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 2415 results

1051. They Also Serve Who Wait

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Thomas Long

... his cane on the vaulted ceiling of the old and decaying synagogue in New York’s lower east side. Morris Weiser was among the few Jews who survived the Janowska concentration camp in Poland, and now, a retired butcher in his seventies, his one remaining passion is to keep alive the Chasam Sopher synagogue. The synagogue has few Sabbath worshipers now, but Morris has put all of his savings into this place, sustains it by his constant effort, keeps it barely alive by the sheer force of his will. "When God ...

1052. What Do You See?

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Thomas Long

... the clinic because, as he put it, "Most of the patients are illegal aliens, so we’d just be supporting illegal activity." "But they’re people," said another in the group, "and they need medical care." Back and forth went the discussion, with much passion but without resolution. Taking a vote would have been bitterly divisive, so the matter was tabled until the next meeting. On the following day, the pastor of the church called the officer who had spoken in opposition and made a date for lunch. During ...

1053. A Tempting and Lonely Place

Mark 1:35-39

Sermon

Thomas Long

... , feeling the pull of too much work and too many demands, most of them are irresistibly drawn to the seductive tranquility of this story about Jesus rising early in the morning to go to a lonely place. The sermons they create are as predictable as they are passionate: Jesus had spent the previous day, they say, in a fever pitch of ministry, preaching in the synagogue, healing the sick and demon-possessed, and now, in a moment of needed retreat, he rises early in the morning to go to a lonely place to pray ...

1054. Discipleship - Path to Fulfillment

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... the spirit of a servant. This famous man never finished his meal. Instead, he left the head table to greet the laity who were present and chat with the waitresses and busboys. And afterward, in church, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen preached powerfully and passionately on the text, "I have been crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:2a). These two great men, both of whom knew the true meaning of discipleship and servanthood, demonstrated fine disdain for the recognition of men, and revealed, as few others have, the ...

1055. Inevitabilities and the Last Days

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... . Of how he had walked among unclean and undeserving men and women. Of how his presence and his touch had turned them around, so that they could lead useful and productive lives. "That’s why we want to come to the city," he concluded passionately. "We want to be Christ to these kids. We believe that we can help you in peaceful ways to bring order to your community." The mayor and the police commissioner listened attentively. They gave qualified approval to the establishment of the church outpost in ...

1056. Happiness Is ... the Kingship of Jesus

John 18:28-40

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... amazing than this conjunction of qualities that make a great soldier with those that make a great pacifist.2 Some may prefer "peacemaker" to "pacifist," but whichever term one prefers, all can agree that Jesus sought and promoted peace with a passion. Ghandi, and later Martin Luther King, Jr., demonstrated how the life, example, and teachings of Jesus can be applied in workable, non-violent ways, to overcome decades of wrongs and bring peaceful coexistence to individuals, societies, and nations. II. His ...

1057. God’s Dwelling Place

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

... the holy of holies God dwelt in the presence of the ark. When the Israelites settled down in towns and ceased to be nomads they became zealous to do as their sophisticated neighbors. The Canaanites had been urbanized centuries before the Israelites. David, in a passion of devotion and probably a desire to keep up with the Canaanites, went to Nathan the prophet with the prospect of building a permanent Temple for God’s dwelling place. "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, and God dwells in a tent." He ...

1058. Christmas 2

Isaiah 62:1-12, Titus 3:1-11, Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... but regretfully confess that we often live in forgetfulness of the wondrous gifts we have received from you through your Son, Jesus Christ. We do not always live as people regenerated, or renewed, or reborn by your grace. We behave foolishly, slaves to all the worst passions. Forgive us, we pray, and teach us to live as people who have your divine presence in our lives. For this we have received through Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen Gospel: Luke 2:8-20 Theme: News too good to keep Exegetical ...

