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 1199 results

Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

1152. Beyond Fairness

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Roy Howard

... stood people dressed as though they need not worry about such things, with cameras focused in expectant hope that one of those men might be arrested and be sent back across the border. They screamed hateful things, their faces distorted by anger and hatred. “You get what you deserve” produces life with a hard edge. It creates an angry people without mercy or compassion. The generosity of the landowner is constantly questioned or rejected. But have you noticed that the perspective of those who come last ...

1153. About Those Magi

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... of realism where love is endangered by hate—joy is threatened by fear—and kindness is overshadowed by evil. In fact, that’s not too different from the world in which we live. We live in a world in which right and wrong—good and evil—love and hatred still do mortal conflict. It’s the reason it is important where we choose to stand. With the haters? With the exploiters? With those who flaunt their bigotry? Or with Christ who was willing to give up his life that all who choose him may have life ...

1154. The Museum of Failed Products

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... , for the first time, he saw pictures of the concentration camps run by the Nazis. His eyes were suddenly opened. He saw undeniable proof of the overwhelming evil of Hitler and the Nazi regime he had been supporting. And, as a result, he experienced terrible shame and self-hatred and depression. Then a visiting chaplain gave the young soldier a Bible, and he read about a God who loves us so much that he sent His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross to take away our sins. In 1947, the young German was invited to ...

1155. You're Never Too Old

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... we can do about them.” (2) It is important for us as Christian people to see that Christian faith is not a static, passive, non-threatening style of life. Jesus was a doer. He was a person who was so outspoken that he aroused envy, bitterness and hatred. If he were a quiet, nice little person sitting in the corner doing no harm, he would never have been crucified. Somehow, though, the Christian faith is seen by many people as a style of life in which we are quiet, submissive people who never venture out ...

1156. What Really Matters

John 3:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... diverse family--Chinese, Japanese, Africans, Indians, Russians, Europeans, North and South Americans. We've inherited this wonderful house, and our task is to learn to live in it together. Isn’t it tragic that the human family has been torn through the ages by so much hatred and violence? And it’s so needless too. If only we realized that we are all children of God. “The Rabbis used to tell a story of the exodus,” says Dr. Fred Craddock. “God was very busy at the time of the exodus,” said the ...

1157. Happiness Full Stop

John 15:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... of her young son depended on her giving concerts for her Nazi captors. Alice and her son did survive the camps and went on to live productive lives. Alice lived to 110 years old. And all those who knew her said that she radiated joy. She never developed a hatred for the Nazi regime that took her family and friends. She spoke often of the beauty of life, and how she was so grateful for every moment she had. (7) The amazing thing about a woman like Alice Herz-Sommer is that her time in the concentration camp ...

1158. The Main Business of the Church

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... the church to forget its number one business, and that is sharing the good news of God with a dying world. Our number one priority is helping God’s children find their way home. Our primary reason for existence is to be lights in a world darkened by fear, hatred, and evil. That is who we are and what we are about. Theologian Karl Barth believed that this is the central task of the church. It grieved him to see the church lose itself in empty piety rather than in proclaiming the Word to the world. He wrote ...

1159. Only Human?

Psalm 8:5-6

Sermon

Will Willimon

... ! We are co-creators, co-workers with God. God's garden is all ours. The whole, wonderful creation exists for our livelihood, cultivation, protection and delight. We are human! Here is a great antidote to the widespread despair, self-doubt, and self-hatred which many humans feel today -- the biblical proclamation that God has created us, little less than God, the very pinnacle of all creation, and given us dominion. We are human! Thanks to W. Sibley Towner of Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia ...

1160. Will the “Real” Jesus Please Stand Up

Mark 3:20-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... ? They may not follow your rules, or your traditions, or your values, or your ideas if they feel they are “judgy.” But they will follow Jesus. Your job, your true calling through this 21st century sea of habit and culture and division and hatred, is find the “real” Jesus. To acknowledge the “real” Jesus. Not the one you invented to fit your own expectations and rules. But the one who challenges your expectations. The one who breaks the rules. When you acknowledge the “real Jesus,”you’ll ...

1161. Desperation to Hope

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... the loving, caring, giving, selves that God created us to be. And when grace removes these barriers, hope springs forth. In “The Mission,” Rodrigo Mendoza received from the Indian leader a forgiving grace that removed the barrier of guilt, shame, and racial hatred and allowed him to become the champion of those whom he had oppressed. In the story of the woman with the hemorrhages, Jesus removed the barriers of ancient taboo, cultural isolation, and oppressive patriarchy, not to mention the barrier of a ...

1162. Christ and the Magic Cloak

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... walk into certain places, whether churches or other sacred places, when you come near to certain people, who spend their lives close to God, you can feel God’s presence in that place, with that person. Likewise, when you walk into a place that is filled with hatred, anger, rebuke, or enviousness, you can feel that too. Each place, each person, is filled with a spirit. And it’s not always the Holy one! So what does it mean to be Christian? It means that you seek to be a place, a culture that is filled ...

1163. Sword of the Spirit

John 6:56-69 · Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to him. Our world still is filled with all kinds of foes and dangers. We need the words of Christ, the Spirit of Christ, the power of Christ among us and within us to withstand the forces that would betray us. Forces of dissension. Forces of hatred. Forces of envy. Forces of anger. Forces of illness and death. Forces of depression. Forces of guilt and shame. Forces of oppression. And there are many more to battle. Your sword of Christ, your armor and shield of faith, will protect you and defend you from ...

