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 1051 to 1075 of 1570 results

1051. A Purse and Two Swords

Luke 22:35-38

Sermon

... and toiled but had never been able to make ends meet. Finally came the sick and the sufferers….each with a complaint against God. How lucky God is to live in heaven where all is sweetness and light….no tears….no worries….no fears….no hungers….no inhumanities. So a commission was appointed to draw up the case against God. It was simple. Their conclusion was that before God could judge them, God must first endure what they had endured in their troubled world. So instead of God judging them, they ...

1052. Saints By Faith: Good to the Last Drop

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... in your faith. Live boldly. Let all you do be done in love. (I Corinthians 16:13) John says, "Your brothers and sisters who have suffered and died, those who have gone through great tribulation, are already gathered around the streams of living water where: They hunger no more, nor thirst, Where God himself wipes away every tear from their eye." The two worlds, two realities, side-by-side. Saints on this side, here and now; saints beyond and above. 1. Here is a word to the saints here and now. Throughout ...

1053. Moses: A Traveling God in a Pop-Up Camper

Exodus 13:17-22, 33:7-11

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... present even when the water runs dry and food becomes scarce, when the old people die and when children get cranky, when the battles rage and the people despair, in the face of their sin and in spite of their doubt or in moments of holiness and hungering hope. The God who chooses to make himself known in a pop-up tent of praise can never be: · Pinned down or pigeon-holed · Bottled up or buttoned down · Locked up or nailed down · Held down · Put down · Boiled down or bolted down, ever again! This God ...

1054. Zechariah II: Thy Prayer is Heard

Luke 1:5-25

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... daily, but for him perhaps, the only time in his ministry. And if the crowd was like most of the congregations I have known, their prayers and presence were filled with just about as much of a mix of faith and fear, confidence and cowardice, hope and hunger, dedication and despair, holiness and hollowness, sinfulness and saintliness…because when we are really honest, that's how we all come to worship, isn't it? And that's how we all come to this season—with all of our petty and pious reasons for it, all ...

1055. What a Serve!

Acts 6:1-7

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... our "Home Fires" fund, balanced with the building of houses for others through Habitat for Humanity a commitment to make this a great place to raise our own kids, balanced with a compassion for all the world's children through our global outreach and hunger ministries This past week, some of us heard Alan Hamilton, pastor of Church of the Resurrection. He started the church with four members, and today it has almost twenty thousand members. He reminded us that this is our heritage as United Methodists. John ...

1056. Searching: MySpace

Hebrews 11:8-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... their work in Prague, Czech Republic, where they just elected a new president. Can anyone here name him? During this same week, Montenegro declared its independence and became a free country and East Timor erupted in violence. Darfur continued its downward spiral, and hunger ravages Congo and Zimbabwe. Now what do all these nations have in common? Two things: - Most of us couldn't find most of them on a map. - The people called Methodist are there. When you join this church, you join a global church ...

1057. From the Tomb

John 20:1-18

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... has taken away our loved one, standing beside an open pain which has sapped our strength, standing beside the tomb of broken dreams and failed hopes, standing beside a broken world that seems bent on its own destruction—a world of too many crosses, too much brutality and war, hunger and strife, a world full of weeping. Like Mary, we stand by weeping, because we simply don't know what else to do and we don't have a clue as to where to go. Then the question is asked a second time by one she assumes to be ...

1058. Thanksgiving and Thanksliving

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... no justification for shying away from Christ, the point is well taken. There are those who seriously search for the power and purity of the gospel message. Sadly, often they do not seem to find it in their church-going neighbors and friends. The hunger for genuine and vital Christian living is all about us. People feel — sometimes deeply — a void in their lives. Some read everything they can find on spirituality and do all the one/two principles. The discovery is made but the void is still there. Their ...

1059. Taking a Necessary Step

Acts 19:1-7

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... good enough for the eyes of one who is the only one who ultimately counts. Dear friends, pause to give thanks for your lives. Do so because you know there is more to learn and celebrate, as you and others change to a greater good. There has to be that hunger in us that seeks to eat more solid meat and fewer potatoes. If we but listen attentively, the dear Lord will come to you directly or send someone to provide an opening for you to take the next step. Plateaus may be nice and comfortable but they are also ...

1060. The Acceptable Time

2 Corinthians 6:1-2

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... , who questioned his methods, and who disputed his teachings. The critics notwithstanding, Paul pointed out how he and his associates had not put any obstacles in their way for believing. He had undergone shipwreck, imprisonment, mockery, beatings, hunger, afflictions, hardships, and many sleepless nights to bring them the gospel. The suffering, the deprivations, and self-sacrifice should have convinced them of their sincerity. Unlike many traveling teachers and philosophers of Paul's day who were out ...

1061. Living the Word of God

James 1:17-27

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . He spoke little, but acted to secure justice for his people. As the 1930s dawned, Gandhi continued to lead the campaign for freedom and proclaimed a new program of civil disobedience. He was arrested several times but only answered by initiating hunger strikes and championing the ascetic life. He never compromised his values of nonviolence, but rather, used his method successfully attracting world attention in the process. By 1944, the pressure he and his followers exerted was so great that Britain was ...

1062. Strength through Diversity

James 2:1-17

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . It was now a dirty eclair. Before discarding it, however, he had an idea. He strolled over to one of the beggars who had approached him and handing the man the eclair said, "Here you are my good man. This is something for your hunger." The businessman walked away smiling and returned to his office. That night the man had a dream. He was sitting in a large and crowded cafe. Waitresses were scurrying about bringing customers delicious cakes and tortes. All the waitresses ignored the businessman, even though ...