1059. Epiphany 3

Jonah 3:1-10, 1 Corinthians 7:1-40, Mark 1:1-8, Mark 1:9-13, Mark 1:14-20

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... SPIRITUAL MORE THAN THINGS TEMPORAL AND MATERIAL. Leader: God calls us to live each day as though that day Christ might come and see where we are really placing our efforts and energies. People: LET US THEREFORE CONSIDER AGAIN OUR PRIORITIES AND OUR PASSIONS, OUR OBJECTIVES AND OUR OBSESSIONS, TO SEE IF THEY MATCH GOD’S. Collect Almighty and ever-living God, who has taught us through Christ and Paul to desire celestial treasures, teach us again to amass true riches and lasting fortunes; that, when weighed ...

1060. Fourth Sunday in Lent

2 Chronicles 36:15-23, Ephesians 2:1-10, John 3:1-21

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... into its proper textual context, which is a matter of life and judgment, light and darkness. It should be noticed, too, that what precedes and follows verse 16 at least suggests a non-Pauline understanding of belief as something humanly generated as a response to Christ’s Passion rather than divinely given in that event. Call to Worship Leader: We meet in the name of the God who gave a Son to the world! People: WE MEET IN THE NAME OF THE GOD WHO SENT LIGHT INTO DARKNESS! Leader: Let us worship in the name ...

1061. Palm Sunday

Isaiah 50:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Philippians 2:1-11

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... us, we pray. Give us the power to discern our true salvation when it approaches us, as well as to respond with appropriate gratitude and elation. In the name of the Christ we pray. Amen Gospel: Mark 11:1-11 Theme: A paradoxical prelude to Passion Exegetical Note Though the historical aspects of Jesus’ final entry to Jerusalem are problematical in some respects, as well as the intention of Jesus behind the apparently symbolic act, the place of this event in the mind and narrative of Mark is clear: Jesus ...

1062. Wednesday in Holy Week

Isaiah 50:1-11, Hebrews 12:1-13, John 13:18-30

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Isaiah 50:4-9a Theme: Resolute suffering for the Word of God Exegetical Note In this "Third Servant Song" in Second Isaiah (also used for the First Lesson in Passion Sunday), the servant seems to be conceived as an individual, and specifically as one who has had to suffer at the hands of his people for mediating the Word of God to them. Yet his attitude is resolute, for he trusts in both the help and vindication of God. This ...

1063. Proper 6

2 Samuel 1:1-16, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, 2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... in (1) its expression of the finiteness and fragility of human life, (2) its underlying sense of the inevitability of death, even for the highly placed and mighty, and (3) its lack of any explicit religious or theological language. In this poem, however, the passion is especially deep and personal as friend mourns friends. Call to Worship Leader: Fellow sojourners in life, let us ponder what we like to ignore: death comes finally to all. People: EVEN THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY ARE MORTAL, AND EVEN THE BELOVED ...

1064. The Forgotten Virtue

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... who can first give evidence that they don’t need it. We can look down our noses at the thief, because in our fat affluence, we’ve never been tempted to steal. In our cold lovelessness, we can stone the adulterer, because we’ve never been moved by enough passion for anyone, outside ourselves, to be tempted in that way. We can shun the alcoholic, because we never had anyone so much as wave a bar rag in our faces, and we are not sick with a terrible and ravaging disease. We can say with pride, "I never ...

1065. The Good News of the Cross

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... How does He feel when He hears the thunder of guns and sees men hunt each other down like animals and blast each other into the tangled messes of blood-seared flesh? How does He feel when He sees His beautiful earth defaced by human greed, lust and passion? What is the feeling in the heart of God? Anger? Disgust? Pity? If you have seen the play, "Green Pastures," you remember that scene in which God looks down upon the earth, with His hands clasped behind His back, and He is torn between His justice and His ...

1066. Zechariah

Drama

Charles L. Koester

... I staggered from the Temple. The people outside wondered why I had been so long, and when I could not speak to them, they realized I had seen a vision. When the days of my Temple duty were over, I returned home. That night Elizabeth and I enjoined in a passion we had not known in years and I knew, I knew! Elizabeth became pregnant and though I could not speak, I sensed her joy as she said, "How good the Lord is to me, he has taken away the shame I have suffered." Six months into her pregnancy Elizabeth was ...

