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 126 to 150 of 5000 results

126. A Lifestyle of Holiness and Love

Leviticus 19:1-37

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... Israel to live a holy lifestyle ethically and religiously. This chapter covers a gamut of concerns, overlapping with the Ten Commandments, ritual laws, and concerns for the poor and helpless. Holiness applies in all these areas. Historical and Cultural Background Neither a loving God nor the idea of God as ethically holy was typical outside of Israel. E. Jan Wilson notes, “Although one might expect the gods to be called holy, that does not occur with any great frequency,” and even where applied, as with ...

127. Wedding: A Special Kind of Love

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon Aid

Jeffrey A. Nelson

... has brought these two together. It is a bond which draws each person out of the loneliness and isolation of a self-centered life and turns the gaze of each toward the other. It is a bond which draws these two individuals into a oneness of faith, hope, and love that nothing in life or death could ever destroy. It is the bond which is spoken of by the writer of Ecclesiastes: the bond of two individuals who will have good reward for their work; who will lift up the other after a fall; who will keep each other ...

128. I Love You, Man... And I Don't Want Your Beer

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . While it seems like bald-faced idiocy, this ad campaign has obviously struck a funny bone with the public. The fastest selling gift items in the new "Budweiser" catalog a catalog devoted entirely to selling beer-branded merchandise is the whole line of "I love you, man!" T-shirts, shorts, hats and signs. Could this be a male backlash to a couple of decades of being told men need to be more "sensitive," more "emotionally demonstrative"? "Okay," this ad campaign counters, "I'll bawl my guts out and express ...

129. The Politics Of Love

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

W. Robert McClelland

... church is not found in the oneness of our agreement - political or religious - but in our common allegiance to Jesus Christ. That which binds us together as a community of faith is our common desire to be obedient to God's will which as Luke reminds us is to love our neighbor - and do it now! Christian faith is on trial in the eyes of the world. It looks at the church to see if we put our practice where our proclamation is. Our claim is that God was in Christ reconciling the world. Not merely forgiving it ...

130. The Bonds of Love

1 John 4:7-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... receive the community's affirmation and blessings, and to seek God's approval upon their union. Marriage, on the other hand, is a "lifetime commitment that binds two persons together so that they may build each other up, offer each other the gift of love, continue to grow and mature together, offer a strong home to children, and accept all their years together ... even when bearing children ruins the shape, when age brings lines in the face, when the passing of time turns dimples into double chins, and when ...

131. The Living Advent Wreath (Love: Pink Candle of the Stars)

Luke 1:26-38

Drama

Frank Ramirez

... core of God’s plan for our lives. But when you return home to your king, you will see the exact same stars in the sky. And you may point to this special star, which shines more brightly than any other — for it is a herald of something greater. Love: (speaks) “But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judea, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2). Pilgrim: What does that mean? Guide: Come ...

132. Love in Action

1 John 3:16-24

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... is the shepherd who gave his life for his sheep. This is also the way our passage from 1 John begins today. "We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us" (3:16a). As followers of Jesus, we who are committed to go where Jesus went ... to spend their lives running from God. "And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them" (1 John 3:23-24a). Amen. ...

133. “Your Love, Lord, Reaches to the Heavens, Your Faithfulness to the Skies”

Psalm 36:1-12

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... of the triumph of good. We may remind ourselves of John’s equivalent message of the triumph of good over evil: “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). It is the victory of God’s love. Illustrating the Text Compared to what? Popular Culture: In the United States today, the majority of people claim to be Christian. The reality is that Christians often compare their lives to the norms of our culture rather than to the standard of biblical truth. An example of ...

134. What We Learn from Love

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... ? Immanuel—God with us. In the flesh, through the birth and life of Jesus Christ. And in our hearts and minds as the Holy Spirit who continually grows us in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. God’s continual presence with us is proof of His never-ending love for us. Many years ago, Bono, the lead singer of U2, tells of a Christmas Eve service that changed his life. His band had just come home after a long tour. He went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the Christmas Eve service. But he was feeling sleepy ...

135. Love In Action

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Will Willimon

... with justice"). You don't need Jesus dying on a cross for what everyone already finds easy. We say we do it out of love. To ask more would- be to risk provoking a crisis in their lives which might blow them away. You are so morally and emotionally ... us what to do about Central America, capital punishment, or anything else that matters. We can't have it both ways." Do you have anyone whom love so much that you will tell the truth and fully expect him or her to do the same for you? I'm not talking about " ...

136. Wedding: Eternal Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

... frailties and still know that you are accepted. Let the God-given gift of forgiveness be offered often in your marriage and in your home. God-given gift, I said. That, finally, is the key to eternal love. It isn't easy. It isn't natural. But it is possible, at least in part. Eternal love is a gift which God works in human hearts. This love you have for one another, (Bride) and (Groom), is God's free gift to you. Nurture it. Share it with your children. Help it to grow. And don't forget the Giver, for all ...

137. Love and Obey (Mother's Day)

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... , you know that when your mother gives you a rule to follow, even one as bland as “Don’t sit too close to the TV . . .” or “Be sure to put a jacket on . . .” or “Be in by midnight . . .”, you know down in your heart, she’s doing it out of love. You are at the very center of her world and she wants you to be safe. She wants you to be happy. She knows that this is a dangerous world. There are some things that might bring us a few moments happiness that in the long run of life can ...

