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 1351 to 1375 of 1838 results

1351. Remember: No Deposit, No Return

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. [30] And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. [31] Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, [32] and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. [5:1] Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, [2] and live in love, as Christ ...

1352. If You Just Hold Up Your Head

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

Staff

In a Peanut's cartoon Lucy encourages Charlie Brown: "Look at it this way, Charlie Brown," she consoles. "These are your bitter days. These are the days of your hardship and struggle ..." The next frame goes on: "... but if you just hold your head up high and keep on fighting, you'll triumph!" "Gee, do you really think so, Lucy?" Charlie asks. As she walks away Lucy says: "Frankly, no!" Hope is ...

1353. The Man in the Middle

Luke 23:26-43

Illustration

Jerry Goebel

... sin, absent of judgment and spite? Finally, what can I do to make sure that my last words ask for forgiveness and love and not be demanding words of spite and condemnation? Two men, meters apart, with Jesus in the middle. One received salvation on that day; one continued in bitterness for eternity. And Jesus is still in the middle.

1354. Epiphany 7, Ordinary Time 7

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18, Psalm 119:33-40, Matthew 5:38-42, 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23

Bulletin Aid

Amy C. Schifrin

... : Most holy God, All: you call us to a life of holiness. We confess to you our theft of your good gifts of the land, our hoarding, which leaves little for our neighbors, our slander of others, our hatred of those whom we have named as enemies, and the bitterness of our hearts that comes from such sin. We pray for you to restore us so, that we may live the life that you intended for us. Leader: God, our heavenly Father, hears the prayers of his children and through his son, Jesus Christ, he fills us with his ...

1355. Passion Palm Sunday (Lent 6)

Psalm 31:9-16, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Matthew 26:14-16, Philippians 2:5-11

Bulletin Aid

Amy C. Schifrin

... transform us, your Spirit renew us, and your mercy open our hearts, that your song of praise would know no end. All: Amen. Reading Of The Passion (Congregation sings verse 1 of “Glory Be To Jesus,” LBW 95) Leader: Glory be to Jesus, Who, in bitter pains, Poured for me the lifeblood From his sacred veins. Matthew 26:14-35 All: Grace and life eternal In that blood I find; Blest be his compassion, Infinitely kind. Leader: Matthew 26:36-71 All: Blest through endless ages Be the precious stream, Which from ...

1356. It Takes Time for Truth to be Accepted

Matthew 11:1-19

Illustration

... the Civil War ended, the 13th amendment outlawing slavery was ratified and became of the law of the land. But that didn't mean every state approved the ratification of the amendment. Mississippi's state legislature, for example, was dominated by whites bitter over the defeat of the Confederacy, and they rejected the measure. 130 years passed before Mississippi took action. By 1995 Mississippi was the only state in the Union that had not approved the ratification of the 13th amendment. Finally, on Thursday ...

1357. Adopted! Thank God!

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... and sixth graders to stop and start at will at street crossings. However, he says, he also bore, with the other patrol members, the stigma of being part of “the establishment.” At recess they were often teased and avoided. Being chosen, again, had its bitter side. Later, as a member of his high school football team, he dreamed of someday being chosen for the starting lineup. The day finally came when the coach read off the names of the starting team and said, “Larson, right tackle.” This was his ...

1358. Love Lifted Me

Psalm 40:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... somehow gotten herself into a bad situation. I run into people all the time who are really good people, but somehow they’ve missed the true meaning of life. And because of this, they lack joy, they lack purpose. They may even be filled with feelings of anger and bitterness. They don’t know why. Yet it’s affecting their sense of well being. It’s affecting their faith. Like the psalmist, they are in the slimy pit. So what do you do when you find yourself in a slimy pit? The best thing we can do is to ...

1359. A Change in Posture

John 1:29-42

Illustration

King Duncan

... and head of the sculpture began to drop. The majestic Christ with arms lifted up and head thrown back was transformed into a Christ with head bent forward and arms stretched downward as if in a pose of gentle invitation. At first Thorvaldsen was bitterly disappointed. As he studied the transformed sculpture, however, he came to see a dimension of Christ that had not been real to him before. It was the Christ who is a gently, merciful Savior. Thorvaldsen inscribed on the base of the completed statue, "Come ...

1360. Was There No Other Way?

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

King Duncan

... , ‘Is this a price I really want to pay? Is this a price I can afford to pay?’” (6) Sin took God’s only Son and crushed his body. Jesus was only 33 when he died upon Calvary. Think of that . . . 33 a very young man! Falsely accused, bitterly reviled and yet guilty of no wrong. A healer and helper, a lover of little children, a liberator of people imprisoned by their own sin and guilt, a man who knew God intimately enough to address him as “Abba,” Daddy, and yet never lost his concern for the ...

1361. Were These Not Warnings?

Matthew 24:1-35

Illustration

James Kegel

... a bargain with the Grim Reaper that death would give him clear, repeated notices before he would come. One day, however, unannounced and altogether unexpectedly, the Destroyer appeared to demand his life. "How could you break your pledge?" the man protested bitterly. "You sent me no warnings." Slowly the skeletal figure replied, "But how about your failing eyesight, your dimmed sense of hearing, your gray and thinning hair, your lost teeth, your furrowed face, your bent body, your dwindling powers, and your ...

1362. Send Her Away!

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... a rascal’ with a smile and a tone which takes all the sting out of it and which fills it with affection. We can be quite sure that the smile on Jesus’ face and the compassion in his eyes,” says Barclay, “robbed the words of all insult and bitterness.” Maybe so. Or maybe he was just absentmindedly citing a common saying of the time. “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Or maybe, just maybe, this story was included as a reminder of how pervasive prejudice is ...