1063. Nothing And Everything

2 Corinthians 12:1-10, 2 Corinthians 6:3-13, Isaiah 49:8-26

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages; saying to the prisoners, "Come out," to those who are in darkness, "Show yourselves." They shall feed along the ways, on all the bare heights shall be their pasture; they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them. (Isaiah 49:8-10) Collect When we are weak, Almighty God, then is your strength most ...

1064. God Chooses The Poor

James 2:1-13, James 2:14-26, Psalm 146:1-10

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... free; All: the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. (Psalm 146:1-8) Collect Lord, grant us your peace as we pledge in this worship to keep those who shiver warm and those who hunger filled. Our faith to be true faith must live! Let your Spirit flow through us, granting us new life and vision. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Always the outsider, Lord, always the new heart in Christ. Not those of us on the board, those who have sat in these ...

1065. The Parable of the Choices

Matthew 21:28-31

Sermon

Shirley Gupton Lynn

... the cost. And what is true of our lives is true of our church. We can choose despair today about the work of the church. Not every decision made by the church is best, not every program effective, not every member loyal. We can't ease all the hunger in Africa, house all the homeless in Memphis, win every one of the 160 million undiscipled Americans. So we could choose despair. But we don't have to. We can choose determination. We can determine we will present Christian faith as a viable option to the people ...

1066. Rescued and Transferred

Colossians 1:11-14

Sermon

Shirley Gupton Lynn

... IN something. Among the many astounding happenings in the world last year, the release of the American hostages from Iran was one of the most thrilling. John McCarthy, freed after five years as a hostage in Lebanon, told of the terrible conditions of captivity: hunger, chains, blindfolds, beatings. Captive Terry Anderson was in such despair one Christmas he banged his head against the wall. Another tried three times to take his own life. The captivity went on and on. But one of the first stories to come out ...

1067. All Night Long

Matthew 22:1-14

Illustration

Edward F. Markquart

... night long." She said, "I am going to party all night long with God." That is what being a Christian is. Some Christian say that it is not right to have such a mood of happiness and joy. Especially when there is so much starvation. When there is so much hunger. When there is so much suffering in the world, it is not right to be happy. But that is not true. I think of the hymn, "This Is My Father's World" and the great words to that hymn. "This is my father's world, o let me ne'ver ...

1068. Floating on Your Back

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... in the truck to the concentration camp is actually a surprise for his birthday. He convinces him that the men in uniform that run the camp are not really bad; that is simply how the game is played. He tells Joshua that if you complain about anything even about hunger you lose points. He tells him that quiet boys who hide from the camp guards earn points. He further convinces the boy that, if he keeps all the rules of the game he will win a real, life‑size tank! So, even though there is death and despair ...

1069. Denial Ain’t a River in Egypt

Isaiah 64:1-9

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... the painful claim that God has gone away? Split? Taken leave? The Israelites in exile certainly felt that way. The young mother who has heard from the military that her son died in the war in Iraq feels that way. The person who has lost their job and faces eviction, hunger, and life on the streets feels that way. Even Jesus felt that way, as he cried out from the cross, "Why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). Yes, we're in good company when life turns downward and we take it as a sign that God has left us ...

1070. With Friends Like These ...

Job 38:1-7 (34-41)

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... Job to tower over the others. Suffering is painful, but it is also an opportunity, leading us to focus on what is really important in life. Where is God in the midst of all our torment and trials? Job continues his search for God, and for answers. We all hunger for a relationship with God. Saint Augustine said, "Our hearts will be forever restless until they rest in thee."4 Within each of us is a void that only God can fill. Job is angry that he still cannot find God. Where is a burning bush when you need ...

1071. Dusting Off Our Gratitude

Joel 2:21-27

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... upon reaching their destination, she envisions a whole new world. She hopes for a land where there will be no starvation, no prejudice, or mistreatment of "Okies," a place where human dignity will be honored and restored. We have all heard statistics involving hunger, both in our own land and throughout the world. We have grieved at the sight of the skeletal images of babies and children in the developing world. Billy Graham once remarked that, "Anyone who eats more than one meal today is rich, for ...

1072. The 2 Love Laws

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... praying for anyone, they are to pray for that little boy Doug. Do you know how much God loves you? Can you even begin to comprehend a God whose love is so great that God gave his own beloved to show us that there is no law, no storm, no hunger or thirst, no power of disease or death, can ever defeat. It’s a love that triumphs over death. It’s a love that never lets you go.

1073. Through Your Actions

Matthew 23:1-39

Illustration

King Duncan

... ?'" The minister thought for a moment before he responded. "You are, of course, right," he told the young man. "I have never lived in any land where I have been persecuted. I have always had food to eat. I don't honestly know by experience the meaning of hunger. My family has never been tortured or murdered. I don't honestly know how I would respond if they were." Then he answered the man's question, "I have experienced the love and intervention of Jesus Christ in my life. I share with you what God has done ...

1074. Parable of the Talents Retold

Matthew 25:14-30

Illustration

Unknown

... the people shivering with cold, he finally allowed them to do so. The second son was also faced with a difficult decision. Food became very scarce. Should he allow the people to kill some of his beloved sheep for food? When he saw the children crying for hunger, his heart went out to them and he allowed them to kill some of the sheep.. Thus the people had firewood for their fires, and food for their tables. Nevertheless the harsh winter continued to oppress them. Their spirits began to sag, and there was no ...

1075. Surprised Saints

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

King Duncan

... make life better for someone else. That’s what this text is saying to us, isn’t it? “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink . . .” It doesn’t say that you solved the problem of world hunger. It doesn’t say that you found a way to provide clean drinking water for entire nations. If God is calling you in these directions, this is great. But Christ isn’t calling most of us to change the direction of world affairs. But he is calling us to do ...

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