1067. Focused Light

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

William F. Dunkle

... news of peace." He sees its reflection in Cornelius. Here in God’s gospel of light all the old dark recesses of hate and suspicion and fear are illuminated, then vanquished. Wet, bloody boundaries between humans dry up and disappear. Secret lusts, closeted passions, hidden and suppressed appetites all surface as the searching brightness of Christ’s love bears in upon human lives. Nothing can long withstand the sharp surgery of God’s grace. The gospel of peace makes a difference in our lives and this ...

1068. Clean Light

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

William F. Dunkle

... of George Matheson lived in a slum cellar until she decided, "Ye canna hear George Matheson preach and live in a cellar." Saint Paul is sure that Corinthian converts cannot live with Jesus Christ and still burrow like animals in the underground darkness of passion and appetite. They have surfaced into the light. It is a light that cauterizes and cleans. Indeed, the apostle writes, there is glory in God’s light, and he can assure us that even our bodies, our feeble, fickle, faltering bodies, can glorify ...

1069. THE RECONCILED LIFE

Hebrews 9:11-28

Sermon Aid

John W. Rilling

... the people as a whole in the giving of the law. But in these last days he has spoken to us in his Son, wholly, completely and finally. That is the glorious mystery of Christmas, says the Church in the opening words of Hebrews. The second occasion is Passion Sunday when we draw near to that "green hill far away, without a city wall, where the dear Lord was crucified, who died to save us all." We modern folk find the words of today’s epistle strange, lacking in what we choose to call "relevance." But before ...

1070. Commanded By Example

John 13:31-38

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

... laundry in a poor district in London. Through the dirty, curtainless windows we see a round table piled high with strange stacks of articles, worn manuscripts, an old pipe, and a few odds and ends. A man is seated at the table, writing with passionate intensity. This man is Karl Marx, the father of Communism. He is writing the book which he titled Das Kapital, the book which changed the history of nations. He believes the doctrines he formulated from that upper room will revolutionize the world. The second ...

1071. Blessed With Peace

John 14:15-31

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

... deep spiritual experience. As a wild rebellious youth, he deserted God, religion, and faith. The emptiness of his life threatened his very existence. In despair he prayed, "Oh God, forgive me of all my sin - but not yet." And back he went to spend his youthful passions in immorality. Again the hollowness of his unholy life began to plague his days, and he prayed the second time "O, God, forgive me for all my sins - save one." He left his prayer just short of total commitment. He still refused to plunge into ...

1072. Advent 4: Let Us Go Over To Bethlehem And Find The Christ of Christmas

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

James W. Moore

... a large parcel of land and construction of the temple began around it. No expense would be spared. He wanted to make her final resting place magnificent and breath-taking. But as the weeks turned into months, the Shah's grief was eclipsed by his passion for the building project. He no longer missed her. He hardly thought of her at all anymore. He no longer mourned her absence. He was now totally consumed with the details of the building project. He was completely obsessed with the construction of the temple ...

1073. Prepare The Way

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Brett Blair

... prepare the way for that event. He did this in basically three ways: I First, John the Baptist prepared the way by living a godly life. In an age of corruption John the Baptist appeared as a clean, bracing breath of mountain air. In his passionate embrace of goodness he spoke out fearlessly against every form of corruption. When the religious leaders from Jerusalem turned up in his congregation he did not express his delight to see them and feel complimented that they had done him the honor of attending as ...

1074. A New Kind of Teaching

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... evil when it usurps the total self without regard to the integration of that self" (Love and Will, p. 123). The demoniac Jesus encountered in the Nazareth synagogue was possessed perhaps by a number of demons -- demons of hate, guilt, rejection, passion, revenge. As often is the case with demoniacs, the sensibilities and perceptions are greatly heightened, almost to the point of a divine madness. Consequently, upon seeing Jesus, he shrieked, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come ...

1075. A Dreadful Declaration

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

George Bass

... the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him as he told you." It happened just as Jesus said it would. And Lent is, at least, one time when we should remember his passion and death - and his resurrection, too! This Lenten text gives us a preview of Good Friday and also a foretaste of the joy of Easter. The awful death of the innocent Son of God is before us and is always terrible to contemplate. When he was a child, a ...

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