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 1276 to 1300 of 5000 results

1276. Is There Any Hope?

1 Cor 15:14

Illustration

Staff

... the diver gave them hope, as did the arrival of a sister sub, USS S-8 (SS-113), which used her oscillator to ping a question to the men down below using Morse code. “Is there any [chlorine] gas down there?” “No, but the air is very bad. How long will you be?” came the reply. “How many are you?” “Six. Please hurry.” Late in the afternoon on the 18th, a second diver, Fred Michels, went over the side with a hose that would connect the men aboard S-4 to the world above and bring lifesaving fresh ...

1277. Preparing the Way

Matthew 11:2-11

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... his office and the cleaning lady came in. She was one of those whiny, complaining people you try to be nice to and who make you immediately sorry you tried. He asked her how her recent vacation went and was immediately sorry as she launched into a long story about how she went on a safari in Africa and how everything went wrong. The food, the accommodations, the guide, the weather — it was all terrible — right up to the point where she was taking a picture of a rhinoceros when it turned, stampeded, and ...

1278. The Law of Unintended Consequences

Matthew 5:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... or was He simply warning them of what would happen if they ate the fruit of that tree? I believe it was the latter. Adam and Eve were created to live in a close, fruitful relationship with God and with each other. They were created to live in freedom, so long as they lived under the protection of God’s one law. But Adam and Eve did not trust God enough to honor that relationship. By disobeying the one law given by God, they lost that relationship. Later, God gave the Law to Moses as a way to bring Israel ...

1279. You Are My Beloved

Mark 1:10-11

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... dashboard, twist all the knobs and pump the accelerator, but the motor still wouldn't start. At length he would sigh and say to me, "Honey, the car just won't start until you give me a kiss." So I did, and it did -- and off we went. For a long time I believed there was some kind of scientific connection between kissing and car-starting.9 The warm fuzzies are waiting. A thousand gold stars, too. A kiss, a hug, a word, a deed -- you are my beloved. I appreciate you. I respect you. Amen. 1. Story by Charles ...

1280. Little Ones

Luke 18:15-17, Matthew 19:13-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , right? But it’s true. Sheep will follow their master wherever he or she takes them! That’s why you’ve got to be very careful when you are a shepherd. It’s a really important responsibility, because if you forget the sheep, or you leave them alone too long, or you lose one, or you take them into danger, you will put them all into harm’s way. Sheep are very social animals. And they will stick together no matter what. There’s a story, and this is true, of one sheep who tried to cross a dangerous ...

1281. Rain of Grace

Hosea 6:1--7:16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... us to “earn” grace by works, or to accomplish it by rites or rituals or incantations or even earnest petition. But God only wants to “know” God. To “know” Jesus. To allow Jesus into our hearts to mold and change us, to redeem and love us. “I long to redeem them,” says God. God’s…..judgments go forth like the sun, because God desires mercy, not punishment. God always desires mercy, a lesson we could remember in our own lives. But no matter how upset God is with us, no matter how sad, God ...

1282. Clear to Enter

John 20:1-9, John 20:10-18, John 20:19-23, Matthew 28:1-10, Luke 24:1-12, Hebrews 10:1-18, Hebrews 10:19-39, Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... , the secret doors that led into the Mines of Moria in the realm of the elves. The doors were hidden, sealed shut, and would only open to those who spoke the password! Inscribed upon the doors were the words, “Speak, friend, and enter!” After a long while, one of them understood. The inscription WAS the password. “Friend” was the password. It wasn’t “Speak, friend, and enter!” It was “Speak ‘friend,’ and enter!” They said the word, and entered in. Do you want to know a secret? Jesus is ...

1283. Scroll Bread and Honey

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... to embody. And when you consume them, your spirit will be freed from every toxin it has taken in. You will be made new. May your heart, your mind, your spirit be filled with every good thing today and always. May you be blessed. *See Lawrence Elliott, The Long Hunter: A New Life of Daniel Boone [1976], 203). Based on the Story Lectionary Major Text Mark 1:1-8 Minor Text Those Who Walked with God in the First Covenant (Genesis 5) God’s Plague of Locusts Upon the Egyptians (Exodus 10) God’s Abundance for ...

1284. Caring for the Vineyard We Did Not Plant

Matthew 20:1-16, Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... as the Red Sea. But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time. “‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab ...

1285. Breath of God · COVID-19 and the Resurrection

John 20:10-18, John 20:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... made good on many lives. This brutal virus makes us feel that we are locked up in a dark tomb for an impossibly long duration, as though the darkness of “Good Friday” might go on forever with little hope in sight. And yet all around us, we ... sixth) brought humans (adama) up from the dust (2:7), Isaiah says, “My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.” (Isaiah 26:9). “But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for ...

1286. How Do We Forgive?

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... for forgiveness over a lifetime. And yet we may carry in our hearts grievances toward others that we should have let go of long ago. We let go of these grievances, the pain and resentment of betrayal, first of all, by recognizing that we ourselves have been ... to meet him?” Mrs. Washington, did, in fact, want to meet Ron Flowers—a person she had come to hate. Not long after her daughter’s murder, Mrs. Washington’s husband and son also died. Though a devout Christian, Mrs. Washington was clearly bitter ...

1287. Rule of Love

Matthew 22:34-46

Sermon

Albert G. Butzer III

... want to talk about today, not so much about homosexuality but about the Bible and how we make sense of it in the midst of this modern world in which God has put us. As is true of most Christian churches, the Presbyterian Church has had a long colorful history trying to make sense of the Bible and then interpret and apply it to life. Admittedly, this has been a source of tension within the denomination. In 1976, some thoughtful Presbyterians formed a task force to seek answers to a vexing question: “Why do ...

