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 1401 to 1425 of 1838 results
1401. A Weapon of Love
John 1:43-51
Illustration
Joel D. Kline
... peace. With Martin Luther King, and with Jesus before him, we need to announce with integrity, "The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind. It is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than on love. It destroys community…Violence ends by defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers."
Sermon
King Duncan
... his wife and his sons and how they needed him. He thought of his responsibility to get the mail through. And he survived, although his hands and feet were so badly frozen that they had to be amputated. When Saint Exupery described his friend’s bitter experience and his superhuman struggle to survive, he summed it all up in one sentence: “To be a [human being] is, precisely, to be responsible.” (3) There it is: a crucial theological statement a statement so critical to our understanding of life that it ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... was one of only a half a dozen survivors clinging to twisted wreckage bobbing in the icy Potomac when they arrived. Life vests were dropped, then a flotation ball. Williams repeatedly spurned the safety line and passed it on to the five others floating in the bitterly cold water. One by one they were taken away to safety. By the time the helicopter crew could return for Williams, however, both he and the plane’s tail section had disappeared beneath the icy surface. He had been in the water for twenty-nine ...
1404. We Are Dying All the Time
John 12:20-33
Illustration
Todd Weir
... more at stake than heaven in these words.) Our failure to let go and let some things die is a primary spiritual disease, for new life can't come without some death. The failure to forgive leads to death of relationship while anger and bitterness ravage the spirit like a cancer. Holding on to regrets strangles hope before it can lift us to new life. Trying to control events and other people leads to frustration, excessive stress, and exhaustion. Forgiveness and letting go of control are spiritual exercises ...
1405. Laws of Probability
Humor Illustration
... leave their seats several times to go for food, beer, or the toilet and who leave early before the end of the performance or the game is over. The folks in the aisle seats come early, never move once, have long gangly legs or big bellies and stay to the bitter end of the performance. The aisle people also are very surly folk. The Coffee Law - As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold. Murphy's Law of Lockers - If there ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... you were lowest in a pecking order. Maybe your head hit the platter as a sacrifice for some supposed “greater good,” even though decapitation had no possible positives for you. But even as we all get to feel that bite of steel on our necks — to experience the bitterness of betrayal at the hands of those who claimed to know and admire us the most it is also true that we all wield our own blade against those we call friends and family. We will all face betrayal at some point in our lives. Tell me your ...
1407. Ephesians 4:25-5:2
Ephesians 4:17--5:21
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... and felt within the community. A good word becomes a gracious word — a conveyor of God’s grace to the world. The speech to avoid is detailed in v.31. The speech to share is offered in v.32. “Trash talking” — bitterness, wrath, anger, wrangling, slander, malice — are actions and attitudes which would “grieve the Holy Spirit,” activities that would disrupt and disassemble the cohesive community the Holy Spirit has made possible. The words and witness called for from this community is “kind ...
Sermon
Cynthia Cowen
... walk through life de­pending upon God. Encountering Jesus does make a difference in the listing of our priorities. The wise men sought a king and a spiritual leader and a Sav­ior. They, too, knew death's dark shadow. They presented to Jesus the gift of myrrh, the bitter perfume that covered up the stench of death. We, too, as wise people, in the face of our own mortality, search for a Savior, one who would free us from the bondage of sin and death. We find in Jesus the one who makes the difference. For it ...
1409. You Are Here
John 18:1—19:42
Sermon
Frank Ramirez
... world that we are far too familiar with those who have shed their blood ... for noble and ignoble causes. The media has been reminding us of the bloody sacrifice that thousands of our soldiers have made in the war in Iraq. Our country is still bitterly divided over whether that sacrifice has been worth it or not. The last two summers I have had the privilege of visiting two of our national cemeteries: Jefferson Barracks on the shore of the Mississippi south of St. Louis and Arlington Cemetery on the shore ...
