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 1151 to 1175 of 1245 results

1151. Seeking in the Light

Illustration

Helen Keller

... early to see the dawn. I would visit a museum to learn of man's upward progress in the making of things. I would go to an art museum to probe the human souls by studying paintings and sculpture. The third morning I would again greet the dawn, eager to discover new beauties in nature. I would spend this last day in the haunts of persons, where they work. I would stand at a busy street corner, trying to understand something of the daily lives of persons by looking into their faces and reading what is written ...

1152. Love or Infatuation?

Illustration

Ann Landers

Infatuation is instant desire. It is one set of glands calling to another. Love is friendship that has caught fire. It takes root and grows—one day at a time. Infatuation is marked by a feeling of insecurity. You are excited and eager, but not genuinely happy. There are nagging doubts, unanswered question, little bits and pieces about your beloved that you would just as soon not examine too closely. It might spoil the dream. Love is quiet understanding and the mature acceptance of imperfection. It is ...

1153. We May Not Understand

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... union with him and communion with one another which filled us as he spoke… Nor can I describe the sense we had of a higher Presence with us as he spoke—the sacred awe which filled our hearts—the hushed stillness in which the smallest sound was startling—the calm eagerness of men who listened as if waiting for a word of revelation to resolve the doubt or to heal the sorrow of a life."

1154. High Flight

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... ; Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth Of sunsplit clouds-and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of-wheeled and soared and swung- High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there, I've chased the shouting winds along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air. Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue, I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace, Where never lark or even eagle flew. And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put ...

1155. Admire Their Uniqueness

Illustration

John Powell

Once a wise teacher was speaking to a group of eager young students. He gave them the assignment to go out and find a small, unnoticed flower somewhere. He asked them to study the flower for a long time. "Get a magnifying glass and study the delicate veins in the leaves, and notice the nuances and shades of color. Turn the ...

1156. Who Are the Wise Men?

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... who traveled, weary and alone, With dauntless faith, because before them shone The star that led them to a manger low. Who are the Wise Men now, when all is told? Not men of science; not the great and strong; Not those who wear a kingly diadem,· Not those whose eager hands pile high the gold, But those amid the tumult and the throng Who follow still the star of Bethlehem.

1157. A Prayer to a Good, Good Father

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... replied. “We haven’t said grace yet.” This exasperated the girl, who was tired and hungry. “Daddy,” she said with a sigh, “why can’t we just pray once a week? Why do we have to ask for our daily bread every day?” Her older brother, wiser and eager to set her straight, weighed in before the dad could answer. “You don’t think we want stale bread, do you?” he said. (5) For those of us who love warm, fresh bread, I believe that young man is on to something. What I believe Jesus was saying ...

1158. The Man of No Sorrows

Illustration

John Bishop

... that he was the savior of the world. What made him stand out was his proclamation that sorrow and pain have no place in the universe. He declared that human society will never be saved until sorrow is discredited. The people eagerly accepted this teaching, as you might imagine, and tears and sorrow were banished from human society. Years passed. All suffering was repressed; all sorrow was denied. But an interesting result occurred--human beings gradually became more selfish. Sympathy ceased to exist ...

1159. A Vision of Beauty and Hope

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... , the Messiah. “In the last days,” he writes. What exactly is Isaiah seeing in these last days? Isaiah sees a vision of the day when God’s Messiah rules the nations of the world with peace and justice, when people from every nation come together to eagerly worship God, learn about God and live according to God’s laws. He sees a vision of people who are so motivated to be in God’s presence that they look like an upward flowing stream of humanity, climbing up the mountain to reach God. Imagine for ...

1160. Eat, Drink, and See Mary

Luke 1:26-38

Illustration

Rev. Don Frank

... there was a woman who claimed to have visions of and visitations from the Virgin Mary on a regular basis. In fact, the mother Mary would appear on the 13th of each month, and her human conduit would speak her words to a throng of eager listeners that would gather on a country hillside outside the house. Such appearances occurred for many, many months, drawing huge crowds, some desiring to hear a message they believed was from God and some even looking for healing and other miracles. The “show,” as many ...

1161. The World's Most Extraordinary Club

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... Jesus is saying to us: If you’re willing to follow a Savior who loves you with an overwhelming love, the kingdom of heaven is open for you. Sometimes I think we aren’t truly aware of Christ’s great love for us. If we were, we would be more eager to accept the kingdom into our lives. Here’s an interesting fact: Did you know that the Queen of England hires someone to break in her shoes for her so she doesn’t have to suffer in stiff, new shoes? It’s true. The Queen is constantly attending royal ...

1162. Loving Made Real

John 13:1-17, John 13:31-38

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

... . If one had wealth, a servant might aid in the process. Foot washing is foreign to us, for we come to our homes with our feet fully covered and rarely are asked to remove our shoes. Even if we go to a home where there seems to be an eagerness toward cleanliness, it really is only a mild inconvenience when we are asked to remove our shoes and leave them on the front rug, unless we weren’t prepared and have holes in our socks or made our choice of attire to include nylons. Even then, the host might ...