138. For The Love of God is Giving

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... with "thanks" giving. Our challenge is to be like the widow. CONCLUSION: The widow challenges us to let our giving begin with humble acknowledgement that all we have and all we are comes from God. The widow challenges us to let our giving grow out of our love for God. And she challenges us to respond with "thanks" giving. Giving that is made thankfully for God. And giving that is thankful that we get to keep ninety percent. Like the two different widows, the one from the scripture and the one from the news ...

139. Wedding: Faith, Hope, And Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

... will live, hopes about how your relationship will grow and flourish, maybe even hopes for a family someday. Those hopes are so important. They will help to keep you moving into the future, instead of getting stuck in the mistakes and disappointments of the past. So, if faith, hope, and love are so obvious, why does Paul even mention them, and why do we bring his words up here? Two reasons. One is that it is a lot easier to talk about faith, hope, and ...

140. Tough Love

Zephaniah 3:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... to happen. There are certain things that we insist be done...like going to school and taking baths and eating vegetables...in spite of the fact that our kids might not want to do those things and in spite of the fact that they might think that we do not love them because we do not just let them do what they want and when they want to do it. Sometimes we will even punish them to teach them that there is something that must be corrected. There are things that we do concerning our kids that are done because we ...

141. Love Is Extravagant

John 12:1-11

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... is not the most important thing in life. It may come as a shock to some church members, but the ultimate purpose of the Church is not to have a balanced budget at the end of the year! That is not the purpose of the Church. Ministry is the purpose. Love laughs at balanced budgets. As Ralph Sockman said so well in commenting on this passage many years ago, when a child in the family is ill, the parents do not say, “I wonder whether we can afford to get a doctor.” No. We get the doctor and hang the cost ...

142. Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

Matthew 22:34-40

Children's Sermon

Marti Kramer Suddarth

... as yourself.” Our neighbors are the people who live in the house or apartment next door, right? (Allow children a moment to answer.) The people next door are our neighbors, but they aren’t the only people we can describe with that word. When Jesus asks us to love our neighbors, he’s using the word in another way. “Neighbor” can be used to mean anyone we meet. The person who lives in another part of town but rides your school bus is your neighbor. The stranger in line in front of you at the grocery ...

143. Love Your Enemy? Are You Kidding, Lord?

Luke 6:27-38

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... have been painted on it, you understand. Your tendency is to drive right down the middle rather than down the right hand side as would be normal once the lines are drawn. You drive more comfortably once the limits are laid out. Parents who really love their kids will let them know what the limits are because the youngsters will live more comfortably once they are firmly established. In terms of our enemies or potential enemies they, too, will end up in a better relationship with us once they understand just ...

144. A Loving Parent

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... their all to Him. But there is one thing more to be said: If God has ever wiped the tears from your eyes, shouldn’t you be finding someone else who is hurting and do the same thing for him or her? God’s love is a very intimate, personal love. But love is a two-way street. Indeed, love at its best is not only between us and God, but it is also to be shared--particularly with those who also have tears in their eyes. Dave Branon writes of the pain of losing his seventeen-year-old daughter Melissa in a car ...

145. Wedding: Love as Grace

Sermon Aid

John M. Braaten

... life of someone with grace, he usually uses the hand that is nearest. This means that through marriage, you are now special agents of God's grace. You are, as Martin Luther put it, to be "little Christs" to one another. That's why I can say I hope you love each other less today than in any other day of your life. My prayer is that you will grow in grace, unwrapping the grandeur of its meaning as you become, more and more, instruments through which God can bless and strengthen and ...

146. God So Loved the World

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

... the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. The reference of Moses lifting ... ways I have helped bring light to this darkened world. Look at me!" That is what I want to be able to say. I just love to show off my deeds of light. But I cannot do that. People who behold my deeds of the light do not see me. They see ...

147. Love Is for Nothing

John 6:24-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , "What can you do for me?" Twelfth century mystic Meister Eckhardt warned that "Some people want to see God with their eyes as they see a cow, and to love him as they love their cow. They love their cow for the milk and cheese and profit it makes them. This is how it is with people who love God for the sake of outward wealth and inward comfort. They do not rightly love (God) for their own advantage." Aren't we also guilty of using God the way a drunk uses a lamp post not for the light but to lean against ...

148. The Third Kind of Love

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

James W. Moore

... us weaker. Now, let me conclude. - Do you want to feel good about yourself? - Do you want to like yourself more? Then… Remember this… You are special to God! You are valuable to Him! You are the child of God and nothing can cut you off from Him and His love. You are a unique partner with God. A teacher once asked on a quiz the question: “What is in the world now that was not here 50 years ago?” One little girl wrote simply… “Me!” She was right. You and I are unique to the world. You and I are ...

149. Love Lives

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Bonnie Bates

... life for others. I do not know if, as a parent, I could sacrifice my child for others. Yet, such is the depth of the love of Jesus, the love of God in our midst. It is key that we remember this sacrifice when we are faced with the need to stand up for our ... does one answer those questions for a four-year old? I told him that Jesus came to change the world, to help people learn to love one another. Some people did not want that to happen. They wanted power and to be able to judge others. Jesus told them it was ...

150. Love And Resurrection

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... But Jesus was different and he responded to her in a way no one had ever done before. And now she wanted him to be that accepting loving man again. But Jesus had to say to her, "Do not hold on to me." That is, "Don't cling to your memory of who I was ... is not so easy to realize is that Easter Sunday, for whatever else it may be, is a strong, clear word from God saying to us, "I LOVE YOU!" The cross was a slap in God's face by humanity. It was the utter rejection of him by those who thought they knew more than ...

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