Sermon
Frank Ramirez
... It maintained that pouring or sprinkling was the proper mode of baptism. The Dunkers encouraged the Elder John Kline to reply. He published a sixteen-page pamphlet called A Defense of Baptism, which championed trine immersion. Debate became heated and even bitter. Funk replied in 1857 with a work called The Reviewer Reviewed, which was also over 300 pages long. Kline responded with the 74 page Strictures and Reply the following year. Funk wrote another even longer book, dripping with acid, which thankfully ...
1411. Stuff!
Luke 12:13-21
Sermon
... each week and one day hit the big one. I've never seen it fail that there was at least one person who bought into the pool every single week except that one. Friends who once dreamed their water cooler dreams become, the day of the big drawing, bitter enemies as one of their own threatens to sue because the group should have known that they would have paid their share of the ticket. Those fights aren't pretty. Yes, greed like that I understand, sadly, because I've seen more examples of it than ones like ...
1412. Is It True?
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
Sermon
David E. Leininger
... 's play Lazarus Laughed[1] we find not only the biblical story of Jesus' restoring his friend to life after four days in the tomb but the playwright's creative imagining of his subsequent years. O'Neill has Lazarus coming out of his grave laughing — not a scornful, bitter kind of laughter, but a soft, tender, all-embracing sort of sound that seems to well up from a deep, deep joy. There is a radiance about him that makes him look younger than when he died. He has a peace and serenity about him that is ...
1413. Baptism of Our Lord
Psalm 29:1-11, Isaiah 43:1-7, Luke 3:1-20, Acts 8:14-17
Bulletin Aid
Julia Ross Strope
... and sin; now is the moment to receive fresh direction for your days and nights. Let’s pray in unison and then make our personal commitments to God. Community Confession (Unison) Living God — disappointments and betrayals clutter our minds. Nasty words and bitterness hamper our relationships. Belligerent attitudes get in the way of your guidance. We regret all these thoughts and behaviors and we pray for freedom from guilt and shame. As this new year matures, transform us to live fully aware of your ...
1414. Good Gossip
James 3:1-12
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... argument he offers three examples from nature that clearly demonstrate his point — that a negative cannot produce a positive. Whatever the true nature of a person, place, or thing, will be reflected in its effects. *One spring cannot bubble forth both fresh and “bitter” or brackish water. *One plant cannot produce the fruit of the fig, and of the olive. *A sea of salt water does not suddenly produce fresh, potable drink. In sum, the Spirit that transforms individuals into a community of faith is holy ...
1415. James 3:1-12
James 3:1-12
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... argument he offers three examples from nature that clearly demonstrate his point — that a negative cannot produce a positive. Whatever the true nature of a person, place, or thing, will be reflected in its effects. *One spring cannot bubble forth both fresh and “bitter” or brackish water. *One plant cannot produce the fruit of the fig, and of the olive. *A sea of salt water does not suddenly produce fresh, potable drink. In sum, the Spirit that transforms individuals into a community of faith is holy ...
1416. Epiphany 3
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10, Psalm 19:1-14, Luke 4:14-21, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
Bulletin Aid
Julia Ross Strope
... reveals God’s creativity and orderliness. Let us take time to reflect on our souls and minds, so we learn about ourselves. Join me in the Community Confession. Community Confession Living God — disappointments and betrayals clutter our minds. Nasty words and bitterness hamper our relationships. Belligerent attitudes get in the way of your guidance. We regret these thoughts and behaviors and we pray for freedom from guilt and shame. As this new year matures, transform us to live generously with the gifts ...
1417. Epiphany 4
Psalm 71:1-6, Jeremiah 1:4-10, Luke 4:21-30, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Bulletin Aid
Julia Ross Strope
... When we take time to reflect on our souls and minds, we learn about ourselves. Pray the printed prayer with me, then you and God have a private conversation. Community Confession Living God — disappointments and betrayals clutter our minds. Nasty words and bitterness hamper our relationships. Belligerent attitudes get in the way of your guidance. We regret all these thoughts and behaviors and we pray for freedom from guilt and shame. As this new year matures, transform us to live generously with the gifts ...
