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 2173 results
1401. Proper 17
Psalm 81:1-16, Jeremiah 2:4-13, Luke 14:1-14, Hebrews 13:1-25
Bulletin Aid
B. David Hostetter
READINGS Psalter—Psalm 81:1, 10-16 First Lesson—The prophet scolds the people for making two sinful choices. Jeremiah 2:4-13 Second Lesson—The letter to the Hebrews ends with miscellaneous moral and spiritual admonitions. Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 Gospel—Jesus teaches that humility is better than humiliation. Luke 14:1, 7-14 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: Sing the praises of God; raise a psalm to the hallowed name. People: We will ...
1402. The Climb
Joshua 14:6-15
Sermon
James Merritt
A Ph.D. - a Doctor of Philosophy degree is the highest degree awarded in academics. Three to four years of seminars, literacy required in three to five different languages, and three years of continuous research on a dissertation that must be totally original in its subject, meaning that no one has ever written on it before. This dissertation must then be presented in written form and passed by three professors with three different fields of expertise all of which you must study and include in your ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
A woman had a weakness for beautiful clothes. She was unable to resist the temptation…to the point of outrageous, extravagant spending. She and her husband had worked on it, and he thought she was doing better. Every time she was drawn to a clothing boutique or a display in a department store window, she would talk to herself, “Don’t do it…don’t do it…remember how much you owe…you don’t need it…you’ve worn the last dress only once…you owe a fortune still…remember how John feels about it…don’t do it…get the ...
1404. Hope Lifted Up
Numbers 21:4-9
Sermon
Ken Lentz
It was a mystery. Hezekiah, the twelfth king of Judah, the father of Manasseh, asked around about the mysterious bronze snake, named Nehushtan, on display in a corner of the temple. Encouraged by the prophet Micah, Hezekiah wanted to restore and strengthen the monotheistic religion of his forefathers. The veneration of such a "graven image" was inconsistent with the worship of the one God, the God of Abraham and Moses. No one knew the origin of the thing. Hezekiah didn't research the matter. He ordered ...
1405. All in God’s Time
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
Sermon
Steven E. Albertin
"Why do bad things happen to good people?" is the way we say it today. That surely must have been a question on the hearts and minds of those first-century Christians as they suffered under the brutal persecution of the Roman empire. It is a question that surely was on the hearts and minds to whom John had written this extraordinary piece of literature we call the book of Revelation. Many of them were convinced that they were innocent and righteous sufferers sent to their deaths in the coliseum because ...
1406. But First...
Luke 9:57-62
Sermon
King Duncan
A lady was taking her time browsing through everything at a yard sale. In a conversation with the homeowner she said, “My husband is going to be very angry when he finds out I stopped at a yard sale.” “I’m sure he’ll understand when you tell him about all the bargains,” the homeowner replied. “Normally, yes,” the lady said. “But he just broke his leg, and he’s waiting for me to take him to the hospital to have it set.” (1) Some things in life cannot be delayed. But we do delay them. Not for any sinister ...
Sermon
King Duncan
I guess everyone has his or her own concept of what is important in life. There’s a tombstone in Wisconsin that leaves no doubt about the priority of the person who lies in that particular grave. Under a certain man’s name and the dates of his birth and death is carved this inscription: “Bowled 300 in 1982.” Well, that was what was important to this man. He once bowled 300 and he wanted the world to know it. Some of you bowlers can relate to that. A woman was taking her time browsing through a yard sale. ...
1408. A Lost Boy
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
Sermon
King Duncan
(Growing Strong in the Season of Lent, Lent 4) A father tells of putting his 4-year-old daughter to bed one evening. He read her the story of the Prodigal Son. They discussed how the younger son had taken his inheritance and left home, living it up until he had nothing left. Finally, when he couldn’t even eat as well as the pigs, he went home to his father, who welcomed him. When they finished the story, the Dad asked his daughter what she had learned. After thinking a moment, she quipped, “Never leave ...
1409. Curses for Obedience
Deuteronomy 28:15-68
Understanding Series
Christopher J. H. Wright
Blessings and Curses: It is not hard to understand why this is perhaps the most difficult chapter in Deuteronomy for a modern reader to cope with. And yet the fact is that in its ancient context this list of blessings and the even longer list of curses would have been expected at this point. Deuteronomy is structurally modeled on the secular treaty format, and a consistent feature of those treaties is the section of blessings and curses that follows the detailed stipulations of the treaty in order to give ...
1410. Does Easter Really Matter?
Mark 16:1-8, John 20:1-9
Sermon
King Duncan
James Moore tells a humorous story about a woman named Carol who was the organist at her church. She was an outstanding musician, but she did something no organist should ever do. She overslept on Easter morning and missed the sunrise service. Obviously, she was embarrassed. Of course, the minister and the church forgave her. They teased her about it a little, but it was done lovingly and in good fun. However, the next Easter her phone rang at 5:00 in the morning. Jolted awake by the loud ringing, she ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Writer Dan Miller in his book Wisdom Meets Passion tells of growing up in a conservative, rural family in Ohio. With no radio or TV in the house, Dan found his information in books. Consequently, he became an avid reader. However, when he was about twelve years old, something happened that would change his life dramatically. He was introduced to a phonograph recording [some of you will remember those] by a noted motivational speaker of the time named Earl Nightingale. The record was titled The Strangest ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Webb Garrison tells us about a common ruse among con artists in Ireland many years ago. These con artists would place a ring which looked expensive, but was in effect virtually worthless, in a public place where someone was sure to find it. This ring in the Irish dialect was called a “fawney.” Sure enough, sooner or later someone would come along and discover the ring thinking they had found something quite valuable. Invariably this person would look around fearing that the real owner might see their find ...