1288. The Judge of the Living and the Dead

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Albert G. Butzer III

... life there is no hope, in this life there is no glory. I say the pulpit should stand for wings, not angel wings or eagle wings or any other wings you’ve ever seen, but wings of the Holy Spirit that lift hearts and minds to high places.3 As long as I am privileged to serve as your minister, I hope that this pulpit will always stand for that — not a pointing, damning finger, but the wings of the Holy Spirit that lift hearts and minds to high places. And yet… having just said all of that, I still feel ...

1289. I Have Seen the Lord

John 20:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... following Jesus’ crucifixion were the longest nights that those who loved him would ever endure. Perhaps you have gone through your own long night. The words of a doctor, “I’m sorry, it’s malignant. There is nothing we can do.” A phone call in ... it. As Christ was resurrected from the grave, so may you and I experience new life through him. That is the gift he longs to give each of us. It is the opportunity to experience victorious living here and now. Comedian and talk show host Stephen Colbert ...

1290. Freedom

Acts 16:16-40

Sermon

Will Willimon

... work for "X" chemical company (you know the company Dad, the one that made napalm back in Viet Nam days) and I'm going to get to grow food to feed hungry people." And the girl's owners say to the judge, "We're not against a little religion -- as long as it is kept in its place. But these Jews are disturbing our city. They advocate customs which it is not lawful for us Romans to accept or practice." No, we don't come right out and say that our financial self-interest is threatened, we say that our nation ...

1291. Now

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

Will Willimon

... a leaf, our iniquities take us away. There is no one that calls upon thy name," laments Isaiah. Why? "For thou hast hid thy face from us." Absence produces faithlessness. When the master goes on a journey, there is a test, which we often flunk. Come, thou long expected Jesus. It is a story, today's parable of the absentee landlord, of absence, of the dry places when there is no one either to stand beside us or to look over our shoulders. It is in these great gaps, these times of absence, that the trouble ...

1292. The Main Business of the Church

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... heard a humorous story recently about an Episcopal priest whose wife was in the hospital for minor surgery. He decided to stop to see her as one of his regular hospital visits. There he stood chatting with her in his clerical collar. Then, he gave her a long passionate kiss and left the room. The lady in the next bed stared in disbelief, then said to the wife, “You know I’ve been a faithful Methodist all my life, but my pastor doesn’t treat me like that at all.” Such little misunderstandings in life ...

1293. It's No Fun to Move

Ruth 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... is what the cross is all about. It is about a love that never quits, never gives up, never fails. It is agape love—sacrificial love from the heart of God. It’s not, “I love you for what you can do for me,” or “I’ll love you as long as it is convenient.” It’s “I’ll love you no matter what. I’ll always be there for you.” Dr. David Wilhelm shares a story of sacrificial love he witnessed in the lives of two of his elderly patients, Fred and Ruby. Ruby had advanced Alzheimer’s, and she ...

1294. Seeking Jesus

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... . But far better would it be if we settled the vital issues of life before a time of crisis. That brings us to the final thing to be said. Where, then shall we find God? Most of us find him just where Mary and Joseph found him long ago—in his Father’s house. Here in the community of faith is where most people find God. Many years ago, a woman named Michelle Stewart shared the story of her spiritual journey with Guideposts magazine. She and her husband, Michael, had been high school sweethearts. After ...

1295. It's A Wonderment

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... common is that just like Peter we don't want them to end. We want to stay and live and relive the moment for as long as possible. When we have a mountain top experience we're like children who want every day to be Christmas. We don't want it ... back. Nine months earlier, Landon's friend Luke had died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage. Landon's grief was deep, unreachable. His mother longed to ease his pain, though she could do nothing except hold him when he wept. She thought, maybe writing a letter was a good ...

1296. A Deserted Place

Mark 1:29-39

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... spirits. All of that while preaching and teaching the crowds and trying to teach the disciples what it meant to be a disciple. As a consequence, His fame spread everywhere, the quiet, domestic scene at Simon Peter's house in Capernaum was transformed into another long night. Barely before supper was over, word had spread throughout town that Jesus was there and had the power to heal. Without even thinking about it, Jesus saw that Peter's mother was sick with fever. He walked over, took her hand and as she ...

1297. Sustaining Faith

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... his disciples and says in a low voice): “Watch out for the ‘legal experts.’ They like to walk around in long robes. They want to be greeted with honor in the markets. They long for places of honor in the synagogues and at banquets. But THEY are the ones who cheat widows out of their ... homes, and then to show off they say long prayers. They will be judged most harshly!” (Jesus then motions to his disciples to follow him, and he sits down ...

1298. It's a Wonderment

Mark 9:2-9

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

1299. Mountaintop Moments

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... most treasured things for last. At the family meal, we’ll eat the peas and the brussel sprouts first, all so we can savor that caramel mousse at the end of the meal. That’s the flavor we want to remain in our minds and on our tongues long after the meal has ended. We spend time with our loved ones. But the last moments before we part are by far the best and most emotional for us. We linger before saying good-bye, treasuring those moments in our memories. That last touch. That favorite piece of chocolate ...

1300. Family Reunion

Genesis 29:15-28

Sermon

Will Willimon

... so strange and foreign at first, then, before it's over, it starts to sound close to home, maybe too close to home for comfort. The old story from Genesis thus becomes for us a reunion, a family reunion in which we are joined across the ages with our long lost family, the family we would just as soon forget, the human, all-too-human family. And through it all, God. God doesn't appear in this story. Never appears on the scene to settle the squabbles or referee in the arguments, or make it all turn out right ...

Showing results