1418. Epiphany 5
Psalm 138:1-8, Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), Luke 5:1-11, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Bulletin Aid
Julia Ross Strope
... been. In these few moments, we can reflect on who we are and where we are going. Pray with me and then carry on your conversation with God. Community Confession God of Today — disappointments and betrayals clutter our minds. Nasty words and bitterness hamper our relationships. Belligerent attitudes get in the way of your grace. Injustice and prejudices cloud our national priorities. We regret these thoughts and behaviors; free us from guilt and shame. Transform us individually and as a nation so our words ...
1419. Epiphany 6
Psalm 1:1-6, Jeremiah 17:5-10, Luke 6:17-26, 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Bulletin Aid
Julia Ross Strope
... and sin. Now is the moment to receive fresh direction for your days and nights. Let’s pray in unison and then make our personal commitments to God. Community Confession Living God — disappointments and betrayals clutter our minds. Nasty words and bitterness hamper our relationships. Belligerent attitudes get in the way of your guidance. We regret these thoughts and behaviors and pray for freedom from guilt. As this year matures, transform us to live fully aware of your indwelling love. Amen. Sermon Idea ...
1420. Maundy Thursday
Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14, Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19, John 13:1-17, 31b-35, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Bulletin Aid
Julia Ross Strope
... eldest children dead and the brickyards with out any workers. The Hebrews explained their freedom by saying, “God’s messenger passed over our homes and set us free.” Each year, the Jews tell this Passover story with words, music, and foods — bitter and sweet! Christian Story (A scene from Jesus of Montreal, Jesus Christ Superstar, or Godspell might suffice for this part of the evening. Also, a precocious teen might enjoy making comparisons of Harry Potter images with Christian images of good and ...
1421. Christmas Eve
Psalm 96:1-13, Isaiah 9:2-7, Luke 2:1-7, Titus 2:11-14
Bulletin Aid
Julia Ross Strope
... but set down This set down This: 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.... — T. S. Eliot, “The Journey of the Magi” Printed in Watch for the Light, Plough Publishing House, 2001 Carol Silver Bells Available ...
1422. A Bloody Sacrifice
Hebrews 10:16-25
Sermon
Steven E. Albertin
... world that we are far too familiar with those who have shed their blood ... for noble and ignoble causes. The media has been reminding us of the bloody sacrifice that thousands of our soldiers have made in the war in Iraq. Our country is still bitterly divided over whether that sacrifice has been worth it or not. The last two summers I have had the privilege of visiting two of our national cemeteries: Jefferson Barracks on the shore of the Mississippi south of St. Louis and Arlington Cemetery on the shore ...
1423. Sing Praise
Colossians 1:15-23
Sermon
April Yamasaki
... the man who shot and killed their children, they attended his funeral, and even contributed to a fund set up for his family. They did not condone what had happened, but at the same time they refused to compound the tragedy by seeking revenge or becoming bitter. Instead, they lived out the reconciliation they had already received from God and had prayed so often in the Lord's Prayer: "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matthew 6:12). We Live Out God's Reconciliation As We Care ...
Sermon
Charles L. Aaron
... letter about the importance of using the terms "brother" and "sister" in the church. In every mainline denomination, the arguments continue to rage over social and theological issues. These arguments over doctrine, human sexuality, reproductive policy, and other issues, cause much bitterness. How can we hear this call to love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ? Being a brother to Onesimus pushed Philemon to places he didn't want to go. For us, listening to people with whom we strenuously disagree ...
Sermon
Charles L. Aaron
... at peace within ourselves, how are we to blame? If we deny our part, we can never feel the cleansing, the release, or the joy of being forgiven. We can never move past where we are. We can never feel reconnected to God. We can never sop up the bitterness of our broken relationships. If we do not confess our sins, if we continue to deny them, we may dupe ourselves into thinking we have gotten away with them. Eventually, though, our sins leak out. Our well-guarded secret is put on display for the world to see ...
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