1363. He Descended Into Hell

1 Peter 3:18-22

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... , isn't it? In years past, yes — between 1882 and 1968, we know of 4,752 people who were lynched. Most of them were black and most were killed in the South. It was a vile chapter in American history.[2] For John William King, no doubt it was bitterly ironic that the foreman of the jury that convicted him was a black man, the only African American on the panel with eleven whites. The jury finally decided that this world did not need the likes of Mr. King, and sentenced him to death. Some comfort for James ...

1364. Sermons In Stones

Psalm 19:1-14

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... know. Or in the towering trees or fragrant flora or starry nights. Words of Joyce Rupp come to mind. Listen: One winter morning, I awake to see the magnificent lines of frost stretching across my windowpanes. They seemed to rise with the sunshine and the bitter cold outside. They looked like little miracles that had been formed in the dark of night. I watched them in sheer amazement, and marveled that such beautiful forms could be born during such a winter-cold night. Yet, as I pondered them, I thought of ...

1365. Grand Opening

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... poem, "The Journey of the Magi" reminds us of this fact: ... were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a birth certainly, We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation.3 We, too, — as much as the good news of Christmas has caught on for us — arrive at the Epiphany, no longer at ease ...

1366. Looking for Jesus?

John 20:1-18

Sermon

John Smylie

... thought someone had come in the night and stolen the body of Jesus. We can only imagine the depth of horror and grief she must have felt when she discovered the body was gone and the gospel text tells us that she was weeping. One can easily imagine the bitter tears that must have been streaming down her face. It was bad enough that Jesus died a slow, painful, and terrible death, but now this, it was too much, too overwhelming, and Mary didn't know what to do. She had come looking for the dead Jesus to show ...

1367. Speaking Peace

John 20:19-31

Sermon

John Smylie

... we lock other people out of our lives at times? Whenever there is someone we've refused to forgive, we lock them out and in refusing to forgive we lock up a part of ourselves as well. What if Jesus had locked the disciples from him because of his bitterness at their betrayal — if that was the case he would not be the Jesus we know and love. Jesus forgives the disciples, he comes to them in their betrayal, and he finds them and unlocks the doors of their hearts and their lives. Sometimes we may lock out a ...

1368. The Unsilenced Voice

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... people and a symbol of freedom and justice around the world. The story of the beheading of John makes it crystal clear that God's work is risky. When you do it, don't expect accolades or success. When you speak the truth to the powerful there may be a bitter price to be paid. But, no matter what may happen, God's plan cannot be stopped. Barbara Brown Taylor tells the story of a teacher who was fired from his job six months short of his retirement after 25 years. It was a nasty piece of work on the part ...

1369. Reconciliation Day

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... years ago, we got into an argument, I got mad, and we separated. Then we did a stupid thing and got a divorce. I guess we were both too proud to apologize. Well, all these years we’ve lived alone, and now we see how foolish we’ve been. Our bitterness has robbed us of the joys of life, and now we want to remarry and see if the Lord won’t give us a few years of happiness before we die.” (6) That sometimes happens to a couple, doesn’t it? Somebody does something dumb, or says something dumb, then ...

1370. I Looked in Your Eyes

Illustration

Keith Wagner

There is a legend that says many years ago an old man stood on a Virginia riverbank. He was waiting to cross the river and, since it was bitterly cold and there were no bridges, he would have to catch a ride to the other side. After a lengthy wait he spotted a group of horsemen approaching. He let the first one pass, then the second, third, fourth and fifth. One rider remained. As he drew abreast, the old ...

1371. Reconciliation: The Heart of Love

Hosea 2:14-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... Saint John's gospel. We recall in the early morning hours of Good Friday Peter fulfilled the prophecy that Jesus had articulated at the Last Supper only a few hours earlier. After denying the Lord three times he was devastated and wept bitterly (Luke 22:62). He realized he'd betrayed his best friend. After the resurrection, Jesus allowed his chosen chief disciple to redeem his earlier denials for three affirmations of love. John wrote, "When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon ...

1372. Thanks for the Memories!

Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... was born; a nation was born; a promise and a pact with the God of Moses accompanied them to the promised land. It began on that fateful night that would be called to mind in the countless homes of families gathered around roasted lamb and bitter herbs. In the following centuries, once a year on Passover evening, the youngest member of the family would ask, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" The adults conducting the proceedings of the evening would answer, "This is the sacrifice of the ...

1373. Getting Through the Grief

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... public good above any personal animosity he'd had toward Saul. Here we have a foreshadowing of Jesus' "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44), and Paul's admonition to "overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). Purged of any bitterness or malice, David delivers his eulogy for Saul and Jonathan with what appears as true grief for both of them. But, I think there is something more going on here. David is more than just a good politician. David is filled with the Spirit of the ...

1374. From Emptiness to Fullness

Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... ; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die — there will I be buried" (Ruth 1:16, 17a). With that, Naomi relents. When they get to Judah, to the town of Bethlehem, Naomi recognizes the bitterness of their situation. She says, "I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty" (Ruth 1:21). In the face of this emptiness, Ruth sets out to keep the two of them alive by gleaning in the fields behind the reapers. It was a custom during ...

1375. Do Not Forget Your Servant

1 Samuel 1:4-20

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... 1 Samuel 1:8). It was their custom to go regularly to the temple at Shiloh, which was the sacred place for the tribal confederacy. They would offer sacrifice there, then share the leftovers from the sacrifice, as was customary. Hannah was too distressed to eat, but wept bitterly and prayed to the Lord, making a vow: "O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as ...

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