1413. Beautiful
John 20:10-18, Song of Songs 4:1-16
Sermon
Lori Wagner
“Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign [that] shall not be cut off.” (Isaiah 55:13) God created you beautiful. God created you to bloom with kindness, to be myrtle-white pure of heart. God created you to love with the fragrance of patience and grace, to be hardy and loyal even when the road is rocky, and to wait for the promises of God. If any of you have planted a garden or ...
Sermon
King Duncan
This week marks the point in the year when most of us have wrapped up our summer vacation plans, and we’re getting back to our normal routines of work. Let’s all share a collective sigh as we say goodbye to summer vacation. I don’t know how much planning you put into your vacation. Some people like to go to the same places every year. Some people like to pack up and head out for a weekend, just to clear their heads. And some people spend hours, even weeks, obsessing over the perfect trip. But we all share ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Let me ask you a question: if you could be granted a peek into your future, would you take it? Let’s say you were granted the opportunity to just take a quick peek at your life five or ten or twenty years from now—would you do it? Would you want to know? I thought about that question when I read about some coffee houses in Shanghai, China, called Mo Mi Cafes. In some ways the Mo Mi Cafes are like any other cafes. You can buy specialty coffee or tea at the Mo Mi Cafe. You can hang out and read books. Or ...
1416. Patience
Matthew 11:2-11 · James 5:7-10
Sermon
Will Willimon
"Be patient, therefore,...until the coming of the Lord." I begin this Third Sunday in Advent here in the Chapel preaching on the necessity for Christian patience. Advent is the Christian season of waiting and expectancy. Therefore it is also a season of patience, because what we really need in life can't be ours merely by wanting it. It must come as a gift from God, in God's own good time. Patience is needed. I will end today in the Chapel celebrating a wedding of a couple who waited until they were past ...
Sermon
Lori Wagner
Are you a glass half full person or a glass half empty person? Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Do you look at your life and the world with resignation and see hopeless problems everywhere you look? Or do you look at your life and the world with rose colored glasses, refusing to acknowledge any problems at all, so that you can maintain your feelings of contentment and happiness? Whether we resign ourselves to the situations we find ourselves in or spend the bulk of our time “managing” life –both still ...
Sermon
Roger G. Talbott
I wish Matthew, Mark and John had consulted me before they wrote their gospels. If they had only sent me their rough drafts, I could have put a big red "X" through this story about Jesus walking on the water. (Luke apparently had a good editor. He didn't include this story.) I would have written a note in the margin stating that I think it would be best not to include this story because it would cause two kinds of reactions in the twentieth century: some people would laugh at it, and others would take it ...
1419. Ash Wednesday
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17, Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:16-18, 2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2
Bulletin Aid
Russell F. Anderson
Theme: A call to repentance and renewal. The people are called to return to the Lord with acts of worship, giving and devotion that spring from the heart. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 We know little about the writer of this book and there are no historical markers by which to judge the period in which it was composed. Many scholars believe that Joel lived in the Persian period (559-331 B.C.). We do know that he had a keen interest in the temple and can surmise that he hails from priestly ...
1420. Sight And Insight
John 9:1-12, John 9:13-34, John 9:35-41
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
How dark is dark? I did not realize how dark darkness can be until recently. We were conducting a teaching-preaching mission in Prestonburg, Kentucky. A member of the congregation was president of a local coal mining company which sold its coal to North Carolina's Duke Power Company for the production of electric power. He invited us to inspect his mine. After donning mining clothes and equipment, we were taken one mile into a mountain where we observed the mining operation. There were no lights except the ...
Sermon
Erskine White
... he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Luke 21:28) The town of Jericho was already 8,000 years old by the time Jesus and John the Baptist walked its streets. Think of it! Here in America, we were all excited a few years ago about our nation's bicentennial, our two hundredth birthday. Jericho was already 8,000 years old by the time of Jesus Christ. It remains today the oldest continually-inhabited city in the world. Jericho was built by the Canaanites as a fortified city ...
Sermon
Carlyle Fielding Stewart
There is something strange and paradoxical about the faith of Christians, and many people struggle to understand how we can celebrate the life of someone who died on a cross; someone who didn't fit the conventional criteria of success; someone who brought good and joy to the world, yet was executed by the very people to whom he brought goodness. How could God take someone who was penniless and make us wealthy; someone who was homeless and provide us with a many-roomed mansion in our Father's house? What a ...
Sermon
Harold Warlick
Back in the mid 1970s to early 1980s hypnosis was viewed as a major cure for many of society's ills. If you had a problem with being overweight, smoking cigarettes, drinking too much, or being a juvenile delinquent, many professional hypnotists would, for a hefty fee, offer their services to hypnotize your problems away. The church I pastored in Texas at the time contained among its members some overweight women with a passion for improving their bodies. These women had apparently tried everything they ...
Sermon
Theodore F. Schneider
Every pastor has been touched and troubled when there have been those in the congregation who suddenly have faced unemployment. Like an ambush from two sides, unemployment attacks us with the fear of financial insecurity on the one side and the loss of self-esteem on the other. Job searching can deepen both. In just such a moment I encountered Brian. He is a competent and creative person whose skills and personality cannot be long overlooked. "It will work out, Brian," I said. "God does provide." "I hope ...
Drama
Edward G. Hunter
A Dramatic Monologue My name is Simeon. I am advanced in years, but the Lord revealed to me that before I die I would see God's Anointed One, the Messiah. I know we have waited centuries for him to come, but I tell you - he has come! I saw him, I held him - as an infant - in my arms. When his parents came to the temple the other day with this precious child the Lord revealed to me that he was indeed the Messiah, the Promised One of God! I have prayed all my adult life that I would be able to see him, ...
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