1163. The Surrogate

Matthew 1:1-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... you have come for refuge!” says Boaz to Ruth distinguishing the land of her birth from the new “family” of her heart. But the story goes further. When Boaz approaches his kinsman and offers Ruth and Elimilech’s property to him first, he initially eagerly accepts, but when he finds out that Ruth is a foreigner, he immediately then declines, saying she would muddle and spoil his bloodline. Boaz then accepts Ruth as his bride himself. This part of the story is a direct rebuke of those who would adhere ...

1164. Soul Food

Luke 9:10-17, Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, John 6:1-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the righteous. They will “embody” the Torah (as they consume the fish). In a sense, in partaking of the fish, they were “swallowing God’s Word so that it could take root within them.” They “ate up” everything Jesus said to them voraciously and eagerly. The Jewish sages in Jesus’ time said that in the future, God would feed the righteous from the flesh of Leviathan. The fish is also the symbol of the Messiah himself. In fact, nun, the 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet in Aramaic also means ...

1165. The Bramble King

John 15:1-17, John 15:18--16:4, John 16:5-16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... you.” Image Exegesis: Judas “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10) “In that day, in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, there will be only briers and thorns. Hunters will go ...

1166. The Thorn of Discontent

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... discontent. It springs from the soul that longs for its goal-- For the source from which it was sent. Then surge, O breast, with thy wild unrest-- Cry, heart, like a child at night, Till the mystic shore of the Evermore Shall dawn on thy eager sight. (Yesterdays. By Ella Wheeler Wilcox. London: Gay & Hancock, 1916) This is a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, written in 1916. But it might as well be Paul’s poem. For Paul was constantly reminded of his mortality, his weaknesses, both physical and spiritual –a ...

1167. Massah and Meribah

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... with God, and indeed, Jesus encounters the woman at Jacob’s well. To pray isn’t always easy. Sometimes, to pray is struggle. And God welcomes our struggles. God, our rock, can withstand our struggles. And will send us signs that let us know, He is always near, and always eager to fill us with the Living Waters of salvation hope. Is the Lord with us or not? We must answer, He is.

1168. God Powered Impact

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... sailboats and turbines (aka windmills) take advantage of wind to move their mills and sails, the wind is fickle and unpredictable, irregular and inconsistent. Sometimes raging, other times barely whispering, one cannot regulate the wind. One can only receive it with eager and hopeful anticipation. The wind works in ways we cannot and do not entirely understand. What we can bank on is that where there is movement of wind, something will move. Something will be altered. There will be impact. Something or ...

1169. Metathesiophobia

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6, 1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... as long as you give in to “metathesiophobia.” Benjamin Franklin used to say, “When you are finished changing, you are finished.” Jesus is in the business of saving the world. Jesus is not finished engaging in the world. The Holy Spirit is alive and active and eager to help us adapt to this new world we find ourselves in. For the Holy Spirit is about urging us to change, to grow, to find new and exciting ways to proclaim the gospel in every new generation. This is what we are called to do. This ...

1170. Shepherd Dreams

Jeremiah 23:1-8, 1 Samuel 16:1-13, Psalm 80:1-19, Psalm 23:1-6, John 10:22-42, John 10:1-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to be alert nearly 24/7, and never took a day off, even for sabbath. Not only will sheep easily get distracted and wander away, but the hillsides and forests, even the valleys in Jesus’ day and still today, were filled with predators, each one eagerly waiting for a lamb to wander off alone. Some waited until nightfall to come and steal them away. Still others came in packs and preyed upon the entire flock at once, raiding and carrying them off, bleating and screaming. To be a shepherd required the utmost ...

1171. Immersed

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... have been etymologically vibrant for Jesus and his contemporaries. To “wait at the door” or “wait at the gate” could mean to “sit at the feet” of someone as a disciple: “blessedness belongs to the one who waits at Wisdom’s doorpost (mezuzah), eager for instruction” (Proverbs 8:34). The mezuzah was also where a servant who wanted to serve his master for life would have his ear pierced.[5] Even though that servant may have been released, he or she could pledge lifelong service. The piercing ...

1172. Raison d’Etre

Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... day drew to a close in a long, slow twilight. There were no signs of a fire to be made, and, besides, never in the dog’s experience had it known a man to sit like that in the snow and make no fire. As the twilight drew on, its eager yearning for the fire mastered it, and with a great lifting and shifting of forefeet, it whined softly, then flattened its ears down in anticipation of being chided by the man. But the man remained silent. Later, the dog whined loudly. And still later it crept close to the man ...

1173. Faking It or Making It?

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... our death, but by giving ourselves to a whole new way of living—a life of discipleship. Jesus and his disciples are at Caesarea Philippi. Their ministry to this point has been a stunning success. Crowds are pressing in on them everywhere they go. People eagerly reach out to touch this attractive young teacher from Nazareth. The disciples themselves are caught up in the excitement of it all. Then, at Caesarea Philippi Jesus asks them a serious question, “Who do you say I am?” It is one of the most ...

When a man's willing and eager, God joins in.

Aeschylus

There were always in me, two women at least, one woman desperate and bewildered, who felt she was drowning and another who would leap into a scene, as upon a stage, conceal her true emotions because they were weaknesses, helplessness, despair, and present to the world only a smile, an eagerness, curiosity, enthusiasm, interest.

Anais Nin

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