1164. Call It Like You See It

Mark 7:24-37

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... excuses. And examine as well what we are saying or doing to perpetuate racial stereotypes or misinformation. Most of us don’t like confrontation. We’d rather just let it go. But we can’t. The Syro-Phoenician woman didn’t respond by spouting hatred at Jesus. She made that clever remark about dog, tables, and children. We too can open a dialogue that is less condemnatory and more conciliatory. Revelation 7:9 gives us a picture of “…a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation ...

1165. A Commitment to Hope

Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The reason for the season? God gave his Son. His salvation lights up my world. His light dispels the sin of legalism, the rejection of antinomianism, the insatiable vices of morality, hatred, racism, injustice, and the fear of Satan, evil and hell! No longer do I have to live in darkness. Every person in the world can come to Jesus. He is the shining light for all of us. Philip Bliss wrote about this in 1875 in his hymn ...

1166. Beneath The Shadow Of The Cross

Mark 14:1--15:47

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . Behind the smile, his eyes were full of the future. He knew the irony of this parade and this show of support. Jesus knew where it would all end. He knew because, while he saw the joy and the hope in the eyes of the people, he also saw the hatred in the eyes of his silent, sullen opponents. So beneath his smile was sorrow and compassion.ú When the folks in the crowds saw Jesus riding on that donkey, some laughed because he was so big and the sight was so comical. But then like a flash, some of them ...

1167. By D Grace of God

Luke 6:27-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... later, Shirley Chisholm was fighting for minimum wage for domestic workers, George Wallace approached his colleagues and advocated for her legislation. It passed. (8) We all like stories with happy endings. But look through the history of humanity and you see a story of hatred, violence, suffering and injustice. It didn’t begin that way. And it doesn’t have to end that way. In Jesus, God invited us into a whole new world—the kingdom of God. How do we create that kingdom here on earth? By following ...

1168. Grace Under Pressure

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... faith journey. But it is when we are unprepared for the dark moments of questions and doubts that we are most likely to reject God’s will for our lives. Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book Temptation, writes, “Satan does not . . . fill us with hatred of God, but forgetfulness of God.” And that forgetfulness of God results in discouragement and regret and alienation from God. Jesus wanted to save us from that kind of pain. So he chose to go through the wilderness himself to show us how to persevere ...

1169. Don't Miss Jesus

Luke 2:41-51

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... if they had seen Jesus. That is our goal…seeking Jesus…finding Jesus! How do I seek God? By seeking calmness and serenity. We live in a chaotic and frightening world full of violence and marred by turmoil and conflict. Almost daily we see the aftermath of hatred, racism, and terror. It would be easy for us to hide from it or to fret over it or be in a constant state of fear. Only God can bring a peaceful, calm, and clear view when everything around us is swirling out of control. The prophet Isaiah ...

1170. “Until An Opportune Time…”

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... Even in the moment that this sermon takes shape we can see this in certain peoples’ refusal to disavow neo-Nazi and racist rants from hate groups under the guise of something like, “there is hate on all sides.” Or worse still is the toleration of genocidal hatred in the name of freedom of speech. This is the attitude that shrugs its shoulders, saying, “If you want to get along you have to go along….” Giving into the temptation to avoid conflict or to wiggle ourselves to a safe distance is wrong ...

1171. What Is Truth?

John 18:1--19:42

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... -giving, authentic human community. We know, even in the darkness of the tomb, that there is truth found in the integrity of human relationships. We know, even in the terror and the torture, that in compassion there is truth. We know that all the yelling and spewing of hatred and bigotry cannot erase the power of self-giving love. We are here tonight to feel the pain of loss, it’s true. But in that pain we reach for one another and claim the truth that is love, the truth that is hope, the truth that is ...

1172. Nobody’s Too Good To Repent

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... .[4] No two ways about it. We need to repent. It’s like the ancient African theologian Clement of Alexandria once said: “For unless a man believes that to which he was addicted to be sin, he will not abandon it...”[5] Repentance is nothing more than a hatred of sin, not liking where we are headed with our selfishness and acquisitiveness. That’s all God wants. And the good news is that we don’t even have to do it. God’s love, God’s grace, does it for us. Pope Benedict XVI spoke profoundly on ...

1173. Jesus In Ministry — Us In Ministry

Luke 4:14-21

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... to the light; ‘tis shining for thee. Sweetly the light has dawned upon me. Once I was blind, but now I can see. The light of the world is Jesus. (in the Public Domain) What a wonderful thought in a world blindly going about its own thing…hatred, strife, envy, destruction, murder, terrorism, and more. On a very personal note, if your world is filled with darkness, the last phrase of that song is for you… “The light of the world is Jesus. ”Come to the light…Come to Jesus! Conclusion If you are ...

1174. Rejecting The Message — Rejecting The Person

Luke 4:21-30

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... things just didn’t fit the ideal Messiah and yet that is exactly the kind of Messiah they received! Today much of the world has a false expectation and understanding of Jesus…of the Messiah…of God. Where is this God who allows war, terrorism, divorce, illness, hatred, and more? If I ask Christ into my life, what realistic expectations should I have of him? Here is a short list. You can add more. I expect that during the rough and tumble times of life he will walk with me giving me encouragement, hope ...

1175. Revolutionary Rules For Living

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... ” (Matthew 23:27 NIV). Remember he went to the cross for those very people! How far will we go for others? Revolutionary principle number 2: be a do-gooder! (Luke 6:27b-28). “Do good” is the principle that revolutionizes culture, society, and individuals. Selfishness, hatred, and evil of every kind seeps through our world. Sin is at the heart of it all. Jesus comes along and says, “Stop sinning. Stop doing evil. Stop the tipsy-topsy world that is no longer balanced and get it right side up…do good ...

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