up the kingdom. They inject what James calls “deadly poison” into the world and work against the witness of God ...

88. Serving the King of Kings

John 18:28-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... which one of his accomplices was killed. While in prison Tom began reading as if for the first time about Jesus and his love for all people. After several weeks of reading and soul searching, Tom surrendered his life to the King of Kings. Slowly his animosity toward black people began to dissolve. He renounced the Klan and his past life of racial hatred. After eight years Tom was released from prison and he began a remarkable new life. Instead of going back to a life of hatred, Tom worked to promote racial ...

89. A Peaceful Life in an Unpeaceful World

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... pray for our president and our leaders, we will remain engaged in current events. If we pray, we may be less likely to throw up our hands and give up. If Christians everywhere pray for the president and our elected officials, maybe we can keep the animosity and bickering to a minimum. Above all, it is hard entirely to dislike and trash someone you pray for. The author of 1 Timothy wanted his first readers to pray for kings and leaders for a specific reason. He says that his Christian community should pray ...

90. Rally or Rail?

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... necessarily guarantee success in all theses worldly endeavors. It is little wonder Pilate, the consummate political animal, knuckled under to the demands of the crowds and ordered Jesus’ crucifixion. Although he harbored no ill-will towards Jesus, and had plenty of animosity toward the Jewish authorities accusing him, Pilate could not see any reason to actively “rally” to Jesus and his mission. He had far too much political capital at stake to risk taking an unpopular stand that would raise the ire of ...

91. Right in Front of Our Eyes

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... . The bidding began, and to everyone’s amazement, Lincoln offered a bid. As the price went up, so did Lincoln’s bids until the auctioneer declared him the buyer. He paid her price and then went over to where she was being held. All her animosity was focused straight at him. He looked at her and simply said, “You’re free.” Dripping defiance and distrust, she said, “Yeah, free for what?” Abraham Lincoln answered, “Free to do anything you want to do; free to go anywhere you want to go.” Her ...

92. A Prayer for Persecuted Christians Everywhere

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... into the religious orthodoxy of those under his rule. This ecclesial exercise became known as the “Spanish Inquisition.” It seems 1492 is a year when both new, exciting frontiers and possibilities were discovered. Yet it is also a year when old prejudices, animosities, and cruelties were reborn with a vengeance. Although there were all sorts of free thinkers and some genuine wild-eyed crazies who got caught up in the Inquisitor’s net, the primary focus was on the resident Jews and Muslims residing in ...

93. The Full Advent: Whoa! No Way? Wow!

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... music. It has humor. It has drama. The basic tension in “Oklahoma” revisits a basic tension that has been going on for centuries. In nineteenth century America this was called “farmers” vs. “cowboys.” In first century Israel the very same animosity was felt between shepherds vs. settlers. In our earliest recorded days of the land that would be known as “Israel,” shepherding, the nomadic lifestyle of those who traveled from place to place finding forage for their flocks, was not just accepted ...

94. The Joy of a Thankful Heart

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

On his way to Jerusalem, our Lord passed through the region between Samaria and Galilee. This was never a pleasant place for a Jew to travel. There was just too much animosity with the Samaritans. The Jews preferred to avoid them. Travel in the region of the Samaritans was simply distasteful. As Jesus walked, a group of ten lepers approached him. The group contains a curious mixture. For one thing, both leprous Jews and leprous Samaritans were traveling together.[1] The illness ...

95. The Apostles Persecuted

Acts 5:17-42

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... continued to suffer—as well as to act and to teach—in his body, the church (see disc. on 1:1; cf. 9:4f.; Col. 1:24). 5:17–18 Though the people in general continued to regard the believers with favor (cf. 2:47; 5:13, 26), the animosity of the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, continued to grow. This reference will include those mentioned in 4:6, but may indicate further that the high priest now had the general support of all the Sadducees, who, of all ...

96. In Pisidian Antioch

Acts 13:13-52

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... 44). This influx filled the Jews with jealousy (v. 45). This could mean that they resented the success of the missionaries. A more likely meaning, however, is that they were jealous of their own privileged position (cf. v. 17). All the old ingrained animosities were aroused. They simply could not accept a teaching that opened such floodgates. For themselves and their adherents they could accept a message as God-sent and tolerate some change in their teaching and practice, but they could not endure that the ...

97. Laws of Justice and Mercy

Exodus 23:1-9

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it.” Beyond the concern for the safety of animals, this legislates that God’s people are to take substantial positive action to lessen the potential animosity of an enemy. Even in the face of hate, impartial judgment and action may bring about better justice (see also Matt. 5:43–45; Prov. 25:21–22; Luke 6:27–38). The last five juridical procedure laws return to the problem of corrupt legal systems ...

98. Esther's Request to the King

Esther 5:1-8

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... and does not show any affective response. Haman is probably able to restrain his rage (v. 10) only with the thought that his well-crafted edict will unleash a widespread genocide of the Jews that Mordecai himself cannot escape. Presumably, Haman will never have to make his personal animosity public if he just waits for the edict to have its way. Patience, patience . . . Haman comes home drunk (NIV in high spirits, v. 9; see also 1:10; Judg. 16:25; 1 Sam. 25:36; 2 Sam. 13:28), with his ego in an excited and ...

99. The Greatness of Mordecai

Esther 10:1-3

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... threat to the Jews gone, it is time for him to receive. The story began with an image of a vast, wealthy, well-controlled empire that was threatened openly by a queen’s insubordination. It was then undermined more subtly by a prime minister, whose personal animosity toward one of the king’s loyal subjects led to (costly?) civil war. As the story draws to a close, the empire is now at peace, the treasuries of the king are being replenished, and the king’s acts (accomplishments) of power and might are ...

100. Judgment Against Evil Kings

Jeremiah 22:1-30, Jeremiah 23:1-8

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... away and died in the place of his exile. 22:13–23 In 609 B.C. Neco removed Jehoahaz from the throne, presumably because like his father he was pro-Babylonian, and placed his second son Jehoiakim there. Neco’s decisions, the animosity between Jehoiakim and Jeremiah (Jer. 26 and 36), together with Jehoiakim’s later actions, suggest he was pro-Egyptian. It would make sense that Jeremiah was pro-Babylonian because his task included trying to convince Judah to submit to Nebuchadnezzar, while Jehoiakim ...

Showing results